Giving Away My Trash

We are at least several weeks away from getting completely unpacked and settled in--I'm trying to look at it as making progress every day so that it's not so overwhelming. Today I was surrounded by empty moving boxes (there are empty ones--yippee!) so I joined the local Freecycle group.

If you've never heard of the Freecycle Movement, it's a grassroots, nonprofit movement of people who are giving and getting stuff for free in their own towns and keeping perfectly useable stuff out of landfills. Membership is free, and everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages. Most groups operate via Yahoo Groups, and I set my preferences to read the offers and requests on the web only so I don't get inundated with email.

According to the web site there are 2,519 local members and 4,808,480 groups worldwide. As soon as my membership is approved I'm going to offer these boxes, and with more than 2,500 people I'm sure someone will be able to use them. I love Freecycle!

Plays Well With Others

The thing that caught my attention at alilsumptinsumptin was the fact that so many of the gorgeous pieces available include work by other artisans. I love that this jewelry artist can take beads and focals created by others and combine them into stunning and unique accessories. That she donates the proceeds from some of the items to charity makes this shop perfect--so go have a look!

Classic Poodle Necklace, with black and white beads torched by Sarah Friskey, and a custom made black dog focal by Janet Crosby, $200



Blue Rondo a la Turk bracelet, with lampwork heart bead by Janet Crosby, $175.00


http://alilsumptinsumptin.etsy.com
http://www.alilsumptinsumptin.com

The Best Peanut Butter in the Universe

I'll get back to posting more handcrafted news soon, but for now I'm still spending most waking minutes adjusting to my new surroundings and trying to find things. Today I found my way to a supermarket (no simple feat--I really don't know my way around this area at all) where I discovered what is undeniably the best peanut butter in the universe. This stuff is like a giant spreadable Reese's peanut butter cup. And since studies have shown that peanut butter consumption can lower your risk of diabetes, I figure it's health food. Made by Peanut Butter & Co., who also have a sandwich shop in New York City, Dark Chocolate Dreams contains no cholesterol, no trans-fats, no hydrogenated oils, and no high-fructose corn syrup. It is also gluten-free, vegan, and kosher. Don't worry if your local store doesn't carry it, you can order it from PB&Co.'s website, along with a variety of other PB flavors, jellies and preserves, snacks, and PB&Co. gear. I'm seriously tempted to pick up their cookbook--it looks heavenly!

We Moved and Survived It!

Last week it was warm and sunny, but yesterday--moving day!--it was cold and rainy and miserable. In spite of our best efforts to rid ourselves of excess stuff before the move, we weren't able to come even close to being packed by the time the movers arrived. After spending countless hours and miles on the road helping us try to find the perfect home, my mother-in-law Jeannie came to help; she always knows exactly when to come and rescue us. I'm not promising she'll help you pack, but she will go far above and beyond to help you find the perfect home. My daughter Stephanie volunteered to help pack and ended up working more than 10 hours packing, tossing, and cleaning. I don't think I could find better family anywhere!

The best part of the day was the moving crew. We've had experiences with DIY moving and so-so to unpleasant experiences with professional movers, but the crew from Taylor's Moving, led by Dwayne Taylor, was simply awesome. Although they were cold and wet, they took great pains to make sure our belongings were dry and protected. They packed things that we hadn't managed to put in boxes yet, joked with us, and one cheerful fellow kept breaking into song. And all for a flat pre-arranged rate. If I ever move again, I'll hire them to pack and move me, get a hotel room for a couple of nights, and hide out until they're finished--I'm exhausted and everything hurts.