The Creativity Bootcamp

Just the other day, I found an interesting link to a blogsite through the Ravelry forums. It is The Creativity Bootcamp. Megan Beishline is an incredibly creative lady who has lots of energy and likes to motivate others to reach higher levels of achievement. I can so honor and appreciate this. The bootcamp is a ten day challenge to create something new each day, in a medium of our own choosing, based on a random word that Madeline gives the group on that day. I am coming into the Bootcamp late, as all the others are finishing up, but does this really matter?

As it so happens, I was just talking with the DH about doing something very similar for a period of a month. Well, a month may be a little long and maybe I would get behind and way off course. Ten days is definitely doable. My trouble is choosing a medium to work in. I am a changeable and variety loving creator that would be sorely challenged to stay in one medium. After giving this some thought, I have decided that it is really up to me and for my supreme benefit. Most of the participants are into photography, so a few photos a day is easy. Crafting something each day is a whole different challenge. However I feel up to it, and have decided that my "medium" is going to be anything recycled. I will be blogging daily about my experience along the way.

Moving On, ...Moving Up!

We were in the throws of moving. It just came out of the blue so to speak, when a little over a month ago, we got new business neighbors. One after another, the reputable businesses in the strip mall had moved away. One by one, businesses that are of questionable repute have been moving in. For a few years now, I have been looking in a nearby town that we have felt would be good to locate in, and had not found available space to rent. Yeah, it was growing that much! Lately though, spaces have opened up with reasonable rents, and we must be blessed because we found the perfect location after just two days of looking.

What I find interesting is that this move will create several changes. I have been wanting to cease the massage for several months now, and this will give me the opportunity to recreate myself. I am wanting to do less massage, and move into more acupressure, and hypnosis. After 20 years, that's a big switch. I have loved the massage, and it will be hard to give up, but it is not so easy on the body, especially the hands and wrists. We still look like we haven't completed the moving process, and it will take a while to really settle in. It has been slow with so many other things going on at the same time. My dear old Honda dying, car shopping, computer going wacky (in death throws?), computer shopping, catching a summer cold and infection setting in, hubby catching a summer cold (this is even worse!), etc., etc. Now, however, I am slowing coming along and making a bit of progress, and hopefully will be resuming a more frequent blog.

Ta-Da! ...Abertay!

Yeah done! My Abertay mini rocks! I just may do another one in PURPLE! It's great over my old jeans, cuz They ripped out along the back pocket a few days ago. I ironed on some patching fabric, and sewed over it all, but once they start to break up, one never knows when the next rip will happen. I plan to patch and embellish as it does so, and try to keep them going!

Well, I finished my taxes! ....Almost

This year, I was one of these last minute tax filers. It wasn't intended that way, it makes me a nervous wreck. However, I received some tax information that was unexpected, and at the last minute. I was about to put the finishing touches on the tax returns. I have to admit freaking out, and not having adequate information on the matter, and taking too long to get my questions answered led to my scurrying to get the returns mailed on the final day. I got to the post office, weighed my envelopes on their scale, paid and got the label for the proper amount of postage, and sent them on there way. I( know I was breathing a long sigh of exhausted relief. So what happened? They came back, marked "insufficient postage." Am I ticked off? You bet I am! I am not even the slightest bit amused. Pardon me while I go scream in the closet.

New Tricks

Just having finished my first knitted lace project from a pattern, I am considering it requires some sort of celebratory behavior. Although I wouldn't describe the project as hard, I would say that is was Sudoko for my brain cells. I am quite positive that I knitted the equivalent of two of these. When one considers all the knitting, frogging, and re-knitting I did, it's a wonder I stayed with it. Motivation was a high priority. In the remodel of my wardrobe, I have comfort and style as top requirements, and leggins are going to be a mainstay. Personally, I find that seeing the abdomen, hip and crotch lines are rather gauche and not often lovely on real people. So, a mini-skirt or hip wrap comes in as a perfect solution. Another of these in a different color would be great, but what I am asking myself is "do I really want to put myself through this again?" ...Well, the answer will lie in how much motivation there is for it.

Spicy Coffee

Something that has been on my frequent list of beverages to enjoy is now Spicy Coffee. I am not a big coffee drinker, and my daily beverage of choice is tea. However, this year for Valentine's Day (which I can't believe I didn't blog about!), I made a recipe I found for Café Brulot (coffee with cinnamon and a jigger of brandy). "Brulot," …Now this means flaming! I had never done this before. "...warm the brandy in a warm soup ladle and then ignite and pour over the coffee." After looking at a few videos, it looked tricky. I have seen everything form the desired success, to people setting fires that they had not intended, to complete dudly failures. Mine fell into the latter category. However, the coffee was delicious. Since then, I have enjoyed Spicy Coffee a few times a week, saving the brandy for special occasions!

The Recipe:

• Coffee
• Orange peel, just a few slices
• Whole cloves to taste
• Cinnamon stick, broken up
• Brandy, just a jigger ...optional!

I placed the goodies into the pot of my 2-cup coffee maker, and then brewed the coffee. Then, allow the coffee to steep for several minutes to infuse it with the orange peel, cinnamon and cloves. Pour into mugs, add brandy and give a stir. Yummmm.

Mama's Got Brand New Bag!

Singin' it like James Brown! I can't remember when I last bought a new purse. I really am not fond of the things, but I do feel their necessity. I have always striven for the smallest I can find, and this baby is not exactly in that category. However, the rest of the world is into super-sizing, and what I have seen available is the two extremes of suitcase style, and something that would carry not much more than a cell phone. I wistfully remember the days when I was in college, and carried only a plastic thingy that I carried only my ID card and a few dollars in. Now, I carry not only my essentials, but also my mother's. She goes everywhere with me and she is unsteady, needs her hands free, and certainly doesn't need any purse to distract her or set her off balance. So, super-size me. On the news at Christmas time, I heard that the vinyl used in purses has so much lead in it that it can result in toxic levels in the body. Horrors! Never liking fake stuff anyway, I determined that I would find a real leather bag. Finding myself surrounded with atrocious gathered, fringed, ruffled, beaded and metaled, overly adorned arm baggage, I nearly lost hope of finding something that would not make me feel like a circus sideshow in public. ...Tuesday Morning to the rescue! Not so huge, this bag has simplicity, good design (we use to say this style was inspired by horses' feed bags), not a lot of weight, and has a look I like. It will carry all I need to tote quite nicely, perhaps even a water bottle and a knitting project. Never mind that I will be doing weight lifting to manage it, as it might have been even larger. I just want to know one thing... ...will everything still drop directly to the bottom and become hopelessly buried?