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Your Rainforest Mind

Support For The Excessively Curious, Creative, Smart & Sensitive

When People Find Your Intellect Intimidating — A Guide For Gifted Women

photo courtesy of Sabrina May, Unsplash

You don’t do it on purpose.

Intimidate people.

You’re just being you.

In fact, you’re holding back. Slowing down. Smiling. Being gracious. Stifling your curiosity and your perceptions. Carefully selecting from the scores of effervescent thoughts that continuously swirl around in your brain.

If they only knew how much you’re NOT showing.

Oh, boy.

And yet, you still scare them.

If they only knew that you just love to learn. You just love reading and research. You’re a pacifist, for heaven’s sake. You slept with the dictionary when you were five. (Unless, of course, your dictionary was on your phone. Then, you slept with Charlotte’s Web and Darwin’s Origin of the Species. But I digress.) How is that scary?

You’re not out to humiliate anyone or prove that you’re a superior being.

It’s just your nature to think a lot, to feel a lot, and to know a lot.

It’s not your fault.

So, you want to know how to be less intimidating?

That’s tricky.

It may not be in your control. It may not actually be necessary. But here are some suggestions, just in case. See if any fit for you.

If you’re interrupting folks with your creative ideas, let them finish before you share your thoughts; imagine designing the next electric car while you’re waiting. If you’re showing how bored you are at meetings when no one can agree on the obvious solution that you shared at the beginning of the meeting, bring your knitting or the New York Times crossword to stay occupied. Let people have their bad grammar and their mixed metaphors; the world will probably not end. Explore various ways to communicate with individuals based on their capacity to receive your insights and view it as a playful intellectual puzzle; there will be some people who won’t be reachable no matter what you do. Exercise your love of debate by running for office. Look for the humor in any situation as a way to entertain yourself and plan your memoir.

If you’ve grown up thinking that you need to be perfect, begin to unravel that belief; your vulnerability will be appealing to others. Feed relatives your terrible cooking. Invite friends to your messy house. Play games that you can’t win. Don’t hide your klutziness. Ask for help from people you trust.

Know that your rainforest-y peeps are out there and they will not be intimidated; they will be thrilled. Keep looking for them.

What I really want to tell you is that as you experience humans finding you scary and intimidating, you may need to accept that not everyone can handle life in the jungle. It’s pretty intense in there with all of those 2,500 different species of vines and 10,000 species of ants. It can be kind of scary, intimidating and overwhelming.

Even to you.

But, remember.

The rainforest also keeps everyone breathing. You are needed and wondrous just as you are.

(Note: Just in case some of you might be inclined to misinterpret me, I’m not saying that you should change who you are for people who are intimidated. Noooooo. I’m just giving you some suggestions that might help make life easier for you in particular situations where you need them. As you know, I support you in being the fabulous radiant rainforest-y darling that you are. That’s what my blog is all about!!)

To my dear bloggEEs: Are people intimidated by your intelligence? Have you found any good solutions? How would this post be different if it were the smart man’s guide? How would it be the same? I think gifted men also scare people, but differently. I wonder if the issue for gifted men is more that they can’t show their sensitivity. What do you say, dear readers? Thank you to the bloggEEs who inspired this post. And men, I promise a post just for you, soon.

I’m Not Gifted, I’m Just Weird

photo courtesy of Eugenio Mazzone, Unsplash

You’d think that gifted people would know how smart they are. You’d think that gifted individuals would find life to be smooth and easy. You’d think that gifted folks would feel superior and judgmental of all non-gifted humans everywhere.

Nope. No way. Not the ones I know. And I’ve known a lot of them. I’m that old. (My former middle school students are turning 50. Yeah. Old. OK. Old-ish.)

Granted, I work with a particular variety of gifted souls. The rainforest-minded (RFM). Not all gifted folks are the RFM type. Some can be cognitively advanced but not highly sensitive or empathetic. Some can be very academic and scholarly, but not have multipotentiality. So, yes. Maybe some of the non-RFM-gifted know how smart they are, find life to be easy, and are judgmental. Maybe.

But, they weren’t in my classroom when I was a teacher in the mid-’70s and ’80s. They haven’t been in my counseling office for the past 25+ years. The RFMs I’ve known will tell you: I’m not gifted. I’m just weird. And they will struggle. With: Sensitivities. Injustice. Decisions. Choices. Achievement. School. Relationships. Communication. Emotions. Careers. Belonging. Parenting. Anxiety. Depression. Perfectionism. Guilt. Politics. Climate change deniers. Conspicuous consumption. Not enough time to read all of the books ever written.

And that’s if they grew up in a healthy family.

If you throw dysfunctional family into the mix, it gets even more complicated. I’ve written about that here and here. With more to come.

So, if you have a rainforest mind or if you love someone who does or if you work with them or teach them, it’s time to get out of denial.

It matters.

It matters because everyone will benefit if our rainforest-minded humans understand why they struggle and what to do about it. It matters because RFMs are raising RFM kids. If the parents know who they are, they’ll be better able to support their children. It matters because educators, psychotherapists, doctors and other professionals will stop misdiagnosing their clients and will be more effective practitioners.

It matters because we all need the intelligence, compassion, creativity, and sensitivity that our rainforest-minded beings share with us. Like we all need our tropical rain forests.

We won’t survive without them.

We won’t survive without you.

To my bloggEEs: Do you recognize your giftedness? How do you struggle? Have you just felt weird much of your life? What would it be like if you accepted yourself as a gifted soul? Thank you, as always, for being here.

How Can You Be Too Much And Not Enough At The Same Time?

photo courtesy of Joshua Earle, Unsplash

How is it possible to be both too much and not enough at the same time?

Here’s how:

Reasons you think that you are too much:

You question too much. You read too much. You think too much. You feel too much. You talk too much. You research too much. You do too much. You know too much.

You are too intense. Too sensitive. Too empathetic. Too curious. Too obsessive. Too smart. Too geeky. Too emotional. Too self-absorbed. Too compassionate. Too introspective. Too intuitive. Too analytical. Too creative. Too idealistic. Too weird.

Reasons you think that you are not enough:

You’ll never meet your high expectations. You know how much you don’t know. You haven’t won a Nobel prize. You haven’t invented anything “insanely great.” You dropped out of college. You dropped out of elementary school. You couldn’t save your parents from their dysfunctional patterns. You have too many interests. You haven’t settled on one career. You don’t have friends. Your mother said so. You haven’t lived up to “your great potential.” You’re easily overwhelmed. Your friends do so much more than you do. Your gifted child is getting bad grades in school and hitting kids on the playground. You make mistakes.

What is the truth?

If you have a rainforest mind, which you know you do, pretty much everything about you is MORE. It’s not too much. It’s just more. It’s natural for the jungle to be more. More life. More death. More growth. More wild. More you.

But not everyone is comfortable in the jungle. And your moreness probably includes massive amounts of self-analysis, self-criticism and self-awareness.

Which leads you to. You guessed it. Not enoughness.

How paradoxical of you.

Lucky that you have a rainforest mind so that you can appreciate paradox.

And what do you do about it?

Here’s an idea from one of our lovely bloggEEs:

“…I think it’s “ok” to be too much, but have come to understand that the mainstream sometimes needs it organized, categorized, and occasionally drip-fed to be palatable. Sort of a form of self-curation, a rotation of the collections… even the world’s greatest museums don’t have their entire collections on display…”

And here’s another idea from the great rainforest mind of Maya Angelou:

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”

To my bloggEEs: Do you struggle with too muchness and not enoughness? How do you handle it? Thank you to the reader who made the above comment and to the reader who inspired this post. Comments are greatly appreciated by all of us. Please. Show us your collection. We can handle it.

And if you’re looking for more support and strategies and haven’t read my book yet, well, what are you waitin’ fer??? And if you have read my book, thank you. Let us know your thoughts.

Multipotentiality: Are You Overwhelmed By Your Too Muchness?

photo courtesy of Timothy Paul Smith, Unsplash

When you were five, you were asked what you wanted to be when you grew up. You answered something like: a paleontologist entomologist astronaut photographer hula hoop champion. And today? Not much has changed. Except now, you want to be a marine biologist musician organic farmer poet yoga instructor former hula hoop champion.

It didn’t help that people told you, “You can do and be anything you want! You’re so lucky!”

You didn’t feel lucky. You still don’t.

You feel overwhelmed. Guilty. Frozen.

You are afflicted with multipotentiality. Or as Emilie Wapnick says, “You’re a multipotentialite.”

It’s one of your too muchnesses. Kind of like how you have so much enthusiasm for learning, gobs of intensity, 100s of ideas for new projects, extraordinary perception, extreme curiosity, deep sensitivity, wide empathy, a gazillion questions. See? Kind of like that. (Sometimes these are called overexcitabilities. Find out about OEs here.)

You’re the fire hose to everyone else’s garden hose.

When it comes to multipotentiality, it means that you might have changed your major in college several times or you were in college an extra several years or you didn’t go to college because you couldn’t choose just one.

It means that you can’t “follow your bliss” or “find your passion” because there are just too many so where the heck do you start?

And it means that you feel guilty. It’s embarrassing. Too much of a good thing. People want what you have. How can you complain about having multiple interests and abilities? It means that you believe (falsely) that you must not do anything very deeply since you’re such a busy dabbler. It means that your resume is suspect because you change jobs every 2-5 years when you get bored and need to move on.

Here’s the thing: It’s time to realize that a rainforest mind is very very full of life. And all of that life is important to the well-being of the planet. So, it’s not something to reject, or shrink, or chop down. It’s something to manage, understand and celebrate.

For specific ideas on what to do, read this postthis post and this one. And if you want to join a community of multipotentialites, check out Emily Wapnick’s site.

And, of course, know that here at Your Rainforest Mind, we love and are grateful for all of your many muchnesses.

To my bloggEEs: Are you a multipotentialite? What’s that like for you? How else do you feel like too much?

This post is part of a blog hop from the wonderful resource for parents of gifted kids: hoagiesgifted. See many other great posts about multipotentiality by clicking on the image.

What Your Ruminating, Analyzing, Synthesizing Mind-Body Needs

photo courtesy of Ron Sartini, Unsplash, CC

When you have a rainforest mind, you’re a deep, fast thinker. Your mental capacity is vast. You think, worry, question, ruminate, reckon, critique, imagine, analyze, synthesize, emote, and evaluate. Most of the time. OK. All of the time.

So, I’m wondering. What about your body? Do you give your body the attention that it deserves? Do you notice your mind-body connection? Are you tuned in to what your body is telling you? Because, if you’re a highly driven creative ruminator-imaginer-analyzer, which, face it, you are, then, your body is not a passive participant. Your whole body is also ruminating, imagining and analyzing.

This may be obvious to some of you. If so, you can go back to training for that marathon. I’ll see you next time.

If it’s not obvious, listen up.

I’m very aware of my own on-again-off-again relationship with my physical self. It’s been a long-standing conundrum. For most of my life, I’ve been able to ruminate quite well without regard for what my body might be experiencing. But, over the years, I’ve learned that these bones might have something to say. This body might be a source of intuition or wisdom or, dare I say, pleasure. There might be some old trauma that has made its home in my heart that is ready to leave. Or relaxing my neck muscles after a long day of thinking, worrying and questioning could be beneficial.

Who knew?

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know that I awakened my mind-body through the Argentine tango. The tango has been my entry into body-ness.

And there are many other embodying methods that I’ve experienced as well: Massage. Rolfing. Breathwork. Somatic psychotherapy. Gardening. Hiking. Walking. Reiki. Energy work. Tree hugging. Meditation. Yoga. Singing. Acting. Hot showers. Salsa dancing. Other possibilities I haven’t tried: Running. Body building. Skate boarding. Bungee jumping. Hang gliding. Mountain climbing. Wingsuit flying. Volcano surfing.

You get the idea.

The more driven and mentally speedy that you are, the more you’re going to need to attend to your mind-body. Pay attention to its needs. Teach it to relax. Appreciate its wisdom. Listen to its messages.

And if you go volcano surfing, well, I don’t think I want to know about it.

To my bloggEEs: Tell us what you do to care for your mind-body. Do you feel deeply embodied? Disconnected? How do you relax your mind-body? What are your bones telling you? (If you’ve experienced trauma in childhood, you might have a very complex mind-body experience. Here’s an introduction to that information from Maria Popova in Brain Pickings shared by Jen at Rediscovering Yourself.)

It’ll be three years this month since I started this blog! I so appreciate all of you for continuing to read, share and comment. I hope to build a page at some point so that it’ll be easier to find posts on topics of interest. For now, though, remember that you can use the search engine or the tags to find what you’re looking for.

And, I just received notice that I’ll be presenting at the SENG conference in August 2017 in Chicago, USA. I’d love to meet many of you there!

The Benefits Of Being Gifted

photo courtesy of Rowan Heuvel, Unsplash, CC

photo courtesy of Rowan Heuvel, Unsplash, CC

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m focusing on all of the many challenges that can exist when you have a rainforest mind. What about all of the good stuff, you might ask. Are there benefits to having a rainforest mind and, if there are, can you acknowledge them? And not feel guilty?

I imagine that you experience, on a daily basis, how it’s not easy being green gifted. But many people assume that it’s a perfectly fabulous life of great achievement and private jets that fly you to your second home mansion on your personal island paradise every other weekend. Maybe you also believed that, and so, because your life isn’t perfectly fabulous, you assumed that you weren’t gifted.

And it may be hard to speak about your actual strengths and accomplishments, without being seen as arrogant, conceited or insensitive. Without feeling guilty. That you don’t deserve these abilities and achievements. That it was a fluke that you got that award or that promotion. And it’s weird that people keep asking you how you know so much. When you know how much you don’t know.

How, then, can you identify your strengths, accept them, and be comfortable in your intense, emotional, supersmart, sensitive skin?

For starters: Here’s my handy dandy list of ways your rainforest mind is beneficial:

Sensitivity: Makes you a better parent, healer, therapist, colleague, cook, artist, political activist, dancer, musician, teacher, spouse, medical professional, realtor, electrician, plumber, neighbor, everything. You see? Whatever you do. Being sensitive makes you better at it. You’re perceptive. You notice things others don’t. You have deep emotions. You care. Think of it this way: Would you prefer working with a sensitive dentist or an insensitive one?

Intensity: You’re passionate, mysterious, and fascinating. You can get a lot done in a short amount of time. You scare away people you’d rather not talk to anyway.

Fast, deep, and wide learning; Curiosity: The world needs more people who actually know something, think deeply, ask questions, seek answers and analyze possibilities. When things get dull, you can always captivate yourself.

Sense of humor: You are fun to have around in uncomfortable situations. People will overlook your quirks.

Creativity: Whether it’s art, music, inventing, problem solving, designing, filming, synthesizing, rocket launching, brainstorming, writing, parenting, teaching, knitting or something else, your creating is medicine.

Perfectionism: You have the intrinsic driving need to create beauty, harmony, balance and justice. If you’re a surgeon, you’re very popular.

Empathy: See sensitivity. It makes you a better everything. You understand and feel the hearts of humans, animals and plants. You’ll probably never start a war.

Multipotentiality: You can change jobs easily when things get dull. There are countless ways that you are useful. Your children will appreciate how entertaining you are. Your memoir will be a bestseller.

Social conscience: You need to make the world a better place. And because of your sensitivity, intensity, learning capacity, curiosity, sense of humor, creativity, perfectionism, empathy and multipotentiality, you will make it so.

Thank you to the bloggEE who requested this topic. I’m open to other topic suggestions as well. In what ways do you appreciate your rainforest traits? Make a list of your strengths. How have you and others benefitted from your giftedness? Your comments, questions, and ideas are most welcome!

Fifteen Quick Reminders To Help You Make It Through The ‘Holidaze’

photo courtesy of Jim Lukach, Flickr, CC

photo courtesy of Jim Lukach, Flickr, CC

1  You’re not too sensitive if you’re easily overwhelmed by the holiday muzak, the florescent lights, the crowds, the frenetic meaningless pace, the likely psychopathic Santa and the smell of stale popcorn at the shopping mall.

2  You’re not a failure as a human being if your siblings went to Stanford and are all doctors and have two and a half kids and you’re still wondering what to do when you grow up because you took a detour into drug treatment and psychotherapy because your soft heart and gentle spirit needed to heal.

3  You’re not lacking in empathy if you’re frustrated and irritated, well, OK, enraged by society’s focus on the status of having more and more stuff, the bigger the better, while they’re oblivious to the impact of said stuff.

4  You’re not socially inept or paranoid if you have to abruptly leave a gathering of people who seem happy and charming and delightful but who make your stomach ache because unbeknownst to your conscious mind, they’re really miserable.

5  You’re not an arrogant know-it-all if you choose to wrap the kids’ gifts in newspaper, or if you give your precocious nieces homemade light switch plates instead of Barbie dolls, or if you choose funding a homeless family over yet another plastic giraffe for your adorable nephew.

6  You’re not a bad daughter/son if you have mixed feelings about attending the family event and if you make a plan to leave early when your alcoholic relative starts to berate you about your political or religious beliefs or about why you didn’t go to Harvard when you had so much potential.

7  You are not being inauthentic if you consciously avoid certain topics with family members who you know will react with anger or misunderstanding to your attempt to explain, say, your logical reasons for changing your college major for the fifth time.

8  You’re not too persnickety if you start your own holiday rituals and don’t allow your toddler to watch reality TV, use your iPad, or learn how to operate a cell phone.

9  You’re not a failure as a parent if your holiday meal is a flop, if your kids throw their biggest tantrums ever just when the grandparents arrive, if you still haven’t gotten your hair cut or trained your dog not to beg for food.

10  You’re not an oddball if you question the traditions, religion or the obsession with television that organizes your extended family members. Well, maybe you are an oddball in that regard but there are times when oddballs are needed. This might be one of those times.

11  You’re not rude and obsessive if you are still avoiding eating the jello marshmallow carrot salad that your Aunt Gracie always makes.

12  You’re not too dramatic if you cry when your relatives tease you, well, OK, bully you, because you’re following yet another career path, you’ve stopped straightening your hair and you’re still single.

13  You’re not too intense if you can’t totally enjoy the holiday because people around the globe are suffering, the ice caps are melting and you’re distracted by your need to find and manifest your purpose on the planet.

14  You’re not too idealistic if you believe that it’s still possible for a transformation to occur where the peoples of the world embrace compassion over fear.

15  You’re not alone if you dread the stresses of the holiday season and look forward to the end of said season. And, you’re not wrong if you understand the following to be true: You are successfully sensitive, effervescently empathetic, indescribably intense, awesomely authentic, prudently persnickety, illustriously idealistic, and resplendently rainforest-minded. (And, hey, when you get a chance, could you send me the recipe for Aunt Gracie’s jello marshmallow carrot salad?)

To my bloggEEs: Tell us what the holiday season is like for you. If you have coping strategies for the challenging times, let us know what they are. And, if you have totally joyous experiences during the holiday season, we love you, too! Oh, and the 16th reminder, my book would make a great gift for your teens, your friends, your parents, your therapist, your sensitive Uncle Phil, and your sweet self.


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Tag Archives: Houthis

To Equip and Advise: Why the US Strategy Against the Islamic State Will Fail

No amount of US airstrikes and military assistance will transform the Iraqi Security Forces into the proficient and professional military force required for long-term stability in Iraq.

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Perpetual Conflicts: The New Face of Violence

Tragically, modern conflicts no longer end; they are caught in a perpetual cycle of enormous illicit profits, superficial interventions, and endemic violence.

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The Crisis in Yemen Part 2: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Last week, members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) seized control of the Al`Adayn directorate in Yemen’s southern Ibb governorate after violent clashes with Houthi rebels in central Yemen. The Houthis, discussed in Part I of our series on Yemen, have recently rapidly expanded their territory, seizing control of the capital at the end of September, forcing the Prime

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The Crisis in Yemen Part 1: The Houthis Win Big

As the world focuses on the fighting in Iraq and Syria against ISIS and the current Ebola epidemic originating in West Africa, many crises around the world have gone completely under the radar. In recent weeks we here at Ramen IR have made an effort to bring some of these underreported issues to the attention of our readers. We’ve written

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Rand’s Automotive Center

Rand’s Automotive Center is a family owned business in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts since 1980.

We provide quality automotive repair and maintenance services for all makes and models. We employ ASE certified mechanics who use the latest state-of-the-art diagnostic and repair equipment to service your vehicle. We can handle any major and minor repairs on foreign and domestic vehicles. Recognized as a Certified NAPA Auto Care center and accredited by the Better Business Bureau.
We pride ourselves on getting the services or repairs on your auto right the first time by our highly qualified service technicians. All work is guaranteed and we are happy to help you resolve all your car problems. Serving customers in Worcester County Massachusetts, including Shrewsbury, Grafton, Westboro, Northboro, West Boylston, Millbury and Worcester.


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Mini-Review: The Knight

8 Sep

A unique clue is left for FBI criminologist Patrick Bowers at the scene of a ritual murder: a tape recording predicting Bowers’ own next move. At a subsequent murder, Bowers uncovers something else: an ancient manuscript being used as a template for the crimes. And the more he deciphers the codes of the text, the more he fears how it will end. Because Bowers isn’t closing in on the killer at all. The killer is closing in on him . . . .

Steven James is a national bestselling novelist whose award-winning, pulse-pounding thrillers continue to gain wide critical acclaim and a growing fan base.

Suspense Magazine, who named Steven’s book The Bishop their Book of the Year, says that he “sets the new standard in suspense writing”. Publishers Weekly calls him a “master storyteller at the peak of his game”. And RT Book Reviews promises, “the nail-biting suspense will rivet you”.

Equipped with a unique Master’s Degree in Storytelling, Steven has taught writing and storytelling on four continents over the past two decades, speaking more than two thousand times at events spanning the globe.

Steven’s groundbreaking book on the art of fiction writing, Story Trumps Structure, won a Storytelling World award. Widely-recognized for his story crafting expertise, he has twice served as a Master CraftFest instructor at ThrillerFest, North America’s premier training event for suspense writers.

My Impressions:

The Knight is the third book in Steven James’ Bowers Files series. James has created another thrilling, chilling, and definitely creepy novel for those who are not faint of heart. I grimaced and cringed at some of the scenes. While it certainly can be read as a standalone, I would suggest reading the series in order. James slowly develops his characters and their relationships as the series progresses. There are also references to past and future cases that won’t spoil things for the reader, but can be used as clues for each subsequent book. The Knight uses a medieval classic as its basis for the crimes, making the perpetrator a very intelligent and sophisticated villain. Patrick is again up to the challenge despite very personal attacks. I never once guessed just who the bad guy was; it caught me completely unaware. This novel is masterful in its plotting and characterization, and one of James’ best.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

To purchase, click HERE.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

2 Responses to “Mini-Review: The Knight”

  1. Paula September 8, 2017 at 3:21 pm #

    I love suspense and this one looks great. I’ll have to start with the first one!

    • rbclibrary September 8, 2017 at 3:47 pm #

      Paula, if you don’t mind creepy, you should like it. The Pawn is the first book in the series. He did write a prequel though. It was written after The King, I think.

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Pop Shakespeare

31 May

After having just read and posted about Exit, Pursued by a Bear and now just finishing after an obsessive day of reading Dreamers Often Lie by Jacqueline West, I am elated by the resurgence of Shakespeare-inspired YA fiction.

For this story, there is no doubt that Shakespeare seeps from the pages from the title to the incorporation of a main character who acts: you’d be hard-pressed to find an actor who hasn’t played a character in one of his plays. Jaye is now in high school and playing Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream opposite her childhood friend, Pierce, who has been distant over the last few years, but is taking up acting in his senior year. Yet Jaye’s life has been rocked by a brain injury during a skiing accident with her mother and sister. Not only does she want to leave the hospital to get back to the play and her friends, she’s feigning good-health when instead she’s seeing and hearing Shakespeare characters including the bard himself, Hamlet, and Romeo. Romeo turns out to be the new kid in town and a love interest for Jaye, while also epitomizing the possible bad decisions that Jaye has continuously made and that had disappointed her father before his untimely death. Insert the love triangle as Pierce becomes overprotective of the healing Jaye.

There is much to discover within the pages, from lines from the plays to Jaye’s family dynamics, healing from a brain injury, and healthy decision-making. The writing and pacing engage readers from start to finish with a seamless incorporation of the hallucinated characters. So once readers tune in to Jaye’s new normal, the book is easy to follow. It’s not about mental illness and it’s not true magic, it’s simply her brain’s reaction to the trauma. And she certainly doesn’t want to admit it to anyone either.

With the amount of drama between the pages, it doesn’t have to be a “literary” teen who will enjoy it because it’s contemporary realism with a pinch of canon. But you better be ready to hear from them once they turn the final pages. It wouldn’t be true Shakespeare without it.

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Posted by on May 31, 2016 in Authors, Fiction, Young Adult

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Squash and celeriac crumble recipe

  • Serves 4
  • 15 mins to prepare and 45 mins to cook
  • 326 calories / serving
Add this recipe to your binder.
squash and celeriac crumble (h)

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5, 190°C, 170°C fan. Put the onion wedges in a 2 litre (2½pt) ovenproof dish, with a splash of water. Bake for 15 minutes, until just starting to soften.

Meanwhile, put the celeriac and squash in a pan with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for a further 8 minutes, until tender. Drain and leave to cool.

For the crumble topping, combine the plain flour and the oats in a large bowl. Rub in the diced butter, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir through the Parmesan, thyme and lemon zest. Remove the onions from the oven and add the celeriac and squash to the dish. Stir to combine, then dollop over the crème fraîche. Scatter over the crumble mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes, until bubbling and golden.

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  • Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, cut into wedges
  • ½ celeriac, chopped
  • ½ squash, chopped
  • 500ml (17fl oz) vegetable stock
  • 50g (2oz) plain flour
  • 50g (2oz) oats
  • 50g (2oz) butter, diced
  • 25g (1oz) Parmesan, grated
  • 2tbsp thyme leaves
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1 x 300ml tub half-fat crème fraiche
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  • Energy 1362kj 326kcal 16%
  • Fat 16.1g 23%
  • Saturates 9g 45%
  • Sugars 9.8g 11%
  • Salt 1.6g 27%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 35.3g Protein 11.2g Fibre 4.5g

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Monthly Archives: May 2016

Why I Like The Surface 3

I regularly use two tablets, a Nexus 9 and a Surface 3 and I also own an iPad 3. We use the iPad primarily for watching streaming video, and the Nexus 9 is my primary reading and couch surfing device. I’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Experiences | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Personal Computing

Personal computing is browsing the web, playing music, watching movies, playing games, reading email, writing email, and creating documents. In short, it is everything I do for which a computer is the tool for getting done. Smartphones, tablets, notebook computers, and … Continue reading

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I have been thinking.

Specifically, I have been thinking about our friends. We are blessed to have friends all over the southern states, some in foreign places like Wisconsin and New Jersey. What has forced my delightful consideration of our friends? A few things…

One, the list of friends to contact when my Dad died. I realized there were friends who would come at the drop of a hat, with no consideration of time or distance. Those friends are a beautiful and valuable part of our lives.

Another was born from joining cyberlife on Facebook. As of this writing, I have 78 friends on Facebook, and I don’t even go to it every day. However, I have found and been found by people I have not seen in 20 years, but through this social networking site, I suddenly realized the scope of our friendships over the past 22 years of our married life.

We have discovered old college friends, work acquaintances, choir members, and girlfriends (We don’t dwell too much on that…). But we (I do most of the surfing) thoroughly enjoy becoming reacquainted with folks who come complete with fond and beautiful memories.

Another source of this chain of thought comes from planning my sweet wife’s birthday event. This is a big milestone, and I have considered how to include friends and family from the depth and breadth of our marriage in the celebration. I began a mental list of friends I would like to include, and the problem soon made itself known. I called to mind friends from former churches; friends from college and seminary; friends from home, friends from here. As I mentally tallied the list, I thought that it must be nice to live in one place all your lives, and only have to manage a small set of life-long friends.

It didn’t take long to realize what a mis-directed thought that is….

While thinking, the reality of this blessing dawned on me- the blessing of having many friends in many places. And it is a unique blessing, for I believe in every church we’ve served, in college and seminary, there is at least one family who would respond to our crisis in a moment’s notice. As the song says, “you find out who your friends are….”

Some of our oldest (I mean people with whom we have been friends the longest) are coming to Tulsa this weekend. Our beautiful friends have been friends for 20 years now. These are the kind of friends you can vacation with, and not wear makeup. These are the friends who are friends, even when you haven’t seen each other for a year- you just pick up where you left off. The McBrides are a priceless part of our friendship family, and we are better because of their friendship.

I admit that managing friendships across several states and two decades is a daunting task. However, I am discovering the joy of warm memories while counting our blessings… one friendship at a time.

Life is indeed, good…..

  1. Leave a comment

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Your thoughts

Discussion in 'Mixing & Song Critique' started by dirtysanchez, Dec 23, 2002.

  1. dirtysanchez

    dirtysanchez Guest

    What is your opinion on Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences. Do you think it is worth it? I have a friend who started there recently and I told him he would be better off money and career wise if he just found an intership here in town and learned that way. He opted for the school. What's your thoughts?
  2. Kurt Foster

    Kurt Foster Distinguished Member

    Jul 2, 2002
    77 Sunset Lane.
    I look at all "recording school" programes with a raised eyebrow. A lot of this lies with the fact that for many of them there are no prerequisite requirements … other than the ability to write a huge cheque! In my opinion, a lot of the students in these types of schools are attending because their parents have insisted they do something and going to a recording school seems to be a glamorous and easy way to Mom and Dad off their back! They come out of these "schools" unprepared to make a living and with Mommy and Daddy saying "That's it, we've met our responsibility .. it's time for you to make your own way!" One intern "The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences" sent me would come to sessions, sit and literally cry to the clients how his rich Mommy and Daddy didn't understand him because they wouldn't continue to support him in the fashion he had become accustomed to. All in all, it comes down to what the student does with the information and knowledge they gain at such an institution. I have had interns from "The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences" and other programes that were idiots and I have had some that knew what they were doing and had a real passion for the art.

    I also once knew a guy that secured a position at "The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences" as an instructor. The thought crossed my mind, "How did he get that position?" My basic impression of him was he was a moron. (I seem to think that about a lot of people in audio, sometimes myself included.) :D Go figure! After a student completes the curriculum, if they cannot secure an internship at a studio, they cannot get their diploma. "The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences" does attempt to assist in placing a student in an internship but there are no guarantees. In a percentile, very few students from these types of schools ever go on to become a big time recording engineer. These feelings I am sharing are not exclusive to "The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences" but rather all these types of programes.

    I advise young people who are interested in this business to go to College and take electronics, computer and business administration courses. Get a degree! Learn to earn money! Money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure makes a good down payment! On the side they can get involved recording their friends. Many "real" colleges also offer some rudimentary or even quite good audio recording and television courses, to supplement their music and media curriculum. IMO that is the way to go. …………….. Fats
    It's my opinion, I'll play with it if I want to!
  3. e-cue

    e-cue Active Member

    Oct 5, 2000
    I'd suggest it. Here's why. It's a lot cheaper than the other schools, and the peers I've met after recording school (yeah, I went to one so effin' what) from the Consevatory ended up on the same level on avarage as everyone else. My advice, goto a cheaper school because you really learn the meat & potatos the year after you graduate scrubbin toliets, mopping floors, and doing food runs. Recording schools aren't nessasary, but they will teach you a lot of stuff that will take you a long time to learn on your own. As with any education, I'd suggest concentrating on learning, not on grades.
  4. dirtysanchez

    dirtysanchez Guest

    thanks for the responses.

    i agree with you about the scrubbing toilets, etc. and this was another thing I told my friend. I feel that part of the engineering experience has to do with dealing with people. You have to have patience in some aspects and none in others and he is not one that will take "go clean that toilet" lightly.
    To me it's to each his own. I couldn't afford the school so I chose finding someone locally who was willing to take an intern. I feel that I've learned quite a bit that way, and I don't work well in the classroom environment.

    thanks again for all ya'lls insite!

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When We Rise (trailer)

Is anyone else excited about the ABC mini-series, When We Rise coming to television the end of the month? The series written by Dustin Lance Black (Milk) chronicles the continuing struggle for LGBT equality from Stonewall to Marriage Equality. I’m sure Black didn’t realize how topical this series would be when he began writing. Ironically, the series which was intended to air on ABC over four consecutive nights is now being interrupted between 1 & 2 by Donald Trump’s congressional address. Since I don’t have cable or live streaming, I’ll be looking for this on disk and perhaps Netflix or Amazon in the very near future. Watch the trailer for this series featuring an incredible cast.

When We Rise airs beginning Monday, February 27, 2017 on ABC.

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Hunter Family

What an incredible family the Hunters are! Being told they couldn’t have children, dad and mom adopted five children and have (and are) raising them in the church to know Jesus. Years later, they have a miracle bundle of joy and now that little girl is two years old. They’ve been through hard times, endured heartache, and have experienced the joy (and sometimes difficulty) of having children. So much energy, so much excitement, and so much love in their family. It’s fun to take pictures of animated children, and little Miss A definitely is! It was a pleasure to get to know them during the photo shoot!

Baby Kaden

I couldn’t help myself today. I got to babysit our neighbor’s little boy and it was SUCH a treat! He is so cute and absolutely precious. I couldn’t help but pull out all of my cute hats (thanks to The Little Things!) and the baby stuff that I haven’t used in forever because my daughter is too old. He was a perfect little model! No crying, no fussing. Just perfect. Here’s what I got:

Isn’t he just sweet! I sure like him. Thanks for the opportunity to watch your little one, Ashley and Vinny!

Little M {Minnesota Baby Photographer}

I’ve gotten to know this little girl’s family well in the last few years. The plan was to have me in hospital when little M was born, but with the flu going around, the hospital had a crack down on visitors and those who were allowed in the room during delivery. Since I’m not immediate family, I wasn’t allowed. I was so bummed! But I went over to their house ASAP when they got home! Little M is such a sweet heart. I look forward to watching her grow up!

Little M {Minnesota Children Photographer}

This baby boy is one of the strongest I’ve ever seen! At only ten days old, he holds up his head (for a short amount of time of course), and does things that he shouldn’t be doing at his age. It’ll be fun to watch him grow up, that’s for sure! After being awake for most of the session, mama finally got him to sleep and we got the rest of the shots. He is so precious!

Bruneau Family {Minnesota Family Photographer}

Parents that love each other and two little girls that are absolutely adorable… It was so great to photograph this family! Having fun in the leaves was WAY too fun and cute! And the girls were gracious enough to do me a favor and model some of the tutus and hats that I have available to use in photo shoots as well (a big thanks to The Little Things for those!!). I’ll get some pictures up of their cute modeling faces soon! For now, here are the family pictures! Enjoy!

Richter Family {Minnesota Family Photographer}

Cute kids and great parents. Can you get any better? These kids were just working the camera as they played and ran and jumped all over. It was a workout for mom and I (thanks for helping, Nikki!), but it was sure worth it! And the kids just lit up when daddy arrived for the family pictures. What a blast it was!

India Turns One! {Minnesota Baby Videographer}

If you want to see a little girl with spunk & joy, and who knows exactly what she wants, this little girl is all that and more! She can make your heart melt with her sweet hugs and laugh hysterically at her little quirks! You can tell already that this girl was made for greatness, and she’s only ONE year old! Reflection had the privilege of being a part of her first birthday party. Her mama did a fabulous job at creating an atmosphere for fun in the sun, and every detail was thought of. From names on the jar glasses to all-about-sunshine music in the background. Way to go, Gen! What a fun day this was!

I Turns One! from Reflection Media on Vimeo.


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Relaxshax's Blog

Post Number ONE THOUSAND! H.D. Thoreau’s Cabin/Walden Pond Photos
October 2, 2012, 8:50 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

Well, first THANK YOU to those who frequent this blog, and especially to those of you who have been here from the very start in 2009, as this is my ONE THOUSANDTH post on

I’ve been tiny house obsessed and a collector of this niche genre’s books since the mid-80s, and it wasn’t until MUCH later on via Michael Janzen’s blog www.tinyhousedesign.comthat I was to “go public” with anything I had previously built or designed  (Janzen, for the record, did a post on my Vermont Cabin)- from there, I then realized, “Wow, there’s a whole facet of this movement online now?!”. I never knew, and was clueless as to how many other people out there were as equally obsessed with the notion of tiny living as I was. Yes, I’m a little slow when it comes to computers and technology.
     From there, and soon after the initial underground release of my book “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks”, I was to make and meet some great, and very supportive, people in the scene, from Kent Griswold, Alex Pino, Lloyd Kahn, Steven Harrell, Andrew Odom, and Joseph Ebsworth, to Jay Shafer, Steve Weissman, Dee Williams, Pepper Clark, Jon Kalish, Christopher Smith, Merete Mueller, Gareth Branwyn, Kevin Harrington, Domenic Mangano, Sage Radachowsky, Ryan Mitchell, and on (the list is huge, and thank you to all of you! If I forgot to plug you here, I’m certain I’ve plugged/thanked you several times on the blog before, even without your knowing).

   Needless to say, from 60+ videos for my “RelaxshacksDOTcom” channel on youtube, to over a dozen “how-to” videos for Make Magazine, to workshops I’ve created and hosted, and one’s I’ve done for The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, its been a great run so far- and I’m still loving every minute of this. Again, thank you all.  -Derek “Deek” Diedricksen

THANK YOU, as well, to all those who supported me and picked up a copy of my book- it held the #1 ranked position on’s worldwide ranking for carpentry-related books for almost TWENTY WEEKS. This still blows my mind, and as a result, the publisher (and another) wants another book from me, which I’m already working on.

Below are some photos I took just last week at Walden Pond in Concord, MA- photos that I feel sum up some of my feelings and attractions to the whole tiny house movement. I’ve also reattached a video tour I shot at Walden Woods a ways back.

Also, I took some photos nearby of a tiny little shed/cottage that was built by the Shellback Cottage Company- here’s a taste- more photos to come!
All photos by Deek

1 Comment so far
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Mad,MAD props on 1,000,my friend!!! Awesome book,too,BTW (I may have to buy a second copy…can't seem to get my Pop to return my copy,hahaha! :p)

Comment by Stephen Sammons

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Web News

 Top : Fourth Way : Organizations
 The results 1 to 10 from 25
 All & Everything International Humanities Conference  New window
 Providing an open, congenial & serious atmosphere for the sharing of researches and investigations of G. I. Gurdjieff's legacy. Meeting annually in Bognor Regis, England, seeking to keep the study of the teachings of Gurdjieff relevant to global scientific, spiritual and sociological developments.
 Bradford Gurdjieff Society  New window
 A group of people who meet together regularly in order to follow a Teaching known as the Work. Physical activities, arts and crafts, study and discussion, drama, cooking, and classes where members of the group undertake the Gurdjieff Movements.
 Claymont Society for Continuous Education  New window
 Arranges seminars, conferences and retreats. The facilities are available for other like-minded groups. Runs a school for children and organic farming. Founder: J.G. Bennett.
 DuVersity  New window
 Founded by Anthony Blake. DuVersity organizes Fourth Way work seminars, including Movements, based on Gurdjieff's and Bennett's teachings as understood and applied by Anthony Blake.
 Fourth Way Gurdjieff Ouspensky School  New window
 Education concerning the Work Teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff, P. D. Ouspensky, Maurice Nicoll and others.
 Gurdjieff Austin  New window
 Provides authentic information regarding G.I. Gurdjieff's work and ideas and a contact to a Work organization.
 Gurdjieff Dominican Group  New window
 Information on activities in the Dominican Republic.
 Gurdjieff Legacy  New window
 A receiver-transmitter of the ancient and sacred teaching of understanding and conscience rediscovered and reformulated for our time by G. I. Gurdjieff.
 Gurdjieff Los Angeles Group  New window
 A short presentation of the teaching, G. I. Gurdjieff and Willem A. Nyland, one of Gurdjieff's early pupils.
 Gurdjieff Studies  New window
 Aims to promote and advance education in, and appreciation of the life of George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff and of his teachings and philosophy.

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Sometimes I am so thankful that Susie Miranda, my little slice of Honda heaven, is a 4 cylinder work of art instead of a 6-cylinder behemoth of a motor vehicle that, if it got into a fight with a Dodge Ram, would win. That sweet little 4 cylinder is frequently what stops me from going Tawanda on my fellow drivers when they pull the typical Florida drivers stunts.

Ok, for anyone that has never seen Fried Green tomatoes (i.e. people that are not from the South or gay), “Tawanda” was the alter-ego of Kathy Bates’s good girl housewife character. When she finally breaks the rules, goes batshit, and starts haphazardly ramming her Buick into the tiny Fiat of two valley girls that stole her parking spot, she screams “Tawanda!!!!!!”

When I lived in Georgia I remember this story about a dude that would get so mad in commuter traffic that every night he would bake a 5-pound bag of potatoes so that he could throw them at people in traffic the next day.

Now tell me you’ve never thought of doing that when you’re barreling down the road on the way to work at like 70 miles an hour and some ass-hat pulls out of his subdivision in front of you doing like 35 MILES AN HOUR and you look in your rear view mirror and realize that no one’s behind you so if he’s waited like FIVE SECONDS then he wouldn’t have had to pull out in front of you, thereby ruining it for everyone.

This usually aggravates me even more at the end of a work day gone horribly wrong, when all i can think of is hurrying up and getting home, taking off my pants, removing my contacts, getting a bath and reading Jane Austen while wearing my coke bottle glasses and plaid pajama pants.

Anyone that stands between me and my wonderful pantsless evening is asking for a beatdown and deserves a baked potato.

Just sayin’.

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Welcome to My Home

Phans Crib 1

A few weeks ago, I decided to move close to the Blake Sea … several friends live there, and I was anxious to get back into community-based living, something I thoroughly enjoyed when I was part of the publicity team at the old Costa Rica Sims.  While homes in any of the themed estate groups that participate in the United Sailing Sims aren’t competitively priced, they more than add in value in the fact that you can “live authentically:”  you can spend an afternoon sailing to a friends home (or with a friend), or to any of the events going on in Second Norway, Sailor’s Cove East (where I chose my lot), and many others.  When someone says they’re coming over – expect a wait – they are likely climbing in their boat, and probably won’t teleport.

Once there, I plopped down Barnesworth Anubis’ “Bates House,” which was so reasonably priced at Collabor8 that you’ll see several of them around the Sea.  Since you or one of your friends likely has one in inventory, I won’t bore you with pictures of the house, but I’d like to show you what I’m starting to do with some of the rooms …

Phans Crib 3

The Foyer – front

Coat rack with umbrella stand Washed White wood- Abiss

Metal Floor Clock – Alouette

Native Rug – Fancy Decor (by my good friend, Jake Vordun)

Phans Crib 2

The Foyer – back

Striped Storage Bench – Fancy Decor

Table and Frame Set – Fancy Decor

Fall Rug – Fancy Decor

Gresford Pennants (Words & Badge) – {theosophy}

Phans Crib 4

Living Room – front

Nikka Living Room set (sofa, table, rug & clutter) – ARIA

Picardy Chaise – Cheeky Pea

Dock Bar – White – Cheeky Pea

Ralph’s Boat – Apple Fall

Captain’s Hanging Lantern – Floorplan

Phans Crib 5

Living Room – back

Black sofa –  ARIA

Crail Bookcase Chalkboard – Cheeky Pea

Hanging Oars – Floorplan

Nautical Map Frame – Floorplan

I hope you’ve enjoyed my home!  I’m anxious to hear your ideas as I continue to decorate according to the tropical island theme of the area I’m in.  Let me know your stories of living by the Blake Sea, or where to buy the best H&G wares.

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TRG Info and Advice

Seasons in Japan and Japanese Calendar Part 1

“Japan has four beautiful seasons!”
“Japan has four distinct seasons.”
“Japan has interesting seasonal changes!”

You have probably heard or read these catchphrases about Japan. And, did you not think that other countries also have four distinct seasons just as beautiful? Indeed, seasons in the countries located in the temperate regions are quite similar to those in Japan. However, it is fair to say that Japanese culture is deeply in-tune with nature, and therefore, even extremely subtle changes in the seasons are recognized, and even celebrated, making calendars in Japan a bit more complicated. The four regular seasons are subdivided into twenty-four seasons called Nijushi-sekki (24 solar terms), each of which is further separated into three for a total of seventy-two microseasons (Shichijuni-ko or 72 pentads). The 24 Sekki and 72 Ko are closely related to the old Japanese calendar, which dates back to the age of the samurai.

The Twenty-four Solar Terms

Until the dawn of modernity in the early Meiji Period (1873), after the era of the samurai, the lunisolar calendar was being used in Japan. (It is called the "old" calendar in contrast to the “new” Gregorian calendar). The lunisolar calendar is based on the phases of the moon (lunar calendar), but adjusted to fit the length of the solar cycle, which defines the seasons. Dividing the sun's annual circular motion into twenty-four segments, an official record called The Twenty-four Solar Terms, identifies different periods in each season. The winter and summer solstices, as well as the vernal and autumnal equinoxes are examples of solar terms. In Japan, the vernal and autumnal equinoxes are national holidays.

Zassetsu and Shichijuni Ko

The Twenty-Four Solar Terms were imported from ancient China (China’s 24 Solar Terms have recently been inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritages), and took root in Japan in the late 6th century. This system originated in the areas along the Yellow River, and this is why there seem to be gaps between the seasons indicated by the Terms, and what we actually feel in Japan. As a result, Zassetsu were invented to complement the solar terms and specifically identify Japan’s unique seasonal changes. Many of those supplementary solar terms are related to agriculture. For example, one of them indicates the period when less frost forms (Hachijuhachiya: the eighty-eighth night from the vernal equinox), and another indicates the periods when typhoons are coming (Nihyakutoka and Nihyakuhatsuka: the two-hundred-tenth day, and the two-hundred-twentieth day, respectively, from the vernal equinox). This information is important when considering the time frames for seeding and harvesting. Zassetsu include Setsubun and Higan, which are recognized with events and traditional activities even today (we will introduce you to the details of these in the next article about annual events in Japan).

The Shichijuni-ko (seventy-two pentads), as mentioned earlier, indicate the solar terms of the seasons. One solar term lasts about fifteen days, and is split into three sections of five days each, adding up to seventy-two. The 72 Ko depict subtle changes within the seasons, observed from the surrounding natural phenomena, including weather, and the growth and behavior of plants and animals. The Shichijuni-ko are also derived from ancient China, but adjusted to fit the climate of Japan, and the ones currently referred to were established in 1874.

Not many people are familiar with the Shichijuni-ko, but 24 Sekki and Zassetsu are still in use to express the changes in seasons. For example, we often hear “Risshun (Beginning of Spring)” and “Keichitsu (Insects Awakening)” in weather forecasts. Even now, every February the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan sets the official dates for the following year’s solar terms and Zassetsu.

Events and Calendar

Many of the various events in Japan were set up when the old calendar was being used. Momo no Sekku (peach flower festival/hina doll festival) and Tanabata (star festival) are some examples. However, the dates of the old calendar and the solar Gregorian calendar have a gap of about a month. If events are held on the date originally set based on the old calendar, they actually happen one month ahead of when they were meant to take place. Therefore, in some places, some annual events are delayed one month from the set date. For example, Tanabata events used to be held on the 7th of July on the old calendar. If the events occur on the 7th of July on the solar calendar, they actually happen one month earlier. This means that we cannot see stars because of the rainy season. In places such as Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, and Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, the Tanabata festival is held on the 7th of August. Even though the lunisolar calendar is not officially used any longer, old customs and sensitivity to subtle changes in the seasons can still be found in the daily lives of people in Japan.

24 Sekki and 72 Ko (Spring and Summer)

◉ Early Spring: January on the old calendar / February on the new calendar

■ 立春 Risshun (Beginning of Spring)

Around the 4th of February on the new calendar.
The coldest days are almost over, and we can feel signs of spring.

東風解氷 Harukaze Koori wo Toku

Spring breezes blow in from the east, and ice gets thinner.

黄鶯睨睆 Uguisu Naku

Bush warblers sing for the first time that year.

魚氷上 Uo Kori wo Izuru

It becomes warmer, and snow and ice start to melt. Snow then turns into rain.

■ 雨水 Usui (Rain Water)

Around the 19th of February on the new calendar.
It becomes warmer, and snow and ice start to melt. Snow then turns into rain.

土脈潤起 Tsuchi no Sho Uruoi Okoru

Snow and ice melt, and rain moistens the soil.

霞始靆 Kasumi Hajimete Tanabiku

The first mist lingers. Moisture evaporates from the soil, and mist starts lingering.

草木萌動 Soumoku Mebae Izuru

Grass and buds on the trees begin to sprout.

◉ Mid-Spring: February on the old calendar / March on the new calendar

■ 啓蟄 Keichitsu (Insects Awakening)

Around the 6th of March on the new calendar.
Insects in the earth come out of hibernation.

蟄虫啓戸 Sugomori Mushito wo Hiraku

Insects and reptiles come out of hibernation.

桃始笑 Momo Hajimete Saku

Peach flowers start blooming.

菜虫化蝶 Namushi Cho to Naru

Leaf-worm caterpillars become butterflies and fly high.

■ 春分 Shunbun (Vernal Equinox)

Around the 21st of March on the new calendar.
The sun rises due east and sets due west, and the lengths of both day and night are nearly equal.

雀始巣 Suzume Hajimete Sukuu

Sparrows begin nest building.

桜始開 Sakura Hajimete Hiraku

Cherry flowers start blooming.

雷乃発声 Kaminari Sunawachi Koe wo Hassu

It starts to thunder.

◉ Late Spring: March on the old calendar / April on the new calendar

■ 清明 Seimei (Pure Brightness)

Around the 5th of April on the new calendar.
All lives become fresh and lively.

玄鳥至 Tsubame Kitaru

Swallows come back from the south.

鴻雁北 Kogan Kaeru

Wild geese fly migrate to the north.

虹始見 Niji Hajimete Arawaru

The year’s first rainbow appears in the sky.

■ 穀雨 Kokuu (Grain Rain)

Around the 20th of April on the new calendar.
Spring rain showers come especially for the grains.

葭始生 Ashi Hajimete Shozu

Reeds begin to sprout.

霜止出苗 Shimo Yamite Nae Izuru

The frost lifts, and rice seedlings grow.

牡丹華 Botan Hana Saku

Peonies start to bloom.

◉ Early Summer: April on the old calendar / May on the New Calendar

■ 立夏 Rikka (Beginning of Summer)

Around the 5th of May on the new calendar.
We can feel the signs of summer.

蛙始鳴 Kawazu Hajimete Naku

Frogs start croaking.

蚯蚓出 Mimizu Izuru

Earthworms come out of the ground.

竹笋生 Takenoko Shozu

Bamboo shoots sprout.

■ 小満 Shoman (Pre-Fullness)

Around the 21st of May on the new calendar.
Everything becomes full of a life force.

蚕起食桑 Kaiko Okite Kuwa wo Hamu

Newborn silkworms begin nibbling mulberry leaves.

紅花栄 Benibana Sakau

Safflowers come into full bloom.

麦秋生 Mugi no Toki Itaru

Wheat ripens.

◉ Mid-Summer May on old calendar / June on new calendar

■ 芒種 Boshu (Grains on Ears)

Around the 6th of June on the new calendar.
Farmers start to plant seedlings.

Praying mantids hatch.

腐草為螢 Kusaretaru Kusa Hotaru to Naru

Rotten grass attracts fireflies and they begin flickering.

梅子黄 Ume no Mi Kibamu

Ume plums ripen and turn yellow.

■ 夏至 Geshi (Summer Solstice)

Around the 22nd of June on the new calendar.
Longest day of the year.

乃東枯 Natsukarekusa Karuru

Common self-heal plant withers.

菖蒲華 Ayame Hana Saku

Irises bloom.

半夏生 Hange Shozu

Crowdipper sprouts.

◉ Late Summer: June on the old calendar / July on the new calendar

■ 小暑 Shousho (Beginning Heat)

Around the 7th of July on the new calendar.
Rainy season ends and temperatures start rising.

温風至 Atsukaze Itaru

Warm south wind blows.

蓮始華 Hasu Hajimete Hiraku

Lotus flowers bloom.

鷹乃学習 Taka Sunawachi Waza wo Narau

Baby hawks learn to fly, and fly high in the sky.

■ 大暑 Taisho (Greater Heat)

Around the 23rd of July on the new calendar.
It is the hottest time in the year.

桐始結花 Kiri Hajimete Hana wo Musubu

Paulownia produces seeds.

土潤溽暑 Tsuchi Uruoute Mushi Atsushi

Soil moistens, and gets hot and humid.

大雨時行 Taiu Tokidoki ni Furu

It sometimes rains heavily.


text:
Walberg & Auge Perfection Drums

Walberg and Auge is back is now registered as a non-profit Historical Preservation Drum Company/Corporation for historical and educational purposes.

Our mission:
•Preserve and restore the historical significance and musical instruments of America's most and unknown drum and musical instrument company... W&A.
•Develop/Publish the Walberg and Auge book that documents the past and future of W&A.
Available on Amazon.com with Free Kindle Download! (Free Kindle App for Most Devices)
•Continue the tradition of designing and building Walberg and Auge drum sets and snare drums with the details and perfection-level craftsmanship of W&A drums built from yester-year.

Historical Overview:
Established in 1903, Walberg and Auge started as a drum manufacturing company and a musical instrument repair shop in Worcester Massachusetts. W&A eventually started innovating, designing and manufacturing drum hardware for W&A drum sets and other drum companies such as Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers, Slingerland, Leedy, Camco and Kent.

Walberg and Auge was responsible for inventing the high hat stand, cowbell holder, triangle holder, cymbal stand with rubber feet, tom holder, drum throne, clamping basket snare stand (Buck Rogers snare stand), first telescopic wire brushes, first folding bass drum pedal and much more!

It could be said that every American manufactured drum set from the 1920's - 1960's has and/or had a piece of Walberg and Auge hardware on the drum set.

It also could be said that Walberg and Auge invented the 'modern drum set' as we know it today.

Walberg & Auge Drum Sets:
W&A also custom made high quality snare drums and drum sets, mostly using Gretsch shells with a variety of Gretsch, Rogers, Ludwig hoops and lugs they received from hardware trade/barters.

Robert George Bernard, (RGB) was the craftsman that handmade Walberg and Auge drum from the late 1950's until the closing of the factory in 1978. His initials and build date can be found inside each drum he made.

RGB learned his craft from his father, George Bernard. George started working for W&A in 1905. He hand crafted drums and other band instruments until the mid 1950's. His drums were usually painted black on the inside of each drum shell.

Essentially, two generations of the 'Bernard family' were the key craftsman of Walberg and Auge drums.

Today, this tradition continues with drum craftsman/artisan... Rob Kampa. (of Magstar Custom Drums) Mr. Kampa brings decades of experience and wisdom to W&A by building drums which stay true to the 'Perfection' standards and philosophy of Walberg and Auge of yesteryear.


text:
 Caller ID (225) 206-3546 - 225-206-3546 - ReverseThisNumber.com

Did you get a call or text from 225-206-3546? at reversethisnumber.com you can to find all the details about this phone number? Find public information and user reports below.

Caller ID

(225) 206-3546

Louisiana, United States
Public Information
Area Code (NPA): 225
Exchange (NXX): 206
Full Phone Number 225-206-3546
International Dialing Format +12252063546
National Format (225) 206-3546
Country United States
State / Province / Territory Louisiana
Primary City Convent
Usage Type Wireless

Reports and Comments about 225-206-3546

Please mark this phone number 225-206-3546 as safe or unsafe. 'Safe' means phone number belongs to a trustworthy company, while an 'unsafe' would refer to an unwanted, problematic caller such as scammer, telemarketer, prank or suspicious organisation.

If you receive a call from 225-206-3546, then you can get your comment listed above and make us get more information about it.

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Area Code 225 Details
Country United States
State/Province Louisiana
Major City Baton Rouge
Time Zone Central (UTC-06:00)
Location Map

Primary city of the prefix 225-206 is Convent,Louisiana. However, this does not necessarily mean phone number 225-206-3546 location. Due to national phone number portability rules, it may be anywhere in the United States.

Understanding Phone Number Results
This page is dedicated to the phone number 225-206-3546 and includes Caller ID, public phone number details as well as user reports and comments. Area Code 225 details can be found in the table above.

Want to search for the other phone number information? Type it into the search box on the top of this page. Our database includes information about the phone numbers from United States and Canada.


text:
 Caller ID (249) 993-1684 - 249-993-1684 - ReverseThisNumber.com

Did you get a call or text from 249-993-1684? at reversethisnumber.com you can to find all the details about this phone number? Find public information and user reports below.

Caller ID

(249) 993-1684

Ontario, Canada
Public Information
Area Code (NPA): 249
Exchange (NXX): 993
Full Phone Number 249-993-1684
International Dialing Format +12499931684
National Format (249) 993-1684
Country Canada
State / Province / Territory Ontario
Primary City West Guilford
Company / Carrier Fido Solutions Inc.
Usage Type Wireless

Reports and Comments about 249-993-1684

Please mark this phone number 249-993-1684 as safe or unsafe. 'Safe' means phone number belongs to a trustworthy company, while an 'unsafe' would refer to an unwanted, problematic caller such as scammer, telemarketer, prank or suspicious organisation.

If you receive a call from 249-993-1684, then you can get your comment listed above and make us get more information about it.

Share your friends about 249-993-1684

Warn your friends about the phone number 249-993-1684. Use Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Reddit to share your experience.
Area Code 249 Details
Country Canada
State/Province Ontario
Major City Stayner
Time Zone Eastern (UTC-05:00)
Location Map

Primary city of the prefix 249-993 is West Guilford,Ontario. However, this does not necessarily mean phone number 249-993-1684 location. Due to national phone number portability rules, it may be anywhere in the Canada.

Understanding Phone Number Results
This page is dedicated to the phone number 249-993-1684 and includes Caller ID, public phone number details as well as user reports and comments. Area Code 249 details can be found in the table above.

Want to search for the other phone number information? Type it into the search box on the top of this page. Our database includes information about the phone numbers from United States and Canada.


text:
Monday, September 30, 2013

with sympathy (RIC)

ETA:  Ha!  Typical me.  Missed the deadline but here it is anyhoo.

Card to share for the Runway Inspired Challenge #44.  It's been too long since I played over there and this photo spoke to me with its wispy branches and natural makeup.

This translated to this card.

Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink with a hint of a moon in Shaded Lilac.  A portion of a Crafter's Workshop mask.  And the serenity of the scene spoke sympathy to me.  On vellum in a nod to the sheer layers of the gown.

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies with sympathy:
Paper: cardbase TPC, vellum
Stamps:  sentiment PTI
Ink: Distress, StazOn
Tools: mask TCW

Sunday, September 29, 2013

buzz,'s an alien (Moxie Fab)

Have you ever thought of googly eyes as flying saucers?  No, eh?  Well I did.

What do you think of my cute alien?  PC-generated image and sentiment on this one.  Since I don't know how to combine images in one "file" I just printed the sentiment and then printed and fussy cut the little guy and adhered him to the panel. Some circle punching and bokeh stamping (green cuz it's an alien, 'member?). And some googly eyes.

Which if you look at them from the side...

... flying saucers!

Hooking up to the General Craft Supplies challenge at Moxie Fab.

Appreciate your visit.  Have a good one.

Supplies i only have eyes:
Paper: cardbase Bringmann and Neenah
Stamps:  image from
Ink: green Hero Arts
Tools: circle punch
Other: googly eyes, foam adhesive, Glossy Accents

Saturday, September 28, 2013

bunches of love (Moxie Fab, TAWS)

What do you get when you take packaging from camembert (ya know, really thin balsa wood), some Distress Ink and a die?  Well bunches of love, of course...

After applying DI to the strips of wood (I disassembled the top and bottom of the container and used the strips.  Saved the circles for another day.) I used my Heart Delight die from Memory Box and made lots of hearts.  Some twine and a tag and a sentiment and voila.

Joining the challenges at:

Moxie Fab World - Handmade Cards - Metal, Wood and Cork
TAWS - #38 Mix it Up

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies bunches of love:
Paper: cardbase Bringmann
Stamps:  sentiment TAWS
Ink: Distress, Aladine
Tools: hearts die Memory Box, tag die Sizzix
Other: recycled camembert packaging and twine

Friday, September 27, 2013

smell autumn in the air (CFC, Moxie Fab, Simply Create Too)

We have been having a week of lovely fall weather here in Germany. Sure hope it continues a while. Nothing I like more than putting on a jacket and heading outside in the sun. (I'm getting too old for the hot days of summer.)   Anyhoo, I've a card for you that nods to this wonderful season.

Notice those colors on the leaves.  How do you think I made them?  Distress inks?  Nope.

Tea bags. If you rip them open and spread them onto damp cardstock, let them dry naturally, and then scrape the clumps off you get this cool result.  The purple-ish tones are from a fruit tea.  Cool, eh?  Even have a slight scent of fruit tea to your card when you're done. Here's a tute - in German but with photos.

Added some dry embossing (reminds me of a cable-knit sweater).  And see the fiber?  The egg noodles I buy have that as a closure ;)

I'm joining the fun at:
CASual Fridays - #115 Fall Colors and a Leaf
Moxie Fab World - Handmade Cards - Color Media (tea)
Simply Create Too - #47 Fall/Autumn

Have a great weekend.

Supplies happy anniversary:
Paper: cardbase Bringmann
Stamps:  sentiment Technique Tuesday
Ink: Amuse
Tools: dies Spellbinders, embossing folder Cuttlebug
Other: tea bag, recycled twine

Thursday, September 26, 2013

playing with crayons

Here to share one of my cards published in the latest special issue of Paper Crafts - Get Supply Savvy with Handmade Cards.  Have you checked out all the fun challenges over at Moxie Fab World associated with this issue?

I had lotsa fun making cards for this submission call, but my fave was playing with crayons.  I know it's not new, but I had never melted crayons before.  Like this.

I grabbed the kids' box of old crayons and set out to make something.  This is what evolved.

If you feel motivated to try this, a couple tips for ya.  TIP:  All crayons are not made equal.  Some melt quicker than others and are thus, soupier.  Just sayin'.  TIP::  Cover your workspace.  Well. ;) A picture is worth a thousand words, right?  This is the contraption I built to play with.  TIP:  If you paint your cardstock with white acrylic paint first it helps the wax to run even more.

And a nod to a couple cardmaking pals out there who also appear in this issue.  Did you see Kelly G.'s amazing bales of hay card?  Love that one.  And Miriam P. also played with soap bubbles mixed with ink (as I did in this post) and made a beaut.  So, only 230 other great projects waiting for you to check out in the issue :)

Supplies thanks:
Paper: cardbase Bringmann, scrap Neenah
Tools: heat gun, die Provo Craft
Other: old crayons

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

pti september bloghop (PTI, Moxie Fab)

It's time for another PTI blog hop. Well I'm "sharing openly" and will certainly "leave inspired" but as for "being creative" I took a couple short cuts.

First off, the wreath. I've used it before for a hop. But I love it. This stamp set was one of the first reasons I ever googled to see what the heck Papertrey was. (Can you believe that?) And the theme of this blog hop is  wreaths...

And the gold ink... well I'm hooked on it lately and it was just laying there on my messy workspace. Decided to pair it with neon pink this time around.  And add a slice of that yummy Pink Paislee metallic paper I fell in love with at Danielle F.'s blog last holiday season. And ink the edges of my die cut mat with gold ink a la Maile B.  See what I mean about cheating in the creativity department?!?!

I inked a strip of white CS to add next to the gold metallic paper to add more of the pink. (I think that's a Jennifer McG. stroke of genius, BTW). As for the crochet thread bow... that was my idea and maybe not such a good one. Oh well. What would you have added instead of the bow?  I'd love to know.

Here's another shot of that Delicata gold pigment ink yumminess.

I'm hooking up to the Moxie Fab World "All that Glitters is Gold" Challenge too. Thanks for visiting. Hop along now.

Supplies my dear friend:
Paper: cardbase Bringmann, PP Pink Paislee
Stamps:  PTI Wreath for all Seasons and Irresistibly Ikat
Ink: pink Aladine, gold Delicata
Tools: die PTI
Other: crochet thread, foam adhesive

Monday, September 23, 2013

delicata glitters (Moxie Fab)

See that Delicata gold loveliness?

OK, someone stop me.  I'm overwearing my welcome over at the All that Glitters is Gold Challenge at Moxie Fab.  I can't help myself.  (And, no don't stop me cuz I ain't done yet!)

This may bring back memories of the beautiful ombre trigger a couple weeks back.  And it should. By the time I was ready to create, the trigger was long over.  But it works with gold.  Even better IMHO.

Was going to pop up the larger portion but then opted to pop only the smaller outer strip.  Kinda cool.  Catches the images so they don't fall off the side ;)

Thanks for coming by.  Appreciate it.

Supplies for birthday wishes
Paper: CS  Bringmann, white Neenah
Stamps:  PTI
Ink : Inkadinkado pigment and Delicata gold
Other: foam adhesive

Sunday, September 22, 2013

in transition (Moxie Fab, SSS)

Warning:  Lousy photo coming at you and no, I'm not getting into the trend of "staging" my photos.  It's 11 p.m. here and I finally made the card I'd been thinking about for the Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World.

Image Credit
May I say I love this image.  And it's from a German gallery!  Of course my stamping mind first went to the idea of layering striped stamps.  But take another look at that image - how the heck would you achieve that look?  Methinks it would require lots of creative inking and maybe even paints and combs for some texture. No time for 'xperiments.

So... Ardyth P.'s cool card for Bev's birthday was somewhere in my cranial crannies.  Then the title of the challenge hit me.  "In Transition."  Hmmm, die cuts and transition.  How about the transition from teenager to adult?  It's happening in our family next year.  So...

Some Roy G. Biv (great way to use up scraps).  Some Parker die cut numbers from Memory Box. And cuz you can get that great die and the Simon Says stamp I used around the edges (from Absolutely Delightful) at Simon Says Stamp I'm hooking up to the current challenge.  Some piggy-backed gold on black sequins to anchor the corners (cuz the stamping looked suboptimal where the patterns met ;) and voila!

Good night.  It is here anyway.  Thanks for looking.  Hope your week is a good one.

Supplies for new day
Paper: CS  Bringmann, scraps
Stamps:  border SSS, sentiment Hero Arts
Ink : Memento
Tools: die Memory Box
Other: gold and black sequins

Saturday, September 21, 2013

daddy's little girl (Moxie Fab, CASOS, SSS, KIS)

Gold embossing and one specific stamp.  Having those two things in mind I whipped up this card. Well, it was "whipped up" after I spent 20 minutes deciding which PPs to use...  That's what ya get for having too much of the stuff.

Very simple, very sweet with all the emphasis on that sentiment.  Which is heat embossed in gold. As the card was laying on the dining room table waiting to be photographed, it dawned on me that it would make a great cover for a brag book for a Daddy.  Can't you picture him having one at his desk with some photos of his little girl? Can't you picture the ladies in the office going gaga over it? Hmmm, do we want the ladies at the office going gaga over the fathers of our little girls?!?!?

I'm playing at four challenges with this card:
Simon Says Stamp - Use SSS product (the Inkadinkado stamp set)
CAS on Sunday - Oh, Baby
ETA: Keep it Simple - #23 Flowers
Moxie Fab World - All that Glitters is Gold

I will forever be a fan of gold embossing powder, even if it's not trending.  I think it's that magical moment when the stuff does its thing and turns from powder into something most non-cardmakers never dreamed you could make at home ;)

As for Miss Ellie (yep, that's her name)... 12 weeks and definitely EVERYBODY'S little girl in our family.

Thanks for visiting today.

Supplies for daddy's little girl:
Paper: CS  Bringmann, PP October Afternoon
Stamps:  Inkadinkado
Ink : Versamark
Tools: scallop die Amuse
Other: gold embossing powder, crochet thread

Monday, September 16, 2013

happy dance (Moxie Fab)

Better late than never, right?  So there's a birthday girl out there, ya'll know Bev of Happy Dance fame, right?  Well today is her special day and here's a little something in her honor.

Fun and cool and happy dancing.  Had to be that stamp!  Hope your day is wonderful, Bev.  I wish you health and happy dances for the next 365-day-trip-around-the-sun.  Thank you for all the joy you bring to blogland.  And I still say you are the most amazing Grandma out there.

Joining the fun at Moxie Fab World's All That Glitters is Gold challenge.  Love gold.  Love it!

p.s. For those of you following the story, this is what occupies most of my time these days.

Supplies for dance, live, be:
Paper: CS  Bringmann
Stamps:  Vivre en Musique Lencre
Ink : Adirondack, Versaine
Tools: diamond die Lifestyle Crafts, square die Sizzix
Other: makeup sponges

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

write it on the board (SSS, Paper Crafts, Neat and Tangled)

Between rabbit h-e-double-toothpicks and puppy heaven it's been awhile since I've seen my craft room. Actually just came here to check out the deadline for that ombre beauty over at Moxie Fab (actually had an idea circling in my head) and again I've way missed the deadline.  Where did the last two weeks go?!?!?  But I've something to share that's  pretty hot right now.  Chalkboard, anyone?

The idea for this was born in the annual pumpkin carving parties we've had.  Started them before Halloween hit Germany in order for my kids to get a taste of it.  Well, loads of pics are taken and I thought a photo CD could be a nice gift for friends.  So how about a photo CD holder?

I know there are tutorials out there for CD holders, and string closures, and  pocket books.  Well this kinda combines 'em all.

I cut the top edge off of a CD envelope and stamped with polka dots.  Used envelope as a guide to cut “wrap” from black CS and scored.

Punched holes in wrap where closures would go.  Punched two circles each of CS and PP for closure, glued together to strengthen and punched hole in middle.  Inked edges.   Cut 12” piece of crochet thread and laid it in a circle on tape around the hole in flap.  Inserted eyelets (catching crochet thread secured at top hole) and set. Tied knot in other end of crochet thread.

Lay wrap flat and stamped subway art design with white ink.  Stamped design again with Versamark and heat embossed white.  TIP:  When doing subway art,  lay all stamps out (various companies/thicknesses) to get design, then carefully place large acrylic block over them and pick up all stamps of same thickness on block and stamp at one time.  Stamped design first with white ink and then slightly offset when heat embossing to achieve smudgy effect. When cooled, smeared white ink using finger.

Added doodles with white pencil.  Stamped and heat embossed “To/from” on reverse.  Die cut label and stamped/embossed sentiment; adhered with washi. For CD envelope:  I cut a strip of PP 2 1/2 x 5” and scored in the middle.  Sandwiched bottom edge of CD envelope in folded PP strip,  adhering front of envelope to back of PP and back of PP to inside of wrap.

Yeah, it's a wrap!  (pun intended).  Here's the chalkboard effect for a closer look.

I'm goin' places with this one.

Simon Says Stamp - Emboss it
Paper Crafts September Gallery Challenge - Chalkboard
Neat and Tangled -  #20 Back to the Blackboard

Thanks for looking.

Supplies for photo CD holder:
Paper: black paper Bringmann, PP American Crafts, MME
Stamps: (dots BG) Kars, (Vintage Camera) Maya Road, (Haunted) Cosmo Cricket, (Midnight Feast ) WMS, (Scary Night) Inkadinkado
Ink :  Versamark, Adirondack pigment, white pencil
Tools: die Spellbinders
Other:  embossing powder, crochet thread, eyelets, washi

Sunday, September 1, 2013

50 + 50 + a pup (Curtain Call)

Well we've not got a wee one (species:  Havanese) around the house.  DD is doing a fabulous job with her (that was DD and DP (dear pup) first hour of bonding yesterday) but when I have duty I get absolutely nothing done.  Sit on the floor playing with her or follow her around the house trying to decide if she's looking for a place to do her business or just doing normal sniffing. Then whisking her out to the yard.  I'm not very good at this.  DD had night duty last night but I'm on for school nights so wish me (us) luck!

I did take a few minutes yesterday to make a card for our friends who had a 50 + 50 = 100 party last night.  Here it is.

The sentiment reads "what a beautiful day".  Thought it appropriate since neither of their birthdays was actually yesterday!

These are smaller number stamps so I decided to "stretch" them for my design by stamping them on the black CS and PP and after splitting them, covering the split with the sentiment strip.  This required more spatial thinking than my brain can handle. Card's outta da house so I can't go have a look, but those zeros look pretty darn wonky in this photo?!?!?  I think it may be more proof that I need to get me a Stamp-a-ma-jig...

I'm playing at Curtain Call this week, not that my card has anything to do with "Back to School" but check out this inspiration photo and I think you'll know why:

May be awhile before I create a card again.  DP's not allowed in the basement so that's gonna keep ME out of my laundry room.  At least for crafting purposes!  For those of you following the story of the rabbits I have good news.  With DP's arrival we had no choice but to move them out of the house and into the yard in their stall and they're doing fine.  Even saw them laying quietly TOGETHER in one of their little houses today! Yippie!

Supplies for was für ein schöner tag:
Paper: CS and PP Bringmann
Stamps:  numbers WeRMemory, sentiment Inkystamp
Ink : Versamark, Versaine
Other: embossing powder, bling
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