The Great Apron Photo Shoot

Okay, so I am trying to get my new aprons listed in MyOtherShop. Neither of the girls are around this weekend to model for me, so out of desperation, I decided to model them myself and have Irv take the photos. The first clue that this was NOT going to work was when Irv didn't know how to turn on the camera!!!

First I put on a nice long sleeve white t-shirt. I thought that would look good with all of the aprons. It's a kind of thinner t-shirt so I removed the Band-Aid on my arm from donating blood this morning so it wouldn't show through the sleeve, and went to get apron number one. When I got to the closet, I happened to look down only to see a big splotch of blood on my white t-shirt where the Band-Aid had been and I guess should have still been!

I washed the shirt, put a small Band-Aid on my arm and grabbed a gray short sleeved t-shirt. It would have to do.

Irv took some pictures in the kitchen by the stove and I made sure to keep my "wounded" arm behind me and all was well. I am not a very photogenic person as you can tell. I don't show my funny crooked teeth when I smile and I hate having my picture taken. That really should have been another clue that this wasn't going to work.

Next we headed outside to take pictures of two craft show/vendor aprons I made. Everything seemed to be going well.

UGH!!!! When I uploaded the pictures....the truth came out! First, the indoor shots don't crop down to a nice square like I need for etsy and you can see a bag and the bottle of Sparky's "don't eat other dogs poop pills ". Then in every outdoor picture not only am I squinting really bad, but I forgot about the Band-Aid AND the ties from the aprons are hanging between my legs like a long tail!!!! In addition to that, my t-shirt was fitting a little snug and not only did my upper belly protrude, but so did my boobs...and let me tell you, I didn't think that was possible.....AND not only that, because my spine is crooked, and I stand crooked....you guessed it....the protruding boobs were also crooked! Great look!!!

I tried to salvage a couple of pictures so you can see the aprons, deleted all the rest, and when Irv gets back from running errands, it will be round two of the great apron photo shoot!

Pasta with Spinach, Chickpeas and Feta

I told you I had a yummy recipe for you today and here it is! The only change I will make for the next time is to warm the chickpeas up a little before mixing everything together. The hot pasta warmed up everything except those , otherwise it was great I even warmed up the leftovers for lunch today! Enjoy!

Pasta with Spinach, Chickpeas and Feta
(I think I copied this from one of my Vegetarian Times magazines)

Serves 6 (Unless you eat like me and then it's maybe 3)

This quick and easy pasta dish offers a way to add not only calcium to your diet, but also protein and vitamins A and C.

8 oz. uncooked spiral-shaped pasta (I used rice pasta because I don't eat a lot of wheat)
4 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach leaves (The plastic tub of organic is the right amount)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (You can but it ready to use....so easy)
1Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt ( You could easily use less, or even none...but I like salt)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 19 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed ( I could only find the 15 oz. can and it was fine)
2 cloves garlic, minced

1.) Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Book pasta according to package directions, or until al dente, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients.

2. When pasta is done, drain and transfer to large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Serve right away.

Per Serving: 300 Cal., 12G Prot., 6G Total Fat (2G Sat. Fat), 51G Carb., 5MG Chol., 380 MG Sod., 6G Fiber, 3G Sugars, 102MG Calcium

My kind of recipe...I can read the names of all of the ingredients and know where to find them in the store and it's TWO STEPS!!! Woo hoo!! Hope you like it!

Even Though I Say I Will, I Know I Won't Ever...

organize my recipes!!! There I said it!!! For years, and years and years, I have been collecting recipes. Every time I see something in a magazine or on the internet I print it or clip it and toss it into my recipe basket. I swear that one day I will go through that basket and organize my recipes, but I know in my heart that I'll never do it.

I think half of the recipes in there, or maybe even more than that, are old and have meat in them or ingredients I wouldn't even put in my mouth any more! I also have every Vegetarian Times magazine I've ever received in my cabinet, because I KNOW there are a ton of good recipes in them. I just never make them.

Irv said that when we retire to Colorado, I will pack up everything in that cabinet, box it up and move it to Colorado....then I'll put it in a cabinet there, and never look at it again just like here.

I must admit, there are some awesome dessert recipes in there that I've never tried, but you just never know...maybe one day I will decide that I like to cook and I'll dig in there and start trying them all!

Sure I will.....

I would like to get them all into a book and have them organized like a regular cookbook would be. You know, I use to even BUY cookbooks, but that was back in the day when I actually cooked. Now I don't even do that unless absolutely necessary. I hate cooking. I really do. It just isn't fun to me. It takes time I don't want to contribute to it and it makes a mess that I then have to clean up, and sometimes the stuff doesn't taste nearly as good as the picture looks. You know what I mean?

Well, last night I did actually make an awesome dish, and I will share it with you tomorrow. The recipe was in my recipe basket, and I made it and it was edible!!!

So, that is my confession. What's yours? Finish this statement, "Even though I say I will, I know I won't ever.....

An Awesome Little Story

Excerpted from The Power of Attitude....

A Native American boy was talking with his grandfather. "What do you think about the world situation?" he asked.

The grandfather replied. "I feel like wolves are fighting in my heart. One is full of anger and hatred; the other is full of love, forgiveness and peace."

"Which one will win?" asked the boy.

To which the grandfather replied, "The one I feed."

This simple story provides the essence of a life-changing law of the universe...You become what you think about. The words are almost too simple to "feel important." However, if you "get it," if you truly understand their meaning, you can forever harness the power of a positive attitude.

Simply stated...if we choose to think positive thoughts, we'll get positive results; if we think negative thoughts, we'll get negative results.

Pretend for a moment that every thought is a seed you sow in your fertile mind. Therefore, as I once heard someone say, "If you plant crab apples, don't expect to harvest Golden Delicious." You will reap the fruit of the thoughts you sow.

I absolutely love this little story. I try so hard to think positive as I'm sure most of you do too. It's hard sometimes isn't it? You'll be a roll for a while, just feeling amazing and then all of a sudden a little negative thought or two creep in...or that little twinge of self-doubt. The more you put your thoughts on those negatives....the bigger and bigger they get because of course, you are feeding them.

Stop feeding them! Instead, feed the positive thoughts and watch them grow.

You can apply this to your everyday life or to your business. If you find yourself swaying toward the negative, catch yourself and turn your thoughts around. It can be done, and the results are nothing short of miraculous.

Have a great and positive evening everyone!

It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

We went out to lunch today at work and then they let us go home after. It's such a beautiful day. I already mailed Angela's craft show apron. It turned out really cute. This is the fabric she sent me to make it with. Cute isn't it? Her show is the 20th and I know she is going to kick butt. If you've never seen her awesome collages....you can check them out here.

I went outside and just snapped some pictures of the wonderful flowers in our yard and our great garden. Irv worked so hard this off season...planting everything from seed. Almost every thing you see in planters, he grew from seed. The entire garden is from seed as well.


I've been trying to add a few more perennials to our yard each year and it really is pretty in the spring. We have a long way to go, but they sure are nice to look at.


So enjoy the pretty flowers...I'm going to take advantage of the extra hour and work on a new apron. It's the one I'm doing with this fabric. I love it! I hope to get some of the aprons listed this weekend. Yeah!

Irv couldn't remember what these were when they sprouted, so it was a surprise when the little violas came up!

I love this bush! The flowers are so pretty and right now it is covered with them!

These have never done really well where I have them. They get nice flowers, but the leaves get yucky really fast and then they look like poop!

I received a couple of tiny baby roses as gifts and this one has just one little flower on it so far.


Many, many years ago, I took care of an elderly woman that had Alzheimer's. She had me take a few bunches of this one and it spread beautifully. She's been gone for quite a few years now, but every time I look at it I think of her. :)

I have a few of these. Can't even tell you what they are. They are cute but only bloom for a short time in the spring and early summer.

More of Irv's impatiens he planted from seed. We have them everywhere. He went a little overboard, but he was anticipating them not doing really well, and they sure did!

The awesome watering can planter on the top was one of my Mother's Day presents! So cute!

My bleeding hearts are just about done for the season. I really love them. I just wish they bloomed for a longer period of time.

Irv built this above ground garden. He wishes his whole garden was like this. It's so easy to take care of at this height! I can't wait until my lettuce is ready!

I think I see a weed! Oh no! I'll have to run out and "pluck" it!

Mmmmmmm........fresh, organic lettuce!

Have a great evening everyone!

What Would You Do?

I have two online etsy stores....myothershop and fourdogday. I don't get a lot of sales, probably one every week or two if I'm lucky. I will be leaving on vacation soon and I am debating what to do with my shops. I have two options:

I can put them on "vacation" which means that none of my items show up in the searches or anywhere else. There would just be an announcement saying we are closed until whatever date I return and take them off vacation mode.

I can leave my shops open with an announcement saying that I am on vacation and will ship out any orders placed "today" on this date. My items will show up in the searches as normal. I will have computer access and could check my shop every couple of days for sales and then e-mail the buyer to let them know exactly when their item will be shipped.

I'm really torn. I know most people will say to put them on vacation and just go enjoy my vacation, but I work hard to stay somewhat visible on etsy and to be totally "invisible" for that long bothers me.

I've seen it done both ways....

What would you do?

Quick Post

Sorry for the quick post, but I am tired out and headed to bed. Had a really busy day today working on a darling craft show apron for Angela, 7 light switch covers for a friend in Washington and attended a Christening party this afternoon.

My car is still not named, but I am thinking it's a boy car....and he is one hot, zippy, sexy, little boy. Got any good names?