VOILA!

Quite a few years ago I made plaid, cinnamon-apples. Four pieces of fabric sewed together in the shape of an apple and stuffed. A sprinkle of cinnamon and cloves and a green corduroy leaf and voila! I think I will make cinnamon pot holders soon.

MR. PAUL NEWMAN

Screen legend, superstar, and the man with the most famous blue eyes in movie history.

1925 - 2008

[after blowing the train car to smithereens]
Sundance Kid: Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?

ALMOND MILK BEEWAX HAND CREME

Help for hard-working hands.

How it Works

Considering all that your hands are exposed to every day, it’s not surprising that the skin on your hands ages eight times faster than the skin on your face. Sweet almond oil, aloe and vitamin E help keep them soft and smooth. This 100% natural hand cream has a sweet fragrance that makes it a favorite of everyone from moms to mechanics.

How to Use It

Smooth a small dollop of cream onto freshly washed hands. Use after every handwashing.

Sweet Almond Oil — Cold pressed from the dried kernels of the almond tree, this medium-weight oil is rich in olein glyceride oleic and linoleic acid, proteins and vitamin D, and is excellent for the skin and nails.

SUGAR, CINNAMON, CLOVES, NUTMEG...HEAVEN

I tried my hand at making apple butter. I made it in the crock pot. I peeled about seven apples...a little overly ripe, added enough water to cover the bottom comfortably, two cups sugar, a lot of cinnamon, a sprinkle of ground cloves, dusting of nutmeg and a pinch of ginger. I set the crock pot on low for twelve hours. I put the brown mush into the blender and gave if a whirl. Out poured a very thick mixture. Back in the crock pot for more sugar and spices for another twelve hours. I sampled the apple butter and realized it lacks something that the store brands have...I think I must be out of artificial flavors.

BEAUTIFUL

I have this beautiful background on my computer. It's a stream cuddled by large pale boulders, blackened with moss. Fiery leaves that burn with orange & red, like splattered paint on a canvas. I love to imagine the sound of the gentle stream, slowly pouring & stirring itself over the land.

AN INSULT

Wheat grass juice...sounds like an insult. :) But if you've ever has wheat grass juice you'd prefer the insult. Actually it's really not that bad, its comparable to eating a mouth full of grass. It has a kick that grass does not offer. You can experience the finer taste of chlorophyll at most any juice bar...the some places that make smoothies. Generally they are served in 1 oz. or 2 oz. shot grasses. Did you know a 1 oz. shot of this juice - extracted directly from wheat grass right behind the counter - is purported to contain nutritional value equivalent to 2.5 pounds of fresh vegetables and is supposed to provide an energy boost? Seeing how much wheat grass is actually used for the 1 oz. glass is of fairly good proportion...until you think of eating 2.5 pounds. And supposed you get more of an energy boost than coffee in my opinion. I would advise against downing a shot on an empty stomach though.

MY CHILDHOOD

I have this wonderful memory of my childhood. During summer all the fruit trees were filled with fruit, their branches hanging with the weight of glorious summer bounty. I loved the peaches, their fuzzy, beautiful complexion. Their branches were so full of huge peaches that they would have to be propped up with stakes. I remember many a morning going out to the peach trees and picking off my breakfast. Peeling the fuzzy skin with my Swiss Army knife and indulging in a juicy meal. There was two peach trees not far from our back door...the easiest victims! :) But there was one other peach tree...it was a little farther. This was "the grandfather" peach tree...old and sturdy. There was wild mint growing up beneath the tree. How wonderful to step up to the tree, with cool dirt on my toes and the scent of crushed mint underneath. Slowly making way for the warm smell of peaches, ready to eat.

Mmmm......

When we went to the Farmer's Market we succumbed to the scent of coffee drifting the air...much to our joy! There is a local coffee roasting company here in Valley! There are rows of large whole buckets lined up on the right and the left...one side is decaf the other caff. Labels are on each bucket marking the flavor. Such wonderful aroma! There is Seville Orange, Coconut, Buttered Rum, Chocolate Cherry, French Vanilla, Caramel Toffee...just to mention a few.

SAY I'M THE ONLY BEE IN YOUR BONNET

Did you know eating honey made from local bees will help those with allergies become more tolerant of local pollens. Find local honey at Farmer's Markets, Bee Keepers sometimes in your supermarket.

CATS

Oh how I miss winter and all its wonders. I love to see cats sitting in windows...braving the winter indoors with their tales wrapped around plump bodies. I honestly thing they sneak a sip of their master's earl grey tea when they are not looking. Soothing their meowing throat from the night before, when they stayed up chasing snowflakes. Their homes are filled with an aroma of cloves and cinnamon from the pumpkin pie cooling in a window sill. The faint sound of tea seeing - what you have never heard tea seeing?!?! Mmmm...it sounds like a gently rain pouring down, autumn leaved swishing on the sidewalks and a cozy fire cracking in the background. Ah yes, now you remember!

In 1862, missionary sisters transformed The Minimes Convent in Provence, France into a place of care. They enriched the convent's legacy of plant studies by applying their knowledge of nature to create remedies for the residents of the convent. Inspired by this history, each product from Le Couvent Des Minimes is touched by this tradition with age-old recipes, selection of the finest natural ingredient and ancestral know-how to combine pleasure with remedy.

BIGELOW

As soothing as a field of daisies, COZY CHAMOMILE Herb Tea is a wonderful way to unwind and relax any time of day.

In the hustle and hurry that have become so much a part of our lives, it's important to take a moment at the end of each day to unwind. SWEET DREAMS Herbal Tea, a blend of chamomile and hibiscus flowers with its mild and soothing flavor, will add a peaceful note to the close of your day.

CONSTANT COMMENT was created to bring more flavor to tea. Made from an original Bigelow recipe, "Constant Comment" is a blend of the finest mountain grown teas deliciously flavored with rind oranges and sweet spice. Delicious hot, superb iced. Enjoy if often by yourself or with your family and friends

BLOOM

I recently went shopping for winter plants. I had forgotten this is the season to get roses. The poor little plants with only three branches to their name...hoping those few branches will be enough to issue their many blooms. What is ever more pitiful is the roses "in the back." Sign... These plants were forgotten all year it seems, never once getting re-potted or talked to. Their twisted branches are entangled together in a thorny mass. The hybrid tea rose, bred for those velvety petals and luxurious fragrance are humbled among the rebellious climbing roses - cast aside, forgotten and unkempt...and drastically marked down in price! With a true clipper these once majestic rose plants will BLOOM AGAIN...I am sure of it!!!