So Many Things To Love

Creamsicle Smoothie

2012-01-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite kid-hood memories is running after the ice-cream man, trying to get my hands on a "Creamsicle"! Remember those?! I wonder if they still make them.

Last summer I actually heard the familiar music of an ice cream truck! But getting my purse, finding my money, putting on my shoes and running after him...

Ain't gonna happen. Especially the 'running after' part.

So, the other day I had a real craving for that Creamsicle taste. If you've ever had one, you'll never forget it. Yummm!! I went online and found several links that had recipes.

(I googled raw Creamsicle Smoothie recipe.)

So, I combined, removed and came up with this. A trial run.

These are the ingredients I thought I'd be using. The stuff in the bottle is Organic Vanilla Extract.

I had to buy a cleaver (yikes!!) to open the young coconut. If you've been reading this blog, you know that I'm totally freaked-out by big ol' honkin' knives!! And this is a BIG one!!

I finally worked-up some nerve, put my left hand behind my back, so as not to whack it off, since I plan to use it again... and hacked away!! They make it look sooo easy, when they open coconuts on YouTube. Fibbers, all of 'em!! I hacked. And hacked. With my toes curled under.

I finally turned the coconut on its side and shaved some of the top away.

Saw that on YouTube too.

Hacked at it some more. Hold on! I think I'm getting there!! I see white!

Yup! I finally got through!! I had to keep hacking until I got through all the way around.

Then I was able to lift the top off. Not an easy feat. My fingers slipped and I jammed one into the wood. Ouch. But, through it all, I kept my left hand glued to my back!!

I emptied the milk into a glass. I was surprised at how much was in there. Nice.

But the meat... a disappointment. It was much harder than the other young coconuts I've eaten.

Much too hard to scrape out of there with a spoon. I'm not the most patient person in the world, when it comes to stuff like this. I gave up after a few tries.

I poured the milk and the meat into my BlendTec Blender (which I love!) and added one banana.

Then two oranges.

One of the things I love about my BlendTec, is that the fruit/greens/whatever, doesn't have to be cut into tiny pieces, like some blenders, to blend completely. Just fling 'em in.

Then I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. I was going to use the mango, but decided against it.

I set the BlendTec on the 'Large Smoothie' setting and let it do its thing.

I did a taste-test and it needed to be a little sweeter. I had three choices; Agave Nectar, Alcohol- Free Stevia, or Alcohol-Free Vanilla Stevia. I used the latter, because it made my mouth water. The next time I make one of these, I'm going to add another orange.

It needed to be ice cold, so I added some crushed ice.

I gave it another whirl...

And there it was! A Creamsicle Smoothie!! Ohhh yeahhh.

But I'm still trying to get over my fear of knives, cleavers and...

The movie, "Psycho"!!

Schriek

Let me leave you with a much more pleasant image...

ENJOY!!!! ~

What are some of your favorite kid-hood treat memories?

For more about smoothies;

Green Smoothies

Raw Food, Desserts And Green Smoothies For Kids

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

We Love Dale Watson

2012-01-14T09:21:00.000-08:00

His voice is fabulous!! If you like Merle Haggard (love him!) or Johnny Cash, you'll like Dale Watson. His voice has that same low quality and he's a heck of a great songwriter!!

My daughter and I are huge fans. Here are some of her CDs by Mr. D.W.

The rest are in her vehicle. I think she has every one he ever made. Told ya. Huge fan.

I only have twelve. Dangit!! (Time to play catch-up with my girl!)

On a recent visit to Oregon, my daughter and I went to this... the "River City Music Festival". But you already figured that out, right? We were SO happy to be able to see him live, onstage! He usually honkers-down in his home state of Texas, or tours Europe. We lucked-out!

A cozy venue.

He sang several songs we knew and loved.

But we didn't sing along. It was be-kind-to-others week.

He had a good rapport with his musicians, which is always nice to see.

He didn't hog the spotlight. Although, in this picture, he did. And is making a liar out of me.

His voice was as strong and right on-pitch, as it is on his CDs. What a talent!

He told great little stories, which were funny and gave us a better idea of what he's all about. Loved that.

He sang several songs from his current CD, "The Sun Sessions". Which was a big hit with the audience. I always know when I've been to a good concert... my hands hurt from applauding.

My hands really hurt when we left.

Here's my daughter, getting a few shots of him with her phone.

The show was over and we decided to go to the table in the lobby, and buy his new CD, for me. She already owned it. Of course she did.

As we're standing in line to buy the CD, who comes around the corner? Mr. Watson, himself!!

Oh! Oh! Please sign my CD!!

I was a little cooler than that. But not much.

I'm not really wringing my hands. I'm holding my glasses. Or I'd be wringing my hands.

Look at me! I met Dale Watson and he shook my hand!

I had to spell my name for him. I have to spell my name for everybody. In my next life I'll be Betty Smith.

Say, "Cheeese".

One more, for good measure.

And let's not forget my daughter! He shook her hand and chatted with her too.

He's not uppity in the least! Another thing we love about him.

If you're reading this, kid, thanks so much for taking me here! And introducing me to his music, many, many years ago!

While walking through the lobby, we saw this group of people and heard the upbeat sound of bluegrass. As we got closer...

We saw this young boy playing the fiddle. And play that thing he did!! Such a talent, at such a young age!

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to catch Dale Watson in concert again!!

In the meantime, we'll be enjoying his music on his CDs and on Pandora Radio.

And watching his videos on YouTube!!

For tour dates, videos, and purchasing his CDs, please check out his website;

Dale Watson - "America's premier honky-tonk, country, Americana rock 'n roller".

PS Dale's record company people found my blog and forwarded it to him. (Small world!)

Much to my surprise and delight, he sent me an email, thanking us! Wow!

A true class-act, Country Gentleman!!

He also said he'd be in Oregon more this year, so if you're in the vicinity, go listen to the man!

I'm hoping that he'll take pity on all us Californians and show up here as well!!

What's your favorite music and musician/group? ~

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Our Very Own Picasso

2011-12-29T16:17:00.000-08:00

This is my grandson. The only boy. He recently turned seven.

He's got three cowlicks and great toes.

He's all boy.

He loves to work out. Anything physical and he's all for it. Scares the heck out of me sometimes! (Okay... most of the time.)

Boxing. Hey! Where's his helmet and mouth-guard?! (I know he wears it now!!)

His nine year old sister is great at this too. Thin as a rail and strong as an ox.

I made the mistake of letting her punch my palm once!

The boy loooves football!! (And is surely wishing somebody would throw him one already!)

And lets not forget the Jiu Jitsu. He and his sister are both yellow-belts now.

But my favorite 'sport' is when he picks up a pencil and draws!!

I was so excited to see him get a toy, plunk it down on the table, and use it as his model!! Way to go, Dude!!

Love this kid!

And the fact that he likes to draw. Because I am...

One of these!!

He also has a two year old sister, so he's learned to work around her stuff.

Finding peace & quiet is the tricky part!

Here is the finished drawing of "Happy Feet". :)

Then he was on a roll and drew a few more. The kid's surprisingly fast.

Of course, being a seven year old boy, boogers, snot and warts are quite appealing.

These drawings went home with me and are now hanging on my walls. Like all of the other grandbrats' artwork. Good memories!! ~ ~

"If a man ain't nothin' else he is an artist.

It is the one thing he can claim to be, that nobody can prove he ain't."

-Will Rogers

‎

There are so many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Wishing You Laughter This Holiday Season

2011-12-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Holiday Season.

And a New Year filled with happiness, health -

and laughter!! ~

"Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered."

- Phyllis Diller

"Christmas is a race to see which gives out first, your money or your feet."

- Unknown

"What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day."

- Phyllis Diller

~~~~

"Wishing You Holiday Hugs And Kisses" post.

"Raw Food Marzipan For The Holidays" post.

Dogs Decorating A Christmas Tree video.

Animals Singing Jingle Bells video

Wrapping The Cat video.

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Isadora Duncan, You Wore Your Scarves Too Long!

2011-12-08T17:12:00.002-08:00

I'm fascinated with the life of the "Mother of Modern Dance" -

San Francisco-born, (5/27/1877) Isadora Duncan.

I collect stuff about her. Lots of stuff.

I think she was lovely.

Here's the first video I ever bought, telling her life-story.

And what a life she had!

Vanessa Redgrave did a fabulous job in this film. But then, doesn't she always?!

Here's the first DVD I found... and had to have.

I'm actually waiting for two others to arrive in the mail! Early Christmas presents from me to me!! (I like shopping for 'me'. I always know what I want.)

And then there are the books! I love this one. It's such exciting stuff!

Getting into the mind of someone like that. Wow!

I even like this one.

When Isadora Duncan was a young child, her mother brought her for ballet lessons.

Isadora thought standing on her toes was ugly and against nature.

"I dreamed of a different dance", she later said.

Soon her mother found her teaching half a dozen babies, to wave their arms in the air.

She left home at seventeen performing the dance as she felt it, and inventing a natural style completely her own.

While some were horrified by Isadora's loose-fitting gowns and innovative technique, many more found her dancing exhilarating.

By the time of her death, she had a following of personally trained students and was revered as a performer throughout the Western world.

The older these books are, the better I like them.

This one was published in 1972.

This one, in 1969.

This one, in 1947!

This one was written by, Irma Duncan, one of six famous "Duncan Dancers", who appeared with Isadora in her performances, both in Europe and America. She was one of her pupils from the age of six, and remained with Isadora until the time of the latter's death.

At a young age, and with the dancer's consent, she adopted the name of "Duncan".

(I couldn't find a date of publication in this one.)

And here! Here is my favorite one!!

Written by Isadora, herself. The manuscript completed in 1927 - just months before her death!

I love, love, LOVE this book!!

Of course, I had to have this postcard too.

The lady loved 'flowing' things. Flowing fabrics, flowing gowns, flowing scarves.

Sadly, one of them caused her tragic death...

This is from Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isadora_Duncan

Duncan's fondness for flowing scarves was the cause of her death in an automobile accident in Nice, France when she was passenger in an Amilcar, and her silk scarf, draped around her neck, became entangled around the open-spoked wheels and rear axle, breaking her neck.

What a sad, sad ending!

Since my business is painting silk scarves, that makes me really, really sad.

"Isadora, girl, you wore your scarves too long!" :(

"By dancing thus, and by witnessing such dances, people stay young. Anyone who dances as I do, can live to be one-hundred years old."

- Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1877 - Sept. 14, 1927)

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

2011-11-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

A Raw Food Thanksgiving: Mock Turkey & Cranberry Sauce

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

And thank you for stopping by during this busy time!

I'm reposting this from last year, because I'm really, reeeally busy this year.

And truth be told, I worked my butt off on this, so I want to get as much mileage out of the post as I can!

(A link to part 2. is at the end.)

This was my first attempt at a raw Thanksgiving meal and it was actually fun!

In this post I'll be showing you how I made the "Mock Turkey" -

And the "Cranberry Sauce".

These are the ingredients for the turkey.

These recipes are not my own (why reinvent the wheel?) so I can't share them with you here.

They are from Alissa Cohen's fabulous book, "Living On Live Food".

She also has a wonderful new book, "Raw Food For Everyone" and a great DVD!

You can find a lot of Thanksgiving recipes on these two websites, as well:

The Raw Diet

Pretty Smart Raw Food Ideas

OK, here we go -

I placed the first batch of ingredients into the food-processor.

And gave it a little spin.

Then I cut the scallions and the celery.

And added them to the other ingredients.

I processed them until smooth.

And here is what it looked like. Pretty? Not so much.

A little on the green side, which just reminds me that we're eating healthy, raw food.

My father was a sculptor, and so is my oldest daughter.

My youngest daughter does wood-carving, so I thought I'd give it a whirl too!

And heeere he is.

Look at me! I'm a sculptor now!! :)

I've got dibs on a drumstick!

Moving right along -

Here are the ingredients for the "Cranberry Sauce".

I placed all of the ingredients into the food-processor.

And let it do its thing.

It ended up being too tart for my dainty, little taste-buds, so I added some Agave Nectar.

You may substitute Raw Honey for the Agave.

Lookin' good! And tasting even better!!

It's almost time to eat!!

In the next post I'll show you how I made raw "Mashed Potatoes" -

and "Mushroom Gravy".

As well as a raw "Pumpkin Pie"! :-D (Be still my heart!!)

And here it is, part 2; "A Raw Food Thanksgiving: Complete With Pumpkin Pie!".

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!! ~

"Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare.

They are consumed in twelve minutes.

Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence."

- Erma Bombeck

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

For The Love Of Raw Food

2011-11-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

I love raw food. And living healthy.

I try to make raw meals for myself when I'm on vacation too, which isn't always easy.

I like to have my grandbrats help, so that they'll be interested in eating healthy too.

Which isn't always easy either. First I've gotta catch 'em!

Well, I love 'un-cooking' so much, that I bit-the-bullet and invested in two fabulous

raw food, home-study courses!! (Be still my heart!)

The courses are by the amazing raw food chef, Russell James.

This one is called, " How To Be Your Own Raw Food Chef... And Still Have Time To Eat".

LOVE! LOVE!! LOVE IT!!!

But this one is my favorite!! It's ALL DESSERTS!!!! :-D

The title of it is, "How To Be Your Own Raw Food Chef... And Still Have Time To Indulge".

I'm a biiig fan of indulging!!!! I could eat desserts all day, if I let myself!!

My dream is to get really great at creating super-duper meals and desserts -

and then teaching others how to make them. I'd love to give demos at senior centers, and to others that need to be more watchful of their health. Or, to people who just like to chow-down on some great tasting eats!!

Of course I had to buy some decent knives to do the job right! Right? Right!

If you guys have been reading my blog for awhile, you know how freaked-out I am by knives, so wish me luck!! (Check out the post about Nori Rolls.)

I already have the "Excalibur Dehydrator" for raw food; cookies, breads, snacks, etc..

This is a really great machine!!

For some photos and info on raw foods I've made in the past, please take a peek here.

If you still want more, just type "raw food" in the search-thingy on this page (top right) and you'll find plenty.

Thanks for stopping by! ~

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Little Girl, Big Heart.

2011-10-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Should I, or shouldn't I?! Ohhh, I don't knooow!!

Okay! HERE I GO!!!!

Awww, I looove youuu!!

Worms.

We should all love our worms.

Or not.

She is our first grandchild. A treasure to this day.

She's eighteen and going to college now.

How the hey did that happen?! Not the college part.

She's smart. She was Valedictorian at her graduation.

She didn't get it from me. I had to google 'Valedictorian'

to find out how to spell it.

I miss her! ~ ~

"A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty six dollar set of swings, as it does out of finding a small green worm."

- Bill Vaughn

"Even if you've been fishing for three hours and haven't gotten anything except poison Ivy and sunburn, you're still better off than the worm."

- Unknown

"I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"We are all worms, but I do believe I am a glow worm."

- Winston Churchill

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Cats, Cat Food - And Confusion

2011-10-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

This is my son, when he was a little guy - sampling the cat food.

(Yum! tastes like chicken!) The cat was not amused.

Putting the food and water in separate bowls, made them easier to clean.

But apparently, it confused the kid,

so I decided to put them in a proper cat food/water combo-dish...

Which confused the kitty! ~

"If cats could talk, they wouldn't."

- Nan Porter

"The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their face,

whether they see a moth, or an axe-murderer."

- Paula Poundstone

"No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat,

and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch."

- Leo Dworken

"One is never sure, watching two cats washing each other, whether it's affection,

the taste, or a trial run for the jugular."

- Helen Thomson

"In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods. They have not forgotten this."

- Terry Pratchett

"To bathe a cat takes brute force, perseverance, courage of conviction -

and a cat.

The last ingredient is usually the hardest to come by.

- Stephen Baker

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Doctors, Plumbers, And Vegetarians

2011-09-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

My granddaughter has always been a girly-girl.

If it was pink and shiny, it was in her wardrobe. Just like her, now fourteen year old cousin, when she was little.

This one's eight now and still loves a bit of the pink. And flowers in any color.

Somebody gave her some money (yeah, I'm a sucker for that) and she begged to go to a

"Bath & Body Works". I'm not kidding about the 'begged' part. The kid was sooo excited!!

Here's her dad letting her smell the stuff. I think that was the last picture I took, before I had to get the heck out of there! Perfume, candles, any odors like that go straight to my head and make me weak in the knees. But she loved it!!

Her six year old brother, not so much.

He left with me and was one happy kid again.

We were sitting in the doctors office once, for her check-up.

She was reading a book about dogs and cats. I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she said, "a doctor". I asked, what kind of doctor? For big people, or for kids?

She said, "a vegetarian". (Translation; veterinarian. :)

I love the things kids say! Most of the time.

On my last visit to Georgia, the kids' bathroom sink was clogged. I kept meaning to tell my son, but forgot. It wasn't totally clogged, just draining really slow.

One night, I went to wash my hands and it drained right away. I thought how cool that my son fixed it.

Imagine my surprise when she told me that she did it!

She said that she, "took off the lid and pulled all the stuff out". How cool, but kinda gross.

I asked what she used to do that with. She said, "my fingers'. Okay... really gross!!

I can imagine these hands helping people as a doctor, or helping animals as a vegetarian veterinarian.

But it's hard to think of these sweet little fingers down a clogged drain. Eeew!

She swore to me that she washed them really, really good afterwards. Three times with soap.

Soap that she bought after an hour at the "Bath & Body Works".

I told her that there is an actual tool that unclogs drains.

She got all excited and said, "Really?! Can I have one?!"

Guess what went in the mail yesterday, for my girly-girl. :)

Here ya go, Sweetie...

But please wear these!!

Here she is, when she was a little bitty thing. They grow up much too fast, don't they?

I still miss my adult kids on a daily basis.

But life is so full of good things and each and every one deserves to go after them.

I just wish it could all be done from home. :)

I hope the grandkids stay home for a really, reeeally long time!!

I think my kids planned their first escape on an "Etch A Sketch".

A sign on a plumbing truck, "We repair what your husband fixed".

A sign in a restroom, "Toilet out of order. Please use floor below".

There are SO many things to love!

I love comments and 'Followers' too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

I Love, Love, LOVE Sugar!!

2011-08-28T10:03:00.001-07:00

It's an addiction. I'm a sugarholic. And I need to lick the habit!!

We started off doing SO good, on my recent trip to Georgia. I made healthy, green smoothies for the first three days. It was a treat for the grandbrats, because I'd bought them new tumblers to drink them out of. (Hey, whatever it takes!) This is my six year old grandson.

We shopped for organic greens and fruit, and even popped in to see my nephew, Brad Gruno and the gorgeous Jaime Cahalan, (aka Girl Friday) while they were giving out samples of his fabulous

Raw Kale Chips, etc., at Whole Foods.

They would have smacked me beside the head if they knew what was to come!

They're all about health... and most of the time, so am I. I'm a raw foodist, for crying out loud!

But sometimes it's just really, really hard. Especially if you're addicted to something!

My granddaughter passed a really difficult test and got accepted into a fabulous school!

So, to celebrate, we all went to a nice restaurant.

With the great intention of eating something healthy.

This is the first thing we saw as we walked in!! (Not the kid. He was with us.)

How can anyone resist such temptation?!!!!

He was good and ordered a turkey salad, without dressing and water.

He didn't expect the egg-salad stuff and didn't eat it.

Here he is saying grace. The kid's got a good line of chatter, so even his prayers are cute.

And then it happened...

We ALL caved!!!! One... by... one.

And the slices are huuuge there!!!!

Some of us got a piece to go.

But by the time the check came, some of us (yeah, me too!) had put a good dent in it.

We went home and life went on.

Guess what happened a couple of days later. We decided to go there again!

Oh, Oh! Remember this temptation?

What's that old saying...

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome."

He's always so good when he orders his meals - turkey and healthy greens, with water.

He even takes the yolk out of the egg. He likes being strong. He works hard at it.

He boxes.

He plays football.

And he and my eight year old granddaughter both practice Jiu Jitsu.

She also boxes and loves being a cheerleader.

I love her moves. (I can do that. I just don't want to.)

After our healthy meal... we caved again!!

We all felt such a wonderful sugar-high afterwards.

And then the sugar-low!!

If you eat sugar products, you probably know that feeling.

And so, SO many others! Speaking for myself, it's migraines, lethargy, spaciness, etc., etc.

I read that young children, supposedly don't have that yet, whatever it's called, that gets people addicted.

Thank God for that! But, according to the experts, it's not good for them, or anyone, and our family has decided to do our very best NOT to feed sugar-products to the kids, or eat them ourselves!

Easier said than done!!

In desperation, I bought this DVD!

And on the night before I left for home, my son and I sat down to watch it.

It's by the brilliant, Nancy Appleton, PhD.

Still craving sugar on a daily basis, I thought it would be fun to watch the film while stuffing our faces with chocolate donuts!

Stupid, I know. But that's what I do. Any excuse to wolf-down sweets.

I was hoping that it would be our last hoorah, so to speak!!

Eat all the donuts and then, not eat sugary stuff anymore!

But it didn't turn out that way.

About ten minutes into the film, the donuts got tossed into the trash!!

OMG!!!!!! What an eye-opener!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

I highly recommend the video and these great books, by Dr. Nancy Appleton.

Reading them is helping me curb my cravings, because the alternative is not something I'm a fan of.

I was sugar-free for an entire year and all it took was a little bowl of chocolate pudding to get me addicted again!

Some people can eat one candy bar and be satisfied. I need four. One right after the other.

I know how to make healthy, raw desserts and plan to lick the sugar habit that way too!!

It's just so damn easy to fall back into that trap, when sugar products are everywhere you look!

My youngest grandbrat is only two and just started childcare.

The first day the kids were fed; applesauce, a corn-dog, fruit punch and a Toaster Strudel.

Sugar anyone?!!

The following day, her parents were given a note saying they should bring food in for her, because she wouldn't eat it. Ya think?!

Looks like she's the smartest one of us all!! :)

If any of this sounds like YOU, and you want to stop the sugar habit, I hope you'll check out some of these books, Dr. Appleton's blog/website and especially the DVD.

(You can purchase them there.)

When the eight year old was two, she was strapped in her car-seat and going on a drive with her dad. When he stopped at a toll-booth and dropped in the change, he heard a little voice from the back yell, "CHICKEN NUGGETS!!"

We all eat healthier now! Sorry Mc Donalds. ~

For another post about sugar addiction and food allergies, please check this out;

http://somanythingstolove.blogspot.com/2010/06/raw-food-vs-standard-american-diet-sad.html

There are SO many things to love!

I love comments and "Followers" too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Teaching Kids New Tricks

2011-08-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

During a recent visit to Georgia, I bought my eight year old granddaughter a bag for her new yarn, crochet and knitting needles. I'll do anything to keep things tidy and in one place.

Hopefully, to be found again later, before the kid gets married and leaves home.

Some of her favorite colors.

It was pretty slim-pickens for boy colors, but I wanted my six year old grandbrat to give it a shot too, so I picked this blue.

Last year, I showed them how to knit, which wasn't an easy feat. I figured wielding just one weapon... er... needle, might be easier.

Here's this one, getting a feel for it.

I think she liked it!!

Oh, yeah!

Please ignore the blue painters tape. This room is always being redone.

Maybe they were hoping I'd do it. Yeah. Like that was gonna happen. I was there to play with the grandbrats. And play we did!

I love the expressions on her face.

Such a sweet smile.

I think when I'm crocheting, I have a disturbing pinched look on my face.

(That's being kind.)

She picked up speed and wouldn't stop. She was 'hooked'. Pun intended.

Finally that one was ready to give it a shot.

He was a real sport and tried.

And tried.

I'd started it off for him, so he would get an idea of how it's done and what it's supposed to look like.

It never looked like that again.

He wanted to know if instead of blue, they sold 'camouflage' yarn.

'Cause he's a tough-guy, after all!

I told him I'd never seen it anywhere.

The next time we went shopping, look what caught his eye in the yarn section!

Camouflage yarn. Who knew?

There's never a dull moment with this kid.

Same shirt, but a different day and a different location.

She even has two crocheted bracelets.

Her idea was to crochet a big ol' honkin' rope that reached all the way to her mailbox!

She thinks she's getting close!

Another day... and many, many, many more stitches!

She wanted to see how far she'd gotten.

Pretty far.

Pretty darn far!

Not quite to the mailbox yet...

But pretty darn close!! Tomorrow's another day, kid. Awesome job!!

I got the urge too, so I made these little accessories for the otherwise naked bear.

Besides, those guys were busy crocheting and I had nobody to play with!

B.O.R.I.N.G

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

We Love Yellow

2011-07-28T14:36:00.001-07:00

We love yellow dresses.

Yellow shirts and yellow walls. Yellow teeth, not so much.

My youngest grandbrats are taking Jiu Jitsu lessons and loving it!

Check out the concentration. Just like when we talk to 'em at home. Yeah, right!

"Hold on, I have an itch."

(Are you still lookin' at the kids, ladies?:)

"Oh, yeah! Girls rule!"

Although white is nice...

They loved their yellow surprise!

After six months of lessons, they each got a yellow belt. SCORE!!

A very happy girl.

Giving a sweet, girly thank-you hug.

Now it's his turn.

While his sister looks on proudly.

A boy hug, complete with the pat-pat on the back.

Do they learn this at birth, or what?!

A bit of applause for a job well done.

A very proud six and eight year old.

Brushing through that hair afterwards wasn't fun for either one of us. Trust me.

Let's hear it for the master! Thank you!!

These two keep us laughing!

Last year she came into my room while I was watching CNN, as they were wheeling Michael Jackson into an ambulance. She saw the body bag he was in and asked, "When people die, are they in a 'bush bag', or a cute little sparkly bag?" (The girl does love her bling.)

The other day he came into my bedroom, slammed himself face-down on the bed,
really mad about something.
He said, "I'm gonna sleep FOREVER! Only wake me for food and my birthday!"

My older grandkids are a funny pair too, but that's a story for another day. ~

For more grandbrats;

A Snowy Night In Georgia

When All Else Fails It's Back To Basics

Working Out, More Fun For Some Than Others

Silk Painting For Kids

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

I Love To Read

2011-07-19T03:29:00.000-07:00

And so does this one. A lot!

She's my eight year old granddaughter.

These pictures were taken last year, right after I gave her a little book-light.

I didn't think she'd ever go to sleep! (Something I really wanted to do.)

She also likes doing a bit of reading at the doctor's office.

And at the dentist's office, to her proud Dad.

But there's nothing better than a bedtime story.

Especially if you read it yourself...

And people are waiting for you to go to sleep.

At last!

Sweet dreams, precious girl. ~

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Kefir And The The Mad Scientist -

2011-07-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

Little ol' me.

My little buddy, Melanie, sent me my first batch of Kefir Grains.

We call them, "her offspring". Which makes me feel really bad, when even just one of them goes down the drain! I'm sooorrryyy!!

I'd never heard of them before Melanie told me about them.

They're weird little things.

They're not soft, or hard. Kind of in-between. Put them in a clean glass jar and rinse them with Spring Water, only. And never touch them with anything metal!

These are the supplies you'll need, if you ever decide to make Kefir Water.

(Which is supposed to be really good for us!!)

You'll need four of the jars. Wash them really well, but without soap/detergent.

Put 1/4 cup of the Organic Whole Cane Sugar into the bottom of the glass jars.

Try to make two batches at a time.

Then add about 1/4 cup of the Kefir babies on top of that.

I feel like such a mad scientist at this stage, because I know they'll multiply like crazy!

Fill the jars to within an inch from the top, with Spring Water.

Put on the little coffee filter 'bonnet' and secure it with a rubber band to keep out any gnats,

flies, or whatever.

Set them somewhere warm to help with the fermentation.

I sat them on the window sill, but ended up moving them, because that window gets the full afternoon sun, and that's not good for them. It'll do 'em in. Oh, the guilt!!

After forty-eight hours, the drink is usually done.

It's fun to see the outcome after that time, because they've eaten all the sugar

and seriously multiplied! Very cool.

Strain the Kefir Water into a clean jar and put the Kefirs back into the jar they came from.

It hardly has any taste, so add a few slices of dried fruit to give it some flavor. I chose apples.

Put a clean bonnet on it and stick it in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours.

Pour the Kefirs back into the jar and rinse them with the Spring Water.

See how they've multiplied?! Crazy!!

Add enough water to cover them and put them in the refrigerator, unless you're making more right away. If you're making more, just follow the same directions as the first batch.

If you're waiting between batches, put the bonnet on first and then the lid.

(Because you can't use any metal.)

After twenty-four hours, the Kefir Water you put in the refrigerator is ready.

Remove the apple slices, or they'll get mushy and messy...

And enjoy!

This is a great article about Kefir; it's health benefits, in-depth directions on how to make it, where to order it, and fun stuff like that.

Let me know if you make some!

For another healthy drink, you may also want to try, Rejuvelac.

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

The Love Of Art Continues

2011-06-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

With this one. My just-turned fourteen year old grandbrat.

(I love this kid!)

On my last visit, I was able to snag some of her wonderful paintings for these photos.

I think most of them were painted in acrylics.

A collage, with a painted self-portrait.

Told ya.

I love these bright colors.

And the bit of gold on the bottom.

Speaking of gold, this was done using a pen with gold ink.

And another one I wanted! A copy of one of my favorite artist's paintings - Vincent Van Gogh.

One afternoon while watching TV, I turned around and there she was, on the kitchen floor,

making a 'friendship bracelet'. I secretly hoped it was for me. :)

Jeez! I want everything, don't I?!

I love the hands.

And the concentration.

And the hair.

I see she got creative with the nail polish too.

So pretty, but SO time-consuming.

Yayyy!! She gave me this one! It will be framed and displayed, forever!

And as if painting wasn't enough - the girl does photography too.

She not only takes the photographs, she develops them as well!

This is the only one I found to take a close up of. It doesn't do it justice.

It was wonderful spending time with this one!!

And that one!! Her sister... my eighteen year old grandbrat.

(I love that kid too!!)

Another one that loves art and is sooo talented!

But that's another story, for another day. ~

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Siblings By Birth - Best Friends By Choice

2011-06-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

My oldest grandbrats. I love these guys!

They're as close as two sisters can be. True best friends.

I love these two little characters! And they love each other.

I don't think I have one picture of the two of them, where they don't have their arms wrapped around each other.

Here's another one I love! But she's going through the "Terrible-Twos", so she doesn't like anybody.

And she doesn't like wearing a jacket either. She does, however, like wearing the blanket I knitted for her sister's doll.

And when I least expect it, there's this.

Or that.

"You can dress 'em up, but you can't take 'em anywhere."

Yet, we do.

Being a grandmother is one of my greatest blessings!!

(And to my children - I love you too!!)

"Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're a mother.

The next you're all-wise and prehistoric."

- Pam Brown

"Grandchildren don't make a man feel old, it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother."

- G. Norman Collie

"My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after two or three hours with them, I believe it too. "

- Gene Perret

"Few things are more delightful than grandchildren fighting over your lap."

- Doug Larson

"You're more trouble than the children are" is the greatest compliment a grandparent can receive."

- Gene Perret

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

For The Love Of Art: Part Three. SCORE!!

2011-06-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

I found my brushes! I found my brushes!! I found my brushes!!!

If you read the previous art-posts, part one and part two, you understand my excitement!

I found my French easel hidden away in storage too!

And my Van Gogh-wannabe hat.

(Don't call the police, that's a mannequin leg.)

I also came across my big ol' honkin' oil paint case.

I used to lug that thing all over the place.

When I opened it up, the wonderful smell of the oil paints hit me in the face.

It was awesome!

More oils.

I'd wrapped the brushes in plastic baggies, in case any little bugs decided to move into the storage area. I hear they're quite fond of nibbling on the bristles.

Many years ago, I took a three-day workshop with the very talented artist, Ted Goerschner, in Los Olivos, CA. Another student did this 8" x 10" painting of me. Proof that I actually did plein-air painting... for at least three days anyway. I realized that painting outdoors is not my thing. (I love this painting! Thank you Dorie!)

I've put the Van Gogh-wannabe hat on my mannequin for now. She looks better in it anyway.

So, I started a painting in acrylics, but I whined about missing my oil paints. I had to switch, because I'm now sensitive to the solvents used with oils. Then my artist friend, Linda Walker, and my blogger friend, Lou Ceel, told me about "water-soluble oil paints". Be still my heart!!

I had to have 'em!

Like I do with all my painting mediums, I made a color wheel. It turns out that these paints feel like the oils I remembered and loved! Smooth as cake frosting to mix. I have to admit, I miss the smell though.

Cleaning the brushes in water... I did notice that the water needed to be changed much more often than when using Turpentine. So, I get a little exercise too. It's a win-win situation.

I still have some colors to add, but here it is. My water-soluble oil paint color wheel.

I've always loved Vincent Van Gogh, but even more so lately. I'm watching his movies, reading his books and drooling over his paintings all over again. He gives me such inspiration! What a talent!!

Yet such a tortured soul.

This is the painting I began in acrylics. I plan to finish it with these oils. It's nice that I can paint over acrylics with oils. It can't be the other way around... no acrylics on top of oils.

"Fat over lean" is the artsy term. (Sounds like my body, when I pig-out on sweets.)

Wish me luck, guys!

For The Love Of Art: Part One

For The Love Of Art: Part Two

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Celebrating One Birthday - Twice

2011-06-02T01:35:00.000-07:00

When it's the eighteenth, that's great! When you're older than dirt, not so much.

It was my first grandbrat's birthday. I think she liked her little surprise party!

Yup! Even her sister got a thank-you hug.

You see before you, one very happy girl!

She loves books, like me.

Something else from her aunt. What can it be?

It's well-received.

The girl likes anything English.

Hey! How did this one manage to get a cupcake - and I didn't?!

Ohhh, very pretty.

"If I can't have a cupcake, would somebody please let me outta here?!"

And a necklace.

She likes this too.

Not so sure about this one.

Okay... she likes it.

A lot.

But, apparently, she likes the cupcake more.

Give her sister one too. She looks like she's fading fast. (A couple of clowns!)

And there you have it... her 'first' little birthday party. Ta Da!

The next day -

Heeere comes party number 'two'. Bring it on!!

Hmmm... I wonder what this is.

YESSS!!

Sweet!!

Dad helping out.

I love this picture. Such happiness. :)

(Does anybody notice the scary-lookin' black dog?)

Ohhh, yeahhh.

A card is always nice. Especially when there's cash involved. (Notice her right hand.)

But she's got class and actually read all of it.

I gave her a heart necklace with mushy grandmother-stuff engraved on it.

In reeeally tiny writing.

I live for these bear-hugs from my family!!

Tuning the new guitar. (Dad's glowing with pride.)

Trying it out. Sounds good!

I love her beautiful hands.

She gets them from her other grandmother.

She most definitely does not have my ham-hocks!

The birthday party was over, but the music continued.

Since then, there's been a haircut -

And a prom.

But that's another story for another day ~

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

Thank you.

Signing off for now,

gabriele

For The Love Of Art: Part Two

2011-05-22T08:47:00.001-07:00

Once I have my old color-wheel, I'm good to go!

I didn't misplace it, because I use it in my silk painting too.

I'd be lost without it.

This is how I like to set-up my paint area. All neat and tidy.

For those of you that like to read things in the correct order,

here is "For The Love Of Art: Part One." But come back now, ya hear?!

Here is the photograph I chose to go with. One of over 300 that I took at the beautiful Frey Vineyards. I'm saving my favorite for last. Like dessert. Well, I'm lying here. Sometimes I have dessert first. So... never mind.

First I did a quick pencil sketch on my nice, new canvas.

Then I outlined the sketch in acrylic. While I was doing that, I remembered that I usually began with this step, instead of sketching it in with pencil first. It's been fourteen years since I did an easel-painting, so I have an excuse!

The outline/sketch is finished - and now comes the fun part.

I consider this the underpainting. Just getting some of the main colors down.

I always love the look of the colors on the palette.

After a few hours, the palette is full...

And I'm getting tired of painting. (It happens.)

Tomorrow's another day.

I'll be refreshed and ready to paint some more on the left side, and then on to the best part - the finishing touches! The highlights, the shadows and the fun colors. Yum!!

It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Until the next time ~

My Website; Silk Accessories

Silk Painting

More Silk Painting

For The Love Of Art: Part One

My Road Trip To Frey Vineyards

Frey Vineyards

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

(Thank you.)

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Oh, Fortuny! How I Love Thee!!

2011-05-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

"Fortuny". That name does something to me. It conjures-up beautiful, romantic images of years gone by. I'm a collector of Fortuny. Not only of his lamps, (reproductions!!) but also the books written about him, as well as the tiniest scraps of his fabrics that I can get my hands on!

Mariano Fortuny is my absolute favorite designer/artist!

This is my favorite Fortuny lamp.

I have one of these small, cone-shaped lamps too.

But I really love the glow that comes from the large one. Comfy-cozy!

Then there are the books. The books with photographs of the most elegant, beautiful dresses, made from the most gorgeous fabrics ever!

His fabrics!! He took the secrets of his pleating on silk and fabric-painting techniques with him to his grave. According to the books written about him, he only shared the secrets with one of the ladies that worked for him for many, many years. And she didn't tell either!

Drives me crazy, actually! I want to know!!

Magnificent! I wish I owned this!!

Another one of my favorite books. Page after glorious, glossy, colorful page!

I believe Amazon.com carries these books, for all of you other Fortuny lovers out there.

(I've spent so much money on books, I think Amazon has a portrait of me, hanging in their corporate office.)

I think I have all of the Fortuny books now. (But I'm afraid to check!)

I even found a book written about his father, another fabulous oil painter!

A really wonderful book. I didn't want it to end.

Mariano was an oil painter as well as a fabric/clothing/stage designer and a ton of other things! Here's one of his paintings of his Venetian studio. (Be still my heart!)

Remember the "tiniest scraps of his fabrics" that I mentioned earlier?

Well, here they are! I love to hold them in my hand...

And imagine being in his studio, in Venice, while he's working on them. For a fabric designer, that's pure bliss!

His work is such an inspiration! Here's a piece of velvet I designed. It was white when I began.

The white line is actually the shine of the panne-velvet. "Fortuny Influence", 46" x 72".

(More of my velvet work.)

Back to my stash of fabrics - I especially love the pieces with the gold background.

Unfortunately, I've never found any of his spectacular velvets.

These colors are a little hard to see in a small photograph, but trust me, they're luscious.

Here come my larger pieces. I didn't crop this photo so that you could get a better idea of the size of the fabrics. Okay... I have to tell you that I tried to iron a couple of the pieces and they acted funny. I was really careful with the temperature setting, but they still wanted to curl-up on the corners. For fear of damaging them, I decided against ironing! And if you know me at all, you'll know how those creases are driving me crazy!!

Close up of the creases... I mean fabric.

Love this.

Another piece, full length.

Close up.

Same piece.

Another one. I always wonder what the people selling these, made with the rest of it.

Close up.

It's hard to see the shine of the metallic, but it's stunning.

Here's an interesting, but simple pattern.

Up close and personal.

Another large piece.

And the close up.

And here is my absolute favorite one!! Silver-metallic and baby-blue!!

This is the oldest one in the bunch. One of his earliest pieces. I love it!!

And this is the one I handle very carefully.

It still has tags on it. Love that! I'm glad they don't still have a "Los Angeles Office", because I'd go broke!!

I was so happy when I found the tags on that piece.

I have no idea what they mean, but I was happy. Old tags are cool.

Finally, you can see a little shimmer from the silver-metallic! Gorgeous!!

One of his earliest signatures. Awesome! My oldest and favorite piece of fabric!!

Here are his pleated silks. They are not wrinkles. Not like my pieces. :(

Mariano Fortuny, self portrait.

Born in Granada, Spain, 1871. Died in Venice, Italy, 1949.

What a talented human being!! Love him!!

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

(Thank you.)

Signing off for now,

gabriele

For The Love Of Art: Part One

2011-04-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Before I became a silk painter, more than fourteen years ago, I painted in oils.

Here are a few of the many paintings I did back in the day.

I loved everything about oil paints... the smell, the texture, the Turpentine.

Then, one day, I discovered silk painting and tucked all the oil paints away!

But I still wanted to paint landscapes, so I did a few on silk. Like this one.

Then I started painting flowers on silk scarves and that was all she wrote! I was hooked!!

A few months ago, I went on a road trip to San Francisco and the wine country.

My nephew, Brad Gruno and I went to visit Katrina Frey at the beautiful Frey Vineyards.

I took a ton of pictures and when I saw this one, I knew that I had to paint it... in oils!!

Since I got that idea in my head, everything I looked at became a potential oil painting.

Here's another photo from Frey Vineyards. I love that place!

Katrina invited me to come down and be the artist-in-residence! Ohhh yeaah!!

(Katrina, if you're reading this, thank you again!!)

Another potential painting. (Minus the dashboard.)

From a recent trip to Descanso Gardens.

Another one from Descanso.

And another.

On a recent trip to Oregon I fell in love with the moss and thought that it would look gorgeous in a painting too!

Moss climbing on the side of a wall. A cool abstract!

Look at this lushness! Love it!!

I finally decided to go-for-it, but I couldn't find any of my old supplies!!!!

A few years ago, I came across my huge assortment of brushes and thought, "that's a weird place to have put them". Making a 'mental-note-to-self' I went about my life.

The moral of the story, don't put stuff in weird places and don't make mental-notes-to-self!

It ain't gonna work for ya. I've searched and searched for those brushes and supplies and can't find squat!! I finally gave up and bought some new stuff. Just the basics.

A container to put the globs of paint in, without having them dry out.

Two 16" x 20" canvases. Canvas'? Canvas? Canvy?

Some brushes and a palette knife. Ohhh! I had sooo many!!!! Still do... somewhere. :(

Over the years I've become very sensitive to chemical odors and I don't think I'd fare well with the smell of Turpentine, Turpenoid, or any of the other things associated with oil paints.

So I decided to try acrylics. I've never liked acrylics before, but I thought I'd give them a shot anyway. Maybe the texture is better now. I also bought a palette to mix the paints on.

I love a huge assortment of colors! I want them all!! But I behaved and just bought a set.

Okay... I caved and bought a few more.

I couldn't find my easel either, so I got this little inexpensive one.

Of course I had to buy a book.

I had to!!

So, wish me luck, my friends!! I'll give you an update and show you the painting in-progress and completed, in a future post.

"Peace-out, dude."

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

(Thank you.)

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Detour To Descanso Gardens

2011-04-27T07:43:00.001-07:00

A good friend of mine is in town, so we made plans to spend the day together.

Her name is Linda Walker, an award-winning wildlife & western artist.

Her work is beyond stunning, as you can see by this photo of one of her oils!!

We decided to meet at Sisley's and have 'a little bite'. (Yeah, right.)

Here she is! It's like she never left at all! You know how some people are like that?

Love that girl!

I apologize for the blurriness of the next few photos, but they get better, I swear.

I'd never been to Sisley's. The first thing I saw was this. Oh yeah, I'm gonna like this place!!

I can't remember what Linda ordered, but it brought a smile to her face.

Yumm. Tasty.

I ordered Spaghetti. As some of you know, I'm a raw foodist, but I've decided that when I'm out with a friend, I'll just eat what's on the menu. And it's a treat sometimes, I won't lie.

This was Linda's dessert.

And this was mine.

A piece of Cheesecake the size of my head!!

Linda was quite pleased with her dessert too.

Since I'm not used to eating processed, cooked foods, my body likes to let me know it's not too happy with me afterwards! A headache began before we even left the restaurant.

After our 'little bite', we decided we'd go to the Norton Simon Museum, in Pasadena, to get our art-fix.

We yacked all the way. We're quite good at it. Finally, the museum...

with plenty of parking spaces! Cool!!

Hmmm... that can't be good.

It wasn't. Apparently Norton Simon is closed on Tuesdays!!

OK, change of plans. Let's go to the Huntington Library! Yeah!!

But let's call first to see if they're open. Nope. Closed. Who closes on Tuesdays?!!

I had the bright idea of going to Descanso Gardens. We called and they were open!

Which was great, because Linda had never been there.

At the entrance. The open entrance.

I don't know the names of most of the flowers I photographed, and was too lazy to write down what the little signs said. I'm hoping you'll just enjoy seeing them.

Time to take off the jacket. The Southern California weather was wonderful!

When I think of Descanso Gardens, this is what I see. Little pathways, with dappled light. Even more so than the beautiful flowers.

The Japanese Tea House.

As I took this photo, I thought I saw something running.

When I zoomed in on the photo, I saw this little coyote! Isn't it cute?!

Of course the rest of the day, when I heard something rustling in the leaves, I got a little nervous.

We walked up the hill to the fabulous Boddy House. Love that place!!

Look at that kitchen!!

Hello.

Linda had to get in the act too.

This is Trish Kertes, the artist that was having a showing at the Boddy House.

Her work is beautiful and reminded me of the California Impressionists.

Here is the tram that will drive people up the hill, if they don't want to walk it.

Linda and I were quite happy to walk - especially after the amount of food we inhaled at Sisley's!

Like a kitty-cat basking in the sun.

A giant Redwood.

Stealing the show.

I love Lilac!! Looking at this bloom, I can almost smell it.

I've never met a gift shop I didn't like. And the one at Descanso Gardens is wonderful!!

I love sitting next to a giant Redwood. It makes me feel so svelte.

California Poppies. I love them so much, I painted them on a silk scarf.

As we left Descanso Gardens, we made a wrong turn, so we drove around looking at some of the homes. Be still my heart!!

We finally found the freeway and off we went.

Nice scenery.

I spoke too soon!!

The freeway cleared and we were almost there.

Linda dropped me off at my van, gave me a big hug -

And off she went!! :(

Goodbye for now, my friend. See you the next time you're in town!!

" A friend never defends a husband who gets his wife an electric skillet for her birthday."

- Erma Bombeck

"A friend will tell you she saw your old boyfriend - and he's a priest."

- Erma Bombeck

"Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved-off the dessert cart."

- Erma Bombeck

There are SO many things to love!

I love "Followers" and comments too!

(Thank you.)

Signing off for now,

gabriele

Happy Easter!

2011-04-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

(Do not try this at home!)

Recently, while standing in line at the store, a woman in front of me

was buying a box of "Peeps".
A woman behind me said to her,

"Did you ever explode them in the microwave?".

(Say WHAAAT?!)
The woman in front, looking puzzled said, "Uh... no.".
The woman behind me said,

"They don't really explode, they just melt into puddles.".
Woman in front, "Doesn't it make a mess?".
Woman behind me,

"No, I put them in plastic baggies first. That's the only reason I buy them, to blow them up.".

How disturbing.

How could anyone do that to a sweet, defenseless Peep?!

Just look at that little face!

Oh... wait a minute... they're marshmallow and people eat them.

Alrighty then.

As some of you may know, I love, love, LOVE chocolate!!

So, I have to admit, that when I look at these foil-covered rabbit decorations,

they look SO much like the real-deal, that it drives me nuts!

(Even though I KNOW they're not!)

Imagination - it's a powerful thing.

(I'm imagining myself biting those ears off, right now!! Gimme those eeears!!)

After writing this post, I was so hungry for chocolate, that I made myself

a raw-food Chocolate Mousse! Ohhhh yeaaahhh!

(No picture available. Gone too fast.)

Have a wonderful Easter! (Don't nuke the Peeps.)

Signing off for now,

gabriele