Rusty's Got a Sister!

And, I've named her Ginger.

Click here for more detailed pictures of Ginger at my Etsy Boutique

There may be one more Wild Carrot in the works...but now I've got Wild Blueberries on my mind. (Cue maniacal laughter) Yes, I have officially gone mad. The good thing is that I'm mostly ok with that & I'm having fun.

Happy New Year, ya'll.

XO

Its Still Wednesday

(Late, but Wordless None-tha-Less)

Only B/C I Haven't Heard It Yet Today...the Waitresses

Long Live the 80's. Big Hair. Big Lights. Big Time.

Hope that the holiday met your expectations. XO

Mister Heat Blister

Guess What's Onnnnn Toooo-Night????

Here's to a happy, healthy and groovy holiday to everyone.

XO - wzgirl

Gasp!

Go over and visit Cuteable.com...

(click here)

...to see what took my breath away this morning.

Yay! I think that this is just what I needed this morning. Like an early Christmas gift.

Thanks, Cuteable! XO

My First Doll!

It has been a while in coming - but my first doll has made the transition from the drawing board in my head to reality!



I'm calling it a Wild Carrot that goes by the name of Rusty (after the band Rusted Root). There are more on the way, if only I didn't have to do the old 9 to 5 thing - sewing and playing around with color is sooo much more fun.

Here's a link to Rusty's home on Etsy - and if you'd like to see more pictures!

Yay!

Feuerzangenbowle

I thought that I'd gotten the best White Elephant gift evah a good few years ago when I scored this album:


It remains one of my all time fave cds & is frequently played as background music for social gatherings. I was willing to accept whatever crappy gift I might get in the future b/c I felt that I'd gotten my end-all/be-all gift and that was probably my quota for this lifetime as far as the Dirty Santa game was concerned. Fine.

Last night, however, lucky ol' me actually ended up with an extremely cool White Elephant gift that may outdo the Beastie Boys - we will have to see. First impressions, though, are high on the cool/unique/intriguing factor!

Here's a pic of the gift:


And, here is what is inside:


It is all the ingredients for a real-live-authentic Feuerzangenbowle. Aka - German Burnt Punch, Crambambuli...or "Flaming Fire Tongs Punch". A blazing spirited beverage which was made famous by a 1940's German movie called Die Feuerzangenbowle. Apparantly the show is all about a man who imbibed a bit too much of the firey drink, dressed up as a student and goes back to school at the urging of his drinking buddies.

Gotta love a good German Comedy....one that has (according to University of Google) inspired a cult following all over Europe. Have you see this one, Dad?

Anyway, sounds pretty cool doesn't it? Some of the key ingredients include fresh, organic oranges & lemons, cloves, juniper berries, a bay leaf and cinnamon sticks. Some of these:


Sugar Loaves....

And some of this:


Super, duper strong Rum (at least 54% alcohol). Whoa. Plus you add wine to that! Prost!

Ok, and that funky looking sheath-thing above the bottle of moonshine? That is an integral part of this entire process. It is called a "Feuerzange" and holds the "Zuckerhut" (or SugarLoaf) above the pot of punch while you douse it with the hooch and then light it afire.

Oh. My. God.

I found some great vids online of people engaging in the holiday Feuerzangenbowle - and it looks very cool. Especially if you like lighting stuff on fire...and then drinking it. Anyone know Deutsch?

(Contrary to the celebrants in this vid - you are NEVER supposed to pour the rum from the bottle onto the flame...ahem)

Stay tuned b/c you know that we are so going to blog this....now, who wants to come over????????

Alles Gute! Herzlichen Glückwunsch!

Sometimes Dreams Change

Anyone else get goosebumps?

And, maybe a teary eye?

Mexico Lindo

Ah....Mexico.


Mexico - Mexico - Mexico - Mexico.

Si, Mexico.


As a Californian, visiting Mexico feels a lot like being at home. The food, the language, the mellow vibe. I only ate fish and vegetables & I couldn't have been happier. We got a few nice souvenirs but the best one was the tan on our Sorry-Ass-Northern-Californian-Hides. We were in the sea as much as we were on the sand ~ and ~ as much as we were sipping frosty drinks in town post sunset. It was excellent. Muy Bueno, for sure.

Isla Mujeres was our destination. Same place we visited last November. Lovely wee island.


The sands are powdery white and the sun is all too kind this time of year. No sunburns, no blisters...no phone, no internet, no stress. LOTS o' Chillaxin'. Very nice combo.


The sunsets - ah, the sunsets. And, the beautiful blue agua. Gorgeous.

I'll save the food-love for another post, but suffice to say, it was wonderful.


This year we stayed close to the town center of Isla. Cheaper and quieter but still incredibly close to la playa. We found this sweet hotel called The Francis Arlene and scored with the top floor room. I couldn't help but refer to it as The Penthouse. Not only did it rock to reside without others above us - but we got the entire rooftop patio to ourselves the entire TIME! How flippin' cool is that? A nice benefit of being able to travel on the "shoulder" season, I think.


Last November we took a trip to the Yucatan to visit Chichen Itza - this year we embraced the beach and only boarded a bus to get to/from the airport. Good Call. It was nice to unpack our bags and hang on the island solamente.


The main reason we went to Isla Mujeres over Thanksgiving was because of a promise that Jzboy & I had made to each other. Last November we vowed that if we weren't back from China with our child by that time - we would return to the lovely island. Funny thing is that now we're thinking that an annual visit may just be essential for our souls.

Whatever may come...this is how we're feeling now. Now is good.

Be. Here. Now.


Our mantra, as much of a struggle as it feels at times, is how we'll try to focus. As my dear buddy, Barb (who happens to be a Shaman), says - we will strive to be "Grounded In The Present".

Easily (& Thankfully) Distracted

While on vacation I had all of these creative vibes going so by the time I got home, I was totally stoked to have a blissfully mellow weekend nearly alone with my Kenmore. Here's what I did:


I fell in love with this Matryoshka fabric because of the colors and the cute factor. To me, it was an excellent basis for a holiday project. A bit of sketching on the beach & I have an original design! Yay. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to create something with my own pattern...my own vision. Sweet.

Click here for more detail & pics....

So, that being said, I do have a doll pattern coming to life. She/He is slightly beyond rough draft & I'm really looking forward to some time to play around with fabrics/design soon. My goal is to have some for my Etsy shop in early 2008!

This Etsy thing has been a great distraction for me in the midst of the holiday season and considering all of the adoption referral/timelines uncertainty. When I'm busy, creatively engaged and positively distracted - I can cope. You can only spend so much time in Mexico or on the motorcycle to distance yourself from rumors and angst. This is my newfound elixir.

Thanks to everyone who has dropped by my shop and given me feedback...& sales!

xo