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I came for the powdered sugar and the butter.

Last night, my husband and I dined in the kitchen of the wonderful French restaurant and bakery, Artisan Bistro. http://artisanbistroaustin.com/  We weren’t alone. There were ten of us who signed up for a cooking class on a night when the restaurant is normally closed. Seating was set up around the wrap around bar facing an open kitchen. The area was intimate, cozy and romantic, with low lighting and beautifully arranged place settings. Most importantly, we all had a bird’s eye view of the chef at work.
The Executive Chef, Cesidio d’Andrea, is also the receptionist, chef, owner, sommelier, waiter, and busboy. I’ll get back to the reason for why Chef Cesidio is wearing so many hats in his restaurant, but for now, just know that he can multi-task as efficiently as any soccer mom caring for a family of five.
As our group arrived, D’Andrea was quietly taking care of final preparations, cutting slices of bread, bringing out bottles of chilled water with slices of lemon or fennel, checking off people’s names from the reservation list, all while we took seats at the bar and obediently waited to find out what was happening next. I was beginning to think this was going to be a mime performance, but, finally, he broke the silence by asking if any of us wanted to order wine. Expressions of relief appeared on everyone’s faces.  (No one likes a mime.)
Now, I have been to Artisan Bistro often and had brief conversations with Chef Cesidio, so I knew his French accent was as thick as pouding au caramel. [OK. I’m being polite. I’ll put it this way: you don’t want him to be the bomb expert on the other end of the phone telling you whether it’s the red wire or the blue wire you need to cut so you can save the school bus loaded with kids.] All around me, I saw puzzled faces as he began explaining how he was going to make garlic cream soup. However, after a bit, wine was delivered around the bar, shoulders dropped, faces relaxed, and d’Andrea began an evening of informative instruction, often with humor and always with total, supreme command of his juggling kitchen act. The accent, well, it never went away. Get used to it.
The beginning act of this play was the cream of garlic soup. The main entrée, poached beef with spring vegetables baked in individual custard dishes, was a tiered design of layers of thin slices of the delectable and tender beef, a pureed half & half mixture of potatoes and sweet potatoes (spiced with cinnamon), and topped with cream, butter and gruyere cheese, browned to perfection. I know. You are still saying to yourself, cinnamon? Believe me. It works. The last course, the one that put me over the edge and wishing for baggy Mom jeans, was the French toast with sautéed strawberries and blackberries.
Chef d’Andrea is a showman as well as a talented French chef. As he was putting his final touches, with the wave of the hand, Cesidio sprinkled white powder over his plated French toast. He brought the house down when he said, “Zeez is not powdered sugar. It teeze cocaine, and if zee come back, I will know why.”
However, perhaps the most memorable dessert at the end was chatting it up with the chef. By the end of the meal, we all loved him. We ached for him as he told us how difficult it is to hire servers, hostesses, even dish washers in affluent Lakeway, Texas, where his restaurant is located. (This is a complaint I hear all the time from restaurant owners and one which is keeping more new businesses from coming here. Residents fight low income housing and rents are high. Traffic is terrible in Austin and no one wants to fight it to come to the Lake Travis community.) His lease is coming up and he is weary of hiring help that asks for a day off three days into a new job, or the no-show hostess. He wants to move downtown, but that’s expensive and requires investors. I hope he finds them. I’ll fight the traffic any day just to hear him say, “Bon Jour, zee special is……”

Note to reader: Now, I should mention that in the center of his working island was a large container (bigger than a bread basket) filled to the top with sticks of butter. As the evening drew to a close, I looked at the container. It was half empty. I figured we each had eaten a stick of butter that night. Not sure about the half & half we consumed, but at this point, I didn’t care. None of us did. We were all going home so we could put on our biggest pair of pajamas.

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

carl warner is a tom waits

Remember when you were in seventh grade and you called the radio station to make a request? Maybe it was "Hotel California" for that babe in your English Class. Maybe it was "Opposites Attract" because Paula Abdul was cute like a little crazy button. Anyways, now when you call a radio station it's called a suggestion. I'm shaking my head right now as I write that. A suggestion. How lame. Team Member. Store Associate. Flight Attendant. Climate Change.

So we've had a request. A dedication. A suggestion. No, no....a contribution. Yeah. A contribution to the tom waits pool. The artist Carl Warner. His art might make your stomach hurt. But there's no denying it. He's a tom waits. Go see. Thanks, Doug!

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Apr 18

Thu '13

Running For Boston

I am so shocked at what happened at the Boston marathon on Monday. Those poor people, and their families, who were just out trying to have a good time. These runners had all trained for months, years even, and competed in many other races just to qualify for the Boston marathon. They had set out to achieve personal goals and instead were entered into a nightmare.

I cannot fathom why someone would do this kind of thing. It only hurt innocent people. I haven’t heard if the police have any leads on who planted the bombs, but I hope they keep trying until they do. There needs to be some serious repercussions for the criminals and terrorists who could create such an act of hatred.

As a runner, I feel as though my friends have been targeted and hurt. As a human, I am in mourning for all the families that have been affected. I know I can’t do much, but I do feel as though I can at least run in memory of what happened in Boston. Calgary is having a citywide run on Saturday, but as I’ll be at work, I have already gone out twice running for Boston. I spent my runs thinking about everything that had happened and being extremely grateful for my family who loves me and the freedom I have to run when I want.

This is a tragedy that should not have occurred. It has affected many lives all around the world and it will be some time before the world becomes “normal” again.

Honestly, sometimes I wish the Vulcans would just make first contact with us, so that we realize there are different friends and enemies out there and we should not be fighting amongst our race any longer. If only.

Filed under: Outside, Personal, Running
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One Response to “Running For Boston”

  • Lissy
    April 18, 2013 @ 7:53 am

    true, we could accomplish so much if we all worked together 🙁 I really hope this was some crazy guy who just felt like blowing things up rather than a terrorist group that thinks they can justify their actions.
    People try to do something good for themselves and someone had to go and ruin it for everyone in the worst possible way. Sucks.

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William Tecumseh Sherman

On this day in history General Hood abandons Atlanta to the Union Army

Submitted by Roanman on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 08:43

On this day in history, his supply line cut by the Union Army, Confederate General John B. Hood withdrew his troops from Atlanta and set fire to military supplies and installations including some 81 railroad cars loaded with ammunition.  These fires spread into the city of Atlanta causing serious difficulties for Rhett and Scarlett in their effort to blow town.

On September 2, 1864 Atlanta Mayor James Calhoun and along with members of Atlanta's City Council surrendered the city to representatives of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.

Having been notified some days later of Sherman's intention to evacuate the residents of Atlanta from the city, Mayor Calhoun sent a letter asking the General to reconsider this decision.

Both that letter and Sherman's famed response follow.

We would encourage you to read both letters but for damn sure read the second as General Sherman's response represents the coldest and most stark analysis imaginable of one of mankind's most favored pastimes, and as such is one of the more important documents in all of history.

Atlanta, Georgia, September 11, 1864.
Major-General W. T. Sherman.

SIR: We the undersigned, Mayor and two of the Council for the city of Atlanta, for the time being the only legal organ of the people of the said city, to express their wants and wishes, ask leave most earnestly but respectfully to petition you to reconsider the order requiring them to leave Atlanta.

At first view, it struck us that the measure would involve extraordinary hardship and loss, but since we have seen the practical execution of it so far as it has progressed, and the individual condition of the people, and heard their statements as to the inconveniences, loss, and suffering attending it, we are satisfied that the amount of it will involve in the aggregate consequences appalling and heart-rending.

Many poor women are in advanced state of pregnancy, others now having young children, and whose husbands for the greater part are either in the army, prisoners, or dead. Some say: "I have such a one sick at my house; who will wait on them when I am gone?" Others say: "What are we to do? We have no house to go to, and no means to buy, build, or rent any; no parents, relatives, or friends, to go to." Another says: "I will try and take this or that article of property, but such and such things I must leave behind, though I need them much." We reply to them: "General Sherman will carry your property to Rough and Ready, and General Hood will take it thence on." And they will reply that: "But I want to leave the railroad at such a place, and cannot get conveyance from there on."

We only refer to a few facts, to try to illustrate in part how this measure will operate in practice. As you advanced, the people north of this fell back; and before your arrival here, a large portion of the people had retired south, so that the country south of this is already crowded, and without houses enough to accommodate the people, and we are informed that many are now staying in churches and other out-buildings.

This being so, how is it possible for the people still here (mostly women and children) to find any shelter? And how can they live through the winter in the woods -- no shelter or subsistence, in the midst of strangers who know them not, and without the power to assist them much, if they were willing to do so?

This is but a feeble picture of the consequences of this measure. You know the woe, the horrors, and the suffering, cannot be described by words; imagination can only conceive of it, and we ask you to take these things into consideration.

We know your mind and time are constantly occupied with the duties of your command, which almost deters us from asking your attention to this matter, but thought it might be that you had not considered this subject in all of its awful consequences, and that on more reflection you, we hope, would not make this people an exception to all mankind, for we know that no such instance ever having occurred -- surely never in the United States -- and what has this helpless people done, that they should be driven from their homes, to wander strangers and outcasts, and exiles, and to subsist on charity?

We do not know as yet the number of people still here; of those who are here, we are satisfied a respectable number, if allowed to remain at home, could subsist for several months without assistance, and a respectable number for a much longer time, and who might not need assistance at any time.

In conclusion, we most earnestly and solemnly petition you to reconsider this order, or modify it, and suffer this unfortunate people to remain at home, and enjoy what little means they have.

Respectfully submitted:
James M. Calhoun, Mayor
E.E. Rawson, Councilman.
S.C. Wells, Councilman.

Headquarters Military Division of the Mississippi, in the Field, Atlanta, Georgia, September 12, 1864.

James M. Calhoun, Mayor, E.E. Rawson, S.C. Wells, representing City Council of Atlanta.

GENTLEMEN: I have your letter of the 11th, in the nature of a petition to revoke my orders removing all the inhabitants from Atlanta. I have read it carefully, and give full credit to your statements of the distress that will be occasioned, any yet shall not revoke my orders, because they were not designed to meet the humanities of the case, but to prepare for the future struggles in which millions of good people outside of Atlanta have a deep interest. We must have peace, not only in Atlanta, but in all America. To secure this, we must stop the war that now desolates our once happy and favored country. To stop war, we must defeat the rebel armies which are now arrayed against the laws and Constitution that all must respect and obey. To defeat those armies, we must prepare the way to reach them in their recesses, provided with the arms and instruments which enable us to accomplish our purpose. Now I know the vindictive nature of our enemy, that we may have many years of military operations from this quarter; and, therefore, deem it wise and prudent to prepare in time. The use of Atlanta for warlike purposes is inconsistent with its character as a home for families. There will be no manufactures, commerce, or agriculture here, for the maintenance of families, and sooner or later want will compel the inhabitants to go. Why not go now, when all the arrangements are completed for the transfer, instead of waiting till the plunging shot of contending armies will renew the scenes of the past month? Of course, I do not apprehend any such thing at this moment, but you do not suppose this army will be here until the war is over. I cannot discuss this subject with you fairly, because I cannot impart to you what we propose to do, but I assert that our military plans make it necessary for the inhabitants to go away, and I can only renew my offer of services to make their exodus in any direction as easy and comfortable as possible.

You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices to-day than any of you to secure peace. But you cannot have peace and a division of our country. If the United States submits to a division now, it will not stop, but will go on until we reap the fate of Mexico, which is eternal war. The United States does and must assert its authority, wherever it once had power; for, if it relaxes one bit to pressure, it is gone, and I believe that such is the national feeling. This feeling assumes various shapes, but always comes back to that of Union. Once admit the Union, once more acknowledge the authority of the national Government, and, instead of devoting your houses and streets and roads to the dread uses of war, I and this army become at once your protectors and supporters, shielding you from danger, let it come from what quarter it may. I know that a few individuals cannot resist a torrent of error and passion, such as swept the South into rebellion, but you can point out, so that we may know those who desire a government, and those who insist on war and its desolation.

You might as well appeal against the thunder-storm as against these terrible hardships of war. They are inevitable, and the only way the people of Atlanta can hope once more to live in peace and quiet at home, is to stop the war, which can only be done by admitting that it began in error and is perpetuated in pride.

We don't want your negroes, or your horses, or your houses, or your hands, or any thing that you have, but we do want and will have a just obedience to the laws of the United States. That we will have, and, if it involves the destruction of your improvements, we cannot help it.

You have heretofore read public sentiment in your newspapers, that live by falsehood and excitement; and the quicker you seek for truth in other quarters, the better. I repeat then that, by the original compact of Government, the United States had certain rights in Georgia, which have never been relinquished and never will be; that the South began war by seizing forts, arsenals, mints, custom-houses, etc., etc., long before Mr. Lincoln was installed, and before the South had one jot or title of provocation. I myself have seen in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi, hundreds of thousands of women and children fleeing from your armies and desperadoes, hungry and with bleeding feet. In Memphis, Vicksburg, and Mississippi, we fed thousands upon thousands of families of rebel soldiers left in our hands, and whom we could not see starve. Now that war comes home to you, you feel very different. You depreciate its horrors, but did not feel them when you sent car-loads of soldiers and ammunition, and moulded shells and shot, to carry war into Kentucky and Tennessee, to desolate the homes of hundreds of thousands of good people who only asked to live in peace at their old homes, and under the Government of their inheritance. But these comparisons are idle. I want peace, and believe it can only be reached through union and war, and I will ever conduct war with a view to perfect and early success.

But, my dear sirs, when peace does come, you may call on me for any thing. Then I will share with you the last cracker, and watch with you to shield your homes and families against danger from every quarter.

Now you must go, and take with you the old and feeble, feed and nurse them, and build for them, in more quiet places, proper habitations to shield them against the weather until the mad passions of men cool down, and allow the Union and peace once more to settle over your old homes at Atlanta. Yours in haste,

W.T. Sherman, Major-General commanding.

On November 15, 1864, General Sherman gave orders to burn all public buildings, machine shops, depots, and arsenals in the city of Atlanta. When the fires finally died out there remained only some four hundred building standing in all of Atlanta.

To quote Major General William Tecumseh Sherman on numerous occasions, in numerous speeches, most notably on June 19, 1879 at the graduation excercises of the Michigan Military Academy on the grounds of it's Orchard Lake campus, which campus is now home to Orchard Lake St. Mary Prep.

Comments on an editorial comment

Submitted by Roanman on Mon, 07/19/2010 - 17:50

My little editorial inspired pretty close to twenty emails, about that number again in calls, two face to face conversations, and not one lousy posted comment.

Out of probably forty total responses, thirty nine disagreed (mostly strenuously) about that part having to do with returning our troops to our shores, and retiring from providing military for the rest of the world's defense.

My very, very long time friend Terry D. was my single supporter.

Which made me laugh out loud, as I had told my secretary not more than a month ago that I could think of only one issue in over 35 years where Terry and I had not been in complete agreement ..... that exception of course being his first wife.

He did come around to my way of thinking on that one sometime after it was just too damn late.

His defense on this particular subject consists mostly of his accusation that all I had to say amounted to just a lot of "mumbling under my breath" and that had I felt that strongly about it, I should have just manned up and spoke out on the subject, and ..... in light of that fact that I didn't, I need to just shut up.

But I digress.

My personal chef, Kelly doesn't want nuclear weapons to fall into the wrong hands as that could result in disaster.

Dougy F. wasn't totally disagreeing, but he did worry that if we scrapped out the offensive weaponry, "we will need it when the rest of the world falls into total chaos."  Then, "after a couple of years we can go in and clean up whatever is left and run it right".

T.G. finds the idea of "surrendering" to Islam to be unthinkable.

Tommy ? believes my plan would leave a vacuum, which as we all know nature abhors, that would likely be filled by the Chinese.

I mostly don't disagree with that one.

I also mostly don't care.

Japan, Russia and India have a lot of history with China.

All three of them will almost instantaneously start to rethink the way they go about their business.

Japan in particular will most likely get after developing a military that can deter Chinese aspirations.

Getting out of Europe is the best thing that can happen to us, if for no other reason than instead of supporting continental economies with American tax dollars, we will be supporting the local communities that are home to our military people.

You guys want a European Union?

Your gonna need to throw in the cost of defending it.

I'll admit to a twinge of guilt with regards to the British.

They are a great friend and ally (pretty much from the day they stopped attacking us).

Leaving them with the French seems cold.

But alas .....

What about Israel?

I'll cheerfully sell them missiles and warheads sufficient to roast anyone, anywhere that might think they want a go.

It's called "mutually assured destruction" and it's been working like a charm .............. so far.

Here's the issue as I see it.

We have within our capabilities the power to win any war we fight.

Including this war with Islam (not radical Islam) (or terror) that we are presently involved in.

The way to win it is to decide to win it.

I'll say it again.

The way to win this war is to decide to win it.

Understand now, this means going to war with the intent of killing everybody you can find and breaking everything you see until your enemy surrenders under your terms.

Wanna take Kandahar (Qandahar) Province?

Carpet bomb Kandahar (Qandahar) City.

Kill em all, break everything there (that's about 470,000 people, about 40 times that in sheep and goats), reduce it to rubble, then make that rubble bounce.

When you're finished there, move on up the road to Spin Bolduk.

Can you imagine the uproar?

The UN would be going nuts, people would be screaming about war crimes.

They'd spend hundreds of hours happily debating language for the non binding resolution condemning the action.

Now, just to make the point that you're no longer fooling around, move north to Khost (only about 160,000 people), continue the proceedure.

Every couple days, take the morning off from the bombs, and drop leaflets around the rest of Afghanistan which read as follows.

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior?

Kidding ..... sort of.

Send copies to Mahmoud Ahmadinijad, Mullah Ali Khamenei, the entire Iranian Parliment, Bashar al-Assaad (President of Syria), Hamas and Hezballah.

When the calls come in wanting to negotiate some peace, forget to return them for a couple of days.

Set up the appointment for sometime around the end of next month.

Then stay busy.

You've just won your war.

And here's the best part, not one American mother's son has been lost.

Seem harsh?

I offer a series of letters from the month of September 1864 between Generals Hood, Halleck and William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army and the Mayor and members of the Atlanta City Council prior to the destruction of Atlanta.

These letters should be read by every citizen of this country.

Hell, they should be read by every citizen of the world.

They are reasonably short, to the point and with regards to General Sherman's final reply to Mayor Calhoun (go ahead, just scroll to the end), contain extraordinary wisdom.

Click on the gears.

Do it now, you're not doing anything important.

Now, it is my strongly held opinion that we are unwilling to do any of that.

And I say, that if we are unwilling to do what's necessary to win, and by win I mean force an unconditional surrender on our enemy, completely on our terms, what the hell is it that we are sacrificing the lives of our children for?

Our thinking here is that by invading someone else's country and keeping our military there to enforce our will, our enemy will soon grow fond of us, and want to become just like us.

Dwell on that one for just a moment.

Let's say just for fun someone else had the military power to successfully invade America with the same thinking.

What would you likely do.

My opinion is that a mess of people would roll over in the beginning, but another group would make it their personal business to kill and/or maim every foreigner they stumbled across ..... and then hide.

That's called Guerilla War.

It works pretty good.

Then what happens is your foreigners start getting frustrated and start killing people indiscriminately.

Which of course would include and subsequently enrage them that had previously rolled over.

Which would ultimately cause unacceptable casualties among the invaders as the formerly rolled over, now join in.

Which would ultimately result in your foreigner's withdrawal after an enormous toll was extracted from everyone.

So .....

Whoa whoa whoa .... wait a minute, isn't that exactly what you're proposing above?

Aren't you advocating indiscriminate killing out of frustration?

Nope, I'm just sayin' that if you want to win this thing, you're gonna have to get brutal.

If you're unwilling to get brutal, your gonna lose, and a bunch of your own will have been sacrificed for nothing.

My idea with regards to war is simple.

I'm disinterested in my enemy learning to like me, admiring me, or wanting to grow up to be just like me.

In this particular instance, I have little interest in walking off into the sunset arm in arm with my Muslim brother.

I think the entire concept of "nation building" is stupid.

After this is over, I'll be glad to do some business if he wants ... and there's a profit in it.

My idea is simply to make sure that everybody understands, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if you attack America, we're gonna come by for a visit, f&#$ you up real bad, and then leave.

Here's my ......

Whoa Whoa aren't you gonna piss off them that would have rolled over anyway?

The difference here is that there aren't any Americans hanging around town waiting to be killed in retribution.

If I go, I'm "raining death and destruction" and then going somewhere real double tough for my enemy to get at me .... home.

The only guys hanging around to vent on will be the very guys that started the whole mess in the first place.

Poetic, ain't it.

Hey, they're just gonna attack us here.

Maybe, but they're doing that now.

And if/when they do, whether they are successful or thwarted, I would spend some time looking into who's responsible, and/or profited, and when my list is complete, go ape-shit crazy on everything they know.

The notion of "proportional response" should become, as they say, "another casualty of war".

The only real edge Islam has is the fact that everybody is pretty damn sure they're crazy.

Print a cartoon, they cut off your head.

Proportional doesn't register in the Islamic mind.

And for that reason, pretty much everybody is scared of em.

I believe it's a good thing when your enemy thinks you're crazy.

Makes em think twice ..... if not thrice.

My clear preference is to have my enemy think I'm crazy.

And the best part is, I'm going to have almost all my guys here at home where they belong, playing defense and helping out with thwartation.

You get only two choices with any chance of success in this kind of business.

Go to win, or don't even start.

Unfortunately we have attempted the "third way".

Just ask yourself here. "What do we really want?"

What I really want is for Islam to stop attacking the World Trade Center and killing innocent people.

I'd prefer it if Islam would play nice with Israel, but if Islam doesn't want to, the consequences are theirs.

If Israel chooses to make certain of it's survival as a jewish state?

(Should jewish be capitalized?)

Well ..... I can certainly understand that one.

Our decisions up to now have only resulted in the tragic destruction of our very best young people and a colossal waste of our resources.

If you're gonna fight the damn war, the idea is to effect the tragic demise and colossal waste on your enemy, and his resources.

If you're not up to it, leave it alone.

Apologies for the very long post, I'm well rested.

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Sunday, November 22, 2009

JULinux Final Announcement

JULinux will be released tomorrow. All known bugs have been fixed. All that's left to do now is to compile a new updated kernel so that the drivers will be up to date. That's the next step.

Our new installer does a very nice, clean job of installing and cleans up after itself even during the installation. The new installer requires 3 GB less than the previous one and also includes more packages and dependencies. It also meets all the requirements for assault cube thanks to the pure Debian repositories. The new installer is nicely devided up into 10 down loadable files that no longer depend on a giant torrent but a new installer that downloads each individual file and extracts each one to the /tmp directory and then executes After the install is complete all files including the install scripts are deleted from the /tmp directory. Ultumatix is included and also envy to provide NVIDIA and ATI drivers. The standard Ubuntu repositories just don't have new enough drivers. In some cases you may need to manually download and install the drivers from for your video card. To run this driver simply download the .run or .bin file, reboot your computer in recovery mode, drop to root shell, and cd to the directory (Example cd /home/owner/Desktop) and type ./*.run or ./*.bin and start the installation. Only do this after trying envy. DO NOT UNINSTALL the envy drivers. Just install this driver over top and then the nvidia-settings program will stay installed. :)

As far as wireless you will want to buy wireless cards from us to make sure they work with Linux until the next version with the new kernel is released.

In the future we hope to have a fully working Python installer with a GUI and the newest kernel fully compiled and installed for 8.04 32 bit and 64 bit.

As for USA Computer Tech Computer Rescue and the Christian Youth Center the future looks very promising. We are currently working on securing funds for a new revolutionary computer program. If we are successful the funding will not only fund this project but the profit will enable us to fund many more projects I already have planned in the future. The current project will take 3 - 4 years to complete after we get funding. Don't ask me to give out any details because I'm not going to yet. Of course there are those of you who will receive this message and already know what I'm talking about.

I'm very excited about this bug free release of JULinux (or at least I pray it's bug free) and it's pure simplicity for the end user if nothing else. I realize it does not have that same ease of use Ubuntu 9.10 has for installing wireless devices. Oh well. This distribution is
not designed around fussy laptops and net-books but around Desktops.

What about those of you who don't like my CD with an installer that just vomits everything on your computer and fills it up and those of you who Just want to install it on Laptops? For those of you who don't prefer the vomit I'll be putting out a vomit free version of JULinux on DVD with all the Wireless support and everything but without the games and other large applications. Of course you will need to install the codecs yourself. That's the price you pay for not using my CD version :)

So lets get down to business How to Install JULinux on your computer:

1. Go to and download the .iso either threw the torrent or directly from our ftp / http server.
-----Step 2 is mostly for Windows users all others feel free to skip-------
2. Install a free CD burning app. Any should do. Reboot Windows, Right click on the .iso and burn it.
3. Boot from the CD and install JULinux. (Don't click on Finish Install Failsafe yet.) Reboot.
4. Now double click > Run in Terminal > Wait for the download(s) to complete.
5. Type in the password you gave the computer during setup. Wait for the installer to complete. You may need to answer questions and type your password in again from time to time.
6. When synaptic opens fix any broken packages:
a. Edit > Fix Broken Packags
b. Apply
c. Close Synaptic when it finishes.
7. Agree to Ultamatix > Install anything extra you want > Don't worry about failures and exit it.
8. Use Envy when it opens to install your NVIDIA or ATI drivers if you have an ATI or NVIDIA card.
>>>>(If you reboot which you should then after the reboot)<<<<<<
9. Copy the shortcut to "Legends" from inside your home folder (Click start, places, My Documents) to your desktop so you can play it. Simple! Right? Let me know. Go to and click Feedback on the left side or
Send e-mail to or
Use our forum.

To the Lord God Jesus Christ be the glory for this distribution.

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Monday, July 19, 2010

Here we go again!

So i haven't written on my blog for quite some time. My reasoning was.. why should I write on my blog when Janalee's is so amazing? I could never amount to hers. Also.. who am I writing this to? Am I just talking to myself.. And also.. does anyone even read mine? I guess we will find out!

-- But people keep on telling me to update mine! And so I guess someone is curious what I have been up to!

Cassie Forsgren said...

What up Girl! Nice to hear from you again

kAbEaR said...

Oh good you saw my update! Thats exciting... I am still new to this, still trying to figure out how it all works :)

Janalee said...

oh stop it. nobody wants to read mine, they all want to read yours!


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MBA Shipping and Logistics Degree

Posted by Part Time Jobs Online | Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Manonmaniam Sundaranar University introduced a new degree for MBA Shipping and Logistics (Weekend) Program. Applications are invited for admission to the MBA Shipping and Logistics Program offered by the Department of Management Studies under Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) for the Academic Year 2010-2011.

Unique Features of the Program :

1) First of its kind Program offered in at least South Tamilnadu and nearest to the vicinity of Thoothukudi (Turicorin).

2) The Only Tamilnadu State Government University to offer such an MBA Program.

3) Pragmatic Fusion between theory and practice as the classes are handled by both Academicians and Practitioners from the Shipping Industry.

4) The Most Affordable Fees

5) The Latest Syllabus framed in collaboration with the Leaders of the Shipping Industry.

6) Classes and Examinations are conducted in the Weekend only.

7) Hands on Experience to be provided through Two Project Works during the Program.

8) Excellent Placement Opportunities for the Successful outgoing students in the most promising industry and the most promising International Trade Hub of Thoothukudi (Tuticorin).

9) Tie ups on the anvil with Major Stake holders in the Shipping and Logistics Industry.

Any Graduate (Except B.Litt) Final Year Graduate students can also apply and prove their eligibility on or before the date of Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Candidates with Work Experience are desirable.

Admission Procedure :

1) Apply to the University by Paying Rs.300.00 (This Year only) through a Crossed Demand Draft drawn on any Nationalized Bank, in favour of 'The Registrar, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University', payable at 'Tirunelveli'. However, for SC and ST candidates, One Application form can be obtained Free of Cost on submission of an Attested Photocopy of the Community Certificate.

2) Apply to TANCET Examination to be conducted by Anna University, Chennai, in the month of May Every Year. (Please refer the Advertisement in leading newspapers one month before)

3) Attend the Group Discussion and Personal Inverview to be conducted by the Department of Management Studies, Manonmaniam Sudnaranar University, Tirunelveli, in the month of July Every Year.

4) Admission will be based on the Total Score secured by the applicant (TANCET Score 80, Group Discussion 10 and Personal Inverview 10), following the Government of Tamilnadu's Reservation Policy.

  1. ThePriselive December 29, 2014 at 12:32 AM

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  2. Lucky January 10, 2018 at 11:35 PM
Advertise in our Kalvimalar blog : You can advertise your colleges, university, and all other educational institutions related websites here in 125 x 125 pixels - U$.160.00 per month.

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

And some more quotes!

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.

Peace of mind is grossly underrated.

Once you fiercely and consistently start believing that all you can do is all that you will do, nothing else can limit the scope of your achievement or contribution in the world.

It's funny how you get patted to get to sleep and patted again to awaken from sleep.

Oh God! If you exist, grant me one wish that I gain without pain, that happiness remains unchanged, and that freedom forever unchained.

If you're not busy being born, you're busy dying.

It is not our abilities that show us who we truly are; it is our choices.

It's never too late to be what you might've been.

New things make one happy but it's the old familiar things that keeps one happy.

A hen's only an egg's way of making another egg.

No energy conservation, know monetary loss. Know energy conservation, no monetary loss.

Do not trouble trouble unless trouble troubles you because if you trouble trouble, trouble will always trouble you.

A thing is interesting because of thinking about it and not because of it being new.

Those who beg in silence starve in silence.

The idea is not to win; it is to keep playing.

So cool : 6th and 7th day of the week both start with S - Saturday and Sunday, and 6th and 7th month of the year both start with J - June and July, and 6 and 7 both start with S too.

Sometimes, there's a very thin line between fearlessness and foolishness.

I'd rather have a mind opened by wonder than closed by belief.

What comes easy doesn't last and what lasts doesn't come easy.

You have enemies? Good! That means at some point in your life you stood up for what you believe in. - my secret crush.

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Skip to: Site menu | Main content

Kamus Orisinil is a free online multilingual dictionary.

You can use this kamus online from your mobile device. Find out...

Get more results with reverse searching

You can get more results by enabling the reverse searching. By enabling it, the Kamus will search into any related dictionaries to your current dictionary. It works by searching on the second field (meaning field), instead of the first field (phrase field), and give you more results when available.

By default, reverse searching is disabled. Please go to the Options Page to enable it.

Database update: 66,434 new records added

OpenSearch plugins for Firefox and IE7

Now, you can search Kamus Orisinil directly from your browser. First, you have to install these plugins to a browser that supports OpenSearch, like Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer 7.

Open the "OpenSearch plugins" page to read further information about installing the plugins.

Update: 101,752 records added

101,752 records just added to the English to Indonesia Dictionary.

Tags: kamus online, biggest dictionary

Update: Find results with all of the words

The search code has been upgraded. Now, Kamus Online Orisinil will try to find results with all of the words you entered. It works with MySQL's Full-Text Search. It works only if a word has four character minimum length and not in the stopword list.

If the code can find the results, another new section will be displayed on the results. Try to search for "test" to find out how the results will be.

See also Full text search - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The new version has been released!

I'm very proud to announce you the new version of Kamus Orisinil. I have been working hard to bring you this version. Special thanks to my beloved wife who supports me all the time :).

I keep the idea to make this kamus as a multilingual dictionary. For now, this online dictionary has 2 languages (english and indonesia) and more than 82 thousands records. In the future, new languages and records will be added, and more capabitilies will be present.

The code is valid XHTML 1.1 and CSS.

Enjoy It !

Tags: kamus online, online dictionary, bahasa indonesia, english, language translation


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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Start your year right with NUTRILITE

Aside from depression and stress, I believe the reason behind me getting over weight is irresponsibility. Eating becomes my hobby. I eat big time in the morning, lunch and dinner. I also crave for sweets every after meal. I’m not a picky eater. I never cared of getting fat so I eat everything unlike when I was still little. I love walking and swimming, but I never do it regularly. I lose little weight but gain a lot. I can eat more than 12 cups of rice in Inasal and even if many says sleeping after meal is bad, I’ve fun of doing it. I’m indeed a lazy irresponsible food monster.
It’s now 2012 and I’m still over weight. I’m more than 70 kg now and my body age according to the dietician is 42 years old. The half of it is my age. The moment I knew about it, I got chills. I never fear death, but I fear obesity be the cause of my death. I may not fit in my coffin.
Nutrilite logo
Recently, I was invited by a co-blogger to an event at Taguig Market – Market. It was an AMWAY event so I thought of bringing my sister with me since she’s a member. Honestly, our family is a fanatic of the brand NUTRILITE, so before I went to the event I never got this stigma that its just a scam networking thingy like others. I stand as testament that it’s not. We’re an avid user of ACEROLA C, one of nutrilites’ vitamin C. Like many other vitamins, Acerola C is organic and doesn’t have therapeutic claims, but its the only vitamins we took that made every flu and illnesses away in just 2 to 3 tablets.
ColorUrLife logo
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Going back, the event titled LIVING IN FULL COLOR made me feel like starting my year right through a healthy lifestyle. They’ve set different health check booths which offers various activities like Fitness games, Free photo printouts and Body Mass Index, cholesterol and blood pressure check. It was really inspiring to see many young individuals lining up for a chance of a healthy lifestyle.
Living In Full Color Flyer
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The invitation was already overwhelming, they even provided us bloggers a chance to try nutrilite products and meet their new brand Ambassador ENCHONG DEE. (Honestly, I’m a fan of him since he’s still a swimmer)  Included in our PR kits are 6 day supply pack of DOUBLE X and Carb Blocker, which I know expensive, but if you’re a member you’ll get 30% discount.
Double X
But wait there’s more! Ten lucky bloggers were chosen to join the bloggers edition of  NUTRILITE TRIM DOWN SHOWDOWN! WEIGH LOSS CHALLENGE. Luckily I was included and win an almost 7,000 worth of Weight Management Gift Pack which will surely help me a lot in my quest of achieving optimal health within 2 to 3 months.
Writing this blog, I’m now on my 5th day of following Nutrilite’s Weigh Management System. At first, its pretty hard to resists temptation, but the provided guidelines helps me a lot. Now I still eat regularly, I mean more often, but I also exercise a lot. I put my self in different recreational activities for the pass 4 days. I dance even though I’m not into the beat (alone ofcourse), I walk more, I swim, I sleep on the right time and at least do the required 10 minutes exercise everyday.
It may be hard, but I know it’ll be worth it.
For the following days, I’ll write about my journey! :D
If you want, we could do it together with the help of Nutrilite! Just like my fan page and or log on to and
Nutrilite and me are more than willing to help you! :D

  1. Everything over and under is bad. Just keep everything balanced dude. Kaya mo yan! :D

    Astig! nanalo ka pa! :D

    Thumbs up to all your recreational activities. Keep swimming :)


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Monday, August 27, 2012

Do-It-Yourself Orly Iron Butterfly

And so it begins. Here is my first nail polish entry. :D

I saw this really cool polish that is trending right now called Iron Butterfly from Orly. It's a dark charcoal almost-black glitter polish with a matte finish. I added this to my wish list but thought twice about buying it, thinking that I had something similar from way back.

I looked through my stash and there it was, my Ice It! Auto Hem. It got all dried up and gooey over the years--I bought it from the US way back when I was still in high school (go figure)--so I had to refurbish it somehow and bring it back to life. I mixed it with some nail polish solvent which I bought from Watsons and revived the old polish back to the right consistency. On its own, it actually dries pretty matte but it had a very rough texture. It was a good opportunity for me to play with my new Orly matte top coat for some added matte finish.

So here's what it came down to. I already had my China Glaze Concrete Catwalk on from days past. It's a dupe of Deborah Lippmann's Stormy Weather which I thought was quite appropriate for the rainy season. (I'll blog more about it in a future post.) But I got bored with it after a few days and just wanted to do something extra to make them pop out more. What started to be accent nails on my ring finger and my index finger turned out to be a whole new manicure.

Over my 1 coat of Orly Bonder, I had 2 coats of China Glaze Concrete Catwalk, and 1 coat of Seche Vite dry fast top coat. Then, I layered on 1 thick coat of Ice It! Auto Hem, another coat of Seche Vite dry fast top coat, and to seal and top it all off, I put on 1 coat of Orly Matte Top coat. (I decided to put Seche Vite on top of the glitter instead of going straight to the matte top because it makes the texture smoother to the touch. On my right hand, I skipped the extra layer of Seche and it just felt rough and icky.) All in all, 6 coats of polish that came pretty close to Orly’s Iron Butterfly.

You can do this yourself and with much less layers too. You can be flexible and playful. Just experiment! If you have a glossy, densely-packed silver glitter polish that is of the same color as Orly, then all you need is a matte top coat. If the glitters aren’t as packed, do more layers and have a dark, almost-black base. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, you don’t necessarily have to buy every single nail polish color out there. If you have something similar, you can try to be creative. And, a matte top coat is really cool. You can simply layer it over any polish to create a whole new look!

Going back to the Orly comparison, to be honest, I don't really have any grounds for it other than the similarities of the pictures. I have not tried the Iron Butterfly myself, but from the looks of the pictures, you get pretty much the same effect.You can compare my results with this swatch from

At the end of the day, I'm really glad how it all turned out! I had fun showing it off to my friends and it was received very well! But that doesn't mean I'm still not curious about the real deal!

If you've tried Iron Butterfly for yourself, would you say this is pretty close? Or can you convince me into buying it still? Haha! Then again, maybe that's not such a hard thing to do! I easily give in to impulse cravings!

That's all I have for you now! Still have to catch up with so many backlog posts!

Catch you later! :)

**UPDATE 2/23/2013: Those looking for a great charcoal gray or black polish should check out my new post on the Zoya PixieDust Collection. London (fog gray sparkle) and Dahlia (black beauty sparkle) look great!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Karen Lives High

I decided to do a "His and Hers" blog with my husband. Hehe! Does it sound like he didn’t have a choice in the matter? But after all, our lives are very much intertwined and he is very much a part of me as I of him.

Our experiences are shared. We live together, we eat together, we travel together, and right this moment, we are writing for our blogs together. He has to live with my tossing-and-turning when I can’t sleep at night, or my going to bed a few hours before it’s time for him to get up because I had to finish my work or some new project or hobby that I got into. And he has to live with coming home from work to the smell of nail polish. Haha!

But seriously, in his blog, you will find him writing about our adventures, starting with our wedding day. He then goes on writing about our travels and his reflections and recollections of them, and I do my part in taking pictures and commenting on his posts (not that he needs any of my inputs). He's brilliant--just read at least one of his entries!

He has been a constant source of inspiration for me and he continuously motivates me and supports me in the things that I want to pursue, such as this blog. In our many adventures, we have experienced many firsts mutually and independently. And there are so many memories that we have made and now keep.

As my husband puts it:

I begin my blog, lest my memories get confused with dreams, dreams get buried by mundane trappings, and the good things in life be forgotten over time…

Live high, live mighty, live righteously. Take it easy. It's laughter we're making after all.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The Economics of Nail Polish

Before I start posting my nail polish entries, allow me to share with you a few articles which got me thinking about why nail polish is so popular today:

In summary, it is only logical that people tend to spend and consume less during times of economic turmoil. When the going gets tough, adjustments have to be made. But what’s interesting is that even in hard times, sales for simple luxuries like cosmetics continue to increase, perhaps because people try to escape from the bitterness of reality, or to reward themselves for pulling through. Or perhaps, as their remaining means of expressing taste and fashion without the commitment required by expensive shoes and bags.

This trend is nothing new. In early 2000, a concept coined as the “lipstick index” by Leonard Lauder (chairman emeritus of Estée Lauder) emerged, based on the observation that lipstick sales increased when the economy was down. And with the coming of the 2008 financial crisis, it was much the same except this time, nail polish is the new lipstick.

While others may not subscribe to this idea, I personally do buy a lot more nail polish than lipstick. For one, lipstick colors are not as diverse as nail polish, and in the occasions that they are, they run the risk of clashing or catching too much attention that one may want. I also get the feeling that nail polish is much cheaper than lipstick (of course brands make a difference), and allows me to be more adventurous and playful without too much of a commitment. Lastly, I also feel more comfortable experimenting with nail polish rather than lipstick, probably because I’ve always felt that lipsticks make my lips bigger and unnatural. So I usually just stick to glosses or balms that keep my dry chapped lips at bay.

Of course, all this rambling is mostly just an attempt to give context to my new obsession, and perhaps to share some insight on why so many girls are now hooked with the craze. I’m just glad that today, so many nail polish brands have become accessible to Philippine consumers. Not only are nail spas more prolific, it’s also so easy to buy from the numerous retail stores in the Metro, and more importantly, online.

So if you ever come across parents, or boyfriends, or husbands who ask you about your own nail polish obsession, feel free to get scientific with your explanation—blame it on the economics of nail polish!

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Hello Kitty Shades and Glasses

This is a tribute to how it all began.

My classmate Ninna had one of these. Hers are black frameless hello kitty glasses with a red ribbon. I thought it was really cute and asked her where she got them. She said that she bought them from the Greenhills tiangge (bazaar) and it cost her Php100, roughly less than US$3.

But it wasn't until I personally tried on my sister's shades that got me into oh-my-god-I-just-have-to-have-this mode!!! It was a gift to her from her friend who got it from Divisoria. (What a great friend!)

She loved it so much she won't let me have it for a long time. I had to sneak in to steal this shot and I couldn't post it until she gets to post her picture in it first!! Lol! I actually kept my end of the bargain and didn't share it to the public until her picture came out. Am I not such a sweet sister? We love each other that way. <3 :)

And as obsessed as I am, I rallied all of my friends to get these for me too! Thankfully, my friend, the same one who sold nail polishes, went to Divisoria and got my sister and me these babies! Now, we're twinsies!! :)

Loving them so much, I took more photos of myself. Tee hee :*)

Do you know where else I can get these?? You know, my birthday is coming up next month! Hint, hint! ;)

How do you like these shades and glasses? Are you a Hello Kitty fan? Who's your favorite Sanrio character growing up?

Until the next post!

Blogging--A Big First

My latest love are nail polishes. I created an album in my Facebook account entitled "Hi, My name is Karen and I'm a Nail Polish Hoarder". So now, do you have any idea how much I'm obsessed about them? :-D
I started by uploading pictures of my nails in different colors/combos/designs and then listing the brand names and colors of the polishes. Later on, I became more expressive. I just had to talk about them. And for those who know me, when I like something, I mean like really like something, I become very animated, passionate, obsessed, surf-the-net-about-it-before-sleeping-at-night obsessed. Right. Obsessed. Anyway, you get the picture.

I've been getting my polishes from my friend, Ivy, who sells them online through Facebook (Polished Inthecity). So, it was so easy for me to just order and get new stock from her. I even get to visit her nail spa when the new shipment comes in. She's the one who really got me thinking about blogging. (Thank you!!!)

But what's funny was that she didn't think about it when I was posting my nails. It wasn't until I posted my "Hello Kitty" album that got her calling me one day, asking me to start one. :)
I think I'm in for the long haul. I've been keeping all my thoughts in my head, if not in my Moleskine journal, my tea journal, my wine journal, my cardmaking/scrapbooking/crafts clear book, my wedding planner, my dog records, my work notebook... I'm starting to lose track. I seem to have some form of documentation for each of my interests. My friends don't seem to be surprised anymore when I get into something new.

Some of my many notebooks and journals

And of course, I've been sharing all these and more to my second half, the extension of myself, my everdearest husband, who patiently and lovingly listens to all my nonsense ramblings. (I love you!!! And sorry, but you don't have a choice ;))

Now that I'm actually doing this, I'm very happy that I did! I was never the one to openly share my thoughts. I like keeping things to myself; hence, all my journals. This is a big first for me, so let's see how it goes!

What's your reason for blogging? Maybe you can share your blog link here and talk about it. I'd love to check it out and learn something from you!

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Life's Little Wonders

There are so many things to discover, so many things to learn, and so many things to experience. Some may be mundane, others may be more profound. But all the same, they matter. If not to everyone, then maybe to our tiny selves. They make us who we are. They make us happy. Sounds like everyday little wonders to me!

What's your little wonder today? :)

* Our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate.
Time falls away but these small hours, these little wonders still remain. *


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Monthly Archives: Jan 2015

Self‑Defeating Behaviors

  Oftentimes, when working in or with a group, a member’s individual needs interfere with the groups’ effectiveness.  Whether you are leading the group or you are a member of …..

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With Age Comes the Gift of Loving those Younger

My Great Aunt Edith lived to be 96. She died 7 years ago. Until the very end, she got up every day. She lived for more than a decade in …..

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So You’re Not Stealing…But Are You Sharing As Effectively As Possible?

Ok – so I’ve challenged you to think about whether or not you’re stealing from your company when it comes to the sharing of data and information. (Here is the blog if you need a refresher: Are You Stealing ‘Widgets’ From Work?) …If your answer to this question is a definite ‘no!’ then you must Read the full article…

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Sunday, January 8, 2012

Just for a little bit

Today for a little bit, our house had a very peaceful vibe. Kal was studying and I was sewing (between lots of laundry).  The boys were grounded from all electronics SO they were making due with legos, blocks, and their imaginations. It was nice.

Zoë said...

Ahhhh what a great way for the weekend to end.

Zoë said...

Ps Love the new photo!!!

Stephanie said...

sometimes a little bit is all you need, right? happy new year, kari!


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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Dirt and Worms

My 2 beautiful girls have daycare on Monday, which also happens to be Halloween. The daycare asked for kids in costumes and "Halloween snacks to share". Ummm ok daycare people. My brain was going a little crazy but then it went straight to Ree. If you don't know who I'm talking about, I'm talkin' Ree Drummond AKA the Pioneer Woman. I remember seeing her cute little flowerpot desserts and thought I'd appropriate the idea, put my freaky spin on it and call it "halloween snack".
First, I used a packet cup cake mix.
This one, to be exact. It came with cake cases, it came with frosting. I didn't have to weigh or sift any ingredients. Today, that sounded like my kind of cooking. So I baked those suckers...

Ok. So, I left them in the oven for a bit longer than I should have. Don't judge.
Then, I got some choc ripple biscuits -

And whizzed some up in Mr Buzzy, until it looks like dirt.

Mmmmmm yummy chocolatey dirt.
Put the frosting on the cakes, add a gummi worm.

and some "dirt" and here is how they turned out.

Mmmmm Dirt and Worms, anyone?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Meatloaf (Well, kind of)

This is sort of a recipe for a sort of meatloaf.
It is hard to actually put a name on this because, well, there is meat in it and it is a loaf shape, but it is definitely not traditional.
That is what I normally put in there. They can be divided into 5 categories.
Meat - minced beef, occasionally I'll put in about 20% pork mince.
Veges - Always onion, almost always capsicum, often cabbage, usually carrot, sometimes mushrooms. All diced or shredded or minced or grated really REALLY fine (especially if you have vege haters in your clan)
Herbies and spices - Always garlic and some other mix of dried herbs, garlic and herb salt
Sauces and other flavourings - Kajup manis, tomato sauce/pizza sauce, BBQ sauce, Kraft parmesan cheese-like product, wostershire sauce
Binders - 1 egg and some bread crumbs (or cornflake crumbs)

You take you selection of ingredients and slop it into a large (I mean, the biggest one you have) mixing bowl, don some food handling gloves and get in there. Give it a really good mix. Squeeze it through your fingers  and make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. If it looks a little sloppy, add some more bread crumbs, if it looks a little dry, a little more tomato sauce is the ticket. When it is ready, it should look like lumpy off-pinky red playdough.
Smoosh that into a loaf pan,, whack it in the oven on 180 for 60-80 mins.At about  50mins in, brush the top with a mix of half kajup manis and half woster. Yum. Take it out of the oven, drain, slice and serve with a big pile of mash potato and some gravy

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Spiced Banana.... Muffins.

Finally got around to defrosting and reorganising my freezer this weekend. While scraping and chipping and wiping away the ice, and making a list of the contents of the freezer, I came across not one, not 2 but 3 bags of overripe frozen bananas! Jackpot! After cyclones and floods, the Australian (in particular, Queensland) banana crop was all but wiped out, sending the price of bananas through the roof. I think they peaked around here at aroun $15/kg. Before the price hike, we purchased some bananas and the ones that we didn't quite get to, I put in bags of 2 (and a half) and popped them in the freezer to bake with later. Fast forward to today, with bananas still at over $11/kg, finding some frozen ones in the freezer was like finding a gold nugget in your yard. It screamed to me, Spiced Banana Bar. But I wasn't in the mood for a bar cake, and had desire for more of the pleasently crisp edgebits. Solution? Muffins! I topped them with a dot of simple icing and a banana chip.
Here's how they turned out.

Fresh out of the oven

Decorated and ready to eat.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Sauted Cabbage

Quick, easy, tasty and healthy side dish that goes with just about everything.

1 cupe Cabbage, shredded
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced to a paste
Salt and Pepper

1. In a non-stick place butter and oil onto medium heat
2. When butter starts to bubble a little, add the cabbage
3. Move gently around the pan until the cabbage starts to soften slightly and develop small golden brown bits
4. Add garlic, plenty of fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt
5. Saute for another 2 minutes.

That's it. Really yummy with a steak and some mash. I had it today as a side to roast chicken. Try it.


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A Modern Approach to Function

shapeimage_1 (2)The Fall 2015 Matt and Nat collection is now available at the store. I love this line for many reasons:

  1. The design. modern, sleek, minimalist, with a twist
  2. Clean conscience. Vegan leather.
  3. Quality. I have seen 10 year old bags waltz in with their owner and they are still in great shape.
  4. Canadian. ‘nuff said.

Come in and tell me what you think of the line. It’s always nice to get feedback from you.

Happy Long Weekend!


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kate5kiwis: M5's five cents' worth

“If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.” — Mitsugi Saotome

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

M5's five cents' worth

On M5's *fifth* birthday it was the last day that New Zealanders could use their *five* cent pieces. Now the smallest coin in use Down Under is the ten cent. We have a h-u-g-e jar of *fives* that we use mostly for gambling at cards, but today,
during a little quiet moment, M5 decided to tip them all out on the lounge floor and make *me*, Mummy.
"See, it's you Mum, with the curly hair."

Blogger Mostlymummy said...

Cute!! How utterly creative (I hope you made him add them all up afterwards like a *good* teacher lol). Wonder what I'd look like? But then I don't suppose he/d have enough coins for someone of my...er..stature lmao :o) ((Hugs)) M5 you gorgeous wee lad)

3:13 PM
Blogger kate5kiwis said...

I hope you made him add them all up
of course not, tho' i did make a mental note (and now a cybernote lol) that he said to me before he got down to The Real Business of Creating, "mum, twenty of these makes one whole dollar: i know because i counted."

5:30 PM
Blogger Mostlymummy said...

Smart and gorgeous he's a keeper :o).

9:28 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No - he's a banker !

10:27 PM
Blogger Mostlymummy said...

Ahhhhhh clever anonymous, must run in the family ;o)

7:17 AM
Blogger kate5kiwis said...

lol hay, you know that *anonymous* is my dad!!!
who is the Official Times Tables Tester of the family. which is good, that's how i got my ballet shoes when i was eight. and it's great that M5 is learning his by osmosis, cos i don't think he wants ballet shoes... X

8:18 AM
Blogger Mostlymummy said...

Yep I'd guessed that lol. You've got great genes, and jeans too :o)

9:25 AM
Anonymous Jen said...

how fun
would they good for maths too???

4:18 PM
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Talking of jeans - just check M5's pockets for holes. From recent experience, you seem to have missed your chance with S9 !

5:04 PM
Blogger Abigail said...

tell M5 i think he is the cutest little boy that ever lived and i love him VERY MUCH!!!!!!!

10:26 AM

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Friday, January 29, 2010

This week it's Keryn'd turn to set the dare for The Daring Cardmakers and she's chuffed to little mintballs that the long summer holidays are almost over - in New Zealand, that is!
 Early next week all the children that have been on holiday from school in New Zealand for approx seven weeks will be returning to their new classrooms. Mother's will all be breathing a sigh of relief as their routines return to normal.
To celebrate this I want you all to create cards using the theme of school. If you've got children at school what they're up to might inspire your card, if not maybe memories of your own school days might be your inspiration.

There are some great ideas for school-themed cards over on our BLOG, so please pop over and see  the "homework" the Team have been doing this week.  I'm sure you'll award some gold stars and A+ ratings.  Well, I hope so anyway.

I took the chance to get ahead and make a card for my cousin's little boy who'll be 4 at the end of next month.  I think I'll add his name and numeral later so I've left a bit of room for those.
I found a clipart picture and used it to make a Robo template, though this one would be easy enough to cut just from a printed out B&W version of the picture.
The various sections of the bag were all cut on the Robo using Bazzill card.  For the pencils and apple I used glossy card - which was why this was a real piggy to photograph!  The big button, stars and smilies are also Robo cut.
The ruler and book were hand cut and then I added a few extra stickers that were lurking in my stash.

Right, got to finish this quickly as hubby is working from home and about to start a phone conference - which means I have to stop clickety-clicking on the keyboard! hehehe

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Sew What

I had an early (for me) start this morning as I had to take the car to the garage for MOT and service by 8.30.  Normally at that time I'm still lingering over my toast and coffee and thinking about what I'm going to do with the day.   As a treat for being so good I bought one of those yummy Sicilian Lemon Muffins from Greggs as I walked home through town....what I want to know is why don't Greggs sell stotties in all their branches?  I think they should - it would mean I didn't have to buy half a dozen to stuff the freezer with when we're on the way back from Northumberland, or beg anyone coming this way to bring with them.  "Yes, of course you can stay - but can you pop in to Greggs and buy some stotties on your way?"
There are loads of Northumbrians and their descendants living in our town. Apparently many came looking for work in the 1920s around the time of the Jarrow marches.  Not long after my family moved south my mum stood in the PO waiting to collect ehr Family Allowance, the man behind her recognised her accent and asked where she was from.  Turned out his family had once lived a couple of streets away from my Grandma.  Small world.

Anyway, I shall endeavour to put thoughts of a bacon stotty out of my head (difficult as my mouth is watering at the idea). now and concentrate on getting this blog done as I need to get Mr Robo started on cutting the bits for my DCM card or it won't be finished for tomorrow.

Today on Bubbly Scrumptious I've got a card to share.  It was only after I'd finished making it that I realised it would make quite a nice canvas or a wall hanging of some sort - which would have been lovely to hang in the spare room where my sewing cabinet lives.  Never mind, maybe I'll do the larger collage version another time.

You can find all the info on how it was made by clicking HERE
Is it me, or do you think I'm having a bit of a Turquoise phase at the moment?  Scroll back through the recent posts and you'll see what I mean!
Right, stop waffling Kathy, it's now 10.30 and you must get that card done!
Honestly, I can be soooo bossy sometimes.
Thanks for visiting

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Touchy, Feely

Browsing around the "shop windows" of my fave online craft shops the other day I happened upon (as you do)  some rather irresistible sei papers in the Craftz Boutique.  A bit pricy, but they were too delicious to resist.
So gorgeous that I didn't even want to keep them and stroke them for too long either - I just wanted to use them :-O  - I know!  I shocked myself too!

The first cards I made were sent off before I remembered about taking photos, but yesterday I was using them again and this time I did some pics.  Now these papers are not only gloriously rich in colour and pattern, but they are made extra special because some are textured, some foiled and some have flocking on them - all very touchy feely! Unfortunately, mpst of that doesn't come over on a photo, but if you look carefully at the one above you can see some of the foil glinting in the light of the studio lamps.

  The swirly patterned paper on the card above is actually part of a sheet which is shaped - I'm saving the shaped bits to use on something else (just don't know what, yet!)

They may be a tad expensive, but you can make a LOT of cards as you don't need much to get the effect . That is my excuse. I will hear no arguments, ok? Fingers in my ears la la la la la.  I can't hear you....

 I thought I'd have a change from squares and use rectangles instead - I'm pleased I did, I like the  way you see more of the gorgeous striped, foiled papers on the rectangles.  The mustardy-brown background paper has a lovely texture too, as does the teal/dark blue one I've used on a couple of the cards

 The really creamy bits on the cards are generally the flocked bits of the papers, one has a lovely leaf design - I'll use the whole leaf designs on other stuff, I've just been punching and cutting bits from around the edges to make these cards.

 Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that apart from lovely papers, I can't resist lovely flowers either.  Along with the papers, into my basket fell three tubes of Prima Artful flowers.
 Well, I couldn't decide which one to buy, could I?  And it was cold.  And it was ages since I'd bought anything.  Well, except the cropadile Big Bite I got the other week - but that doesn't count because it's a tool. And the BG Indian Summer collection I bought at the same time - that doesn't count either because that was stocking up on colours I needed.
As it happened, the pinks, blues and greys of one of the Artful sets matched beautifully with the papers, so it was obviously meant to be ;-).

Well, that's it for today, off now to craft some more.  Catch up with you again soon

Monday, January 25, 2010

Little Things

Bit of a grey start to the week hereabouts, but the sun is making a bit of an effort to brighten it up a bit.
I've been faffing about most of this morning unable to settle to anything, but I'm going to sit down at my craft desk and make a few quick cards after I've finished here - I really, really am.....

A few days back I gave a blog post the title "Being Frivolous" because of something I'd been making for no real reason other than fun.  I didn't get round to showing the finished project, so here it is now
I've been playing about making Craft Robo templates for matchboxes prior to taking part in a couple of matchbox swaps with crafty friends and this was my prototype.  Having made the template, cut it out and formed the box I decided to use some of the lovely bits from my Creative Treasures January Flower Kit to decorate it and to make something to put inside.  I'm not sure what use a tiny notebook like this would actually be, but it was fun to make anyway! The cover has a lace layer which doesn't shoe up too well and is trimmed with ribbon.
The inkpad in the photo below is to indicate size - the lovely Gez often adds an inkpad to her photos when she's made really little things so I've pinched the idea as it's the perfect crafter's size gauge.

Papers are MME Bloom & Grow
Flowers, ribbon, butterfly charm and lace are all from the Frosted Lace kit from Creative Treasures, with the exception of the orange flower.

While all those lovely flowers and ribbons were on my desk I made this card too
Ribbon, large leaf and wired roses all from the kit mentioned above
Small turquoise and white Primas from my stash, card is Bazzill and the rub-on greeting  is another from the sheet I made a couple of months back
Border punch is an MS one I got for Christmas.

Right, that's it for today, I really must go and make some cards....or shall I have some lunch first?

Have a great day, thanks for visiting

Friday, January 22, 2010

What's the Point?

It's was my turn to set the dare for The Daring Cardmakers and several times this week I've asked myself the same question "Why on earth did I write that in as a dare?"  Still, as you'll see if you pop over to the DCM BLOG, the team came up trumps - and I have to admit that the only one who moaned about the dare was me!
What's the Point?
I'd like to see cards featuring points or pointers of some kind - the hands of a clock, arrows, pointing fingers, view-points, pointy stars, pointy ears (hehe), pencil points.... maybe pins and needles could also be incorporated into your designs.
I was so stuck that I didn't even get as far as making any false starts, but sometime in the depths of Wednesday night when sleep was eluding me (grrrrr) I came up with an idea.  It's a bit of a change from the things I usually make, but a change is as good as a rest, they say.

The pointing finger is some free clipart that I changed to print out in shades of grey and to the size I wanted.
All the lettering on the front of the card, and the stars on the inside was cut by Mr Robo (bless him ;)).  The stars were included as another pointy thing, the lettering on the inside is yet more from the sheet  of birthday message "rub ons" I made way before Christmas - it's still going strong!

I discovered something while making this card - I found out that I need to up my supplies of shades of grey Bazzill - I really had to scrabble through my stuff to find enough bits to make this.

Just a reminder that there's another chance to see Anice showing  Funky Hand's new CD "Dreams Come True" on Ideal World this afternoon.   Tune in at 2pm on the TV or click HERE and use the "Watch us Live" option on the menu bar (along the top of the screen, far right)

You can also order through the Funky Hand website too.
Please let me know if you spot any of these ;)

I love these papers, the designs are wonderful and there are sooooo many colour collections to choose fromThe last show was a sell-out and I'm sure today's will go swimmingly too.

Please go and see what the DCM Team have been making this week - I'm blown away by the fabulous range of cards they've come up with - they obviously didn't struggle as much as I did, that's for sure!I'd love it if you'd join in and share your creations too, it's always such a joy to follow the links left on the message board - there is just endless creativity out there, you know! :)
Thanks for visiting

Thursday, January 21, 2010

About the House

My project for Bubbly Scrumptious (emag for the Bubbly Funk shop) this week uses the Studio Calico papers in the Home Front collection.

I must admit, unlike some of the others on the DT, I've struggled with these, they've been sitting on my desk for a while now.  I kept getting them out, leafing through them and putting them back in the bag!  They are unusual and interesting designs but more specific to a theme than the papers I usually use - so they taxed this "bear of little brain".

Some ideas come quickly, others need a bit more time.  We've been thinking about things we need to do in our own house, and also for some work we want to have done on a house we rent out to tenants, so we've been trawling around the DIY places, kitchen showrooms, bathroom places, tile warehouses etc. It made me think of work we'd already done and also about things like roof checks, external paintwork, tree maintenance that should really be on some sort of regular schedule to keep them in good order.  We're just not that organised but thinking about it all sparked off the idea for making some sort of organiser book for keeping a note of all this stuff.

I've made this "About the House" book while full of good intentions to do better about record keeping (when we did the work, who did the work, resources used, paint colours, serial numbers etc), and maybe also having somewhere to keep notes and clippings for future reference when we come to do things that are further down the "to do" list.
Obviously making something like this is no guarantee that I'll ever actually use it, but it's a start, eh?

You can see more about the book and how I made it by clicking HERE and if you joined in with my Sketch Challenge last week, the winner of the random draw, and therefore of Caroline's fab "Stamps and Ribbons" prize can be found HERE

Thanks for popping by - I hope you enjoyed your visit.
Please leave a message if you've time - I love reading them :)

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Being Frivolous

What I should be doing is getting down to making a card for Friday's DCM - it's my turn to set the dare and I came up with an idea ages ago, popped it on our little calendar and promptly forgot about it.  Till last Friday when I looked to see who's turn it was this week, found out that it was me and then saw what I'd actually written down.
So, as I haven't the foggiest idea what to do I decided to mull it over while doing other things.  That's my excuse anyway.
The other things include making the mess I'm sharing with my fellow WOYWW (what's on your workdesk Wednesday) nutters, who bravely take camera in hand  and each Wednesday take and post a photo of how their workspaces are looking atm.

 If you'd like to see more crafty workspaces, head over to Julia's blog for all today's links - maybe you'll join in and show yours too - it would be fab to see even more crafty works stations!

There is a point to what I'm making in all that mess, but not much point in what I'm making iykwim - I'm busy making something to show the wonderful "Frosted Lace" Flower kit from Creative Treasures - all will be revealed if I ever get it finished.  The actual thing I'm making is just a silly bit of frivolity - well, its a dark and dingy day and I need a bit of frivolity to see me through it.

Here's a mini pizza box I made at the weekend using the same "Frosted Lace" kit along with lovely MME "Bloom & Grow" papers, cute, eh?

All of the flowers, ribbon and lace I've used came in the kit.  I used some of the lace to make a rosette to frame the other flowers.  I absolutely adore these colours, and they are are easy to add just a hint of an entirely different colour to for different looks. I made last Friday's DCM with these colours and added some purple, for this box there's a s plash of orange in the papers.

Right, I think it's time I had some lunch - my tummy is growling away, good job you can't hear it, I tell you!
Happy crafting

Monday, January 18, 2010

The Most Depressing Day of the Year?

Another Monday morning - they say that today is the most depressing day of the year. However, I'm glad to say that I'm not feeling miserable (even though it's a bit of a grey day) and I hope you're not either!  Ooooh just as I say it's a bit grey the sun comes out.... well, it makes the effort, anyway!

I'm on my way to the kitchen to make a coffee, and then I need to do some craft stuff (trying not to think about the H*work that also needs doing) but I thought I'd pop on here first and add the other cards I've made using the latest set of  Crafty Templates.

The whole set has a "Love and Hugs" feel about it and all the templates are easy to adapt to use on lots of different cards and projects. Although she just sends out "bare-bones" templates to the DT, in the project file that customers receive with the actual templates Leo always gives ideas for how to make specific cards.  Really, though, they are just starting points and it's down to you how you use them on your own projects.

I thought the little love birds with the banner would work really well as a gatefold, opening to reveal the banner inside

I made a second par of birds for the inside of the card.  Each bird has 2 sets of wings, with the upper wing not fully attached so that you can lift the tips up and curl them a little for some extra dimension

All the white space freaked me out though and I'm really not convinced I got this one right.  Maybe a coloured or patterned background would have been better.  Even though I like the basic idea, I just feel there's something not quite right with the finished object.  You know how it is ;)

The next card is the Friendship Tree.  I love Leo's gorgeous curly trees - I converted this one to cut on the Robo, but I know that Leo always hand-cuts hers - just to prove that you shouldn't be put off because they look fiddly. Glue the template to the wrong side of your paper and it's much easier (hint hint!)

Anyway, the tree is so lovely I decided it deserved a little bird to sit in it's branches - so used the bird from last month's template set to make one, and added the message hanging from his beak with some skinny ric-rac braid.

Most of the card and paper used on these cards is from the Crafty Goodies Kit - which is available, along with the Template Set from HERE.
The flowers, braid and a few other bits and bobs were from my stash.

Just before I go and get that coffee, can I remind anyone who's reading this about the sketch challenge I've currently got running on Bubbly Scrumptious, click HERE to find out more and also to see the prize that Caroline is offering to those who enter.  There are about 5 or 6 entrants so far and I'd love it if more people would join in and let us all see what you can make.

Right, I need that coffee now, so I'll shut up now.  Back later to have a wander around and see what everyone else is up to on their blogs
Have a lovely day

Friday, January 15, 2010

Hole In One

Lythan's turn this week to set the challenge for on The Daring Cardmakers.

Hole in One

I'd like you to make a card that has at least one hole in it. Could be a card with an aperture or one that features a border punch with holes in or you can use a hole punch to create a pattern. See how inventive you can be!

Last weekend my new flower kit from Creative Treasures arrived.  As soon as I opened the envelope I knew it would be a Bad Thing to open the cellophane bag inside - I could see enough of the contents to know that I'd want to use the contents straight away - so just for once I exercised a bit of self-discipline and left the bag sealed until I'd finished things further up the to do list.  I know!  I quite shocked myself too hehe

Even though the bag was sealed the bits that I could see were helping to form a plan for Lythan's dare, and by the time I came to make it all I had to find were the right papers.  They turned out to be some of those in the MME Penny Lane collection - aren't they gorgeous, what a wonderfully Spring-like mix of colours.  Adding in a few bits of purple from my stash meant the papers matched the flowers and ribbons etc perfectly,

I cut lots of circular holes using different punches/dies of different sizes, Added some MME paper to the inside of the card so that the various embellishments would really show up well through the holes.

I used a couple of Nesties dies, a couple of Cuttlebug dies and 2 or 3 plain circle punches to make a random pattern in the upper section of the card.

Most of the flowers, ribbons, buttons and the tiny leaf are from the Creative Treasures January Kit which is called "Frosted Lace".  It's full of pale greens, turquoises and white blooms, ribbons, buttons, lace and various other bits and pieces which I'm going to love using.
Click HERE to see (and order!) the Flower Kit - and to be tempted by all the other lovely things Tracy has gathered together in the shop.

I used my cropodile to punch a couple of random lines of the larger holes along the turquoise strip, then added a tiny Anita's 2mm gem in each of the holes.
I loved making this card and it took no time at all because everything is so random - very little measuring to make sure things are straight or symmetrical - just "Punch, and Go!" hahaha

Please check out all the lovely holey cards on the DCM BLOG this week, and please join in with the fun - that's two challenges in two days I've issued - you might be able to join them both into one card if you're really smart!  Actually I might give that a go myself!

Don't forget tomorrow is Funky Hand's new CD "Dreams Come True" launch date - The time and place is Ideal World's Create and Craft, 12 noon, Saturday 16th January.  You can pre-order though by heading for the Funky Hand website straight away!  You can view the programme on your pc via the link in the sidebar on the C&C website HERE

I think that's all.  I'll be back soon with more of the bits and pieces I've made this week, I hope you've liked what you've seen today and you'll visit again soon.  Please leave a message before you go - I do love to read them.
Happy Crafting

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Yay! It's RAINING!

I've never been so glad to hear rain on the windows, then look out and see the snow is being washed away.  The grass is visible again and gradually the paths and road are appearing too.  I bet it's really slippery though.
Mind you I'm sure I heard a weather forecast that said more snow was on the way - wouldn't it be nice if they'd got that wrong - usually we moan when they get it wrong - but that's because they tell us it's going to be hot and sunny and it turns out damp and miserable!

Bubbly Scrumptious day today and I've made a few cards to show on there this week.  There are three cards and they all use the Violette Wings kit, which I'm managing to make spin out as long as possible!  The main thing this week though, is that all three cards were made following the same template - and that I've issued a challenge for anyone else who dares to join in - make any sort of crafty project using the template, then leave a message, on the challenge thread with a link so we can see it - even if you don't have a blog of on-line gallery you can still enter by sending a photo to Caroline (the address is on the BS blog).  The names of all those who join in will be put into the virtual hat and one lucky person will win this prize, couresty of Bubbly Funk:

It's a Hero Arts Designer Ribbons Stamp Set, along with a lovely array of ribbons and trims to go with it.

Head over HERE to see the cards I've made in full and of course to see the sketch you need to use for making your own project.

I really hope you'll join in, I'd love to see what you make.

I'm also popping this sketch onto my Sketch File blog - so you can also link to that too.  I'm going to try and add at least one new sketch each month - I was really rather useless at adding new sketches on there towards the end of last year.  This year I'll try harder!

Off now to finish my card for tomorrow's Daring Cardmakers, ooooh it's all go, isn't it hehe

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A Great Big Hug and WOYWW

By late yesterday afternoon I could see the green of the grass in my garden again, and at the front of the house I could see a tarmac road instead of the white of compacted snow. But this morning it's all white again and it's been snowing lightly all morning.  OK so we've not as much snow here as a lot of people are dealing with, and there's only a fraction of what we had before Christmas but I DON'T LIKE IT.  I just want it to go away.  I've got Winter hibernation tendencies to start with, I don't need the added complication of this manky weather.

That's my "rant for the day" over with.  I've made myself a hot chocolate - I've discovered that the steamer on my lovely Gaggia cappuccino maker is fab for heating the milk and a lot less hassle than using a pan.
Wednesday means it's WOYWW time again - if you've not come across this little bit of fun and inquisitiveness click on the WOYWW blinkie in the side bar to find out more.

Here's how my desk looks today, you can click for a closer look ;)

There's something I've just finished and in amongst the stuff I've been using is a little poly-baggie full of gorgeousness which is the next thing on my "to-do" list.  Not even dared open the bag because I knew I'd want to play with the contents instead of finishing other jobs!

Anyway, I bet there are a lot of people who could use a great big warm hug  today, so this card, made using one of this month's Crafty Templates is for you:

Isn't he gorgeous?
You can get your own set of fabulous Crafty Templates HERE, this month is all about hugs, hearts and friendship.  You can also find out and order the Crafty Goodies Kit Leo puts together each month.  I've used card and paper from the kit on the teddy card, plus a bit of my own stash by way of the purple and pink card scraps.

I've a couple more cards to share, but I'll save them for another time.

Hope you're keeping safe and warm in this horrible weather

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Something Funky Afoot!

Since Christmas I've been busy working on projects for a couple of the DT's I'm lucky enough to be involved with.  Top of the "to-do" list for immediately after Christmas was getting down to, making samples for the up-coming release of the new Funky Hand CD.  As I waved "Goodbye" to my rellies on  3rd Jan, suddenly the 16th of Janiary sounded very close indeed.

Anyway, I thought I'd tempt you with some glimpses/sneak peeks.
The CD is called "Dreams Come True" and if you love to have lots wonderful paper designs in lots of different colour-ways, then this really is a dream come true.  Every time I look through the collections that are on the CDs, or see things that the other DT members have made, I'm seeing designs and colours that I hadn't spotted before!  I know that sound mad, but it's true.

This is a sneak peek of the first thing I made.  I think you can see at least 6 of the designs in this gorgeous colour theme on here, but there are still lots more to choose from - I just couldn't squeeze them all on one project

 Sneak peek number 2 uses another of my favourite colour themes, I adore the muted reds, greens etc in this set.  Both of these colour themes are fab for masculine projects as well as girly ones.  I'm thrilled to have things like this at my fingertips as I always struggle to find papers in my collection that I can use for all the nephews and other males in our family.

The big news is that Anice has today released the CD for pre order on the Funky Hand Website, they won't be mailed out till after the TV launch, but you can have "first dibs" by getting over there and placing your order HERE

Oooooh did I just mention the Telly?
Yep, the official launch for "Dreams Come True" will take place on Ideal World's Create and Craft on Saturday 16th January at 12noon - if you don't have the freeview/satellite channels on your regular TV to watch it you can still tune in via your computer and see Anice doing her stuff and showing all the samples the team have been making over the last couple of weeks.

There's another show scheduled for  Friday 22nd  January at 2pm if you miss the first one or just want to see more!

I'll add a couple more sneakie peekies as the week goes on.
Right, I've been doing the dreaded housework this morning, so now it's time for lunch and then I get to craft, woohoo

Hope your snow is melting fast!