Storage Unit....

This morning was busy. The last few days have been busy.

I went through all our closets and pulled out bins and boxes of stuff that could go to the storage unit. We have been running out of space ever since I moved in but especially after moving my computer into my art studio. It took a lot of rearranging. So this morning we got up fairly early - picked up a truck to load everything and then unloaded it all at the storage unit. Picking up, loading, unloading and dropping the truck back off took us 3 hours. Michael said I rocked on having everything so organized and ready. But if you would take a look at our house right now...I think it would be hard to tell I was organized. I pulled everything out of all the closets in the house. And because there is a lot more room now I am reorganizing them so I left things out - so it pretty much looks like a tornado set down in our living room.

So the rest of the afternoon has been spent relaxing. I will need to do some work in a bit here so that we have places to sit in the living room this evening. But next week I will kick ass and get it all organized. I am thrilled to have more room so that I can truly put things away without opening up a closet or cupboard and having things spill out.

Great Trip!

We just got home....from Wyoming.

I am not sure I can even explain how great it was....people, conversations, networking, just our work in general - all of it was great! We were surrounded by some very famous, articulate people in their field. Everyone was so nice to us. I was really getting nervous on our way up. I was letting - "they all will be so much smarter" type of think get to me. And of course that was not the case at all. They all were passionate, intelligent people who made anyone in their presence feel at home. And I not only understood what they were talking about always but felt that passion they have stir in up inside. And also both of the classes we attended to film were so good! I learned a lot and many of my thoughts about the field were confirmed.

We went to dinner with all the presenters at the conference and it was so nice! Michael and I had such a nice evening. People, food, conversations and laughter were out of this world! One person was sitting diagonally across from me and he leaned forward in his chair at the table and said, "So Darby tell me all about yourself?" Now of course I am having the "I should have said syndrome"...thinking back and thinking of all I should have said. But I am proud because I said something that I have trouble at times saying out loud...and I said it to him without stumbling and no hesitation...just clear and confident. I said to him, "I am an artist." We talked about my art and he was sincerely interested. He is an extremely soothing person to be around. He just....has this very zen quality about him.

Anyway, our trip was a great success! And now we have a ton of thank you notes to get out because we really do have to thank so many people for making it happen. Tonight is Project Runway but I might not get a chance to watch it tonight so hopefully first thing tomorrow.

Kitty Cat Pictures Again!

I was chatting with a friend on the phone the other day and as I was walking through the living room I spotted Chessie. She decided she would take a stab at exercising. As I told Michael it is good someone is using the exercise bike.






























Caesar of course looking at Chessie like how did you get over there...you always find the good spots. He was being a Jelly Belly and she just looking up at him all smug!

Dyed My Hair....

I have been thinking about dying my hair black. A friend of mine told me before going from the red to the black to slowly bring my hair back to my natural color and then dye it black. So, I picked up some brown dye. When Michael and I held it up to my roots in the store it looked close, so we got it. It ended up 2 shades darker. And the problems that I have heard that happen when people dye their hair black happened with my hair.

It didn't take on all of the hair even though the dye was saturated in all areas.






Not as noticeable straight on view....


So in a couple weeks I will dye it again with a protein filler and hope that it takes!

News....

From a news article about the newly elected leader of the U.S. Episcopal Church Bishop when asked if it was a sin to be homosexual--- "The Bible has a great deal to teach us about how to live as human beings. The Bible does not have so much to teach us about what sorts of food to eat, what sorts of clothes to wear -- there are rules in the Bible about those that we don't observe today."

I always think of that West Wing episode where President Barlet confronts a radio show host who says homosexuality an "abomination."

From the script of The Midterms Season 2

Bartlet: Exodus 21:7 "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go free as male slaves do." I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleaned the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be?

While thinking about that, can I ask another? My chief of staff, Leo McGary, insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? Or is it okay to call the police?

(Bartlet barely pauses to take a breath.)

Here’s one that’s really important, because we’ve got a lot of sports fans in this town. Touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point? Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you?

(The camera pushes in on the president.)

One last thing. While you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building when the president stands, nobody sits.

(Jacobs sees that, in fact, the president is standing and she is the only one in the room sitting. After a moment, she rises, holding her tiny plate of appetizers. After the president exits, Sam Seaborn sternly approaches a thoroughly belittled Jacobs.)

Some Good Things...

~ I have lots of good friends that are very good to me
~ lots of great postcards from around the world via postcrossing.com
~ lots of mail going out to friends across the USA
~ art...been a productive art weekend

Email Scams....

Most of us have seen the infamous subject line in our email: "URGENT - Update your PayPal Account." Well, as it turns out - the hyperlink can take you to a seemingly innocuous, legitimate website. Except it doesn't. Instead - it takes you to a phony website spoofed to look like PayPal's login screen. It looks like paypal - all the logos and their info on it. But if you look at the url it doesn't say paypal.com. And by putting in your username/password information - some thief can take your information and let the endless spending games begin.

The latest trick is to spoof Amazon.com.

So...
-Never click on the hyperlink in the email..
-ALWAYS type out the correct URL for PayPal and Amazon to sign into your account..
-Report the erroneous email to PayPal and Amazon's security departments..

At best, they will contact the host company for the erroneous website and hopefully shut it down.

Be careful out there!

Kitty Cats Kitty Cats!

Mock Ravioli

I made Mock Ravioli last night for dinner

3/4 cup Ricotta Cheese (I use the skim milk ricotta cheese)
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup of chopped onions
2 teaspoons of chopped basil
2 teaspoons of oregano
parsley (didn't measure)
1 egg (I forgot this last night and still worked and tasted fine)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (I use the turkey sweet Italian) - sliced
1 package of won-ton wrappers
2 to 3 cups of red sauce - homemade or store bought

In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, 1 beaten egg, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, cook the sausage until it is brown and cooked through, drain and set aside.

Working 1 at a time, place a little mound of cheese filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. I don't measure but maybe it is about a tablespoon. Top with a slice of the sausage. With a pastry brush or a finger, dab a small amount of water along the edges of the won ton wrapper. You can either fold them and half or top with another whole wonton wrapper (which is what I did last night). Press the edges together with a fork. I will sometimes flip them over and press again on that side to make sure they are sealed as you don't want them to leak when you boil them. Place on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour and cover with wrap to prevent from drying out. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. You can make these up to 2 hours ahead time and just tightly cover with some plastic wrap and refrigerate. But only do them 2 hours ahead of time or they might either dry up or get soggy.

To cook the ravioli, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In batches, add the ravioli and cook until they are tender and float to the top, about 2 minutes. Gently remove with a slotted spoon and drain. To serve place on a plate, top with some sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Here are some pictures while I made them:

Bowl of Ricotta with sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, chopped garlic, onion


Mixture, piece of sausage on wonton wrappper. I am sorry I didn't get one after I put the other wrapper on but my hands were all sticky from working with the wrappers and water.

After I boiled...


Serving...

Dinner

Balsamic Chicken Breasts




White Beans with Pancetta and Sage

Crispy Beef

Neon Sign Blinking: You are Crazy!

Okay have you ever had a conversation with someone and say "yeah I can do that" and then later you realize how much work it will undertake? And what you really agreed to?

With Michael starting his own business and our computer room really needs to turn into his workroom/office since he will be working from home for now. Our computer room as of right now is very crowded with both of us in here. Michael could really use both desks so that while one video is rendering he will be able to work on our spare computer on other projects. And he is going to be getting a special printer to print on DVD/CD's so having me out of here would give him more room for that equipment. Plus all his other video camera equipment.

So Memorial Day weekend is coming up - meaning an extra day off so we discussed that it might be a good idea to convert the computer room into his office and move my computer into my art room. We both agreed it was a good time with the extra day.

This morning I was writing a friend and telling her I would like to do art this weekend and then remembered we are going to do all the rearranging. Oh my gawd it was like huge neon sign went on as I wrote her. I started picturing all I would have to do to get it to the state we need. Oh my gawd...what did I get myself into. It was my idea too that Michael needed his own office with more work space. I am bloody brilliant...creating all this work for myself.

See my art room right now has all it's space utilized, because....that is the only way it fits. We are going to have to move out a really nice futon (great rustic log frame to it). To do that means I will have almost move everything out of the art room - leaving a clear path to the dining room and a clear place in the dining room for the futon to go until we get it to storage. My art room has a heavy wooden filing cabinet, a heavy book shelf with tons of books - from paper back to books we had when we were in college (so heavy and thick), a long 3-part shelving unit (only thing that will probably stay in the room), and then my tables, crates, rolling drawers. I have A LOT of STUFF in my room. Oh my gawd!

Then Michael says to me on the phone just a little bit ago it might be a good time when we clear it out to steam clean the art room. And he is absolutely right. But that means tomorrow I need to get everything cleared out that I can before he comes home. And then after he gets home we will move the futon (weighs a ton because of the log frame) out. Then Friday I will steam clean and Friday evening or Saturday morning we will have to go buy a new computer desk for me since my current one ways a ton and looks good with Michael's current desk. Then Saturday start putting it together and start moving things back in the art room.

Okay NEON sign again blinking "OH MY GAWD" So I have been making plans on where everything will go as I clear it out to make a clear path. And now I am going to go do some packing.

So I am going to go get busy - and go pack and start moving things!

It's Official!!

After what has seemed like a decade or two, I'm Officially in business as of today!! I submitted my paperwork to the State, have my business cards and it's all official now.. As I look back, I can see the heel marks in the sand when I was dragging my feet.. Reaching the moment when things felt "right" took a lot longer than I had wanted, but it's the first time I've felt that the time has finally clicked at the right time..

So..

Reflecting Time Productions is open for business..

The website will be coming up next - as well be the appropriate demo.. From there on - I'll be bidding my time with the state and I eventually will submit my notice..

Thanks for everyone who has been there during this winding road.. It's been a long time coming..

Recap of Being Out of Town

Sunday May 14th I started with a migraine cycle - that seemed to get a little worse each day. But I killed it everyday - so by 3 or 4 pm I was okay.

On Tuesday we left for Denver. We try hard not to travel with Caesar and Chessie. Chessie has a hard time of it --- usually getting sick. So the Vet suggested basically an antihistamine to make her groggy and sleep. Well this is the first time she has had to have a pill in her lifetime and it was not a fun experience getting her to swallow it. Caesar is much better at it then her. So we got that done and made she sure she was reacting okay to it and then started loading the car.

Because of opening the new business both of us and especially Michael have a lot going on in our brains - so things are getting missed that normally wouldn't....both of us assuming the other has gotten or taken care of something and later finding out that neither of us did. So it has been a little trying on both of us....especially trying not to get snappy with each other for missing it (which is something neither of us has been great at during this time). Michael had something for work to take with us and so I thought he put it with his other work stuff. And he thought I had got it.

So we are on the road....just under an hour away from home when Michael calls his parents to tell them we are on the way. His parents mention something about work and that reminds Michael of the thing he needed to bring. Michael asks me if I got it. I said, "no." I mentioned I thought he had put it in his work bag. So we pulled over at the next exit to look in the bag and of course it wasn't there.

So yes folks we had to turn back. We went back got it and got back on the road. Despite the turn back we did make good time. It actually went fairly fast for adding the extra time on to the trip.

On Wednesday I woke up with yet again another migraine - worse then Tuesday. So I got up with Michael to eat breakfast right away so I could take something. Michael went to his meeting and I went back to bed for a bit. When I got up it was less but still not gone. We then got to spend the afternoon alone. After Michael's meeting we went shopping before meeting some friends of ours for dinner. We had a very nice dinner. They are such a great couple and we both enjoy their company so much. It would be nice if we could see them more often but I am grateful for anytime we get with them.

Wednesday night when I went to bed my migraine was still not gone. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't gone and that worried me a bit. At 3am Michael and I both woke up and I mentioned my migraine still being around. By 7am it had increased to a place where moving, light, and noise - HURT - so much. Well Thursday was Michael's niece's graduations and so I was hoping I could clear it up by the time we left but no such luck. And even by the time Michael,Frank and Joanne came back from the event - I wasn't anywhere near feeling better. I take that back it was better but not gone and those of you that get migraines know how they just have a lingering effect that is hard to cope with. So we stayed in for dinner but did go out for Cold Stone's after.

Friday I woke up with a lower level migraine. One that I can function with - no problem. It is normal for me. Sad to say but true. We had a late brunch. It was really good. French toast sandwich basically - it was piled with ham and cheese. It was very yummy! After brunch, we hit the Dollar Store. Yay! It was then close to the party time - I had a really nice time at the party with Michael's family. I got time to chat with everyone and ate a lot of good food. Everyone though was very concerned about my migraines so I got a lot of "are you okay" or "how is the headache" while at the party. But they were all so understanding and good about it.

Saturday we just did some running around and Sunday we headed back to Grand Junction. We had a very nice time in Denver.

the silver lining during a difficult time

It really has been a crazy couple of months. The end of April one of Michael's co-workers died. She was a vibrant young woman and it was a shock to us all. It really rallied his office together to help her parents and each other through the grief. Michael did a video for the memorial service. It was incredibly hard to do but also it helped us with the grieving process also. It came out wonderfully....celebrating her life. Because of it Michael really got a chance to show the community what he can do...so his co-worker was a guardian angel in a way to really help Michael realize his dreams and passion. We will miss her but at the same time are very truly blessed to have her give him his dream.

So since then we have had kind of a whirlwind of getting the business up and running. Michael has been getting paper work done and submitted and business cards together. I have been working on a calling card type website for now. And then we both will be working on a more flash intensive website to house his demos and really capture what he can do.

So just a little of where we are right now.

Bruschetta Stuffed Chicken

Tonight we had Bruchetta Stuffed Chicken....Michael raved and raved about it. It was really good.

The recipe is from Kraft Food and Family Magazine that you can get free on their website. I modified it -- as I usually do to most recipes. So here is what I did....

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained (I added some garlic and basil to it to taste)
1/2 cup of chicken stock
3/4 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix for Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (recipe called for 8 small chicken breasts and that is way to much chicken for just the 2 of us)
1/2 cup Italian Dressing (original recipe called for Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing but of course our stores didn't have that so improvised)
1/2 cup of roasted peppers chopped

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Combine tomatoes with their liquid, the cheese, chicken stock and dry stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.

PLACE chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound chicken with side of heavy can, rolling pin or meat mallet until chicken is 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken breast halves. Place chicken, top-sides down, on large cutting board; spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. (I used some metal skewers to keep them in place and took them out half way through cooking.) Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing and roasted peppers. I placed the remaining stuffing around the chicken.

BAKE 40 min. (I forgot this part but will try it next time --- Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 min.) or until chicken is cooked through (and cheese is melted).


Link to original recipe on Kraft's website.

Pictures of Michael!

Michael's parents have been BUSY scanning old slides and they were very kind in sending me a few....


Easter - 1970


Haircut - 1971


Roarin 20's - 1971

Bread

One day recently I wanted to make a loaf of bread but something different then my usuals...French Bread, Whole Wheat Bread or Herb Rolls. I went searching on my favorite website for Bread Machines recipes and found one for Rich Cheddar Cheese Bread. I didn't have cheddar but I had a blend so used that.

When I was making it, Michael called and I said that I didn't think the bread was going to turn out as it wasn't rising. And then...BAM! It seemed like I had only been away from it for a few minutes and it had definitely rose! It was almost pushing the lid up.




















It did turn out even with it rising so high. It was such a hit that it now Michael's favorite. He really wanted to eat the whole loaf that evening but he did restrain himself. But is is already being requested again.

Pictures of Caesar....

He likes watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer too! Such a smart kitty cat!

West Wing

This week Target has each season of West Wing (1 through 5) on sale for $22.99....on Amazon they range from $38 to $45 so it is a really good deal. (Also in the ad online it only shows season 4 and 5 of West Wing but in the paper ad it says including other season and in the store they also have them all as the same price.)

Michael said he might have to pick them up as it is just too good of a deal to really let pass. And we are big West Wing fans.