happeee newwww yearrrr! 2008!

hungover, no voice (croak...), too much booze, laughing, shouting and screaming. and it was wasn't even at a club...haha
i know this one's for kwismass... but hey!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1855223358
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! how did yours go? hope you all had a good one.
thank YOU all so very much for such an awesome year, for myself, and littleoddforest too!
i hope all littleoddforest fairies and elves are spending their new year with a huge smile! they know why.. yippe... ;D *big group hugsss*
sorry i have been awful at updating, it's simply because there have been just way too many good things (and some crazy workin') happening at the same time and so many stories, too little time, and so many unexpected presents! sobs.. thanks for the part 1, part 2, and part 3 pressies, i really love them all, even if YOU (you all know who you are) were not entirely pleased with what you got for me... silly billies. and yes yes yes, i'll try my best to take photos of them.... try, yeah.. ha
i can smell all the goodness coming in for 2008 already.
hungry. my mum came back last week, happy me. i totally splurged on a huge family dinner treat last friday. today's b's turn for part 2 of big treat. we're off to my favorite brunch place! wooppee! ta-ta for now! xoxo!

p.s. and yes, i'm still waiting for world vision (singapore) to get back to me about our child sponsorship. this, after 1 month and 2 phone calls, and promises of receiving our sponsorship information "next week". so much for efficiency eh? i'll give them another call next week if i still don't receive anything. there's still 1 more donated goody box left! no one likes green? and i thought this would be the first box to be sold. i'm also deciding if i should continue with littleoddforest's wwf donations for 2008, or to go with another organistaion, hmmm...

Plane Emissions and Pollution

For the last two weeks I have been studying about plane pollution. There is in fact very little good material on this matter on the net. In the near future I will post more on the topic. According to my estimation this is THE hottest topic in terms of human activity contributing to global warming. In general of course, it may be that constructive research in alternatives way of energy is much more important than debating the problems, but among the problems themselves, plane pollution is probably the greatest and rising.

For now, here are two interesting links.

First there is BBC news (from Nov 2007) and BBC discussion (from 2000) on the topic, which is not very informative. The news just tells us about basic dilemmas EU is facing in this matter and the discussion shows what people's thoughts were on the issue 7 years back (it would be interesting to see same people's opinions today).

Very interesting and informative website is "Choose climate" Plane pollution web site.

The author is an environmental scientist, Dr Ben Matthews, who really is knowledgeable about plane pollution and has himself actually made a decision not to fly (he has traveled all around the world and continents in last years but has not been flying from 1993!). Check his website for the best info-resource on the matter on the net.

I intend to post more on the topic soon...

Plane Emissions and Pollution

For the last two weeks I have been studying about plane pollution. There is in fact very little good material on this matter on the net. In the near future I will post more on the topic. According to my estimation this is THE hottest topic in terms of human activity contributing to global warming. In general of course, it may be that constructive research in alternatives way of energy is much more important than debating the problems, but among the problems themselves, plane pollution is probably the greatest and rising.

For now, here are two interesting links.

First there is BBC news (from Nov 2007) and BBC discussion (from 2000) on the topic, which is not very informative. The news just tells us about basic dilemmas EU is facing in this matter and the discussion shows what people's thoughts were on the issue 7 years back (it would be interesting to see same people's opinions today).

Very interesting and informative website is "Choose climate" Plane pollution web site.

The author is an environmental scientist, Dr Ben Matthews, who really is knowledgeable about plane pollution and has himself actually made a decision not to fly (he has traveled all around the world and continents in last years but has not been flying from 1993!). Check his website for the best info-resource on the matter on the net.

I intend to post more on the topic soon...

Wheeler Farm Family Photos Salt Lake City

I love the snow cause it acts as a reflector, a giant cold reflector! ;) We had a lot of fun with the Lowry’s family photo shoot even under cold weather. We got a little bit of snow towards the end but it was just flurries. We shot their family session at the Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake City is wonderful for weddings and photo sessions you get that antique look with a million different places and backdrops to choose from.

Click images to enlarge

Christmas Decorating - a Comparative Remark

Brits decorate their houses much more modestly than Slovenians, or Austrians or Croatians for that matter. Not only the houses, also the city centers of some cities here are modestly but neatly decorated, not excessively like in my home country.

I must admit I like British custom better. Not only is it frequently done with more taste (after my taste at least) but it all consumes much less electricity of course. I wonder if British reluctance to decorate more is grounded on ecological thinking?

Christmas Decorating - a Comparative Remark

Brits decorate their houses much more modestly than Slovenians, or Austrians or Croatians for that matter. Not only the houses, also the city centers of some cities here are modestly but neatly decorated, not excessively like in my home country.

I must admit I like British custom better. Not only is it frequently done with more taste (after my taste at least) but it all consumes much less electricity of course. I wonder if British reluctance to decorate more is grounded on ecological thinking?

i love the smell of december

in consideration for all religions (or lack-thereof), and all races and culture...

i got this done in time, lana!! ha!
love, eat, drink, and be merry, peeps!!
*muacks!*

Carbon footprint online calculators

I have tried two of them, the EarthLab and the Google.co.uk one (Check out the direct link on their calculator in one of google's link windows on this blog under the title "Environment & CO2").

Both of them are of course simplified to the maximum. My results are very green indeed - they left me in disbelief (quite literally I am afraid). Google's one shows my footprint is 1,91 tons of CO2 per year, Earthlab tells me I emit 1,95 tons. My unscientific estimation is that one has to count on at least 0,5t + or - variation possibility if not more because the info you put in is so scarce and vague.

Yet, it is some estimation and an interesting online click-toy. In this way it serves as something of a reminder for many. They do not help me in this way though and even put me in danger to compare myself with "those other big CO2 sinners" out there whom you can find on the google.co.uk map. Anyway, I am quite aware that living on a student-budget and riding a bike around Cambridge these days makes me a low CO2 footprint "hero" if I want it or not! :)

(Did you know that Cambridge is the most "bicycling city" in the UK? More about that in one of the next posts)

Carbon footprint online calculators

I have tried two of them, the EarthLab and the Google.co.uk one (Check out the direct link on their calculator in one of google's link windows on this blog under the title "Environment & CO2").

Both of them are of course simplified to the maximum. My results are very green indeed - they left me in disbelief (quite literally I am afraid). Google's one shows my footprint is 1,91 tons of CO2 per year, Earthlab tells me I emit 1,95 tons. My unscientific estimation is that one has to count on at least 0,5t + or - variation possibility if not more because the info you put in is so scarce and vague.

Yet, it is some estimation and an interesting online click-toy. In this way it serves as something of a reminder for many. They do not help me in this way though and even put me in danger to compare myself with "those other big CO2 sinners" out there whom you can find on the google.co.uk map. Anyway, I am quite aware that living on a student-budget and riding a bike around Cambridge these days makes me a low CO2 footprint "hero" if I want it or not! :)

(Did you know that Cambridge is the most "bicycling city" in the UK? More about that in one of the next posts)

business matters

i totally abhor working with people who take every single discussion and decision-making process with such torture, pain, agony, and stress. it kills so much productivity, creativity, happiness, willingness, and healthy brain cells, and chokes up all your blood vessels.
worst of all, it just drives me totally bonkers.
not everything has to be so difficult to do and to overcome! can't they just relax?? (as much as i hate to say this and avoid saying so)
perfectionist, idealist, dreamer.... whatever!
i believe all good decisions and discussions (business or not) are made calmly. so that you can think clearly.
yes of course you can disagree (duh!), and you can most definitely (and should!) voice out your opinions, comments, suggestions etc.
BUT not with such screwed up facial expressions, tense brain muscles, shrieky voice tones, and negatively loud reactions, all of which do not offer any constructive viewpoints or contribute to decision-making at all.
please be more positive, open-minded and open-hearted. please!
if you can't smile, then let it be a thinking look, pondering look, doubtful look, or just plain expressionless!
why make simple things and life so hard for yourself, and others???
why don't you just take a gun and shoot me whenever i open a discussion or tell you my decision?? and i thought i was "da boss"!!?
sheesh!!
end of rant. since i can't (and don't) scream in real person, i thought i could at least just let it out here.
and don't worry, my holiday mood ain't getting affected

Plane pollution survey comment

Interesting: In these two days the survey is on, out of 13 people who have responded not one has yet answered "yes". None of us has yet taken any action to use alternative ways of transport instead of flying and only two of us are considering this possibility.

This observation is not to condemn at all. I am pointing it out because it tells me something.

It tells me that this blog, "Eco-friendly way of life - The Ordinary Person's Guide to Eco-Friendly Living" makes sense. Many of us struggle how to incorporate our environmental ethical concerns with other interests, obligations and concerns we have in life.

The decision to cut down flying for environmentalist reasons really is one of the most hard ones because for some of us the cost is really high (because of the distances between places where we have social connections, jobs or studies). So further thinking, research and weighing the possibilities of action is in order. You will hear more on this sub-topic on this blog for sure.

Plane pollution survey comment

Interesting: In these two days the survey is on, out of 13 people who have responded not one has yet answered "yes". None of us has yet taken any action to use alternative ways of transport instead of flying and only two of us are considering this possibility.

This observation is not to condemn at all. I am pointing it out because it tells me something.

It tells me that this blog, "Eco-friendly way of life - The Ordinary Person's Guide to Eco-Friendly Living" makes sense. Many of us struggle how to incorporate our environmental ethical concerns with other interests, obligations and concerns we have in life.

The decision to cut down flying for environmentalist reasons really is one of the most hard ones because for some of us the cost is really high (because of the distances between places where we have social connections, jobs or studies). So further thinking, research and weighing the possibilities of action is in order. You will hear more on this sub-topic on this blog for sure.

LDS Temple pictures

We shoot by far the most of our wedding photography at the Mount Timpangous Temple in American Fork Utah, so we thought we'd share some of our favorite photos of it. Enjoy!

Picture frame samples.

AEROPLANE POLLUTION

This is a tough one. Aviation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas. To cite Dr Keith Tovey who is the energy science director at the University of East Anglia's carbon reduction project:

"If you fly to Sydney, Australia, a plane will emit 5.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide per passenger, which is as much as an average household will emit all year."

Can you imagine?! Other comparison says that one flight to Florida from UK causes the same amount of CO2 as one average active car in UK in a whole year.

The challenge is a very serious one for most of us, for various reasons. With aviation business in the rise and more people flying than ever before - predominantly because of the low-fare airlines like Ryanair - interest in air travel is big and rising. Today's way of life for many people involves air travel across the continents and the globe. I am not talking about vacation alone, but also about business, family, educational and other reasons.

For example, I live and study in Cambrige UK, but my true home, my friends and parents and some important activities revolve around Maribor, Slovenia. I live between these two worlds and it is not only me that decides. I can not travel with my 1 year old from Slovenia to England with a train or bus at this stage, and of course becuase of low fares (which are indeed getting really low!) of the air tickects other ways of transport are considerably more expensive. Not to mention the time.

So the stakes are high in this matter, and not only for me and my familly. Friends of the Earth organisation is pushing a high tax on air travel. The passengers and the firms alike would have to pay much more. It is interesting to see what people think about this on "plane pollution on BBC talk". Also, in the States there are initiatives and petitions that seek curbs on plane emissions.

Please click your answer on the survey on the right side of this blog (if it is still on - it will be replaced on 1.1.2008 with another one). Till now no one of the ten people who answered the question has actually took action not to fly because of this considerations. Including me, that is.

AEROPLANE POLLUTION

This is a tough one. Aviation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas. To cite Dr Keith Tovey who is the energy science director at the University of East Anglia's carbon reduction project:

"If you fly to Sydney, Australia, a plane will emit 5.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide per passenger, which is as much as an average household will emit all year."

Can you imagine?! Other comparison says that one flight to Florida from UK causes the same amount of CO2 as one average active car in UK in a whole year.

The challenge is a very serious one for most of us, for various reasons. With aviation business in the rise and more people flying than ever before - predominantly because of the low-fare airlines like Ryanair - interest in air travel is big and rising. Today's way of life for many people involves air travel across the continents and the globe. I am not talking about vacation alone, but also about business, family, educational and other reasons.

For example, I live and study in Cambrige UK, but my true home, my friends and parents and some important activities revolve around Maribor, Slovenia. I live between these two worlds and it is not only me that decides. I can not travel with my 1 year old from Slovenia to England with a train or bus at this stage, and of course becuase of low fares (which are indeed getting really low!) of the air tickects other ways of transport are considerably more expensive. Not to mention the time.

So the stakes are high in this matter, and not only for me and my familly. Friends of the Earth organisation is pushing a high tax on air travel. The passengers and the firms alike would have to pay much more. It is interesting to see what people think about this on "plane pollution on BBC talk". Also, in the States there are initiatives and petitions that seek curbs on plane emissions.

Please click your answer on the survey on the right side of this blog (if it is still on - it will be replaced on 1.1.2008 with another one). Till now no one of the ten people who answered the question has actually took action not to fly because of this considerations. Including me, that is.

Coolest Christmas card ever!

We don't usually get mail from Newport Beach California so we were trying to figure out who we knew from that area and were happy to see some familiar faces. We had a great time with the Stayner's and their family at their family photo session in July. They were here in Utah during the Fourth of July so we got to hang out with the bunch (no pun intended Megan!) and got some great family photos. Their family Christmas card was a lot of fun to read and very creative and cute! Definitely lucky 7's! Best of wishes and MERRY CHRISTMAS! Will & Debbie.

Cars running on water + less gas!

Athough it sounds like a scam, it actually seems to be a reality. Did you know that you can use water, special technology + considerably less gas to drive more eco-friendly? And, very importantly: you save money.

Such ideas didn't sound convincing few years ago, and there are also several pretty far-fetched suggestions on the net too (Like driving your car on pure water only!). I have searched the web a bit (you can find many sites on the topic on google). The mechanism suggested on the site linked here is quite transparent and actually explained how it works. It is obvious many people are already using it in their cars and that the owner is a very successful seller of his car conversion.

Please, check out the link (Klick: Water and Gas technology in cars), and be sure to read it through and watch the videos. Then comment. If you are an expert in the field of car technology (I am not exactly an expert) you are especially welcome to share your thoughts on this one.

Cars running on water + less gas!

Athough it sounds like a scam, it actually seems to be a reality. Did you know that you can use water, special technology + considerably less gas to drive more eco-friendly? And, very importantly: you save money.

Such ideas didn't sound convincing few years ago, and there are also several pretty far-fetched suggestions on the net too (Like driving your car on pure water only!). I have searched the web a bit (you can find many sites on the topic on google). The mechanism suggested on the site linked here is quite transparent and actually explained how it works. It is obvious many people are already using it in their cars and that the owner is a very successful seller of his car conversion.

Please, check out the link (Klick: Water and Gas technology in cars), and be sure to read it through and watch the videos. Then comment. If you are an expert in the field of car technology (I am not exactly an expert) you are especially welcome to share your thoughts on this one.

The Blackle

Did you know about the blackle? It is the google with black background. It is claimed that it's more environment-friendly because it uses less power (which is needed for white-light monitor background compared to black background). If millions of computer users would choose Blackle instead of Google, a major cutting down on emissions would occur.

At least, so the story goes. Yet, there is a dispute about how much blackle is actually saving compared to google. More evidence of blackle's supposed advantage are yet to be seen, some say. Check the above "dispute" blog link for some more info.

But of course, check it out first hand: BLACKLE!

Do you use Blackle? Share your thoughts on it.

The Blackle

Did you know about the blackle? It is the google with black background. It is claimed that it's more environment-friendly because it uses less power (which is needed for white-light monitor background compared to black background). If millions of computer users would choose Blackle instead of Google, a major cutting down on emissions would occur.

At least, so the story goes. Yet, there is a dispute about how much blackle is actually saving compared to google. More evidence of blackle's supposed advantage are yet to be seen, some say. Check the above "dispute" blog link for some more info.

But of course, check it out first hand: BLACKLE!

Do you use Blackle? Share your thoughts on it.

Eco-friendly business thinking

Ecological awareness is increasingly present even in economical thinking of many leaders of companies. Although the label "green" or "eco-friendly" is of course used also just as a marketing strategy, the products that use alternative sources of energy, eco-friendly engines, or simply pollute much less or none at all, are increasingly being recognized as great business potential as well.

As more people are organizing their lives in more eco-friendly ways, more and more companies are exploring creative ideas how to be ecologically ahead of other competitive companies. That means that improving your lifestyle, using more and more eco-friendly ways of and products, actually creates more of such ideas and products on the markets, which is great for the planet.

Some creative, even daring ideas, in which you can be included by buying their eco-friendly products, if you want, can be found here and here. This blog is not simply an advertising blog, but I (and I hope others) will check different products and economical ideas that are around and discuss them here.

Eco-friendly business thinking

Ecological awareness is increasingly present even in economical thinking of many leaders of companies. Although the label "green" or "eco-friendly" is of course used also just as a marketing strategy, the products that use alternative sources of energy, eco-friendly engines, or simply pollute much less or none at all, are increasingly being recognized as great business potential as well.

As more people are organizing their lives in more eco-friendly ways, more and more companies are exploring creative ideas how to be ecologically ahead of other competitive companies. That means that improving your lifestyle, using more and more eco-friendly ways of and products, actually creates more of such ideas and products on the markets, which is great for the planet.

Some creative, even daring ideas, in which you can be included by buying their eco-friendly products, if you want, can be found here and here. This blog is not simply an advertising blog, but I (and I hope others) will check different products and economical ideas that are around and discuss them here.

The basics

I am starting this blog with very simple things and more or less common knowledge about saving the planet. The topics and discussions will become more complex and in depth with time as I (and other people through comments and suggestions to me) will consider more "on the edge" issues and creative new ways how to contribute to saving the planet.

To begin with, let's just very quickly review the basic things you can do immediately to start saving the planet. These are repeatedly mentioned in several presentations, Al Gore's Inconvenient truth movie, and elsewhere. In fact, they seem to be repeated so often in the web that one can easily loose sight of their importance. These are, to repeat myself, the simple basics.


1.) Lower your house temperature if you can. By lowering it for 1 degree C you can decrease emissions of hundreds of Kg per year.

2.) Do not switch lights on without a good cause. Use saving light bulbs instead of ordinary ones. Hundreds of kilos of CO2 spared!


3.) Ironing, boilers etc. use much more power than light bulbs. You want to be really careful not to have these switched on unnecessarily! Hundreds or even thousands of kg CO2 emissions per year can be spared considering this.

4.) Make a habit to regularly sort the waste. Recycle everything you can. Especially the plastic and tins!

5.) When buying a fridge buy one with A+ sign. You will again save hundreds of Kg emissions per year.

6.) When buying a car, buy one with lower emission and fuel consumption. You will save much money and the planet. 15000 km you send up to 4 tons less CO2 into the air!

7.) Drive rather 90 km/hour than 120 km /hour. You lower emissions of CO2 by 20%!

8.) If it is possible, travel by bike, by foot, with public transport or drive together with friends if you have the same or similar destinations.

9.) Plant a tree or more of them. One tree "sucks" a ton of CO2 in its lifetime into itself.

10.) Spread a message to others in a friendly and attractive way.

These are not necessarily the most essential simple steps, but to me they seem to be quite a good set to focus on at first.

One "psychological advice" is here in order. Do not be too hard on yourself if you see you are not doing these things which you know are right to do diligently enough. Rather make it step by step, but make a sure progress in these habits. And discuss it with others.

The basics

I am starting this blog with very simple things and more or less common knowledge about saving the planet. The topics and discussions will become more complex and in depth with time as I (and other people through comments and suggestions to me) will consider more "on the edge" issues and creative new ways how to contribute to saving the planet.

To begin with, let's just very quickly review the basic things you can do immediately to start saving the planet. These are repeatedly mentioned in several presentations, Al Gore's Inconvenient truth movie, and elsewhere. In fact, they seem to be repeated so often in the web that one can easily loose sight of their importance. These are, to repeat myself, the simple basics.


1.) Lower your house temperature if you can. By lowering it for 1 degree C you can decrease emissions of hundreds of Kg per year.

2.) Do not switch lights on without a good cause. Use saving light bulbs instead of ordinary ones. Hundreds of kilos of CO2 spared!


3.) Ironing, boilers etc. use much more power than light bulbs. You want to be really careful not to have these switched on unnecessarily! Hundreds or even thousands of kg CO2 emissions per year can be spared considering this.

4.) Make a habit to regularly sort the waste. Recycle everything you can. Especially the plastic and tins!

5.) When buying a fridge buy one with A+ sign. You will again save hundreds of Kg emissions per year.

6.) When buying a car, buy one with lower emission and fuel consumption. You will save much money and the planet. 15000 km you send up to 4 tons less CO2 into the air!

7.) Drive rather 90 km/hour than 120 km /hour. You lower emissions of CO2 by 20%!

8.) If it is possible, travel by bike, by foot, with public transport or drive together with friends if you have the same or similar destinations.

9.) Plant a tree or more of them. One tree "sucks" a ton of CO2 in its lifetime into itself.

10.) Spread a message to others in a friendly and attractive way.

These are not necessarily the most essential simple steps, but to me they seem to be quite a good set to focus on at first.

One "psychological advice" is here in order. Do not be too hard on yourself if you see you are not doing these things which you know are right to do diligently enough. Rather make it step by step, but make a sure progress in these habits. And discuss it with others.

interesting fact.

there were...
11 maureens
9 amys
2 beths
3 pauls
5 christines
6 christinas
5 samanthas
3 hannahs
2 kellys
7 jennifers
2 michaels

just last week alone. crazy huh. this holiday shopping frenzy.... i'm keeping my fingers crossed that all the order packages goes to the right peeps..... gerry opened up a couple of the packages because she became paranoid about them, and wanted to be triply-sure.... no mistakes though... (i hope!!)
oh, and i'm super late in this... (amongst many other gazillion matters... ) we welome gerry! our new part-time helper, who's waiting for classes to start in january, she likes to infect us with your infectious heyna laughter :)
in the meantime, the flickr will serve well for updates.... i'll also be revealing the new collection bit by bit by bit.... and thanks for being awesome about my darn late email replies.... thanks for all your love! *hugs*

"that's a jingle-bell, that's a jingle-bell, that's a jingle-bell rock!!....."
and please. get this song outta my already overcrowded mind. it's been on repeat mode for the last 3 days!!!! thanks to you, you know who you are!!! :ppppppppp

more later...

INCREASE ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS

Global warming phenomenon has left increasing numbers of us worrying about the planet. Instead of just despairing you might be asking yourself, what can I do to save the planet, to conserve our fragile environment?

Many people are well on their way of changing their habbits to become more eco-frienldy. I am not an activist environmentalist or a professional whose job it is to study global warming or effects or causes thereof. It is not even my hobby or passion to be an "evironmentalist evangelist". Like a big majority, I have other occupation(s) and interest priorities, I consider myself to be an ordinary lay-person in that respect, hence the expression in the subtitle of this blog - "ORDINARY PERSON'S GUIDE" to the eco-friendly lifestyle.

There are many ways though how you and I can contribute to environment conservation. Become a part of the "saving armies" of the planet by considering messages, ideas, changes of lifestyle and habits described and linked on this blog. I have searched the web to find those really interesting and easy to use ideas how to save the planet. Check them out and get involved in your own way.

I assume You want to be ahead of time. Be a saver, not a destroyer!

INCREASE ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS

Global warming phenomenon has left increasing numbers of us worrying about the planet. Instead of just despairing you might be asking yourself, what can I do to save the planet, to conserve our fragile environment?

Many people are well on their way of changing their habbits to become more eco-frienldy. I am not an activist environmentalist or a professional whose job it is to study global warming or effects or causes thereof. It is not even my hobby or passion to be an "evironmentalist evangelist". Like a big majority, I have other occupation(s) and interest priorities, I consider myself to be an ordinary lay-person in that respect, hence the expression in the subtitle of this blog - "ORDINARY PERSON'S GUIDE" to the eco-friendly lifestyle.

There are many ways though how you and I can contribute to environment conservation. Become a part of the "saving armies" of the planet by considering messages, ideas, changes of lifestyle and habits described and linked on this blog. I have searched the web to find those really interesting and easy to use ideas how to save the planet. Check them out and get involved in your own way.

I assume You want to be ahead of time. Be a saver, not a destroyer!

Thanksgiving Weekend

I think our nephew Collin will become the next American Eagle super model just remember what I said. He's such an adorable poser and loves the camera! We had a great time with the family during the holidays and look forward on spending more time on Christmas.

Nostalgia, photos and my gram...

So glad everyone seemed to agree with regards to my last post. It is so nice to know there are so many like-minded people out there which is the thing I love about "blogs"!

I wanted to share with you all this link to a useful BLOG that offers great info about taking photos of Christmas trees and lights. Over the years we have had the most incredibly beautiful Christmas trees but each time I try to take photos of them, the pics always come out looking either way too dark or terribly washed out from the flash. This little photo taking guide offers solutions to this problem so I thought some of you might want to try it out. I expect to see AMAZING Christmas photos on all your blogs!

On a different note...I have been meaning to share with you some pictures of my Grandma (better known as "gram"). She passed away in 2001 just a few days after I went back to the US to be with her. They say she waiting to see me one more time. We were very close and I miss her so much. She was such a beautiful lady with a tremendous spirit. I learned so much from her.

If you visit my website, you may have seen this picture of her in the background of some website pics. This was taken in 1947.




Gram and a friend (no doubt one of her many admirers!)



Gram with a "hill billy" hat, 1950. She had a deep, hearty laugh with a great sense of humour.



Gram with her brothers,she was the only girl. 1950



Gram at the "supper club" with friends, 1948



Wasn't she lovely?

not forgetting to give thanks...

littleoddforest goods have been featured in many holiday shopping wishlists online since the past few months, thanks thanks thanks to you all!! most of the featured items have been sold out already (so sorry!!) but i'll try my best to restock them... not immediately though (unfortunately, i'm no robot nor wonderwoman or octopussy) but as soon as i possibly can! *muacks!*
some of the recent ones...
http://www.designspongeonline.com
http://www.flavourites.nl
http://www.shelterrific.com
http://www.littlesplurge.com

holiday shipping datelines!

the fund raiser gift boxes are available here!
http://www.forestprints.com/itemslist.aspx?cat=Accessories

goody box 1
http://www.forestprints.com/itemprofile.aspx?itemcode=GoodyBox1

goody box 2
http://www.forestprints.com/itemprofile.aspx?itemcode=GoodyBox2

goody box 3
http://www.forestprints.com/itemprofile.aspx?itemcode=GoodyBox3

a collaboration of sorts...

...in the name of sharing, caring and giving love, with handmade goodness too!

littleoddforest has partnered with an oink production to bring you 3 totally different and unique goody box full of handmade goodness - all proceeds from the sale of these 3 goody boxes will contribute towards our 2008 sponsorship of a child we have chosen under world vision (singapore). these proceeds will help a little in our child sponsorship!

you can get for yourself, or for someone else, a awesome little gift box set of nicely packed and tenderly handmade accessories and knick-knacks, not only will you be supporting the handmade/indie cause, you'll be doing a generous deed as well! so what are you waiting for?? ;)
go here!


it's the busiest time of the year for us here, everything is just coming in all at once, so please please forgive me for my tardiness in responding to emails, messages, and whatever else i have to see to, in addition to making my fingers work as hard and fast as they possibly can, and also doing up my new designs..... and still loving and enjoying what i do (very very crucial!!) and not dying in the process...ha! more soon!! xoxoxo!!

Black Cat Boulder: A mixed review

Black Cat is a new restaurant in Boulder and my fine dining club went there last week to check it out. The décor is very unusual with remnants of chandeliers forming two rows of crystal down the length. The tables near the wall each have love seats, which made for a delightful, nearly Romanesque experience. Short linen curtains separate the tables but hang limp and wrinkled. I am not sure they add much to the overall ambiance. The walls are painted black with paneling on one side. We were there on a very chilly night, but the room did not exude any added warmth or charm, which would have made us inclined to linger longer than we did.

Black Cat is failing in some critical ways. The first example happened when we first arrived. We had to hang up our own coats on a coat rack hemmed in by debris. I had to struggle getting a hanger and fitting it on the rack that was already crowded with staff clothing. The host looked on with impatience while I struggled. The next missed opportunity was the speed of the service. It seemed to take forever to get our appetizers even though there were only two other occupied tables. They also forgot one of our glasses of wine and we had to flag someone down to get it. On a positive note, our waitress was extremely knowledgeable about the preparations of everything offered and was enthusiastic about the food.

The table ordered the lamb, veal, and duck as entrees with salads and the scallop appetizer as starters. The salad was good but the scallops were a bit disappointing. Everyone liked their entrees but agreed that they were all so similar in the style of their sauces that there really was not enough of a difference between them. It would be hard to go and explore the menu further. The one interesting thing to note was the pureed celery root that came with the duck. No one at the table had had that before. It was mild but interesting.

Dessert was a major disappointment in my mind. We ordered the white chocolate fondue and the apple spice cake. The later was a very dry micro-muffin with a sauce. The fondue was fine but mild. I confess I like heavy chocolate desserts that scream decadence or unique preparations that leave you begging for more. These were just ok.

I also have to rant a bit about the oh so common issue with over charging for lattes in our area restaurants. Six dollars for a small cup of latte when regular coffee, even French pressed coffee, is half that seems absurd to me. It is just a little added milk. Still it does seem to be the trend. One of these days I will find the perfect after dinner latte.

The group agreed that Black Cat had much to work on but that it had potential. Diners want the entire experience and the bane of many a restaurateur can be a poorly trained staff. The menu changes frequently, so it is worth checking out if you are in the area, but don’t go in with high expectations.