HipChickeeBeads!

Okay, so there was another bead show this weekend. The Gem Faire was in Salt Lake City. It was then and there that I said to myself "Cindie you have a problem." But doesn't every gal need several different types of chalcedony, amethyst, and garnet??? That is normal right? Truth be told, I have known for some time that this could be an issue. Okay, okay... Hi, my name is Cindie and I am a beadaholic. Satisfied?

So, it was at that moment when I had several hanks of beads in my hands with that crazed look on my face that I came to the realization that it really isn't a problem...it is okay - - I could just open up another Etsy shop to destash. I mean you don't always use the whole strand of those perfect little twisted step cut amethyst gems do you? And why not share the love right?

So there you have it... I still can feed my addiction (it could be waaaay worse) and also share a little somethin somethin with all of you... So my new destash shop is HipChickeeBeads - - Way Cool Beads for Way Cool People... It really is me, dontchaknow....

By the way....there is another Gem Show in a few weeks...

Slow Times at Etsy Dot Com

Wow - I was commiserating with my partner in crime, Marika, about how slow things have been on Etsy.... We think it is one or more of the reasons listed below:

1. All the floods, tornadoes, wild fires, earthquakes.
2. All the jewelry lovin folk are on vacation in Tahiti with no Internet access.
3. Gas costs are too darn high and disposable income is limited.

I know that gas costs certainly have limited many folks. In my family, my son-in-law has started using public transportation and the savings have been amazing! My brother commutes well over an hour every day - each way - and they save money by having him do the grocery shopping while he is in town instead of his wife driving the same commute to accomplish the task.

The cost of gas absolutely makes a person think about what we can do to limit our addiction to fossil fuels, which leads to other thoughts about sustainability of the planet in general. May be silly, may be a minute help to the planet, but I found a pattern for reused, re-purposed grocery bags. I am going to try it! I will update you on my environmental efforts at a later point. No, I am not ready to join Green Peace yet, or believe like Al Gore does about global warming ~ but if I can help in my little corner of the world - woo hoo!

In the meantime, I hope the jewelry lovin' folk in Tahiti come home from vacation soon!

Pristine Green Cleaning

Some people will read this and think "Oh my gosh, I can't believe she is posting about this!", while others will think "Man, I want that lady to come clean my house!!" Well here is the fact of the matter ~ I am so thrilled with this cleaning service that I decided to blog about - - call it dumb, call it whatever you want, but each and every one of you - - deep down where you live - - wish you could have someone come into your home and clean it top to bottom! Well I did it!

Julie from Pristine Green Cleaning came to my house a couple of days ago and it is sparkling!! Wow - - her attention to detail, and her environmentally green approach is fabulous. Who wants to clean a 16 year old boy's room? Ewwww.... They jumped right in, cleaned and organized. I was shocked when I walked in there - - besides cleaning his bathroom (can I just say another MAJOR ewwwwwww) to a level of clean that it hasn't seen in years...

Isn't a clean house a fine, fine thing? Not just a picked up house - - a clean house...niiiiice.

Thanks Julie =D

Summer Spinach Salad

2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
4 slices bacon, cooked till crisp, crumbled
5 cups fresh spinach torn to bite sized pieces
1/2 c sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup thinly sliced red sweet onion
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/2 fresh Mandarin orange or 1/2 small can Mandarin oranges
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Dressing
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp spicy brown mustard
1 dash garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a salad bowl, toss together all salad ingredients (except sliced almonds.)
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ketchup, water, olive oil, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and brown mustard. Season with garlic powder , salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and top with almonds.

Strawberries and spinach are so yummy in the Summer, and tossed with other fresh ingredients, real bacon, and hard cooked eggs, they make a fab salad. A sweet, tangy oil & vinegar dressing puts the perfect "Bam" in this salad!