Crust:
One package of sugar free shortbread. I used Murray.
3 T of butter/margarine/ whatever you use as a buttery spread
Crush cookies, or if you have a 12 yo, have the 12 year crush the cookies, melt the butter, microwave is fine. Spread package of cookies evenly across the bottom of an 8x8 pan and pour melted butter over them. Mix it all up, re-spread. You can bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350 if you want it crisp. A little bit of cinnamon tastes soo good with this.

Filling-
2 cups sugar free chocolate pudding, I used snack packs, because I have no room in my fridge for chilling pudding.
1 small container of fat free plain yogurt
1 packet of splenda
1 t vanilla

Mix ingredients well. Pour over crust.Chill.
Serve with a sugar free whipped topping.

You know what? This? Actually tastes good to my family. Who can have sugar. We actually made it for my Uncle Lamar.

EDIT: Lamar loved it, and asked me for the crust recipe. He said it alone was worth coming over for, and that was before Mike's amazing veggies started coming off the grill!

Since we missed out on Mother's Day and it's chilly out this week, we went to China Lights Buffet for dinner last night. Oh wow.. it was so good.
When we got home, W was looking at E's little green bat, and sort of coveting it. So I asked if he wanted a little thread bat to go on his keyring with his little alien. He said yes, and we discussed it and decided (with available thread and bead choices) to do a little black bat with purple eyes. I didn't do ears because the thought of stitching on tiny little ears was a little crazy making. I'll get a picture later.

Got LOTS of phone calls yesterday. It was kind of strange. M, R and Miss Teri didn't call, but I think I talked to all the rest of my friends!!

beadslut made an SGA themed bracelet. Turned out nicely didn't it?

I got my package of beads from PizazzWorks, they have a sale going on now, 88% off their regular prices, which are, admittedly, a bit on the high side, but with that kind of discount, they are a really decent price. I got pink pearls. Pink pearls make me happy. I also got turquoise so I can restring my bear claw necklace. Which is entirely too big and with more beads can make 5 necklaces I'd actually wear.I can see all the vegans on my list just flinching at the thought of a bear claw necklace. The claws are real, they came off a very damaged, very old bear skin rug. We don't hunt bear because none of us like the way it tastes, and we won't hunt for trophies or fur. Now... moose on the other hand.. as soon as I get a deep freezer, Dad and Mike are planning to go out to fill it with moose, but we intended to use almost the whole animal.

Anyway.. :) Beady happiness.

Working on: Kite earrings
Witch hat

( Picture of soap )
That's not the bar I took my shower with, I used the Vanilla Mint. That bar is the one E picked, and it's called Glacier, also very minty and cool smelling.
First off, how it looks, the picture doesn't do it justice. Because this is a HUGE bar of soap. She sells smaller bars less expensively, but I like the huge chunk of soap. The packaging is minimal too. A tag, a piece of embroidery floss. It smells amazing. The Vanilla Mint was more mint then vanilla, but a sweet mint. It smells like mint candy.
It's not superfatted, or at least not terribly so. Sometimes handmade soaps can be a bit TOO moisturising to use on my face. This wasn't. I feel clean, my skin doesn't feel dried out, but it also doesn't feel oily. It smelled so good using it, I almost scrubbed a second time just to enjoy it again.
If you like patchouli, she makes one called Earth Goddess (I think?) that's patchouli and ginger that smells fantastic. Unfortunately, patchouli makes me sneeze. I was tempted though, it smells that amazing.
I think this soap will be what I use all summer. My skin can get oily and dirty in the summer and prone to breakouts, but since this isn't full of extra fat it won't aggravate the problem. During the winter, I'd use a body butter after showering I think.
It's 4 BIG bars for 30.00, or 5 little ones for 20, the little ones are 3-4 oz each (about the size of a standard bath bar) and the big ones are 7-8 oz each, so it's really reasonably priced. She does make vegan soaps too, including a vegan unscented bar if you've got sensitive skin or allergies.
She doesn't have a website yet, but you can contact her at bathbucket at alaska dot net if your interested in trying some for yourself. I'm not sure what shipping charges will be. If you live in Anchorage, she's planning on having a booth at the Saturday Market this summer.
I'll ask W what he thinks of the bar I gave him and let you know.

Well, because of hotel renovations, Mother's Day has been postponed until tomorrow. But bright side.. Mike's going to bbq, weather permitting, and I told A that, and said "And I was thinking of stopping by my kid brother's house and seeing if he had salmon I could steal." He said he had salmon and halibut both. Yum yum. Wild caught prawns, squash, mushrooms, salmon.. all with Mike's super secret garlic and herb butter sauce? HAPPINESS!!! Plus, since he had to work yesterday,he's taking my birthday off. Double the happiness!

Well... I mentioned to some of you, I got a bottle of rum, this stuff. SN 938514 if you're curious. I also have a smaller bottle up too high for me to reach it to see if I can find a review of it, also from the Dominican Republic. I don't drink. Mike doesn't drink. This stuff got a review that makes me wish I did, I used to like rum and cokes. You know, when I drank.

I'm not sure if I'm going to the zoo today. The hotel is being renovated, and Mike had to work. E and I went to the Saturday Market though yesterday. First day and it was a blast.
( cut because this could get long )
In other news, last time I bought cologne, I got a bottle of violet. The scent is totally not making it for my family. Mike says "It's nice, just not what I'm used to." and E flat out says she doesn't like it, and wants me to wear rose or that other stuff (Opium). Ah well.

Produce bags, this is just brilliant. I've felt the guilt of using plastic bags for produce while using my reusable bags for groceries. I don't have tulle or scrap sheer curtains, but I have a few yard of cheap lace that would probably work just fine.
Wallet made from cardboard packaging, you know I'm wild for ways you can reuses boxes. Definitely planning to make some of these today. I've got all the supplies!
Tin can pin cushions, much like the ones made from bottle caps but big enough to be more useful. I think using packaging cardboard and a little creativity you could actually make a lidded box out of a can with a pin cushion top. Use the safety kind of can openers. But since we craft with cans a lot, those are the kind we use anyway.

EDIT: I made the wallet, but I need to tune the template for my needs, because my purse is an active zone and it will pop open in nothing flat leaving my cards where they are now. Scattered all over my purse. However, the elastic cord? Brilliant. But I will need tape on mine to reinforce the folds, and I need the cord to be set a bit differently to hold it more securely closed.

Last night, about 5 pm, my back started spasming really badly, and didn't *stop* even with muscle relaxants, so I went to sleep about 8 pm. Pain is exhausting. I had a dr ask me once if I needed something to help me sleep through the pain, and I explained to him "No. Sleeping isn't an issue when I hurt really badly because I wind up exhausted. All I want to do is sleep." That's what convinced him I really was in chronic pain despite the fact I look good for it. (that's a quote by the way, from one of my physical therapists)

When I get tired, my mind tends to range all over the place, and I started thinking about a spoon my mom used to have. It got broken after 20 years of regular use, but it was carved out of cottonwood by my paternal grandfather, and it had a deepish bowl and a beaver carved on the handle. He was the traditional chief, and a really good wood carver. Mom used that spoon all the time. She believed strongly that pretty and precious things were meant to be used, to be enjoyed, not just to have.

So while Mike was tucking me into bed, I asked him if he had ever wanted to carve spoons, and he said yes. I'm not sure if he does, or if he was just humoring me and trying to get me to go to bed since when he got home I was a bit weepy and emotional. But I think I want to this summer. I'm not sure if I'll use cottonwood, cottonwood is really easy to carve, and it's what I've carved in the past, but I want spoons out of a harder wood. I need to find my tools and find some wood blanks, but that shouldn't be too hard, I'll ask my brother if he has scraps I can use.

I'm feeling a lot better today, and made it to the gym this morning.

and I'm working with Mike and my brother to see how we can do it and how much it will cost with stuff scavenged where ever possible..
I think we can make a heated food dehydrator in an old tower case using an older power supply (because we have a brand new old power supply in a box from about 4 years ago) and scavenged fans, and light bulbs. But I think it's such a great idea I figured I'd share.
See, the best food dehydrators has fans on the sides of it instead of at the top or bottom. Top or bottom fans don't evenly distribute air through the layers, plus if it's on the bottom, food/liquid can drip in them and needs to be cleaned. But good food dehydrators with fans on the side can be a bit pricey. Computer parts are easy.

I was also watching E turn a plastic bag into a wind sock and remembered another one of those things mom used to do with us.. she would give us washed used aluminum foil and plastic bags to make comet balls out of. We had a lot of fun batting them around with old badminton raquets.

Time for chat. Right now. It usually lasts a couple hours. It's 7:30 am PST.

Well.. my first ever amigurumi was an alien, which my son took when he saw it.
Then I made a few more, and went to thread amigurumi, again, my first was an alien.

While I was cleaning out my purse last week, my son saw my little thread amigurumi and mentioned to me in a very subtle 17 yo boy kind of way.. "I don't have one that small"
So we talked, and he decided rather then just a loose little toy, he'd like a keyring.
( W's little alien keyring )

Yesterday I decided to straighten back out my schedule from being sick, so I was zombie like all day. You know, shuffling my feet, trying to eat brains.. or something like that. Since thinking was just beyond me, I watched Dark Angel and worked on that and on a really simple headband for E.

This is a collection of the bead patterns I put did based on comic books I love, I'm posting it here so I can find it quickly.
( yeah.. I'm geekiest beader ever )
I've been sick all week. I'm sort of tired of it now.
I made an Invincibility Star necklace I need to get a picture of soon.

My site is back online. Beadwork at BellaOnline is updated now with a new article. I still hurt pretty bad, but I can actually sort of walk now without holding on to things.
AND Mike got me my b-day present early. A 160 gig ipod. It's so pretty! Instead of the shiny black surface of the previous generations, it's matte black and doesn't get all smudgy as easily. And 160 gigs!!!
I think he's feeling nearly as frustrated as I am about this weather. Both because he has to drive in it, and because he hates seeing me hurt like this.
( recent acts of beadiness )
Instructions for the open daisy chain are up on BellaOnline now.

My page is offline for some reason. Has been for a few hours. Hopefully it will be back up soon. Still getting email at least.
There is 2 feet of snow outside. In late April.
And I hurt. Badly. So I'm cranky anyway.
*grumbles* Got all the diagrams done for a simple open daisy chain. Now I can't get it written.

Tried Sono thread, and I like it for daisy chains. It's nice and strong. Doesn't replace my precious silamide though, although I think it will be nice for netting. People warned me I'd have problems threading my needles with the sono, and I really didn't. I just used my pliers to squish the end flat and it went right into my size 12 sharps.

I'm beading daisy chains for spring. And it's SNOWING. Still. Snowed all night. Snowed all day yesterday.

Okay, I should be working on my bracelet. And I will in a minute.
E and I were talking about her decorating a pair of jeans, and I think.. you know, if I wore jeans, I'd like a pair with bleached out butterflies that were colored in with sharpies. If I were younger, I'd seriously consider putting flares in the seams with a butterfly print and having butterfly bell bottoms just because it would be fun.
I called Miss Teri last night to see if she wanted to spend Mother's Day or my birthday with us. For Mother's Day, we are making our traditional trip to the zoo to get the family pass. For my birthday, we are talking about going to All Fired Up. I'm going to paint myself an alien coffee cup! She said yes on the zoo, and maybe on my birthday.
W spent a couple days with us. Which was as usual, NICE. I like having him here. Yesterday, we went to buy comics, and he found a used video game he wanted, then we hit the food court for dinner. I like the food court at the mall we get our comics at because it's mostly locally owned ethnic restaurants, W opted for Thai, and Mike and I had our usual Mexican. The cook just started cooking for us. He knew what we wanted even as we made a show of looking at the menu.
Oh? The icon? Made that yesterday. Had to share it.

Yesterday, my son asked me about using cloth bags. He knows we've been using them for a couple years, but it's only recently it's become "trendy" and most people still don't. I hope it's different for you when you go shopping, but here, I think I've spotted 4 other people in the last 3 months of shopping using them. Plastic bags certainly have their purpose in my craft supplies, but since I don't throw them away when I do forget my bags sometimes, and I can always ask people for them, I'm fine on plastic bags.
Using cloth, with the amount of shopping we do, and the 5¢ discount we get for using cloth instead of plastic, will, in a year, save me 14.80 after the cost of the bags.
If you aren't spending 50 dollars on a bag for shopping, a lot of greener choices do save you money. A lot of ours are done because they are thrifty and I'd rather have the money for books or beads. Like going no shampoo. The shampoo that worked best for my hair type was 16.00 a bottle, and another 16 for conditioner. ACV is 3.00 a gallon, and baking soda, in big bags from a warehouse store is 6.00. So in a year, I save close to 200.00 on shampoo. Well.. a little less because every so often I splurge on a locally made shampoo bar for 5.00. That's not counting savings on hair trims because I've found that my hair splits a lot less.
There are a lot of great Christian living sites that have tips and hints from pioneer times. I don't think I'd like to be a pioneer, but what women did in those days out of necessity can save a lot of money now, as well as being the greener choice. I don't want to come off as being virtuous because we craft and re-purpose. It's not about virtue. It's thrift a lot of the time. The side-effect of also being green is a benefit, but not always the original intention.
When I was a kid.. (insert flashback sound effects).. my mom was thrifty, and also very into luxury. It was a contradiction handled by her creativity. She dumpster dived for clothes, and she hit thrift stores for everything under the sun. She grew edible flowers to decorate her salads with, and people thought my mom was so classy and elegant in her own quirky way. She'd bring home things she found to make stuff out of, and got terribly annoyed every time she saw a hand crocheted afghan at a thrift store. She valued handmade items, prized them. Along with her fine jewelry, she also had a lot of funky handmade jewelry she wore regularly. When I started beading, it wasn't quiet pieces I made for her, but big, bright, fun pieces.Growing up with her was magical. She was fae and fun. One of my fondest memories of her is from a year before she died. Mike was grilling food at her house for all of us, and she had this used karaoke machine she found somewhere that she played cds on. She pulled it outside, and was dancing on the walk outside her house, just so happy. Her barefeet were dirty, they often were, she hated wearing shoes if it was nice enough not to, and she was wearing jeans from a thrift store that were too long and she never hemmed them up, so the hems were ragged and softly frayed. Her dancing style was influenced by the native villages she taught in when she first came to Alaska. So her little feet patting out rhythms on the ground and her happiness at just being outside in the sunlight, with good food being cooked and her family around.. that was my mom.
It's not about green for me. It's somewhat about thrift, but even more then that, it's about my mom. What would she do. Can I see the world as she did? Full of ideas and creative uses? Can I teach that to my kids like she taught me? Can I teach them to value handmade over instant and the satisfaction it gives you to know you did it yourself? Or to enjoy something that was made by a local artist and appreciate the time and thought that goes into it?
So far, the answer has been yes. My son doesn't want a commercially produced case for his ipod, he loves the one I crocheted for him that has the button made with a scrap of wire and a bottle cap. My daughter makes cool things from cardboard boxes and thinks ThreadBanger is one of the greatest shows ever made.
E and I were talking about making a zine together, but she's not sure anyone would be interested. I told her she was wrong. That there are people already interested. Possibly the first one will just be a collection of stuff I've posted in here, crafts we've done together. I know if my mom were alive, she would be encouraging us to do it. She would have been absolutely enthused and full of ideas.
I really think, and it will sound arrogant, if I can influence people at all through the stuff I have on the net, then the legacy of who my mom was, will never die. She won't have just affected my life and the people who knew her, but also a lot of other people who she never met, who I'll never meet.

Brimmed Beanie Hat made from a sweater. Re-purposing at it's best. I have *stacks* of acrylic sweaters from the 80s, and the ones that aren't in good enough shape to donate, I think I'll do something like this with them. They would make really neat hats, since they are all the bright colors that were so popular then. Plus I can use some of my old ripped and loved to death sweaters similarly. (Except my black silk long sleeved sweater. That thing will have to fall off before I admit it's done)
More later on my week so far.

from grace_batmonkey
( 57 things, 3 at a time )

I stopped by Laura's while I was out because I was nearly out of one of my colognes. Not my rose. I've got lots of rose cologne, but I've got hardly any Opium left, and their knockoff is *good*, and since I wanted a new floral, I got the violet. The lady working mixed them very strong for me, which is how I prefer them. I smell YUMMY!

Yesterday I learned about Armenian needle lace, which is a very pure form of lace making. You need a needle and thread. Traditionally it's done with a size 100 thread. Uh... yeah.. no. I'm too modern. The world is instant, and I like my gratification close to the same way. I'll use something like a size 20, which is more then fine enough for me.
Today I learned that during Victorian times, men would retire for brandy and cigars, women would have wine jellies, since it was a more genteel way to have a drink after a meal. Well, these days it's jell-o shots for men and women both. But I LIKE the idea of wine jellies. I had lots of fun making coffee and tea jellies with the kids.

You can use pectin, gelatin or agar agar for jelling I'm sure. I'm not sure what's most traditional, so I'll have to look. (well..I'm reasonably sure it's not agar agar)
Imagine a blush wine with rose petals suspended in it. How pretty would that be? With a bit of whipped cream on top and if you wanted to be truly over the top, candied rose petals on that to decorate! If you skip the whipped cream and use whipped until silky tofu with vanilla and sugar, and use fruit based pectin or agar agar, it's a vegan variation of a Victorian victual. Okay.. sorry. I couldn't resist the alliteration though.
A dark wine in flutes with dark grapes in it could be really pretty too.