A is for Absent ....

from my blog that is! Life seemed to get in the way of my fun but I am back with lots of photos and tidbits to share!

flashback to November and the start of my show season ... first up was the Holiday Shoppes in Syracuse NY



I had a few models who helped advertise my wares!




I also had the great luck of meeting Michelle DaRin an amazingly talented jewelry designer from the Syracuse area. Fortunately she fell in love with my work as much as I did hers and we had a wonderful exchange of goodies!



these matching mother/daughter skirts were made from a fabulous vintage knit I have been saving in my stash ... these are available as a special order through my etsy store




Michelle's funky baubles are available through her website.

Coming tomorrow.... join me for a visit from an overseas guest!

Holiday Shopping Online....

I love being able to sit in my jammies with a cup of coffee and do my christmas shopping! The only problem is making sure I am looking for everyone else on my list... and not making my own list for Santa! I did see these though and had to share!

Ben Sherman Vixen

how about some fun shoes for the holidays??? If I could only figure out how to walk in a 3" heel!

I'd love to hear what your favorite sites are for online holiday shopping!

Get Ready for Some Fun Rochester!

Coming Dec 17th .... @nd Anual Holiday Social to benefit Alternatives For Battered Women

Kristen Gocker Hallagan is a fan of

ABW's 2nd Annual Women 4 Women Event

Create your Fan Badge

join the group on Facebook to learn more about everything we have planned for the evening... then grab your girlfriends and join us for the Holiday Social!

The Doodle Police

Help! talking to my daughter tonight at bedtime I learned about the doodle police... think 1984... Orwell... mind control ...Yikes! Apparently in her science class at school they are required to take the Doodling Police Pledge at the beginning of the school year....yep, just learning about this now!

So... the jist of it is ... something like this....right hand on heart, left hand in air " I promise to be a doodle police and watch for people ... even my best friends ... doodling. I will tell the teacher if I see anyone doodling on anything. I also will not doodle"



I am in shock... speechless ... has this teacher not read the current literature on doodling... does she not know about Gardner and Multiple Intelligences??? I decided to google doodling and learning styles to see what I might find... pages of information SUPPORTING doodling!

This was a fantastic post from Think

How often do you find yourself receiving confused looks as you mindlessly doodle through an important meeting?

Doodling is often seen as an irrelevant act with no strategic value making the doodler appear disinterested in the task at hand. However for many with pen and paper at hand it is an unavoidable habit. A recent study by Jackie Andrade from the University of Plymouth has concluded that the act of doodling can improve information recall.

The study recruited participants without prior warning who had just attended another unrelated session. It was assumed they would be in a heightened state of boredom due to an implied expectation of going home.

Participants were then asked to listen to a tape they were told was boring. They were told not to remember anything but to write down the names of those attending the party (as discussed in the tape). Half of participants were told to colour in doodles while the other half were instructed to not doodle. Those in the doodle group recalled 29% more information on a surprise memory test than the non-doodlers.

The conclusion was made that doodling can aid in keeping the brain alert in seemingly boring situations allowing greater information retention while those who do not doodle are more likely to drift off in other ways taking concentration away from the task at hand.

Doodling takes little energy and allows your brain to maintain concentration for more important issues.

So next time you’re in a meeting and you find yourself nodding off, doodle

help! How would you approach a teacher with this approach to teaching??? I'd love any advice you have!

Happy November!

just popping in to post pics of the latest goodies to hit my etsy store



I call this one ... Ralph Lauren... eat your heart out!



how about a reversible baby blanket....





or something fun for turkey time!



or a cute a-line dress made with gorgeous fabric from japan!



some cute bubble skirts for fall



or some yummy browns, aquas and violets!

Tips for Preventing H1N1 or Swine Flu....

After a recent visit to the allergist who gave us some tips on avoiding the swine flu and having received this great e-mail with additional suggestions I thought I would pass this information along to my readers.... I learned a few new tips & I hope these will help you all stay healthy too!

Prevent Swine Flu - Good Advice

By Dr. Vinay Goyal ~ Presently, he is heading the Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The only portals of entry for the H1N1 virus (or any virus for that
matter) are the nostrils and mouth/throat.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1
infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms
and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not
fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced:

1. Frequent hand-washing



2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any
part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't
trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/
nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple
gargling prevents proliferation. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.



4. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt
water. Blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with
cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down
viral population. Sinus rinse kits are available at the drug store and
relatively inexpensive. (neti pots)



5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C
(citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make
sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.



6. Drink as much warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking
warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse
direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the
stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.



Please feel free to share this information on your blogs, facebook, twitter etc...

Yummy Goodness....

Oven Roasted Plum Tomatoes.... run, don't walk to your nearest farmers market... scoop up the biggest basket you can find (I bought a 1/2 bushel) and pop a few trays of these tomatoes in your oven Pronto! You can come back here and thank me later... after you tempt your tastebuds with the rich, salty sweet taste of the roasted tomatoes... so good!



so... here is what you need to do:

rinse off your tomatoes & slice in half lengthwise

place on baking sheet - cut side up - drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, add a few cloves of garlic and I used fresh thyme leaves too


place in oven at 225 degrees farenheit (sorry celsius blog readers) and roast for 9-10 HOURS! yes... HOURS! we ate them on baguette, homemade pizzas, plain, eggs, you name it... diced like a dip or popped straight into your mouth the taste can not be beat! I have even frozen some and the taste is great even out of the freezer... so as I said earlier... RUN don't walk to your local farmers market and scoop up a bushel to make these beauties!!

If you are in the area....

stop in and see me the next 3 days as the annual twigs fundraiser for Rochester General Hospital


The Twigs of Rochester General Hospital Association present their Autumn Promenade

Wednesday, October 14th 6 – 9 pm
Thursday, October 15th 10 am – 2 pm and 5 pm – 9 pm
Friday, October 16th from 10 am – 3 pm

Admission: $5 at the door

Monroe Golf Club
155 Golf Avenue in Pittsford

A unique collection of upscale vendors from Rochester and beyond!

I have lots of new goodies I will be debuting at the show.... hope to see you there!

What's for Dinner tonight??

with fall in the air it is time for roasting vegetables! My sister and I headed to the local public market yesterday to scoop up some of falls best bounty...



I picked out some yummy delicata squash and sweet potatoes for roasted veggies for dinner.... this is how I prepared it!



cut off ends of squash, slice in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and slice into 1/2" thick slices





slice the sweet potato into thick sticks ... keep skin on for added nutritional value!



toss in a bowl with onion slices and season to taste with olive oil, salt, ground cumin and curry powder



place in pan - try to keep it to 1-2 layers high... roast at 350 degrees until tender - about 45 minutes



enjoy!!!

Happy First (Week) Anniversary!!!

... to my brother & new sister-in-law! Last saturday was their wedding in Buffalo NY ... held in a vacant lot owned by the non-profit PUSH Buffalo that my brother works for. The day was rainy & gray which added to the fun & excitement in the air.

Very non-traditional ... no wedding dress, or organ music, no minister or priest ... but the most magical wedding I have ever been to - I was so glad my children had a chance to experience a wedding outside the box!

presenting Clarke & Melissa Gocker Kondrak



the nieces & nephews



with great grandma gocker



getting ready for the rain



the look of love





*insert squeal* ... I think they are about to kiss!



of course I had to make something for Eily to wear



our advice to the bride & groom... remember to always have fun!

How about a Sneak Peek??? .... and a little giveaway????

Last week on my birthday an extra special package arrived on my doorstep....



a box of goodies from Patty Young of ModKid Designs! Patty's new line of fabric, Flora & Fauna is set to debut in a couple of weeks at the Fall Quilt Market in Houston and she was looking for a but of help getting her samples ready for the show....so I was lucky enough to get to see this gorgeous fabric up close and make a new Frida for her booth!






These fabrics are simply gorgeous... wonderful prints and rich colors.... 44 new designs in all!

I'd love for you to post your favorite colorway and prints from her new collection.... give me some inspiration for prints to order for Betty's Closet on etsy

I will pick one lucky winner from the comments received to win a stack of 8 fat quarters from Patty's Mezzanine line... you get to pick your favorite 8!

Eily in the size 4/5.... not too happy to model!

We've got a winner!!!!!!!



this was the winning comment.....

CurlyGirlD said...

OK, ther are just too many sweet choices on etsy! But I think my favorite "Fall `09" piece is the "Isobel" yoga-waist skirt. It's so pretty, yet looks so comfy. It would be just darling on my DD!

Thanks for the great giveaway! Fingers crossed...

so.....CurlyGirlD...leave me your your email or contact information so I can get your prize sent out! Thanks all for joining the fun .....

What's Cooking??

I asked this question yesterday as I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner...I posted it to Twitter and Facebook and got some great ideas! Lynn a fellow teammate from etsy posted vegetarian stuffed pepper casserole!

I thought as my thanks for the delicious suggestions yesterday I would share a family favorite from our house...

Tempeh Fajitas with Cucumber Salsa
from Jeanne Lemlin's Main Course Vegetarian Pleasures



Ingredients
FOR THE MARINADE

* 3 tb Tamari soy sauce
* Juice of 1/2 lime
* 1 ts Brown sugar
* 2 tb Vegetable oil
* 3 cl Garlic; minced
* 1/4 ts Crushed red pepper flakes

FOR THE FILLING

* 3 Bell peppers; cut into 1/2"
* 1 md Red onion; halved vertically

FOR THE SAUCE

* 2/3 c Low-fat yogurt
* 1/2 sm Cucumber; peeled, seeded,
* And finely diced (1/3c)
* 1/4 ts Ground cumin
* 1 tb Minced fresh parsley

TO SERVE

* 8 8" flour tortillas


Preparation

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in the tempeh, bell peppers and onion. Marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 450 F.

In a small bowl combine the salsa ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Sprinkle a little water on each tortilla and rub it into each tortilla with your fingers. Stack the tortillas, then wrap in foil. Set aside.

Spread the marinated tempeh and vegetables on a baking sheet in one layer. Bake 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and tempeh begins to brown. Do not toss while cooking.

Place the tortilla packet in the oven for about 7 minutes. This will heat the tortillas with a little steam to soften them.

To serve, place a tortilla on each plate. Spoon some of the tempeh mixture along the center, cover with a little cucumber salsa, then fold and roll to enclose the filling.