sillyduckie’s Neighborhood

Obviously I am not on VOX much... but I'm just wondering... is anybody else??  (You know who I mean!)  ha ha ha

Hope everyone enjoyed themselves over Memorial Day weekend! We ate lots of food, saw the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and went out to the Carnation Farmers' Market.

Have you ever tracked down any of your old high school friends and fellow students? 
Submitted by campsite2007.  

I am always on a continuous journey to reconnect with cherished friends and romances from the past.  It was difficult at first because not all relationships ended on a happy note, or I felt that I had reasons to contact them to apologize for my actions in the past.  Though I was nervous about how they would react to me contacting them, so far it has been a good experience.  I have mended some fences or I have at least been able to communicate much-needed thoughts to some very special people.  There are still some of those people out there that I really want to talk to, but their whereabouts elude me for now.  I know that when the time is right, we will meet again and get to catch up on old times.  That would be nice. 

This picture was taken two weeks after the one in the previous post. These guys are a different breed of chicken called a Cornish cross-- the sex-links are all gone. The Cornish cross chicks were pale yellow fuzzballs two weeks ago, and have more than doubled in size since then.

By the way, my computer's working again.

Chickie chickie

You can't tell just how hot they are from the photo, but let me tell you, that heat lamp is smokin'.

This is for Satrina for prodding me, and for Sillyduckie for sending it to begin with.  I know I got this message back in February, but I don't get on here much.  Sorry!

Here are five facts about me...

1.   I am a survivor of domestic violence.  When I was in my early teens, my mother got into a bad relationship.  Things started out okay in the beginning, but I think due to some suspected drug abuse and possibly a bipolar disorder on this man's part, regular arguments started escalating into physical abuse against my mom, and eventually against me.  My last two years in high school were extremely horrific, and I don't think many of my friends knew just how bad it was.  The love of my grandparents though was what carried me through the darkness, and I honestly believe that if I had not had them at the time, I would not be here today.  I think it's true... what doesn't kill you will make you stronger.

2.    I cry every Sunday when I wave goodbye to my children and watch my in-laws' car drive off with them.  Even though I welcome the time alone to get some work done, I always wonder if that will be the last time I see them again.  It just proves to me again and again how much I miss them when they are gone.

3.    When I see pigeons, I want to just stick out a foot and kick one.  No, I would never do it, but I just wonder what it would be like.

4.    I believe in past lives and old souls.  I believe that in a past life I was either a Dutch artist who lived in Italy and drowned, or I was an Italian glass artist who lived in Holland and was electrocuted or drowned somehow.  I think my friend Jennifer was my younger brother or sister or possibly I was her mother, and I think my ex-husband was once a sibling or possibly a child of mine.  I have just concluded these thoughts based on a substantial number of life patterns and connections that just couldn't be mere coincidences.  I think my grandpa is inside my son.  He is just exactly like that crazy little old man in every way.

5.   I hesitate to do these surveys about myself because there is way too much of me that I keep hidden from those that know me... not because I'm scared for them to know more...but just that I don't feel like bothering anyone with it. ha ha ha

This Saturday was fun at the quarterly Society of Glass Bead Makers - Mid Atlantic chapter meeting.  We were treated to a great wire wrapping demonstration by one of our talented members.

Here is what I created with one of my most recent beads and some silver wire.  It's not quite finished though.  I think this pendant needs some sort of crystal dangles or tassle... it's a work in progress, but opened my mind up to workig more with silver wire.

Sgbmawireproject1

Sgbmawireproject2

A glass bead design that I enjoy making, but haven't in a long time, was lovingly called a "Gem Heart".  The sparkling effect is created with the use of Sterling Silver Foil beneath carefully placed transparent colored glass.

Here is one I especially enjoyed...

Hi again! Haven't blogged much lately here on VOX.  I think I got mad the last time I tried to upload a picture and it wouldn't let me.

I just wanted to share a couple pictures of these fun critters I found on Etsy from the artists of Social Studies Design.

The first one, Comb-Over, is so adorable!  She's got this pluck of hair and a funny expression.  My son was under the weather, and this character really cheered him up with it's surprised, one-toothed mouth.

The Yellow guy with my daughter is quite a friendly one!  He reminds me of a Goldfish cracker, or something else nostalgic from another decade.  I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about his funky shape and cute smile won over my heart. 

The two new friends were accompanied by a little Pentapus friend, which my kids keep calling "Ghosty".  The designs just really appeal to both children and adults with a sense of humor.  Even though I originally just wanted to put them up for display somewhere, my kids have been enjoying them so much that I decided they couldn't just stay here untouched.

One thing I like about the designs of Social Studies is how they are recycling the fabrics of existing garments, taking a shirt that may no longer be desirable to the consumer and making it into some fabulous.  Their style just makes me smile, and it has caused me to consider what I could create with items around my house that seemed to have lost their usefulness.  It inspires me reincarnate some things I otherwise would have discarded or given away.

A friend of mine generously gave me a scarf this Christmas created by Social Studies.  It's crafted from two recycled T-shirts in mauve and purple, hand knit by Sean with lots of care.  In one of the knit loops is the Petco dog and cat logo.  It's just a little flash of red and blue in a sea of purple that gives me a smile when I see it.

Here's a link to their Etsy shop again.  You might discover something that makes you smile too!  Social Studies Design on Etsy

What food or drink do you love when it's cold out?  (Recipes and recommendations, please!)

Chai

My favorite cold-weather drink to make is tea, but specifically chai. The basic ingredients are simple: Three black tea bags (I used English Breakfast), a sprinkling of cardamom seeds (about 10), half a cinnamon stick, 4-5 black peppercorns, 6-7 cloves, and a slice of ginger. I slice and freeze big hunks of ginger root specifically for this purpose.

I've tested different methods of preparation over the years. Today, I steeped the tea bags and spices in boiling water, then added nonfat vanilla Coffee-Mate, but I don't really recommend that process because let's face it, Coffee-Mate is dicey. A better method is to simmer cream (yeah, real cream) with the spices and let them steep, then add that mixture to strongly brewed tea, along with sugar to taste.

TJ's Matcha Baking Mix Muffins

As for food, when it gets cold, I start baking more often. My favorite thing to bake is double ginger scones from a recipe in Fine Cooking, but they're loaded with cream and butter, so I don't make them very often (or have any photos). So instead, I'll just skip to muffins, which I've been making every week to take for breakfast in the mornings. I usually make them from scratch, but on our last trip out to Trader Joe's, I picked up a couple of boxes of Trader Joe's Matcha Green Tea Cake and Baking Mix. The muffins that resulted from the mix were interesting-- cakey, with definite green tea flavor, although the consistency of the crumb was a little too firm and sticky for my taste.

I'm thinking that this stuff would make a great Halloween cake, though. The color of the batter resembles guacamole (or Frankenstein's monster's skin tone), and that green tinge remains after baking. Personally, I'm going back to bran and flaxseed in the mornings, and saving this stuff for parties and occasions where the novelty of the flavor and color can make an impact.