Cartoons and Strip District Shopping

I stayed at my girlfriend's house in Butler, Pa., over the weekend so I could catch her 14-year-old daughter's outstanding performance in a cheerleading competition in Pittsburgh. Heather and her hubs also have a pre-teen son; I've known those kids since they were little. What a great feeling to know two great kiddos are looking forward to your visit!

Here's what I was thinking. I don't know when you grow out of watching cartoons, or if, for many years, turning cartoons on in the morning is a habit moreso than a tantrum-soothing necessity. (At some point during a break in the cheer competition, the DJ broke out "Spongebob" and all those beautiful, leggy, made-up teens sang along. So it's got to be after age 14. )

I digress. Anyway, at one point at the homestead, I think it was just Heather and me with our coffees watching cartoons. (Ah, so it's got to be after age 38.)

"They sure don't make cartoons like they used to, do they?" Heather said. She was right. It was some awful computer-generated animation. Rude characters. Dumb plot. Obnoxious noise. Goofy voices.

Our cartoons were iconic. Hilarious. Adventurous. Mysterious. Educational. We learned vocabulary and science from The Professor in Underdog, and fashion tips from Daphne, and when our moms gave us whole carrots with the greens on, we chewed them like cigars and did our best "What's up Doc?" impersonations. After school syndicates hit the TV airwaves in the 80s, I watched a lot (too much) of Heckle & Jeckle and Tom & Jerry and Woody Woodpecker.

Which brings me to my story! Saturday we had some time to kill before the competition, and it was a gorgeous sunny early spring day in Pittsburgh. We shopped on the Strip District, which is like a wholesale market for imports, grocery, ethnic foods, supplies, sundries.... And one of my favorite places on the Strip is the cheese counter at the Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. on Penn Ave. (Outside photo courtesy of their website.) Everytime I go there, I think to myself in an elegant southern belle accent, "Cheese.... I love cheese. Really, I do."

Those of you age 40+ might recognize that as a sweet little mouse quote from a Tom & Jerry episode. If you ever wondered how Hanna-Barbera created years' worth of cartoons about a cat chasing a mouse, which somehow always featured a cheese-baited trap, I can tell you, I totally relate how Jerry might be tempted by one cheese after another. Tom went the extra mile in this particular episode and threw in the chick mouse. He still didn't catch that clever Jerry!

Heather and I both bought a few samples (in half-pound minimums) of cheeses from the vast international menu at Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. A saga bleu, some 60% brie, an aged mild Gouda, some apricot fruited Stilton and a scrumptiously dry and crunchy Dutch Beemster. When we got home, we split our half pounds again and shared. Winning!

To Japan with Love

When I was shopping online for Bento supplies last month, I found some great pricing on an eBay store that was actually located in Japan. I had never purchased internationally before, but her prices were reasonable, and she was able to combine shipping for me. My package arrived to my home straight from Japan about 3 weeks ago, with a sweet little note written in English. I can't help but wonder whether she was affected by the horrific events in Japan; in my eBay feedback note I asked her how she was doing.... waiting.

Here I have made my Bento today with some of the supplies sent to my by citron1040.

On the left is vegetable cutter for the orange rind flowers on the broccoli slaw and a rabbit mayo container that is holding some rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. On the right is the Nori cutter I used to make the face on top of the rice. I cut the hair from nori by hand (you can't see the little cow licks on top!) There is also a little soy sauce container shaped like a pig next the the chicken and broccoli. Look how cute ketchup turns out for blushing her cheeks!

I hope that the good Lord shines His grace and healing down onto the people of Japan during this terrible time. Their culture has brought many moments of joy to my family, especially to my brother, who lives in Asia, has associates and friends in Japan, and travels to Tokyo regularly for business. It's from my brother that I learned about the trend in culture of Japan to love things so little and cute, like Bento. This craft is an art and an expression of love in that culture. So, this is for you, Japan, back at you, With Love from Pennsylvania, USA.

Linking today to What's for Lunch Wednesdays.

Road Trip: North Country Brewing, Slippery Rock, Pa.

Just wanted to share some pics of this great microbrewery in Slippery Rock, Pa., -- North Country Brewing. NCB brews here on site of the former Lawrence County Morgue. My girlfriend and I stopped here Friday for some appetizers and a few brews. Heather sampled the Firehouse Red, still on special from St. Patrick's Day, and the Scotsman in me (and amber lover) downed a couple pints of the McLeod's Ewe.

We got there early enough to beat the crowd, because by 5:30 there was a wait to be seated. More of a 40+ crowd and some college students. The woodwork here features some Druid-like carvings by a local artist. The photo of the outside of the brewery is from NCB's website. Enjoy!

Blogging and My Irish Tablescape

I am less than a month into this world of blogging now and am thoroughly enjoying content I read, the photography and the ideas about home, health, cooking and living. It is like having the perfect magazine -- only articles about ideas I love.

I am amazed that in those three weeks, my own blog has had 700 views from 11 different countries! Special shout out to my brother in China, and high school friend in Singapore! I am certain that's how those countries landed on my stats report. But 5 readers from Australia -- Wow! I just think blogging is so cool! G'Day Mates! I hope you are enjoying my stories and getting some ideas, Down Under. I like to write about what inspires me and brings little smiles into otherwise routine lives. The greatest compliment I can receive is if something I write creates a little spark, a smile, or leads you to try something new. I'm just passing it along.

One of the delights I get out of other blogs are "share days." That's what I am calling them, but I am sure there is some Uber-tech blogging word that should be used. It's like show and tell. Everyone who loves the same topic is invited to share ideas, projects, and photos on a certain day of the week. You've seen me link to What's For Lunch Wednesdays and Romantic Home Fridays. Well, I have my new favorite share day -- Tablescape Thursdays!

I pulled together a few favorite things around the house that are green or remind me of being Irish. I wanted to showcase the new clover table runner I picked up at an antique store in Brookvile, Pa., for $4. See the beautiful embroidery? Added a green & white doily, hurricane candle, and sweet little replica of Anne of Green Gables home my father gave me as a souvenir from Nova Scotia. And Grandma's Ruth's Hummel figurine ~ she's German and looking very Irish, just like me! Oh, and my Wendell August Forge dogwood candy dish, sans candy.

So here's how you do it, you link your blog to the share page, and put a link to the share page on your blog. Easy, huh? I encourage you to follow my link below to see all the beatiful St. Patrick's Day tablescapes for more inspriation that you can shake a leprechaun's cane at!

Linking today to Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursdays.

Luck O' The Irish Bento

Luck O' The Irish in Green, White and Orange Bento!



From left to right: Mandarin orange Jello cup, peanuts, foil covered chocolates. Brusselles Sprouts, and 2 cutie characters picked into Swedish meatballs with a sushi grass separator. Bowtie macaroni & cheese, M&Ms, and the last of my cumquats.

I love those pot o' gold picks too! I might have to do another themed Bento for tomorrow's meal.


Pat & I are having some reubens tonight to celebrate our Irish names and my Irish heritage. May the Luck O' the Irish be with Ye all day! Linking to What's for Lunch Wednesday's. Thanks!!

Making House (Plant) Calls

My husband and I went for a nice walk around the neighborhood with our very anxious Labrador Retriever Saturday for some of that cool, fresh Pennsylvania Spring air! Inhale, EXHALE.... I snapped a pic of some snowdrops on our walk while the dog sniffed (and possibly ate) other treasures the melted snow revealed.

The homestretch is the steep sidewalk alongside my rock garden. I checked on it to see how my miniatures weathered the winter. Beneath the soggy fall leaves I found my little succulents already looking fresh and green -- or red, like the Dragon's Blood I photographed atop some Vinca. Don't they look like little cake roses? I rearranged some stones that had washed out -- and that did it! My spring fever kicked into high gear. I honestly think it's the dirt that does it.

It's too cool to do anything yet outside, and still too early for me to decorate for Easter, so I turned my attention to my houseplants, who looked neglected and a little worse for the winter wear. I found some holes in my greenscape and made a quick trip to Lowe's for some 4" potters. I came back with an African Violet, a new plug for my Prayer Plant, and this little guy there on my potting table for my dish garden.

I am not a plant expert, by any means, but I know how plants make me feel. I'm a caretaker and sculptor and a peacemaker and an ar-TEEST, and one who is kind to the Earth. And it's pure magic how a little green takes away the Winter blues!

She's Nesting

As a little girl in the 70s, I was glued to the TV for the weekly episode of The Waltons. In an early Christmas special, Elizabeth brought a bird's nest home to decorate their Christmas tree.

I was adamant to do the same. The abandoned nest I found that year as far as I know is still in the Christmas decorations box at the Dixon Farm. It was perfectly nestled in the Y of a small lilac branch that was low enough for an 8-year old to snap off and claim as her treasure.

I can't resist these perfectly constructed mini homes, so round and unique in materials. The nests I would see on our farm were threaded with red, black and grey horsetail hairs, plucked or found by those clever birds who hung out near the barn and our two horses. Now that my husband and I make our home "in town," as we call it, the construction is equally unique - parts of plastic baggies and newsprint are recycled by our feathered friends to new building materials of the nests we find out an about our little postage stamp yard.

When nesting season is over, I'll usually adopt an abandoned nest and tuck it on a shelf for a bit. Last summer I turned one into a mini planter for an impatiens -- the nest becoming a beautiful container with natural drainage for watering. My photographs show my love of incorporating little nests and birds into my decorating, at Christmastime and year round, doing a little nesting of my own.

About 2 weeks ago, I saw my two mourning doves who have nested on our home for 3 of the past 4 years. They were fat with feathers fluffed out, weathering some light snow, but I know they were scouting out their 2011 nest location. Their soft coos become a part of our morning sounds of home at the Heaths.

This year, I have something special in store for them: I am going to scatter some snips of colored fibers, to see if any of them are claimed by the bird-weavers, like those horse hairs were back in the Elizabeth Walton days at home. Stay tuned on this one!

Linking to Romantic Homes Show & Tell Friday.

My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday!

My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday! Linking the photos of my Mardi Gras Tree to Show & Tell Friday on My Romantic Home blog. What a great blog for ideas!

Flowery Bento

A cucumber stem and leaves supports a strawberry flower atop a chicken-craisin salad that sits on a bed of lettuce. The new egg molds work great -- here is the car, next to a Weight Watchers mini bar, Laughing cow cheese and a Wasa cracker.

Orange quarters are topped with sugared cake flowers for dessert. I count 10 Weight Watchers Plus Points, and it was quite filling.

The chicken craisin salad is my own creation. I mixed about 2T of Helman's Light with a cup of shredded broccoli slaw, 2 oz of chicken chunks and about 1/4C craisins, for 2 servings. I topped it with celery seed for a little extra flavor.

Linking today to What's For Lunch Wednesday's.

Mardi Gras Tree

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!

To kick of Mardi Gras, I'm sharing some photos of my Christmas tree, all done up in purples and golds and greens, feathers, masks, jewelry and other fun baubles and beads. Even a Beanie Baby found his way. That beautiful sweetheart mask on the top left I recused from a yard sale in Girard, Pa. And of course the Fleur de Lis!

One of my favorites, made in Italy.

Here you see a great example of some of the antique costume jewelry I use as garland. The jewelry collection belonged to my grandmother and are authentic from the 1920s to probably the 1950s.

My little jester perches on the mantle next to Gram's cameo.

I love this shot with the peacock and his feathers, and that's actually a mask necklace given to me as a gift from a friend visiting New Orleans; I've been there once. What else can you see there? A French horn, more of Gram's necklaces, a lady's fan, a handle to a cosmetic mirror, and purple poinsettias. Once you see this tree in person, you will never forget it! It makes me smile all Christmas season, and some year, I'll keep it up until Mardi Gras.


Indulge!

My Bucket List

I work as a business consultant. Continuous Improvement is my professional mantra. About a year ago, I was on a 17-hour plane ride to Hong Kong for a leisure trip with family to visit my brother. I had just turned 40. It was a reflective plane ride -- looking back, and more importantly, looking forward. There I was at the chronological pinnacle of my life, and what did I have to benchmark it or work toward? Was I living in "value-added" time? Did I have a "map" toward life goals? A strategic plan? If I were my own client, where would I begin?

I facilitated my own Continuous Improvement roadmap; I developed a personal life Bucket List during that long flight. It's now thumb-tacked to my bulletin board at work. You've thought about it -- but have you ever written it down, or gotten the satisfaction of checking something off?

Mine ended up being cross-purposed, and it was so fun to think about and write! From education, skill building and family nurturing, to materialistic, experience and thrill seeking, to even relationship and spiritual growth. Some things are too personal to share (or even end up in ink), but here's the majority of my list:

-Be on a rowing/crew team

-See U2 in concert

-Write a book

-Tour Napa Valley

-Run a 10K

-Learn to be a better birdwatcher

-Learn to be a better star-gazer

-Climb a recreational wall

-Read the Bible

-Hike (part of) the Appalachian Trail

-See as many Cirque du Soleil's as we can

-Learn to dance "The Thriller"

-Save up and purchase a Chanel pearl necklace

-Drink mint juleps and wear a big hat to the Kentucky Derby

-Learn to ballroom dance with Pat (he already knows how)

-Start a tradition: Easter Brunch at our house

-Take Mom to see a Broadway musical and the Big Apple

-3 generations hands photo, taken professionally - me, Mom & Gram

-Be the best wife ever!

-Find out if blondes have more fun (hair color commitment or wig for a day?)

-Take cooking lessons

-Be in the front row of a concert

-Earn my Master's degree

-Dream machine: BMW 7 series

Now here we are, 1 year later. How far have I gotten?

1. CHECK - Dance the Thriller! One great ZumbaThon in October I was surprised when ol' MJ started playing and, yes, we learned and danced The Thriller! (Mwa-ha-ha-ha!)

2. CHECK - We hosted Easter brunch for both of our families, and announced our tradition's debut. It would be our last Easter with the man who became my father-in-law. We lost him in July. He was 72.

3. STARTED - Applied and accepted to the Penn State Harrisburg Master of Public Administration program. I deferred my enrollment to settle some logistics with the offering.

4. GOOD INTENTIONS - Read the Bible. Geez, that's like eating an elephant! I took home a guidebook that outlines a reading plan to complete this in one year. Read many parts over the years, but haven't taken that first elephant bite yet.

5. ON MY WAY - Pat & I were married April 30, 2010. I think Pat would say I'm a great wife. I have 10 months of experience and look forward to 49 more years!

6. ON MY WAY - By the end of last summer, I was running a flat 5K. I am such a fair weather runner, that now I am starting over, with the goal to run a 5K event by late spring. We'll see where that leads!

The best thing about having this list written down, and writing about it today, is that I realize need to get our 3 generations photo scheduled. Just like I would recommend to a client: writing it down helps you prioritize your needs and stay on track.

I would love to hear what's on your bucket list, and invite you to comment! My Bucket List is always open to adding another to-do!

Who's Your Cake Lady?

One of our girlz celebrated the big 3-5 this weekend. I won't say which one -- don't we all look fabulous and perhaps not a day over 33?
We packed up and headed out on a rainy day to River Winds Spa in Cook Forest, Pa. A little pampering time was in store! We loaded up the teacups and fruit, the mimosas and wine, books and magazines, makeup bags and changes of clothes, and stowed them in garbage bags so they wouldn't get wet in the bed of the pick-up.

((I know, it got a little "ghetto" there didn't it?))

Well I am proud to say, that "refined" as we think we are, we rocked that pickup in style, especially during the last rocky climb up the washed-out road to the woodland spa. Besides, we had a designated driver, and when is that NOT en vogue??
So to the point of my story. I am so wrapped up in these cupcake television programs! Cupcake Wars and DC Cupcakes, not to mention Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes. I wonder if this phenomena is sweeping the nation? Ladies & Gentlemen: We are obsessed with cake.
I particularly like the DC Cupcakes show; two sisters run the bakery. They are so human and full of errors and rivalry and disasters and botched cupcakes and spills and arguments. Things fall apart there at DC Cupcakes that you would NEVER see happen at Carlo's Bake Shop in NYC. But their masterpieces always have a way of coming together -- usually after the sisters unite and pull an all-nighter. YOU GO, YOU DC GIRLS! I'm looking you up the next time I'm in Georgetown.
I ordered 2 dozen "spa" cupcakes from our dear friend, Casey. Casey bakes "on the side." You can text your order, and if you know where she works during the day, you can steer through the drive-thru to pick up your mini masterpieces. These little yellow cakes had raspberry filling, and half of them featured hand-painted white chocolate candies in theme with our day.
Suffice it to say, many of the healthy snacks in the giant 4-person spa food Bento (shown below) remained at the end of our day, while we made a respectable dent in the cupcakes. What can be better on a rainy day but 4 girlfriends at the spa, skinny girl margaritas, a birthday, and our own personal girly, pink, white chocolate-topped, made-just-for-us, cupcake? Or two or three?
As we talked that day, it turns out, that we all have our own "Casey." Leanne has her cake go-to listed in her cell phone, simply as "Cake Lady." Denise has shared some fabulous chocolate confections from her "Lori" and Shelly stumbled upon her own cake lady in desperation at the baking supply store. We all remain loyal.

Lion & Lamb Bento

I had lunch plans these last 2 days, so last night I was back to the Bento-making, with some new tools and picks. I found both a lion and a lamb pick to bring in the month of March. Aren't they cute?

Lion & Lamb Bento features a black bean soup with Havarti cheese petals, cottage cheese with cumquat flowers, strawberries and a Wasa cracker. You can see the little cutters I used on the right. I also got some new "sushi grass" which is a plastic divider between the cottage cheese and strawberries. The cottage cheese tasted delicious from the cumquat "infusion" and the Havarti melted and complemented the soup quite nicely! Only 8 weight watchers points-plus.

The Search for Balance: Acupuncture

Yepppp, that's my hand with 3 acupuncture needles in it.

It's part of my journey toward improved health, a better functioning, balanced and tuned body for living. The point where I'm bringing you in on this journey is far down the path of a much larger life trip. The reason is a story for another time, but the experience is something worth sharing.

Shall I offer you this disclaimer: that I am not well-read on this topic, but have read enough, scientifically, to *believe* that results achieved through acupuncture are real and studies to prove results conducted by leaders in Eastern and Western medicine are convincing. AND the whole philiosophy matches with my health philosophy, which evolved long before I read about or practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): treat the cause, not the symptom; healthy living prevents illness, and that the body's systems are interdependent -- not separate, distinctive microcosms. It's one body. Whole body. In my lifetime of choosing physicians (whenever I have a choice) I will choose a D.O. over a M.D. based on that approach. Check it out.

I'll share one quick link with you -- all the numerous afflictions that have been successfully treated, and the body's systems that have notably improved using acupuncture.

All of the above comprises a quick intro to my mid-story. When it became clear to me that acupuncture was one of the paths/options for me, I knew right where to begin. A high school classmate of mine, Dr. William Cebulskie, practices TCM right here in DuBois. Bill took my history in detail and general health complaints. Then I asked him a few questions. Bill had been interested in getting into medicine as a career but the more he learned about Western medicine, especially the practice of prescribing pharmaceuticals to treat ailments, the more he was convinced there had to be another way. Treating the body, the root of the problem, determining the cause was the approach he preferred. I would equate it to using a cream to soothe an itch, when the itch is caused by an allergy which can be avoided. Sure, medicine will work, but is there a more direct approach that takes pharms out of the equation and heals the body instead of treating the symptoms?

The acupuncture itself is an ancient Chinese science of directing Qi (pronounced Chee), or energy, to the systems of the body. Here's how Bill described it to me. At any given point in time, everyone's body contains 100% of its energy. However, that energy is not equally distributed among its systems -- gastrointestinal, neurological, skeletal, respiratory, endocrine, circulation, reproductive, immune, muscular, psychological, and more. Over time, stress, environment, diet and heredity attribute to the blocked flow of energy to all those systems and result in uneven, unbalanced Qi.

The body's systems and Qi are accessible at numerous pressure points on the body's surface, mapped by the Chinese as the body's Qi meridians. The puncture points access gates that have become closed off to energy flow. The penetration of an acupuncture needle at those meridians opens the Qi and equalizes the flow.

If you're not buying into the whole energy concept, substitute the word blood for Qi or energy. It takes blood to nourish your brain, your skin, your lungs. If the system is deplenished, any number of ailments can occur. What re-channels the blood is the Qi.

Everyone's body works differently, Bill said. So there are no guarantees the treatment will solve the specific complaint, and it takes time. BUT, acupuncture will bring with it many other improvements in the body and how it functions -- like tuning up a car. Nothing to lose, and only good to come from treatments.

Where do I sign?

The treatment room is not like a doctor's office -- more like a living room with very much a feng shui approach to design and placement. Balanced. I sit on a recliner for my treatments. My first time in, I took 11 needles, I think. They absolutely do not hurt going into the skin. However, with practically each insertion, I felt a DEEP ache, which was very short in duration. Like hitting your shin off the coffee table. The deep hurt is gone in a second. Bill said the ache is a sign of the Qi blockage, and the feeling is the release. That feeling was not in my head or made up. It was enough to turn my stomach, but again, gone in a second. And as the needles went in, I got very hot, sweaty. I don't know, but that maybe that was nerves as much as any side effect.

OK, so where did they go?: my hands, wrists, arms, feet, ankles, shins and calves. I suppose it depends on which meridians need to be accessed per the charts I read while relaxing in Bill's office. I have seen drawings of meridian access points on the head and trunk, too.

This time I took 14 needles. They do their work for a little less than an hour. You can make them out in the photo -- with a very fine needle, like a very thin, strong wire that Bill taps into place. Bill will check in on me half way through and tap each of the needles to "reactivate" them. There's a little electrical sizzle that time, which feels more like the prick when a phlebotomist draws blood. Finishing up the session with my eyes closed and the lights dimmed, I do feel relaxed by the end of the second appointment.

I am trying to tune in my body -- to listen to what it is telling me.

ERIN: So, Body, do you like acupuncture?
BODY: I don't dislike it. I feel changes. Physical changes. Let's wait and see.
ERIN: Would you call it a delight?
BODY: Are you friggin kidding me??
ERIN: Suck it up.
BODY: Ah, hey. It's not that bad. But, you know what, Erin? I am delighted that you're open enough to consider alternatives that might work for both of us.

Road Trip: Williamsport - Le Jeune Chef, Penn College Campus

Didn't I just mention... ROAD TRIP season has begun!!!

A workshop on Green Building sent me eastward to Williamsport, Pa., this week to the campus of Penn College technical school. When we broke up around 12:30, I was asking for directions to the nearest Subway, when some of the attendants and speakers, knowing I had a long drive home, invited me to join them for lunch at Le Jeune Chef. Translated, "the young chef" is a 5-star on campus dining experience run by Penn College's culinary students. Each day features a new menu!

I chose a marinated salmon salad with grapeseed viniagrette dressing and a cup of vegetable bisque soup. The salad was served in a cucumber cylinder, which made for great presentation. Others in our party chose an eggroll ravioli salad (topped with an over-easy egg), an Italian meats grilled panini, and a falafel-stuffed pita. Nice variety and a cross-section of ethnic tastes.

Check it out next time you're on campus!