New Jewelry Line Sneak Peek

It's not of the actual items, but of some of the materials I will be using.

My apothecary is slowly growing ... I can't wait to show off what I've been coming up with! I'm hoping they will be listed on etsy by early next week at the latest.

Tuscan Bean Salad

This. is. amazing.

I'm kinda a health nut. Well - I'm definitely a health nut!
It's been about two years since I've lost 50+ pounds and 4 since I became a vegetarian. As such, I'm very aware of what I eat and have to make sure I cover all my bases since meat is excluded. This recipe is divine as it adds protein from the beans, and is pretty low in calories since the majority of it is green beans. I'll make up a big batch of it and just add 1 cup of the mix to a small container of salad every morning for my lunch at work and it's about 200 calories and very filling!

From Gaida De Laurentis



Ingredients:
- 8 ounces of green beans cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces (I use about 12 ounces)
- 1 head of Romaine lettuce
- 1 can of cannelline beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives (I leave this out to keep it lower in calories)
- 1/2 red onion, cut into slivers
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ounce shaved parmasean (I only add this after I make my daily salads, not to the mix)

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add grean beans and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until beans are slightly tender (I cook for about 5). Transfer the cooked grean beans to a bowl of ice water and let cool for 3 minutes. Drain,

2. In a large bowl combine the grean beans with the cannelline beans, olives, and red onion. Toss to combine. Drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Add to salad and nom nom nom!



The way I make it produces about 4 cups or 4 salads for me. It's cheap, delicious and oh so good for you. Let me know if you try it!

My Kitty is Home!

Reunited and it feels so gooooood!

After a VERY long 24 hour period with Salem at the Vets I was finally able to bring him home this morning :) He has a UTI and will be on antibiotics for the next 2 weeks and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will do the trick.

This is a blurry pic - but the best I could get in my excitement of having him home!




When I was finally able to let him go he went straight to his favorite window to watch the birds.



I never got the chance to bring his brother, Prince, home.
I cannot express how grateful I am to have more time with this lil guy.

Bad Day/Good Day

Bad day: My best friend, my kitty Salem, is in the animal hospital :(
I woke up this morning to spots all over my bed and house of bloody urine and took him in first thing. He's there in isolation so they can get a urine sample from him. So far (7 hours later) he hasn't gone and his bladder isn't full enough to manually pull a sample so he may have to stay overnight.
He's also FIV+ so every 'minor' illness is major for him.
He will be 5 this summer and this is only his second time away from me! I hate it!

When I finally got to work today my coworker, who is aware of my affinity for old and obscure books, brought in two new ones for my collection. They were her grandfathers who was an Army Chaplin in WW1 and it meant so much to me that she gave them to me! They are "Self and Sex Series: What a Young Man Ought to Know" and "Personal Help Series: For Girls".





"What a Young Man Ought to Know" was published in 1904. It was used as a guide to educated men on the dangers of improper sexual behavior and 'self polution.



It's chapters include 'Personal Purity', 'Evils to be shunned and consequences to be dreaded', 'The reproductive organs - their purpose and prostitution' and 'the selection of a wife'. What a gem! I'm placing serious odds that I will rofl at least a dozen times per chapter.

The second book, "Personal Help for Girls" is even better. This work, published in 1918, includes this great advice: "It is also called 'self-pollution' because of its filthy nature and the injury it does to every organ of the body, faculty of the mind and power of the soul; or termed 'masterbation', which comes from two words meaning abuse of the body with the hand. If there is any uneasy feaaling in these parts that inclines you to rube them, you should mention it to your mama."

LOL. I died.

Some super late Christmas brags

After the rush of the semester starting again I'm finally finding some time to slow down and focus on etsy again! I was fortuante enough to receive some goodies from fellow etsians for Christmas! These two pieces of art from the amazingly talented MademoiselleG (http://www.etsy.com/shop/MademoiselleG?ref=seller_info)

The workshop (for my craft room!)



Harold and Lorna (aka the cutest couple ever)



I also received a few items from WickedSoaps (http://www.etsy.com/shop/WickedSoaps?ref=seller_info) in my favorite scent, Pink Sugar! (A fun, cotton candy-ish scent)

New embroidery work

Will be listing a TON of new items next week! Building up stock for Christmas :)

I'm alive!

Sort of.

My life has been the very definition of chaos lately.

I've moved.

Twice.
[long story]

But - things are finally settling down and I'm hoping to get a whole line of new items out in time for the Fall season come October 1st.

I hope everyone is enjoying their last few moments of summer.

I don't know about ya'll, but I'm glad to see her go.