Passion & Learning - Do Your Part

If you are a parent, or have kids you like, the President has started a new thingy. “The Obama Administration will provide all 4th grade students and their families’ free admission to all National Parks and other federal lands and waters for a full year, starting with the 2015-2016 school year.” Other parks and areas and thingies are trying to build on this by getting donations to help getting kids from urban areas transportation to visit national parks, cultural artifacts and historic structures.

I know living this close to historic Philadelphia and places like Gettysburg and Valley Forge, it’s easy to assume all families and children have access to sites like this. They don’t.

When I was a wee lass, we visited, you know, some museum so the teachers could let parents handle us. I ended up talking to the security guard for like an hour because I made some comment about how the teacher always pointed out how I couldn't spell but these old guys put “f” in everything.

He told me that it was not an “f” but a “long s” (ſ) which is not used today (well, it’s used in math). This spawned some of my interest in typography because until that point, I knew of 24 (I was a dumb kid. Kidding, 26) letters in the English language – I had no idea there were ever more or less.

I had mentioned how cool it was he knew this and he said he was really getting into the 1300s and just got to reading about the black plague and how it changed the face of the world. Up until THAT point, the concept of anything that could change the world in such a manner didn’t exist to me.

He said if I ever had any questions about history, I could always contact him and he gave me his card. Then some teacher was like, “come on, we have to make wigs out of jelly worms to make history come alive” and I had to leave.

I wrote him a thank you note and he replied, sending me a copy of The Black Death by Philip Ziegler which I read cover-to-cover with an atlas – which suddenly opened the doors to Europe to me.

Oddly enough, the National Geographic had a two-page spread of Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s “The Triumph of Death” which totally got me into Hieronymus Bosch and Michael Wolgemut and the evolution of renaissance art and music.

Then I was telling my piano teacher about this and she played Saint-Saens “Danse Macabre” on her grand piano (it was a big deal) and suddenly I needed to hear this being played by an orchestra. She said she would find some local places if I learned about symphonic poem and perfected a part of Bagatelle sans tonalitè  by Franz Liszt.

My Dad told me that Silly Symphony’s The Skeleton Dance was based on “Danse Macabre” (it was not, by the way) and then I wanted to learn amount animation.

The point of that rambling story – and sorry about all the death references – is because I had the opportunity to visit a historic place and ask a question. If I had not lived in an area with access to this place and not the means to go – maybe I would have been an entirely different person. This single visit changed my view of learning from something owned by adults to something that belonged to me and had endless possibilities.

The passion of one person actually gave me the confidence to share my own discoveries and listen to the passions of others. It became my conversation currency,

Giving a kid the opportunity to see, touch and/or immerse in something totally different than a textbook or in a classroom doesn't ensure any type of success . . . like, I'm still a really dumb kid. . .but it could change the world. I would encourage anyone to take advantage of this program, take some time to take kids to parks, museums and historical places and expose them to people who have passion for something.

And donate to local establishments to help fund these programs.

Visit Nationalparks.org for more information.

Daily Smooth: Rat Approved

Happy Wednesday!

Today’s Blend

·         Apple – I got this from a friend because I am an angry owl

·         Maple syrup – My spirit animal is a flying fox, and she demands to be fed!

·         Pumpkin – One day, I will reach the bottom of the can. . .

·         Spinach – A lot, I am going shopping today so I wanted to use up everything and get new stuff.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away (and other lies they told us). Apples are pretty good and good for you, but, the old proverb is sort of wrong. I mean, it’s good for you! And if you like apples, eat ‘em up! But, I mean, I ate apples everyday through school and all I can say is. . . @#$% you apple.

I mean, I like an apple. Just not apples. Apples contain a lot of good stuff and – like most fruits and vegetables in the world – it’s called a “super food.”

To be a superfood, you pretty much have to be low in calories, high in fiber and contain some vitamins. So, the apple is in. So is white pine bark. I happen to like to apple for its sweet taste, strong variety and quercetin.

Quercetin is an anti-inflammatory flavonoid which has not been proven to do anything in the human body ‘cept mess with an antibiotic (Quinolone). So, science fed apples to rats and the rats felt better and parts of them that had inflammation had less inflammation shortly after. If it’s good enough for a rat, it’s good enough for me AND the rat.

In conclusion – superfoods are myths, apples are tasty, I did share apples with rats, and quercetin in high enough does can help with inflammation. Good thing it’s in a LOT of foods out there.

Say smooth, my friends!

Nail(ed) to the Couch: Mad Scene!

Oo. Time to do my nails!

My selection included two polishes and an overlay thingy. Because I’m totally so fancy. Totes!

I picked up a bottle of Mademoiselle which looks very pink but actually is very, very faint on the nails. I actually can do about four or five layers of it. I actually tried to bring it out more by doing a layer of Banc – which is WHITE and then a layer – and that didn't work out.

What I did was two layers of Limo-Scene – which is also a faint, white-pink and then a top layer of the Mademoiselle.

The overlay is a year or so old – I picked up the package in Target.

Image credit:
The nail thing from Phoenix Beauty Lounge

Stationery Haul: Paper Part

Seriously – paper and pens and paper and pens!! Nothing gets me more spiced up. MM!

If you follow my blog – the outpouring of crippling depression, awkward social interactions and silent screams of help – you probably know I have few people to “talk shop” to. This is why I live tweet. And blog.

I happen to love pens and paper. I worked retail stationery for about four years? Maybe three. I have no concept of time. I love to touch paper, feel paper, write notes, see the artistry in this form. Letterpress, thermography, engraving, flat print –

Sending letters out is a lot like social media these days. I can write ‘em, but, I’m not going to get much back. This has sort of collapsed my whole system of writing notes. I find the most likely notes I send these days are thank you notes – because they require no follow-up from other people. And it’s pretty nice to find all sorts of ways to show admiration and appreciation for someone else behavior.

Let’s do a little paper fun, k?

• Folded Note: This is probably my least favorite paper vehicle. I guess because it’s so common. Cards, thank you notes – the whole world is folded.
• Correspondent Card: These are heavy flat cards. Originally meant to be used by men. Whatever. I love the substantial feel in my hands and how you don’t have to open up a fold. BAM the message is right there.
• Letter page: Most commonly the lined paper or printing paper size. It does vary by country. I don’t use letter paper, really. I get my feelings out on a single correspondent card and call it a day. I do love air paper, which is very thin. Again, we don’t use this much anymore. I have been known to use a tea length paper – which is long and narrow. Rarely.

When you get something printed or something is printed and you like it, there are some options as to how the ink was applied to the paper (just look some of this up, who knows if I'm 100% right):

• Engraved: A mental plate is made with the image or text you want. This is a reverse image - when the paper is run through, the image from the plate stands up. It's normally then slathered with ink. You can check out this post by ohsobeautifulpaper.com for more info.
• Letterpress: Same deal with the plate, but the plate has ink applied to it and is pressed into the paper creating the look (and feel) of the image or text being pressed into the paper. Did you know ohsobeautifulpaper.com did another article on this?
• Themography: This is where no plate is used (translation: cheaper process). Ink and powder are applied to the paper in the image or text and then baked. The ink puffs up and looks raised, like engraved. 
• Flat print (also called Offset): Ever print paper from a home or work printer? That's flat. Most greeting cards are like that.
• Foil Printing: This is coming around in style. It's on the line of letterpress but you can only have so many colors or images when using letterpress or engraving - with a die and some heat (and special metallic ink) you can get the same letterpress feel with more complexity. And on thinner paper.
• Embossed: This is more for an accent but artist are crazy about all types of things. You probably know embossed styles if you ever read a library book and it had that crest in it. You know. Or got a personal embosser? It's like raised paper without ink.

Now, I can easily tell the difference between these things types of printing. Most people can call out letterpress. Not everyone can tell the difference between thermo and engraved. Another type of printing is embossed - which is like letterpress but no ink is used.

The Card

I don’t like to buy cards for events. I like to buy blank cards. First, they can be fancier and I can turn them into anything I want. I can buy a bunch and save them for whatever event. Besides, in today’s world, nothing is every as cut and dry as “happy ____” or whatever. If you want to make a splash – stationarily – at a wedding or shower or something, getting a unique blank card is the way to go. Trust me, the people getting the cards are going to see the same ones over and over.

Get yo’self some blank cards.

The Correspondent

I normally buy a pack of cards in one color and envelopes in another so you have a whole display when I do send mail.

You can get different sizes and they give you either a little more or a little less space. Since you tend to just use the front  and never the back – or should – if you struggle with words, a smaller card will make you seem more full of thoughts.

People like this.

I like to get my paper from the bulk section of Paper Source. I pretty much walk around gathering everything and battling off sales people. I like them, they are cool – just, leave me alone. This is like my porn and no one wants to be interrupted when involved in their personal porn.

Customize Yourself

Minus actually gluing stuff on your notes, you can easily create a custom and fun look with stamps.

I love on my correspondent cards with stamps – which I also like. Stamps and stencils. The good thing about both is you can normally find a lot of styles and it’s not like the stamp or stencil will go bad. If you buy some nice paint markers you can use a stencil and a couple colors to make something artistic.

People dig artistic. Even if they don’t – just crush a stamp pad with a stamp and get your aggressions out by slamming that stamp on some paper. Then you say, “I @#$%ing made that. I MADE YOU!”

In Practice

I went to this new paper store - because they happen. And of course needed to buy anything that's tiny. I got these letterpress cards with baby envelopes and totally wrote them all up that night and hid them in the husband's stuff. 

He found one about 12 hours later. That's a stressful 12 hours.

Thoughts

Sure, we might all be hurling toward electronic efficiency, but I’ll make you cry like a baby with a hand-written note on some paper that feels like a sturdy hug and some custom art. 

Spice Palette

When talking about food, I often suggest the chef - you - should follow a spice palette for your palate. Here is this super awesome infographic from FoodBeast.com to help and show you how easy it is to dress up any dish!

Click on the graphic to see the full-sized version.

Going Soap Free

I have this secret that I didn't realize was odd or weird but more recently...I did an audit and figured I'd get this off my chest.

I don't use soap in the shower.

Seriously - started as me just forgetting to get body gel or body lotion soap stuff and then sort of being lazy about it. Then I found out that my skin is suddenly super hydrated, soft and I don't smell bad, either.

Let me just repeat - I don't smell bad. I actually had some people preform a sniff test on me a couple times. You know, those people who'd be like - you smell bad.

Yes, I still use shampoo (I love my Pureology!) My hair is very oily if I don't wash it. One day of no shampoo/conditioner and I feel sticky and horrible. My hair gets stiff and chunky with oil. I like the feeling of clean hair, so, this is nothing something I am going to change - ever. And, believe me, I went a week or so without washing my hair and it was nast! 

Soap - nope. 

I Googled to see if other people in the world are like me - I'm always looking for my people - and found out using chemically rich soap is pretty harmful. Actually, you can find out anything that supports anything you believe, but, bare with me (get it?!)

Back in the day, soap was made of animal fat and salt (today, any fat works) and lye and some type of smelly oil or herb and the grease would bind with other dirt to clean.

Today - less lard, more weird junk. Also, less dirty. I haven't worked on a farm in years.

Stinky Old Tyme People

I know there is a common myth that people "in the old days" smelled bad and never bathed as a matter of norm. That's not really true. Like all animals, humans like to be clean. Our ancestors frequently took sponge baths in the cold months and swam in pools and rivers in the warm ones. Also, they did use soap when needed. They invented soap.

We are a clean species.

The next time someone tells you people use to be smelly and dirty and never bathed, remember - these stories and history is often written to make "modern" life seems superior to out poor forefathers and foremothers.

Our forepeople - yeah, they knew what was up. Just because they didn't have what we have, didn't mean they weren't smart, technologically savvy, kind, healthy and considerate.We tend to paint our dead ancestors with a negative paint ALL THE TIME.

These were the people who build the groundwork and educated those who educated us. Sometimes they were wrong - in the same way we will be reported as being wrong for what we believe today - but they were not bumbling idiots without direction, intelligence or work ethic.

My Life Soap-Free
I really have found my skin is softer. I get very dry skin in the winter - the media says I need a better moisturizing soap, super-hydrating lotion and not to use hot water. Now that I don't use soap during every shower, my skin is healthy and smooth. I don't need lotion and I can take a nice hot shower.

As I announced my discovery to the world after a couple months - I found the focus was definitely on the preserved negatives brought on by years of industry marketing and a failure of free thinking and experimentation.

Here is my QA!

OMG! How long have you not used soap?
Since October 2014.

Do you smell?
Nope. Do you want to double check? (4 out of 4 sniff testers said I smell "good").

Are you going to get dreadlocks?
Ok, a common misconception is that those who have dreadlocks do not wash their hair. Many dreadlock care regimens require the wearer to wash his/her hair. Second, no, I still wash my hair everyday because I want to.

How do you keep clean?
I do a little scrubbing with my hands - make sure my pits are clean and whatnot - and that's about it. I even use the scrub brush thing in the shower without soap. Sometimes, I do a sexy dance. It doesn't get me cleaner, it's just my routine.

Do you wash your hands?
Of course I wash my hands WITH soap. I don't need the stomach flu - I wash my hands after using the bathroom and before handling food and after handling food. And sometimes I engage in an epic hand washing ritual because my brain tells me it's the only way to get rid of the massive amount of crippling anxiety and depression that occasionally spikes in my head. Yes, I use soap to wash my hands.

What about your *gesture* You know, *gesture*?
Lady friends, you should all not being using soap on your lady-part, anyway. I don't know anyone who soaps up in the vagina area - wait, I guess I know now.

When it comes to the vagina, don't use soap IN it. That's a sure fire way to mess up the balances down there. If you do soap down there, use it on any public hair and on the outside area of your vagina. Many doctors says you can use some warm water and a little finger scrub on your labia.

You should not be soaping up that area or soaping up your vaginal canal. That's bad. Your vagina is self-cleaning - it might need some help during menstruation, but only on the outside parts. Leave your poor vagina alone!

Do not - I repeat - do NOT listen to those advertisements for feminine soaps or something. Unless you gynecologist suggests it. If something is funky down there, you don't use soap - you go see the gyno.

Do you notice any difference?
I'm actually shocked at the difference. My body, left to it's own devices, does very well. Most of the body is self-cleaning needing little help from the latest trends in bath and body.

But Really
There are times we need to use soap - let's remember this boiling hot day when I went for a 20 mile bike ride and fell into a pool of mud (don't ask) that coated me up to my shoulder.

This is a soap situation, people.

So - would you do it? Would you go soap free?

A Thought On Flowers

Don't ever let someone tell you that you cannot buy yourself flowers. Like flowers are some great award of a clean and beautiful soul which can only be recognized and granted by an outside force.

If you like flowers and you want some in your place, in your space, in your office, or anywhere, you go right ahead and buy yourself some flowers. Buy wild flowers, buy roses, buy Gerbera daisies, buy an orchid (but do NOT buy an ocra).  

It doesn't even matter what your gender is - by the way.

#vintage

#nofilter

Stationery Haul: Pen Part

Seriously – paper and pens and paper and pens!! Nothing gets me more spiced up. MM!

If you follow my blog – the outpouring of crippling depression, awkward social interactions and silent screams of help – you probably know I have few people to “talk shop” to. This is why I live tweet.

And blog.

I happen to love pens and paper. I worked retail stationery for about four years? Maybe three. I have no concept of time.

Pens – shut the front door - I love a good pen. I was perhaps fortunate enough work in a store that had many pen vendors who would offer short sessions on the workings of their pens. I could also play with them and learn about them and the type of hand and/or writer who should be paired with them. I always liked writing and normally wrote by hand so the form and function of everything from the Mont Blanc to the Retro51 was very interesting to me.

I learned that I actually always loved a rollerball.

Hate Brings Us Together

So, this adventure starts tragically enough with me talking about a subject very close to my heart – my hate of ballpoints. Where was I talking about this? A work-dinner with my coworkers and director. It’s better when I have someone around to shut me up.

Anyhow, I gave them the primer on the four types of ink pens:

• Fountain Pen: Most of this was lost on them. There are layers of techniques that is largely lost on the masses who don’t understand the FP.
• Rollerball: My favorite type – no paste in the ink. It might run out faster than a ballpoint and can smear (depending on brand) but you don’t get ink boogers. You also get a smooth, solid line.
• Ballpoint: @#$%ing boogers. Ink and paste are mixed together to make a cap less system of ink delivery that doesn't smear, last longer (due to the paste thinning out the ink) and leave you with ink boogers. The line is rarely smooth.
• Gel: Gel roller or gel point, whatever. The modern ink. I do like a good gel roller. It’s smooth, doesn't dry out as much as a rollerball and often doesn’t bleed through the paper. 

Onward we talked with this shared information. I was sort of surprised I wasn't made fun of or something - maybe told that everyone emails these days or something. Which is true. I love my texting. I'm going to text right now. . .

My director mentioned he likes a super-fine line and if we had any of those pens. Well, in office supply stores it’s often hard to find the right nib. Most are medium so that some people are happy and the rest are equally unhappy.

People are use of purchases BIC pens (nothing wrong with what you like, if you like it) and tossing them when done. Why don’t we invest in pens? Well, cheap, fast and easy is the name of the game. Not quality, comfort and. . .niceness. These ballpoints and under-a-dollar disposable pens are just what we need in our fast food, electronic world.

What about specific, beautiful and customization?

Understanding the Pen
The pen is the body. The pen is the temple. You got to start here – like any relationship. What do you like to own? Not that you own relationships or people. What suits your style? Classic, funky, artistic, emotional? You can probably find it.

A refillable fine pen is more than ink. It is a balanced tool of intimate communication.You need to understand yourself and your own style first.

Do you grip a pen like your life depends on it? You should probably stop that, but, having a thicker pen would probably be better. Do you hold your pen lightly? Then a thinner model might be better. The best way to learn about these things is to find out. So few people have been exposed to different pens they don't even know.

They don't even know.

Pens can be very heavy or very light. The way the pen feels in your hand can make your writing much easier and relax your hand.

A key tip here is to understand you are not judgeing the ink. You are judging the pen in your hand. You can always buy a black or blue or colored ink in any point size. But, that means nothing if you don't like how the pen feels.

A good pen can make it a delight to write. And maybe you will feel like writing a couple notes.

Ballpoints
I don’t buy ballpoints. I dislike when I have to use them, as well. You’ll have to go elsewhere for advice on how to deal with them.

Rollerball
I have the Acme Fingerprint Rollerball which is a very heavy pen for my hand. I normally write with the cap off else it gets too heavy and I feel my hand being pulled backwards. Probably if I really wanted to press down hard, this would help me stop. If I wanted to stop. You don't know me.

Anyhow, I love it. I love the size of it in my hand and how relax it keeps my grip. I love the designs. Once you get an Acme pen, you are going to want another one. They are very collectible - the limited editions are a must-grab if you like the pen as once they are discontinued, they will go up in value - often dramatically.

For me, I'm not a collector. I like to use my pens. It's just nice to know.

I also have a Waterman Hemisphere Rollerball which is slimmer and lighter. I believe Waterman is on this kick with "Blue Obsession" because I can't find my finish anywhere. Ihave it in the lovey cognac finish.

Anyhow, this is a pen that feels designed for my hand. I write with the cap on and I couldn't be happier with it, honestly. I find the Waterman is both a great gift and a useful one. They are handsome pens fit for both men and women.

Other types of brands that I don't own by always like where Retro51 and Parker. While each company has different models of pens, I don't think you can go wrong with either depending on your personal tastes and budget.

Fountain Pens
Writing with a fountain pen is not like writing with any other type of pen - you don't write, you glide. You don't press down, you don't struggle - you don't even pause. Cursive and a fountain pen dance together on a page - even if you aren't good at it. It might inspire you to brush up on it, if you did learn cursive (do people still learn cursive?) Even if you print, a fountain pen makes you do things with your soul.

I have two fountain pens. 

My first one was a Lamy which I think is a fantastic pen company. It is super light because it is plastic and the nib is normally steel or carbon which makes it very hard to break. It's such a great travel fountain pen or something to use without worrying so much about having something super-valuable that could get lost.

I happily point out the Safari for people wanting a durable, colorful fountain pen. Or even the ABC to help kids learn now to write. It's just - good, inky fun!

I got the Lamy Joy as a gift and it’s actually a 1.5 nib, which is a calligraphy nib. And it’s a lot longer.

I have a vanilla Visconti van Gogh which I won for having the highest sales if pens one month when I did work retail. Else, I wouldn't have had the money for a $200 pen. I totally fell in love with this little pen and the Visconti brand.

To me, once you hit this price point you want a pen that is beautiful and artful and makes a statement to you - a pen that is like art to you. And also a pen that functions correctly.

Get a fountain pen. I suggest a Lamy, of course. But most pen companies will offer a line with a ballpoint, rollerball and fountain pen - if you like the feel of a rollerball (or, yes, a ballpoint) in your hand, check out the fountain pen.

I really want to get a Conklin and strongly recommend this as a pen for people who love American history. Mark Twain was a famous supporter of the Conklin Cressent Filler pen - which allowed you to fill the pen without unscrewing anything and prevent it from rolling off the table. One of his pens is on display - and it is a Conklin. It's a delightful bit of history.

Ink for the Balls
Now that you found a pen you like, you can turn to ink. Sometimes a ballpoint (if it has a cap, probably) and rollerball refill can be interchanged. Most of the time, the ballpoint is a twist or clickable, so, just use the ballpoint refill.

Now that you found a pen you like, you can turn to ink. Sometimes a ballpoint (if it has a cap, probably) and rollerball refill can be interchanged. Most of the time, the ballpoint is a twist or clickable, so, just use the ballpoint refill.

Ok, just, keep the rollerball and ballpoint ink separate.

Normally, you best bet is to buy the ink made by the company that made the pen. You don’t have to. I am a big fan of Monte Verde ink and how it fits most pens. I also like Waterman ink. Sometimes this depends on what ink is available to you, as well.

I always keep my refill from the pen manufacture – this is a good practice because you can take that refill to an office supply store and match it to the refill they have. If it will fit, it will work. Most have a little image on the side of the package where you line up your refill to make sure.

I do know for my Acme pen, I have to chew off the back of the Monte Verde refill for it to fit. We do crazy things for love.

Ink for the Fountains
Minus some outliers which you will learn if you purchase something like a Conklin Crescent Filler – fountain pens come with a converter and will accept most size cartilages.

The converter works like a little syringe – you dip the end into a bottle of ink and twist the other end to suck up ink into the device and then snap it into your pen. As a bonus, you can fiddle with the converter to get the ink flowing to the nib without much of a wait.

The cartridge is pretty simple, you just put it in the pen the same way you put in the converter. Once it, you give it some time and the ink will flow down to the nib. Fountain pen mechanics are based on slow bleeds. Sometimes slower than others.

It is advised you only use one type of ink in your fountain pen. Okay. But, you should also clean you fountain pen. This is super easy – you run it under water. Well, you unscew the nib section and run that underwater to clean out the ink. You want to make sure you don’t leave the pen unused for so long that the ink dries up in there. Then you will have an issue with ink flow. Always take good care of you fountain pen.

The Future
Oh, I will be getting more fountain pens. My next purchase will probably be the Acme converter kit so I can get a fountain pen for like $38 bucks and still use my Fingerprint pen.

As far as others, I do still love a good office supply run and I recommend the Pentell Energel X Rollergel. I have the full color pack and I love them.

Happy writing, people. Take some time to reconnect.

Image Credit
Watermen image if from monstermarketplace.com
Visconti from thepenplace.com

Things I Eat: Molasses Pecan Cookies

The spouse and I decided “balls” is not a good thing to announcing that you are eating in mixed company. So, I dug around and got out some cookie cutters I had. Why do I have cookie cutters? I use to be hopeful about my skills in life.

Anyhow, my desire for molasses has not dulled. Will it ever? No. My desire for it is strong and all consuming. Is drinking molasses out of the container an ok way to deal with this desire?

Don’t tell me how to live.

What I do get asked is “how much of this stuff do I need?” I don’t know – how much LOVE do you need? How much HOPE do you blend?

Seriously, I’m not like a fully functioning human.

What You Need

• Walnuts (16oz): The actual nut in this concoction is the walnut. Sorry if that is weird. I love walnuts. I used about 16oz, which is a normal sized shelled walnuts bag, I believe.
• Dates (16oz): Sweet, sticky dates. I got a pack from Trader Joe’s!
• Blackstrap Molasses: My lips might have been on it. . . a little. You want to get blackstrap and make sure it says "Unsulphured." I used this Organic Molasses thing.
• Cinnamon: Yeah, like. .all over. 
• Maple Syrup: The love kitten brought me back MORE syrup from Vermont so I HAVE to use up what I got. Totally. 
• Coconut Oil: Eating this out of the jar is surprisingly unsatisfying. 

What You Do
You know, dump everything into your food processor and pulse the crap out of it.

I made sure this dough was extra dense because I was going to be managing it like a cookie dough. I made sure to let it blend for a little extra time and used a little more date action.

Once it was done, I threw it on my cutting board and rolled it out. I was worried it was going to stick to the board, but, it behaved really well. You could always use a little spatula or something to ease ‘em up if you roll with too much passion. I rolled pretty gently and just to flatten it out.

Then I cut them with my cookie cutter and pressed a pecan into the top for a charming visual display. I think my presentation for this recipe  makes up for the lack of pictures of the steps.

One day. .ONE DAY. . .I will make something that looks appetizing to the world. For right now, my hubs was crazy about these cookies and we pretty much ate them all pretty fast. Because of the date content, they are very dense so you fill up pretty fast.

Bonus points.

Dusty the Foster: Kitten Teeth

Did you know kittens, like humans, are born with baby teeth and they lose them in favor of adult teeth which are done coming in at months?

I forgot. So I FREAKED out thinking Dusty had been kicked in the face.

Or, more amusingly, he was a mutant with two lower canines.

Yep. Assumed I had killed the foster-kitten. I did not. Anyone want a kitten?

Wedding Review: The Ladies

Remember when I got married? TIME TO RELIVE. Nothing like getting your photos back from your photographer to get you in the mood to share the stuff you got for your wedding.

And by “you” I mean “me.”

'cause this is my blog.

I think what I enjoyed was seeing how the pieces I put together came together. As a fake-artist and all around. . mm. .dumb kid, it's rare I get to see something move from planning stages into real life production. I think this type of project fruition (or furwishion as I spelled it the first time) is rare for someone like me yet very rewarding. 

I mean, sure, I got married which is the penultimate of my life as a female - one step down from baring children. (Notice, I used penultimate correctly.)

Anyhow, here are the digs!

My Dress

I really wanted a lace dress. Something very simple in design with lace from top to bottom. I like lace. I like a lot of wedding dress designs - but some will look very aged and old fashion as soon as the next season comes out. 

I really liked my dress - I loved the lace was almost art deco. It is the Allure 2600. Here is how it looked on the model, how it looked hanging and how it looked on me. 

Accessories

In my haiz I wore Ever Faith's  5 Inch Wedding Rose Simulated Pearl Hair Comb Clear Austrian Crystal. I thought it would fit in with the prongs going down but my hair couldn't hold it. My stylist found it worked much better at an angle. She did this thing where it looked like my hair was half-gathered by the comb. I never really saw it. 

Around my neck, I wore Ever Faith's Bridal Silver-Tone Art Deco Flower Leaf Necklace Earrings Set Clear Austrian Crystal. This is really a beautiful piece. I got to wear it again going out to with my lady-friends for a more posh dinner. I'm going to find more places to wear it, for sure.

My shoes created quite a stir - because when do you get to wear ridiculous shoes anymore? I got mine from China - which I do not like doing because sizes are totally different (and they won't tell you) and shipping takes forever. And you can't return anything without paying a lot more. I lucked out with Honeystore's Women's Diamonds and Rhinestone Satin Pumps

Bridesmaids

My lady-friends are super hot, might I add. How like disgustingly charming are they? Lucked out in the first department, that's for sure. 

You can read my thoughts in my post Why Davids Bridal Sucks. I did get this dress style from them - it was on sale. I let the girls pick out any dress they wanted - but I did ask they try this on. It was a hit and I think they all look great. Maybe they can wear it again? I suggested chopping off the skit because a nice satin skit with a sweater is nice. Or just wear the sweater. I like it.

It was a Style Satin Wide Strap Tea Length Dress - this is the model in it

And these are my girls - who blow that model out of the water! Seriously, these foxy-ladies should be on Pinterest and in a magazine or something.

Stay tuned for the boy installment!

The Daily Smooth: Jammin'

You know it’s Wednesday. . .Pantless Wednesday. And time for another installation of The Daily Smooth!

Who doesn't like toppings? Toppings on ice cream, hamburgers - toppings bring us together and give us something extra to look forward to. I like to add a topping of buckwheat groats to my smoothies. It gives a little chew-crunch and sucks up some flavor. I like it. You can always top your smoothie with nuts or jimmes.

Today’s Blend

• Buckwheat groats (not blended, just added).
• Ground flaxseed.
• Mango sorbet.
• Mixed berry jam (homemade, a gift to me!).
• Oatmeal.
• Spinach.

Check out more of my blends by going to the Things I Eat page!

Texts With Melissa: It's Cold

Another month as passed - let's check in on what's going on!

Let's translate. . .

Re-post: Hunting a Silent Killer

My own medical situation made me get tested for hepatitis - and I never realized how silent or deadly the hepatitis group is. If you are reading this, I would encourage you to get tested.

Get tested and don't be shy because:

• Looking out for your health and the health of others is heroic. It's a dying art in this world, sometimes. Get yourself a hep and Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STD) check because knowing is important. You might also find in a blood workup something else that will make your life easier and your health better.
• Yes, hep C is transferred through the sharing of bodily fluids. Who you choose to share your fluids and items that contain your fluids is your business - it doesn't make you a better or worse person if because you do this. What makes you a bad person is not being tested. What makes you a hero is bravely baring your arm for a blood test and answers.

Get to the doctor or a clinic and get tested STDs, heps, organ function, cholesterol - everything and anything. If everything in your system is normal, you will have created a benchmark. If your health goes down later down the line, you will always have a medical snapshot from that test that can be very helpful to the medical community. 

For more information on the dangers of hepatitis C and being diagnosed - both for yourself and for a potential partner or family member - read the article linked below.

Let's look out for ourselves and each other and not pretend we are immune to life.