Heal My Life

New Neighbors

HI ALL!!! 

Well, we made it to New Mexico and more or less in one piece except for a lovely sunflower serving plate and one ice cream dish both of which broke because of my poor packing skills.  I have so much to tell you about the journey and our experiences upon getting here, not the least frustrating of which involves getting our mail (an issue we're STILL dealing with), getting a decent Internet connection (which we have, finally but are not thrilled with) and NOT being able to get Vonage (which I absolutely hate). 

All that tedium aside, it is absolutely beautiful here and our house and new Heal My Hands office and production facility are fabulous!  I finally have room to work and a place to put everything!  Perhaps the coolest thing about the new digs is our resident feathered friends.  The previous owner has moved next door, but these guys are slow to change, and think this is their home, which I suppose it still is since we've been feed them goodies from the kitchen window; an act which will almost guarantee they never leave - LOL! 

  They follow us around without getting too close, and peer in any window we happen to be at in the hopes of getting yummies like the organic grapes and baby spinach we're been treating them with.  This shot is from my desk.  They came to the office windows looking for yet another hand out.  Unfortunately for them and fortunately for me - these windows don't open.

The house also came with four dogs, who also now live next door but haven't quite figured that out.  Ghost likes to sleep in this hollow she dug outside the office window. The other denizens are Cooper, a Golden Retriever who sulks if he can't get his own way, Nicky, a tailless mix who LOVES to bark all night long, and Maki, our admitted favorite, a basset hound with personality to spare.  We sometimes catch Maki out for a companionable stroll with one of his stuffed pals.  Harry Potter's Owl Hedwig seems to be this companion of choice.  During these outings, Maki, who will usually come galumphing over for a scratch and a belly rub ignores us completely.  Instead of hurrying over, he ambles genially with Hedwig tucked gently in jaws, towards some private tryst place only they are privy to. 

Oh, and there is not just a tree house, but a THREE STORY tree house that reaches over a tiny  pond.  Yep, we love it.                

Get Your Kicks, On...

See you there in 10 days!

Whole Foods!!!

I know I'm nor supposed to talk business here, but honestly - I can't help it.  Yesterday, after two years of talking and waiting and praying, we, Heal My Hands, debuted in Whole Foods, Ridgewood, NJ - Whole Body!  We did an in-store demo from 12 - 6, talked about or products, demonstrated how they're used and handed out samples.  We gave every employee a pretty gift pack with a sheet on how to sell Heal My Hands products.  And we gave stuff away to other employees who came by too. 

It was awesome.

David, the store manager, who is an absolute doll, was very happy and said our roll-out was a smash.  Wow.  Since we've never done this before - we didn't know what constituted "successful".  Our only comparable experience being our demo's at our local Co-op and Rhinebeck.  I talk to about 40 people at the co-op, and we talk to over 5000 at Rhinebeck.  Hmmmmm. So I was extremely nervous about our "performance" and our "numbers".  David assured us that all went exceedingly well, so well in fact that he was going to recommend we be rolled out to other appropriate stores in the region.  Not next year, but this season. 

I had to sit down.

So I thought I'd show you a couple of before and after photos.  First -  a collage of what was going on around here prior to Saturday.  I left out the crying and wringing of hands shots. Then two photos of the display in the store. 

Two years to fruition. I'm going upstairs to make Ginger Scones now.

      

Not Proud

I'm back from Rhinebeck.  I have a headache, a fever, a sore throat and a voice that sounds like a frog in heat.  Okay, I don't rally know what a frog in heat sounds like and whether or not they actually go into heat or just croak for a mate all summer long, but in my fevered imagination - that's how I sound.  And of course we came back to orders, and I'm totally out of lip balm having sold it all at the show. 

I practically crawled in the door to the news that my aunt, my father's sister and my last living blood relative significantly older than myself, had died.  She was a good woman - but we weren't particularly close -  I'm sad, but not devastated.  She was my dad's older sister and had been in a vegetative state for the past two months.  It was a blessing in other words.  Since I'm the only relative left - I get to take care of the arrangements.  Incredibly - she had prepaid her funeral and assembled her outfit, down to the jewelry she wanted to wear.  Bless you Aunt Rose - you were more thoughtful than I knew.

But onto the two things I did that I'm not proud of.  I wouldn't tell you at all, except that the more I thought about them - the funnier they got.  First - friends of ours who came up to the fair from the city to have dinner with us brought some of my favorite sweet buns from a Chinese bakery in Flushing, Queens.  I can't begin to describe these buns to you.  They're positively ethereal.  Tender, moist and a cross between chiffon and angel food cake with a delicate flavor like a kiss.  And did I say moist?  I have no idea how they do it - I can't - but whatever it is they do - I'm in live.  So anyway, I was handed a bag of these delights bu our friends who though we'd appreciate a snack, the understatement of the year: a ding dong is a snack - these buns are a glimpse of heaven.

So as Chan is leaving for the day, she came up to help out at the booth and shop with me, he hands her one of the buns.  and for the briefest flicker of a second - I wanted to snatch it back!   She's my daughter, and I love her to distraction - and I wanted my bun back.  What kind of a mother am I?  The worst mother in the world - no question about it.  I didn't snatch it back or even take a step in that direction - but she knew - and refused the precious gift.  I insisted, perhaps a bit too loudly, and she finally accepted the carefully wrapped the treasure and tucked it into her purse and I felt better.  So just maybe I'm not THE worst mother after all?

The second thing I did - and I still can't believe I did it - was to eat a piece of lamb that had fallen from my shish kabob sandwich to the shavings in our booth.  Yep, I ATE SOMETHING THAT FELL ON THE FLOOR!  The lamb was incredibly delicious - wonderfully tender and pink in the middle - perfectly grilled and Chan had waited in line for half and hour to get it for me. I was devastated that even a single bite would go to waste.   When Anthony saw my anguished expression - he nonchalantly picked it up, flicked off the couple of shavings that stuck to it and rinsed it with bottled water.  And with only the briefest hesitation - I popped it into my mouth.  It tasted none the worse for wear - and I'm not dead - so I guess it was okay.  But Chan had a completely horrified expression on her face and there was no way I could justify my behavior...  Sigh - I guess I really am a bad mother.  Or at the very least - I set a terrible example. 

But, and I did see and hug many friends, and I did have a great time and I did get treasure - I'll try and post a photo tomorrow.  It was a wonderful show.   

Cube Upgrade

Who ever said that cube-land would never become the startling forefront of a new fashion revolution was asleep at the keyboard.  It has been done.  My daughter, never one to stand on ceremony, turned her department and indeed a good portion of her company on it's ear when she decided to spruce up her cube and cover her office chair.  Now she's gotten tons of compliments and several people have asked to order a set!  But as a single mom with two little girls (see my grandkids album) who is a  brownie leader, gardener, scratch baker, knitter, sewer and I can't even list all of what else, she really doesn't have time. 

She has offered to show people how to make the covers themselves, but it's amazing how many people don't have sewing machines.  Hmmmm.... as I think about it - this could be hot!  You could even change the covers seasonally!  So, if you want to make your cube a happier place, you'll need:

3 yards (depending on the size of your chair) of a good quality fabric, remember, you'll be sitting on it every day. The heavier decorator or upholstery fabric is a good idea or at least a good quality quilting cotton such as those from www.equilter.com.
3 yards of 1/2 - 3/4" elastic
Matching thread

Measure your chair, and if need be, trace a rough pattern of the back, seat and arms.  Opened and taped together brown paper grocery bags work great for this.

Make sure you allow for the depth of the cushions and any protruding hardware when doing your measuring. Also watch for cushions that taper, you'll need to make certain you allow the cover to slip over the widest part. 

For all pieces, allow 3" for the elastic casing.

The chair back is similar to a pillow case and covers both sides. 

The seat and arms slip over the tops and gather in beneath. Allow at least 3" on the seat and 2" on the arms for this part.

Go to town!  Let's turn cube-land upside down!  And make sure you send me pictures of your gorgeous chairs!!!

ps did I tell you she also designs knitwear?  http://hot_potato_knits.typepad.com/hot_potato/

 

This is Food?

I just had to post this.  While reading The Sour Patch, a food blog last night, I came across an entry about Peanut Butter slices and my jaw dropped about a foot.  My first thought: are they kidding?  My second: no, obviously not since these things are apparently on store shelves west of the Mississippi as I type.  Are people buying them?  No doubt.  It saves time.

Now don't get me wrong, I like to save time as much as the next woman.  Running my own business and having a partner, home, children, grandchildren and elderly parents, not to mention interests and hobbies of my own mean that I am generally doing at least two things at once at any given time.  Still, there should be limits to how far I, or any sane person, will go to save a second or two. 

A number of years ago, I took a series of cake decorating classes from a local shop.  The classes were wonderful, our instructor was marvelous, and I parlayed my knowledge into a home custom cake business that did very well.  The instructor and his wife owned the shop.  They had an 18-month-old son that came to the shop with them every day.  He had his playpen and a play corner chock full of toys and even a small TV.  He was a happy baby.

Every day, his mother made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.  Okay, I didn't serve PB&J to my kids until I was certain they wouldn't choke to death, but that aside, she did something I found astonishing.  She premixed the peanut butter and grape jelly together into a greyish mass and put it into a large jar at home.  Then, at the store, she would dollop a portion out onto a slice of bread and Voila - instant PB&J.

I always thought PB&J WAS instant food already.  So wheres the logic in putting it into slices?  You still need a knife or a spoon for the jelly and a plate to put the sandwich on.  You still need to take the time to gather all the ingredients and assemble the thing.  You still need to take at least a minute to inhale it.  And we won't even go into what sort of chemical additives, stabilizers and fillers they had to put into the peanut butter to get it to behave like processed cheese food (another personal peeve). 

But logic has nothing to do with any of it.  And I think it’s less about the time saved, as it is about the “next new thing” The PB Slices people came up with an idea for something that no one had ever seen.  We are attracted to the new and shiny.  Our kids will see the commercials and ask for it, and we will buy it for them because all their friends are eating it already and there was a coupon in Sunday's paper.  And we want to be good parents - don't we?      

 

 

Mutual Knitting Admiration

So, I just got off the phone with my daughter, the knitwear designer, and she's finally going pro!  She's going to sell her patterns.  Officially, with a name and a website and everything.  She didn't think she could do it.  She was nervous.  She thought no one would like her patterns.  After much coaxing and encouragement from Anthony, her sister, and Me, she put her Snakey Sweater pattern (see Photo Album) up for sale at our booth at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool fair this past October.  She sold out.  Then she said “I can't believe I did this”.  I just sighed.  I told her she could do it.

Chan learned to knit two years ago this past October at the NYC Knit Out.  I didn't trust myself to teach her since I have a notable lack of patience for instruction, so I took her to Union Square and we stood in line for a teacher.   After waiting half and hour in the brilliant sunshine, she sat with needles in hand and practiced the knit stitch over and over (the first row is already cast on for you, and you get to keep the skein of yarn and needles).  Her teacher was an angel and did not lose patience with her once. 

We had a wonderful lunch on the sidewalk at Republic Noodle.  Afterwards, as we walked towards the subway, she turned to me and said "You know, I think I can get into this knitting thing.  I think I might like it".  Six months later she was designing her own patterns.  I've been knitting for over 30 years and I still get the shakes whenever I have to change a single stitch. 

Okay, so I'm a pattern slave.  But there may be hope for me yet.  When I knit the Dinosaurus Rex Sweater (see Photo Album), I thought the ridge row looked clumsy in the pattern.  I called Chan, and as expected, she casually said "Just pick up the ridges from the sweater body.  Why on earth would you knit them separately and then sew them on - that's just silly".  I don't know, the pattern slave replied  - because that's what the pattern says to do? She just sighed.   

So even though I didn't think I could do it, I took a deep breath and picked up the ridges from the body of the sweater.  And I figured out how many stitches to pick up and how the decreases should go to make the points, and it looked great.  And when the ridge line leaned to one side, I slip stitched the bottom of the line to the body one row over on the other side to hold it upright.  And it worked, and it looks great.  And I called her and told her and she said, "Come on mom, I told you you could do it".

Thanks Chan. I guess we can do it.

HooHa

While I was too sick even to knit with a spiking fever and feeling very sorry for myself this afternoon, GI Jane happened along on the TV.  After watching Demi do all those push-ups, I swallowed a couple of motrin and managed to get up and have dinner at the table. Nows there's a real accomplishment.  A few more taps at this keyboard and I may even be strong enough to pick up the needles.

And my sweetie just this second brought me a plate of sesame honey candy spiced with chipotle pepper that he made upstaris while I was down here tapping away.  Men's roles - women's roles - whatever.  Hooha!

The New Year's Resolution

Yeah, I know it’s late, but this year, the feared Resolutions are taking a heck of a lot longer than usual.  Maybe it’s because I have had enough havoc in my life lately and I really don’t want to change another thing; at least for a month or so.  Peace be with me.  Please! 

Well anyway, the Resolution habit is so deeply ingrained that I’m starting to feel like a slug for not committing at least one to paper.  But Resolutions are a problem.  Because in order to change one thing, you generally have to give something up.  And I really like my things.  That’s why I do them.  So here it is.  Take a deep breath…you can do this… a drum roll please: I’m going to eat bran cereal for breakfast. 

Phew.  Glad that’s over.  Now I have to go to the store and buy some Raisin Bran and start eating it.  Every morning.  Instead of my beloved toast because it’ll be really good for me.  And I can have still have toast for lunch, or my bedtime snack and no, I’m not on the Atkin’s diet, that man is a freak.  Anyone who would outlaw toast should be living in a cave far away from civilized society. 

So I’ll eat the bran cereal because Jim Duke (The Green Pharmacy) say’s so, and because I know it’s really good for me and because If I’m going to have one Resolution – it should be something beneficial to my physical health and well-being not just my mental health and well-being like last year’s Resolution to go scuba diving under the ice in Antarctica which I still have not managed to do because it’s darn expensive. 

It’s a good thing I believe in carry-overs, because I can still try for an ice diving adventure this year. And while I’m being hopeful, maybe I can even manage to eat the bran cereal.

First day of school...

In grammar school, I was always nervous on the first day of class.  In retrospect, I don’t know why, since I always knew everyone and already knew who would be in my class.  I knew who my teacher would be.  I knew where my favorite seat on the bus was and what I would eat for lunch.  There was always a good deal of certainty to the process.  I was still nervous. 

I was nervous this morning – knowing that today was the day I would launch this blog.  So I suppose it was good that I was busy.  I had to take my father to the acupuncturist at noon.  That meant I had orders to get out first thing this morning.  I packed up some samples and literature to take with me to doctor’s office and the health food store and the knitting shop.  I thought I might get to the two stores while my father was in with the doctor.  He had shoulder pain in both arms and is convinced that he is going to die from the pain.  I don’t think he is going to die, but I do think I am going to go mad if I can’t figure out how to help him soon.

Both shops were very warm and welcoming, which is a good thing since selling always makes me exceptionally nervous, sort of like the first day of school and starting this blog.  I had a lovely chat with the receptionist about HMH and the chemicals in cosmetics while I knit the foot of the first sock in the third and last pair of granddaughter socks (long story). 

After the doctor, my father needed to go to the bakery to buy rolls.  This is a treat, since it’s a pick your own place, with a huge cavernous room where you go from bin to rack and select your own warm bread and rolls.  It was tough getting out of there without one of everything in the trunk – but somehow I managed to practice restraint, though I did pick a loaf of warm raisin and walnut bread.  Then there was Home Depot for birdseed, then home.  I sat down to work on the blog and could not think of a one-line description for myself.  Sigh.

I managed to find an excuse to leave the house again, this time to take my stepmother to the grocery store.  Anthony (my SO and business partner) came with us effectively turning the trip into a party by dancing in the aisles.  I even love Pathmark when Anthony’s there.  Then there was dinner, then back here to my chair.  I got out the one line description thing, fiddled with the colors a bit and got ready to go up and knit for a while. 

Then I saw it – the post utility.  So I started to type.  I didn’t even get up for a hit of hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Somewhere in there, I stopped being nervous about doing this.  Somewhere during the first day of school, I always forgot that I was very nervous just that morning.  I can’t put my finger on when it happened or how – but it always did. 

When I was first learning to scuba dive, I had a great deal of difficulty with the getting water up my nose part.  I had a wonderful instructor who finally, in exasperation said to me “Claudia, where do you think the water is going to go?  It’s not going into your brain, and it’s not going to come out your ears.  It hurts a little – so what?  That’s just the chlorine.  It’ll come right back out and you’ll be no worse off for the experience.” He was right.  The water never went into my brain and it never came out of my ears.  I blew it back out of my nose and got on with my certification.  I wasn’t nervous anymore.

I feel pretty good right now, and I’m really glad I didn’t let my nervousness force me upstairs to knit, even though that’s a good thing too.  Welcome to my blog, and thanks for listening.