In The Spice Rack

Just a quick note to say I hope everyone has a great 2009!

Aside from some sickness, we're having a pretty good one here so far.

If you're interested in ordering a hat like this one, please email me: inthespicerack@gmail.com

I bought the book Cross Stitch Silhouettes by Adele Welsby sometime last year, because I loved the concept of cross stitching, but only having to use one color of thread, or using variegated thread. I'm on my second project now, and so far, they are turning out quite well. I was drawn to the book because of the cover, with the old fashioned silhouette of a man and woman, but the book contains many projects. There are animals, buildings, statues, and symbols of different countries, wizards, plants, and two sets of the alphabet. There are so many things to choose from!

I decided to try using a rayon thread because of its shininess. With my first project, I started using 2 threads, and it was quite thick. For my second project, I am using just one rayon thread. I always have the problem where my thread gets knotted up in between crosses. Does anyone have a solution for this?

I am using various patterns from this book to make Christmas ornaments, and also some decoration to add to stockings. I am considering making a couple of larger pieces to frame as well. You can adapt the patterns, or combine them, too. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in cross stitching, but want to take a break from having to use several threads at a time.

I've been catching up on a variety of shows this week.

Chuck - Nicole Ritchie and Ben Savage starred as former classmates of Sarah Walker, aka Jenny Burton, and the reunion ensues. While I thought Nicole looked beautiful, her acting was rather flat. Her action sequences with Sarah were exciting, but otherwise, I wasn't really buying it.

If "Candyman" Tony Todd recruited Sarah into the CIA, is it possible that Sarah had something to do with him being blown up? I need to go back and watch her reaction to getting the news now!

Heroes - Last week's episode contained my least favorite moment and my most favorite moment. I absolutely detest The Puppetmaster. Ok, I know we're not supposed to like him. I just couldn't help but wonder which writer was tickled pink to write such a misogynistic character as Eric Doyle. I was never so happy as when Claire was able to use the old "I'm not really dead" trick to escape!

I alternately loved the part when Hiro is trying to outfox the Seer in Africa. I laughed and laughed. I am wondering if the Seer is sort of a trainer when the "heroes" eventually go to learn, or take a spirit walk, like Parkman did, and now Hiro. It was a good reminder for Hiro that he still needs to use his own mind to think!

Fringe - It's Olivia's birthday in the episode and we learn more about her own personal history, which included a jerk of a stepfather who she shot after he beat up her mother when she was 9. She couldn't kill him though, and now every year on her birthday, he sends her a card, just to let her know he's still alive.

The overall plot of this episode however concerns two women who had Bellini's Lymphocema, and searched for a cure themselves. The first woman ended up exploding, and killing everyone else in a diner with her. The second woman is missing, and it's a race against time to find her and make her an antidote so the same thing doesn't happen to her.

I like the feel of this show, and I especially like Olivia Dunham as a character. She is serious and methodical, but also compassionate. It's a rare mixture that isn't always welcome in agents, but she makes it work for her.

House - I will sum up the episode titled Lucky Thirteen by using a quote directly from the show: “Another life saved by girl-on-girl action.” Well, only sorta. Basically, Thirteen is faced with her own mortality, and the fact that her time is going faster than she first anticipated. This is causing her to make risky decisions in an effort to live her life as fully as possible. The reality is she's taking illegal drugs, partying all night, and having one night stands with strangers. She isn't doing any of the things that would help prolong her life.

In this episode, one of Thirteen's flings was trying to get House to take her as a patient when Thirteen took her home. She ended up having a seizure and landed in the hospital. The duo inspires gratuitous lesbian jokes. This episode also left me wondering - When will there be a Kutner episode???

Eleventh Hour - I wasn't sure what to expect from this show, but so far, I like it. This episode revolved around a family becoming paralyzed after ingesting a fungus. It was exciting to watch as they traced the fungus back to its originator. One of the topics that comes up is farmers trying to compete with industry giants like Dole and Monsanto. As a person who has allergies/sensitivities to many substances, including pesticides, I have thought a lot about GMO foods, and what "natural" and "organic" really means. Does labeling really help?

The best quote came from Dr. Hood - “Green food coloring, on the other hand, is a petroleum-derived triphenylmethane, nothing natural about it. Yummy.” Then he takes a big spoonful of green jello and eats it!

Ghost Whisperer - I don't have much to say about this week's episode. It was okay. One of the things I love about the show is Jennifer Love Hewitt. I tried to dislike Ghost Whisperer for a really long time because it replaced my beloved Joan of Arcadia. However, I give in! I love this show! Sometimes it's cheesy. Sometimes it makes no sense. But, it's my guilty pleasure. They took away my Moonlight vampire fix, so this will have to do for now. And, Jamie Kennedy is on the show, replacing Jay Mohr's Professor Payne, as Melinda Gordon's sidekick. I love Jamie Kennedy!

My Own Worst Enemy - I like the show so far. Christian Slater really pulls off the two personalities. This show was made for him! My husband thinks the show's premise is horrible, but it's working so far. The plot has taken us all over - Edward doing "the hummingbird" with Henry's wife, Henry having to torture information out of someone, Henry waking up in the middle of one of Edward's jobs... It's a mix of sweet, exciting, and terrifying.

Kath & Kim - Kath thinks her fiance Phil is cheating on her because she is feeling old. What is funny is the episode starts off with Kim telling Kath (her mom) that she is looking old, and then jumps to her mom's defense when Phil tries to make her feel better. Kim and Kath want to cheer themselves up, so they go out to a drag club. They hang with some very understanding and complimentary queens. Phil shows up, and a hip hop routine ensues!

You know, I didn't have many expectations about this show, and even after watching it, I have less expectations, but it made me laugh harder than anything else. At the end of the day, I really need a good laugh. If Seinfeld could have a show about nothing, then so can Kath and Kim! Well, I'll keep watching it at least. For now.

Rita Rocks - I love Nicole Sullivan. She is so cute, and totally hilarious. When I found out she had a new show, I knew I had to check it out. This episode found Rita's daughter, Hallie, trying to prove she's mature enough to watch her younger sister while their parents go on a mini vacation for a weekend. Rita puts in a nanny cam to see if she can trust her oldest daughter. Rita gets caught, of course.

The thing I liked about this show was the warm, happy, family oriented feeling. It was an entertaining 30 minutes, and something parents could watch with their kids, and discuss what happened. I'll tune in again!

I finally caught up on Boston Legal. Denny is still causing trouble, and Alan is still being a womanizer. Actually, Denny Crane spends a lot of time worrying that his "mad cow" disease (Alzheimer's) is winning. There are a number of touching moments between Denny and Alan revolving around the mad cow. We even witness one of their sleepovers in last week's episode. I don't recall seeing them together in pajamas before this. There are other characters in this show of course. I'm just currently stuck on them. I've always loved the great writing in this show, especially the sharp closing arguments. This season is no exception.

Three British shows that I have been enjoying on our local Public Broadcasting System channel are Rosemary & Thyme, Executive Stress, and Fresh Fields. I've seen all of the R & T episodes several times, but still enjoy them. The other two shows are new to me.

Hopefully, next week I will catch up on some other shows such as: Doc Martin, Cold Case, Easy Money, Eli Stone, Life on Mars, NCIS, Numb3rs, Primeval, Sanctuary, Pushing Daisies, The Ex List, Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, The Simpsons, The Starter Wife, and Valentine.

A friend of mine pointed out a Salon article about how women don't ask as much as men do. One woman decided to ask for one thing every day for a year. http://thedailyasker.blogspot.com/

This made me think about what my husband has taught me. In my mind, he is shameless!!! If someone is thinking about getting rid of an item, he will immediately ask for it. This has bothered me for a long time. I am of the school of thought that if you need something or want something, you should provide it to yourself. To me, it kind of looked like begging. For him though, he is never disappointed if the person says no. If he didn't ask, he wouldn't know.

Now I am wondering if his asking is more than just a difference in our personalities. Maybe the asking is hardwired in him. As a woman, I was taught to be polite, discrete, kind. It wasn't polite to ask someone for their personal belongings.

My husband and I have been married now for ten years, and I find it necessary to ask for things. My husband isn't a mind reader. It actually hinders me to be polite with him. I have to ask for what I need within the context of our marriage. And, that has moved beyond just my relationship with him. I do the same with my parents, my brother, my friends... Fifteen years ago, I would have been embarrassed or crushed if I asked for something and was denied. Now it's just par for the course, and I don't take it as personally. And, the more I ask, the higher the likelihood that someone will say yes!

Burned by Carol Higgins Clark is just one of many books in the Regan Reilly detective series. I started reading the series right from the beginning, back in the early 1990s.

As you might have figured out, Regan Reilly is a detective, located in Los Angeles. In this book, Regan is getting ready to fly back to New York where her fiance, Jack Reilly (no relation!) is living. They have wedding details to firm up. However, a freak snowstorm in the East puts that plan on hold. Instead, Regan receives an invitation from her best friend Kit to fly to Hawaii and have some girl time together before the wedding. Kit is stranded in Hawaii until the storm lets up.

Mystery follows Regan where ever she goes, and the trip to Hawaii is no exception. The Waikiki Waters Playground and Resort has had Dorinda Dawes writing a newsletter for them... until she turns up dead. The manager asks Regan to look into her death. Dorinda was not a well liked person. In fact, she had interviewed Regan's mother, famous novelist Nora Regan Reilly, years before, and ruffled Nora's feathers.

Add into the story a hot guy that Kit is interested in, plus a very strange group of tourists who comes from the very rainy Hudville, and Jazzy the kind of ditsy house-sitter, and you have the makings of a very peculiar Hawaiian Girls Weekend for Kit and Regan.

For this book, I would give it a solid 3.5 coriander seeds (1-5, with 5 being the highest). Burned is a fast read, and quite enjoyable. If you like mysteries, you might really enjoy the Regan Reilly series.

This is a pretty fun site, if you're looking to win some neat things. It's time consuming to check to see if you won, but if your time isn't limited, I say go for it!

So far, my husband has won two stickers, and I've won a couple stickers, a tshirt, and a Starbucks gift card.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Bollywood/Hollywood, but I wasn't disappointed! It was definitely worth watching. On a scale of 1 to 5 coriander seeds (with 5 being the highest), I'd give it a solid 4 coriander seeds!

Here's a synopsis. Rahul lives in Canada (Toronto, I think!) with his mother, grandmother, sister and brother. He falls in love with a woman, and gets blessings from his mother and grandmother to marry her, but they are reluctant. However, she passes away in a freak accident before they can marry. After this, his mother and grandmother insist that he marry a girl who is Indian, and Hindi specifically. He absolutely refuses, and so Mom and Grandma get out the ultimatums! If he doesn't agree to get married soon, his sister's wedding will be cancelled. His sister urgently needs to get married, so he finds someone to pretend to be his fiancee until after his sister is married. Wacky hijinx ensue!

This is a very touching story, which crosses many cultural borders. There are many wonderful moments. The music is very beautiful. The dance scenes are fun to watch. Grandma often quotes Shakespeare. There's also the girl who keeps popping up to say, "What a bunch of losers!" For anyone that has seen it, or sees it after reading this, my favorite character is Rocky. I've seen the actor who plays him in several other movies, too.

As I was sitting at my computer this morning doing my usual round of checking websites, my dad yelled to me that FedEx was at the door. I found a package waiting for me on my front step from General Mills! It's not every day you get a package like this, so I called my dad over and together we opened the small box.

Inside, we found a box of 100% Natural Progresso® Chicken Broth and coupons! During the winter, we make and eat a lot of soup. I really love homemade soup on a cold snowy day. I am anticipating many bowls of yumminess this fall and winter!

Sometimes Scott makes ramen and then uses broth instead of the packets because the sodium is less. Sometimes I just have some broth with chicken, rice, leeks and carrot pieces. I bake chicken and rice at the same time using broth and water for added flavor in the rice. I can find so many uses for this!

I'm trying this out. I'll keep ya posted on this one too! I like the look and feel of this site!

I discovered while cleaning out "All Programs" in my Start Menu that I had Scrabble on my computer! I had no idea! So I played a newbie game, and won. I usually play with friends who kick my behind all over, so this was new. I had a great time too!

A few weeks ago, Scott and I decided to organize our comic book collection and see what we were missing. Boy, that was a project! Six hours and 4 boxes later, we had a hefty list of "needs" and the rest were well organized and nestled comfy in their bags and boards.

Yesterday, I sat down to make a nice typed list of our "wants" and stumbled across this website.

The Comic Book Database is awesome! They already have loads of comics in their database, complete with covers. You can also easily add a cover if one is missing. I was able to search and determine how many comics were in a series thus far, making my list far more complete for when we actually take it to the store to start filling in our comic book series holes.

The best part - the datebase is free! You can make a donation, which I probably will, as the site has to be a huge task to regulate.

I am so happy. A project which would have taken twice as long is now twice as complete, as I also have a list of the comics I DO own, as well as my "wishlist."

If you collect comics, I highly recommend giving this site a look!

I came upon this woman's videos completely by accident on YouTube, and I am enthralled.

Check out Manjula's Kitchen for some awesome Indian recipes.

Here is the first video I watched.



I am hoping I can use a substitute for the flour, since I am allergic. It looks fairly easy, too!

If you buy two Lysol products, and also take your child to the doctor, you could get FIVE DOLLARS back!

Check out this website for more information.

http://lysol.com/pediatricianrewards/index.shtml


1 Purchase any TWO (2) different LYSOL® Products between 1/01/08 and 3/31/09.
2 Take your child to a doctor’s office for a check-up between 1/01/08 and 3/31/09.
3 Complete the LYSOL® Pediatrician $5 Reward Offer Form.
4 Mail in the Offer Form along with original receipts from your LYSOL® products’ purchase and a copy of your doctor’s office visit receipt or bill.

I am the dog-mom of a five year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Daisy, and a cat-sister of a Blue Point Himalayan Cat named Niko. These two animals fill my life with so much love and laughter. I never feel a pang of loneliness when they are around.

Every morning, I get up and immediately take Daisy outside. We greet the day together - frosty blasts or warm sunshine. We'll take it all. Daisy is always excited to explore regardless of my feelings on the matter. A trip around the driveway, or around the yard might be in order, with many stops to collect smells and treasures. I have found many interesting and beautiful leaves, pine cones, and flowers on our journeys. Daisy has literally taught me to stop and smell the roses, figuratively and literally!

Midday is often spent with Niko sunning himself on the bed while I am crocheting. Like any other cat, Niko has his own mind, and will do as he pleases. Thankfully, that often means spending time with me! I pet and brush him daily, and talk to him just as I talk to any of my friends.

The rewards of having an animal in your life are so wonderful. Here is a link to one such place that helps pets find people!

http://www.lollypop.org/

I am very excited!

I ordered some containers for my bento box, and some of them arrived yesterday.



There are picks for fruit and cheese, some tiny bottles for dressing, monkey face containers for sauce, complete with banana spoon/spreader, and onigiri shapers.

Spider Lilies or Ci qing is a Taiwanese film about two girls, Jade and Takeko.

Jade meets Takeko as a young girl, while wearing a green wig. They become very close friends as the years go on. Jade's parents left her with her grannie, who she still lives with as a young woman. Jade has a blog where people pay her to perform and interact with her. Basically, your average sex blog.

However, there is one gentleman cop who is investigating her, and tries to get her offline numerous times.

Takeko's father is killed one night when she sneaks out early to be with Jade. A terrible earthquake happens, and Takeko's young brother, Ching, witnesses the death of their father. The only thing that helps him is when Takeko gets an identical tattoo of the spider lily that their father had on his arm. She then trains to be a tattoo artist, and has a shop as an adult.

Jade decides to get a tattoo to spice up her blog business, and this is where she meets up again with Takeko, but Takeko doesn't want to remember Jade.

The movie is full of very intimate moments - sexually, emotionally, and physically. Takeko is conflicted between her brother and Jade. There is another character named Adong, who gets tattoos to make himself feel stronger and more violent! I never understood how a tattoo could give you power. This movie really put it into perspective for me.

I would definitely recommend seeing this movie if you like movies that delve into the human spirit.

I know Bella Sara cards are meant for a much younger audience than I - but I just love them so! The new Native Lights series offer the same quality of adorable horses, but based on Native American lore.

Among my favorites are Wichita and Menominee.

Bella Sara cards are similar to Webkinz online play, except it's solitary. You don't make friends. I think if I were a parent, I would be more drawn to Bella Sara for this reason, too. Less chance of a stranger connecting with my kid.

You can earn horseshoes playing games, and then buy stuff for your online house. You keep all of your horses in a stable, and then you feed, brush, and clean them. You'd think it would get boring after doing the same thing for 15 horses, but no. I just keep going, and playing.

I watched my niece who is a ball of energy and hyperactivity sit down and play with them quietly for a whole hour. It was amazing.

Squeaks and squacks
The guitar talks
Whammy and pedal
Harmonies defy metal

Lilting, lofting
Ethereal, Angelic, softing
Grinding strings
Until chordal release brings


Happy May Day!

Wedding Daze comes to us from writer and director Michael Ian Black. Jason Biggs (American Pie series) stars as Anderson, a guy who finally gets the nerve to propose to his perfect girlfriend while dressed as a baby oil-covered Cupid in the middle of a restaurant. The girlfriend dies right there on the spot, prompting Anderson to go into a deep depression.

Enter Katie, played by Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers). Katie has the perfect boyfriend, William, who Katie's mom and step father adore. Only problem - Katie isn't sure she wants to marry William.

When Katie comes to wait on Anderson at the restaurant she works at, Anderson randomly asks her to marry him - and she says yes! This prompts a long line of awkward, hilarious and also tender moments between the two as they go on a quest for answers to the real question - Will they really get married in the end???

Throw in friends who used to be a circus act, a father who breaks out of jail, a sexually explorative mom and dad, and the law, this is a really funny, cute movie and well worth a couple hours of your time if you're looking for entertainment. What makes this stand out from other films is the honest girl next door quality that Fisher possesses.

Starting at 12:15 pm UK time on April 29th for one week, you can get an advanced copy of Coldplay's new song "Violet Hill," off their new album "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends," which comes out soon.

http://coldplay.com

The sound we know and love from Coldplay is back with "Violet Hill" and there are no disappointments! The song starts out with crescendo of new agey synthesizer chords. A lovely haunting melody with Chris Martin's striking voice leads next, with natural piano. The guitar and drums come in to round out the sound. The song feels like it is written in cut time (the count of 2 instead of 4), and there is a galloping rhythm in the drums.

The guitar has a solo in the middle, which is strong and edgy. Jonny Buckland, lead guitarist, isn't the guitar solo machine that Slash is or Jimi Hendrix was, but he has his own style and charm which is illuminated here.

"I want to be a soldier/ With a captain of some sinking ship with soul/ Far below"

The song ends with Martin singing alone over the piano. He is so good at conveying such direct and honest emotional messages, tinged with optimism in the middle of everything else going wrong.

"I took my love down to Violet Hill/ There we sat in the snow/ All that time she was silent still/ If you love me, won't you let me know"


* If there is a correction on the lyrics, please leave a comment!

Artistry is something you can't concoct or fake. Artistry is something a person brings to their particular creative endeavor. A chef can bring the ability to make an awesome dish, seasoned perfectly, which sends your taste buds into culinary heaven. An artist can take you visually to the depths of despair, or the heights of passion with brush stroke, color, and texture. A musician can leave tears in your eyes, joy in your heart, and lust in your ... cough You get the picture! What takes the chef, the artist, and the musician from sheer skill and talent to being a true and genuine inspiration? I think that magic is Artistry.

Artistry is something the judges look for on American Idol. Talent and skill isn't enough. You have to have that spark, that je ne said quoi, that makes you stand out from all the others. Sometimes that thing might be hair, or personality, or a laugh, or a calm and easy feeling the audience gets. To have true artistry means you are a very lucky individual indeed.

I look for Artistry all around me. While I find many things enjoyable, and I try to find something good in just about anything and everyone (call me Pollyanna!), I am quite picky about the things that have that extra oomph.

When I listen to a violinist, I appreciate talent and technique. As a violinist, I know what it takes to achieve that level of playing. Dedication, hard work, lots of sweat... But, the artists I enjoy and admire the most often aren't flawless. You have to have the passion behind the music, some story you are trying to tell with your notes, before I will believe your performance is truly magnificent.

There has been the duel between violin and fiddle for years and years, and perhaps never the twain might meet in the middle, but to me, I see no difference. Whether you are a concert violinist playing Beethoven's Violin Concerto or a fiddler playing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," I want to hear that spark that sends shivers down my spine and makes me ache for more.

I feel the same way about nearly everything in my life. I don't want just flawless and technically great, I want to be moved - by touch, taste, sight, feel, and smell.

1. Carcassonne - This is a tile game. I think of it as a mixture of chess and dominoes. You build roads, castles and farms by placing tiles next to each other.

2. Apples to Apples - This fascinating card game gives players the power to vote for their favorite answers. Basically, you have two decks of cards. One deck (green I think) is full of words - on your turn you pick one of these cards and ask all other players to give you a card from their hand (the red cards) that represents what the green deck card says.

So, it's my turn. I pick a green card that says "Angry." I ask all other players to give me their most angry card. Everyone else gives me a card, face down, and then I shuffle them. Then I reveal what each card says, and I pick which card is the "angry" card to me. So, let's say 3 other players are playing. They give me: Spiders, World War II, and Lucille Ball. (I don't know if those are choices. I am just using them as examples.) To me, World War II seems the most angry. Whomever put that one in then gets my green "Angry" card. The goal of the game is to be the first to get a certain amount of green cards.

3. Life - I absolutely adore this game. It's a classic, but you can find all kinds of varieties of Life. I have the Simpson's Life game.

4. Solitaire - I love playing this with real cards or on the computer. When I am stressed out, I will play a round to relax. There is just something about putting the cards in proper order to chill me out. The best part of this game is that it's easy to carry it with you. Just throw a deck of cards in your car, your purse, or your coat pocket and you're good to go!

5. 3 Dragon Ante - This is basically poker for the D&D Geek. I am not a die hard gamer like most of my friends, but I adore this game.

6. Loaded Questions - This is really fun to play with 4-6 people who know you really well! We have spent hours laughing until our stomachs and faces hurt. Basically, you fill out answers to questions, and then one person tries to guess who wrote each set of answers. I highly recommend this game for hours of fun and many laughs! It goes great with wine, too!

7. Mystery Case Files: Ravenhurst - This one is a computer game. I have played this from start to finish at least ten times. I play this when I'm stressed, when I need to fill some time, when I should be doing a million other things... I play this a lot! I have played it enough to know where things are, but it's still fun!

8. Bohnanza - We lovingly call this one "The Bean Game." You plant fields, you grow your crops, and then collect money for the crops. This game is a bit more difficult to explain beyond that, but I heartily recommend it. If given a choice, I often choose this game first!

9. Guillotine - Where else can you pretend to be a King and order your subjects beheaded??? This card game, while a tad morbid, is extremely fun and competitive. Every morning (each turn), there is a lineup of subjects to behead, and you get to play cards to change the order of the lineup. Sometimes there is a reprieve and the day ends early.

The song title is linked with a video on youtube.

1. Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan
2. Fly Me to the Moon as sung by Frank Sinatra
3. At Last as sung by Etta James
4. You're the Inspiration by Chicago
5. Open Arms by Journey
6. Patience by Guns 'N Roses
7. Stop Loving You by Toto
8. Help Me Make It Through the Night as sung by Sammi Smith
9. Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys

Love & Sex stars Famke Janssen and Jon Favreau. This movie is a commentary on relationships, and how we learn what it is that we want from them.

Kate meets Adam while on a date with another guy who "is 30 years old, and he lives with his mother." Adam tells the guy that Kate is now his girlfriend, as they had an immediate spark, and thus begins their love affair.

They go through all of the stages - new relationship glow, getting into a routine, dealing with a tragedy, getting on each others nerves, breaking up, wanting to get back together....

Kate discovers things she doesn't want in a man as well. She ends up dating the male star of Adam's favorite porn movie, and he just doesn't relate to life the way she wants him to... but is Adam the one she really wants?

I won't give away the ending, but I will suggest this is a cute and mostly lighthearted movie, definitely worth watching once. Especially for a date! You will probably be nodding in agreement at some point!