Under a Blue Moon

 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

I have seen so many fabulous Valentine's projects across the interwebs today.  I sure miss being creative with my boys.  We used to do projects like these when they were growing up. 

This makes me want to break out my old Fimo clay and start making things with them again.  You know – they both would be totally into it too.  I think they have fond memories of the projects we used to do together.

• Very clever Valentine card idea
• Sweet little heart beads
• Little cookies just taste better than big ones, if you ask me
• Sparkly cupcakes taste better than regular ones too

 

Rick's shoulder surgery was today.  It went splendidly.  Not a torn rotator cuff after all.  They just needed to clean up some raggedy edges.  His recovery should be pretty quick. 

I made him chicken noodle soup to help things alongs.  I swear this soup can cure anything that ails you.  It's evolved over the years but the ingredients are basically the same.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 lb. ground chicken
2 green onions, finely minced
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. Penzey's Fox Point Seasoning
1 egg

Mix the chicken, green onions, bread crumbs, sesame oil, seasonings and egg.  Form into 24 small meatballs and bake on a jellyroll pan for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

6 cups of chicken stock (canned or homemade)
6 Baby Bella or Crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
6 oz. of dried fettucine noodles

Bring chicken stock to a simmer.  Add mushrooms, green onion and sesame oil and continue to simmer on low, covered.

Meanwhile cook fettucine noodles as directed on package.  When cooked add to simmering broth along with the chicken meatballs.   Heat for another five or ten minutes. 

You can add salt and pepper to taste.  I am trying to reduce my sodium (my ankles are looking alarmingly like my Grandmother's did when she was in her 90's) so I didn't add any additional salt.  I also used low sodium chicken stock. 

Sorry things are quiet around here – with Rick's surgery and a crushing workload I haven't had a chance to blog much.  I'll return on Friday with my favorites and hopefully next week things will return to normal.  Whatever that is…..

 

Lately I've been fascinated by blogs that are about vintage fashions and lifestyle.  In that the blogger not only talks the talk but walks the walk.  They wear vintage styles and decorate and run their homes in a vintage way.

I think it appeals to me (and to them, I can only surmise) because it seems to be a gentler, calmer time.  And who couldn't use a little of that – vicariously or in reality.

Now I am not about to revamp my entire wardrobe or anything like that.  I think the styles lend themselves to a more slender sillouette.  I would look more like Mamie Eisenhower than Audrey Hepburn. 

However one trend I can adopt is the wearing of brooches. 

I love this little touch added to a cardigan or jacket.  My mother was a big brooch or pin wearer.  When we were going through her things after she passed away almost every jacket she had in her closet had a pin on the lapel. 

 

I went through a stage in the 80's where I wore a lot of pins.  In fact I specifically remember a denim duster with a large silver pig on the lapel (and please tell me I wasn't the only one in the 80's that wore a long denim duster. And big hair).

I just went through all my old costume jewelry and pulled out pins or brooches that I might actually wear today.  I see I've always had a fondness for sparkle.  Some things never change.

 

Isn't this cameo beautiful?  My mother gave it to me.  When I was nine or ten we were in Italy and went to a place where cameos were made and my parents bought each of us girls a small cameo pendant.  A few years later I lost mine and my mother gave me this one to replace it.  I think it is a particularly pretty one. 

 

Looking at these patriotic themed pins makes me want to expand my collection.   I think Martha Stewart had a spread in her magazine a couple of Summers ago about collecting vintage red, white and blue pins. 

This last one is my favorite and while it is vintage (not all of the above are) it is new to me.  I just ordered if off of Etsy.  It ended up being even prettier in person.  For costume jewelry I think the detail is quite fine. 

 

 

Normally I would save this type of information for Friday's Favorites but I thought it deserved a post of its own.

Victor Kaufmann is an 85 year old gentleman living in the state of Washington.  Ten years ago, concerned with the sad state of affairs our planet is in, he set a goal to plant 10,000 trees on his barren piece of land.   He has almost reached this goal, planting each tree, one at a time.

His grand-daughter Sarah Berkovich and her classmate at Emerson College, Sarah Ginsburg, decided to give voice to his project by means of a documentary. 

Victor is nearing the end of his goal and the Sarahs are raising money in order to fund a documentary they want to make on his story.  They are hoping that Victor's passion will inspire us to take a look at how we are treating our planet and what contributions, however small they may seem, can have a lasting impact.

In order to get the documentary made they are raising funds through their webpage:

10,000 Trees:  Help a short documentary grow tall

Donating couldn't be easier – they have it set up through Amazon.  They are almost halfway to their modest goal of raising $5,000.  Even a small donation will help them reach that goal.

I know that I, for one, want to hear the rest of Victor's story and see that final tree planted.  What an amazing man.

(Feel free to post a link to this post or just copy it to your own blog if you like)