Chores As Spritual Metaphor: Refinishing Furniture

I'm slowly learning what seasoned contemplatives have always known:  tedious chores reflect my spiritual journey.

As I struggle to make myself work on a 1940's, family end-table, I am continually reminded of the spiritual metaphors cleverly hidden in the work.
First of all, the project and my spiritual development are important to me.  I realize the value of the history that the piece contains.  It matches a chair I completed a year or so ago.  I grew up with these items in my home.  My father refinished them once already.  Too bad the style back then was dark brown everything!  So just as my spirit, cannot follow the exact path my father took, I choose a new direction and set to work.  I hope to connect to the dedication, determination and persistence that my father put into action when he undertook this project in a different way, sometime in the 1970's.

Refinishing furniture involves a lot of labor, and a lot of time.  My commitment to my spiritual journey also involves the stripping away of the old, the excavation of many layers and the time consuming work of going deep into the cracks and crevices, grooves and bumps, to clean, smooth and make fresh, not only the surface, but the depths.

It's finally freaking hot in Northeast Oregon.  The mornings are perfect for getting back to this project.  Both my spiritual work and this project show me that I have a tendency to focus far too much on outcome and a finished product, than on the process of how I get there and what I find along the way.  When I focus on how much there is to do, how difficult it will be to do it and how long it could take me, I get completely overwhelmed and often walk away in utter frustration.  When I join with the labor of both, and take it as it comes, paying attention to what is there in each layer, some very remarkable gifts are given.

Some days I join well, and simply decide to work until I am bored, tired, or frustrated.  Some days all I can think is "I hate this and I want to be DONE, RIGHT NOW!"  How often have I thought the exact same thing when trying to approach the work of my spirit?  I want to do the easy stuff.  The large flat surfaces that sand away easily and show me rapid progress.  The cracks, gouges, corners and obstacles are hard.  They take a long time.  They take effort.  Progress is hard to see.

Just when I think the sanding and stripping are complete, I realize that refinement continues.  I must go with ever finer grit, making the surface smoother and smoother.  And when it feels complete, the wear and tear of use begins.  Scratches and scars happen as life happens.  Unlike the refinishing projects, the spiritual work is never done.  It only feels like I'll never finish this table.  I know I'll never finish my spiritual growth.  Why do I mistakenly believe that I will somehow arrive or come to a completion point?  And knowing that I won't, why to I continue to pretend and act as though I will and get frustrated when yet another notch or crevice full of varnish, gunk or woundedness appears?

I can tell what is going on within me by how I react to such projects day to day.  The unrest on the outside reflects the unrest on the inside.  The lack of patience with process is telling.  I could turn this into a contemplative exercise.  Eliminate the push and the pull.  Just show up and begin sanding.  One crack, one peg, one angle at a time.  Some of the going will feel effortless and some will be arduous.  I would like to be mindful as I work.  I would like to view each stroke of the sandpaper as a gentle reminder that I work continuously, no matter the duration.  I would like to pace my work to what I am able to cope with in that moment.  No more and no less.

Stay tuned as I address other chores and what they teach us about life and our spiritual journey.  And maybe one day, I'll even post a photo of the completed table!

Shamanic Message for 2010

Someone recently posted this YouTube clip on Facebook, and it resonated deeply with me.  I have received the same message over and over.

I'm not asking for debate on this, I'm just sharing it as my truth.  For me.

Once I was working with a non-verbal, non-mobile client.  I was providing energy healing for this person.  There was no way for them to communicate with me.  Well, maybe not.

During the session, the message that kept flowing through me non-stop was "Remember who you are, remember who you are, remember who you are..." and then, like a bolt of clear understanding, this client communicated telepathically "I KNOW who *I* am.  Do you know who *YOU* are???".  That really took me back, and I had to admit that, no, I do not yet fully know who I am.

Just sit with this message and try to put aside your religious belief set and just feel the message.  And if you already have extremely strong religious views and don't want to think in another way...just skip this post.  Cuz I'll tell you upfront, I'm not posting comments about how wrong I am, or what the Bible says.  This is one post where I am not asking for your opinion, I'm just sharing something that hums true in my spirit.



And, if this sparked your interest, and you have time, here is another very moving interview by "Little Grandmother".  Head's up, it runs over 72 minutes, so do it when you have time.  I was put off by the length, and in fact, I would listen for a bit, pause, move around or do something, return and continue.  For me, it was well worth it.

Kiesha Little Grandmother: One with Nature from kedarvideo on Vimeo.

Review: Misto Cooking Oil Sprayer

I had my last frustrating bout with a can of O Organics Olive Oil spray from Safeway.  Doesn't matter if you buy Pam or some other form of spray oil for non-stick cooking, you will, on occasion get one of those blasted cans that just spits rather than actually sprays a nice mist.  And, also, you will cough and sputter when you get that mist propellant mist due to the caustic propellants used to make it spray in the first place.

So at Bi-Mart, for $10, I bought the Misto.  You fill it with your own cooking oil (in my case, organic olive oil), and pump the top a few times to build up some pressure, and then spray the same way you would Pam.

You only fill these about half way with oil so that there is room for the pressure part.  They only spray for about 10 seconds or so before you have to pump more pressure in, but, big deal, it's easy, and sort of fun.  And you are dumping fewer pressurized cans with propellants into the landfills.  I know these have been on the market in one form or another for many years, but I never really gave them much thought.  I learn things when it is time for me to learn them, I guess.  I'm pretty sure that Tupperware has had one on the market for a long time.

This is what it looks like out of the pkg.

And here it is with all it's parts viewable.

Be sure to read the directions on any of these to see how each one functions and how they recommend that you clean it.  They don't recommend dishwasher cleaning and they recommend cleaning this one every 6-8 weeks.  Oils can get gummy over time.

Do you have one that you like?  Tell us about it and share a link.

And now, here is a video clip showing the Misto in use:

Review: Starbucks Via Instant Iced Coffee

Starbucks latest promotion is an instant iced coffee in easy to use pkts that mix instantly with cold water to create on-the-go, iced coffee.  I had a $1 off coupon so I purchased a 5pk that retails for about $6.  Do you know how much iced coffee you could make for that amount of money just by brewing a large pot of your favorite coffee?  A lot.

 The pkts inside are much like the on-the-go pkts of Crystal Light.  A little tube that you tear the top off of and dump into water, stir and then add ice.  The one I bought says it is "lightly sweetened"...meaning sugar. 

As iced coffee goes, it was fine.  Nothing special, and certainly not worth the price.  I'm happy to report that they meant "lightly sweetened" instead of way too sweet.

I'm not sure where their market for this product is.  If you're anyplace near coffee (home or office) it just makes sense to make your own.  It's not hard, and doesn't take that long.  And if you're on the go, on vacation and such, one would tend to just purchase a ready made glass/cup of their favorite beverage. 

What do you think?  Have you tried it?  In what situations is this a product you would buy regularly.  I tried it, but I won't buy it again.  Not because it is bad...it taste's perfectly fine.  But it isn't special, and it costs too much.  I use Starbucks like a treat...for a special drink that I can't seem to replicate at home.

Review: McDonalds Smoothies and Frappes

Have you tried these yet?  Look for the free 12 oz coupons to give them a try.  Plus there are coupons available on the web if you look around for them.  I've tried the Wild Berry smoothie and the Caramel Frappe.  I may skip the Strawberry smoothie because it also has banana in it and I'm not a fan of banana.  I'll probably try the mocha frappe, just, you know, to say I have.  It's all about bringing my opinions to you...that's all...I do this all for you.  Yeah, right.

According to the ingredients lists posted by McDonald's, the Wild Berry smoothie contains:  Wild Berry fruit blend (whatever that is), low fat yogurt and ice.  The strawberry smoothie contains: strawberry and banana blend, low fat yogurt and ice.  It was nice that it wasn't overly sweet.  It had some zing to it.  And I mean to tell you, this puppy is COLD.  If you suffer from brain freeze...this will do it to you!

The frappes (Starbucks equivalent to the frapacinos) are not as deep in their coffee flavor if that makes sense.  The caramel one I tried was super sweet.  But it has been a while since I've had a regular Starbucks frapacino, so maybe theirs are super sweet too.   Usually these days, I order a skinny (sugar free and fat free). It was pretty good though.  The caramel frappe contains:  Caramel coffee frappe base (what??), Ice, whipped cream and caramel drizzle...and you would have to do more digging because each of these items, except for, perhaps, the ice, has hideous additives in it.  But you can find all of the ingredients at this McDonald's site.

Since mine were free with coupon, I'm not really sure what the prices are.  The 12 oz is very tiny.  I like large drinks (32 oz or so), and I'm guessing the price is in the $2-3 range for the smallest size.  Actually, their prices are not THAT much lower than Starbucks, which is weird.

The smoothies might be reasonably healthy although I had trouble locating exactly what was in the fruit blends.  If they contain sugar, they don't need to.  And I bet they do.  Smoothies made at home cost less, are fresher and are sweetened with fruit juice.  But if you need to make a fast food run, this is probably a better alternative than a shake or a coke.

If you've had them, tell me what you think.  I think they are too small, priced too high, and have crap ingredients.  BUT...that doesn't mean they aren't tasty or that I won't have one from time to time (along with those fries I can't seem to stay away from).

Hot Dog!

Nuff said?  He just looks like I feel some summer days!  Not my dog though, it was just one of those that gets passed around in email.

Growing Basil and Making Pesto

This is a "guest blog" post from my sister.  She knows about this stuff...Me?  Not-So-Much.  OK.  Not at all.  Thanks Laurel! (I guess that makes me Hardy).

Lessons from Laurel (a branch from Willow's family tree)

Willow has expressed her frustration with growing basil and it's 
something I do each summer.  While I don't have a garden space in my current home, we fill up pots with basil and look forward to filling the freezer with pesto each year.

Basil needs full sun and a fair amount of water.  We give ours a shot of miracle grow at first - but if you wish to grow without any 
chemicals, it isn't necessary.  Another thing that's important to 
know about growing basil is that you shouldn't allow it to flower.  I never really understood this until my mother-in-law (a Master 
Gardener) said that when a plant produces a flower, its life is  over.  The flower then drops its seeds and the life cycle starts over.  Ahh...I get it now!   So, when you see a flower starting torear it's lovely little head, do as Barney Fife would warn, and "NIP 
IT IN THE BUD!"  I either cut them off with scissors or just snap them off in my hand.

When the plants begin to look full and healthy, it's time for the first cutting.  Again, on the advice of my mother in law - one must  be brutal.  I was way too polite the first time I cut some basil from 
her garden.  She took the scissors and whacked it down until it looked like sad little sticks, promising it would double in size in about 2-3 weeks.  Show the basil who's boss! Here is a before and after shot of my first cutting.

Once I've cut it, I dump it all in a sink full of cold water and rinse it well.  Watch the earwigs attempt the backstroke, and laugh if you wish!  (Earwigs give me the heebie-jeebies!)  The next job is usually relegated to my husband - picking the leaves from the stems.  Once this is done, I rinse just the leaves and allow the water to drain away.

*If you wish to dry basil to use as a spice, I suppose it may be easier to keep the leaves attached to the stems, and hang upside down for drying.  [Willow adds that she is capable of drying basil successfully]

To make pesto, you need a food processor and some freezer containers to put it in.  In the book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kinsolver, she suggests freezing everything in zip lock bags - once frozen, they stack easily and take up less freezer space.  I think this is a brilliant idea, but my husband wasn't crazy about trying to get pesto out of a ziplock.  I guess we could scoop it out into a container once it thaws.  If you want little bits of pesto, you can freeze it in ice cube trays, or muffin tins.  Once frozen, dump them 
out, wrap in wax paper, and put them all in a gallon zip lock.  I  like having a variety of different sizes for different recipes or uses.



Pesto can be an expensive endeavor.  I always buy the biggest container of olive oil I can find for the best price at the Grocery Outlet, or Winco.  I also purchase pine nuts from Winco, as they are much less per pound than Safeway, or even the local health food store.  I have no idea if they are organically cultivated or not, but when we are talking $12-19/lb. I don't ask.  (Safeway sells for about $27/lb. last I checked).  I also buy my parmesan cheese at an outlet store, like Grocery Outlet.  I love high quality cheese and oil, but save the really good stuff for toppings and special things.  I look at pesto as a bulk recipe that works just fine with bulk ingredients.

Pesto Recipe - (this amt. fills the food processor)
3 full, packed, cups of Basil leaves
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of pine nuts (you may substitute walnuts or pistachios)
1 cup parmesan (shredded, not the powdered stuff that comes in a green can)
1 cup olive oil

Put it all in the food processor and whirl it until it's blended.  I generally have to wipe down the sides with a spatula and give it one more whoosh.  Store in the container of your choice and freeze what you're not going to use.  Don't be surprised if the pesto in the fridge darkens a little, almost looking brown. It tastes the same, 
it's just that the leaves change color.

Perfectly Pesto Cheese Cake - this is a show stopper at holiday parties!
Crust:
1 TB Butter
1/4 C fine bread crumbs
2 TB Parmesan Cheese
Combine crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9" 
springform pan.

Filling:
2 8 oz Cream Cheese
1 C Ricotta Cheese
1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
3 large eggs
1/2 C pesto
1/3 C pine nuts
Cream the ricotta, parmesan, salt & cayenne.  Blend well, and add the eggs, one at a time.
Transfer 1/2 the mixture to a medium sized bowl.  Mix pesto into the remaining 1/2, and pour over the crust.  then top with plain cheese mixture and smooth the top.  Sprinkle with pine nuts, and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until the center is set.  Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Serve with an assortment of crackers, or toasted French bread rounds.

Now, if anyone knows how to successfully grow cilantro - I want to here about it.  It just seems to go to flower so quickly, I can never grow an actual bunch.  I LOVE cilantro best in mexican dishes!  
Another recipe for another day...

Movie Review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Good clean Disney fun.  We were entertained.  Gotta love Nick Cage and the kid...the nerd...was awesome.  Everybody has felt awkward and out of place before.

It is the classic theme of good vs evil and good always wins in the end.  The special effects are sort of Indiana Jones meets The Mummy.  Or Batman meets Spiderman.  Average, but still fun.

The story line is basic.  The world must be saved and only the unskilled, unaware young sorcerer can do it.  Give it a try...take your kids.  Not very many movies you can take your kids to these days.  Here's the trailer:

Movie Review: Inception

Inception is quite the intricate movie.  I was confused most of the time.  The special effects are phenomenal...very Matrix-like.

If I'm not totally wrong, this is the basic premise as I understood it:

There are a select few people in the world who have secret, special training in entering people's dreams (sort of like astral travel), and extracting proprietary information or secrets to use in big money/big business ventures.  They steal intellectual property directly from people's brains.  Now, this special team has been assembled for a task, that nobody believes is possible;  to go into the dream of someone to PLANT, rather than EXTRACT, a thought.  They wish to implant a thought that will change a multi-billion dollar monopoly.  And they must "travel" through several dream layers/depths.   It is dangerous work.  They might not come back from it.  They could get lost forever in a dream level.  I was left wondering at the end...did Leonardo make it back from the dream place or not?

Well-acted, but a bit confusing for those of us with simple minds.  I did, however, relate to the aspects of it that are similar to the astral travel that I experience.  The concepts are not that far-fetched for me to conceive of.  It is worth seeing for the special effects alone...even if you get lost in it somewhere.  Here's a clip:

Turkey Fan

I've wanted some turkey feathers (well, eagle feathers really, but they're illegal) to use for smudging with sage for clearing and cleansing space/people for healing purposes.



 The husband of a friend of mine gave me an entire turkey tail fan all pinned out and drying this fall.  It's been in the garage drying ever since.  And he gave me the beard (which feels like long bristles not feathers), and the feet.

I finally got around to making my little turkey fan project today.  I think it is rather pretty...even if I did glue the suede patch on off-center (go figure...just like me). 

This isn't a very clear shot but I put a healing hand on it in Swaroski crystals.

I also bought a thing sort of like a "Stick-Up" to place near it that is designed to keep mites off of birds.  You hang one on their cage.  I'm hoping the same thing will hold true here.  I've already had an issue with maggots and mites while it was drying.  EWWWW!

Hmmmm and now I need to figure out a cool project for the turkey feet he gave me.  They are both icky and fascinating at the same time.  I may find a pretty, small gourd this fall, dry it out over the winter and glue it to the foot/feet in the spring and make a rattle.  Cuz I think they might be a little heavy for earrings!  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Resource Based Economy: Do You Really Need a Job?

Food for thought.  I don't want or like to take political stances on my blog, but I found this interesting to CONSIDER.  I have no idea what I really think yet and would certainly never preach a way to be to anyone.  See what you think. 

Deer and Dog Play Ball

This is a fun video of a kid taping his black lab trying to play ball with a fawn in the yard.  Those hooves look like they could do some damage if they connected with the dog's skull, but otherwise, it appears both are playing well together. I wasn't able to find an embedded video, but this link should take you there.  Let me know if it doesn't.

Peeling Farm Fresh Hard Boiled Eggs

I've been buying Farm Fresh eggs through the farmer's market this summer.  This is pretty much my first experience with them.  And I like them all in all.  There is really no consistency in color or size, but that doesn't much matter to me.

What I wasn't aware of was that it is nearly impossible to peel a very fresh hard boiled egg.  I mean it shreds the white off and leaves you with a mess.  I boiled a dozen of them last week and thought I would lose my mind trying to get them peeled.  I was attempting to make deviled eggs and they were ugly.  Luckily it was only us eating them.

So I asked around, and everyone has their pet tricks of the trade.  I asked the farmer who I bought the eggs from and she said you need to let them sit in the fridge at least a week or more so they aren't quite so fresh.  I'm not so sure I like that idea.  Because then, why don't I just buy store organic eggs?

I don't boil eggs often, but usually, I put them in a pot, fill the pot with water, put it on high and then boil for about 10 minutes.  I don't like overcooked eggs...when the yolk turns grayish green and bounces.  Yuck.  Then in more recent years, it worked well to place the eggs in a pot, fill pot to just above the eggs with cold water, place on stove on high, and as soon as it begins a hard boil, shut off the burner and let them sit there for a half hour or so.  Then it always seems to work best to run cold water in the pot of eggs, and attempt to peel them under water.  That is until I encountered farm fresh eggs.

Among the tips for peeling, I found that the cold water bath and peeling under water AND often cracking the egg and rolling it around to crush the shell well, is a constant suggestion.  But other suggestions included adding salt to the water, adding vinegar to the water and adding baking soda to the water.  So today, I conducted a Mr. Wizard experiment to see if any of these methods are helpful.

I treated the eggs basically the same at first.  I place four eggs into three pots.  The pots are not the exact same size because I don't have three pots the same size.  But I placed the eggs into the pot, covered with cold water and put on the burner on high.  I added salt to one (maybe as much as 2-3 tsps), vinegar in one (perhaps a tablespoon or so), and baking soda to the third (maybe one or two tsps).  As soon as they began to boil, I shut the burners off and the eggs sat for at least 30 minutes in their hot water while I went about other chores.

Next, I drained the water and completely covered each pot of eggs with ice cubes and then filled each pan with cold water.  Then I began peeling.  To say that nothing really helped would be the summary of the experiment.  If I had to make an opinion, I would say that the egg water with the soda in it had a slight advantage, but as you can see from the photos, some peeled easily and some shredded in each group.  In the photo, the salt eggs are on the left, the soda eggs are in the middle and the vinegar eggs are on the right of your screen.

Another weird thing I noticed is that the eggs with salt and the eggs with vinegar did not have fully cooked yolks.  The eggs with the soda had fully cooked, firm yolks.  Why is that do you suppose?  And the slightly underdone yolks didn't really want to mash very well, so my deviled eggs are a bit lumpy.  I'll still eat them.  I didn't spend half a day on this experiment for naught.

For some reason, very fresh eggs (and these came out of the chicken 5 days ago), have a very tough membrane that adheres to the white like grim death.

In conclusion:  Nothing really helps besides letting the eggs be in the fridge until they are not so fresh.  Also it does seem to help to have a VERY cold plunge when the cooking is complete and to attempt to peel them under the water (which almost froze my fingers off).  And I might try using the soda trick next time as it may have helped SLIGHTLY, and I'll take any help I can get.

Blueberry Crisp

I bumped into a good sale on blueberries at Safeway this week.  They were $2 per pound. So I bought 12 pounds!  This is what 12 lbs of blueberries looks like.  I thought I would never get them all washed.  But it will be nice to have some anti-oxidants ferreted away for those winter days when there isn't a colorful fruit to be found.  I didn't get these at the farmer's market.  Sadly, the prices on those was prohibitive.  At least these were grown in Salem, Oregon...so local-ish.  Same state anyway.

And I looked online and found a Blueberry Crisp recipe that looks good.  And EASY.

Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions Mascara Review

Why did I try yet another mascara?  NO idea.  I just have a brain fart from time to time and think "Gee, maybe this will work better".  Well, it doesn't.

Just like my current fave "Loreal Double Extend", it is a two-step primer and pigment application process.  It claims super long (up to 85% longer) lashes.  Does it deliver?  Not as far as I'm concerned.  But everyone is different right?  For me, who has no end to issues with mascara smudging on me, no matter how hard I try, this smudged within a few minutes to a few hours and then was difficult to get off my skin.  And I bought the waterproof variety for this very reason.  I used it once and sadly, it is going in the trash.  It cost $7.99 at Wal-Mart.  Did it lengthen without clumping?  Sort of.  I can't see that it is any better than any other dime store variety mascara.

Now, in the spirit of fairness, here is a video review by a gal who likes it.  And she seems to have a balanced approach to her review, and she's sort of entertaining here and there (although her review is almost 10 minutes which...why?).

The Hunger Games: Book Review

Someone in my water aerobics class told me about this book and lent it to me.  At first, the premise and story line sounds odd, and off-putting, but I must say, I got into it and enjoyed it a lot.

The basic premise is a futuristic setting.  America has been divided into Districts and the Capital has control.  Big-time, Big-Brother, life and death control.  To maintain fear and control, they host the annual Hunger Games.  One boy and one girl from each of 12 districts is chosen for the games.  They must register (like a draft) and between the ages of 12 and 18 they are eligible.  They are taken to an arena (usually some wilderness survival setting) and they must survive AND fight to the death.  Only one of the 24 contestants will survive.  The story is primarily focused on Katniss Eberdeen who volunteers to take her younger sister Prim's place in the games when 12 year old Prim is chosen on her very first year of eligibility.  And let the games begin!

It is not graphic violence but once you get over the fact that it is barbaric, and that they are children, it becomes quite riveting.  It's Mad Max meets Boxcar Children...well, maybe not.

This book is one in a series of three by Suzanne Collins:  The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay.  The first two are out, and Mockingjay is due out August 24th 2010.  The Hunger Games is going to be made into a movie by LionsGate but I'm not sure when it is supposed to be out. And watch out...the buzz is, it's the next big thing since the Twilight series.

So You Think You Can Dance. Allison and Robert

I thought this was very moving.  The interpretation is of a son supporting his ill mother.  Not a dry eye in the audience or judge panel.  Hopefully the video will play here.  If not, try this link.

The Last Airbender: Movie Review

My husband and I saw The Last Airbender on the 4th of July, and then, oddly, just as with Eclipse, I saw it again on the 8th with my friend's 15 year old son.

The basic premise is, like many other movies, there is a quest and a battle between good and evil...or natural gifts for unification against the misuse, hoarding and acquisition of power.

There are four primary tribes or nations in this futuristic, nomadic world:  Earth, Water, Air and Fire, and within these, there are those special, gifted ones that are born with the power to manipulate their element.  And there is also one rare being who has the ability to "bend" all four elements.  This being is known as the Avitar.  Born with the ability to bend one element, they also have the ability to learn or be instructed in how to bend the others.

So there are wars between nations and struggles for power and to stomp out those with special power and own all the power (sound familiar?).  So the quest is for the Avitar to escape being imprisoned and destroyed by the fire nation and to empower all those who have been oppressed to reclaim their powers of bending and rise up against oppression, AND for the Avitar to find teachers of the other three elements.

I have not read any of the books (or are they an actual book series?) nor had I seen or even heard that there was a cartoon based on the books.  So all I can base my opinion on is the movie.

I must say, I enjoyed this film more than Eclipse.  Story line was more complex and special effects were pretty darn good.  The acting of the young main characters were not so hot...rather monotone, read-the-script (except for the fire prince...he was pretty mean).  It was visually very appealing and it kept my attention throughout.  I also sort of dug the kid's tattoos, and the costuming.  I swear I've lived in a life somewhere, sometime, that was similar to this.  Something about it felt all too familiar.


There are four books in the series, but it appears that the movies will be limited to a trilogy.  Check it out and tell me what you think!  And if you've seen Airbender AND Eclipse, which one did you like better and why (and what is your age in case that makes the difference).  My friend called and asked me out on a McDonald's and movie date and wanted to go see Eclipse.  I talked him into Airbender because I told him I bet he would like it better.  I don't really think young boys will groove that much to Eclipse.  But he's going to let me know because he will view Eclipse soon as well.

And...I'm starting to get a little curious about the books in this series...hmmmm...any of you read them?

Eclipse: Movie Review

The long and the short of it is, I give it a "just OK" rating.  Wasn't bad, but didn't set my hair on fire either.

Eclipse, the third of four in the Twilight series, came to theaters June 30th at midnight.  I saw it once with my 17 year old niece on July 1st, and once with my husband a few days later.  I don't ordinarily see movies twice, but it just worked out that way (also for Last Airbender).

In the third movie, the werewolves and the vampires, natural sworn enemies, must team together to destroy an army of "newborns" (new vampires who are much stronger, and more ruthless than "seasoned" vampires).  The army of newborns was created by Victoria in revenge of her slain mate.  The deal is, since vampire Edward killer HER mate, she must now kill Edward's mate (which is main character Bella).

As far as special effects go, there really aren't any.  Stunts are performed mostly with lift wires, film speed and CGI wolves.  They do a reasonably good job of staying to the story, and of condensing a very long book into a reasonable movie length.

I enjoyed all four books. Burned through all four in a month.  However, being 49, I didn't fall in love with either Jacob or Edward.  In my grown up world, I know, all to well and up close what it is like and what it means to be controlled and bossed about by a man.  First marriage.  So, while I liked the books, I found it quite sad and disturbing that the story line appeals to young girls/women as it does.  Edward is technically 97 years older than Bella, and perpetually stuck at 18 since he's undead and a vampire.  Jacob is her age, but well he's a werewolf.  I'm not sure what's romantic about either.  Both males are controlling, bossy and care more about what they want than about what Bella wants, and it bothers me, as a mother, that guys fighting over you like a dog's chew toy, telling you what to do, lying and manipulating situations is a sexy, sought after trait in a boyfriend.  That aside, it is good, clean, reasonably harmless entertainment.

There's more smooching in Eclipse and even the audience of young girls seemed to giggle and squirm and feel uncomfortable with it.  I wonder how they will react in the next film when Bella is turned into a vampire, marries, has sex that breaks walls apart, and has a traumatic ghoulish pregnancy with a half vampire that almost kills her.  The fourth book will be interesting to see how they handle all that and keep it a PG 13.

I found the movie just "OK".  Yes Jacob and his abs are lovely, but you would have to keep in mind that I have a 26 year old son, so lusting after a 17 year old boy would be just creepy on my part.  I can appreciate the artistic visual, just like the next gal though. I've never found Robert Pattison  (Edward) to be very attractive, and Bella's character (and the actress who plays her) is flat, almost to the point of wondering if a good dose of anti-depressant is in order.  I love "Charlie", Bella's father.  He's a passive, awkward but loving dad.

And it was a much different viewing experience going to the movie with my niece (who giggled, and ooohed and ahhed and swooned), and my husband...who...let's just say...did not.  It was fun to share this experience with my niece, and to have time to spend together, and for me to experience through her eyes, the excitement that so many other young females find in this series.  I still like the Harry Potter series in both books and movies better...but that's just me.  I'm past my "sell by" date.

Honey Bottles

Um...Honey?  Sweetie?  I was trying to get the crystalized honey back into shape and I just might have nuked the bottle just a little bit too long.  Ya THINK?

Good thing, that just today (as it so happened) I used the last of a jar of squeeze miracle whip AND ketchup and had decided to soak/scrub the labels off and clean them and save them in case I needed them for something!  Oh well, we've been refilling this one for a very long time now with raw honey from the health food store.

Can You HAVE Too Many Trumpet Vines?

This is what my neighbor's trumpet vines look like.  Hummingbirds LOVE them.  She gave me some seed pods a couple of autumns ago and I tried unsuccessfully to get the seeds to germinate.  Well, this spring, with some of the same seeds...I was successful.  Now I can't bring myself to get rid of any of them!  This afternoon, I spent some time transplanting them out of the flat they germinated in, into about 30 pots!  Now I have to find homes for them, because I can only use one or perhaps two of them.  I wish you all lived closer, you could stop by and get a pot!

Two Rhubarb Cake Recipes

Warning...these are not healthy.  But they sure are TASTY.  The only healthy thing in it really is the rhubarb.  Which is rather difficult to eat without sweetener.  I only make it every few years, so what the heck, right?

I got this recipe from one of the women in my swim aerobics class.  It is more to the cake type of dessert and we equally enjoyed it topped with Cool Whip, or Cream Cheese frosting (although it would be good with no topping too).

Gerri's Rhubarb Cake 
5 cups rhubarb cut into 1/2" sections
1 Cup sugar
1   3 oz pkg strawberry or raspberry Jell-O
3 cups mini marshmallows
1 yellow cake mix (and you'll need oil, eggs and water as pkg directs)

Place rhubarb in greased 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle jello and sugar over rhubarb
throw on the marshmallows
Prepare cake mix as directed and pour over rhubarb.

Bake @ 350 for 50-55 minutes.  Let cool, or better yet, serve the next day when it will cut into squares more easily.  Top with favorite topping or serve without topping.




This recipe came from my long departed aunt.  I've always liked it a lot and it is a toss-up because both recipes, as you'll see are very similar, but I think I like this one even better than the one above.  It's almost like a cross between a cobbler and a crisp.

Aunt Carolyn's Rhubarb Dessert
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter, softened
4 cups rhubarb (or can use other fruits, fresh or frozen)
1    3oz pkg Jell-O (strawberry, or raspberry goes well with rhubarb)
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup hot water

Put rhubarb in bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 inch pan.
Sprinkle dry Jell-O over fruit
Sprinkle sugar over fruit
Add a dash of salt if you want
Cut butter into dry cake mix with a pastry cutter until even size throughout and dump all over fruit/sugar.
Pour hot water evenly over cake mix
Bake at 350 degrees until golden on top and looks done (about 35-45 min.

Let me know which one you like best!

Hey, I'm a blue banana!

This is me, at the Blue Bannana coffee shop in Enterprise Oregon, on my girl play date yesterday.  And no, that is not a doofy Minnie Mouse bow on my head, it's my sunglasses.  C'mon, I have DIGNITY ya know!

Hang in there, I didn't forget you!

It is shaping up into a busy week. Today I'm baking whole wheat bread, cooking some chicken ahead for the hubby, baking a rhubarb cake (after cutting the rhubarb from the yard), made some marinating sauce (that requires the squeezing of multiple lemons, limes and tangerines), have been to the store and have to go to the farmer's market in between the bread and the cake to pick up my veggie share box for the week (plus some eggs). I have an all day play date with a friend tomorrow, and a younger (15 year old boy) play date for lunch and the movie on Thursday. Saturday, we've got an anniversary/fam reunion thing for hubby and TWO memorial services. So I'll be baking another rhubarb cake and two pans of dinner rolls on Friday. Whew! And I hate cooking!

If I don't end up posting for a few days, that's what I'm up to. This is really taxing the hermit in me! And they are digging up our street to redo the entire thing for several blocks and it is a noisy, dusty mess and we can't park at the house. I'm feeling a bit invaded.

I hope to review Eclipse and Last Air Bender in my next posts. I will have seen each of them twice by then! Go figure. And I never see movies more than once. It just turned out I had some pals to watch them with.

Dancing on a Climbing Wall & Subway Singer

I also like to watch America's Got Talent.  Hopefully these clips won't get pulled from YouTube.  Let me know if they stop working.



And this is the mother of Academy Award Nominated Gabourey Sidibe ("Precious"), Alice Tan Ridley. She usually entertains people by singing in the Subway. I hope she gets some better gigs and more money after this!

So You Think You Can Dance?

I enjoy this show.  It really really makes me wish I COULD dance!  I thought these performances were fantastic!

Alex Wong is a classically trained ballet dancer, so this hip-hop routine was Way out of his training zone...but he rocked it.

This is Ashley Galvan  And this is another one with Ashley.

And there's a kid named Kent Boyd that is one of the most endearing fellas ever.   I wish I could find the clip of him in practice for this routine.  He's super naive and was commenting how this routine was embarrassing and how he had to touch her accidentally in so many places and she just didn't seem to care.  He's not as great a dancer and has way less training than many, but he is a joy to watch each week.  He is good and works so hard and just is such a bright light...I wanna pinch his cheeks.  This link shows Kent's routine with Courtney, and the same link has the clip of the judges comments...just not the rehearsal part that I can't seem to find.

Book and Movie Review: Absolute Power by David Baldacci

This little gem came out in paperback in 1996, so would have been originally written sometime before that.  I picked up a used copy and was hooked.  Within the first few pages, I realized "hey, I saw this movie!".  The movie starred Clint Eastwood.

Both the movie and the book are excellent.  BUT, if you've seen/read one, you have not seen/read the other.  They are not the same.  I won't tell you where the book and movie diverge, but diverge, they do.






The basic premise is that it is a murder mystery.  An aging, seasoned, professional burgler (Clint Eastwood in the film version) is in the process of a well-planned heist inside a mansion when he is interrupted.  From his hiding place, he wittnesses the President of the United States in a rough sex tryst with the lady of the house.  It turns ugly and culminates in the secret service killing the woman.  Full of more murder and mayhem, twists and turns and cover-ups, it is quite a "page turner".  Check out both versions.