La Vie En Curlsz

I call this one untitled

curlsz — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:28:09 +0000

Yeah yeah I know – I don’t write, I don’t call… If I had a dollar for every time someone asks why I’m not on facebook much anymore, well I wouldn’t have enough to retire but more than if I had collected quarters.

So what have I been up to? Do you care? No but you’re bored so you’ll read on? Fair nough…

Well a quite a bit of this…

And a LOT, and I mean a LOTTTTT of this…

Still doing this…

More and more of this…I may be addicted

Loving this…

With this…

And usually this…

And recently this…

Some new toys that make me a dork is this….

But I want this…

And the humidity is on its way so I may need a new one of these…

So I don’t end up like this…

Which is what I look like when I don’t get enough of this…

Because of this!…

So I stay up and do this…

Life has changed a bit though, NO MORE of this….

Which all makes me…

In Honor of National Margarita Day

curlsz — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:24:41 +0000

Well I missed this post by a day but who cares right?

One of the best things about making your own juices is you often stumble on some pretty fantastic creations. Like this “Margarita”

Margarita Juice

Serves 2

4 apples
1 key lime – with skin on
1 lemon wedge – with skin on
1 1/2 inches ginger – or as much as you can handle

If you’d like to dilute it a bit try coconut water, it’s delicious and packed with vitamins and nutrients

I know one key lime doesn’t sound like much and if you LOVE LOVE lime go for two – but I used two and had to add more apples in because it was just too much.

Scottish Oatcakes

curlsz — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:39:04 +0000

Ok so it all started when I was reading a book set in mid evil England, and the character mentioned oat cakes with honey, and I thought to myself “I must have these!” Then I thought more on it and realized they would make a great breakfast item to keep in the house.

So I scoured the internet and came up with about 50 variety of oat cakes – sigh – damn you internet why can’t anything be easy. And they all ranged from a pancake consistency to a cracker consistency – neither of which I wanted. I wanted a cookie/shortbread consistency.

So I made up my own – let’s now say there are 51 varieties to oatcakes on the internet.

Scottish Oatcakes

2 c Rolled Oats
2 c Scottish Oats – Scottish Oats are finely ground and have very similar consistency to flour
1/2 c Wheat Flour (if you don’t want to do flour go for more oats)
1/2 c Ground Flax Seed / Flax Meal
2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 c Brown Sugar – you can also sub in Maple Syrup, Honey, Agave Nectar or Molasses – keep in mind Molasses gives the dish a strong molasses flavor
1/2 c Coconut Oil (melted) and 1/2 c apple sauce – easy to make your own – just skin and boil two apples and puree
2 eggs
1 c Dried Cranberries – or other dried fruit
1/2 c crushed pistachios – or other nuts

- Other great additions, crystallized ginger, chia seeds, dark chocolate (sparingly)

Mix dry ingredients (including brown sugar if that’s what you are using)
Add in eggs, applesauce and coconut oil, berries and nuts

If you use honey etc instead of brown sugar add that in now

If it’s too think slowly add a couple of teaspoons of water

You can spoon these onto a non stick cookie sheet – or use those nifty muffin top pans

Bake at 300 for 15 minutes until they are firm and don’t crumble apart

Crumble in your yogurt, eat them as cookies, have them before you go workout – very versatile little snacks – very low in sugar and high in fiber. Also I make some of them somewhat bite sized to keep as quick pick me ups.

Hearty Irish Wheat Bread

curlsz — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:46:43 +0000

Hearty Irish Wheat Bread

So back in December I decided to start making all of my own bread, no buying in the store. Why? Cost mostly and waste. As much as I love artisan healthy breads they are expensive ranging from $4-$8 a loaf, then halfway through it’s just meh and I waste it.

I’ve made some great ones, apple walnut was a hit, cranberry, healthy grain and nut breads etc. But the biggest hit came with this baby. And where did I get the recipe – well 85% of it at least as I tweak just about every recipe. My mom found it in the back of her fiction novel.

It’s some of the best bread I’ve had – and was SO easy – took about 10 minutes to make and an hour to cook. No yeast, no rising and so good!

Irish Wheat Bread

Recipe is as follow – items marked with an * are what I added.

Yields 1 Loaf

2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup cracked wheat *
2 Tablespoons wheat bran or oat bran *
1/4 cup crushed walnuts *
sunflower or sesame seeds to sprinkle on top 8

Mix all dry ingredients well. Add buttermilk and mix thoroughly into a thick paste.

Empty batter into a greased bread pan – sprinkle seeds on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and make sure it has risen. Bake an additional 45 minutes. Make sure when you touch the center it springs back a bit – I usually dip a knife in the middle and pull a bit out to make sure it’s fully cooked.

Multiple the recipe for additional loafs and give to friends, family or just freeze so you don’t have to make more Enjoy!

Having troubles finding cracked wheat, in Austin the only place I found it was Natural Grocers though I didn’t check the large Whole Foods, small Whole Foods didn’t have it. So check your local hippie natural foods shop!

Juice of the Day – Beets Beets I Love Beets

curlsz — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:20:04 +0000

No I did not take this photo, I drank my juice before it dawned on me, but it’s beet juice so it pretty much looks like this.

This is random – because I haven’t posted anything about the fact that I’m juicing, but I have for about a month and it’s great and I feel 100% better and I love it! Minus the disaster “V8″ juice I made – it’s been spectacular.

So juice of the day goes to beets – will I post a juice every day – no – cause I simply know myself, but this is the first one that was so good that I promptly wanted another.

Beet Cocktail

serves 2

2 beets – scrubbed well to remove any lingering dirt

2 handfuls of spinach – just grab a bunch of spinach this is juice not a cake – we don’t need to measure

4 small apples – cored to remove seeds, skins on

1 inch of ginger – 2 inches if you want an extra kick

enjoy!

Nutritional value is too much to even list – but loads of antioxidants from the beets, anti inflammatory from both beets and ginger,Detoxing properties from beets, Vitamin K,A,C,manganese, foliate and more from spinach and MORE

Nutritional info found at http://www.whfoods.com/

Be My Guest

curlsz — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:57:53 +0000

If you’ll remember – this room used to look like it was sponsored by Tang…and a shelving company.

Now it’s my lovely serene and calm office / guest bedroom. No pictures of the office side because photos of the back of monitors and cords make me break out into hives – plus that side of the room is minus many decorations as of right now.

I was inspired by this photo

And this was the result – with my own flare added – you may recognize that chair from my post on things you should buy on CraigsList so I won’t – well I did anyway – dammit!

Painting Bath Cabinets Almost Drama Proof

curlsz — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:07:56 +0000

I found a great “recipe” to paint my bathroom cabinets. The current cabinets were scuffed, worn, dated and ugly.

They are now sleek, pretty and contemporary.

1. Clean the cabinets with a deglosser/sander – Klean Strip is a great brand, you can only find it at Home Depot.

2. Let the deglosser dry, only takes about an hour.

3. Apply a latex primer – or all purpose primer with a good quality brush – the site recommended 2 1/2″ but if you have any kind of raised decorative face to your doors you may want to use a 2″ – Purdy are awesome brushes and worth every cent!!

Have then tint the primer dark – very necessary.

4. Let the primer dry overnight. Then apply your OIL based paint with a Purdy 2″ brush that is made for all paints or oil based paint.

Paint with the grain of the wood.

You should only need a quart of paint. I painted this vanity and used less than 1/4 of the can!

Soak your brushes in a can of brush cleaner, since it’s oil based this is the only way you’re getting them clean. Rinse with cold water.

Good luck

Tips provided by Addicted2Decorating.com

Decoration Inspiration

curlsz — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:44:58 +0000

As I venture forth decorating and updating my home I realize it may be fun to show off a little of what inspires me as I plan rooms because really 90% starts in my head and then I tend to stumble upon a finished product on the internet etc. It can be a little exhausting to have a complete idea in your head and then have to go search for the items out in the real world to make that idea come true, especially when like me you’re on a budget or just refuse to pay full price.

To get a room the way I want it takes a lot of scouring Craigslist, vintage stores, online stores, sales, estate sales and consignment sales. Out of all of these sources I have advice and opinions on each which I’ll formulate on another day.

But here are some images that show you what inspires me, from wall color to furniture to bedding to art work. Of course there are a lot of cool things out there that I love and you can see those here – but these are all images that actually will be reflected in my home one way or another.

above photo courtesy of bradybunchremodel.com

Sources include:

ApartmentTherapy.com
BradyBunchRemodel.com – great for mid century modern lovers
Etsy art
Dwell Studios

Outrage over Non Issues

curlsz — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:40:52 +0000

This is an attempt to put some perspective out in the world. I only attempt this once every year or so, and I’m going to spend my dime on this cause.

The other day Netflix said they were splitting into two companies then yada yada yada the internet lost their damn minds, people were prepared to go to war over the issue, their stock dropped, letters of outrage were written to our congressmen, people wore sack cloths and nashed (I have no idea how to spell that and WordPress isn’t helping me here) their teeth, the cry of sorrow and alarm could be heard through out the country.

Two days later Facebook changed their format for the umpteenth time and yada yada yada a lot of internet addicts found themselves curled up in the fetal position with their bottle of JD saying they couldn’t deal with change – as they continued to surf Facebook for 3 hours.

Several month’s ago Twitter had to slowly taper it’s users off of the old format on to the new format just to keep said fetal positioning from happening because a mutiny was a stirrin and those Twitter folks make the Facebook folks look like milk toast.

Really?

This is what upsets us now?

What do Netflix, Facebook and Twitter all have in common? They are non issues, they are time suckers, they are entertainment, they are fluff and yet they apparently have the power to rile a nation?

Are these the kinds of things we really want to focus on being “upset” over?

Who cares? Lives were not affected by these changes, let’s be honest.

I don’t know maybe in a world of tax hikes, unempolyment, housing drama and an unending war on terrorism we need to get angry over something trivial?

Maybe it’s time to gain some perspective and unplug?

Austin Craigslist Hotties

curlsz — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:04:41 +0000

The hotties being awesome furniture that is!

Buy these items so I won’t be tempted to

this chair would be a great project – picture a fabulous contemporary pattern with the traditional style and bam!

Buying the house was the easy part

curlsz — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 01:48:44 +0000

Being a realtor and buying a house was really interesting. I definitely see where some of my clients anxiety comes from, they are excited and hopeful and that alone makes them afraid because what if? At the same time I see where some people pass up awesome deals because they get really caught up in the small things, like.

-floor
-paint
-kitchen cabinets
-ceilings
-etc

When I found my house I fell in love with the layout, utilization of space, potential and location within the neighborhood. All the practical not fun stuff ya know?

Because let’s be honest, you CAN CHANGE FLOORS AND PAINT, not so easy to change a floor plan or where a house is in the area. I have to remind my clients of this kind of stuff all the time. It’s like finding the man of your dreams and he’s wearing a Cosby sweater – loose the sweater, done deal!

So as predicted I found and had my house under contract in less than a week, only looked at houses for a week. Negotiated it in a day and closed a week early – yeah my lender rocks by the way – local loan officers all the way!!

A lot of things needed to change about the house – but getting a great deal on the home means I can now afford to change all the 1980′s horror features like…

popcorn ceilings and country baby blue paint

ugly bathrooms

saloon doors

retina burning and cave dwelling bedrooms

but check out this kitchen and yard!

yeah, you know some before and after pics are coming, cause I’m a sucker for that kinda stuff.

Story Boards for Bedroom and Dining Room

curlsz — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:09:43 +0000

I love interior decorating. By the time I go out to make certain purchases believe me it’s all planned out in my head – my head is one big story board. In high school I used to put story boards together just for the fun of it. I would have books and books of cut outs from magazines and catalogs of rooms that I wanted to put together. You should have seen my Montana mountain phase, thank you Sundance Catalog for hours of fun.

Now we have the internet and photo programs – they make story boarding fun. There are even online storyboards you can create, but it’s usually using their products and that’s not quite as fun to me – or creative.

So in purchasing this new home I find the gypsy in me has gotten rid of most of her furniture. I have some art work and bedroom furniture, that’s it. I have been wanting to update my bedroom for years but I don’t want to let go of my grandparents 1930 iron bed – so now that’s going in the guest bedroom, see how that worked out?

So here are the two story boards I have that are actually completed, I’m having a hard time with my living room one. Possibly because I still haven’t decided on the couch and that is, after all, the focal point.

The bedroom has loads of space for art work which I love!

1. Watercolor on Etsy that now I can’t find – sigh

2. Watercolor of Peacock by Mai Autumn – at http://maiautumn.typepad.com

3. and 4. Prints (original done in pen, pencil and marker) by Yellena James http://www.etsy.com/shop/yellena?ref=pr_shop

5. Bed from World Market

6. Curtains from Ikea

7. Duvet by Urban Outfitters

The dining room is by far the most complete room thus far as I actually have all of the items shown except the curtains. The focal point will be the painting so I may do a rug that will bring out some of those colors.

The darkest wall color will be behind the painting on the center wall. This room gets loads of natural light so I know the dark colors will be fine.

1. Curtains from Ikea

2. Chairs (2) from West Elm

3. Painting is one I own – salvaged from an office building so it wouldn’t end up in trash.

4. Dining table and bench from West Elm via Craig’s List

5. Chandelier from Lowe’s. Note these are gorgeous and the photo doesn’t do it justice. The material is Onyx and it has flecks of color in it, I think it will be perfect with the paining. I also got a new entry light that compliments this.

Furniture Restoration for the Lazy Martha Stewart

curlsz — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:57:42 +0000

Last summer I took on a major furniture restoration project – it was only two pieces but by the time I finished that one little damn chair it felt like 4. It about did me in and I have been very hesitant to do another one. Except that this year I am buying a house and need LOADS of furniture, no really we’re talking hippy chick maybe I’ll just sit on bean bags status here. And of course many pieces I find need to be restored, then I think back to that damn chair and just give up.

So imagine my giddiness when Apartment Therapy dropped this little article in my lap today. So this is how the next project is going to go – lazy cheap restoration attempt take one – stay tuned.

For full article go here http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/how-to/how-to-quickly-and-easily-spruce-up-wood-furniture-154404

Thieves in Purple Suburban

curlsz — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:46:25 +0000

List serve mention of the day goes to ‘Thieves in a Purple Suburban’ – first off the idea of “thieves” running loose in the neighborhood brings images of plundering, pirates and mayhem – secondly they’re in a purple suburban, I know it’s Austin but really there can’t be too many of those around.

The Story of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

curlsz — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:51:32 +0000

The Story of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb

I absolutely loved this book! It’s light and easy and just fun. It was brought up at book club many times and so I just had to grab it. I’m glad we didn’t do it for BC, I don’t think there is a whole lot to discuss, pure pleasure read.

Hallie James has believed all her life that her mother perished in a house fire. She receives a letter from an attorney stating the death of a Madelin Crane, along with a letter from Madeline Crane stating that Hallie is her daughter and she has believed for 30 years that Hallie and her father were dead. This sends Hallie’s world into a tail spin as she tries to discover why her father would have lied to her all of these years. Her life is further complicated as she returns to the island in which she was born and raised and begins to uncover the mysteries and tragedies of her family and her ancestors.

In all the book is a wonderful ghost story, rich with mystery and family ancestry. The setting is fantastic, an island off the Great Lakes where the mode of transportation for the last 100 plus hears has been foot, bike or horse drawn carriages. Much of the book includes accounts in story teller format which really adds to the mystery and ancestry of the island and the main characters family.

Highly recommend!

Little Reading Buddy

curlsz — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:40:05 +0000

My little reading buddy – she makes herself completely comfortable despite your discomfort.

Nice little bookmark system isn’t it? She doesn’t make things easy – I had to literally lift her paw so I could turn the pages.

Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn

curlsz — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:05:56 +0000

Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn

This is the fifth in a series and of course it’s a series I absolutely fell in love with from the start. If you like late Victorian England murder mystery / romance then this is your cuppa. Dark Enquiry follows our favorite couple Julia and Brisbane as they have returned from their honeymoon (as you can read in Dark Road to Darjeerling, #4) and are setting up their household in London. They quickly involve themselves in a blackmailing / murder plot that draws more than one of Julia’s eccentric family members into the heart of the matter.

Though this mystery plot wasn’t quite as sinister and exciting as some of Raybourn’s other plots the story line is still fantastic. A great mix of mystery, romance and hilarity, Dark Enquiry will not disappoint fans of the Lady Julia series by any means!

Raybourn is one of my favorite authors. She captures her characters well and I find myself tearing up and laughing out loud throughout her books. DO NOT judge a book by its cover though. In my opinion this book and Silent on the Moor have terrible book jackets – they are both reminiscent of of 1980′s costumes of Victorian England, ick. So just push past that.

Tango in the Sun Set

curlsz — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:22:03 +0000

You don’t see as much of Tango, simply because sometimes he’s too quick to be photographed. But he does love to sunbathe and this captures him too well.

Defend and Betray by Anne Perry, William Monk Series

curlsz — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:50:06 +0000

Defend and Betray by Anne Perry – #3 in the William Monk Series

In an earlier post I told you I would be testing the waters of Anne Perry and her mammoth Victorian Mystery series. Well out of the two series I have to say I think the William Monk series has a bit more depth and bite than the Pitt series. I will say however, that the first half of each one I have read has been a bit dry (the case in both series), but about halfway through they start heating up, by the time I was 3/4th’s the way through I was to the point where I couldn’t put them down.

So far out of all three I have to vote Defend and Betray as my favorite. The story opens with the murder of General Thaddeus Carlyon, his wife Alexandra quickly admits to the crime but won’t give anyone the real reason for her actions. She awaits trial maintaining her reason was jealousy over a possible affair. For the time period we are talking about I felt the revealed reason to the crime was pretty shocking and the way it all comes out is definitely nail biting. Also in this book more and more of Monk’s elusive past comes to light which is very exciting. The relationship with he and Hester really haven’t heated up too much by this point but you can see it coming, namely in his reaction to realizing she’s interested in Rathborn a local barrister (our version of a courtroom attorney) that has assisted in each of their mysteries.

I found a dealer on Half.com that has loads of Anne Perry books, so I went ahead and ordered the rest of this series ($36 well spent, love cheap books). So we’ll see how far I get.

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

curlsz — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:39:36 +0000

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Last night my book club met to discuss our latest and greatest, A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. And unlike our last meeting, the opinions on this one were mixed. Overall I think even if you don’t love it you will find it interesting. That’s the phrase that kept popping up, it was “interesting”.

We were pretty split on whether we felt it was a true Pulitzer Prize winner, I myself don’t get it. Which is precisely why I don’t pick books based on awards. Rather like some of the movies that get picked for Emmy’s – and I’m thinking wait did you all see the same movie I did because the movie I saw didn’t deserve my $10 much less an industry award (Black Swan).

Anyway, I was a bit conflicted on my feelings on this book as well. Each chapter is a different character, one member created a flow chart to keep up with all the different characters. We were all envious of her chart. I really liked it at first, but about 50 pages from the end I felt my engine stalling. It was just too disconnected for me, some characters were never to be seen again and others popped up so much later in the book that I couldn’t remember who they were or what their back story was or what their future story was since this is the back story.

Occasionally the author would throw in a future glimpse of a character’s life which I really liked, as in “she would later go on to join a cult where they only ate raw eggs“. But she didn’t do this throughout the book, only a few times in the beginning, it was like she forgot she was doing this and left the idea behind.

Overall it was a short read, and an easy read but a bit hard to follow. I’m glad we picked it for book club as it was a fun one to discuss since no one could say they 100% followed each characters story with success. Had you been a fly on the wall you would have heard a lot of “are you sure that was Rob?” “No that wasn’t Drew that was Benny” “That wasn’t Lou’s daughter that was Lulu, I swear” “Wait, I thought her dad died…no he was the movie star, La Doll just told LuLu he was dead”.

Fun Stuff!

Next month we’re reading, The Book Thief which has been on my shelf for over two years. Really looking forward to that one.

Dear Gym, It’s Not You It’s Me

curlsz — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:29:46 +0000

No really.

And as I wrote my gym today I realized I have been avoiding this for a month, it’s like an awkward break up.

You knew it was coming, I was distant, not spending time with you like I used to. When I got there my heart didn’t seem into it. You heard a rumor I was hiking more often and talking to people about rowing classes, you even heard a rumor I was planning on going back to Spin and Pilates, in fact I’m pretty sure you saw that Pilates instructor’s number in my bag when I saw you last.

Really, you’re great. You shouldn’t let this stop you from being the best gym you can be. It’s just time for me to move on, shake things up in a bit.

So for now I have to say good bye, maybe we can be friends. I won’t say anything bad about you, in fact we can keep all the same friends as we had before, no problem. And hey, it could be worse, I could be leaving you just cause I don’t care anymore about working out!

Good luck to you, I’m off for an after work hike.

The Birth House by Ami McKay

curlsz — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:20:43 +0000

The Birth House by Ami McKay

I am a member of an awesome book club where we typically always pick great books. I missed a week so I missed the discussion around why this book was picked. I looked it up and read the synopsis and thought, really? Why in the world did they want to read this, it doesn’t sound good at all. The book received rave reviews which made me a bit curious. Needless to say I couldn’t get too excited over it and it failed to make my must read list.

Flash forward a couple of weeks to book club. It was the first time I ever remember ALL 15 women loving a book. And the discussion around it went from hysterical commentary on home remedy birth control and birthing to thought proviking discussions on women’s rights. So I grabbed the book from one of the ladies determined to read it and see what it was all about.

I loved it! Absolutely loved it! It’s about a girl (Dora Rare) who is the only female in a family of 6 boys. She’s training with the local mid wife to be a mid wife herself. Now we’re talking Nova Scotia 1916, and area that wouldn’t receive electricity in homes till the mid 40′s. For the most part this is an old shipping and farming community where at home births are the norm. In comes Dr. Thomas determined to bring modern birthing centers to the area. Quickly lines are drawn and conflict arises. But the bigger story here are the relationships between Dora and Miss B, her teacher, and the community of Nova Scotia. Dora, like most girls, dreams of love, family and happiness. But through the traditional routes she’ll find only disappointment and hurt.

The Birth House is a quick read simply because it’s a story that is easy to follow and a narrative style that is similar to a story teller. It’s highly enjoyable in my opinion and rich in character development.

Anne Perry Series

curlsz — Sat, 28 May 2011 17:56:29 +0000

Currently I am wading through two mother of all mother series. Imagine my surprise and elation (man how long have I been waiting to use “elation” in a sentence) when I stumbled upon two period piece series, both Victorian mystery series?!

Now the first one, Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series, currently numbers up to 26 books – yes friends TWENTY SIX!! And the other series, The Monk series, currently numbers at 15. Needless to say I have some reading to do. I don’t feel like I can give an accurate review of either series yet as I’ve only read the first two of each one. I will say the relationships are quite different in each series and the writing is a bit more dense in the Monk series. Which let’s be honest, I’m glad given there is still the possibility that these could be formula novels, let’s hope not of course.

Did you know I detest formula novels?

The Pitt series began in 1979, Inspector Pitt is one of those fun loving disheveled characters that’s easy to like. The Monk series began in the early 90′s, William Monk is more of a brooding darker force characters. That series begins with him having amnesia and having to relearn his job and who he is without anyone knowing his demise. So far both female characters have a lot in common and easily remind me of each other, but like I said I’ve barely skimmed the surface of these series so jury’s still out on that.

So far I’m really looking forward to delving into both series, so that’s a good sign. Reviews to come when I have a few more under my belt.

Sebastian St Cyr Mysteries

curlsz — Tue, 24 May 2011 16:30:34 +0000

I love a good book series, I also love TV mini series but that’s not the point. I search for series and when I find one or hear of one I imagine that my pupils dilate as my heart starts beating, butterflies flutter and is that drool in the side of my mouth? I think so. It’s my drug of choice. I don’t know why – I think it’s because a good book contains good character development. And typically you become friends and / or fall in love with a good character yes? Well in a series you get more, me wants MORE!!! yes?

I have been in a mystery series phase recently, I’m not sure if that’s because those are the easiest to find or if I’m boning up on my detective career – regardless I have found some good ones.

Sebastian St Cyr Mysteries by C.S. Harris

C.S. Harris Site – http://www.csharris.net/

The disclaimer here is you have to like historical period pieces and you have to like who done its. Amazon and Barnes and Noble have been flashing What Angels Fear in front of my face for years. Every time I would make a purchase they would insist I would like this book. As usual, they were right. What I love is there is a larger story line underneath the who done it that will span the entire series.

Sebastian St. Cyr is the reluctant brooding heir to the family title, lands and money (I now tough problem to have). As the youngest son he never expected to be in such a position, but with the death of his oldest brother the title falls to him. He lives his life drinking, gambling and having fun till he is found accused and arrested for murder and must clear his name.

All the while there is a larger mystery and story line involving him and his family running through the series. Let’s just say no one is who they seem to be and there are some shocking twists involving the main characters that will make your jaw hit the floor.

What I like about this series are the characters, the who done its are fun and fine but what draws me back is Sebastian himself, the drama within his own family and the developing character of Hero, the want to be spinster daughter of Sebastian’s biggest rival.

They’re a fairly easy read, and of course certain books prove stronger than others. But overall a highly enjoyable series.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

curlsz — Fri, 20 May 2011 03:07:47 +0000

The Winter Sea – Susanna Kearsley

This book popped up on my radar when Barne’s and Noble recommended it based on what I had previously bought. I read the summary and thought “ok, maybe” so I downloaded a sample and went on to the next book that I really wanted to read. Flash forward a few weeks later I’m perusing books and I guess my finger hit this one a little too hard because my Nook took it upon itself to open it for me to read. So I read the first 30 pages and voila, I was hooked!

The story is about a author that writes historical fiction, Carrie McClelland. She travels to Scotland to do some research using her own family’s ancestory as a spring board. She is then drawn to a little Scottish village called Slains. From there the story of Sophia just starts pouring out of her, as if she’s channeling this “fictitous” character in her novel.

So what ends up happening is you as the reader get to read Carrie’s modern day happenings as well as Sophia’s story set in 18th century Scotland. Chapters 1,2.3…. are set in modern day and Chapters I,II,III….are set in the past. The result is an exciting and touching story of two women that you absolutely love. On top of that are characters from the present and the past that you really feel a connection and genuine warmth towards.

I highly recommend this read, it’s smart, touching, romantic and FULL of some great Scottish history centered around the early Jacobite rising against the English crown and the newly United Kingdom.

Mystery Shots

curlsz — Thu, 12 May 2011 00:57:06 +0000

I need one of those assistants where I just hand the camera over to when I finish and they hand me another camera – because obviously I can’t keep up with actually “developing” photos.

These were taken last summer and I just stumbled upon them now.

[View with PicLens]

TED Prize, Can Art Change the World?

curlsz — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:36:39 +0000

Not sure if you know about TED or the TED prize (technology education design), but you can catch TED Talks on Hulu Plus. I love it, it’s very interesting and informative. Bringing people from various walks of life to an audience in a semi lecture format to discuss their “wish”, those that win the TED prize have done something that has impacted the world greatly and are awarded a prize along with $100,000 and a chance to fulfill their wish. The wishes deal with something that if given grand resources they would like to see blank happen in the world.

A few weeks ago a French street artist named JR won for his global effort to level the playing field through photography. His “wish” is to use art to change the world. He goes to various countries and posts giant photos on walls, sort of a photography graffiti, the purpose, to make people look up…pay attention…and most importantly ask questions.

One instance is where he wanted to show people of Palestine and Israel that they aren’t so different. For instance he went into Palestine and Israel, took photos of Israelis and took photos of Palestinians…doing the same jobs. So they went into various cities of Palestine and Israel posting a photo of a Palestinian and an Israeli doing the same job (ie two taxi cab drivers, or two cooks) on each wall and asked the people to tell them which was which. Of course they couldn’t. The point being we are all just people, we decide what makes us different and are our differences worth fighting over?

So that’s an example of that he does. The photos create quite a buzz in every city he goes into. And they are great photos, I mean the kind that really get your attention. They did some really cool things with them including posting on a train. Well watch the video to see what I mean.

Recent Reads, No Gluten Involved

curlsz — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:52:15 +0000

Since everything in today’s America must start with the phrase gluten free, I thought it necessary to throw that in. But that’s not what this post is about.

I’d say being sick means I have more opportunity to read. But I prefer my nose in a book whether I’m sick or not. There are some moments when it seems like I’m on a winning streak with books, and February was one of those months. Grand slam. A vast array of genres passed before my eyes, all fantastic, all worth the recommendation.

Hunger Games Trilogy

Hunger Games, Suzanne Colins

This trilogy caught me off guard a bit. I was expecting something a bit more clandestine, rather I got a more post apocalyptic feel out of it. Which was fine, it was a fantastic series and I’d read it 10 more times in a heart beat. Truly could not put it down and loved every moment of it. Great character development, which is very important. I found my self absorbed in the story, the injustice of their world and the emotions each of them had to deal with on a moment by moment basis.

These are classified as “young adult”, which I don’t understand. I studied young adult literature when I was in college, and from what I remember the fiction that was typically classified as young adult was due to the fact that the plot and characters more aligned with a young adults world rather than a contemporary adults world. Meaning more teenagers and younger could relate based on the fact that they had not yet met full adulthood. Now however, I think if there is a teenager in the book and there isn’t explicit sex, it gets lumped into this very broad genre.

I digress…

Greatest Knight and Scarlet Lion

Greatest Knight and Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick

I mentioned this in my post on what kept me sane while I was sick. This series was a mental gift! I am so glad I stumbled upon it and blame many late nights and many shed tears on this series. The story of William Marshall, known as one of the greatest knights in 12th and 13th century England. Marhall (where we get the rank Marshall from) served under the realm of King Henry II, King Richard, King John and King Henry III.

A fascinating blend of history and historical fiction Chadwick does a great job pulling the reader into the lives of Marshall, his family and those that serve him. Scarlet Lion begins where Greatest Knight leaves off and delves deeper into his personal life with his wife Isabelle. Overall the book spans about 50 or so years and is a fantastic read. And yes, you will need tissue for the end.

Sick Woman’s Guide to Sanity

curlsz — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:58:33 +0000

Like most right now I’ve been sick. Most people aren’t pleasant when they’re sick so I’ll not make the cliche excuses for my behavior, suffice it to say it’s best that I’m left alone in my cave. Which is fine because my cave is one of the most pleasant places to be even when I’m not sick. I have made sure that my bedroom, cave, has all the comforts I should ever need…minus the mini fridge, I haven’t gone quite that far.

So during a week coughing, sneezing and blowing wasn’t the most fun, it could have been worse. I made several fantastic discoveries and new favorites and was able to indulge in some old favorites as well. For me a sick woman’s guide included.

Old Favorites Like…

Basically a fruit smoothie without having to stand in line and wait for it to be made, wonderful treat and old favorite.

Was nice to drive through and stock up, no cooking necessary.

Tom Yum Gai is THE comfort food for the sick, no chicken noodle nasty please and thank you. The lemon grass and spices are perfect.

The fourth in one of my favorite historical fiction series, this one takes place in Istanbul Turkey. I have a personal love for that city and Alexander nailed it. It’s also fun to follow favorite authors on Twitter because I was able to tell her so, and she responded…swoon

I love my Roku, steaming Hulu, Netflix and Pandora is a sick woman’s angel.

New Favorites Like…

This by far helped more than anything else.

I stumbled upon this series on Netflix. FANTASTIC. I love the characters and the drama within a English household in 1912. It’s a good balance between the lives of the family and the servants. Season 2 will be filmed this spring, and I’m sad there were only 7 episodes in season 1.

This was free book on Nook’s free Friday’s. I took a chance and am glad I did. It’s the story of William Marshall, an historical fiction account of his life based on a biography his oldest son had done after Marshall died. William Marshall served King Henry II, Henry III, King Richard and King John. It spans 1167 -1197. Highly recommend for history buffs. (Elizabeth Chadwick). I’m currently reading the sequel which is also fantastic, spanning 1197-1221

Sable

Tango

Being the weather has warmed up, we’ve all taken advantage of the windows. It’s easy to be lazy when you have the laziest partners in crime. Occasionally they would move, but just to stretch or yawn. Very serene.

She’s a Healthy Lady

curlsz — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:28:22 +0000

So today Mow – and yes that is officially her name, as of well a while now – went to the vet.

And indeed she is a she. I finally braved it and put my hand under her belly yesterday, was pretty sure I felt some titties (never thought I’d get to type that phrase in public), and the vet confirmed it. Though for some odd reason she swore it was a male, b/c she’s “healthy” aka fatty is going to get her portions cut down cause she’s almost 14 pounds!! Though she was moving alot on that scale and she’s got tons of hair and she’s a woman so I’m going to make excuses for her.

First off let me tell you, getting to the vet was a bit traumatic for both of us. She was very good, but she made this pitiful horrible crying sound that I swear to God sounded like “nooo, nooo, nooo”. It was awful! We were only a block away from the house when I started thinking this was a bad idea. I talked to her the whole time, which praise the Lord it was only about a 7 minute drive because I was quickly running out of cat conversation.

Once we got to the Wellness Clinic (which another praise because it’s super cheap!!) we were greeted by an empty waiting room, praise again – there’s going to be a lot of praising in this post, warning you know. I put my name on the list and filled out the paper work.

Of course they asked what her name was, so despite the “amazing” names the internet provided I stuck with Mow. She just looks like Mow to me know, I couldn’t change. Well she was a hit. She was so sweet once we got her out of the crate, everyone loved her. On top of that they LOVED her name. I promise you, I could even hear them in the hallway saying “guess what her name is, how cute is that”.

So we proceeded with the exam and shots, they tested her blood and surprisingly she’s 100% healthy. They found a scar from where she was spayed, praise. They shaved what was basically the biggest hair mat I have ever seen off her back leg – that was actually the most traumatic part of the trip next to the “nooo”. I just wanted to shout to the nurse “hurry up what are you doing back there, giving her a perm?” Of course they noticed all her battle scars, they felt sorry for her. I wanted to say “no really, you should see the other guy”. Cause I’ve seen her fight and she is fierce.

The crazy thing is she was so sweet the whole time, she didn’t swat her paw or hiss or anything. And she ate up the attention, the vet and staff were very impressed. It confirms the theory that she may have been someone’s pet at one time and they dumped her or they moved, bastards.

So Mow is healthy, has all her shots and is now on round the clock survelance to make sure she doesn’t get a fever from the vaccinations – yeah shoot me, why did I pick the coldest day of the year for this project? Oh and I have to go back in 3 weeks for the conitnuation of booster shots, I’m telling you I don’t put this much medical attention on myself! Lord!

I can kinda see why people stop treating pets – but places like the Wellness Clinic are awesome. An exam is only $10-$20! And shots are $10-$14. So if you find an animal or if you are in a financial bind – keep treating your animals – just find a discounted vet. Cities routinely provide these clinics so that people will continue to treat their animals.

Austin Clinics

Wellness Clinic – http://www.animaltrustees.org/ATA/site/wellness.asp

Emancipet http://www.emancipet.org/wellness/

You can also find loads of spay and neuter places for $25-$45 which is great!

Miss No Name aka Mow

curlsz — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:47:18 +0000

So this stray has been hanging around this neighborhood for years. I know because when I would come over to Sandra’s house it was always around. It always seemed kinda scroungy and smelled like pee – blech. But of course all it takes is me moving in for it to decide, I like you, you’re my new owner.

And so it is I’ve apparently adopted a cat. Now normally, I’m not a big cat person. I mean I’m an animal person so I love all animals. Note, rodents do not fall into this category. But when I think of a pet, I think of dogs. But the stray was just so cute and sweet and helpless of course my heart melted. Yes I have a heart.

Plus she’s a Maine Coon or at least has a lot of Maine Coon in her, and from what I’ve researched they are as close to dogs as you’ll get in a cat. Even tempered, sweet and loyal. No wonder she has “flipped” on me and decided she wants to claw my eyes out!

Winter came, and I softened even more. She now has a little house of luxury in the back yard, complete with blankets and a butler.

But she still has no name. I started calling her “mow” because her meow’s are very clipped and different. But that seems to get a resounding no from the public. So public what should I name her. I’ve taken the challange to facebook. So far we have

Tigre
Fred Loya
Taco
Cat
Roscoe
Jagger
Ninja
Phil, Bob and Frank
Valentine
Isis
Selena
Cha Cha
Kenya
Sasha Fierce
Emilio Valdez Quintanilla – yeah right
Pablo Escobar
Simba
Mrs. Featherbottom

Apparently she or he looks Spanish. And so far “Mow” doesn’t seem so bad

Cutting for Stone

curlsz — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:25:57 +0000

It’s such a pleasure to feel immersed in a story, to hold on to a story and not want it to end. This is how I felt with Abraham Verghese Cutting for Stone.

Granted, the first 100 pages was a bit tough to get through making it a slow start for me. But after that I felt like I was running downhill, gaining so much momentum in the story that I couldn’t stop, didn’t want to stop. It’s a beautiful story of twins, their relationship with their family, friends and their country – Ethiopia. A large part of the story reflects personal conflicts as well as the conflicts in Ethiopia over the decades. But through it all I felt like I was right there, living their lives with them, living out this story.

A great blend of love, conflict and cultures – spanning India, Ethiopia and America. I can not recommend this book enough. It’s one I want to stockpile and hand out to everyone I know.

Vimeo Rockstars

curlsz — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:17:37 +0000

Vimeo killed the radio star…wait wrong song.

I love Vimeo – so many of the videos on there are just insanely creative. There’s this one particular artist that really captures my attention. His animation is often made from PAPER! I can’t even get those MASH paper games to work much less an entire animated video.

So a year ago I ran across this one and fell in love with it – in my opinion his fan video for Grizzly Bear’s Two Weeks is better than the original.

Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

Here is one of his newer videos

Ten by Ten – Bluebrain from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

Adios Words and Phrases

curlsz — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 06:39:16 +0000

Etsy Agrees

There are just some words and phrases that now make me cringe when I hear them. The other day I was listening to a very intelligent woman discuss a very intelligent subject (vague enough?)…problem was her filler words made her sound like a 13 year old moron. “Like um you know”…. I’m sorry I can’t take anything you say seriously, you might as well have a side ponytail, braces and bubble gum in your mouth.

I’ve had a running list of cringe words for a while. Then one day on facebook, Etsy posted a similar thought, what word would you like to retire in 2011. Yes please! The problem is the words enter in our craniums and saturate our vocabulary so easily, I find myself slipping on more than one occasion. I retreat to the basement and practice self flagellation for at least an hour, but still, the likes and ums haunt me.

Some of these words are just far to pubescent to remain in an adult vocabulary, some started out funny in certain situations then gradually became over used and abused.

So drum roll……

Like
umm
for real / for reals
You know?
Hear what I’m sayin?
Know what I mean?
ROFL
WTF
Sarah Palin (hee hee, ha ha, LOL, ROFL, LMAO – couldn’t resist)
ur (instead of you are)
dial in
phoned it in

Can you add to the list?

Books books and more books

curlsz — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 23:27:22 +0000

Yes I’m a book worm. In fact at about 9:30 pm last night I was waiting for The Scabs to go on stage only to find out they weren’t going on till midnight. My first thought, “I knew I should have brought my book”. Pitiful eh? I don’t care, I typically have a book with me at all times, not a kindle, a book. An actual paper book, and I like it that way.

So here are my recent worm holes. Books I have absolutely loved and devoured in the last few months.

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

I devoured this book over Christmas. It’s a bit melancholy, but fantastic character development and story line. The kind of book where you don’t want to put it down because you feel like you’re leaving your friends if you do. If you’re not familiar with Pat Conroy, he’s a southern writer focusing on the Carolinas. He is great at making you feel like you are walking the streets of Charleston with him. Conroy is the author of The Prince of Tides.

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

The sequel to Bean Trees. I would rank Bean Trees above this book, but it did not disappoint as a sequel. I think these books resonate with me so much because of the mother daughter dynamic. Fiercely independent yet strong in their love for each other, I find it to be very similar to my own mother daughter dynamic.

The book begins a few years where The Bean Trees left off. And like her first novel, you feel connected and in love with each of her characters.

Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

This is the latest in a series, the Lady Julia Gray series. This is not complicated historical fiction, pure indulgent fun and I absolutely love it! The series focuses on the conflict between conventional Victorian England and a very unconventional family, just what modern readers love.

If you like sleuth novels with a strong dose of the Victorian England an a touch of romance these are for you, they make the perfect rainy day reads.

Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

This is the recent in an EPIC series. Emphasis on epic. Gabaldon started this series in the mid 80′s I believe. Those that love this series fully dedicate their lives to it. I suspect she pumps some kind of female hormones into the glue on the binding.

It’s also a great read for history buffs. Starting in the highlands of Scotland in 1745 with Outlander and traveling to the current book which takes place in the American colonies on the brink of the American Revolution. Of course sadly I now have to wait for the next installment.

A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

So here’s the deal. I love series, I love historical fiction. I blow thorough them way to quickly. The problem with that is I’m always waiting for the next in the series to be published. Therefore I scoured Amazon for a new series to fill my time. I stumbled upon these. The first book, And Only to Deceive, was pretty good. A bit bland. But the series is definitely gaining in strength.

This belongs on the same shelf as the Lady Julia Gray series. The writing is even similar.

Give Ebla a Chance – More Happy Music

curlsz — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:06:04 +0000

No really – don’t you DARE stop listening after the first 15 seconds. This group is amazing. A fantastic fusion of classical and electric and sugar and spice and all things nice. You know when you’re at the movies and a score just blows you away – that’s the feeling here. The entire album (yes I say album, problem?) is great and many of the songs make me want to grab a sword and go all highlander on my co workers.

Other faves are Nara, Pompeii

E.S Posthumus — Ebla

This is Lepcis Magna another favorite

My Happy Music

curlsz — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 04:56:20 +0000

There are and always are and always will be soooo many bands, sooo many songs soooo much music that make me happy. I listen to it all day long, whether it’s pandora (till I run out of minutes) or last fm or just my Itunes.

At the moment the song that makes me happy is this, it’s an oldie but a very goodie – sorry for the lame lyrics scrolling through…

Have a Seat

curlsz — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:53:32 +0000

So here’s how this project got started. I decided I wanted a vanity. I found a great buy at the Round Rock Antique Mall. It’s gorgeous and not too fru fru, in my opinion. But no chair. So the hunt was once again afoot.

Found a cute little chair at the Austin Antique Mall but it had a horrible upholstery on it and was painted a jello pudding shade of brown, to put it nicely. I already had the supplies purchased and in effect for another project, so I thought what the hell, add it to the list. Unfortunately, once I started stripping this paint I found about 4 layers underneath. I should have known better but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was on a high from the first successful project…or the fumes.

I must interject that I finally succumbed to the strongest paint remover I could find, out of sheer desperation. However, that came at a price. My flesh. The stuff was so strong that if a tiny speck hit my skin it felt like acid eating through my flesh – not exaggerating. You know that feeling of one fire ant, then a hundred fire ants. Same feeling – times 10. I don’t recommend it – it’s the one that takes paint off in 10 minutes. Don’t get it, you’ve been warned.

THIS project quickly became known as “that damn chair”. The damn chair I loathed!!!! I finally got it down to the bare wood – minus a few spots that I just couldn’t get or just lost interest. And the staining began. It’s an ok job, lots of spots where it gunked up etc. But it serves it’s purpose.

Honestly I didn’t love it – until – the most gorgeous fabric on earth graced us with her presence. That damn chair has miraculously become the chair I love.

Princess Paws

curlsz — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 20:09:06 +0000

Sable, a.k.a “Princess Paws, little shit, fat maw maw”

…but mostly it’s just Sable – said in a very exasperated tone. She’s cute though huh? And anything you set down is apparently her throne, anything!

For the inner old southern lady

curlsz — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:28:59 +0000

I love this fabric so much I want to wrap my house in it, or maybe just re upholster a couple of chairs with it.

Junk Store Finds

curlsz — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:22:51 +0000

Cruising Burnet road, I saw this sad little cutie sitting on the sidewalk. Though it looked awful it was in pretty good shape. The drawers worked and it was sturdy. I thought it would make a great TV stand for now, and would have multiple other uses down the road. The hoarder proprietor of the shop offered me a great price on it and I couldn’t pass it up.

Honestly, it just needed a little love which included:

1. Sanding – note a power sander is a must when you are restoring furniture. The only time I use chemical stripper is when its been painted (which I just finished with on another project). But you’ll never live through hand sanding when something has been through hell and back.
– Sanding Tip – start with medium texture paper for stripping, then finish up with fine textured paper. Skip the coarse unless you are trying to smooth out some pretty brutal gashes in the furniture.

2. Pre treat the wood before staining. I like Minwax’ wood conditioner. It’s very easy and makes a big difference.

3. I use the stain without polyurethane. Mainly because you have better color options. You’re pretty limited with the polyurethane stains. This particular piece of furniture was stained with dark walnut, which I love and will use it again.

4. Finish off with polyurethane. I like satin over any of the glossy. But that’s just a personal preference. Use at least two coats with high traffic areas of the furniture. Like the tops of desks, tables etc.

The knobs came from World Market. They have a great selection of very artistic different types that don’t cost a fortune. Especially if you print coupons from their website. All in all this was a pretty simple job and turned out far better than I thought it would. The final cost was under $100 which included the materials and the furniture itself, a great deal in my opinion.

Keep in mind when you are restoring furniture it will never look perfect. So enjoy the bumps and scratches, the dents and imperfections. And painting is not restoring, though I’m not opposed to painting furniture, it’s a whole different process.

Next… a chair I’m working on. It has turned into the BANE of my existence. It has not been a good find and I curse the 4 coats of paint on the damn thing and the people that did it….but that’s for another post.

Art for the masses?

curlsz — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:57:51 +0000

Who was it that said art shouldn’t be for the masses? Do you think perhaps he looked into the future and saw Da Vinci’s work being displayed on a suped up truck?

The Lord’s Supper – To Go Version – Would you Like Fries with that?

Salad Dressing is a Must

curlsz — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:39:28 +0000

I mean let’s be honest – the best part of the salad is the dressing – unless there is some cheese hiding in there. But the grocery stores have failed me – they are all sweet or just bleh tasting and expensive.

So I’m on the hunt for a collection of fantastic sald dressing recipes.

The qualifiers

Not sweet!
Somewhat healthy – I mean by no means do I want oil and lemon – the standard 1980 diet throwback – but let’s be reasonable.
I hate blue cheese
Fairly easy to mix – please don’t turn my salad into a 30 minute need degree from culinary school, experience.

If this works I’ll post some new recipes here for us all to try.

A woman’s life journey…through the eyes of Facebook

curlsz — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:26:12 +0000

Women LOVE pictures, we’ll take pictures of just about anything. Our dog, fireworks (?), food (??), your dog (???). And the internet provides the perfect platform for women – an endless world of voyers to look at our pictures.

I’ve notice there is a distinct evolution of photos for women in the Facebook world, and it all corresponds with the relationship status.

Status 1 - Single: Photos of herself, her friends her extended family…maybe her pet

Status 2 – In a Relationship: Photos of her boyfriend, she and her boyfriend, her boyfriend and her friends…maybe her boyfriend and her pet

Status 3 - Engaged: Photos of her ring, her fiance, her fiance and her extended family and friends…and definitely her fiance and her pet

Status 4 – Married: Photos of herself and her wedding gown…more of herself and her wedding gown. The wedding, photos of she and her husband, photos of her husband and their families and their friends….and the new couple with the pet.

From here on out it’s an array of sub status’ – Married with….

Married and pregnant: Photos of her belly, more of her belly, his hands and her belly, him kissing her belly….wait what happened to the pet?

Married with a baby: Photos of the baby, the baby, the baby, her and the baby, him and the baby and we sold the pet for more baby clothes.

Married with children: Photos of the kids, her and the kids, the kids and… is she still married? Check relationship status, yeah says she’s still married but…

Basically by the end the man is no where to be found – you can go to his facebook page if you’re really that curious. He’ll have a picture of himself from 10 years ago with the college buddies, buttt that’s about it. He’s now ghost hubby- by “his” request….riiiiight.

The Bean Trees

curlsz — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 02:36:12 +0000

I’ve recently fallen in love with Barbara Kingsolver. Our book club is reading The Lacuna for September so I grabbed a few of her other books.

I really connected with this book and its characters. It was a great introduction to this author. It’s a quick read and well worth the time. And the three year old may cause you to run out and adopt a child, just maybe.

Windmills version 2.000

curlsz — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:03:20 +0000

Most can agree the interesting thing about Texas is it’s vast contrasts. From lush hills to the coast to the desert plains – from sea to shining sea, when did I swallow Garrison Keeler and his banjo?

Anyway, this weekend I agreed to ride along with the adopted family to visit my mom and the Midland crew. I am typically 100% opposed to making this drive. It’s a rough 5 hours and I have driven it more times than I can even believe. From college on I have made that painful trek at the ass crack of dawn to the middle of the night, by myself and with a crew of friends, no matter what it never got easier.

But it was actually pretty painless this time around, good company and the route we took was a bit longer but actually a bit scenic. One of the features that really fascinated me is something that is fairly new to our landscape – the giant alien like windmills. Some love them, some hate them but either way once you are right by them you have to admit they are jaw dropping. The size and magnitude are just amazing. Mixed in with the west Texas plains and clear blue sky and you have quite a gorgeous picture.

Cheap er Economical Decorating

curlsz — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:52:07 +0000

I love making a space my own, whether it’s house sitting or staying in a hotel or visiting my mothers. Adding little decorating touches can really make a room feel like home. Here are some affordable and easy decorating items that I love.

I love plants – and succulents are easy to take care of – look fantastic and come in endless shapes, sizes and colors. Good options for low maintenance decorating. A small succulent is usually around $3, then a little planter pot is about $3-6. The cutest planters usually don’t have drain wholes in the bottom – so here’s a tip – add rocks or a little gadget called “garden genius” which is a pot filler. That way the water doesn’t settle at the bottom.

The brown pot? Yeah I got really excited – ooo look at this vintage planter I found in the tool shed. Or a citronella candle made to look vintage – sigh.

A Reliable Wife, She’s a Keeper

curlsz — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 05:00:16 +0000

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

I ran across this book when it first came out and it sounded odd and dark and a bit morbid…meaning, right up my alley. Sure enough I loved it, couldn’t put it down, sat through stop lights reading this book. It’s certainly not for everyone. It’s not one of those books I’d insist everyone read in fact, but I thought it was fantastic.

It’s definitely dark and more than a little twisted…and if you are a bit prudish then don’t even consider it.

Here’s the synopsis… He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for “a reliable wife.” She responded, saying that she was “a simple, honest woman.” She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved. What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love. Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.

I wouldn’t read the reviews first if I was you. They are all over the place and very mixed. No help at all. Like I said it’s not for everyone. Which is probably why I loved it. Things that are “one size fit all” bore me to nauseum. I have no idea how to spell that word and the spell checker doesn’t either.

Tiny Houses

curlsz — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:44:36 +0000

I love this idea – it reminds me of Texas architect Brad Kittel’s Tiny Texas Houses. In fact I’d venture to say Brad’s been doing this far longer than this guy – but oh well Yahoo didn’t come to Texas.

But notice these are MEN designing these houses – I seriously doubt many women would buy into this. Don’t believe me? Go to an airport, see how men pack versus women. One backback vs two suitcases and two carry on’s and that’s only because “they” won’t let us bring three carry on’s on board.
Anyway, usually when I’m at home I resign myself to one space. Kind of like a dog in its kennel. Yes I just compared myself to a dog, stop before you get to the B word why don’t ya. After dinner and a bath I tend to just hang out in my room. I don’t know why, it’s my happy spot. It’s comfy and everything I need is right there. So the idea of living in a tiny house actually really appeals to me.

I’m fairly certain I could do it. It’s large spaces that cause us to accumalate more crap right? I need a chair to fill that space, and a painting to fill that whole…I need some candles for that bare shelf and on and on and on. Next thing you know you are loaded down with a bunch of “stuff” you don’t need.
It baffles me how many friends and clients will shop houses based on how much stuff they have. Not location or quality of home first, but space – they need loads of space.

The more I think on this the more I like it, the wheels are spinning.

A Failed Attempt at Flirting

curlsz — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:42:18 +0000

I have found in my lifetime that quite a few guys just don’t get my sense of humor. I don’t know why, maybe they aren’t used to women having a sense of humor – but usually it boils down to their lack of humor…or maybe I’m only funny to the other voices in my head. This in and of itself may be what leads me to being the single old lady with 6 cats who mutters to herself and traps squirrels…which I may be ok with.

So low and behold, it did not surprise me one bit when what could have been a flirtatious conversation went south and went south fast!

Enter…Mr. California, white teeth and all.

Him: What do you do for a living?

Me: Real Estate and Web design

Him: Cool, I am in sales and marketing…for a dental and whitening company
(notice, I didn’t even have a chance to ask him what he does)

Me: Oh, teeth whitening, like Milkbones?

Him: (head cock, lost look on face) Did I say anything about pets?

Me: No

Him: Oh…uh, well yeah we do teeth whitening and cosmetic dental work

Me: Do many pet owners use your services?

Him: (getting a little twitchy at this point) It’s not for pets it’s for people….small huff at the end

Me: So where do the milkbones come in play?

Him: They don’t…never mind, well it was nice to meet you.

And fade to black….

Does working at an office equal less productivity?

curlsz — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:32:14 +0000

Today I stumbled on a blog post where the author aired her husband’s dirty laundry. Literally! Apparently he works from home and that keeps him from changing his underware….for days and days!! Blech. Oddly I cant make it through a full day most times without at least two different pair. What? More than you wanted to know?

Anyway, so the post ended up as a piece to prod stay at home workers into revealing what other gross things they do as a result of not having to work at a formal office. I have to admit I went from always having an office to sometimes having an office to not having an office at all. The later ended with my working in 5 day old unwashed PJ’s – hair up to heaven and needless to say I’ve seen CSI Vegas three times through. And I slept…. oh how I slept.

Then I got an office – PRAIIIIIIISE. I was beyond excited. This time was different. All the other times it was an office for someone I worked for. This time it was just me, all mine. So now I can work from home or go into the office. I may have already said this, but just in case….PRAIIIIIISE! So I’ve learned to get to the office by mid morning, why not earlier. Well I get some focus work out of the way. The kind of work that if I was at the office it would be 4pm and would still not be done.

This was a general concesus on the comments for the blog post I was reading. Going into the office meant less work would get done. And as crazy as it sounds, its mostly true. The office is where everyone wants to socialize these days, show their favorite you tube videos and such. I myself have had to threaten the office within an inch of their lives if they do not leave me alone and let me work. I’ve contemplated digging a moat and putting a guard dog named whiskers at the door.

So why is this? Why is so much time wasted at the office, forcing many to feel that they will only get work done if they are at home. Are we so efficient now we can get more work done in less hours, leaving us with all this extra time? Or are our work ethics so laxed now that the office has become play land?

Rubicon

curlsz — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:52:22 +0000

Oh AMC how I love you so. Since childhood you’ve been one of my favorite things in life. So August first is the premiere of a new series Rubicon. BUT in all their brilliance they have put the intro episode on line. Espionage, murder and conspiracy. You couldn’t get a better recipe if you crawled into bed with Martha Stewart and asked to cuddle.

Rubicon, Intro Episode

Wanna watch?

4th of July Slumber

curlsz — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:33:39 +0000

Lately I’ve been working close to non stop. First is real estate and then I have a side business of web design. It’s fun and I’m thankful I get to do both and do both well, but it leaves little time in the day for things like fun or sleep.

So this fourth of July I was about as anti social and lazy as it got. I slept WAY in, lounged, watched movies, ran a few errands and ate and drank and ate and drank. And a small part of me felt like mayor of slackerville. Why is that? Why must we feel the pressure, especially at holidays, to do it up big? It’s like we’re trying to live up to the year before and live up to the image of a perfect holiday.

Oh well, me and the damn dog ate and lounged like the fat Elvis days, and I’m thoroughly rested. Well I did find a new favorite – thank you snarky Spec’s guy. You know I love being able to go into Spec’s, Central Market etc and ask for help picking out something – but I REALLY don’t want to be hassled and messed with – is that too much to ask?

Drinking on the Job

curlsz — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 20:37:25 +0000

It may be “The bar you can bring the parents to” but don’t expect the drunk sign maker not to hit on your mom!

I don’t get your vanity

curlsz — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:47:54 +0000

10 Curlsz bucks to the person that can tell me what in the hell this plate says….

*curlsz bucks only redeemable with the red headed goat handler in the Pitcairn islands

Geeze make up your mind already

curlsz — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:39:43 +0000

I know – my blogs are all over the place – there is a method to the madness, but it’s still madness however you paint it.

When I first started blogging I jumped on the blogspot bandwagon with my first blog. Then I created a site for my photography. THEN I decided and began fixating on the idea of having a blog and photography site all in one place. Now to be fair – this was before the days of a blog on every corner. This was when blogging platforms like WordPress were only for blogs and weren’t for managing content the way they are now.

So the site that hosts my photography added a blogging platform- yay. Except I don’t really like their blogging plat form, nay. So eventually this will have my photography on it but for now its just the blog. I moved curlsz.com away from the photography to use for the blog because its my favorite child, yes I’m one of THOSE mothers.

YEAH you just wasted 10 minutes of your life reading that drivel!

Rachel Zoe, It’s bananas…I’m dead.

curlsz — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:10:37 +0000

I’ve tried to watch the now super hyped up show “The Rachel Zoe Project” on Bravo. But I just can’t. This valley girl meets fashionista train wreck has to stop. Below is a pretty accurate parody on what I see when I watch this show.

Dear Diary: Northern Transplant to Sunny Texas

curlsz — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:05:05 +0000

In honor or our HELLACIOUS Texas Summer – Take no offense, simply enjoy.

Dear Diary

Just moved to Texas ! Now this is a state that knows how to live!!

Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place!It is beautiful. I’ve finally found my home. I love it here..

June 14th:

Really heating up. Got to 100 today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car.

What a pleasure to see the sun everyday like this. I’m turning into a sun worshipper.

June 30th:

Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. What a breeze to maintain.. No more mowing the lawn for me.

Another scorcher today, but I love it here.

July 10th:

The temperature hasn’t been below 100 all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat?

At least, it’s kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longer than I expected.

July 15th:

Fell asleep by the community pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body).. Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol’ sun in a climate like this.

July 20th:

I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag, then
popped like a water balloon.

The car now smells like Kibbles and Shits. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat. Good ol’ Mr. Sun strikes again.

July 25th:

The wind sucks.. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!!

And it’s hot as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.

July 30th:

Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now, $225,000 house and I can’t even go inside. Lomita is the lucky one. Why did I ever come here?

Aug. 4th:

It’s 115 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 85. I hate this stupid state.

Aug. 8th:

If another wise ass cracks, ‘Hot enough for you today?’ I’m going to strangle him.. Damn heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!!

Aug. 9th:

Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts, and when sat on the seats in the car, I thought my ass was on fire..

My skin melted to the seat. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ass . . . Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried ass, and baked cat.

Aug 10th:

The weather report might as well be a damn recording. Hot and sunny.

Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. It’s been too hot to do shit for 2 damn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week.

Doesn’t it ever rain in this damn state? Water rationing will be next, so my $1700 worth of cactus will just dry up and blow over.

Even the cactus can’t live in this damn heat.

Aug. 14th:

Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 115 today. Cactus are dead.

Forgot to crack the window and blew the damn windshield out of the car. The installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? “Hot enough for you today?”

My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking Texas .

What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here??

Will write later to let you know how the trial goes.

Sheep Dog Bangs

curlsz — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 04:34:34 +0000

Photo Essay: President’s First 167 Days

curlsz — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:00:00 +0000

I love photo essays. It’s the photographer in me I suppose. In fact I own several photo essay books – I highly recommend the Life essay book by the way.

These are great shots! Several made me smile – but #30 truly made me laugh out loud!

Click here to see entire essay.

Your scarf is choking you

curlsz — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:02:01 +0000

I was on the fence on the Burberry scarf trend until I walked into a business on a hot Texas spring day and saw a soccer mom sporting her tan skirt, hot pink top and Burberry winter scarf. First of all pick a season to dress for here. Second of all I’m sorry to tell you this but I think your scarf is trying to choke you.

This is one of those trends that could be done so well or so badly done that it’s sad. Matching your outfit is good, going with the same types of fabrics is great, going against your outfit because you have one expensive burberry scarf and you feel the need to manipulate it into your wardrobe is bad.

By the way I’m happy to inform I found this picture on the “Worst trends of 2007” list – 2007 people – two years ago!!! Even this website said they were happy to announce the Burberry scarf trend has left the building.

Fashion Trends Run Amuck, Part One

curlsz — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:55:38 +0000

Discussing the sheep dog bangs started me thinking. There are a lot of trends that once they hit mainstream, and by main stream I mean those that didn’t wear the trend within the first couple of years of it being out – but the tail end years when it’s on its way out, they start resembling a fashion train wreck. Let’s cover these individually and give them the attention they deserve.

These are the now infamous Nike running short. I have loved these for many years – FOR WORKING OUT! They hit the fashion scene a few years ago in the college world – hideously mis matched with an old button up and old loafers – I didn’t get it then and I don’t get it now. It has since moved to the adult world and often I see them on people that probably don’t realize they are FOR WORKING OUT.

The trend is done, it’s over, you look ridiculous, sell them to your running friends and quit wearing them out unless you need to make your weekly Wal-Mart run…Not to lunch with the girls. Oh – and it’s 90 degrees – you are wearing wool lined boots with running shorts. Those boots are bad enough with jeans but with running shorts? Not even if you were an Olsen.

As Sophia Loren Says

curlsz — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:32:24 +0000

You must suffer for beauty.

Thank you Autum Blankenship – this is her mother holding her daughter down for the oh so familiar female right of passage.

Toothless Demi

curlsz — Sat, 23 May 2009 04:29:48 +0000

Yes I follow Demi Moore on Twitter – why? Because she posts stuff like this – No shame.

Apparently she has one false tooth – who knew?

It’s a penthouse, it’s a hotel room, wait it’s an airstream?

curlsz — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:23:13 +0000

It’s all three I suppose – guess it doesn’t matter when it looks like this – sign me up.

A South African hotel has decided to start incorporating luxury airstream’s on their roof. Each dwelling complete with a little yard and all the bells and whistles. Cape Town is on my list to visit – even more reason to go.

I snagged this story from my new fave blog – so I’ll give them some love here, but you can also check out the official Cape Town Air Stream Penthouse.

Potential Child Prodigy in the Family

curlsz — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:17:42 +0000

I have to brag er share…My non biological sister Julie emailed me today to share about my niece. This past weekend I handed over a docking station speaker combo to Julie for her new IPod. Since then she has relished in the awesomeness that is everything IPod speakers.

The other day she was playing Bryan Adam’s “If You Love Someone” and my 4 year old niece comes in and asks “what is that song from?”

Julie: “an old movie.”
Cami: “is it that horse movie Spirit?”
Julie replied no but then remembered Bryan Adams did indeed do the soundtrack for Spirit – Cami has only seen the movie a couple of times. From those two times she was able to pick out his voice and style of singing – she’s FOUR!!!!

Please God help her maintain her genius level and not be a moronic sexting teenager!

Sexting

curlsz — Tue, 19 May 2009 04:16:35 +0000

As if parent’s don’t have enough to worry about – now we have “Sexting” – which according to Wikepedia is is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones. What the definition leaves out is that it’s prominent amongst teens.

Ahhh teens – one more reason for me not to have children. Actually I have found the man of my dreams – recent conversation revealed this.

(While watching a group of middle schoolers do their thing): Me – I want a baby and I’m fine with them becoming kids but I do NOT want one of those. How do you feel about boarding school? Garland: (also watching in horror at this group of girls) I’m good with that.

So according to Wikepedia teenagers and recipients of these tantalizing texts are being charged and prosecuted. Hello – it’s underage porn you morons!!!!!

But really what do we expect – moronic hormone driven beings with all the freedom in the world on their cell phones – shocker they are using it inappropriately??!

Shopping on the flip side

curlsz — Sun, 17 May 2009 04:10:24 +0000

I’m all about saving now – and as a cosmetic junkie…well this is the area to save for me.

When it comes to skin care I stick to what works for me despite the cost – due to my sensitive skin. Mass marketed skin care usually has tons of fragrance in it which can do a number on me. But when it comes to hair care I’m not going to debtor’s prison over shampoo.

I mean I love Ouidad and Bumble and Bumble but sheesh – who are they kidding?! For instance Bumble and Bumble’s Sunday shampoo – vs Pantene’s Clarifying shampoo… $19 for 8oz vs $4 for over 12 oz’s!!!! And they have the SAME ingredients!! Same with their straightening cream – yeah it’s amazing but you pay for amazing. So instead, there is Marc Anthony’s cream for about $7 and often at Ulta I find buy one get one free.

So beauty without debt – novel idea.

Can we cook ourselves thin?

curlsz — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:08:37 +0000

In a country that is obsessed with weight loss it was no surprise that a women’s channel such as Lifetime jumped on the bandwagon. So when I saw the ad for cooking thin I was skeptical but interested. I caught an episode while on the elliptical today and have to say they successfully snagged my attention.

The premise of the show is to take the foods you love (mac n cheese, enchiladas etc) and make a lower calorie version without cutting the taste. The guests get a 6 week challenge to cook themselves down a dress size and most usually accomplish that and then some.

Today for instance they cooked a 1000+ breakfast casserole down to a 200 calorie frittata.

So check it out if you are interested, I want to snag the book as well. Now that I have had my work out and spread the word on cooking thin I am off to Cinco de Mayo happy hour – yeah I know…

Smooth as Jill Scott

curlsz — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:01:40 +0000

Where have I been? How have I missed this wonderful singer? Recently I have fallen in love with a BBC show that is now on HBO – No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency – new female detective in Botswana Africa, actually filmed in Botswana. Based on a book series, it’s completely original and new and different I love it. The star of the show is R&B singer Jill Scott. Great actress and as I have just discovered a great singer as well.

So if you are curious at all – I highly recommend. You’ll be groovin, throwing Botswana slang around (Coco) and wearing brightly colored moo moo’s and head scarves by the end of the week.

Arranged Marriages

curlsz — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:59:32 +0000

I received a message from a friend in London the other day. “I have some huge news for you, I’ll tell you when I actually catch you online.”

I knew he had been in India the last two months – he and his brother are native Brits but his parents migrated from Northern India many moons ago. His parents, namely his mother, have been on him for a year or so to go to India to find a wife. He’s been pretty opposed to this idea, images of eager young – very young – women looking at him as a potential green card. But in his words “I’m sick of fighting them”, so he agreed.

I think he’s contemplating writing a book on the experience at this point. He indeed was seen as a walking green card, I wish I had been a fly on the wall for these meetings. He’s what you would consider a “serious sort”…needless to say parading him in front of 15 families is not his idea of fun! I haven’t gotten the details yet, but apparently he met some doozies!!!

But at last a “normal” family and a “normal” girl was presented to him. Now this is the fascinating part. He met her, liked her, had his cousin inquire about whether she was being pressured into all this or not and how she felt about him. All of her answers were positive so they met again, hit it off and decided to get married. “Do you think this will work?” he asks, “I think it would work, you are easy to be with” was her response. And boom it was done! They courted for two weeks, got engaged and were married within the following two weeks.

He came home to London a married man! Now if that isn’t efficiency I don’t know what is!! So can arranged marriages work in today’s world? I don’t know, but it is intriguing I must say.

Our Economic History, an “Aha” Moment

curlsz — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:54:08 +0000

Everyone is talking economy – it’s the proverbial super star of our day. Everywhere you go another “schmuck” has his or her opinion – and most of the times their opinion leaves us thinking “ok, so?”

But when Elizabeth Warren spoke of our history (since 1792) of banking and financial crisis it suddenly became so clear. How we got here and what we need to do. It also became painfully clear we did not come upon this crisis overnight – this was a decade or so in the making…think on that for a bit, or watch this quick explanation. If the below video doesn’t work click here.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c

Elizabeth Warren Pt. 2

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Two min fourty one sec of smiles…

curlsz — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:49:45 +0000

I love this so much I realized at the end I had a huge smile on my face the entire time – thanks Denby for posting this I snagged it from you.

The Vanilla Orchid

curlsz — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:44:59 +0000

No this isn’t another plant entry – though I could share with you how excited and proud I am of my plants that were started from seeds and bulbs…but I’ll spare you.

Instead I wanted to take some blog space to show you my friend Molly’s new business venture, the Vanilla Orchid. Molly is a former Hudson on the Bend chef and recently lived in Alaska cooking fresh caught fish and game. She’s back home and back to her roots, cooking food she loves and serving the community through home delivery service, catering and an assortment of other specialties!

Check out what she can do and keep her in mind for any parties you may have or if you are dying to try a home food delivery service with unpretentious good food!

Visit the Vanilla Orchid.