White stuff everywhere!

Look at this photo.  What captures your attention?  The cute squirrel hanging on the bird feeder?  The pine greens still in my fountain even though it is late February?  The white stuff that I am so very tired of?  Well, if it was the snow that caught your eye, I have to ask, are you tired of it too?  Are you ready to see green buds and colorful spring flowers?  Well it might be a while before we get to that point, BUT the spring issue of 365Being will definitely being some color into your life.  It will be out soon, so keep checking back on the blog or "like" us on facebook so you will receive notification of its release.

You will see beautiful colors in this issue like these gorgeous afghans.  We are featuring some wonderful artists, great guest writers and, of course, our Dawn-Mara will delight you with her writings and DIY projects.

Have a delightful day!!!

Hugs and Smiles,

Cat

Knit one, purl two, hug three

On a recent visit, Cheryl, one of my closest friends, gave me the most wonderful gift--a hand knitted scarf!!!

The scarf is so beautiful and her kind gesture warmed not only my neck, but my heart.

Cheryl LOVES to knit and always has an interesting project she is working on.  In the Spring Issue of 365Being, she spins the yarn and shares why she enjoys knitting.  It is a delightful and colorful piece.

Wishing all a wonderful weekend!

Smiles,

Cat

Someone's in the kitchen with.....Dawn-Marie!!!

I was in the kitchen with Dawn-Marie last Thursday, assisting with the testing and tasting of her delicious recipes that will appear in the Spring Issue of 365Being.  What a fun day it was in the kitchen.  It certainly was a treat to see DM in action and to be able to help chop, cut and spread delicious goodness. It was interesting too to see the staging for the photographs as DM has always done this herself.  My husband Steve is helping out now with photos for 365Being, so he was busy snapping away during the day.

My kitchen did offer a challenge to DM.  She is used to cooking on a gas range and I have an electric stove.  She adjusted well, however, and made some very delicious dishes.Want to know what those dishes are? Sorry!  No hints.  You'll have to check out the Spring Issue.  Printed and PDF copies will be available in March.  Why not make it easy for yourself and just buy a subscription? We would certainly appreciate that!!!

Happy Cooking!!!

Hugs,

Cat

Spring is here....well, almost

Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, so he predicted an early spring.  That sounds absolutely splendid to me. I am tired of winter and am ready to see the trees bud, perennials emerge from the ground and more birds at my feeders. Steve is getting ready to plant his annual seeds and get them started in the basement. He loves to grow colors and types of plants that are very unique.  It is always exciting to see what he finds in his seed catalogs.

When we need a fix during the winter to get us through to the spring, we usually make a trip to he Como Conservatory in St. Paul, Minnesota.  The warmth of the greenhouse, the vibrant colors of the flowers, GREEN, and the smell of wet dirt all help with those winter blues.

I love these little pansy faces!  They say "SPRING" to me.

Green. Green. Green. Ahhhhhh. It feels so good in the tropical room.  It is warm and humid and the green just makes you feel so alive. Yes, spring is coming, but not fast enough.




Dawn-Marie and I are now getting the spring issue ready. I promise it will be fabulous.  Delightful guest writers and artists, delicious recipes and, of course, the wit and quirkiness of Dawn-Marie.  It is a treat for me to get to read her articles before anybody else gets to and to taste test her recipes.  Oh yes.  That is a fabulous benefit to being her partner.  Yesterday we cooked all day testing recipes.  I'll share more of that adventure next week.





Have a delightful weekend!!! Hugs!!

Stew for breakfast? Why not?

Dawn-Marie is a fabulous cook.  She is amazing to watch in the kitchen as she prepares delicious items that she usually shares with others, especially ME.  I have sat many times at her kitchen table while she prepared a delicious lunch for me after we meet on Mondays.  She dances around the kitchen and makes the most difficult recipes seems so easy. Her actions in the kitchen have encouraged me to be a bit more adventurous in mine and so that brings us to this morning's breakfast that I enjoyed. 

I got up early to make Green Pork Stew.  Dawn-Marie made this for me a while back and it was so awesome that I made it for my husband a couple of days later.  We love this delicious stew and often crave it as I did yesterday.  I knew I had to make it soon and so this morning decided to do so and let it simmer all day on the stove.  Well, I decided to "taste test" some and ladled out a bowl for breakfast.  I can't think of a better way to start the day.

Here is the recipe:

1 pork roast cut up in bite sized chunks
1 large onion, diced
1 T minced garlic
1 T cumin
1 large can (or 2 small) green enchilada sauce
1 can hominy
2 yucca roots, peeled, sliced and cored
Chicken broth...a couple of quarts, plus water, as needed

Brown pork in a little oil along with the onion or skip browning and cover pork with chicken broth.  While that starts to simmer, throw in everything else.  Add liquid to cover all ingredients by a couple of inches.  Once the pork is opaque and yucca starts to soften, you can taste for seasoning.  It will basically cook in about 40 minutes, but if you turn it down at that point and let it simmer very low for a few hours, it will thicken, and the flavors meld.  This one reheats beautifully.

Now that last statement on DM's recipe makes me laugh because we NEVER have any leftover.  We will eat absolutely every drop the day I make the stew.  Never fails.

So give this delicious stew a try.  Don't be intimidated by the yucca root either.  Simply cut the roots into 1 inch slices then cut each slice from the outside toward the core, letting it sort of break.  This will expose the core, which you can then pull out.  It is a thick thread, but impossible to remove full length.

If you enjoy this stew recipe, do check out 365Being as Dawn-Marie creates many fabulous recipes for this awesome publication.

Everybody wants Ann Viveros!

One of the artists you will meet in our Spring Issue of 365 Being is Ann Viveros, who dabbles in many art forms, but most especially draws and paints mandalas.  It's about a month away from your mailbox, but when it arrives, you will get to see some of her work, and read about the artistic process and her creative life.  Print subscribers will even find a color-your-own mandala that Ann drew just for us, tucked into the pages!

I'm playing with cover ideas this week.  What do you think of Ann's paintings layered over Chiaki O'Brien's weaving?  Not exactly pastel Easter bunnies, but I do promise there are some very calm page layouts in this issue; a little burlap and ticking, some almost sepia photos.  There are also some pretty colorful artists, like Ann.

Now, here's really cool news for those of you in the Twin Cities area:  Ann's had one of her works accepted into "Seeing God", a juried exhibit of sacred art, at the Benedictine Center of St. Paul's Monastery!

  The opening reception is tomorrow, Wednesday, January 30th, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. 

If you can't make it to the reception, the show stays up until March 15th. 

You can get the address and more information by clicking here:
St. Paul Monestary, Benedictine Center

Whether at the reception, or on our pages, we know you'll fall in love with this beautiful soul we are lucky enough to call our friend.  Don't miss out!

~Dawn-Marie

You can subscribe to our color saturated bookazine, 365 Being, in print or PDF, and single issues are also available for purchase.  Click on over:  365being.com/shop

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Tomorrow is a very special day.  January 28th is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.  It is a day set aside for us to ponder all the ways Bubble Wrap has made our lives easier and also consider different uses for it.

I invite you to check out this link to see some videos and ways other people have utilized Bubble Wrap in their creativity.

http://www.fast-pack.com/bubblewrapappreciation.html

Have a great day and happy popping!!!

Getting Organized

This may seem like cheating and I don't really care.  Today is my turn to write the 365Being blog, but I so loved Dawn-Marie's blog from Art of the Home yesterday that I am using that for my blog post today.  Forgive me, DM, but this needs to reach a huge audience as you did such a great job on it. 

http://theartofthehome.blogspot.com/

Have a lovely day!!! Hugs to all!

Useful Winter Survival Tips

There are all kinds of articles on the web today about surviving brutally cold temperatures, and since they are full of all the usual sensible and scientific (dull) advice, I'll share my own little tips, and a few from friends, for getting through days where the high temperature is in the double digits below zero.  My friend Suzanne suggests plane tickets to Bora Bora, Jill champions denial, and Darla says get over it and get on out to Prairie Oaks Institute (prairieoaksinstitute.org/) for the potluck (which I did, and the soup and conversation were both excellent). 

Now, I lived in Fairbanks Alaska for 13 years, where there are parts of the winter when folks get pretty excited to see the temperature climb back up to -30 degrees, so I have a little experience with extreme cold.  My first tip for dealing with such cold?  Don't live in Fairbanks Alaska.  It's not nearly so extreme here in Minnesota.  Really. 

I wear shoes most of the time, but I've recently discovered the joys of slipper boots, thanks to a client who bought me my own, when I admired hers.  These things make my feet so toasty, it just radiates upward.  I'm not kidding about how much warmer I stay on slipper days. 

(Faux) Ocelot slippers, two pairs of yoga pants, and a big cup of very hot coffee are a great way to start the work day, when the cold is radiating in through the old walls of this 1906 house.  Not leaving the house to go to work is the second part of that suggestion, in case you missed it.  Self-employment sometimes has extra bennies, like when get-something-done-in-the-office days coincide with I'd-rather-face-the-mountain-of-filing-than-the-frigid-weather days. 

hot pants

If you must leave the house, layer on the leggings or long-johns under a nice toasty pair of jeans.  If putting them in the dryer involves running down to a cold basement in a turn of the century house, slipping them over a small radiator gets the job done.  Toasty! 

I think one of the nicest ways to spend an icy day is curled up with a favorite blanket and something really good to read.  If you make an all-day affair of it, a good novel, a trashy novel, and of course the winter issue of a certain bookazine would be my recommendation for a nice variety.  Hang in there, warmer temps are on the way, as is our spring issue.  Watch for both in late February or early March!

Stay cozy!

Dawn-Marie

Greyhounds Greyhounds Greyhounds

I love greyhounds.  I have two wonderful hounds--Deb and Hunter--that bring me such joy and happiness.  I adopted them through a wonderful organization called Greyhound Pets of American Minnesota.  These wonderful people help adopt retired racing greyhounds and find them forever homes.

Sometimes when hounds are brought off of the track, they need some extra medical attention.  Every year GPA MN has a fund raising dinner to raise money to pay for the medical care of these special hounds.  It is a wonderful evening for a very special cause.

Won't you join me this year at the event?  February 16 at Rose Vine Hall in Roseville, Minnesota.   Click here for the details:

http://www.gpa-mn.org/heal-a-hound-dinner.html

Can't join us?  Your donations are always welcome.  Visit the GPA-MN website:

http://www.gpa-mn.org

Deb, Hunt and I thank you!!!!

Start Your Gardens!

Okay, maybe it's a little early to actually start planting, but never too early to plan. 

DM here, bringing you tonight's post.

Tonight, the Valley Garden Club met at my house and saw a presentation given by Cory Whitmer, of The Mustard Seed, a nearby garden center.  Now, one of the lovely things about blogging on a site read by people who do not know me well is that nobody is snickering and making dandelion jokes, at the mention of me belonging to the garden club.  Lovely as that is, 365 Being is all about the perfectly imperfect life, so in the interest of full (hopefully inspirational) disclosure, no, I am not a gardener. 

I plant things that sometimes grow.  I even envision a wonderful public pocket park in my front yard, since I have almost the only shade in downtown Belle Plaine.  However, I love the rabbit that lives by my back gate, and am not particularly bothered by the mole hills that cross my yard like organic dot-to-dots.  I could win flower show competitions for largest dandelion, if they held such competitions.  So no, I'm not really a gardener.

I grow great zinnias though, and marigolds like me so much that they always come back the next year.  My secret is neglect and under watering.

 *  Put these in your front yard, and folks will overlook any weeds, junk or peeling paint beyond them.  Brilliant!   *

Now, for those of you who want to attempt something more than zinnias and dandelions, here are some of what Cory says will be the big sellers for our zone 4/5 climate, this year.  Some are very new to the market, so may be hard to get until next summer.  Sorry no photos, but google the names, or if you are nearby, check in with the folks at themustardseedinc.com to find out when they might be on view.

Annuals:

• Sparks Will Fly Begonia - tangerine is the trend color for this year and probably next, even though polls show orange as the least favorite flower color.  This has bronze/lime foliage under orange flowers, and will take some shade. 
• Whopper Begonias - These are big plants, almost twice the size of standard begonias, about 3' tall.  They are pink or red, and will do best in partial to full shade.
• Chocolate Covered Cherry Coleus - OH WOW!!!  This is similar to Kong (I think I got that right), but it has just a rim of lime green around a dark plum-brown leaf with magenta centers.  About a foot tall, and likes shadier shade.  I think everyone put a star next to this on their list tonight.
• Honey Crisp Coleus - Leaves are limier at the top of the plant, yellower toward the bottom, and the cool thing is that the undersides are red.  If you put this on your porch, you'll get a great effect from the street.  It likes full sun.
• Everlast Dianthus - This can be planted earlier than most dianthus in our zone, has a longer bloom, more and hardier blooms, is very low maintenance, and if it starts to look shabby, you simply mow it with a high mower, and it will freshen right up.
• Elephant Scarlet Gerbera - You know how Gerb's are such a big bloom?  Well these are even bigger, at about twice the usual size.  If you have a hard time with Gerberas, you are probably overwatering, Cory says.  They like it very dry.
• 3D Berry White Osteospermum - This is mostly white with a purple center.  Like gerberas, they like it DRY.
• Patchwork Cosmic Orange Impatiens - This made me think of Creamcicles with bites taken out.  Apparently the big thing breeders are after now is random splotchy patterns, rather than uniform two-tone stripes.  It's cute.
• Cool Wave Pansies - These are a trademark Wave, so although new, well tested to perform.  They sprawl more, and will handle the heat far better than traditional pansies.
• Blue A Fuse Petunia - Another of the new splotchy patterns, this petunia is purple and white.
• Candy Cane Verbena - This is really sweet.  Hummingbirds apparently think so too.  The markings on the petals look like white hearts with dark pink edges.  It grows well under trees limbed up high, and needs very little water.
• Blackberry Vinca - Blooms early and all through the season, prefers mostly sun, and as the name implies, it is a very dark, nearly black purple.  It's good ground cover, and nice in pots.

Perennials:

• First Love Dianthus - Multiple colors of pink and white flowers on one plant, takes the heat well, and blooms all season.  Full sun.
• PowWow White Echinacea - Apparently earlier white echinaceas (cone flower) were pretty floppy, but this new one has sturdy stems and a long blooming period.  I think they look like happy polka-dots.
• Black Diamond Helleborus - These are the early bloomers that will pop up when snow still hangs on the ground in places.  Growing them in Minnesota has been nearly impossible, but this new variety has tested well.  It's another very dark purple flower, and well suited to woodland gardens.  I think they should test it in my side yard, don't you?
• Pink Cat Nepeta (catmint) - Hummers and butterflies love this.  Blooms June through August, drought tolerant, but yes, it spreads.
• Pike's Peak Purple Penstemon - Likes full sun, grows 2-3 feet tall, and is another drought tolerant hummingbird feeder. 
• Red Rocks Penstemon - This one has red flowers with white throats, and will do well with a little shade.

Shrubs:

• Bobo Hydrangea Paniculata- This has tons of white to green blooms on a 3 foot tall plant.  The stems are super sturdy, so it doesn't droop under the weight of the flowers, which looked like the more conical formation (I think that's the paniculata part), and it's deer tolerant, if that's a worry.  Deer stop about three blocks short of downtown, so I'm safe there.  Wandering drunks during our town festivals are a different issue.
• Strawberry Sundae Hydrangea Paniculata - Did you fall in love with the Strawberry Vanilla Hydrangea, widely advertised in magazines last summer, but maybe not it's 6' height?  This is the same flower on a much shorter plant.  Blooms start white, then fade from the bottom up, changing to a rich pink.
• Purple Boomerang Lilac - This was also widely advertised last year.  The price should be a little friendlier this year, and plants a little easier to find.  If you have ever wished lilacs lasted longer, thank your fairy godmother (or the breeder of this one).  It blooms from spring until the weather gets hot, then re-blooms after the doggiest days of August.  Cory says you can cut blooms and see new buds two weeks later!
• Amber Jubilee Ninebark - This is 5-6 feet tall, and has gold/maroon/amber foliage (think spiky maple leaf shape, if you aren't familiar with ninebark) that holds it's color all season.  It will be paler in sunnier locations, and darker in shadier locations, but still with all it's colors.  I've had ninebark recommended more than once, so if I ever do get serious, I'm going for this one.
• Little Devil Ninebark - This has been around a few years, but when Cory heard none of us were familiar with it, he gushed.  It's a shorty, just 3-4 feet tall, with purple foliage in full sun.  It's a good replacement for barberry, which is being put on the thug list, as it's invading wild areas.  Cory says this one doesn't put out suckers, which apparently some ninebarks do.

So, for all you gardeners out there who might look further into these, hopefully I spelled everything right, since you know spell check is about to turn my whole screen yellow.  Even I might study up a bit more on my favorites.  All our snow melted here, so the entire landscape is dull brown, and these slides were so juicy and vibrant, I can't help but be fooled into thinking that this could be the year I finally become a gardener. 

I have a good four months to plan.  Then again, I also have clients' walls to paint, a couple issues of a bookazine to publish, actually three, since the fall issue gets built in mid-summer, and some travelling to do.  Sigh.  Anyone out there want to practice their gardening skills on a beautiful dandelion patch in the heart of downtown Belle Plaine?

Wishing you gorgeous gardens, if only in your dreams,
Dawn-Marie, Dandelion Grower Extraordinaire

SAORI Weaving

I am blessed to have two wonderful friends, Chaiki and Dan O'Brien, who introduced me to SAORI weaving several years ago.  When I was doing SAORI weaving, I loved that there were no set rules and I could create an item that reflected how I felt. I also loved weaving with others in a group and witness their creations while they evolved. Dan and Chiaki offer a great space in their home studio for people to come and experience SAORI.

Dan and Chiaki will be featured in the Spring Issue of 365Being. You will read not only about SAORI weaving, but also about these two delightful people and their other talents.  Chiaki is an enthusiastic Taiko drummer and Dan, a very talented author.

The Spring Issue is in its infancy as we are now gathering together the articles and photos to produce another fabulous bookazine for you.

We still have some copies of 365Being Winter Issue available for purchase via our website www.365being.com.  Check us out and support a wonderful publication that is upbeat, colorful AND HAS NO ADVERTISING!!! 

Have a colorful day!

Barb Kobe Class is coming up!!!

So, how are you liking the Winter Edition of 365 Being?  What?  Not a subscriber yet?  Print version is way cooler, but PDF is super affordable, so no reason not to check it out.  Shoot, you can even buy a single issue, if you're really nervous about commitment.  :) Link is at the top of the column to the right of this post.  Order now, then come back and read the rest of this!  Lots of you readers are commenting on the article about Barb Kobe, so I know you will be excited about this:

ARTFIELD OF DREAMS CLASS

February 1st through 3rd

at Maureen Carlson's Center for Creative Arts

(click here:  maureencarlson.com , then click on classes or calendar)

I made my 2013 game board this past weekend...

I got fancy with this year's game board.  Actually, I got lazy.  It was easier to recycle this frame and it's backing board (free because the glass over the picture was broken), than to clear enough space in my wood working area to cut a piece of plywood.  Barb supplies the 2' square for her class, so you don't have to worry about such things.

I haven't yet made the gatekeepers between the seasons, but I did decide to swap out my old playing piece for Dearheart, my Heroine character from my Creative Journey game board.  She can gallop back over to do a Heroine's Journey on occasion...

This is Dearheart, a.k.a. Tenacity Jane, when she isn't being quite so sweet.  Yee-haw! 

The darling duckling, along with his reminder leaf, has lived on my board from the start.  He's there to remind me that unlike "the female mallard, who assumes a dull, colorless hue so as not to attract predators" (read this in your best documentary narrator voice), I was not born to blend in...


Repeat after me, "YOU ARE NOT A DUCK!!!"
Very good.  Now, don't forget it.

This winged timepiece used to hang from the branches to remind me not to waste a precious minute, because time flies.  I let it sit at rest in the branches, now.  Why?  I've made peace with time, and with my own way of moodling long and slow, then accomplishing things in great leaps of activity.  Well, okay, mostly made peace...

Want to experience a more peaceful sense of time?  There's a class for that, too!  Barb is teaching another mixed-media class at Maureen's on Thursday, January 31st, called Playing With Time.  Find that on Maureen's website, too (maureencarlson.com).

Now, don't think for a minute that you can't take these classes because you live too far away.  Maureen's center has boarding facilities!  We so hope you will come and experience the magic of Maureen, and the fabulous teaching of one of our favorite teachers, Barb Kobe.  Cat and I actually met at Maureen's in a Barb Kobe class, you know.  Cat lives just a hop skip and a jump from the center (more like just a hop and a skip), and I'm only a few miles on down the highway.  We will surely pop in and say "hi" to our subscribers.  Shoot, I might even make you soup!

Hope to see you there!
DM

Bucket List

I had never heard of a bucket list until the movie with the same name came out a few years ago.  The other day as I was going through a drawer, I discovered MY bucket list that I typed up early last year.  It read:

Some bucket list items...in no particular order

  1. Visit Hilltop--home of Beatrix Potter
  2. Meet Richard Simmons and hug him
  3. Be on Ellen DeGeneres show with DM and Barb G-S
  4. See where Gertrude Stein and Alice B. lived in Paris
  5. Meet, in person, one of my relatives in Poland while traveling with Romaine
  6. Drive a Porsche Boxster (or better yet, own it!)
  7. Spend a week with Steve in Cape May in the off season
  8. Cruise to Europe on the QE2
  9. Drive the whole length of the Lincoln Highway
10. Have an  original work of art made of ME in any medium

Number 10 surprises me as I am not a vain person.  I can't remember what prompted that to be added to the list.  I think it quite interesting that most of the items on my bucket list involves travel.  My dear friend, Ann Viveros, just last evening posted on facebook the following quote, "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." So very true!

Whether I get to scratch any of these wishes off my list, I don't know. I hope to.  Some would bring great opportunity to me, especially being on Ellen DeGeneres' show.  I admire her greatly and to have a chance to share with her 365Being along with DM and Barb G-S would be fabulous!!! Maybe she could have Richard Simmons as a guest that day too so I could scratch TWO items off my list.  What's the possibility that I arrive at her studio via the Lincoln Highway in a Porsche Boxster??????  LOL!!!Well,  I can dream can't I?

What would be on YOUR bucket list if you made one?

Have a stupendous day!

Hugs,

Cat

Afghans and Infomercials

Dawn-Marie and I have already started our next issue of 365Being.  It will be our spring issue and will contain lots of interesting articles, photos and art. Yesterday I wrote my article about collecting afghans.  I LOVE afghans and they are something that are so beautiful and also useful.  As I am typing this, it is a very chilly day in Minnesota, and to make myself more comfortable, I grabbed one of the afghans I had on the back of the chair and threw it over my legs.  Now I am toasty and comfy and my afghan is colorful, soft and pretty.

Here it is.  It was made for me by a fabulously talented woman that lives in Brainerd, MN.  If you want to know more about her and my other afghans that I have collected, then you'll have to buy the Spring Issue of 365Being.  Better  yet, why don't you purchase a subscription right now and I'll mail you a copy of the fabulous Winter Issue.  And if you do this by the first of January, I'll throw in a copy of the premier issue that debuted in September!!!  Gee this kind of sounds like an infomercial, doesn't it? Well, for only $49.99, you can get 4 bookazines sent to you quarterly AND a copy of the premier issue. Remember, when you order a subscription to 365Being, we always include a free gift for you to enjoy with every bookazine. So if this appeals to you, and I hope it does, please go to www.365being.com and place your order today!!

Oh boy, this really does sound like an infomercial...

Anyway, have a lovely day!!!  Hugs and smiles to you all!!!

Love and connection

Our blog prompt for the day, from the folks over at small box (it's a writing challenge, explained in previous posts) is "What is your mantra for the new year, and how did you come to it?"

This hit me instantly, which is how the best intuition does.  "Connection".  My mantra for last year was "expression", as I needed to get the creative ideas out of my head and into the light of day.  For this year, I think Connection hit because the only way I can share all that Divinity inspires, is to connect more with people.  I've co-created 365 Being with Cat for this purpose.  Now we need to connect the beauty of this with the people who will enjoy it, learn from it, and be inspired by it to share their own creativity with the world.

In case you are wondering if you will connect with the content and syle of our publication, here's a sample page from this issue, with the type re-posted below it, for easier reading.  Re-sizing the photos to open on the blog kinda kills the legibility. 

One of the collaged pages from our winter issue.

 s

What gift do you still remember from childhood?  I can list a bunch, from the coveted roller skates, to the hand carved (by my brother) ballerina ornament/necklace.  But the first to come to mind wasn’t nearly as costly as the skates, nor nearly so time consuming as the tiny dancer, though I still wear her often.  It was just a completely unexpected, decadently abundant, sugar loaded childhood fantasy of a gift.  It was a whole box of popcorn balls, just for me (there might have been a second box given to the family), from a neighbor who probably took more than the occasional turn as Santa in the Christmas parade, or at the Vet’s Club (we didn’t have a mall).

     His name was Mr. Hacker, and he was a master of the delight of abundance, as well as a master at baking and candy making.  When I was tiny, he gifted me two big old-fashioned tricycles, even though I had a little red one.  This way, I had plenty to share with friends, he said.  

     When I was a little older, about six, I showed him the little china figures I had collected from Red Rose Tea.  They weren’t as fancy as the beauties in his wife’s china cabinet, but I loved them.  On my next birthday, his gift was a whole box of old china figurines, including the prettiest Japanese woman from Mrs. Hacker’s collection of several.  In hindsight, I bet that one came home in a soldier’s luggage.

     One time, he emptied two boxes of balls, collected during a stint as a street sweeper, over the fence, into the yard where several of us neighborhood kids were playing.  We thought we were the luckiest kids on earth!  I can still see him laughing at our astonished delight.

     And then my family moved across town, and I rarely saw my old friend.  That first year, however, he arrived on Christmas Eve with a boxful of handcrafted abundant love, cleverly disguised as popcorn balls.  Yes, I got my elf training from the magical master himself, and that’s a gift I’ll never forget!

The recipe for Mr. Hacker's popcorn balls is in the bookazine, which is available at 365being.com .

Happy Solstice!
Dawn-Marie

December 19th update...

Winter issue is in the mail!
Cat dropped them at the post office yesterday afternoon, so watch your mail boxes!

Be Nice!

So, we're supposed to be doing this daily blog challenge and following the prompts, and some days, we actually manage it.  Cat is better than I, but today's prompt caught my heartstrings, and since I don't have to be on a job site today (Not that I don't have to work. I just don't have to be on time arriving anyplace, which is my equivalent of a day off), I figured I would write it.

The prompt was "Who have you niced this year?"  Now, this is maybe not a common phrase for you, so here's a link that explains it:  http://blog.smallboxweb.com/2012/11/08/nicing-a-story-of-language-building/

As for nicing, I don't have one with pics from this year, but a few of us got Cat good for a birthday a year or two back.  We were planning a girls gathering to celebrate the success of an event a group of us had put together, and at the same time, we heard that Cat's big 50th birthday plans had fallen through or shifted, or some such thing.  We decided to turn our gathering into a surprise party for her.

We talked about what to gift her, and as she had recently announced an intention to start wearing more hats, we came up with the idea to scour thrift shops for some good ones.  Sue Krebs, Joy Coach extraordinaire at http://suekrebs.wordpress.com, found us a stack, and I had the fun of wrapping each one in a different box, with different paper and trims.  This is one of my weird little fetishes, gift wrapping presents to coordinate with the gift inside, and the others were more than happy to leave it to me.

The Queen of Nice, Cat Isles. 

Now, on the day of the party, as is embarrassingly typical, I arrived a little late (we can discuss my sense of time in some other post), so someone distracted Cat, while I snuck the gifts into the master bedroom, near the front door.  Of course, before we could spring the surprise, somebody mentioned something about the design of the master bath, and Cat insisted on seeing it.  Meaningful looks of panic shot around the room, and while one woman delayed her, the rest of us raced for the bedroom and did a bucket-brigade box toss, to hide the packages behind the door.  As long as one of us casually stood in front of it, she wouldn't see.  Just like the movies, it worked!  Wait, let me add a few more exclamation points to that...!!!  That she didn't notice anything weird about our actions and demeanor still amazes me, 'cause in the movies it always comes off as contrived and improbable, but she swears she didn't have a clue what was coming.

While she admired the bathroom, I slipped back to the kitchen and lit the candles on the cake, and Lisa Fahey got in position with the camera. This photo was her first reaction:

This look made every minute of preparation so worth it!

Her second happy reaction came when she discovered that we had remembered that she is diabetic, and I had made the "cake" from meatloaf frosted with mashed potatoes, so she could actually eat it after blowing out the candles.   Being nice is really just a matter of taking a moment to think about what would be meaningful to another, and when you have a whole committee planning it, it's easy to get down to the details.

Then it was time for the presents.  When she saw the mountain of boxes, Cat was astonished, and then as she realized every box contained a hat, she was delighted.  She had such a fun time, our Queen of Nice, but I think we had more fun repaying her for all the birthdays she never forgets, and all the cards and notes we each frequently find in our mailboxes.

Everyone deserves a movie moment of "being niced".  I hope you get yours!  Better yet, I hope you experience the pure joy of creating one for someone else!

Cat writes the "Be Nice" column in our bookazine, and speaking of that, the winter issue is expected to arrive from the printer today.  Finally.  A little later than planned.  Delay mostly my bad.  I really am working on my sense of timing, I promise.  Subscribe at 365being.com, and see what you've been waiting for.

I'm just as grown up as she is.

Just wanted to share this little tidbit.  Cat gets the goody-two-shoes rep, and I'm pegged as the frivolous one whose inner three-year-old runs the show, but did you see the rabbit ears she did on her cousin in the last blog post?  She does this all the time.  Do you have any idea how many photos I've had to delete for this reason?  She's all Miss Business Manager, and I'm just Li'l Miss Bossy Pants.  Huh.  Like she's soooo grown up.  It's not fair, so here's proof...

The waitress tried to capture the joy the day our first issue went to press.  She managed to capture Cat up to her usual sneaky tricks.  And this is before she gets into the margaritas.

Okay, yes, not only does my inner three-year-old run the show, but I'm a youngest child.  But you already figured that out, huh? :)))

Hope whatever you do for work, you have as much fun as we do!

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

Well I got the biggest surprise today.  I was up in my dad's room keeping him company as he ate his breakfast when the doorbell rang.  I figured it was the FedEx guy as it was about the time he usually drops off packages.  Steve went to the door and yelled up for me to come down because somebody was here for me, so I did.  Much to my surprise it was my cousin Romaine from Pittsburgh.  She flew up here to be with me during this tough time of my life.  We cried for about 5 minutes when we saw each other.  Stopped crying for about 5. Then the floodgates opened again.  What a  wonderful, wonderful surprise.

So for the next few days I will be with my cousin who is more like my sister and we will probably laugh so much and cry some more too.  I love her so much and her being here has brought such joy.

So if you ever have a chance to surprise somebody and bring them some joy when you know their heart is sad, I say do it. Even if  you just make a phone call or send a card, take the time. You will be so glad you did!!! Hugs to you all!!!

New Traditions

Christmas celebration is changing in my family.  Both of my parents are on hospice and may be gone by this holiday season.  When our family got together, we always would play BINGO on Christmas Eve which was also my dad's birthday.

Because we won't have them around for the upcoming holidays, I would like to add one tradition to our celebration.  I would like for all of us to sit down and watch a Christmas movie together.  We are all movie buffs, as are my parents, so this seems like something we could easily adopt.  My vote for the first year's movie would be "A Christmas Story".  I absolutely LOVE that movie and actually visited the house were it was filmed in Cleveland earlier this year.

Here I am standing in front of it.  Since this was the era my dad grew up it, I think it is even more appropriate that we watch this movie the first year AND on his birthday.

By the way, I absolutely loved the kitchen at "A Christmas Story" house.  Could so see myself, in an apron, of course, cooking purple cabbage and meatloaf for my family.

Community...

365 Being is participating in a daily blog challenge put on by these folks: http://blog.smallboxweb.com/ (after you read this post, go there to read what bloggers from all over had to share).

Today's challenge question is "What will you do for your community this year".

Easy answer:  Participate!

There.  All done blogging for the day.

Well, okay, that probably isn't a whole blog post, and if I don't write it, Cat will have to pick up my slack, so how about this...

Community.  Hmm.  There are a few different communities to which I belong.  There's my community of friends, for whom I host a monthly open studio...

  There's my spiritual community, for whom I intend to paint more of the mural I started late last year...

  There's my local community, for whom I hope to finish the bones of my front garden, complete with shady picnic spot and Little Free Library (I live in the very heart of downtown Belle Plaine, and have almost the only shade)...

  And there's my global community, for whom I will continue to do my best to live authentically and share the stories of that (both the successful, and the not so much) on this blog, and in the pages of our gorgeous quarterly bookazine, 365 Being, Savoring a Life of Abundance, Joy and Beauty (purchase or subscribe at 365being.com)...

Oh look!  It's a sneak peek at one of the pages in the Winter issue.

Looking forward to the year!
DM

'tis the season to decorate

With the holiday season nearly upon us, I have set out to decorating around the house.  I have some pine on the deck ledge and on the window box.  DM suggested I put some pine in my fountain too, so I did.  Steve has placed a candle in each window giving the house a nice glow about it.  But what makes the house REALLY look Christmasy?  Why it is my leg lamp!!!!!

I asked three people what there favorite movie was and they said, "A Christmas Story".  If you have never seen the movie "A Christmas Story", then you won't understand what this lamp means.  My suggestion would be to watch it.  If you have seen it before, then watch it again and laugh and laugh. Enjoy!!

The Best Decision of the Year

I think the best decision of the year I have made is to do 365Being with DM.  I so wanted to do something that I feel passionate about and by producing 365Being, I am able to write about letter and card sending (which helps promote cards at Bridging the Universe--my little card company), suggest nice gestures people can do (and I am all about being nice), promote literacy and reading (which is one of my favorite things) and many other things. I love too being able to feature artists and writers via 365Being to help them to promote their creations. Working with DM is also a HUGE reason why I made the decision.  We work well together and I think she is one of the most talented people I know.

Together, DM and I want to make a career out of 365Being and hope to increase our subscription sales so that we can do this. Once you have seen our Winter Issue Volume 1, you will certainly want to get a subscription.  Remember, we are a bookazine and we have NO ADVERTISING like most other magazines, so you are getting more for your money.  You might think we are a little expensive, but once you see our creation, you will think it is worth it.  The reason we are a little more is because DM and I do not sell advertising so our costs are higher.  We also pay more for printing and binding of our bookazines because we do not export to foreign countries to print.  We use small local businesses here in the Twin Cities for the printing and binding. Finally, we use quality paper and perfect binding so our bookazines can be saved and perused over and over.

I feel confident that the best decision I made this year will lead the way to success and lots of enjoyment over the next few years.

Have a lovely day!!

Who has influenced you?

DM and I often talk about our dreams for 365Being.  We love the fact that through our publication, we can touch so many lives and hopefully bring enjoyment to our readers. WE certainly enjoy putting the bookazine together and have a blast planning and executing each issue.

Lately I have been thinking about my interests and influences that brought me to this point in my life.  When I was a teenager, I developed an interest in Pittsburgh (that's where I am from) history and the people that came from there.  That is how I learned about Gertrude Stein and since that discovery, I have savored any information I could learn about her.

On a trip to Pittsburgh earlier this year I went to see the house in which Gertrude was born.  Here it is.

It was so cool to see where Gertrude started her very interesting life.   I admire her life of living authentically.  She attended medical school when it was unheard of for a woman to do such a thing.  She lived in an openly gay relationship with Alice B. Toklas.  She appreciated art and collected some of magnificent paintings produced by Matisse, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec and others.

Then there is Wanda Gag who spent her childhood in this house located in New Ulm, Minnesota. Wanda was an award winning children's writer and illustrator and is somebody else I admire greatly.  Wanda was ahead of her time in many ways.  She was an early feminist and a member of a progressive group of Greenwich Village artists in the 1920's.  She was also a proponent of sexual freedom.  Like Gertrude Stein, she lived authentically, which I admire greatly.


So that brings me to the lady that lives in this house.

She too is somebody that I admire greatly and also lives authentically.  Who is this person?  It is Dawn-Marie deLara, my partner at 365Being.  This is her beautiful home located in Belle Plaine, Minnesota.  Much time is spent here working on 365Being as well as enjoying delicious food and wonderful company.  I have learned much from DM and she has encouraged and inspired me to live authentically.  The work she does on 365Being is amazing, quite creative and inspiring.

I hope that you will check out the Winter Issue of 365Being which will be available very soon. It is headed off to the printer today and will be available very soon.  Check back on this blog for updates.

I wish for you a fabulous day!!!!