While I have been remiss in blogging or adding new bits to the website this past week it is sadly, not due to alien abduction. Personally I think a ride in a spaceship would make for a lovely vacation – as for the probing – meh, anyone with Fibromyalgia and/or other chronic pain conditions knows a routine trip to the doctor is likely worse than what any aliens might be doing to their abductees, so I’d be willing to take my chances.

Actually, the past several days have been taken up primarily by my art, specifically a piece I’m creating for Habitat for Humanity at my mother’s request. I’m both elated and terrified by the project and I vacillate wildly between liking the piece I’m creating and hating it. I’m pretending that it’s the same with all artists — even if it’s not, let me have this okay? I will have the piece finished today (Huzzah!) and will be shipping it out tomorrow via UPS (which I’m nervous about, having never packed or shipped art before). This is what it looks like now

The piece is called From Hope to Home — I will add the last of the finishing touches today (window glass, the rest of the flowers) and post the final picture tonight or tomorrow.

Mind you, even with all this going on I didn’t forget about you guys… … Saturday was spent whipping up some custard pie variations using Extreme Chocolate’s new citrus extracts as well as a tasty batch of Turmeric Chicken and Rice Soup, which I got to take over and share with a recuperating friend (no aliens here either, just kidney stones, way, way worse than abduction). I love feeding people and visiting good friends; combining the two always makes me extra happy. I’ll post all the recipes in the next few days, as well as the recipe for Cinnamon bread I made two weeks ago — I have been asked to please turn that into French Toast by another friend — a plan I intend to act upon sometime in February if I have the chance… and of course, I’ll write about it!

Yes, it is the same color as my counters — which means my counters are lemon custard yellow, now I know.

Pretty soon it will also be time to fill out an application for our local farmer’s market — I am hoping to be able to sell my new spice line there — as well as here on the site, we’re working hard to get that shopping kart added and a marketplace page in place.

With all of the stress of the last few months – as well as nasty flare-ups –  my nutrition and exercise has really slipped – it’s time for me to get back on the soy-free bandwagon and add more than my daily stretching and walks through the market to my exercise regime. To this end  you’ll  be seeing more tips and tricks about nutrition, exercise and wellness in general as I ease back into good habits and continue to research the topics to keep on top of what’s new in the world of diet and wellness, as well as which tried and true tactics are still the best — like making sure you’re drinking enough water each day and eating enough fiber. (Fiber — it’s not just for old people, really)!

This concludes the bloggy update goodness for today —  ”Beam me up Scotty”.