Notes from A Cottage Industry

I joined the Mocha Club, and I don't even drink coffee.

That's because you don't have to like coffee drinks to be part of this team.

Okay, so I shared a short while back that Carter's Mama and Daddy are expecting. Yes! They are in the process of adopting a baby from Ethiopia. Why Ethiopia? Well, as Carter's Mama said, once you learn a bit about the country and the situation there, you most surely will say why not Ethiopia? For starters...

We have learned that Ethiopia has over 100,000 orphans in the city of Addis Ababa alone and more than 5 million in the country, and about 800,000 of them are AIDS orphans. This being said, Ethiopia’s annual health budget is around $140 million, but what is needed to take care of the orphans is $115 million a month.

Five million orphans. In a poverty stricken nation. As a mother, my mind cannot even fathom this and my heart feels such an undescribable aching trying to imagine life as a young mother in Ethiopia.

While battling the red tape and playing the hurry-up-and-wait-some-more game, Carter's Mama found some incredible organizations that are doing some pretty great things for the people of Africa. One of these organizations is called The Mocha Club.

For the cost of just two mochas a month, you can change lives. For real.

You know it's not really my style to force feed my opinions and beliefs on you, or ask folks to join in my personal causes, but this is to important to not share. It's a no-brainer to me, as it was so very easy to get involved, and, while I may never buy a mocha, I spend more than $7 a month on magazines. All I could think of was, that I sit reading through my latest issue of Country Living, or Romantic Homes, or Martha Stewart, or incert-any-number-of-the-gazillion-magazines-I-enjoy-as-my-own-person-guilty-pleasure, there is a woman in Africa that has no way to feed or clothe her babies.

I've felt convicted to move from the 'talking' to 'doing' category, and I want you to consider joining me and the Mocha Club. You see, The Mocha Club is this website where you give up $7 a month - the cost of 2 mochas - to support a project in Africa. (My favorite part of all of this is that you can actually pick the project you'd like to help with. There are several to choose from!) For example, $7 can provide clean water to 7 Africans for one year, or that same $7 can help women in Ethiopia who were forced into a life of prostitution as an attempt to escape their situation of poverty. Here is the link to learn more about it and to join with me - http://mochaclub.org/joinme/GrammaCupcake. I am part of the Roberts Adoption Team.

Downsizing.

Well, I get the keys to my new place on Monday, and I will spend the enxt couple of weeks packing and schlepping and moving lamps and pictures and fragile things to my new place before I have the movers move the big stuff around the 15th of November. (How did I manage to do this again...move at the holidays?!)

Anyway.

I have not quite decided which table I will be using to dine on once I move. (Should I use my sweet lil' round drop-leaf table, or the petite farm table from my workroom? Both of them fit the space...hmmmm...I may have to try them both out in the space to really make my mind up...) At any rate, there is not enought room in the dining area for my vintage shabby dining room set, and neither of my girls have a use for it...so that meant I could sell it in my booth at Camas Antiques, which is not the best option, as it will completely fill my boothspace...or, I could put it on Craigslist..which is exactly what I did yesterday.

**If you live in the area and are interested in my set, shoot me an email. The enitre 7 piece set is listed at $700 which is a steal! I priced it a bit low because I need it gone before the 15th!**

Besides my dining room dilemma, is the question of exactly what to do with my spare bedroom...and I'd love your input once again...

Do I use it as a guestroom with an armoir holding (and hiding) my printer and all of my crafty supplies? Or....do I make it an workroom slash office as I have currently, so I have a creative space to do my arsty stuff? I only had company stay with me about 4 times this past year...that's about once every three months...and I could borrow my daughter's air mattress for those occasions I suppose...but..I could craft at the dining room table if I do not have a work room...

I'm torn.. What do you think?

 

...ONLY in Portland.

Where else can you see these kinds of random things on an afternoon out and about? (I guess that's why there is  "Keep Portland Weird" huh?) A couple more interesting things spotted....extreme tube socks.. ...and seasonal decor for your ride (I'm not sure I could bring myself to ever do this,a s I would feel like I was gearing up to be in a parade)...
Portland eateries are always good...we ate here...

...and then we stopped in to see the most amazing shop. It was named "The Belfry" and the owner slash artist there was names Jane Clugston...she was off the charts on the creativity scale..
...Jane creates the most incredible and unique masks, and puppets... (Some were very macabre, others more whimsical, but all so life-like!)

She creates a mold by sculpting the figure, or face, and then pours a casting of it. Finally, she paints the up...so real looking and lifelike! She does fairy and butterfly wings as well...   It was a very cool shop, and worth stopping by, if you're looking for a one of a kind mask for Halloween, Mardi Gras, or a masqurade event...or if you're into art, and enjoy chatting with a local artist, which I find fascinating...(Artistic folks seem to be so much more relaxed than the rest of us somehow, and they appear to see life without all of the complicated stuff the rest of us sometimes get too focused on...)

I can't resist sharing just one more picture from the art-car...how's about a close up of the side miror? Oh, ya. This guy's doing his part part to keep Portland weird, all right. You go Buddy.

Gawd, I love Portland.

Befores.

I have made the decision to move to a sweet lil' triplext just a few miles over from where I live now, and I thought you might enjoy a peek at the place before I move in and work my magic making it home sweet home for Moose and me....

First stop, the porch....screaming for some flowers, a doormat, and a little somethin'-somethin' on the front door, don'tcha think?...
C'mon in....here's the view when you open the front door... ...And the kitchen nook... (Is that light a little low, or is it just me?) The petite kitchen.... (with the emphasis on petite...)

the livingroom (Um...I don't think Moose will quite be able to sqeeeeeze through that lil' doggie door on the screen door, and I am hoping he doesn't try...).....

Looking back at the front door from the living room...
...the soon to be office, or guestroom, or both (I have yet to decide..) with it's nice, big, sunny window....

my new bedroom (There's a bacony out there that is also hollering for a little TLC, which I am anxious to tackle...

the full bathroom upstairs... ....there is also a charming (well, soon-to-be-charming, at any rate) half bath downstairs and a laundry area upstairs, and a nice sized back patio and yard (I cannot wait to decorate that area next spring...I have just been aching to have a little yard again...)...I just forgot to take pictures! Oh, and there is a single car garage, where I will keep my stock an paint my furniture pieces...so I am set to go, I think.

I hope you've enjoyed my "Before" home tour. I am pretty anxious to get to the "After" part of the tour myself...moving is overwhelming, and I swear my belongings have tripled since my last move!

Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes.....and input appreciated.

Busy, busy, biizzzzzzzy week. Busy life, I guess.

The Sewing Queen has been up for a visit, and there's been all sorts of busy-ness...baking, and eating, and visiting, and eating, and running around..and eating. (You know, family time.)

Also, when I moved into my town home nearly a year ago, it was agreed that we'd reevaluate things in a year, as the housing market had made it so that my daughter and her hubbs couldn't sell the place and make any sort of decent money. (I know many of you have experienced this same challenge in the past year...)

Anyway.

The year mark is approaching, and the market is still pretty dismal here, but after much debate, and a huge Pro-Con list on all of my options, I am thinking I will be opting to move to a smaller place, not too far from where I am now. It will work better for my daughter as well, as they can surely rent this great townhouse for a rent more closely aligned with the actual house note.

Trust me I very nearly would rather sit in the dentist's chair for a day long root canal than have to pack up and move yet again, but it really makes the most sense, and...well, we all know I love a new project. (Yes! A new place to decorate, and mold into a lil' jewel!)

I have begun gathering boxes and am starting to pack, and will be sharing "Before" pictures of my soon-to-be-new-to-me home very soon! I will still be close to Camas Antiques, and to my bank branch, so my life will pretty much stay as it is, without too many hiccups through the move....

On an entirely different note, I have some changes in the works for my blog and my business that you will begin to see shortly as well...a different look, and layout (Oh! And a second new blog to cover a new part of my business that I am quite excited about!!!)..and I have a question for you...

Do you like my Weekly Words to Live By, or could you do without them? I have polled my close friends and family, and the consensus has come back that it could disappear and no one would really miss it...I'd like your thoughts, (I trust you people to keep me on the right track here...) as I am trying to keep things fresh, and interesting, and if it's not anyone's big favorite thing, I may opt to let it go and just do my regular type blog posts. Don't hold back here...I want to know if it's a good read, or a snooze...inspiring...or sappy. What do you think???

Frosted sugar cookies with a Halloween feel.

After we did the dipped pretzels yesterday, we baked up some Halloween themed sugar cookies. (A very sweet friend had given me some halloween and harvest cookie cutters and I have been dying to break them in!) My daughter took a lil' box of cookies with her when she left to surprise a friend with.... 
I've shared my recipe for sugar cookies before, right here. It's an old Betty Crocker Cook Book recipe and it's easy, and yummy. If you're feeling the urge to do some Autumn baking, you might enjoy trying this recipe out.

 

Baking weather....with a twist.

The weathermen here have predicted a storm arriving later today, and lasting for the next few days. That news alone makes me want to stay home, with the fireplace all aglow...and bake. (Even if the storm doesn't make it in...)

My daughters and grandson came over to my place, and the Sewing Queen of northern Nevada was in town for a visit, so we decided to spend the morning...er...day...baking some Harvest and halloween treats. Along with halloween Sugar Cookies, we added something new (for us) to our baking repetoire...dipped pretzels. (which, by the way, are not baked, but still oh-so-yummy.)

They were so easy to do, and they came out just so danged cute that I had to share.

Simply take large stick pretzels (I guess any shape would work, but these were fun to do, and easy to embellish with a bow...) and dip them..first in melted milk chocolate...
...let them sit, either in a glass, or on wax or freezer paper until set...after that, melt orange and then white chocolate with a lil' bit of crisco and drizzle over the pretzels with a piping bag and a small tip. (I used a #2)

Once they are set, tie them with bows and add them to a goodie basket for someone special....whatcha think? You likey?

 

**A Little update on Moose- He's doing much better thanks to the nice Vet's medicine....and he's very nearly back to his old charming self. Thanks for all of the well wishes, and the rice suggestions!**

 

Tummy troubles.

Not me, but Moose.

Poor Puppylove. It began the night before last. He woke me up at two a.m. whimpering that he needed to go out. And again at three thirty-something. And again at five-fourty-ish. By the time I left for the bank at 9:30 he had been outside around ten times, and I wasn't thrilled to be leaving him home alone all day, trapped indoors. Last night we made it through from midnight till 6:30 this morning without a hitch, but....

The good news is that he seems to feel fine, although...he's still struggling a bit with his tummy...or....intestinal issues, so we still may be heading to the Vet this afternoon. It's funny how life is running smoothly one minute, and the next..it's not.**edited to say: Moose seemed to take a turn for the worse this morning and we did go to the vet...he's lost over ten pounds,(Which is a lot for a dog of his size!) and some things (Giardia) were ruled out....waiting on test results now....**

Oh, I just hate it when anyone I love isn't feeling their usual peppy, tail-waggin' self.

Autumn touches.

There are so many things I like about this time of year. The weather, with the crisp bite in the air, and the pretty fall colors. Pumpkins on my porch...

...and all around inside my home. Making soups and chowders and chili. Mmmmm, ya, it's most definitely my favorite time of year.

I just thought I'd share a few pictures from my home, so you can see my Autumn touches..

once Halloween is over, the crows and spiders will disappear, but the pumpkins will stay until Thanksgiving. (My favorite holiday of the entire year!)

 

Browsing my booth (and some others...) at Camas Antiques.

I spent most of the past few days working on my booth space down at the always amazing Camas Antiques, and I remembered to take my camera for some picutres for a change.

I'm still featuring some Halloween, although there isn't all that much left of it, and I have added more littles.
I am debating about bringing in a hutch bottom to place against my back wall, and topping it with a couple of book cases and a hutch-top so I can feature more littles and get away from the giant pieces. Large pieces are nice, but it means conctant rearranging and when an item sells there is a huge hole to fill...which is a good and a bad thing. Good to have it sell, bad, 'coz I have a huge hole to fill, and it's a big job getting a large piece moved by myself. (what are your thoughts on this? Do you think it will increase, or decrease my sales?)...I think I'll ponder this idea a bit longer before making my decision, but for now, here's  peek at my booth this week...wouldn't this dresser make a great flat screen TV holder? I have some suitcases that I think always add such a charming touch to any room...

lots of littles... and some intersting odds and ends...

I also went on a little walkabout yesterday in the mall and thought you might like to see some of the cool things in a few of my friends charming booth spaces....

Some pretty nice finds, don't you agree?? If you're in the area, and are looking for a little eye candy, come by Camas Antiques this week, and enjoy the inspiration you'll find in every booth space.

Make it Special! A new e-kit...Clever tags for gifts of food.

By my own ommission I am an obbsessive baker. I bake when I am happy. When I am stressed. When I feel like nesting. I simply love to bake, and because I bake so often, I end up giving most of my batches of baking to friends, and co-workers, and family.

Next to my passion for baking, I love making my baked goods presentation special...always. A pretty ribbon and a darling tag take an ordinary box of yummy chocolate chip cookies to an entirely different level of thoughtful gift giving, don't you think?

Here is my lil' secret....I make my tags a sheet at a time, and I keep them, already cut out, in little manilla envelopes, which I have glued on tag to the font of. I keep them all together, and when I need one, I am ready, without spending any extra time. I can surprise a friend with something over-the-top at a moment's notice, 'coz I m not having to run and print the tag. (I make my sheets of tags in advance of the holidays too, so I have them all set when I do holiday marathon baking.)
If you're techie enough with your computer, you can design these kind of tags yourself, but many of you have emailed me asking how I do the little dotted edges on my tags, and about the cute fonts...so....

...After many requests, I've gathered up some of my most used quotes that I like to use when making gift tags for my food presents, and put them all in a simple to use e-kit, (for less than $1.75 per sheet, and they are yours to use over and over) sent right to your email in-box!

Included in this kit are seven templates for you to save to your computer and use over and over again. Each template comes on it's own pdf. template with ten identical labels per page for you to print, right from your own computer. Any of these templates can be printed on card stock, computer or scrapbook paper, or even on old dictionary or book pages.

A creative gift tag is the crowning glory, adding a charming touch to a hostess gift, or holiday treat basket....Think of the delightful details you can add to any gift of food, at holidays...or any time!

Templates include tag templates that read "A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand"...
....Life is short, eat dessert first...
...and five additional sheets that carry these great tag lines for turning any gift of food into a fabulous little treasure:

Be sure to celebrate the many small things...bright days, good friends, and anything with sprinkles.(A great lil' tag to add to any baked good...cupcakes, cookies, cakes... with sprinkles!)

Happy Birthday!

Thank You!

Eat drink and be scary. (So perfect, and just in time for Halloween!)

One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats. (Perfect for anyone...anytime. Make someone feel special...for a birthday, anniversary...or any time at all!)

This kit is delivered right to your email in-box and it includes all seven templates to make the tags pictured and listed above...simply print them, cut them out with scissors or pinking shears, punch a hoe to add a ribbon, and feel free to use the templates as you wish, over and over again!

Cost: $12. through PayPal!

Weekly words to live by - week 188

“If you strive for happiness, you’ll never find it. Happiness is only found in the present.”

                                                                         Steve Pavlina

I guess it's much better late than never, but...things could have been much easier for me at various points in my life, if only I'd learned this sooner.

I had a very Oprah-esque Aha! light bulb moment this past week, and I really "get" this now. Life is too short to spend my time worrying... obsessing... thinking (and over-thinking) about what the far off future holds, because, not only do I have no control over that at all, but it stops me from being happy right now. The only way to really live happy is to be fully present..in this moment. The future will take care of itself.

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If you'd like to join me in sharing your own "Weekly Words to Live By", use the Mr. Linky tool below to link your blog post to this week's specific Words to live By post, and please remember to link back to this post here on Notes From A Cottage Industry.

This chick's ready to party.

 


Okay so it's not a not a chick, it's a crow, but I wanted a catchy blog post title.

I snagged some cute little crows at the Dollar Store a short while back to use with my Halloween decorating. I have a few mixed in with my pumpkins on the porch, a few more in my dining room, and a couple of them are even hanging out in my living room. Last week while my favorite Portlander and I were at Camas Antiques, we spotted some little crows wearing sheet music paper crowns, and they were absolutely adorable. Upon discussing the cute lil' crowns later, and me thinking I really should craft some for my little birdies, my friend pointed out that what might be even cuter (more cute?) would be those cone shaped party hats...and even better if they were made with skinny elastic bands to hold them on their little crow heads. We both laughed our heads off at that visual, but I thought the idea was pure genious.

The next day, I set to work, crafting some party hats for both of our little birdie friends. The hats were a snap to make, using my signature book pages, some glue, black glitter, and orange pom-poms. (See how cute they looked tucked in the tiny gift box I created to hold them as a surprise for my sweet friend?) I even pulled out some very skinny beading elastic to make the under-the-chin straps.

Seriously, it was a ten second craft job.....I mean...For the most part.

Oh yes, everything was going just smashingly...until I got to the elastic neck straps.

Aaaaauuurgh! Each time I attempted to place a completed party hat on a crow, the elastic would tear through the paper and wreck everything. I tried to do this three times, and lost three perfectly adorable little party hats. At last, I gave up, and resigned myself to having the hats without elastic bands. (Oh well. They're still pretty stinkin' cute, if you ask me...well, here, why don't you take a peek and judge for yourself....

These three lil' party animals live with my favorite Portlander, across the bridge, over in PTown, and they were kind enough to model their new party hats for the camera......(I think they were actually line dancing in this first picture...in true Party-Chick's-gone-wild fashion..)
....and I should mention here that these guys are big time scrabble players... Oh ya, it's party, party, party over there in North East Portland, especially at Halloween...and I am really happy that I made them hats, 'coz we all know that everyone needs a party hat to make it a real party, right?

Right.

After all, these party hats gives them somethng to crow about...(Okay, I couldn't resist that one lil' pun...)

If you're thinking you might like to add a touch of whimsy to your Halloween decor this year, try making a few of these party hats for any small animals (or even pumpkins!) you have sitting out in your home this month...they're easy and fun to make!

The perfect little gift box.

Beyond my passion for baking, I love clever packaging to put my baking in (or any kind of gift, for that matter) when giving it to friends and family. I've discovered the perfect container for this use, and I wanted to share it with you. It's a simple photo storage box, available at places like WalMart, and all of the craft stores.

They come every which way you can imagine, printed with seasonal designs, or florals and plaids, and solid colors, (which is what I actually prefer) and I usually have a few extra on hand in my storage closet of my workroom. They are really sturdy little boxes, which is perfect when boxing up any kind of baked goods, and you can decorate them so that the box becomes an additional part of the gift. I especially love the little label-holding-pull on the end of the box, which can house a tag that has a person's name in it, or an appropriate saying, like Happy Birthday, Thank you, or whatever else you can think of to carry out your theme. The latest box I created was Halloween themed, as you can see. I found an anatomy diagram in one of my old books that was the perfect size for my box lid. (check out old books at thirft stores and yard sales. Vintage children's books are great for baby themes, and old cookbooks are perfect for a charming vintage baking theme. Old books often have amazing photos and artwork that can be used in altered art, or for things like clever lil' gift tags and such ..the possibilities are endless!)

I added a ribbon to the box once I had my gifts inside, and the packaging was complete...(Now, how easy was that?)
....Anyway, i'm sharing this idea, because I'm thinking you might want to grab a few of these great boxes to keep on hand for creating some clever packaging yourself..the holidays are upon us, you know!

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(Dried) Flower power.

The mantel in my bedroom got a charming new addition last night. You know, hydrangeas are my most favorite-est flower, and they grow like crazy-mad here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My favorite Portlander has a hydrangea bush. (plant?He actually dried these beauties himself in his basement, and offered to share some of them to me.

It didn't take me long to decide exactly where I wanted to showcase my newest treasure. Remember when I shared my bedroom fireplace..here? And, a little later..here?  Well, I have never been happy with my not-at-all-real-looking-faux-ivy that filled the basket o the fireplace mantel,but it was all I had at the time, so I made it work... I pulled all of that out of the basket, and replaced it with the gorgeous tea-stained-periwinkle-blue colored dried hydranas. Mmmmmmm, dreeeeeeeeeamy.

These delicate dried blooms add to the vintage feel, and romance to my already serene bedroom. Of course, each time I look at these fowers I will think of my friend, and just how thoughtful it was for him to share these beautiful flowers with me, which makes them all the more special.

 

Comfort foods for Fall.

  
Autumn arrived in full force at last here in the Pacific Northwest, with nearly two days of solid rain, (Oh! I loved it!) and all I have been able to think about for days is...grilled cheese sandwiches.

Actually, it started with the last Issue of Martha's magazine, where she had an article titled "Grown-up Grilled Cheese". In the article she (okay, "her people") went on and on about using whatever assortment of cheeses you happen to have in the fridge on a gotta-have-grilled-cheese-sandwiches day and any bacon, ham or what have you that is also just lying in the fridge waiting for it's encore presentation. You jazz it all up with dill or basil, tomatoes, or onions...and grill it up for a fabulouso Autumn meal.

Okay, so, as I said, Autumn screams for grilled cheese sandwiches, and I didn't actually have any cheese in my fridge, except for shredded cheddar, and a block of parmesian. Not to worry, I headed to the never disapointing QFC market's deli counter to round up some great cheeses for this mouth watering meal.

If you do not have QFC's where you live, let me tell you that it is rather like the Nordstoms of the grocery store world...more of a high end type market, catering to a more sophisticated palate, and ingredients menu. They have everything, food-wise, for a price. These days, QFC is not on my usual weekly stops, as I am more of a WinCo slash walMart shopper, looking for the bargain food basics, but when I'm wanting somethng special, it's the place to go...and it's always a treat to peruse thier deli and meat counters.

The deli girl at QFC didn't let me down. She gave me a slice of the Horseradish cheddar to sample. Oh, Mama. So good, and just the right amount of horseradish-ness to add a lil pop to my creation. Baby Swiss, some Creamy Harvarti, and Smokey Gruyere rounded out my cheese purchases, along with half a pound of Canadian Bacon. I grabbed a loaf of thier freshly baked sliced sourdough on the way to check out, and I was good to go.

In the end, I opted for making these yummy sandwiches in a purist fashion, without onion or dill, and it was still dee-lish. I used the Other Tracey's top secret caterer tip of using mayo on the outside of the pieces fo bread instead of just butter, and along with some salt and pepper potato chips, my Autmn meal was complete, and my craving for comfort food was satisfied.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

A bowl of tomatoe soup would also be a nice addition to this savory fall meal, now that I think about it, topped with a bit of grated fresh parmesian, and a couple of homemade sourdough crutons.... Hmm, maybe when I use the now left-over cheeses in my fridge I will do that.

Weekly words to live by - week 187

Expect hope to be rekindled.

Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.

The dry seasons in life do not last.

-Sarah Ban Breathnach

Important stuff I've learned in the past twelve months.

I have officially been a Pacific Northwesterner now for one full year. Mmm hmmm, I first shared the news about my move here in this post, about one year and three weeks ago. Funny, it feels like I have lived here...forever.

I miss friends and family back home in Reno of course, but this place..this place feels like home to me. Today I was looking back on these past twelve months, and so many good things have happened in my life...new friends, a new way of earning my grocery money, and really, a whole new lifestyle. Here is a short list of a few things I've learned this year; some about living up here, and some about life in general...

Even if "Real Portlanders" don't carry umbrellas, it's okay if you do, especially if it's a cute one.

Big yellow dogs don't have to have a big yard. They like dog parks and daily walks just as well, and they really only care that you love them and give them cookies.

Highways 5 and 205 both run north and south and if a girl gets on the wrong one, she can get to the other on Highway 84...as long as she gets on Highway 84 going in the right direction.

Food Carts can be pretty good eating establishments.

The weathermen here in Portland aren't any more accurate with the forecast than the weathermen in any other city in America.

A big gay man in a camoflage hat and a straight guy in a rock n' roll band can turn out to be your best girlfriends in your new town.

Take-out Bento for dinner is a nice treat.

You never forget how to kiss.

Having your grandson walk in the bank and give you some of his original artowrk is worth more than three signed original Andy Warhol's.

Portland has some pretty exceptional mailmen.

If you miss your exit on any freeway in Portland, you will, without a doubt, end up on a bridge, and have to go very far to get turned back around.

Your mistakes as well as your successes make you who you are.

Microbrews taste best when shared with a friend.

Falling asleep listening to the rain with your bedroom sliding door open a ways is both a calming and a comforting sound.

Frizzled chickens are clearly one of God's most charming and sweet creations.

Don't waste time trying to decide if you should take a chance on sharing your heart.

Life is too short to not take chances.

Ya, that's the short list I came up with. Oh, and one more thing I know for sure...It will be interesting and exciting to see what the next twelve months bring, and I am feeling pretty happy with the direction my life is going these days, even if I am still confused about a few things.

The road less traveled.

Last Saturday when my friend and I took the drive through Troutdale, we also went up scenic Columbia River Highway through some of the most beautifully wooded areas, ever. This old highway runs parrallel to highway 84, but it's the older, scenic route, and it is so worth taking an afternoon to explore.

The Pacific Northwest is simply spectacular, and I am beginning to think that I may never run out of incredible places, and sights, and events to see here, even if I live to be 104, which is pretty much my plan.

Back to our drive...Our first stop along the Columbia River Highway was the Vista House. This cool building was actually built way back in the very early 1900's, and, sits way up high (Over 700 feet) above Highway 84 down below.
It has absolutely amazing views of the Columbia River, and the beautiful hillsides on either side of the river. 

There happened to be a "Scooter Club" taking in the sights at the Vista House when we were there, and I couldn't help but take a picture of all the scooters. There are a few actual motorcycles on the right hand end of the group, but it was mainly a long row of these little motor bikes...a couple of Vespas I think, but mostly some kind of little Honda things that I had never seen before. The Vista House itself was a pretty cool sight, perched up on the rocky area overlooking the Columbia River. The inside of the Vista Building was as cool as the outside. Here was a shot of the ceiling from inside, as we were about to head up the stairs to enjoy the views...kind of pumpkin pie colored, with a fixture in the center that reminded me of a giant button.... From there, we got back on the road and headed to Multnomah Falls, (Along with a few other smaller waterfalls along the way...) which is another sample of Mother Nature's best work, along with some of the prettiest man made stone and cement work walls, and railings, all shaded in moss and ivy.
I love that these walls and railings actually enhance the landscape instead of taking away from it...

I love looking at how different they all are...adding a little charm to the roadways, and it reminded me of this post where I somehow ended up sharing a collection of pictures of detailed and delightful fences.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, getting to Multnomah Falls. Beautiful. Really, beautiful. 
I had been to Multnomah Falls a ouple of times before, but never walked up past the bridge and all that, and it was a perfect day, weather wise, so that made the falls even nicer.
That, coupled with the fact that I was with my favorite Portlander and I had an ice cream cone I was enjoying as we were meandering up the path to the falls made the moment as close to perfection as a girl can get.

A second Halloween E-Kit!

Scare up some Halloween decor for your own home, or to add to gifts for friends this season! Two kinds of Halloween flags...  

Poison labels...perfect when added to old jars, or on tea dyed manila tags to add a spooky touch to a package, or used as a table scape place-card.... Three different sheets of Halloween word templates in various sizes, to print on the supplied dictionary page, or against orange or any other paper....
It's all delivered right to your email in-box and it includes six templates (plus a dictionary page template) to make the items pictured above (Poison labels template, skinny and triangular flag templates, three different sized Halloween Words templates, and a dictionary page template and a directions page) ..use the templates as you wish, over and over again!

Cost: $18.00 through PayPal!

You ain't seen cute till you've seen the little town of Troutdale.

It's the gateway to the Gorge, you know.

Last Saturday, a friend and I took a nice drive, stopping along the way at several spots. The first stop was the charming little town of Troutdale. I think some Pacific Northwesterners may think of the outlet mall that is located here, when they think of Troutdale, but, if you go past the outlet mall by about a block and turn left, you find the town's arch, welcoming you, and a delightful street of shops and businesses. (Sorry, my picture came out really dark...but the arch has some great looking trout fashioned from metal (bronze?) on either side, and it was pretty impressive. 
Here's a little better close up of one of the trout..
Anyway, you get the idea...Trout...Troutdale...Mmmm hmm. A nice small-town-America touch, I thought.

We parked and looked in the shops on the main street, and I was very impressed with the way this little community has maintained the old feeling and quaintness of the storefronts. (Must be my background from my past job in Economic Development, but I always find it fascinating to see how different communities work at a plan to set themselves apart from other places, and give people a reason to come back) I was especially taken with the number of cute signs businesses had here....  

I didn't get a picture of it, but even the Tattoo Place had a quaint, historic look to it's storefront. (And no, neither of us purchased any body art, but it was a pretty cool place...) Oh, and in case you would like to become a real Barista, as I have always kind of thought would be an-oh-so-cool-skill to wow my friends and family, (even thought I myself do not like coffee) Troutdale boasts a Barista School. (Who knew there was such a thing?!)
Hmmm, and I thought Starbucks just handed you an apron and had you shadow someone for a couple of shifts...Espresso Bootcamp? That sounds intense.

I also spotted this absolute dream of a building, (formerly a cafe, complete with black and white checkered floors and a huge wrap-around-sit-on-an-old-school-barstool counter) that was just screaming to be a cupcakery. (C'mon. Can't you just see the place with black and white canvas awnings above the windows to hide the air conditioning units, a couple of vintage church pews under the windows for folks to eat their treats outside on nice weather days, shutters on the sides of all of those upstairs windows, and a fabulous sign reading "Cupcake Heaven" across the top?) I was smitten with the angled corner doors...oh, be still my heart...such potential...and right there in sweet lil' Troutdale. This little town isn't just a pretty face either...they've got a sense of humor, too. Look at the clever signs they had on the few buildings they had for lease.... The only thing besides a cupcakery that I could see was missing was a couple of really good foodie spots, like maybe a micro-brew pub with killer burgers or amazing chili...and a great breakfast place with incredible biscuits and gravy, or to-die-for French Toast would be a good addition as well. Now, maybe things were there and I missed 'em..but if not, they'd complete the street. I'm just sayin'.

Oh!I was also surprised to see that there was a Buxton drive here, and so, of course, I had to snap a picture of it.

If you're ever in the area, or if you live here, I think Troutdale is pretty darned cute, (Heck, I am going to even be so bold as to say the main street rivals my sweet Camas' 4th avenue!) and is most definitely worth a look-see.

Weekly words to live by - week 186

"There is one thing we can do, and the happiest people are those who can do it to the limit of their ability. We can be completely present. We can be all here. ...give all our attention to the opportunity before us."

                                                                                                           Mark Van Doren

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If you'd like to join me in sharing your own "Weekly Words to Live By", use the Mr. Linky tool below to link your blog post to this week's specific Words to live By post, and please remember to link back to this post here on Notes From A Cottage Industry.

Not your ordinary cookie surprise.

Here's an idea for all of you not-too-squeamish-or-faint-of-heart bakers out there at Halloween-time. I found these absolutely creepy little rubber mice at a Halloween store. All rubber-y and jiggly, and just the right size. I put my freshly baked cookies in a decorative to-go box, (available at all the craft stores)
...and slid one rubber mouse down one of the sides of my cookie stack, along with another mouse perched up on top of my cookies. A perfect little spooky surprise for the little (and not-so-little) gobblins and ghoulies in your life.....

Cute, (in a kind of gross way) don'tcha think?