Author: Sharon

I believe you make your own reality whether good or bad. Thus, my favorite saying is, "Say what you mean and mean what you say."
Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Baking Gods

Posted on by Sharon

Somehow, by moving, I think I’ve managed to offend the Baking Gods.

Not one thing that’s come from my oven has been “right”. So far I’ve horribly mutilated oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and now some banana bread. WTH?

I’m beginning to doubt my awesome-ness in the baking annals of time. This just will not do. Heck, for years, I baked because I was angry. The measuring and the mixing and the aromas seemed to do wonders for me. My hubby would come home, smell something luscious in the oven and then think, “Uh oh”.

Maybe that’s my problem. I haven’t been angry when I’ve baked. I haven’t given the necessary ritual curses and angry mixing of the batter to properly appease the almighty Baking Gods. I haven’t thrown flour about the room and stomped my feet, nor painted chocolate smears across my apron and smudges on my face. They must not recognize me!! My proper penitence has not been paid. Hubby hasn’t come home and said, “Uh Oh”, looked at what a mess I’d made of my clothes and followed that comment up with, “You should just bake naked.”

THAT’S what it is. It has to be. The Baking Gods are PERVS!!

or… maybe…. it’s because the oven is a few degrees off?…… nah…. the Baking Gods are pervs.

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Spain

Posted on by Sharon

I hadn’t planned on going anywhere this summer. At least not anywhere that was farther than necessary to get or visit with my grandchildren, but an opportunity presented itself to go to Spain for work. At first, I considered it and then decided against it. I’d even gone so far as to throw away the paperwork I had to file by April 15th.

Then an email came to the boss and the boss forwarded it to me and we talked about it and that was about it. I fished the papers back out of my trashcan and away I go to Madrid, Segovia, Seville, Granada and Malaga.

I’ll be armed with cameras since I can’t take Hubby with me. (that’s the biggest bummer of it all, but I need to be nice and get along with the other grown ups) Certainly will be different for me, since I’m used to being the one trailing after 80+ singers, and this time someone will be trailing after me.

Awesome!

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Work Schmirk

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SO!

All I want to do now is be creative. I want to work on the YouTube videos I’ve promised I’d “get to” now that I’ve sorted through and filed the over 25,000 photos I collected from our Italy trip. (that’s a real number, btw) Instead, I’m making CD’s. One. At. A. Time. It’s great to watch the number decrease as I put in each disc, but it’s kind of mind-numbing.

In between each cd, I turn to my space heater and thaw my fingers out, since it’s pretty darn chilly in my office loft today. Meanwhile, just so I don’t go totally mad, I’ve listened to some pretty interesting stuff about quantum physics. A topic, I might add, that I was trying to enlighten people with about 6-7 years ago – before it became something everyone was chattering about.

OMG – I’m so cold today!

 

 

 

 

Of course, I just ordered – and will be having installed, two pellet stoves in my home next week. Thus, we are guaranteed to be having above average temperatures from Monday on…. s’ok. Saves my pellets for next year.

Next on my list – figure out how to merge solar power into my world and having it make sense for what I want it to do. That….. and create some YouTube vids for the kids. Yeah… I still want to do that.

OOOoooo… the sunshine is peeping through the clouds, and look! a sparkly butterfly….on a cupcake even…. yeah…. there’s no lack of focus going on here today….

 

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Musical Moods

Posted on by Sharon

I was listening to a friends music mix today and found myself feeling more and more disturbed. Sometimes their mix is fine, but it does usually carry the same message and tone. Maybe it should be called “Relationship Radio”. Most of the music is about someone who does someone wrong or professing undying love, or how after professing undying love…love dies. Anyway, the majority of it is depressing and the feeling I come away with is angst. Angstidy angst angst angst… Mind you, if you are in the mood for love songs – good and bad love – then that’s the place to go, but there are more days in my world that I choose happy songs.

That’s when I starting thinking about how much listening to music can change your mood. (she says as “Scotland the Brave” on pipes and drums is echoing around her office) See, that immediately makes you either run for cotton for your ears, or you feel perky and patriotic. I don’t think anyone can listen to the tattoo of a marching drum line like that and not think of a parade. Now, I have Symphony no. 4 in G minor floating around my office,  which I find soothing and playful at the same time.

Since songs are catchy melodies that rattle around in our heads and produce a strong emotion in them, then the words that are attached to them – and that we repeatedly sing – are equally important when it comes to influencing your mood and your world. If you are constantly singing about a love gone wrong and feeling torn up inside, what are you telling the world you want? Maybe you’ll get just what you are asking for without realizing you are asking for it so much.

That’s why, after listening for a bit and starting to feel a bit morose on a beautiful sunny day, I opted to go back to my music collection for an attitude adjustment. (Endicott, by King Creole and the Coconuts playing now) Not only is my music widely varied, but it’s mostly happy. Because that’s what I want. To be happy. That’s what I want to sing about and that’s what I think about. I’ll bet most people don’t even think about this and make a conscious choice about lyrics. I wonder what would happen if they did.

In a slightly different vein, but still having to do with music, the concert from our most recent tour of Italy is now up and available. I don’t have an account where I can post the video here, but I can give you the link. www.peabody.jhu.edu/2742  These kids worked very hard on this music, as did the director, and I’m very proud to be a part of an organization that allows them to produce such great music.

(William Shatner and Ben Folds, “Familiar Love” on now! I don’t know who that is in the video, but thought it would be good for you to hear the song) And when I do want a love song, I always have what popped up next on my play list. (Stereo Hearts)

Ok, maudlin feeling is officially gone now!

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Bucket of Doom… and other niceties! :0)

Posted on by Sharon

Stink bugs. Ugh. I’ve written about these nasty little buggars before, but along with the blooming of the flowers and trees, stink bugs are also popping up like weeds. These fairly large bugs are damaging to crops and smell horribly when threatened, but they pose no real harm to people. (unless you are a biker and one slams into your face shield, maybe) However, if you mention them in any kind of company, you’re bound to get a scrunched up face of distaste and maybe even a shudder.

A week ago, it was a bit warmer and a day couldn’t go by without  finding at least one bug in my office, so I got a plastic container and started to “collect” stink bugs. After I had a few in there and I noticed they were wrestling around, I nicknamed my container “The Bucket of Doom”. In fact, it was my anniversary, and Hubby brought me home 27+ carnations. To express my undying love for the time we’ve spent together, I handed him his very own Bucket of Doom and said, “Honey, I’ve strategically placed 27 stink bugs around the house for you!” You know you’ve been married for a long time when you each compare and compete to see how many inhabitants you can introduce into your Bucket of Doom.

Number 4 visited this weekend. It was a much-needed visit for me at least. The planning and packing and actual cartage of schtuff from one place to another was fairly easy for me and I had a bunch of help from friends, but the unpacking has been a bit more difficult and I found that the more stuff I took out of boxes with no clear place to go, the more I had felt scattered. Just spending a few days with her and getting a morning cuddle from her was enough to make me feel better and inspired to find a place for everything.  (and she helped me pick out some furniture!)

 

If you’ve read my blogs, or you know anything about me, you’ll know that I went to Italy last summer. I have an offer to go to Spain this Spring, but I think I’m going to pass. However, we are now in the planning stages for a trip to Paris, France in 2013. Believe me, the irony of trying to finish up media projects from Italy while planning for France is not lost on me. :0)

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Whiny McWhinykins

Posted on by Sharon

I didn’t intend to be such a whiny-pooh today, but that’s what I felt like by the end of the day.

Why didn’t this go right? How come she can’t think of it in a different way? When will this be finished. I don’t wanna…how come…blah blah blah…

In fact, I’ve been a bit of a crank for about two weeks. And even though I celebrated my 27th year of marriage last Friday (3/23) I even marred that with some less than lovey-dovey commentary.

So. What do you do when you feel like you’ve been whiny? Well of course you write a blog about being whiny which just feeds into being ever more whiny, right? Or not.

I’m going to sleep soon and before I do, I’m going to give myself a good talking-to. My dreams will be sweet, I’ll wake up refreshed and will feel happy about the fact that I’m in my new home, it’s gorgeous, I have many friends and people I love, my daughter is visiting at the end of the week, my room is shaping up, I’m eating better and life is really good.

Yep. That’s what I’m going to do.

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Sweet Treats

Posted on by Sharon

On this bright fine morning, Hubby and I took our cars to the emissions station for their check up. It was kinda odd to smell cow manure on freshly turned fields while sitting in line to get my auto emissions done.

Lately, I’ve been itching for a sweet treat, and I found a bakery in town that looked pretty interesting called Starry Night Bakery and Coffeehouse. In the interest of poking around our new hometown, I asked Hubby if we could go have a breakfast sammich and some java and check it out.

As if I had to say more than coffee.

Tucked away behind a plaza and sandwiched between a few other shops, we found the bakery and walked in. It smelled heavenly! Visually, there is just so much to see.

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I’m a bit frustrated with myself for not getting a picture of the Jack and Sally painting on the wall behind the counter. Along with Zero (all from the movie “Nightmare Before Christmas”) they are throwing cake batter and frosting at each other, having a jolly good time. :0) However, I did get a few other shots of fun things, like the ducks that line the wall above the bakery and the bottom of the display cases….

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And the dark and delectable treat that waits for me at the end of Candyland….

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Being St. Patrick’s day, Hubby had a Corned Beef and Cabbage cupcake, which was exactly what you’d think it is with the addition of some mashed potatoes on top. You can see a picture of it over at my other blog, What Andy Does. I was wondering how good it was, but Hubby was stuffing his maw with it so fast, there was no need. Very interesting and very good were the words I think he squeezed past mouthfuls.

Personally, I think I should return the portion of my sandwich that I couldn’t eat.

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After my sausage and egg on pretzel roll breakfast, Hubby went and picked me out a special treat.

ImageHe says it’s called a Mahoo Wahoo, which I think means chocolate coffee cupcake. To be fair, I’d already had most of a cup of coffee, so the flavor of the cupcake might have been lost on taste buds that were already tuned to that, however, the frosting was delish. It was light and airy and with just a hint of sweetness. It wasn’t that fluffy whipped cream kinda stuff, but a buttercream that just was divine. A great way to start the top ‘o the morn.

Posted in Musings and Mutterings

Scat

Posted on by Sharon

This is Scat.

Yes… his name is actually Scat. It’s cute if you are thinking, “Scat, cat…”, but if you are like me and you realize that the word for wildlife poo is also known as scat, you are wondering just what someone was thinking when they named him. I prefer to believe he was a stray that proved he was an excellent SaleScat and they call him Scat for short.

We met Scat when we were looking around town for some furniture for my office. I don’t have closets in my new space. Instead, I’ve visualized bookshelves. I’m not a big fan of the press-board office furniture, so we went to a local shop that showcases nice wood pieces that you finish yourself.

We were the only two patrons in the store, aside from the employees, and there was a fairly decent sale going on, but that was just the way we like it. In fact, this is one of the reasons we moved. We love supporting local business owners and we love the mom and pop shop way. The fact that there were cookies, nuts, pretzels and M&M’s along with water, soda and coffee available to patrons while they shopped and free of charge as a courtesy AND that they had a salescat, made this the perfect place for us to order some bookshelves.

What the heck, we also got two more chairs for our table. Now we finally can seat 6 at the dining room table without having to haul in lawn chairs. (I know…. we are classy) I hope Scat gets credit for the sale and an extra helping of tuna later, since he was the one that pinned Hubby to the chair and worked his magic, which allowed Hubby to look around and spot the perfect pair of chairs.

And I got some kitty love and cheek rubbies from Scat, which I miss now that my dear Bess is gone, so that was a mega bonus for me. Thanks, Scat!