Color of the Week: Greek Islands Blue

Seen around my town in shades of Greek Islands blue on this rainy Sunday.....

Mr. (not so) Goodbar

I love milk chocolate. Real milk chocolate. So sweet and creamy with a nice melt and texture in my mouth, courtesy of the real cocoa butter in the recipe. So imagine the HORROR (Oh, the horror!!) of finding out that Hershey's has changed the formula of some of their most beloved products. They no longer use cocoa butter in my go-to in the afternoons for a little pick up: Krackel, Mr. Goodbar, Milk Duds and Kissables, among others. They are using greasy yucky vegetable oil instead. It's choco-NOT! It's MOCKolate!

I knew a few weeks ago that something was different in my bag of Hershey's miniatures that I keep stashed at the office (well, its not always the same bag , it gets replaced at least twice a week...or it was, anyway...not any more!). A waxy consistency and a weird aftertaste. Then I saw a spot on the Today show about the outrage and found this at Candyblog that confirmed it. Seems its all about the money.

What can we do about it? Send a message to Hershey's here and let them know how you feel about them messing with perfection!

I'm...Barcelona Cool

Yesterday I was mostly nice. Today I am uber (or mucho?) cool. Barcelona cool. I took the "what's your style DNA" test at mydeco.com twice and both times it told me I was Barcelona cool. So I must be.

I was in Barcelona 2 years ago around this time of year. It was wonderful and very stylish. I mentioned a few things about our stay here. To be considered Barcelona cool is well, very cool. Even if it was a computer-generated-based on limited choices-not very valid-expression of coolness. And it told me I was Barcelona cool twice.

Thank goodness I don't have to own a pink and orange chair to be Barcelona cool.

I'm Very Nice.....Mostly

I love random acts of kindness---both giving and receiving. Operation Nice is a great site that posts stories of RAOKs and offers some "tips" on how to make someone's day special. Very nice.

But I have to admit.....sometimes I count Parody, Sarcasm and Mockery as three virtues. Not so nice. Here are two sites that always make me laugh at someone else's disaster (OK, no one got hurt...I do draw the line at laughing at injury!). WARNING: sometimes these sites contain "adult" themes and language!!!! Check out the party disasters at Sorry I Missed Your Party and cakes gone very wrong at Cake Wrecks.

Color of the Week: White Bright

Crisp clean white seen around my town and my house this week:

Scova Notia

In about three weeks the Mister and I will be taking off for eastern Canada. Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec City. I can't wait.

I have started mentally packing for our trip and journaled about it yesterday in my new sketch/journal.

Isn't it funny that when you start to focus on a place or a

person or a something that you suddenly become very aware of that thing in the world and start seeing or hearing it all over the place??? Is there a term for that phenomenon? That has happened to me lately with Nova Scotia.

When looking up the artist in the cute video I posted the other day, I discovered she is Leslie Feist and she was born in NOVA SCOTIA. And while watching HGTV's Extreme Home yesterday, the cool featured home was in...NOVA SCOTIA. Here's a photo and I will be scouting the coastline to get a glimpse when we are there.

Will Knit for Dinner

I am so making the knitted lobster. You may get one for Christmas from me if you are very good.

Sushi anyone? Always fresh....

Everyone loves pizza!

Fly Like Toast

I love this video. If I was 20 again I would want to be this girl. Watch for the flying toast.

Sink Soup

Kitchen sinks are great for a lot of things. Like hand-washing delicate fabrics, soaking overbaked pans and icing down party drinks. And acting as a defacto corral for curious 2 year olds.

While I made dinner, Wudgie sat in the sink and prepared a delicious sink soup. Mmmmm. Tasty, quiet and occupied for 30 mins--- all in one easy recipe.

Dear Diary

I love journals and have kept one, on and off (OK mostly off for the past 20 years), forever. I like the mechanical aspect of putting pen to paper---analog in a digital world things.

Totally and instantly inspired by Marieke (she's newly Parisian from Amsterdam) at Treats and Treasures blog that I found yesterday, I went through my supply closet and dug out a sketch book, a glue stick and watercolor pencils and went to it last night.

I am known as a "meeting doodler" around my office and those sitting around me often judge the meetings length and success by my doodles. Two pages of doodles? meeting too long. Intricate doodles with tight lines? meeting too intense. Fruit doodles? meeting ran over into lunch. Flower doodles? meeting just right.

Almost Here

I love Fall. It's almost here. It's walking up the front path and getting ready to knock on the door. I'll gladly invite it in and we'll snuggle up with this fringe-y blanket on the sofa.

Color of the Week: Purple Haze

Seen around my town and around my house this week in lovely shades of purple:

Pashmaniac

I love pashminas. I use the term "pashmina" as a catch-all name for all things shawl-like even though the name is supposed to be specific to a goat's hair blend woven shawl.

I have quite a collection of pashminas.

Mostly an unintended collection. I am usually freezing in airports and have forgotten to bring one of my pashminas and then run in to the nearest Bijoux store on the concourse and buy another one.

I am traveling in a few weeks and hope I remember to throw one I already have in my carry-on bag. Or maybe I need a new one----perhaps a pumpkin orange color.

Here's a great video from Travelista on how to wear a pashmina for that sophisticated European look. I usually just toss mine over my shoulders and away I go.

Modern Day

I love Target. I love getting good deals at Target. That happens often.

For the thoroughly modern modernist in the very modern me, this modern design of modern images from the modern line of Japanese modern designer Ayomi Yoshida was a modern day steal. Modernly speaking, of course.

I scored several packages of this great tissue paper and some coordinating felt flowers.

Color of the Week: Granny Smith Green

Seen around my town and around the house this week in shades of Granny Smith Apple:

Cuckoo for Cuckoo Clocks

Speaking of birds. I love cuckoo clocks. I don't have one and probably never will as the sound of the cuckoo all day/all night would drive the Mister crazy (hey....on second thought....nah). I know that most good cuckoo clocks have mechanisms to turn the sound off or to go in to a silent "night mode" but then what is the sense of having a cuckoo clock in the first place if it doesn't cuckoo for you? Huh?


Given my new found modern taste, I found a few contemporary cuckoos that are interesting, like the one above. And here's a great traditional look in a wall decal. Again, no cuckoo sound, so why bother, but it looks pretty.






I'm still in love with my iPhone and still want all things Mac. And here's another reason. A cuckoo clock program for Mac OS. I can't find anything similar for PC.





There are lots of cuckoo clock "things" out there, too. Like charms, christmas ornaments and so on. One of the cutest things I found are these cuckoo clock sweater clips from Hannah.

Imagine "Hey lady, it's one o'clock and your chest is singing out".

Retro Style is for the Birds

I love this mid-century birdhouse. I found the video on how to build it at Curbly. I sent the link to my Dad as a hint-hint.

Hatzilla

There was a two and a half foot tall monster roaming the aisles of Kmart today. Dragging a large purse and wearing a funky hat, both of her choosing.

Watch out.