9 Years Give-Away

 

     Well I am just behind on everything. One month slide by before I knew it and Storybook Woods had an anniversary in April. I have been blogging for 9 years! Wow! I marvel at what blogging has become. I do not think any of us pictured this but what a blessing it has been.

    I have been busy locked away in my library writing. I am just finishing the ending of Wren 2 (I am still working on the title). During the week, the girls do the cooking. Chloe got her drivers license! Yeah! It is wonderful to just say " can you go pick up such and such?" This is freeing me up to write. Also I have made a pinterest pin-board for Storybook Woods recipes. I  will be adding more. I am planning on rewriting some of my old recipes when I am done with Wren.

    In honor of nine years of blogging, I am having a give-away. The current issue of Bella Grace, which features Annetta Bosakova. Annetta's work is always stunning and just makes me happy. You will also get a chocolate bar. So tell me whose work you love and why you love it. Also your favorite kind of chocolate and I will pick a winner. Well I am off to my library to write. Have a scrumptious month and good luck on winning xox

Gathering Magazine

 
  

    I am happy to announce the the spring issue of Gathering Magazine is out. Heather has out done herself. I have contributed three recipes. Lemon/parmesan baked shrimp, violet chocolate ganache tart and lastly little rosey rhubarb cakes. They are grain free and filled with cream cheese, a yummy way to use rhubarb. Enjoy!!!

My Style

I am much more concerned how fashion makes me feel, as opposed to how I look!

 

    Thank you for the well wishes, I am slowly getting better. I have spent a lot of time sitting, reflecting, writing and pinning!! I love making pin boards. They help me focus my thoughts, inspirations and goals. I have been looking at my fashion boards. I think fashion is so important and has been a passion of mine since I was a young girl. Fashion spills over into all areas of my life, what I cook, how I decorate, even how I feel. I find I use fashion to express my feelings. On days where I feel depressed will I wear something to cheer me up or if I wear something cushy, like a soft sweater, it comforts me. I even have outfits for when I clean, my Tasha Glam as I call it! A pinny puts me in the frame of mind to scrub something clean. I am much more concerned how fashion makes me feel, as opposed to how I look. I have plenty of outfits, which are not the most flattering to my body type BUT I feel like a million bucks in them. Nothing is going to make one more attractive, than feeling attractive.

    My style is quirky, vintage, a bit too youthful for my age and very feminine. Have you made a fashion board (or simple a fashion page in a journal)? I encourage you to think about what you like to wear, why you like it and how different styles make you feel. Heck you have a closet full of clothes, make the most of it. Use fashion to lift you up, to encourage you, to comfort or embolden you, to express what you are feeling, to project who you would like to be that day. I look at my collage above and this is the list of some things I see:

Mix of color and patterns, animal sweaters, grey tights, chunky heels, neutrals, every day lace, t-strap shoes, black and white, heels with ankle socks, cream and white together, touches of red, velvet w/ leather, girly dresses and simple glam!!

images 1 unknown, 2 yellow skirt, 3 red clip, 4 unknown, 5 t-straps, 6 black and white, 7 cream daisy, 8 red and pink, 9 velvet

White Issue of Gathering Mag

TaaaDaa the White Issue of Gathering Mag is out and I have to say Heather really out did herself this time a stunning issue and it is free to read on-line or you can buy a copy.

Please check out my winter treat recipes: grain free/vegan snowball cookies, candy cain soda, espresso monkey bread and milk chocolate hand pies. I am thrilled to be the food editor for Gathering and plan on writing some really amazing recipes for future issues. Now grab a cup of tea and enjoy xoxo

Hobby Farm Home

"It is important to make my outdoor-kitchen space attractive so I'll want to be there."

 

I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by Lisa Kivirist about outdoor kitchens for Hobby Farm Home Magazine. It is such a fun subject, Lisa was great to chat with (it turns out we have friends) and something we all need to make the most of. I wanted to thank Lisa (and Hobby Farm). I already knew Lisa as I have read several of her articles and heard about her amazing B & B, Inn Serendipity. She just came out with a new cookbook Farmstead Chef. It is a really interesting look at sustainable living and cooking. I want to try her Beer Cheese Soup  recipe soon. I recommend it!! By the way, the article says I live on 100 acres, I wish! I live on an acre and half but I will take 100 acres :-) If you get a chance check out the cooking alfresco article!!

 

Lessons from Battle Scars

 

My dear friend Gina at La Bella Avenue, is doing a wonderful series of posts called Lessons from Battle Scars. It is a series where others share how their trials and failures helped them to achieve their goals. I am honored to be asked to share my own battle scars. So please enjoy!!

 

 

    Hmmm . creative battle scares. I have so many I could write a book on the subject! Like the time when I was eight and decided to make my sick mother a cake to cheer her up. I dumped the box mix, in the mixer and set it on high. Turned to go grease the cake pan but I kept feeling something cold against my neck. Finally I looked around to find cake batter splattered everywhere. I think there was even some on the ceiling. My poor mother had to drag herself out of bed to clean the kitchen. I am pretty sure she did not feel very loved or pampered that day. Then there was the time I thought adding some flour to the frosting (to thicken it) was a good idea or how in junior high I got kicked out of home-ec. cooking class after two weeks. I think the last straw for the teacher was when I used salt instead of sugar in the recipe. The interesting thing about getting kicked out of home-ec. is I was already helping my mother cook for her dinner parties. I hated hanging out with the kids in the back yard and having hot dogs. I discovered if I helped cook and serve, I could avoid the obnoxious boys and the hot dogs :- )

    It is kind of embarrassing to admit I was kicked out of home-ec. since I write and blog about cooking. I was kicked out basically because I do not learn like everyone else. Most people start with the basics and build their way up but I start with the complicated stuff and work backwards. I could make chicken Kiev (which is a lot of work) by the time I was 16 but did not learn how to properly hardboiled egg until I was 30. I think the reason why I do better with complicated is it forces my dyslexic, slightly ADD brain to focus and slow down. Plus, if I do not care about something, I tend to not give it much focus. My whole childhood was about not fitting in and finding my way of doing things, which is not like most people!

    Whenever I tried to do things the ‘logical’ way, it never turned out. When I did it my harebrained way, it was rockin’! Over time I learned to listen to my gut and trust it. The good thing about all that criticism was I developed a thick skin and a strong intuition. I can feel when I am heading in the right direction with my creativity. I have learned to be brave and trust my vision. Being brave is a big part of being successful, so is making mistakes. Believe me, I have made many more flops, than successes. I have had to tear apart my work, put it back together only to tear it apart again. I think one of my strengths, is I am hardheaded. When I have a vision, I cannot stop thinking about it. I cannot sleep. I cannot let it go until I have worked it out.

    When I wrote my novel I had no clue what I was doing. I did things the hard way, like I usually do but then I learned a lot that way. I kept at it, moving forward with the book. Finally one day I had a novel worth reading, well … I hope it is worth reading. It would have been so easy to tell myself not to write because I would look like an idiot. Actually I did tell myself that but then I ignored myself. I am dyslexic. Dyslexics do not write books! I knew nothing about how to write or self-publish. Basically I was/am clueless.

    Really though you only have two choices, you can let your fear stop you or let your dreams push you. I keep moving forward, listening to my gut and battling each problem as they come along. When Gina asked me if I would like to contribute, I thought her concept ‘Lessons from Battle Scars’ an interesting way of looking at success. Since I am a pretty creative person, I tend to look at success in a creative format. Success to me, means being able to bringing to life ones dreams but in order to make your dreams come true, you have to have some battle scars!