Monthly Archives: May 2013

palate, palette, or pallet?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by maryjane

Feeling quizzical today?

I am.

Here’s a trio of terms that tend to trick the tongue and perplex the pen …

palate
palette
pallet

If you can’t match the following definitions with the words above, I have a fun exercise for you that I came up with so I can remember the spelling of each.

a wooden bed or flat platform onto which goods are loaded
the roof of your mouth or sense of taste
a flat board an artist mixes paint on or a range of colors

Take a guess, and then scroll down to find out how I remember these rascally words.

Palate: the roof of your mouth or sense of taste

(spelled plate with an a added)

“My palate is best served when I use a plate.”

pallete1

Pallet: a wooden bed or a flat platform onto which goods are loaded

(Ma Mallet and Pa Pallet are a team)

“Bring me that mallet so I can take apart this pallet.”

_MG_6002

Palette: a flat board an artist mixes paint on or a range of colors

(pal-ette smacks of French, well, because it is)

“The French artist was mixing paints on a palette while wearing a French barette.”

Photo by Jennifer Rensel via Wikimedia Commons

Mother’s Gift Posthumous

Posted on May 12, 2013 by maryjane

Enchanting …

How else would I describe Wonderland?

(I’m not talking about Alice’s old stomping grounds.)

This flight of fancy is all grown up and pours smooth as “dream” from the eyes of That’s the best …

Kirsty Mitchell, an English photographer who beckons us into a whole new world of wonder.

When Kirsty’s mom died in 2008, she was devastated. Her mother, an English teacher and brilliant storyteller, had been her lifelong inspiration, weaving stories into the fabric of Kirsty’s soul.

Struggling to find an outlet for her grief, Kirsty began submerging herself in artistic expression.

“Real life became a difficult place to deal with, and I found myself retreating further into an alternative existence through the portal of my camera,” she explains. “This escapism grew into the concept of creating an unexplained storybook without words, dedicated to her [my mother], that would echo the fragments of the fairytales she read to me constantly as a child.”

And Wonderland, a stunning series of photographs like you’ve never seen before, was born.

“All the characters came to me in my dreams,” she says, and it has been thrilling to bring them into reality. “After all, it’s not often you get to stand beside an 8-foot princess in the rain, or witness the dawn with a dancing circus girl on stilts!”

Her magical images are not created in Photoshop, nor are they staged in exotic locations around the globe. They have been captured with her camera in special spots within a short drive of her home in Surrey, England.

After three years, the Wonderland series is nearly complete, and I’m excited to hear there’s a book in the works that will accompany Kirsty’s exhibition.

“I just know that the day I see my mother’s name printed on the inside cover of the Wonderland book, it will feel like I have finally fulfilled my promise to myself and her precious memory,” says Kirsty.

Delve into Kirsty’s online diary to savor behind-the-scenes shots and learn the secrets behind creating each photograph.

KirstyMitchellPhotography.com

Continue reading →

photo-of-the-day

Posted on May 11, 2013 by maryjane

farm_romance-1713

wander you with wanderu

Posted on May 11, 2013 by maryjane

Are gas prices pinching your pocketbook?

Is your carbon footprint running amok?

(Take this quiz to find out.)

Yes?

Photo by Osvaldo Gago via Wikimedia Commons

Well, then it may be time for you to Wanderu.

Not a typo, girls—it’s a nifty new website that gathers bus schedules from multiple carriers, helping travelers find cheaper, faster routes.

“How is it possible in this day and age we can find any information we want in the Internet, but yet I can’t find out how to get from point A to point B, using non-air transportation?” asks Polina Raygorodskaya, CEO and co-founder of Wanderu, recalling her struggle to find efficient bus transit when she worked in New York and Boston.

Wanderu, she says, makes it effortless for you to find and book inter-city buses (and trains) between any two points in the country. “It’s super easy to use and completely free!”

Plus, the concept makes great sense environmentally. According to Raygorodskaya, “One bus takes 55 cars off the road. I think we’re solving an amazing problem.”

Do we all dream of Paris?

Posted on May 11, 2013 by megan

Of course I dream of Paris. Don’t most of us? I can see myself outside a café at a little table, sipping something lovely coupled with a delicious pastry.

51rHDATyEkL

Continue reading →

photo-of-the-day

Posted on May 10, 2013 by maryjane

farm_romance-5658

Hear Ye!

Posted on May 10, 2013 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Nicole Christensen!

Nicole Christensen (texdane, #1155) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Expert Level Knitting Merit Badge!

“Calling me a ‘knitting addict’ doesn’t quite cut it. It’s become an extension of who I am. My friend called me a ‘Master Knitter’ the other day when she introduced me to someone new. I was so complimented. Since I last applied for the Intermediate Badge in knitting, I have knitted up a storm! In addition to knitting projects along with my students in my knitting classes that I teach, I knitted a ruffled shawl, several drop-stitch lacy scarves, and made a size 4T jumper for my niece Kristina in Denmark. Her mom begged me to make it, having fallen in love with some beautiful cotton/wool blend hand-dyed sock yarn. We laugh that she is the only Danish person who can’t knit! It was very fine yarn, on small needles in the round, with an intricate pattern on the chest. That dress took a year and at least 50+ hours) to complete, but thankfully, she still needs to grow into it a bit!

I’ve taught several classes each semester, passing on everything I can about the art of knitting. This past Saturday, I was asked if I would have a booth at our town’s Earth Day celebration. Continue reading →

photo-of-the-day

Posted on May 9, 2013 by maryjane

farm_romance-1675

Gardenin’ on the Wild Side

Posted on May 9, 2013 by maryjane

Did you know that May is Garden for Wildlife Month?

It is.

So.

Now that you know THAT …

How you gonna celebrate?

Photo by SiefkinDR via Wikimedia Commons

You know it don’t matter none if you have a sprawlin’ farm or a teensy tiny apartment balcony, you can grow a garden of beautiful blooms for the birds and the bees, butterflies, and other wild neighbors.

Photo by Forest Wander via Wikimedia Commons

Why fill a hummingbird feeder when you can offer flowers instead?

Photo by Charlesjsharp via Wikimedia Commons

And, if you live in an urban setting, your garden will help restore a little oasis of nature where mostly concrete prevails. Just ask this cozy mourning dove …

Photo by Louis Bennett via Wikimedia Commons

The National Wildlife Federation offers the following tips for tailoring your garden to wildlife (click on a tip to learn how):

Once you’ve established these four essential elements to make a healthy and sustainable wildlife habitat, the NWF encourages you to join thousands of gardeners across the country who have qualified for the Certified Wildlife Habitat program.

Now THAT’S somethin’ to celebrate!

Monthly Archives: May 2013

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