Skunk Love

I haven't featured any pictures of Marigold lately!  So here she is in all her skunky glory!  She's an elderly skunk now at (if memory serves me correctly) 5 years of age.  She's a bit grumpier now but she still loves when I play with her!  In this first picture she is doing her "stomp, flip, and pretend to spray" game.  Hahaha.  It's truly hilarious.  I should make a video to share with you all.  

She's a curious girl...always sniffing around for food!

I broke down and gave her an unhealthy treat.  She has a sweet tooth that I rarely indulge.  However today she got a cheese cracker.  

She scrapes it all along the floor (she's "killing" her food).

And then she devours it!

She's such a silly little skunk.  I've really enjoyed sharing my life and home with her!  

Do you have an "unusual" pet?  

Giveaway Winner!

Flowerchildeforever Giveaway Winner....

Cameron!!  

Please contact me with your mailing info!

Congrats!  :)  

Weekend Bliss

A friend of mine came for a visit today and we decided to go vintage shopping!  I found so many treasures...some of which brought a smile to my face because they were things I had as a child!  I wish I would've thought to take pictures while I was there!  

I came away with some cute things for my home though.  I love the colors and pattern in this tin:

The hinged lid makes it even better!

I'm the most excited about this gadget!  A fruit press/potato ricer...never been used!  How festive.  I will be making some applesauce with this tomorrow!  

A fabric calendar from 1977.  

I love the kittens!

The year after I was born!

Adorable children's books!  So cheap!  I got these for one to two dollars each!  

Precious illustrations...

One of the things I love most about old books is the inscriptions you sometimes find.  I admit, I got this book strictly because of  the inscription!  1929...wow!  

We ended the day at a New Age bookstore where I picked up some crystals and stones.  Here are a few!  So pretty...

Have a happy weekend!!!

Blind Contour Drawings - Lesson 2

Continuing on in Drawing Lab...this week we focused on blind contour drawings.  We were instructed to draw giraffes...however I didn't have a giraffe (or even a picture of one) to look at so I did mine from memory.  Lol.  I totally suck at following the rules.  

So here is my childish looking giraffe!

I moved on to drawing my dog Zoe.  I had a little more fun with this.   Here she is sleeping...

and a close up of her face...as well as a full body.  I'm a bit embarrassed by how silly these are but that's ok...I never claimed to be an artist!  ;)  I'm just doing this for fun!

Friday Joy

I was a lucky giveaway winner over at kittypinkstars last week.  My package from England arrived yesterday!  She decorated the envelope in such a cute way, with colorful drawings.  I loved it!  When I looked inside, I was greeted by this adorable unicorn girl:

 

I received a festive little "puff" and some hamster stickers!  I couldn't stop smiling when I saw all the cuteness!  

For such a small guy he sure has a BIG personality!  He told me his name is Walt.  I'm not sure why...but who am I to argue! 

A sweet friend of mine sent a little Valentine's love my way.  I adore this owl bag!  So fun (and lots of space for my stuff inside)!  Thanks Nick!  

Miss Ruby May has been feeling neglected lately.  I apparently haven't been giving her enough blog love.  So here she is!  Getting bigger every day.  

Don't let her sweet looks fool you!

She's very playful (as seen here, attacking my camera cord):

And she's not afraid to use her claws to get what she wants!  Silly girl...doesn't she know I'll give her everything anyways?!  It would take a stronger woman then me to resist her sweet little face!  ;)

Flowerchildeforever Giveaway!

Hi folks!  I've won my fair share of giveaways in the past so I thought it was time to pass on the love.  :)  

The winner will receive two handmade lavender sachets from my Etsy shop.  These little sachets are perfect for tucking in your lingerie drawer, closet, or even your car.  They are filled completely with lavender buds, no other filler...so the scent will last for a long time!  

To enter:

First entry:  You must be a follower of my blog and repost this giveaway either on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog!

Additional entries:

1.Like my facebook page.

2.  Favorite my etsy shop.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (a total of 3 entries).  The winner will be announced on Tuesday!  Thanks and have fun!  :)

Nitro's Law (Graphic Picture Alert)

I want to share a cause that's very important to me in the hopes that maybe it will become important to you as well. 

Nitro (before)

Nitro, a rottweiler was brought to a K9 training facility here in Ohio.  The owners believed their precious dog to be safe however that was far from the reality of the situation.  Nitro, along with seven others, were dead.  Starved to death.  The man responsible for these animals was charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty but 15 of those charges were dropped.  He was charged with 4 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty and only spent four months in jail!

(Nitro After Being Starved To Death)

Nitro's Law HB108 would make animal cruelty like this a FELONY as opposed to just a misdemeanor.  We are working so hard for this to actually become a law.  Over on the Nitro Foundation Facebook page, many of us call our representative to urge him to move this to the floor for a vote.  So far, no luck. But if more people would take the time to call/fax/or email, maybe we could gain his attention. 

So I'm urging you to take a stand for those who can't speak for themselves.  If you live in Ohio call Rep Batchelder  at (614) 466-8140 and tell him that you are a registered voter in the State of Ohio and that Nitro's Law HB108 is very important to you and you would like to know when this bill will be moved to the floor for a VOTE!

If you do not live in Ohio, please take a moment to send an email to him at this address:  district69@ohr.state.oh.us

Don't just do this one time.  Do it every day!  Animal abuse has to stop.  Stiffer penalties need to be put into place. 

Think about it...and then I hope you will act! 

Thanks so much!  :) 

Weekend Fun

Wow! I can't believe the weekend is nearly over.  Sadness.  I think I am really in need of a vacation because I am feeling so burnt out.  I want time to just focus on my needs...on being creative...on organizing my home...on getting in some kitchen time.  But alas, it's not to be!  At least not for now.  So I will continue to make my weekends count!  :)  

Friday evening I got caught up reading The Forest Of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.  I simply could not put this book down!  I finished it in one evening.  I'm excited to read her other books and I'm hoping they are just as good!

link

Last night I read The Hunger Games.  In under 5 hours.  That's how good it was!  I was exhausted and wanted to sleep but I just couldn't do it.  Now I'm on the library waiting list for the next two books.  Sadly I'm like #500!  :(  I may break down and buy the books before then!  

link

After staying up til 3 a.m reading, I actually managed to sleep in for a change!  That was nice.  I worked on some more things for my Etsy shop including these unicorn bean bags:

and this Goddess Doll:

I tried out a new cookie recipe too.  NYC Black & White Cookies from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.  I didn't take a picture because mine didn't turn out as pretty as hers (but they taste just fine).  

link

Oh!  Exciting news for me...I sold my first item on Etsy today!  Woo-hoo!  :)  It's a thrilling feeling, knowing someone was willing to pay money for something you made.  

How was your weekend?  

Kitties In Bed

I'm participating in a fun activity with Cameron over at PaintMyselfPretty.

She suggested we all do the lessons from this book and then link what we come up with!  

The first lesson instructed us to draw 30 cats while lying in bed!  I haven't drawn much since high school so I was a little intimidated at first.  But then I stopped being so judgemental of myself and just went to work!  It was so much fun!  Here are some of the kitties I came up with.  

Then I stopped following directions and made a happy little cat couple!  :)  

This book is a super fun way to get back into drawing!  I've been doodling every single day for the past week.  Thanks Cameron for suggesting this awesome book!  :)  

Winning

I have been a very lucky girl this week!  I am always entering blog giveaways and this week it certainly paid off!  :) 

I won this hemp and coral ring over at Violetbella's giveaway.  Her sponser, Perpetual Sunshine is the designer of this lovely little ring.  I can't wait to try it on!  :) 

oh so pretty

Today when I checked my email, I was informed that I had won this adorable prize from KittyPinkStars!

It consists of a set of hampster stickers (inspired by her new pet, Walter) and a cute little puff snowball! 

You can't help but smile looking at these cuties!  :) 



My Day

Just wanted to pop in with a quick hello!  It's been a very busy week and I haven't had the chance to do much crafting or cooking or any of the things I enjoy doing.  Therefore I only have some random photos from the past few days to share with you. 

1.  I love the tree photo.  She's a huge old maple that lives in my front yard (one of two actually).  She gives me shade in the summer and many lovely little squirrels call her branches home.  

2.  Random photo of me in my dork glasses.  ;)  

3.  Old truck in my "garage".

4.  Yummy plate of veggies.  I've been eating veggie and hummus plates for lunch all week.  Being too lazy to cook and all...

5.  Zoe eating grass.  She had an upset tummy that day.  :(  

6.  Some bibs all cut out and ready to sew!

7.  Vintage bread tin.  I store old cookbooks in it...

8.  Hummus.

9.  Dog yoga.

10.  Fabric pile.  I love trips to the fabric store.  I'm like a kid in a candy shop!  ;)  

Happy Wednesday!

Chana Saag

Why is it that when you are able to sleep in, you can't?  That's what happened to me over the weekend.  Even though I stayed up 'til 2 a.m. I was up at 7!  My espresso maker got quite the workout on Saturday.  I love making lattes and cappuccinos.  I found that So Delicious Coconut Milk froths up quite nicely...as seen in this picture.  

Yum.

Zoe sleeps at the foot of my bed every night.  Here she is wondering why on earth I'm up so early!  :) 

Waking early does have it's perks.  I put my slow cooker to use Saturday morning.  I decided to try a new recipe from The Vegan Slow Cooker.  This is Chana Saag...which translates to chickpeas with greens.  I used spinach for mine!

I have to admit that it was a bit difficult for me to eat this.  The color just threw me off.  This is why I don't do those green juices!  Once I got past the color, I really enjoyed this dish. :)

Here's the recipe, if you'd like to give it a go!  

          Slow Cooker Indian Greens with Chickpeas - Chana Saag

Recipe By     :
Serving Size  : 6     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : LowFat (Less than 25%)          Vegan

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  2        tablespoons  olive oil
  1              small  onion -- minced
  2             cloves  garlic -- minced
  1         tablespoon  grated fresh ginger
  1              pound  assorted greens -- washed, and torn into bite-size
pieces, and spun dry (you can also buy a prewashed mix in a bag)
                        zest of 1/2 lime
  1           teaspoon  cumin powder
     1/2      teaspoon  turmeric
     1/2      teaspoon  ground coriander
     1/2      teaspoon  garam masala -- or to taste
  1 1/2           cups  water
  2        tablespoons  vegan chicken-flavored bouillon -- or 4 tablespoons
Chickeny Bouillon
  15            ounces  chickpeas -- drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked
homemade
     1/2           cup  plain nondairy creamer -- or nondairy milk
                        salt -- to taste
                        To serve: -- rice

The Night Before: heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the onion
until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for 2 minutes
longer. Store the sauteed onion, grated ginger, and prepared greens in an
airtight container in the refrigerator. Store the lime zest separately in the
fridge.

In the Morning: oil the crock of your slow cooker. Combine the sauteed onion,
ginger, greens, spices, water, and bouillon in the slow cooker. Cook on low for
6 to 8 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, puree the soup with an immersion blender or in
batches in a countertop blender, being careful of splatters of hot soup, until
smooth. add the chickpeas, nondairy creamer, lime zest, and salt to the slow
cooker. Cook on high for 30 more minutes, until the beans are heated through.
Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve over rice.

Yield: 6 servings
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 6 to 8 hours

AuthorNote: you can use any combination of greens here, such as spinach, Swiss
chard, turnip greens, and collards, or anything that's plentiful where you live.

Variations:
Add 1 or 2 chopped mild chiles during the last 30 minutes of cooking to give it
more heat.

Don't like chickpeas? Substitute 1/2 package (15 ounces) soft, firm or
extra-firm tofu, pressed and then cut into cubes. It will mimic a popular dish
called saag paneer.

Source:
  "Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester, 2011"