September???

can that be? already?? wow, I know the older I get it seems time goes so much faster, but seriously, is it really September? Our weather is sure indicating so! Right now it feels so much like fall outside. It's sunny, and that is a good thing as I can tolerate cool temps as long as the sun shines, but I sure do wish that we had more summer warmth this year...I feel totally robbed of summer and here we are now, heading into fall.

However, that said, Fall used to be my favorite season. In actuality it really still is, I mean, the colors, the smells, the holidays...I love all that stuff, but, with the entrance of fall means the presence of winter on the way..and, we all know, I HATE winter!!! I keep counting down...three more winters and I won't have to take the torture anymore!!!

Alright...enough whining Cricket!! :D Back to fall!! With fall comes Halloween!! I really like Halloween...I mean, for this girl who loves all things horror and dark and twisty, Halloween is a great holiday, and fast becoming my favorite! I used to decorate a ton for the holiday and then I sort of slacked off, but this year I am really inspired to "do up" the house! I'm not big on the outdoor stuff, maybe a wreath and some pumpkins..more fall themed than scary, but the inside is going to get a real makeover and I can't wait! I've been losing myself each night in magazines devoted to all things gothic and Halloween (Martha's got a great mag out now on the holiday) and I've got a lot of cute ideas swirling about in my head! I even joined a Trick or Treat Swap!!! I'm so psyched to be a part of this!! It's given me some new mojo to create which was sorely needed! Check it out, link is on the sidebar ! Thanks to my girl Cinnibonbon for hooking me up! I've also been indulging myself in an art journal..loving that creative process as it combines both my love of paper and ink with my biggest love, writing! It feels really great to have a place to "put" both of those things together.

Another really big deal for me right now and one that excites me to my toes is my baking gig! Yep, after years of "dreaming" of being a pastry chef, I have the opportunity to put another of my passions into play! I have been hired on by this amazing cafe, The Wild Tree, to do some baking of treats for them! The Wild Tree is such a cool place to hang out, the community there is amazing and you can just feel all the "good vibrations" that eminate from within. Ivy, the owner, is such a wonderful spirit, very supportive and I can't begin to thank her enough for helping to make this dream of mine become a reality! While I like to bake tons of different things, right now I am focusing on doing Vegan desserts for her. Now, most desserts are probably considered Vegetarian because, well, there isn't meat in desserts really! LOL, but the main difference between a Vegetarian and a Vegan is the use of dairy and eggs. Vegetarians (myself) will still eat eggs and dairy (I cannot give up my cheese omelets or ice cream!) and a Vegan will not. So, yep, there are ways around those ingredients in the baking world. There are really awesome substitutions that I use and so far, everyone who has tasted or purchased my treats has said that they would never know they were Vegan!! Whew!! So, right now, I head down to the cafe once a week, after it closes and do my baking deal. My friend Mary (who was key in getting me this gig by the way!) comes along and helps out! We crank the tunes, turn on the oven, hang out and bake..it's a blast! I look forward to seeing where this adventure will take me!

More fall goodness....cooking! Yep, don't often cook too much during the summer, it's just to casual and hot out to bother..but once the cooler weather sets in, it's like a little bell goes off inside of me and the urge to cook comes to me in full force! Today I tried my hand at homemade vegetable broth to which I then made a veggie soup! You should seriously smell my house right now, I have my soup simmering on the stove and it is totally wafting (yes, I actually used the word wafting!) up the stairs to my sCRAP room! I can't wait to indulge in it. I was cutting up all these yummy, fresh veggies and said to myself "self, lets just go harvest something outta this little garden you got going"..so, with shears in hand, I headed out and picked myself a beautiful squash which is now cooking itself away in my lovely soup! I love my garden, I will be sad to see it end but look forward to an even bigger one next year!

Alright then, that's about it for me. Gonna add some tuneage back to the sidebar...sorry, I just miss the sounds...so hit the stop button if you don't want to listen! I'm loving my songbirds..something about a female singer just speaks to my soul..this song is one of my favorites, first heard in the movie "Sweet November" (love, love, love that movie).... Back to my sCRAP room and creating some fun Halloween treats while my nose enjoys the smells of that soup downstairs on the stove...

Until next time,
Blessings!