Monday, September 29, 2014

T is for Tuesday- Veggie Dilemma


Today(being tuesday) I am a person of presence in a Mom and teens day for incarcerated women and their teen children.
I made these journals for the women, and am praying they will be able to take them back into the prison. 
I'm also bring cookies, and I'm making several kinds- these are basic ginger snaps.
My beverage of choice today is oat straw with fresh turmeric and ginger.
The turmeric from Full Circle Farm, gets more colorful when you cut it.
The ginger from Ol' Turtle Farm is just one of the most amazing and flavorful veggies you have ever seen, or eaten, grown by master grower Eileen.

So, this brings us to the dilemma.
Y'all know my phood philosophy.
My time with the women and teens, will include booth snacks, lunch and dinner, where, honesty I'm expecting to not want to eat anything, except my snacks.
My bottom line is if asked to bring something I bring what I would eat, and I can make snacks that will pass in popular culture.
This event in particular is not about me. It's about making a safe and enjoyable environment  for visitation for families.
It's a time for me to learn, rather than to teach.
Everyone learns, everyone teaches.
That being said, I still have to put food on my plate and make my best effort to look like I am eating it.
You get the picture.
Please leave me a comment if you have thoughts to share on this topic.

Comments and Questions always welcomed.

Do hop over to T is for Tuesday to see what others have to say today about food and drink.

Quietfire in the Woods Blog Hop is happening now over at 
Please hop over and be sure to leave a comment for the fab grand prize.
My post will appear Oct 2, so y'all come back, y'hear!
Journal Stamp by Quietfire Design


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

WOYWW September 17- Not Much! One of....

WOYWW?
See my desk? Bad sign.
See my interactive book ---Excuses for not doing my artwork.
The pages are removable- take one if you need it or add one.
Lots of mailing.
Getting ready for a blog hop with Walnut Hollow maker of wonderful wooden things, and they sent me
ONE OF.
I can't deal with one of. I need to make samples and dummies and make mistakes.
(inner judgement mindless loop)
{ all the other DT members are more creative than me etc etc etc}
And now to wander the wonderful world of deskers seeking inspiration and insight!
Food and Drink here.
Poetry Journal Monthly(there be prizes!) here.
Comments and Questions Welcomed.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Tale of Two Tables- Plant- Native Kitchen- T Stands four Tuesday

Celebration of my birth! continues and I was treated to two meals out this past week.
DD and I are both very vegetarian(see Phood Philosophy) and thrilled to have a vegan restaurant in Asheville.
Plant.
Even a steak house has at least one Veggie option in Asheville and still, its enjoyable to have options and at Plant everything on the menu is an option!
I like that the menu lists the dishes without feeling the need to categorize i.e., salads, starters, etc.
No one likes to be typed!
We shared the massaged kale with smoky tofu
and
Oyster Mushroom Apricot Adobo with poblano stuffed tamale · sautéed spinach, olives, and chili  · cilantro mojo  · pickled onion and sour cream.



The kale was just the right chewiness and the dressing a perfect blend of sweet, salty and tart. The candies dried orange slices were a tasty surprise, and I am just getting ready to enjoy winter squash, of which there were a few bites.
We could have passed on the tofu add on, and didn't as I love smoked and it was made in house.
I ate it all, and it was delicious, excellent texture for tofu and no lingering smokey aftertaste.

The mushroom dish has fried pieces of, as far as I know oyster mushrooms. I like to order fried when I go out, as I don't fry at home and enjoy the crunch and taste. These fit the bill for crunch, and the breading(?) was good, tho it could have been anything inside, or nothing!
I love tamales and this one had a good pronounced corn flavor; could have had a bit more poblano.
The greens added color and texture to the plate and were delicious.
Ditto the pickled onions and  cream.
Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive and set up our table for sharing, without being asked.

Dessert.
Again let me say how exciting it is to have  choices!

Brownie -cherries & cacao ·  walnuts ∙ chocolate sauce ∙ mint julep ice cream
Yummy for sure, tho there were some hard spots on the brownies that were very hard to chew and rough on the inside of my mouth. The brownie was very rich and moist and I had to take some of it home for later.
The ice cream is coconut based and not too coconutty, so you could take the mint and cookie flavors.
Cheesecake- pecan crust- blueberries- beet swirl ice cream
The cake was excellent, creamy, flavorful and not too heavy.
The ice cream was swirled with yellow and red beet and it tasted like beet; a bit off putting, and we ate it all!
I see they have changed the ice-cream on the current menu.
We ate outside, and as much as I enjoyed our meal, the ambience could be improved. Walking into the dining room, the planters need a green hand, and the flowers on the service bar were limp.
Some well placed plantings and/or screens would enhance the view, or they could park some luxury cars out front!
I also find the chairs uncomfortable and the food is worth it!

Native Kitchen
Native is in Swannanoa and deserves a visit if you haven't  eaten, drunk or come for the music yet.
Their are many choices for vegetarians and the kitchen does their best to keep things separate.
 There is a new chef and I forgot to ask if they fry their animal and veggies separately, so if that matters to you be sure to ask.

Lunch on a week day found myself and a friend on a lovely patio with well tended plantings and shade cloth.
I didn't get a photo, as it started to rain! just as we finished eating.
Must have are the popcorn brussels sprouts.
Just get them!
The black bean burger had me covered with ketchup , mustard and mayo on the side and a crisp lettuce leaf and slice of summer tomato.
The bun was ok if you like white bread.
The fries were a bit of a disappointment.
They used to serve thick, steak cut fries that were golden and crispy on the outside and fluffy with no extra grease on the inside and perfectly seasoned.
These were a bit limp and greasy, especially after the perfection of the brussels sprouts.

Note- both restaurants use the same plates!
My friend throughly enjoyed her roasted veggie sandwich and cleaned her plate including the potato salad side.
She let me have the last sprout as it was my birthday!
Both plates came with a very good pickle- extra points for that!

The chairs are uncomfortable here too, and  the table is a funny height for me.

Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive here as well, which brings me to a short rant.
Both restaurants were very empty.
Service was excellent and we left generous tips, and that still won't pay a living wage to the servers, making $3 or so an hour plus tips.
There must be a better way.
If you have any thoughts on this, leave me a comment.

One of my photos has a glass of water which links us to
T Stands for Tuesday.
Do stop by to see what others are eating and drinking around the world.
Poetry? Journaling?
Please hop over to
Poetry Journal Monthly
and give some love to Mr. Linky.
Comments=prizes.
Comments and Questions Always welcomed.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

WOYWW September 10-Sometimes It's cheaper to Pay More



Excuses for not producing creativity :
  • I've been at the Fair(please visit here).
  • It's raining a lot.
  • Full Moon.
  • iPhone6????
  • Fill in your own....(leave it in the comments!)
It's not as if I need new inspiration...here is rubber I haven't even gotten to yet!
The cuts in the upper photo are the newest from Suzanne Cannon's Silhouette Store and they are beauties!
I was being cheap,    Scotch, and to make samples used lighter (65lb) paper and even tho it cut perfectly, the fines are so fine the paper couldn't hold the shape.
Hence the title.
***Word to the wise***
In digital cutting DO NOT skimp on paper quality, even if it is just a dummy or sample.


The brill Kay over at Clever Someday is sharing how to make a print file with the Cameo to fit in your embossing folders.
This one is right from the printer.
 This one is colored.
Give Miss Kay a visit and tell her I sent you!
It's not as if I haven't done anything( please visit here to prove it!)- just nothing I can show for today.
And now I will creatively hop off to visit as many deskers as I can!
Going out for a birthday diner with DD to be continued next week on T stands for Tuesday.

I'm still trying to drive traffic   sharing to my Poetry Journal Monthly posts.
Please join yourselves, and if you know of a good list to post it on please leave a comment.

Comment and questions always welcomed.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Playing Catch-up! New Quietfire Stamps and some old friends!

I've fallen behind in sharing being busy with the Mountain State Fair
and other life stuff!

Suzanne challenged us to use the Digital Craftroom Labels and I had a ton of fun creating this ATC plaque  changeable labels!
an oldie and a goody!
The back has a pocket for storage!

I had so much fun with the structure I made one for the new
Being Thankful Stamp set
The back storage pocket
The Persieds postcard.
Paint therapy painted backgrounds on watercolor postcards.
Give Thanks-set of 2

ATC's
From my Off My Desk Series
The back
Celestial Dancer from our good friend Bibi at Rubber Dance

Stickles for texture.
A tag

More old friends
DSIL g ave me a pop up mechanics book for my birthday.
Digital focal image
Thank You-sketched with a glitter pen.

sketched and cut
if I could only have one stamp set....










 I am thankful for all your questions and comments.
If you want more step outs for any of the above, leave a comment.

Poetry and journal lovers, please share at
and leave a comment to win a rubber stamp.
Lots more coming soon with the new stamps and digital designs, so please come back soon!









NC Mountain State Fair-----T stands for Tuesday

The Mountain State Fair is the place to be
 People and rides and animals to see.


The South will rise again!
 as long as we have enough oil!



Every Child is a winner
May that be so!
I love the step stool so little ones can
Step Right up!!!


Our Tax dollars at work
and God bless them!
This guy cares and protects our land and gave out some lovely posters.

 Before the web....
I spend several hours in the exhibit hall demoing spinning!
 My students won blues!
 My best in show.
Judging is subjective.
Yes! 816 lbs!
 and some friends and relations.

My fav harvest baskets

I loved that the exhibits were donated to a shelter.
The woodworkers had lathes set up you could put your hand to.
When I first walked by I thought they were carving biscuits!
They are Santas!
Or... you could milk a cow!

Veggie Creations!
Flower creations!
The Fair runs through the 14th, so what are you waiting for?
Hop over to T stands for Tuesday to see what others have to say about food and drink.
Then Journal about the fair and share at

Comments and questions always welcomed!