Exploring the History of our House

Last spring we were asked if we would like to participate in the historical house tour in our town by opening our house to the public and providing them with some historical information on our house. As we started researching we found that Grant Wheat inventor of the first rechargeable headlamp for miners was the original owner of our house established 1920. Yesterday at Boarders my husband saw this book In the book it said that Grant Wheat was buried in Maplewood cemetary We were lucky enough to find the Wheat family plot

In this post I used picnik editor through picasa and I am not sure I am happy with the results, I think that they shrink the image too much, however there is a premium upgrade for $2.08 a month but I don't think that will speed it up much, I found it way slower than photoshop and I wasn't even doing a complicated edit. Let me know if any of you have used it and have any tidbits for me.



****update**** I re-uploaded and tried again the pix look better now

totally nerdy puzzle girl

So I am totally nerdy about logic puzzles and the like. I go back and forth between cross sums now kakuru and cryptograms but really I can't get enough of either. I find that it wakes the brain up in the morning and is a good brainstorming activity, it is like how some people doodle when letting the mind wonder.

Here is an encrypting cipher machine used in world war II



I am so fascinated by algorithms associated with so many things in nature as well. This is an interesting site where Bruce Schneider explores and documents his findings here.

stella is the cheesiest

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Why people opt out of facebook?

things people say can be taken completely out of context as there isn't any body language to read and some people are really sensitive or take things the wrong way, there just aren't enough emoticons

if you put something in your status that can get a rise out of people don't get pissed when they comment

some people share their souls, somethings are meant to be kept to yourself, some use it to be validated but what people are validating can be a lie and feeds the problem without even knowing it

somethings are supposed to be shared with loved ones and close friends where a conversation can be carried on, congrats can be given and making it special for those around you, when posting I always thought is this something I should tell people about in person? For instance I found myself pregnant and decided before I started posting things like i am tired, my back hurts, etc all those things that people can put two and two together, I would notify good friends and family first, to give them a heads up and to make them part of a special time in my life.

some post inappropriate photos, ie. partially naked photos, and underage drinking pictures, why oh why do people do this?

the whole getting unfriended business is a load of crap too, it is like putting an end to a relationship in public without having to give an explanation to the person you are unfriending, it is very passive aggressive and hurtful

using facebook to make remarks that are implied to some but vague to others is negative and not so nice, if you have a problem with someone maybe you should talk to them about it instead of facebooking it

It spins out of control like a rumor mill.

these are some of the things I have experienced and has ruined my experience with facebook, what is so unfortunate is that I couldn't just unfriend those people and block them as I see them frequently or am related to them and I didn't want to not be friends with them in real person, I just didn't want to be a part of the facebook drama that has popped up from time to time.

then there is the whole privacy issues, the stalking, the bullying, the public posting of others private life. Why any parent would ever let any child under the age of 16 join facebook is beyond me. I think parents and teachers need to start teaching the kids discretion and respect while using this social network.

Here are a few links that pretty much sum it up...

10 reason why you should destroy your facebook account

Funny but true video about relationships

Facebook bullying

Artwork the Gift worth Giving and Getting

Every year our loved ones ask us what we want for xmas and every year I want less and less or things with more meaning then monetary. I think the season is about giving to those who are less fortunate. I think it is ridiculous to give a gift just to give a gift. That's why this year I decided I wanted a painting done by a childhood friend who is a true inspiration. Give art this year!

creativity in all forms

Every day i try to be creative, this past weekend i moved around the pictures in the living room.

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the quilting has begun!

Yesterday i washed all the fabric squares to begin my first quilt ever. I am excited to work on this project and am going to consider this my learning quilt, trying out ideas and seeing what does and doesnt work. I have a bunch of small squares cut have checked out the stiches and have found one that will do the trick. Off i go to!

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curtains are complete!

The entranceway curtain project is complete. I am hoping that these curtains will save us some money and heat by closing off the front door. I still have a bunch of necklaces to post so that should be coming early this week. Have a great weekend!

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putting the last two panels together

I will definately make these curtains again however it will be a bit easier with different fabric. This crushed silk is a bear but it is forgiving as much as it is a pain, however a bit time consuming. It doesnt help that i am blogging to procrastinate...peace out finishing project; engage!

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curtain panels in the making

Here is a sneak peak of the almost finished first panel

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Charm/Trinket making project

I am gearing up to have a little table set up at one of the nearby schools so I have been working on my new concepts for my necklaces. I have sketched up several different styles but have decided to include one single element and that is these charm type pieces that I am going to work into and with chain and ribbons. In order to get a bunch of necklaces ready I need a bunch of these so I have started cranking them out, once you get in the swing of things you really get going. I love all the colors and textures, stay tuned for more updates and soon some finished pieces.

too much water not enough fire

So long story short I think that we have some spirits hangin out in our house so a friend of mine who works with energy came to town and helped evaluate our house as well has give us some ideas of how to change the energy flow. My kitchen was one area in which we needed to improve upon, the answer, more red by the sink and window. We need to balance the water element with some fire. Lucky for me i was able to find some fabric that incorporated my existing color palette. Here you see the fabric i will use to sew some new curtains. It is amazing what a little fabric with some color can do.

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Here is a teaser of some upcoming necklaces

Again a long time away

It has been a few crazy months but I have some great projects going that I will post about. I have a few curtain projects, a logo project, and of course necklaces necklaces necklaces! I should have something for you in the next couple of days.

Food to Keep you Fueled

So I have been craving this wild rice salad that my mom used to make and I didn't realized how much I took for granted the midwest and their awesome foods! I have bought wild rice twice recently at two different grocery stores and it is amazing because they have 1 kind, no variety and it is soooo expensive. I may have to have someone from back home send me some wild rice because this is ridiculous!
Anyway enough with my ranting! I decided to add a few things to the original recipe and take some out, ok I only took out one ingredient and that is the peas. I did added a purple pepper and some chives.

My husband made a nice dressing but you can use store bought italian if you are so inclined.


Here is the finished product ingredients are

• wild rice (chilled)
• grape tomatoes cut in half
• celery
• onions
• chives
• purple pepper
• marinated artichokes
• dressing, something of the italian variety.

I made a batch of this and it is great as a side dish or a lunch and lasts in the refrigerator! It also has a great amount of fuel and I used this to work on my new garden.

We are going to have a fall garden including spinach, lettuce (a few kinds), potatoes, garlic and some parsnips. We should get a small harvest from the leafy greens before it frosts and everything else will be in the ground ready for the spring, at which time we will fill the rest of the garden beds with our favorite vegetables.

I need to get the seeds in this week and in order to do that, we need to get more dirt as we are using raised garden beds. I am amazed at how quickly we executed this project as I had only just seen the garden that inspired me to do this:


I saw this garden on a walk last week and fell in love! I can't wait for next year when I can get it all laid out.

Eating Right-How to make Carrot Juice

Today I am on my 9th day of my 21 day cleanse and it is going surprisingly well! My doctor said I could have meat 3 days ago but I haven't had a chance to pick up anything fresh and grass-fed. Yes I said grass-fed, I learned about this type of meat 10 years ago while working at a restaurant in denver, co and really noticed that it made for a much better burger (and way more nutritious). While all of this type of beef and free range chickens are widely available in some places, it isn't in others! I love minnesota for the fact that there are so many co-ops in and around the city. Here in mass not so much, so we have done some research and it looks like you can set up delivery from farmers to have different cuts of meat come to us! Still have some more stuff to look into but will probably post some of the more helpful websites I find in this endeavor.

I decided to make fresh carrot juice because I am so sick of carrots and I had a bunch left. Basically what I did is I took the carrots and chopped them in the blender.
then you add hot water to get the good stuff separated from the not so good stuff, leave stand for about 15-20 minutes.
Then strain the chunks of carrot out, at this point you would normally add a few oranges but I had a bunch so I added a bunch.
Pour it into the jars and throw them in the fridge. Shake before using as it does separate a bit.

This is one of my amazing smoothies that I added the juice to. If you can name 6 of the 12 ingredients you will win a $15 itunes certificate, just post your answer in the comments and don't forget your email address. Only 1 winner!

Weekend full of Cleansing and Backyard Nature

I am on day 6 of my Standard Process Cleanse and it is going very well! It is so strange but the minute someone says you can't have you want! In the last several days I have had cravings for things I haven't eaten in years! Anyway here is a normal routine 2 times a day that is 19 pills and a shake!
Today I made one of the best shakes yet containing:

• flax seed oil
• vanilla coconut milk
• the supplement
• apples
• kiwi
• banana
• spinach
• grapes
• tart cherry juice

Yesterday was the first day using the flax seed oil and I made a delicious shake with it too:

• orange juice
• supplement
• flax seed oil
• organic fresh wild maine blueberry's
• strawberry
• banana
  

While enjoying some time out back and watering my garden the birds were in full force enjoying a bath in the sun!

Here is a yellow bird that I think my husband and I saw a month ago and thought it was someones pet but it rolls with the sparrows in the neighborhood.

This was a gift from a friend and I just love the pot and dish it is in.

I can't just exercise I need an activity,

I can't just exercise I need an activity, so I decided to walk the trail by my house and take pictures! I had no clue how far I was going to walk but I was going to walk! So these are the items that I brought with me:
spring water, sketch pad, pens, ipod, phone, wallet, and some fruit

There were a bunch of these butterfly's hanging out so I was able to grab a couple snap shots of them.
I thought this was a neat tree with the contrast from the sky and the death of the tree.

Eating Yummy things while Cleansing

I started a liver cleanse yesterday which will continue for 3 weeks! I have a shake I make 2 or 3 times a day and I put a bunch of organic fruit that I have cut and frozen into the blender with some fresh squeezed orange juice, which is actually really good and kind of fools me into thinking I am getting my yogurt! Pretty much no dairy, meat or grains except for brown rice, wild rice and lentils. So basically organic veggies and more organic veggies! I decided that I need to figure out how to make some kick ass meals to make this a challenge more then something to dread!

For lunch today I sauteed some onions and garlic in extra virgin olive oil for a while to let them sweat.


Then I added the mushrooms!

Added salt and pepper and a bit of butter and of course the baby spinach!


I was so excited to eat this that I forgot to take a picture of it on it's plate and now it is all gone! I highly recommend this recipe for a side dish for times when you aren't cleansing!