Three GREAT happenings around here!

Tonight!

7 - 9

Be there.

This is my AwesomeFashionableGodFearingFunLovingFriend Todd

and SweetJill's (she's all that other stuff too!) store.

According to his blog they are offering a 

15% "event only" discount

30% discount on last season Tart

the first 20 guests will receive a FREE Tart Burnout Tee!

Plus champagne and cheese will be served.

I know they are very excited about adding this line to their inventory.

So I'm excited to see what all the buzz is about. 

I'll be there and I hope to see you.

And remember that Edge carries the wonderful

Tierra Mia Organics goat milk soap

that we looooooove!

And what awesome stocking stuffers 

they will make. 

You can refer back to my post

"A Good Clean Story"

for more on why I looooove this item.

Haiti Orphans Benefit Concert
Sunday 10.23.11
that bar 148 E Prospect Ave
Danville 6:00 pm

Join us for a fun and casual concert to benefit Haitian orphans from the island of La Gonave, Haiti. 100% of all proceeds will be given directly to the orphans project.

Currently the orphanage is housing  over 70 children, some who lost their parents in the devasting 2010 earthquarke.

Shine is partnering with Okipe, an non-profit co-op to help develop a brand new living compound for the children including living quarters, kitchen, classrooms and staff facilities. To learn more, visit www.okipe.org.

ThatBar is graciously supporting the event by providing the facility free of charge and by donating 5% of the food and drink proceeds. Food and beverages will be available during the concert. Check out the menu @ www.thatbardanville.com. Please remember to thank them for their support.

History of Painters Facebook page @ www.facebook.com/historyofpaintersband

I am sooooo excited about this event!

Some of you may have seen the flyer I posted last week.

Tickets are only $10! 

Ten Dollars!!!!

Seriously.

Come.

I grabbed this information for my blog from Eventbrite

which is where you go to get tickets.

It's simple!

Click on the Eventbrite link 

(the highlighted word will take you there).

Then under Ticket Information

follow the steps to order your tickets.

If you are bumming because you have a scheduling conflict

you can make a donation to the cause right there under

Ticket Information.

Not long ago, I did a "blowing bubbles" post about 

a friend of mine that I sincerely look up to

as one of my HeroFriends.

Some of you might remember

and if you don't

look it up under "older posts".

That HeroFriend of mine, Bill Cody, is the director of Shine,

which is organizing this event.

So if you come, you can meet this 

RockStarHumanitarianPeopleLoverWorldChanger

yourself, in person!

Please, please, please invite your friends,

treat them by purchasing their tickets.

This is such a fun, fun, fun way

to make a difference!

And the band!

Holy Cow!

We are so lucky to have this 

San Luis Obispo sensation up here in our parts.

They are a very sincere alternative/folk

band that are dedicated to, according to their webpage,

"making honest music that makes a difference."

That's why I am so excited,

not to mention, that I've heard a few songs,

and they are awesome.

I'd like to mention that the name of the venue 

suggests that this a crazy bar atmosphere.

I'd say that this is true any other night,

(or actually early afternoon - sorry ThatBar)

than this. 

I have been assured that this event 

is absolutely, 100% family friendly,

in spite of the location!

I'm definitely bringing my kids.

Hopefully some day soon,

I'll take them to Haiti,

but since I can't do that now,

this is what I'm doing

and 

I sure hope to see

you there.

Drop me a comment if I'll see you there.

I'd love to hear from you.

And here's another thing I'm looking forward to.

Just for fun!

One of Calli's FabulousDancingInstructorsMissJenny is going to be 

performing in:

I am so excited to support Miss Jenny's talent in this exciting show.

She and her TrulyTalentedEquallyFunMissMegan have

been wonderful influences in our community

to the young girls who are privileged 

enough to have landed in their

dance school

Ace Dance Academy.

I, and all the other moms, who have discovered them

are truly grateful for their dedication, 

professionalism, unwavering commitment to the

artistry of dance.

They are a bunch of gorgeous and genuine

women who respect 

the gift of dance and their stylistic diligent consideration

of the age appropriateness of

costumes and body movement

have truly blessed our family and 

our dance community.

You will never need to overt your eyes during one of their shows.

You will leave feeling uplifted and in awe of the

wonder and beauty of choreography with  

integrity.

So, that was quite an unplanned plug for 

Ace Dance Academy.

Good luck getting in if I just sold you on it

and I hope I did.

With the amazing, beautiful, professional

team of instructors that they've lined up,

they are a very full house but even if you have to sit on 

a waiting list,

I wholeheartedly promise that 

IT'S WORTH THE WAIT!

(and there are openings, it may just be the few classes my daughter takes that are maxed out).

Now, back to Hairspray!

Since MissJenny is one of the lovely ladies that has 

stood in our family as a positive role

model for my little girl for several

years now, you can bet 

that I want to support

her talents outside of classroom as well.

So we're going!

And I certainly hope that I've encouraged

you to attend as well!

Being Rooted

This is a picture of 

THE TREE.

In my neighborhood,

this is how we refer to it.

Not a very sexy word for the amazing 

beauty it exudes this time of year.
All of this crazy color and vibrance is displayed 
every year for just 

the small audience who will

turn the corner up this particular little street.
This is not the best picture of the tree
because I took it at the worst possible time
of day and also because I took it without
asking permission so I was sloppily 
trying to capture it without trespassing
or causing any suspicion. 
However, it is a picture of
THE TREE.

We've been know to take pictures

of it for neighbors that have

moved out of the area

or who were traveling

during the month

and would miss

it.

One neighbor has photographed her children

every year in front of it when the colors

are most vibrant and alive.

Now her kids are all grown up and she photographs her

grandkids in front of it now.

The tree is absolutely

STUNNING.

Glorious.

Breathtaking.

And we call it

"the tree".
Such imagination.

During Autumn

when everything is dying and falling off,

the fiery color of these leaves

are a true treasure.

I love this picture because you can see the fallen
leaves just scattered in a majestically beautiful mess.

I bet it's roots are really amazing.

This weekend I've been thinking a whole lot about

ROOTS.

For one, I had some gray ones on my head,

and Saturday was my day 

to be pampered and 

get them colored.

But a more significant idea of roots has been on 

my mind since my HeroFriendJeff was here

Friday night speaking to the youth

of our community.

I promise that a "bubble" post is coming

regarding this family that has 

impacted my heart and 

simply blessed my

life with their

friendship

and 

example.

He made a comment while speaking to the youth

that will continue to speak to me as I 

grow up, grow up my family, and invest time

in our youth as well.

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,....."

Ephesians 3:17

There is more to this verse and leads to my ultimate favorite of Holy words, 
about God's ability to do things that are beyond our wildest imaginations.
But these words about being "rooted and established in love"

appeared on our wedding invitations humpteen years ago.
So this verse is quite special to me.

But Jeff clarified that Paul did not say things like, 
"IF  we are rooted" or "WHEN" we are are rooted, 
as if something to attain to.

The word is "being" as in "we are" "already."

Then he said something very powerful.
Monumental.

People who know that they are rooted in love

do things 

OUT OF LOVE.

People who don't know that they are rooted in love

do things 

FOR LOVE.

I know. The sky in my neighborhood is not Bora Bora blue, 
but since I took the photo with brightest sun, I had to enhance a tad,
and instead of a "tad" went heavy handed.

I am still digesting the significance of these words for my own life.

So as I see the wondrous array of Autumn colors reflected in

these trees, scattered all over yards and streets in a big

beautiful mess, on the hillsides like bold bouquets,

I will embrace what this season in

my life holds-

I will also reflect on my roots.

Are my roots strongly secure in the deep-as-the-ocean

love that I am told they are rooted in,

so that when I show off my colors, gifts, and soul 

to the world,

that I am doing it OUT of love.

Not for the attention. 
Not for praise.
Not for love.

Might we embrace the simple miracle of

being rooted.

Salad Cheats

It's time for another "cheat" recipe. 

I shouldn't give my secrets away because I LOVE the compliments I get

when I bring these cheats to parties, 

and I do fear that when people know how easy it is 

they might not be as generous with the "wows!"

So here's the deal.

Sometimes salads can be a pain. 

Chop this. Chop that. Wash. Chop. Dry Hands. Repeat. Chop. Chop. Chop. 

And then when I toss it all the beautiful goodies on top always fall to the bottom, 

so I don't enjoy doing that all the time,

especially when I am in a time crunch

and when am I NOT in a time crunch?

So this "cheat" is super fun.

I chop lettuce and cucumbers-that's it!

Which I actually enjoy.

I don't have to wash the cucumbers because 

I cut the skin off. I do it all the time so I can do it quite quick.

Here's all the goodies I put together:

I like to mix the lettuce because the color variation is fun to me.

First I wash and chop the lettuce in chunky squares and 

then cover my largest platter with it all.

Then I slice the cucumbers and fan it out somewhere on the bed of lettuce.

Rince the tomatoes and stick them on there.

An ample handful of those carrot slivers.

Then I put all the things on that I like that require the can opener.

Cannelinni beans, olives, corn and artichoke hearts.

They all go in their little piles, showing off their colors and juiciness.

Then I drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil,

sea salt,

black pepper,

and then I scatter those croutons all over.

Almost done.

I had Italian Parsley fresh, so I chopped that up roughly and threw it on there too!

Of course I stuck a few handfuls on there,

because it looks so fresh to have

those herbs bouncing around

not to mention,

the fragrance

adds to the

presentation.

When I got to the party, I borrowed a pretty little pitcher to put

the ranch dressing in and nestled it right on the platter.

I didn't mention yet, but I'm sure you've figured it out that

this "technique" can be done with any kind of tossed

salad, and any ingredients will work.

You knew that.

I've done it with bistro salads, thai salads, taco salads, 

you name it.

What I love about this kind of 

"cheating" is that it 

allows people to 

create their own salad 

on their plate. 

People who hate olives don't 

have to scoop any up.

It's really fabulous,

and let's be honest,

it's not really

"cheating"

just because it's easy.

This salad came together in probably

7 minutes. I didn't time myself.

I might have been neurotic enough to time it

but that would have prevented the picture 

taking which is less than par I admit.

I'm not fishing for compliments.

"You can't rush art." Toy Story 2 quote.

So, I did rush it and these are the pics you get.

I love making these salads.

For how easy they are, the compliments are always generous.

People like to see what they're eating. 

It's embarrassing to ask if there's mushroom, egg, or cheese 

in something. How nice we are to people with allergies when we 

just display it all out there in the open so they know what they're diving into.

So I had to cheat my way into a potluck two nights in a row!

My Friday and Saturday this weekend were chaos but 

a wonderful, refreshing, and rich kind of chaos.

I was scrambling very unlike someone attracted to the simple life.

So for party #2,

the 7 minute thing would have 

taken way too long.

I confess.

I TOTALLY cheated!!

I went to Lunardi's Market and bought roasted veggies.

I did it. 

I even politely bickered with the guy scooping it up

who said they were grilled.

So not grilled.

Anyways,

I bought it,

went home long enough to pick up TrueLove,

use the pooooowdah roooom (joke from previous post)

and throw these veggies on a small platter.

I sprinkled them with Sea Salt, fresh pepper and 

a quick (careful of the fingers) chop of some

of that fresh Italian Parsley from

the night before.

And voila!

And guess what?

I got compliments!

I knooow.

I hardly did a thing.

Just dressed up that store bought cafeteria food for a party.

Of course we ditched the party before dinner

because TrueLove and I hadn't had

a proper date since

we could collectively remember.

That is not for anyone to feel sorry for us,

we've spent time out together

just always with others.

So we ("ditched" is the wrong word) politely excused ourselves.

Since we didn't stay long enough to taste this 

cheat

or hear feedback from those that did,

maybe nobody did?

I can not tell you that compliments came

in that department,

but when they

saw it shimmering on the plate 

with it's dark grassy green fresh herbs,

I did hear a few

nice comments.

So, I'm sure that I'm not the only 

person who cheats every now and then.

I had too.

Now that I have a blog where recipes show up,

there is a little standard to uphold.

I couldn't show up with a carton of potato salad 

like TrueLove suggested. Of course, the only pressure I feel

in internally generated. My friends who know me and

love me would care less really with what I show

up with,

 but since I've raised the bar of my own food by

posting pictures of it for God and everyone

to see, these cheats are 

commonplace around here.

If you have secret cheats, 

I'd love to hear what they are.

Who knows what next weekend will look like?

I'm an "Aunt Olie" Again!

Oh how happy I am today,
because ELIZA JOY is here!!!
 My "BestieBestie" just had a beautiful baby girl!
10.16.11

Welcome
Baby Eliza!!!!! 
Eliza Joy

Her SpectacularKnittingGorgeous Grandmother knitted these precious silvery ice colored booties

that Eliza wore home from the hospital.

I have 22 sweet, 
amazing, lovely, and intelligent 
nephews and nieces on my husband's side. 

It's true. 

They are a BIG family! 
( I hope I did not lose count).

They are not Mormon, they are not Catholic, and they are not irresponsible or most of the things that people have asked them over the years. 
They love life, they love children, and they love family. 
So there are a lot of them. 
I had to correct my son who used the words "too many" to describe them, referring to how hard it is for him to remember all their names when he doesn't see them all very often. 
Not even yearly as some of them are very far away.

On my side of the family, 

I have 4 gorgeous nephews and nieces. 

It's easier to remember all the names because 
there are FOUR! 
and we see them regularly, 
although not as regularly as we'd like,

because my brothers and I are in that 

"chauffer" season of life, delivering

them all to their activities 

and not having time for all the wonderful

dinners and visits we long for.

How I envy the European lifestyle.
Relaxed pace, the priest stopping by every night for a glass of wine,
walking to the market every day,
knowing everyone in your town forever.
Sorry, back to the point.

However the joy of being an auntie is when you get 

to be one 
ALL OVER AGAIN!

My beautiful BestieBestie,
 (wow if I misspell that one a different image would come to mind),
trust me she is B!-u-tiful!!!

just made me an "auntie" all over again for the THIRD time!

"boo hoo sniff sniff"

only because BestieBestie lives far away. 
Five hours in a plane far away.

And I don't get to hold her,
Eliza not BestieBestie,
 until Christmas time.

However, I do get to welcome her today!

Welcome to our hearts!

Welcome to our world!

Your life brings 

wonder,

heaven,

and hope 

to us.

You will make this world better

with your smile,

your laugh,

your sweetness,

and your sparkle.

We've been welcoming you in our hearts

since we first heard 

the announcement that you

were coming.

We didn't know your name.

We didn't know who you would look like.

We didn't know your personality.

We did know that we love you like crazy.

We are so happy you are here.

We will learn from you.

The Great Sage Jesus told us this is true.

We look forward to all the wonders that 

make up YOU.

We look forward to all that you 

will experience and share.

You are our joy.

We love you.

Welcome.