Book Review - Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan by Ali Etarez

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ali Eteraz, author of Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan, was born in Pakistan and has lived in the Middle East, the Caribbean, and the United States. A graduate of Emory University and Temple Law School, he was selected for the Outstanding Scholar's Program at the United States Department of Justice and later worked in corporate litigation in Manhattan. He is a regular contributor to True/Slant; has published articles about Islam and Pakistani politics in Dissent, Foreign Policy, AlterNet, and altMuslim; and is a regular contributor to The Guardian UK and Dawn, Pakistan's oldest English-language daily. His blog in the Islamosphere received nearly two million views as well as a Brass Crescent award for originality. Eteraz has spoken publicly about the situation inside Pakistan, Islamic reform, and Muslim immigration. He currently divides his time between Princeton, New jersey, and the Middle East, and is working on a novel.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE:

Ali Eteraz's Children of Dust is a spellbinding portrayal of a life that few Americans can imagine. From his schooling in a madrassa in Pakistan to his teenage years as a Muslim American in the Bible Belt, and back to Pakistan to find a pious Muslim wife, this lyrical, penetrating saga from a brilliant new literary voice captures the heart of our universal quest for identity.

Children of Dust begins in rural Islam at the lowest levels of Pakistani society in the turbulent eighties. This intimate portrayal of rustic village life is revealed through a young boy's eyes as he discovers magic, women, and friendship.

After immigrating with his family to the United States, Eteraz struggles to be a normal American teenager under the rules of a strict Muslim household.

In 1999, he returns to Pakistan to find the villages of his youth dominated by the ideology of the Taliban, filled with young men spouting militant rhetoric, and his extended family under threat. Eteraz becomes the target of a mysterious abduction plot when he is purported to be a CIA agent, and eventually has to escape under military escort.

Back in the United States, with his fundamentalist illusions now shattered, Eteraz tries to find a middle way within American Islam. At each stage of Eteraz's life, he takes on a different identity to signal his evolution. From being pledged to Islam in Mecca as an infant, through Salafi fundamentalism, to liberal reformer, Eteraz desperately struggles to come to terms with being a Pakistani and a Muslim.

Astonishingly honest, darkly comic, and beautifully told, Children of Dust is an extraordinary adventure that reveals the diversity of Islamic beliefs, the vastness of the Pakistani diaspora, and the very human search for home.


MY REVIEW:

I have always been fascinated by religion; probably due to my experiences as a child. I was raised Catholic but lost my religion as they say long, long ago. But not my interest. So I read. I have covered several Christian branches and a fair bit on Judaism and now am reading about Islam. Mr. Eterez's book is a memoir of his life from his childhood to adulthood reared in Islam. 

At first I was disconcerted by the lack of a narrative. The chapters seemed like independent stories with nothing much binding them together except for Mr. Eterez. But his writing style is easy and I soon forgot the lack of a traditional structure and truly enjoyed the book. His tales of his passion for his religion are funny, heartfelt and at times morbid. Mr. Eterez truly bares his soul and his life to the reader. As he mentions in his acknowlegements - he didn't expect to gain friends in writing the book.

I think anyone curious about Islam and life in Pakistan would find this book very enjoyable. It also mildly explores the immigrant experience for Muslims in the United States. I found it sadly comical how Mr. Eterez and his family were perceived when they went back to Pakistan for a visit. Assumptions are so very dangerous and we humans make them all the time





Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book for my honest opinion. The receipt of the book did not impact my review.


 

My (hopefully) Cabinets

We had to go down to Missoula yesterday to get new tires for the hubby's truck so we stopped into the building shop where I found my dream cabinets.  I was smart this time and brought my camera along.

Aren't they pretty?  As I said before they are cherry, but shaded in color. I just love their simplicity. Now just keep your fingers crossed that they come in line with the other bids we haven't gotten yet. My fear is the other cabinets which are lovely but not my favorites will come in waaaaaay cheaper and I will have to sacrifice. *sigh*

So send positive thoughts....

Coming Soon - Book Review: Ecoholic

I am happy to report that I will soon have a review of the book Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products and Services by Adria Vasil.  To whet your appetites I have an article written by Ms. Vasil on how to make your and your childrens' lunches more eco-friendly:

Save Cash and Trash: Packing Healthier Waste-Free Lunches
By Adria Vasil,
Author of Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products & Services

I won't lie. I loved my juice boxes, pudding cups and classic cream-stuffed snack cakes as a school kid -- but they were all wrapped in plastic destined for the lunchroom garbage can (not to mention totally unhealthy!). Add them all up and a typical student trashes a whopping 70 pounds of lunch packaging every year!
Now, what if instead of reaching for pre-packaged munchies, parents everywhere bought snackables in bulk and placed them in their own reusable containers? By god, we'd have a lunchtime revolution! In fact, if every student packed a zero-waste lunch, we'd save 1.2 billion pounds from landfill a year. You'll also be saving some serious coin (since individually wrapped foods tend to cost more) and coincidentally cutting out many of the not-so-healthy heavily processed ingredients that often come with pre-packaged snacks.

So how do you lighten your lunch load? 

• Say goodbye to disposable plastic baggies. Get reusable sandwich-size sacks like Lunch Skins (3greenmoms.com). They're perfect for, yes, sandwiches, as well as chopped up veggies like carrots, peppers and celery.
  
• Buy yogurt, dried fruit, snackables like pumpkin seeds or even organic cookies in bulk, then pack them in reusable food containers (just not the kind made of clear, shatterproof polycarbonate plastic since those contain hormone disrupting bisphenol A -- the same stuff that made headlines in clear plastic baby bottles).  
• Pass on pricey, packaging-heavy drinking boxes and buy juice in large cartons/jugs. Pour a single portion into a polycarbonate-free drink canister like Thermos' Foogo (keeping in mind that a stainless steel container of tap or home-filtered water is way healthier than a shot of sugary, nutritionally dead boxed OJ).
  
• Pour last night's soups and even stews in an insulated thermos for a homemade meal on the go.
  
• Don't forget to toss a cloth napkin and, if necessary, washable cutlery into your lunch box.
  

Keep the lead out of lunchtime
Speaking of lunch boxes, stay away from anything made of vinyl, aka PVC. Back in 2005, California's Center for Environmental Health filed a lawsuit against some big-name makers of soft PVC lunch cases (including Toys"R"Us, Warner Brothers, DC Comics and Time Warner) after testing revealed that their products contained high levels of lead.

Better to go for all-natural cloth or even nylon.You'll find a bunch of alternatives online at sites like www.reusablebags.com (think funky organic and recycled cloth bags, stainless steel containers and compartmentalized bento-box-style Laptop Lunch kits).
Move the message school-wide
Once you've got the knack of trash-free lunches, why not spread the message throughout your child's school? Consider forming a zero-waste lunch committee. If you've got a keen teacher on your side, you might even get students to kick things off with a garbage audit (think garbology 101). That means measuring how much trash goes in bins before and after lunch hour. The mini researchers can put on rubber gloves and note what kind of disposables are taking up the most room.
Raise cash for trash
Whatever you do, don't let any disposables that you and other parents might still use end up in landfill. Talk to your kid's school about saving them up and sending them packin' to be made into purses and pencil cases! Once you've collected a bunch of branded drink pouches, candy/cookie/energy bar wrappers, chip bags and yogurt cups, ship them off to TerraCycle and the upcycling company will give you 2¢ to 5¢ per package for your trouble (terracycle.net). Call it a cash-for-trash fundraiser and you'll be garbage-free in no time!
©2009 Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products & Services

Author Bio
Adria Vasil, author of Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products & Services, is a best-selling author and journalist for Canada's NOW, where she has been writing the "Ecoholic" column for five years. She lives in Toronto.
For more information please visit www.ecoholicnation.com

Review and Giveaway - Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil

I opened the jar and the first thought that came into my mind was Mounds Bar.

Mmmmmm, I love Mounds Bars.

I thought, I could have fun with this stuff. And I did.

Tropical Traditions sent me a 32oz jar of virgin coconut oil for review AND I have one to giveaway to one of my readers.

Woo hoo! So I opened my jar and my little cook's brain immediately thought meringues. Meringues with a chocolate/coconut oil base. Mmmm, wouldn't that taste yummy? I just love playing in the kitchen.

So I baked the meringues ( one way to use some of those eggs that are taking over my refrigerator)

Then I melted two squares of semisweet chocolate and added roughly 4 TBSP. of the coconut oil. I let it cool and then I dipped the meringues in and they looked like this

I have to admit they were mighty tasty. I have to admit there aren't many left.
Burp.
I can't wait to experiment some more.

So how would you like a jar of coconut oil for your own experiments in the kitchen? Tropical Traditions even has a link that gives you some great recipes!
Well, here's how you can enter to win...

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions newsletter and leave me a comment with the email you used.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1.  Follow my blog. If you already do, thank you.
2.  Follow me on twitter. If you already do, thank you.
3.  Follow Tropical Traditions on twitter
4.  Tweet this giveaway:  Broken Teepee and Tropical Traditions are giving away Coconut Oil @ http://tinyurl.com/yjs67mh #giveaway

5. Go to the Free Coconut Recipes Link and pick your favorite recipe. Good for one extra entry.
6.  Follow Pricilla's blog. If you already do, thank you.
7.  Blog about this giveaway linking back to Broken Teepee and Tropical Traditions. Good for 6 entries so please leave 6 comments.

See, easy!  I will go to Random.org to pick a winner on November 11th at 9PM MST. He/she will have 48 hours to respond, if not I will pick another winner. Good Luck!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

TROPICAL TRADITIONS HAS A REFERRAL PROGRAM SO IF YOU ARE GOING TO PURCHASE FROM THEM PLEASE READ THIS

Referral Program Instructions:
Here are a few important instructions for our Referral Program with step-by-step directions for first-time customers. New customers are required to place their initial order online, creating their new account, and attributing credit to their sponsor in the Referral Program. These referral orders must be placed online. Below is a suggested post to introduce the Referral Program to your readers:

Tropical Traditions also has a Referral Program, so if you place an order with them as a first-time customer, please select “Referred by a friend” and in the box that says “How did you hear of us?” enter my sponsor ID number… 5500343. By telling Tropical Traditions that I referred you, you will receive a complimentary copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy with your first order! This book is filled with testimonies and research showing how healthy coconut oil is, and it also includes over 85 recipes showing how one can incorporate coconut into their diet.

Here are some easy to use directions for your referrals:

1. Add the items you would like to purchase from the order form linked to Tropical Traditions. Visit www.healthybuyersclub.com/orderform.cfm

2. You'll be directed to the Order Form at the Tropical Traditions/Healthy Buyers Club website. You do not have to be a member or purchase a membership to buy from Tropical Traditions. Membership in the Healthy Buyers Club allows you to purchase in bulk amount at club member discounts if you choose to join. If you choose not to purchase a membership to the Healthy Buyers Club please order under the heading “Retail Sale Items”. This will enable you to purchase less than case amounts of any of the individual items without a membership.

3. Select the items you would like to purchase.

4. When you are ready to check out please click on the "Continue'' link which will take you to your shopping cart.

5. Review your order and then click on the "Check Out" button from your shopping cart.

6. Fill in your account information as directed. In the box: "How did you hear of us?'' you must select: "Referred by a friend'' on the drop down arrow. When you make this selection, a box for your sponsor's User ID number should appear if you are a first time customer.

7. Enter your sponsor's User ID number 5500343.

8. To complete your order click on "Save and Proceed to Checkout" at the bottom of this page and follow the instructions through the checkout process. You will receive an order number when you have successfully placed your order.

By following these steps, you will receive a complimentary copy of the book Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours! by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy. Your sponsor will receive a coupon for a complimentary gift to redeem on their next order. You may view the current complimentary gift being offered here: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com//referral_program.htm

Those with additional questions about taking advantage of the referral program when creating their new account may email us using this link: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/customerservice.cfm

LiveTV4Me

There was a time in my life when I wasn't much of a TV viewer. I was working 50 - 60 hours a week, I had to cook dinner, clean the house and in my spare time I wanted to read. After I got sick and now I live with a headache 24/7 there are days that I just can't read and I want some TV.  I like shows where I don't have to pay much attention 'cause sometimes you just want to sit blankly in front of the tube and not think, ya know?

I just learned about a new service called livetv4me.com You can turn your computer into a TV with the purchase of software. Sounds easy. Now I couldn't tell from the website what exact channels you would have access to. It says there are over 1,000 available including European channels. In reading it states that sports, sitcoms, dramas, shopping channels and many others are available.

You need to have broadband service for it to work at its best.  I  have not actually tried this service so I have no idea how it works. The FAQ states that it is legal. It also says that it will work on a laptop.

It sounds interesting but I am not sure it is something I would try right now. My eyes are bad and even though I have a 17" monitor my computer is not in a good location for comfortable TV viewing.  Buy hey! It might be great for you. So check it out. You never know.

Wordless Wednesday - Halloween Kitten

Sherpa the kitten and my little, tiny pumpkin.

Awwwww. Isn't he cute?

Winners! Yay!

I have two winners to announce tonight. Hooray for winners!  My first drawing is for the great Vinyl Banner from my fantastic blog sponsor Uprinting.  And the winner is:

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 9 

Yay and congratulations to:

ALWAYSHOPEFUL.


The second drawing is for the 250 Custom Stickers/Labels from Uprinting. The winner is:


True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 64 

Yay and congratulations to:

ORION DESIGNS.

Woo hoo! Aren't prizes fun? Both winners will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will have to choose new winners.

Thank you all for entering and be sure to keep checking back for more exciting giveaways.

Progresso High Fiber Soup Review/Giveaway

Fiber is very important in our diets. I know I try to eat as much as I am supposed to but sometimes I fall short. Popcorn is good, but I sure I really shouldn't be using it all the time to up my fiber intake.

Progresso is now making four different soups that are high in fiber. They have 28% of the recommended daily value of fiber in each serving (7 grams) and have no added MSG or artificial flavors. The four different soups are:

Creamy Tomato Basil
Hearty Vegetable and Noodles
Homestyle Minestrone
Chicken Tuscany

I was sent a Progresso Prize Pack with the Chicken Tuscany soup, two really cool soup mugs and two soup spoons from My Blog Spark. It looks just like this:

I tried the soup for my lunch today. Now, I make most of my own soup which most of you know from reading this blog but sometimes a girl is feeling like she just wants a quick meal. A can of soup is perfect for those situations. My Chicken Tuscany was not a condensed soup, it is a heat and eat soup so that's what I did. I was pleasently surprised. The broth had a nice depth of flavor and was not salty. This surprised me the most; most canned soups are very salty to me. This one, at least to my taste was perfectly seasoned. There were quite a few large pieces of chicken. They actually tasted like chicken and were not dry.

There were plenty of beans. They were not mushy. There were other vegetables in the broth but the beans were the largest other component next to the chicken. I have to admit that I am a noodle girl when it comes to soup and I did miss noodles so I suspect that if I put these soups in my pantry I will go with the Vegetable Noodle.

All in all I was pleased with my soup. Now the can says it holds two servings. I must have had a big appetite 'cause I ate it all.

Now for the fun part. I have a Progresso Prize Pack just like I received for one of my readers. It will include the Chicken Tuscany soup, the two soup mugs and the two spoons.  How to win? Well, it's easy...

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Leave a comment and tell me which of the four flavors of soup you think would be your favorite.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog. If you do already, thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter, If you do already, thank you.
3. Tweet the giveaway (1 per day) @BrokenTeepee is helping you to add fiber to your diet with a Progresso Prize Pack @http://tinyurl.com/yjc82us #giveaway
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's blog. If you do already, thank you.
5. Blog about this giveaway. This is good for 5 entries so leave 5 comments.
6. Enter any of my other giveaways. They are listed at the top right hand side of the blog. One entry for each giveaway you enter.

That's it! I will go to Random.org on November 10th at 9PM MST and pick a winner. He/she will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose another winner.

Thank you and good luck!  And be sure to add more fiber to your diet!

Disclosure:  I received the prize pack from My Blog Spark for hosting this review/giveaway. I did not receive any monetary compensation. The opinions stated are my honest opinions regarding the product and were not effected by the receipt of the prize pack.

Doesn't an Ozark Mountain Christmas Sound Delightful?

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the twinkling lights, I love the tinsel, I love the smell of the outside that is now inside. I love the big holiday dinner, the cookies, the ribbon and yes, even the snow.

Wouldn't it be great to have all of that without the clean up afterwards? Yee ha! Just imaging the fun of taking your holiday on the road and going to Branson Missouri for an Ozark Mountain Christmas. You could stay at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing or the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel  and have all of the luxurious service that Hilton is known for and you won't have to clean a thing, well except yourself but I'm not going there.

There are a number of delightful packages available to suit any budget. For example, the It's a Wonderful Life Package, which is available from November 15th through December 23rd starts at $329.00 a night. You will receive a Branson Landing passport that gives you a slew of coupons for many of the shopping, dining and entertainment venues that Branson has to offer. And when you are worn out from all of that shopping and dining you have your treatment at the Aspire Medical Spa to relax you. Mmmmm.....

During the same time period but running on the weekends from Friday through Sunday, you can bring the family to Branson for the Santa's Coming to Town Package. Starting at $189.00 a night the children will enjoy a story time with Mrs. Claus in the lobby. But the best part - Santa himself will deliver presents and cookies to your room. The children will LOVE that. Just imagine their excitement.

These are just two examples. Wouldn't it be a romantic gift for your significant other to whisk them away for a couple of days of no pressure, no work and just plain fun? Someone call my husband please! heh heh

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Oh yeah! It's Tuesday. Or Random day as it's known in some quarters of the blogosphere. Especially over the border where The UnMom rules.

I look around my kitchen and I see....NOTHING TO PROCESS! I thought this day would never come. I rejoice. Man it was a looooong season. But we will eat well this year. I finished with a bang; my first batch of tomato soup, my dehyrated tomatoes and the pears. Woo hoo for my pantry!

Sherpa, my new kitten, keeps running across the keyboard and bring up websites. I SWEAR he is looking for kitty porn. He hasn't found it yet, but he will. He is determined. He does open Firefox Help quite often. I don't know what he is trying to tell me with that.

STILL drowning in eggs. Suckers are laying a dozen a day. The hubby is thinking it may be time to erm, dispatch a couple of more. We are trying to find buyers but lots of folks in this part of the world have chickens. Just ordered a souffle dish.

Hubby just came out with wool shirt on and said, "Just put this on and it has no buttons on the cuff." This is my problem?

I am so unbelievably happy that I get my hour back this weekend. I HATE daylight savings time. I never feel "right". Plus it's so dark in the mornings now. I have to occupy my time until I can bring the wimpy goats out. They don't like rain, they don't like the dark.....

Speaking of the goats. It's light enough now so off I go. Have a great Random Tuesday and be sure to go visit The UnMom where she will rock Random.

Yay! Postcard Giveaway Winner!!!

It's that time again!
Time to pick a winner for the Uprinting Postcard Giveaway.....

TA-DA

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 10 

And the winner is:

I follow you on twitter and tweeted: http://twitter.com/jessa1130/statuses/5116062942 jeccica

Hooray for Jeccica!!!!

She will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If I don't hear from her I will pick another winner.

I want to thank everyone who entered.  Be sure to keep coming back for more great giveaways!

Disappointment

I set out to freeze my beautiful peaches. I mean look at them - they were huge!

I put them on my counter to peel them and then line them up on a cookie sheet.

I peeled one and it was....brown! The second was was not as brown but still didn't look right so I tasted it.
Nothing.
No juice.
No burst of summer joy that you usually get when you eat a peach.

I was so upset.

I peeled several more.
The same.

I chopped some of them up, put them in my pot and added sugar (lots of sugar) and some orange juice in hopes of making some peach sauce for ice cream.

They were marginally better but it tasted of sugar not peaches.
*sigh*
It is simply not worth the work to peel, pit and deal with all of this fruit when I have so much else on my plate.

The chickens were happy with their unexpected treat.

I am sorry for what might have been.

So off I went to get my tomatoes for dehydrating. My mandoline got a workout and the dehydrator is doing its thing.

I took the tomato water from the bowl I used to catch the tomatoes and boiled it down 'til thick. Added a bit of red wine, a splash of balsamic vinegar and finished it with a pat of butter and we had the most amazing sauce for our chicken dinner tonight.

At least SOMETHING tasted of summer on this chilly Montana evening...

Flyer Giveaway!

I have another wonderful giveaway for my readers from my blog sponsor, Uprinting. This time it is something I have not had to offer you before - FLYERS/BROCHURES!

YAY!!!!!

Oh, but you think, I have no use for flyers...but you are wrong! Just think! Do you do a family newsletter at Christmas? Why not let Uprinting pay for it! If you win you could simply upload your letter and let Uprinting's fantastic flyer printing division do all the work for you. You will have your letters printed and delivered to your door for FREE by UPS Ground. (Due to shipping costs this giveaway is only for my US readers.) How cool is that?

Or...

Are you on your PTA or are a a Band Parent? Are you planning a fundraiser in the near future? Just think of how much exposure 100 brochures would get you. Uh-huh. You could design a FANTASTIC brochure all about the event and send it off to the great brochure printing department at Uprinting and there you go; a two sided or even tri-folded brochure custom made for YOUR event. All you need do is enter and keep your fingers crossed...well, you know what I mean.

Or....

Do you have a business? Just think of what a custom made brochure or flyer could do to promote that business for you. You just need to write your story, add some photos of your product and voila! A wonderful marketing tool for you to use. That's what I am going to do with the 100 flyers I am going to receive for hosting this giveaway. I think Pricilla is going to love being the star of her own flyer.

You can read some reviews of Uprinting at Yelp.com

So, what's the nitty gritty?
OK - right to it! Here are the prize details:

Giveaway Prize: 100 Brochures for One Lucky Winner
100 8.5 x11"  Brochure / Flyers on 100lb gloss text paper ; 4 color printing on both sides
Folding Choices: Half fold; Trifold/Letterfold; Z-fold; Accordion (4 panels) Roll Fold (4 Panels)
Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping
Eligibility: Limited to US Residents due to shipping costs.


WOO HOO!

And of course you would like to know how to win...well that's easy!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Leave a comment telling me what you would do with your flyers/brochures if you won. Please be sure to leave me an email so I can contact you if you win.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway - Broken Teepee and Uprinting.com are giving away 100 Custom Flyers/Brochurs @http://tinyurl.com/yzurdyu #giveaway
3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Uprinting.com  (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)

4. Go to Uprinting.com and let me know what else you might purchase other than what has already been mentioned. Good for one entry.
5. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you.

6. Enter any of my other giveaways. Good for one entry per...

This giveaway will end on November 6th at 9PM MST. I will go to Random.org to choose the winner. He/she will have 48 hours to get back to me or I will choose another winner. Thanks and good luck!!!!

Disclosure:  I am receiving 100 Flyers/Brochures from Uprinting for hosting this giveaway. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinion and are no way impacted by the receipt of the flyers. 

The Bounty Continues

Whew! I thought I was done for the season. Ha! The tomatoes in the basement have finally turned red so I have spent the last few nights slicing them with my mandoline and putting them in the dehydrator. I still have loads more to do but by tonight's count I have 8 quart jars stuffed with dried tomato rings. They are sooooo tasty; almost like tomato chips but with the strong, bright taste of summer. I use them in so many ways all through the winter. I break them up into salads, I have some soaking in olive oil, I munch them for a snack. They rehydrate pretty well and are delicious on pizzas. I am sure I will think up new things this year. Yum!

There are still pears staring at me and I was gifted today with a case of organic peaches. I am truly rolling in fruit this year. I am simply going to peel and freeze the peaches. Then I can just about do anything with them in the future - sorbet, peach sauce, pie, whatever suits my mood. The pears I just keep eating, one by one. *sigh*

I did get to make several new batches of soap this week which was nice. So there is more to my life than fruit, fruit, fruit and uhm, FRUIT.

Do You Have Love to Spare?

As you all know my wonderful husband surprised me with a new kitten. My little Sherpa has brought me so much joy and more laughs than I have had in a long time. I hadn't had a kitten in years and had completely forgotten what it was like. All of my cats through the years have been strays. It is so important to try and find homes for these animals.

There are so many people who are committed to helping homeless and shelter animals. I was contacted by a wonderful blog called Adopt-A-Pet to do a post for them because the owner read my post on Sherpa and knew I understood the importance of this issue.

I am going to do a few posts along the way because I do feel so strongly about this. It's not the animal's fault they are in the shelter it's our fault for not caring for them.

Here is some information about the Adopt-A-Pet blog:

What is Adopt-a-Pet.com
Adopt-a-Pet.com is the world's largest non-profit pet adoption website.  We are like an ad agency for shelters and shelter pets. Sadly there are 4 million healthy adoptable companion animals killed in shelters each year due to overcrowding. We do our best to relieve that problem and put pets from shelters in the homes of pet seekers all over the country.

Our website makes it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find profiles and pictures of adoptable animals by location, breed, gender, age, size, and color. Over 8,000 shelters posts pets on our website displaying over 125,000 pets available for adoption at any given time. We also help volunteers connect with shelters, and currently host over thousands of people listed in our volunteer database for shelters.
What Makes Adopt-a-Pet.com Unique:
- On our website, people can use something we call “Search Saver.” This feature will notify users by e-mail when a particular pet of their specifications in available for adoption. For example, I can tell “Search Saver” where I live, and what type of breed I am looking for. When that animal is available, I am notified the next time a pet matching my search is added on Adopt-a-Pet.com.

- As of this summer we have now made it easy for our visitors to find pets and then recommend them to friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and other social applications. We are calling the idea “Social Petworking.” Here is how it works; once you have searched and found a pet in need, on the pet details page simply hover over the button  labeled “SHARE,” there you can send the pet details page to any of your friends.  For more information visit this page http://www.adoptapet.com/socialpetworking/signup.

- In addition to dogs and cats, we now feature all kinds of pets for adoption, including rabbits, farm animals, ferrets, hamsters and other small animals, horses, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and even fish.  This was a major initiative that took many months to research and program into the site, and it is being well-received within the shelter community.

- By teaming up with the renowned street-artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic Obama "Hope" image, we have available a number of stylish ways to promote pet adoption. Shepard was able to translate his work with Obama to an image that can be used to represent pet adoption support.  Merchandise can be found at HYPERLINK "http://www.muttslikeme.com"www.muttslikeme.com

- We have begun blogging and created a Twitter Page along with a Facebook Page. Our blog is located at HYPERLINK "http://blog.adoptapet.com/"http://blog.adoptapet.com/, there you can join our Facebook Group, or follow us on Twitter.

Blog Highlights:
Adopt-a-Pet.com has recently begun blogging, and every week we publish posts from two separate columns. On Tuesday we blog about pet care tips, and on Fridays we do our best to find heartwarming stories about adopted pets all over the country.  Here are a few highlights from our blog:

10 Ways To Help Homeless Pet, Even If You Can’t Adopt
What To Ask Your Veterinarian
Good News In Pet Adoption – A Weekly Post
10 Things To Consider Before Adopting



Please go check out the blog. I have put their link on my "Sites to See" so it will always be available. If you can't adopt a pet consider making a donation to your local animal shelter; food or money. I am sure they would be happy with anything you gave. Hey, consider volunteering your time too. Can you imagine the fun of playing with all of those kittens and puppies?

Great Blog Giveaways

There are some cool giveaways going on on blogs right now and I would like to share them with you.

Over at Octoberfarm, jaz has just returned from a trip to Salem, MA, and its environs and she has brought back a basket of sweets and treats for her readers. Head on over to her blog to find out the details. But I'm thinking this one is mine. Bwahahahahaha!

Over at Piece of Me you can win a $50.00 credit to Alice.com. What is Alice you ask? Well it is an online supermarket with great prices and the ability to redeem coupons. How easy would that make life? Especially for those of us that live an hour and a half away from any kind of real shopping.....

Postcard Giveaway!

Hooray for Uprinting! I have another wonderful giveaway from them for you.

What is it this time, you ask?

Postcards! But they don't have to be just postcards. You can use them for many different things. The holidays are coming - just think of how much postage you would save by sending flat cards instead of regular cards. Eh?

Do you have a business? You could do like I did and have thank you cards made. I left the back blank and I write a note to my customer on the back. It makes the transaction that much more personal.

I am sure you can think of many other ways to use these great cards. I can attest to the fact that Uprinting provides excellent postcard printing. I will be receiving 100 postcards for hosting this giveaway and I think I am going to put Pricilla's cute face on them.

Now I am sure you want to know how to win, right? But first some details. Here is the prize info:

Giveaway Prize: 100 Postcards for One Lucky Winner
Size:  4x6; Paper:  14pt Cardstock Gloss; Printing: Full color both sides    
Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping in the US (Canadian residents pay shipping and taxes. Offer not available to residents outside of the US and Canada)

 Cool, huh?

Here's how to win - it's easy!

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Leave a comment telling me how you would use your cards. Please be sure to leave me an email where I can contact you if you win.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway - Broken Teepee and Uprinting.com are giving away Custom Postcards @http://tinyurl.com/yl9otem #giveaway
3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Uprinting.com  (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you.

All entries must be in by 10/25 by 9PM MDT when I will go to Random.org to pick the winner.
Good luck!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

It's time to Random Up as The UnMom says, so here goes:

I never thought it would be possible for me to hate an animal but I am about there with Blue Guy, our Blue Andalusian rooster. EVERY time I go in the goat pen that blasted beast attacks me. I thought I had him under control but no. He has decided to make my life hell. He attacks FROM BEHIND and he can get to hip level. The sucker leaves bruises he hits me so hard.

I am thinking chicken and dumplings.

I had a craft fair on Saturday. I sat there from 9AM until 4PM. After I counted out the table fee I made $26. I don't think it was worth it. *sigh*

There is still a box of pears in my kitchen waiting to be processed. I think I might wait until they process themselves. What do you think?

We have been having wild temperature swings. We had three days of frigid cold; I am talking about waking up to 4* and now it is in the 50ies. I am sorry but something is broken. The poor goats are growing winter fur and shedding winter fur. It's damn confusing for animals to have weather like this.

Sherpa the kitten is still climbing us. As soon as I walk in the door up climbs the kitten. Rather makes me glad I acquired this kitten in winter when I wear long pants as opposed to summer when I wear shorts.

The chickens are clucking which means I have to go out and collect more eggs. Which means I have to go kick a rooster.

Have a great Random Tuesday and be sure to check out The UnMom. She is the queen of all things not in a row.

Business Card Winner!!!!

It's that time! I went to Random.org to choose the winner of the 250 Business Cards from my wonderful blog sponsor Uprinting.

Drum roll please.......

The winning comment was number 8.

 

Hooray for Jaime.

 

I will make contact and if I don't hear back within 48 hours I will choose another winner.  I want to thank everyone who entered.

 

Be sure to enter the giveaways for the Vinyl Banner and the Custom Stickers! 

Homeless Pets Need Love

Petango.com - Adopt a cat! 

Woo Hoo!
You know I am all about the cat!


There are so many homeless pets looking for loving homes right now.  As you know my husband just did the most romantic thing for me - he went to adopt a cat after my Fred went missing and now I have my new kitten, Sherpa.  But my Sherpa is only one of the many animals looking for a home. If you are going to adopt a pet why not look for one at your local shelter. There are a variety of animals there - not just dogs and cats.


Petango.com is a cool site where you can enter your zip code and search for animals available in your immediate area. It even brings up photos so you can see the little cuties awaiting your love.  I looked at some of the kitties still looking for homes at the shelter that Sherpa used to call home and I am sad to say that there are still quite a few there. I would love to take them all, but of course, I cannot.

So, I have done my bit for the cause - well, my husband did - so how about you? Why not go to Petango.com - Adopt a dog today! You might just find the perfect pet for your family. Or follow the Broken Teepee lead and adopt a cat. You know I am all about adopting cats. 

Cabinet Shopping

Yesterday we went cabinet shopping for the kitchen.

Yes, you read that correctly. I should have taken my camera but I was so excited at the prospect I didn't even think.  We are getting estimates at three different places.  The hubby, even though we are short on money right now, is insisting on plywood boxes for them because he figures that if we don't get good ones now we will just be replacing them in 5 years. So he is giving me some freedom with  my choices.

I found the cabinet of my dreams at one place we visited. Now the photo this is linked to shows two different cabinets. I am only putting in base cabinets because of the way the yurt is structured. The photo also shows them in maple. The ones we are pricing are in cherry. Shaded cherry.

The lust for these cabinets was so bad I walked in the door of the place and I literally could not see any other cabinet. They were, of course, one of the most expensive lines in the store. The hubby just shook his head and marvelled at my ability to do that. heh heh. But he agreed that they were beautiful and would compliment the yurt beautifully.

We also talked to a custom builder about having them made out of local larch. It's a surprisingly pretty wood - somewhat like pine in appearance but harder in durability. The man does beautiful work. He also sells a line of pre-made cabinetry that is eco-friendly but has melamine interiors. We weren't so thrilled with that but the door fronts are STUNNING so we are pricing them out anyway just to compare.

We also went into Home Depot for the heck of it. It sucked. But the budget may force it. *sigh*

I also found my Caesarstone countertop! I had wanted this from the start but the company told me no one in Montana was installing it. Big SIGH because I wanted this astounding red countertop. (We have already established that I am not afraid of bold color.) The original color design for the kitchen/dining/living room had been built around it until I could not have it. So I put the red on the walls. We have already bought the paint so I can't go back.  I picked a new color, Smokey Ash - how apt for Montana, eh - and it is recycled! Isn't that cool?! The photo in the link does not begin to show the depth of color and the glass like look of this product. Woo hoo! It looks delicious against the cherry and will amazing abutting the red.

Now to actually SEE IT in the yurt.

Wordless Wednesday

 

One of the many culprits in action!

Searching...

I am asked to go search for a mentor that influenced me early in my life. I think and I think until I lock upon a college teacher (I guess college is now early in my life *sigh*) that taught Russian history. It was a class requirement as I strove towards my European History degree. Why Russian history was required I have no idea, but it was.  The class, I suspect, would have been fascinating regardless of teacher because the history to found throughout Russia's existence is almost not to be believed.

But I stray...I am to use MyLife a new search for people site. So off I go to do just that...and I find that to get to any real information I have to pay. Rather like another famous school based site.  I am not willing to pay to find this teacher so I can't say I was happy with this site.

Of course, that doesn't mean it won't work well. I am just not willing to pay to see how it works. You by all means are welcome to. It does have a profile screen where you can load in all of your information and then look for classmates or even singles if that is what you want to do.

I am to be honest in my reviews and that is what I am doing here.

A Bounty of Eggs

Our chickens are really starting to lay. At first I got tiny little eggs; smaller than the small eggs you would buy in the store. They were so cute!

Now I am getting a mix of medium and large eggs. Anywhere from 8 to 10 a day.

A DAY.

This is a lot of eggs.

We are managing to sell some and give away others but that is A LOT OF EGGS. 

We have had eggs for dinner. I have made lots of ice cream (it calls for 8 egg yolks) and tonight I made French toast. It was yummy.

Anyone have any ideas for lots of eggs?

Interesting Turn in Stem Cell Research

October is Breast Cancer awareness month.  It is hard to talk about the disease without knowing someone close who has been affected by it. My mother - in - law had a mastectomy when she was 75. I am happy to report she will celebrate her 94th birthday this December. If only every case turned out that well.

Stem cell research is one area where there is hope for perhaps working towards a cure for Breast Cancer.  I recently was surprised to learn the menstrual blood is a rich source of stem cells. Who knew? Who knew that something most woman consider a curse could possibly turn into a blessing? A company named Cryo-Cell International has paired with the NIH (National Institutes of Health) to explore these possibilities. The partnership is working towards understanding these C'elle stem cells and their potential benefits in the race for a cure for breast cancer.  There is also hope that these cells will be the next frontier for diagnostic and regenerative medicine as well.

To honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month there will be a C'Elle Breast Cancer Donation of $25 for every purchase of the C’elle Menstrual Stem Cell program
Additionally, there will be a Cyro-Cell Breast Cancer Donation  of $50 for every purchase of the Protect Baby, Protect Mom service.

It is certainly interesting and I would urge you to learn more about this fascinating subject.

Review: A Beautiful Mess - The Story of Diamond Rio

Book description from the Thomas Nelson Website:

Can a band comprised of six very talented but very different musicians make a difference with their music?
What made it possible for Diamond Rio to weather the storms inherent in the fickle world of fame and fortune and go more than two decades without a single lineup change? Any reader in search of transparency and a behind-the-scenes look into the life of the band as a unit as well as the individual lives of the players and singers will be well satisfied. Can true loyalty exist within the competitive, seemingly unforgiving music industry? In A Beautiful Mess, Marty Roe, Dan Truman, Jimmy Olander, Brian Prout, Gene Johnson, and Dana Williams each has an entire chapter devoted to his personal and professional life. A Beautiful Mess is a wild ride from the edge of disaster and a little-known secret to an ongoing heart-warming revival.

My Opinion:

I took my time reading this book because I wanted to give it a fair review. It was an unusual genre for me and I chose it just for that reason.  The  book starts near the end of the band's story and then it starts to build back from the beginning.  While I found the tale of how the band came together to be interesting, I also found it to be a bit long and drawn out.

What I thoroughly enjoyed were the individual chapters on the final members of the band after they  settled on who would make up what ultimately became Diamond Rio. Each member's story is told from his childhood through to his joining the group. This information is vital to understanding how the disparate personalities would come to work together so very well.

As with any "marriage" there is bound to be trouble. It's how the participants weather that trouble that either make them stronger or fall apart. While this group is a public entity, I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who might not know the specifics of how things worked out.

I enjoyed reading the book. It read smoothly, if a little tediously at times. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Country Music scene.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book for review. I received no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed are my honest opinions and are no way impacted by receiving a free book.

Stickers Up! Heh Heh

My wonderful blog sponsor, Uprinting has provided me with another wonderful giveaway for my readers. Hooray! We all love giveaways, right? And this is one I have not hosted before....

STICKERS!

YAY!!

Now being a kid at heart, I love stickers. Pricilla does too - she puts one of herself on every soap order she sends out. They look like this:

Who can resist that little goat face?

What could you do with 250 custom printed stickers? The possibilities are endless! Just think, the holidays are coming up - you could make gift tag stickers and have a supply to last for quite some time. If you have a business you could make labels ( you will see in a bit that there are several sizes available). You could make stickers of your children for them to play with - endlessly. Return address labels.  And that is only the beginning of what you could do!

I am receiving 250 stickers as an appreciation prize for hosting this giveaway and I am going to get some more with Pricilla's face on them. The quality of the sticker printing is excellent; clear and sharp.

Are you ready for the pertinent information? Well, ready or not, here it is:

THE PRIZE - 250 Stickers/Labels for One (1) lucky winner
Sizes:  2” x 3.5”, 2” x 4”, or 3” x 3”
Paper:  70 lb Label Matte
Specifications: Full color front, blank back; 4 Business Day printing

FREE UPS Ground Shipping in the USA (Canadian residents need to pay shipping and taxes). Offer is not available to residents outside the US and Canada.
 
How do you win? That's easy!

MANDATORY ENTRY - Leave a comment telling me what you would do with your stickers. Please be sure to leave me an email address as well so I can contact you if you win.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

1. Follow my blog publicly. If you already follow, just say so. And thank you.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about the giveaway - Broken Teepee and Uprinting.com are giving away Custom Stickers @ http://tinyurl.com/yl69xzh #giveaway
3. Blog about this giveaway with a link back to Broken Teepee and Uprinting.com  (this is good for 6 entries so leave 6 comments)
4. Follow my goat Pricilla's Blog publicly. If you already do, just say so. And thank you.

All entries must be in by 10/27 by 9PM MDT when I will go to Random.org to pick the winner.
Good luck!

*DISCLOSURE:  I am receiving 250 stickers for hosting this giveaway. All opinions given are my honest opinions.

Store Brand Formulas Are Federally WIC Eligible

Now as all of you know I don't have any children of my own. I do have a slew of nieces and nephews. All of my sisters in law breast fed because they felt this was the best milk for their babies. The medical and scientific communities agree with this sentiment. But there are circumstances when a mother just can't breast feed her child. Perhaps a mother has adopted and infant or is on a medication that could cause harm to her baby. There are many reasons that breastfeeding might not be possible Sometimes formula is the only option.

Formula, I know, is expensive. I hear it all the time from my clients at the food bank. I volunteer every Friday and our list of customers has just been growing lately; especially families with children. These economic times are hard. In trying to help my customers I try and keep up with information to direct them to places or even food items that can assist them. There is no reason for them to buy an expensive name brand formula if they can't afford it, store brand formula
offers all the quality and nutritional requirements of the FDA.

This is especially important because WIC is changing its funding to promote breastfeeding. This is from a recent press release:

"The store-brand message is set to become even more important for many mothers because of changes in the Women, Infants and Children program. As of October 1, 2009, a new WIC initiative aimed at increasing breastfeeding rates among families reallocates funding for all currently provided foods, including infant formula, baby foods, juices, and fresh fruits and vegetables. This program could mean a reduction of up to 20 percent in infant-formula subsidies; parents who previously had most of their formula paid for by WIC may now have to purchase formula on their own."

While I feel that breastfeeding is the best option, again, sometimes it is not feasible. It is good to know that mothers that need formula for their children can find equally good quality in store brands when WIC may be reducing their funding.

Be On the Lookout.....

This weekend I will be offering  WEEKEND DEALS in my shops. Any of you that follow Etsy emails know that they have different weekend deals every well, weekend. I have not been good about posting mine to let you all take advantage of my sales and such.

I will try and be better - don't bang my door down now ;)

This weekend (10/16 - 10/18) at BROKEN TEEPEE DESIGNS (ta da) just put WEEKEND DEAL in the notes to seller and you will receive a 20% discount on your purchase. I can either send you an updated invoice or you can pay and I will send a refund for the difference through to your paypal account. As always, there is free shipping on all of your purchases.

and...drum roll please

This weekend (10/16 - 10/18) at HAPPY GOAT SOAP  Pricilla says to just put WEEKEND DEAL in the notes to seller to receive 15% off of your purchase (not including shipping fees). This would be a great time to get those holiday gifts and stocking stuffers! I have been listing lots of new soaps and will continue to do so all week. If you have bought something in the past and it is not listed, just contact me and I can let you know if I have it and just have not gotten around to listing it. I also have multiple quantities of some of the soaps so you can ask about that too!

Aren't sales fun?

FOR MY CANADIAN READERS ONLY!!! Enter to Win a $32,000 DREAM KITCHEN

***CONTEST ONLY OPEN TO CANADIAN RESIDENTS****

Which is a bummer 'cause I could so use this kitchen. As you know I am in the process of building my new house and we are just now starting to meet with cabinet makers and the ever popular "countertop" guys.  As per usual my dreams come no where near my budget so wouldn't it be just the greatest thing ever to win a DREAM KITCHEN? But, alas, I live in Montana and the last time I checked it was in the US.

But, for all of my Canadian readers, and I know you are out there, YOU have the chance to enter to win this fantastic kitchen makeover.

I'll Bet you want to know how, right? Well, it is easy and fun! You head on over to Maple Leaf Market where you find a totally cool interactive site.  There you will have the chance to meet The Butcher, The Baker and The Pasta Maker. They will show you ways to make your mealtime planning easy, quick and delicious.

Then there is that kitchen makeover. Hmm, what would I do? I would get that wall oven I would love to add to my appliance mix. I could have G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S. cabinets. On all my walls instead of just some of them due to my budget constraints. And that granite that has been calling my name; MINE! ALL MINE!! Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to put in the kitchen of your dreams without worrying about the cost?

What kind of kitchen do YOU dream about? Up there in Canada, anyway ;)

Random Tuesday - The Thaw Edition

Welcome to Random. All Hail the Queen of Random, The UnMom - you can check her out as she does Random like no one does Random....

It is a sad state of affairs when I go outside to take care of the goats and I think it is "warm".
It is 22*
Yesterday it was 4*
*sigh*

Jillian the goat is in heat. She stares at Luke the goat in the pen across the driveway making these .... noises. Luke the goat responds. Pricilla pouts as Luke is the love of her life. Nothing like a soap opera in the goat pens.


I don't think I EVER want to see another apple or pear again. Or maybe for at least a month. See here.
I now have:

applesauce
cherry applesauce
apple pear sauce
apple plum pear sauce
spiced applesauce\

All told I have, count 'em, 9 cases of 12 quarts each of applesauce. Plus a case of pints for the day I was out of quart jars. At least we won't starve this winter.

I hope we don't run out of toilet paper.

Sherpa, my new kitten, is making both my husband and myself laugh hysterically every night. When we go up for the night he hops on the bed and suddenly sees himself in the mirrored closet doors (fifthwheels are soooooo classy in their decor). He then gets all "Halloween Cat" with the ruffed fur, lifted tail and arched back. He then starts to hop all over the bed as if being chased by demons until he suddenly stops for no understandable reason and then he attacks the cat in the mirror which results in a crash and fall to the floor.  EVERY NIGHT. You would think he would learn. You would think we would stop laughing but it is just so funny.

A Bookish Mom is giving away two copies of Spice Up Your Life: The Flexitarian Way. I so want to win this cookbook! I have tried several times on other blogs and have had no luck. It looks fantastic and my budget just does not allow me to buy it at this time. So why not head over to her site to enter for yourself and check out the book too - it has some yummy looking recipes.

Don't forget The Artisan Beaders Bracelet Auction! It's a beautiful bracelet and a wonderful cause. The auction ends on Friday. You always need a nice gift.......
You also might just need a little something special just for yourself.

Well, that's it for today. Be sure to check out the Queen of all Randomness, The UnMom.

We Have a Winner for the Custom Greetings Cards!

I went to Random.org to pick the winner for the 250 Custom Greeting Cards from my wonderful blog sponsor, Uprinting.

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 24 


Comment 24 was:

Trisha said... I follow pricilla's blog!!

Hooray for Trisha!

I will contact her by email and she will have 48 hours to get back to me. If I don't hear from her I will choose a new winner.

I thank Uprinting for providing the 250 Cards for my winner and for also giving me 250 Cards for hosting the giveaway.

After What Seems Like a Lifetime....

I made some new jewelry! And boy did it feel good to work with my sparklies again.  I have just been so busy dealing with fruit, vegetables and goats that there has been no time at all.  But a custom order from a new customer changed that. Hooray! She wanted a necklace in my shop and asked me to make a pair of earrings to match. So I figured if I was going to get everything out I might as well spend the day making jewelry.

I am very grateful to my customer....

I was able to finish a necklace I had started in July. JULY! And a pair of earrings I had started in August. This is how busy I have been. On the days I haven't been dealing with produce I have just been feeling too sick to do anything at all.

I also made a pair of earrings to go with the necklace. Woo hoo. I had fun. And fun was good.
The necklace and earrings were made with a lovely strand of mixed rutilated quartz rondelles. So many pretty colors. I let the beads shine by just hand wrapping them with gold fill wire.  The necklace is a dramatic 32" so it can be worn long or double wrapped as a choker.

The earrings showcase a bead from each color group that the quartz has to offer and dangle a fantastic 3" from their gold fill leverbacks. And they sparkle! Simple yes, but still packing a punch.

The second pair of earrings started with some champagne colored cubic zirconia hearts. I suspended them from a gold fill ring and then topped them with a jumble of natural zircon rondelles ranging from icy blue to almost rust. The result is a twinkling pair of earrings sure to dress up your holiday parties.

I can't wait until I have more time to play. Hopefully when I get the last of my pears done and the rest of the tomatoes dried my time will be my own again.

Oh yeah....I have a yurt to paint.
*sigh*

Everything but the necklace is listed in my shop. I have to get the hubby to take some photos of me wearing it long. It just doesn't fit on my stand. It will be up by the weekend so be on the lookout!

Apples and Pears Galore!

It has, apparently, been a banner year for apples in Montana. Everyone who has a tree(s) has been complaining - yes COMPLAINING - about the yield(s) they are getting from their tree(s).  Branches are breaking because of the fruit load. Seasoned Montanans have told me they have never seen an apple year like this.

Who knows what aligned to create these perfect apple growing conditions. I just know that I have a heck of a lot of applesauce canned. And I am STILL canning.

My neighbors have a lovely orchard; they have apple, pear, peach, plum,almond and filbert trees. Five varieties of apples in there and two kind of pears. There might be apricots too, I am not sure. It is a beautiful spot to just stroll and enjoy the trees whether they are in fruit or not.

Yes, they were surely in fruit this year. Not the peach, plum, almond and filberts but oh yes to the apples and pears. They had kindly let me pick earlier in the season when the golden delicious apples and Bosc pears came in. Then they called me earlier in the week concerned about the big freeze that was coming our way. They wanted to get their trees cleared - did I want more fruit?

Uhm, SURE!

Since the trees all over the county had been so bountiful they hadn't had so many people come and take from them so their trees were chock full. I picked and picked and picked until I figured I had what I could deal with.  The hubby estimated that I had about 100lbs of fruit (pears, apples and plums - there were some plums, just not as great as in years past.)

What fruit it was! Look!

These are backyard apples and pears. Aren't they stunning?! I have Bosc and Bartlett pears and Gala, MacIntosh, Mutsu (a rare Japanese kind of apple according to my neighbor, I haven't googled it yet) and crab apples.

The MacIntosh apples were huge! And tasty!

And look at the pears!

I have saved out quite a few just to eat over the next month as the fruit was in perfect condition. I also am making a pie tomorrow or Tuesday depending on how the canning progresses. I have found a couple of interesting apple recipes to try as well. We are going to eat well in the next few weeks, not to mention all winter with all of the applesauce. Plus I was able to make a case of my apple/plum/pear sauce which we really enjoy.

And of course I had help.

*sigh*