Twitter anyone?

I've heard of a few people that are on Twitter. I'm not sure I get it. Blogging and Facebooking are one thing, but are there people out there who really want to know every little detail I might choose to share? Or have we become such a self-absorbed society that we assume people will want to know?

Do you Twitter? Let me know what you think of it!

PS - I had all I could take of the first presidential debate (yawn!) I'll have to read the highlights later!

Inspired

Since 5th grade, I have considered myself a writer. But even though I have doodled, drew pictures, and sketches through the years, for some reason, I never considered myself artistic. Several years ago, a friend looked at me and asked, "Are you an artist?" I scowled and snorted and said, "Huh, NO!"

But thanks to the inspiration of some of my blogger friends, I guess I realized I AM an artist. Just because I don't have aspirations to have a great painting in a museum or even to have people displaying my work in their homes, just like my writing, my art is for fun and lately has been somewhat therapeutic for me. Inspired by Trish, I've just started sketching in my journal.

Last night we were at the Magic House (a hands-on kids' science museum here in St. Louis) for a party. On a whim, I sketched my self portrait, just for fun! (This was a light board intended to sketch silhouettes.)


(Ok, so it doesn't really look like me, but it was fun sketching it!!)

Another inspiration of mine is Tascha in Canada. I love her work, and her blog is so fun, especially the videos. I just recently purchased one of her prints called "Lovers" - isn't it adorable? (You can see a better view of it in Tascha's Etsy shop.)


I'm always inspired by the creativity of my other blogger friends as well, whether showing their scrapbooking projects, photography, or just their artful blog entries. So thanks to all of you for the inspiration!

Cool new widgets and hello to my visitors!

Hey, check out my side bar and my new widgets I stole from Eleni's blog. I love seeing who has visited my blog.

HELLO to you all!!

And a special HELLO to Kat's "stalker" friends, Helen and Clare in California (hee! hee! just kidding, girls!) They sent Kat these delicious chocolate chip cookies. YUM! :o)

If you follow (or just even visit on occasion) my blog, please sign to the left!

Thanks for reading! :o)

My Messy Little Secret/Blast to the Past/Healthy Eating

Got your attention, didn't I! ;o)

If I spent less time surfing the web and reading blogs and Facebook, I might actually get some projects done on my To-Do list! I thought that maybe by showing the blogger world what my supposed scrapbook table looks like, you will understand why I never scrapbook anymore!

And also by showing my embarrassing mess to you, my blogger friends, it might put a fire under me to actually do something about it - make me somewhat accountable! I love to read scrapbooking blogs and those who have whole rooms dedicated to their craft just make me drool!

So here is my scrapbooking area (gasp!) It could be really cool. It's on a big, old table in my basement right next to the sliding glass door looking out into the yard. My idea is to not only have the basement and this area organized and presentable, but to have a nice patio/garden area to look out on as I work. Right now it's just a messy concrete slab with no furniture.



(BTW, I have no idea why the talking bird is on my table. You can see it's evolving into a junk table!)

Here is a cool photo of me and my sibs back in 1986. (I was dating my ex at the time.) This was taken on a Sunday afternoon at Sears as a surprise Christmas gift for our parents. I remember the five of us riding in my rusty red Duster and singing along with Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All" at the top of our lungs (hey, I said it was the 80s!)


(Clockwise from top left): Marty (17), Lauren (19), Chris (14), Barb (21) & me (23).

My how we have changed in the last 22 years!

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On my quest for healthier eating habits, I have started meeting with a woman named Rachel who is counseling me in a more healthy lifestyle. She's teaching me about eating healthy and I'm learning about and trying foods I've never heard of!

This is a vinegar that Rachel absolutely raved about when she took me on a tour of Whole Foods. So I had to buy a bottle. I haven't tried it yet. I'm a little nervous. (What the heck is an ume plum anyway?) But I will trust Rachel and be brave and try it!

Rachel told me this was a leek. I have heard of leeks but had no idea (still really have no idea) what they are. It looked interesting. Sadly it's fading away in my fridge. Rachel told me I could chop it up and saute it with garlic. Um...yeah. ;o)

Seriously though, I want to change my habits. Diets don't work for me, and I know I can't and won't change over night. So I'm trying one or two new things a week. So far I have tried quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah"), a South American grain that cooks like rice but is really healthy. I've also tried Swiss Chard, which is similar to spinach. I sauteed it in olive oil and added some Greek spices. It wasn't bad.

For someone who has grown up absolutely hating vegetables, it's taking me time to get used to these new things!

Yummy fall dinner

Lately it's been a rare occasion when I cook (unfortunately), but yesterday temperatures felt cool and crisp, and I had just received some new recipes in the mail. So I made this! It was quite delicious (if I do say so myself). I'm trying to use more healthy and organic food, but this made for something quick and easy that will be simple to throw together during a busy week.

My friend, Betty, came over yesterday for a visit. It made me realize I haven't had someone over like that for much too long. I always use the excuse that the house is too messy (and it was messy, but Betty and I had a nice time anyway!)

I hate politics!

Let me start by saying I am a patriotic American and very proud of and thankful for the country we live in and the democracy we have.

However. I absolutely abhor every four years when we must vote for a new president. I'm so sick of the pundits and the opinions and the bashing.

I grew up with do-or-die Democrats for parents. I go to a church where most of the people that attend there boast of being Republican (don't get me started on the mixing of religion and politics!) Being a rebel by nature, I consider myself to be middle-of-the-road. Both sides have issues I like and issues I don't like.

I can't stand people who think it's their way or the highway. I can't stand when people try to force their beliefs on me. I can't stand people telling me how to vote. I don't like when some people vote for a party just because of one issue.

I have known since last fall which candidate I will vote for in the upcoming November election, but I will remain silent on that. #1 - I don't want any debates and people trying to convince me to switch to their side; #2 - It's nobody's business!

Thank you, dear blogger readers, for letting me vent (as I climb down from my soapbox!)

Roadtrip to Nebraska!

When we saw the summer was quickly coming to an end, Katie, Emily, and I decided to start a new tradition: a Labor Day Weekend road trip! As Katie put it, "It's not so much the destination, but driving for hours in the car, staying at a hotel far from home where there's a pool, a hot tub, cable TV and lots of snacks!"

We talked about Kansas City and Chicago (been there). I suggested a place we have never been too. We talked about Indianapolis but we have driven through Indiana before so we decided to visit a state nearby we have never been to: Nebraska!


It was a beautiful drive. The Labor Day traffic was only bad in the St. Louis area on the way out. The rest of the trip, traffic wasn't bad at all. The zoo was fun. The hotel was nice. We did lots of relaxing and watching HGTV!

peephole for midgets! ;o)

I didn't realize I had booked a suite. It cost only slightly more than a regular room and was very nice.


Extremely comfy beds!

MONKEYS!

We LOVE Oriental Trading and were pleasantly surprised to see their headquarters located right down the road from our hotel.


"Why are you going to Omaha?" so many people asked us. "Because we've never been there!" was our reply. Searching the internet, we thought their zoo looked interesting. And it was! It was well worth paying the admission fee of $11 per person. (We are very spoiled here in St. Louis with our free zoo.)