Halloween: life

Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Priority

Thursday, March 22, 2018

14 Inches Of Snow On The First Day Of Spring

Poor robin!

Well, so much for the first day of spring!

A few weeks ago they called for a big snowstorm and we got...absolutely nothing.

Mother Nature sure made up for it yesterday by giving us fourteen inches of snow! It was that fine, blizzardy snow that just keeps falling all day long, and we enjoyed every minute of it. There's nothing better than when school calls to announce a snow day. All of a sudden I'm seven years old again. But with much better cooking skills of course :)

The afternoon before, I hit the grocery store and stocked up on the essentials; garlic, lemon, French baguette, and some Emmental and Gruyere.

My girls and I made an amazing traditional cheese fondue the night before the storm, and it was amazing. Between the three of us we ate nearly the entire thing!

I also remembered to stock up on birdseed and suet, and it always pays off for both the birds, and for us as well...

We got to watch a family of woodpeckers visit our feeders all day.

This morning it was beautiful.

Were you in the path of the storm?

How much snow did you get?

Have a great week!

Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Friday, February 16, 2018

The Best Thing You Could Ever Teach Your Kid

Teach your kids to be the one who can get along with others, the one who is generous, the one who is kind and happy for others, the one who does the right thing, the nice kid.

What a great message, shout it from the rooftops!

Have a great week!

Laura

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Thursday, January 4, 2018

From Snow Day To Suet To Foxy Time

Even though they were calling for less than an inch of snow this morning, I told my girls that if they had a late start or a snow day today that I would make a big brunch for us with homemade french toast and bacon.

Turns out they got lucky with an entire day off today, so I got the bacon going on the stove and as I always do, I grabbed my kitchen scissors and snipped off some of the excess fat from the bacon before I put it in the pan to cook.

But this time I didn't toss the fat into the trash like I usually do. I thought it might be fun to cook it up—which basically means melt it down—and mix it up with some birdseed and see if we could turn it into some type of treat for our backyard birds similar to the suet cakes that I buy at the grocery store and hang in our backyard.

And right as I am in this exact spot—snapping the photo above for this blog post, thinking of how we could use the fat for the birds—I hear the birds outside of my kitchen window at the bird feeder rush and flutter and see my cats run to the kitchen windows.

So now we're all like, There's the fox! There's the fox! Since the only time we really see them is either very early in the morning when my kids are on their way to school, or late on summer nights after dark, when I'm driving, turn the corner to our street and my headlights catches one running around from yard to yard.

I figure this one is looking for food so I throw a couple pieces of the bacon fat outside, hoping to lure him just a little bit closer so I can get a good photo of him.

He watches me do this and then he completely ignores the bacon fat, runs around my backyard for about another 45 minutes or so, tracing his same path over and over again. I told my daughter it looks like he is walking his beat!

There's a piece of the bacon fat. I thought it was funny when I saw that a little bird checked it out.

Then, a couple of minutes later, I spot her!

Now there are TWO foxes in my backyard—a boy and girl—running around and every once in a while stopping to play and roll around in the snow.

Here's the vixen:

She's playing around, face first into the snow!

Vixen fox hung out on this bank in my backyard, and soon I saw him join her and they hid away behind the wood pile that's next to this bank, and the rest is history! (yup, that's what I'm sayin'!)

I guess his running around in my backyard for a couple hours was part of their mating ritual. It was all so cool to watch and I am so glad that my kids got to see it all. Sometimes you can learn a lot on a snow day off from school!

I'm expecting to see some baby foxes running around come springtime!

What do you think?

Have a great week!

Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

My Dollar Store Reading Glasses Disaster

Last week I ran to the dollar store to pick up an extra pair of reading glasses to keep in my studio. If you follow my blog and my jewelry adventures, you probably already know that one of my biggest jewelry making hints is to keep a pair or two of reading glasses on your workbench to help you see what you are doing when you are working with tiny components. This tip is especially helpful if you are like me and don't wear prescription glasses. A pair of reading glasses can be a great help when making jewelry.

You can get them at any drugstore or grocery store, but I didn't want to pay the twenty bucks for yet another an extra pair, so I figured I would snag a cheap pair at my local dollar store, since I had noticed them there in the past.

So I spotted the reading glasses display, found the magnification I was looking for, tried a pair on, and checked out at the register. All within about three minutes.

Wow, only one dollar for such an important tool! Of course at this point I was feeling pretty great about myself and my amazing cheapskate shopping wizardry. Until....

...Until I got home and wore them for the first time. I sat down to solder some jewelry, grabbed my new reading glasses, put them on, and started to work. But wait, what was that smell?

Within just a few minutes I started to notice a strong chemical smell coming from my glasses. Well, I thought, they are cheapie reading glasses, so I guess they smell a little bit like new plastic. I tried to ignore the smell and kept on working. Within a few more minutes, it seemed like the smell was getting stronger and stronger. And not only that, my eyes were starting to burn!

Could these reading glasses be giving off toxic fumes that bothered my eyes? They had to be. There was no other explanation. I tried to wear them one more time, to see if the smell was fading. Nope. It wasn't going away. But these glasses weren't just smelly, they actually made my eyes burn. Something was really wrong with these glasses.

I googled "dollar store reading glasses smell" and up popped a few articles about things NOT to buy at a dollar store... the first article I read was from Woman's Day magazine and was about the 10 most toxic items at a dollar store, and though reading glasses weren't on the list - lots of other plastic things were - such as plastic kitchen utensils, silly straws and window clings, and these items had some pretty scary descriptions. Some included cancer-causing chemicals in plastic, toxic levels of DEHP, PVC and chlorine. (read it here)

After realizing that something was really wrong with the glasses, I didn't know what to do with them. I didn't want to throw them in the trash because I didn't want their toxicity landing up in the Earth. Do I send them to the EPA? Return them to the store? I'm still not exactly sure what to do with them, but I'll figure it out soon.

But my whole point is this: Remember, anything that you are putting against your skin you are also putting inside of your body. I read that years ago, and it always stuck with me.

I don't dye my hair or use tons of cosmetics or beauty treatments. I worry about toxic chemicals and fumes. I imagine people going through cancer treatments due to exposure to toxic, cancer-causing substances. Situations that maybe could have been prevented. It happens every day.

There are labels on so many products warning us of dangerous substances. People use those items all the time without a second thought or safety precaution. They only think of the here and now and well I need this treatment for my skin/hair/nails/for cleaning/what-have-you right now.

It's such a self-contradiction when people fuss about buying and eating organic foods and yet in the same breath they get chemical based beauty treatments put onto their bodies...which land up inside of their bodies, in their organs, in each of their cells, etc.

Okay so I'm kind of passionate about the subject and get a little carried away, but it's important. Isn't it?

What do you think?

Have a great week!

Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

Thursday, October 12, 2017

In Grace and Love

I just love this quote from Heather K. O'Hara and I wanted to share it with you. Hope you have a great Thursday!

Have a great week!

Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Bacon, Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Crostini Recipe

Hi friends! In my last post I shared my recipe for Easy Fresh Tomato Basil Crostini and promised another version to follow. Here it is!

These are just amazing! These yummy crostini feature caramelized onions sauteed with mushrooms and thick cut bacon, and they are soooo yummy!

These lunch-sized crostini are meals within themselves. Just imagine the variations you could create! Think about asparagus, spinach, olives, different types of cheese; Swiss, goat cheese or bleu cheese... The combinations really are endless!

You will need:

Thick sliced bacon

Sweet onion or Vidalia onion
Fresh mushrooms
1 Tablespoon olive oil or butter
About 1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Baugette or long loaf crusty French bread

Flavored cream cheese spread (such as chive or vegetable flavor)

Mozzarella cheese

Baking sheet

Directions:

Wash and slice the mushrooms. Slice the onion - I like to slice it on the thin side. In a saucepan over medium heat, sautee the mushrooms and onion in 1 T of olive oil or butter.

Sautee until mushrooms become soft and onions start to become translucent. Stir in a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to help the onion become caramelized. Continue to cook until onions become golden brown, then remove from heat and set aside.

Fry bacon in a frypan until cooked through, then drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice your baguette in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into 6" sections with a diagonal cut.

Spread each baguette section with a good coating of the flavored cream cheese spread and then place each on your baking sheet. My rule of thumb is not too thin and not too thick - but just right!

Now sprinkle each section with mozzarella cheese, as you would when making a pizza.

Next top each with a couple of spoonfuls of the onion & mushroom mixture and then with bacon.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, just until mozzarella cheese melts.

Cool for 5-10 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers. I think they taste best at room temperature!

Pin this post!

What do you think?

Also check out: Fresh Tomato Basil Crostini

Have a great week!
love,

Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Easy Fresh Tomato Basil Crostini Recipe

I think it's undeniable that one of the best parts of summer is availability of super-fresh produce. For me, it's one of the most enjoyable things in life.

No matter whether you grow your own or buy locally from your neighborhood farmer's market, what's important is that you take advantage of summer's bounty of amazing vegetables. This crostini recipe has many variations, and I will be sharing two of my favorites with you. Here is the first!

These lunch-sized crostini call for a few simple ingredients and are relatively quick and easy to make.

You will need:

Garden fresh tomatoes

Fresh basil (can use another herb if you prefer)

Baugette or long loaf crusty French bread

Flavored cream cheese spread (such as chive or vegetable flavor)

Mozzarella cheese

Baking sheet and oven

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice your baguette in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into 6" sections with a diagonal cut.

Wash and section your tomatoes and wash your herbs.

Spread each baguette section with a good coating of the flavored cream cheese spread and then place each on your baking sheet. My rule of thumb is not too thin and not too thick - but just right!

Now sprinkle each section with mozzarella cheese, as you would when making a pizza.

Top each with tomato slices...the photo above shows the basil too, but after baking these I found that if you put the basil on too soon it burns...so bake these with only the tomato, and then add the basil about half way through baking.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes, until mozzarella cheese melts.

Cool for 5-10 minutes. I think they taste best at room temperature!

Fresh Tomato Basil Crostini

Stay tuned...

Next up: Bacon, Mushroom & Carlmalized Onion Crostini

Pin this post!

What do you think?

Have a great week!
love,

Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!