A window on my word - video

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:42:15 -0700

I have been working this week on building a video to show Sunday in church about our adoption. It’s a big undertaking. Just five minutes of music and photography could take me two weeks solid. But I don't have two weeks. There are so many details to creating something like this that it is pretty amazing. I’ve been working on it solid most of the week. Thursday evening hubby came in and flipped on the tv and I didn’t get much done after that. I sent him to bed really early and stayed up till 2 am working on the video. I was toasted the next morning when I tried to get out of bed, but in a small house, distractions like that can be really hard to get away from. Yesterday I told him before he got home that I needed to be able to work on the video straight through the evening. He was really good about it and went into the bedroom with the other laptop and M*A*S*H DVD’s turned down really low. I was able to really get a lot done and I was really grateful that he was willing to do that.

I have most of the photography and graphics done. Tonight I’ll be working at putting the visual and audio elements together. I’m really hoping and praying that I can make something that will communicate what needs to be communicated. I have a friend who is the media person for a huge organization who has offered to view it and critique it so that I know that it communicates what I want it to. That’s really important. With something as personal as talking about our journey with infertility and our choice to adopt – it’s really important that it doesn’t come off whiney, or soaked in self pity while still showing the truth of these years. There have been some dark seasons! So I’m really hoping I can get it all pulled together and looking great for Sunday. Yesterday I tested the first segment on the church projection computer and it is really wild to see something like that projected on a really huge screen. I liked it. I liked it very much! And I’m pleased with how it is going so far.

I will have it done in time for Church on Sunday and then we can use it at fund raisers and other events along the way. I think we will be really glad we have it. Once it’s done.

Yeah. Once it is done.

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The wheels are turning

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:39:45 -0700

I looked at a shop space a week ago and have been thinking and praying about it pretty much ever since. At first I was afraid that someone else would come along and speak for the space ahead of me. And then after much prayer and reflection I decided to pass. I think it boils down to not needing the pressure of that much square footage and overhead at this time. And with the coming children, well, I’m hoping that I won’t be torn in all directions when I really want to be at home making up for some lost time with little chillins.

While we were out shopping yesterday Mom talked me in to visiting a ritzy little boutique that a friend of hers owns. She wants me to take jewelry to them and from the way she described it, I thought there was no point. It sounded overpriced and colorless. But to humor her, I went in briefly. Wowza! I fell in love with a hot pink rain coat that was ADORABLE and a white blazer with lots of black satin cord detailing and… on and on! Oh me! And I liked the jewelry they had, it is a similar price point to my own. And I noticed the earrings that a friend of mine had made. So I believe that it should be a good fit for my work. So I’m excited. When I come up for air from this week’s projects I will go through my inventory and take them a stack of jewelry boxes and see what they think and see what sort of deal we can work out. I smell possibilities! And a run through a mental list of similar boutiques in the region got my wheels turning even more. Maybe this is what comes after my time at the bakery. Supplying high end bridge market jewelry to the boutiques in my area could work. Yes ma’am. Certainly could.

The wheels, they are a-turning.

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Art & Chocolate

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:05:32 -0700

Yesterday Mom and I both had some time off work so we went shopping for chocolate and ingredients for the chocolate for our “Art & Chocolate” fund raiser. “Art & Chocolate” is a fund raiser we are planning for our adoption process of bringing home our children from Colombia. It was good to have her along and I was surprised how supportive she was and interested in brainstorming for other chocolate formula ideas. She is an expert at this and it’s good to have her as a resource. It will be interesting to see how all these formulas come together. I have more testing to do. I have so many pounds of excellent quality chocolate at my house… it must be close to heaven. Maybe after the pressing projects of this week are done I can start in with the first stages of prep. Now that is going to be fun!

My parents were not going to come to the “Art & Chocolate” fund raiser because of a scheduling conflict with their small group and seeing friends they haven’t seen in a long time. But when she heard that hubby’s parents were coming in from Indiana for the event, it really turned the tide for her. I think she pretty much decided on the spot that they wouldn’t be able to go to their small group thing after all. It’s hard to want to be in two places at once and I knew the choice was hard for them. However, I just got a call that they are coming and bringing the whole small group to the event. Yay! Some of those folks are loaded – so it will be lovely to have them there from a financial perspective. They are close friends of my parents, so that means there will be the emotional connection. They are generous and good people. And they have a tradition of making chocolate together each Christmas. So the event is perfect for them. I am delighted!

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Hip Hop Easter

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:46:50 -0700

I made a bunch of these last week for the holiday. Lots and lots of bunnies. They are little icing bunnies with pecan ears. Very quick and fun to make. The eyes on the chocolate ones show up better than the eyes on the white ones. Kids loved um!

Bunny cup cake

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Our Uncommon next Social Worker in Chief

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:08:52 -0700

A More Perfect Union. A speech by Barack Obama. I haven’t followed this story closely, but I am curious and perplexed about how Obama’s pastor has become a big news story and how this story has lingered in the news as long as it has.

I’ve listened to a few of the sound bytes taken from sermons by Pastor Wright. I see a man speaking from his heart and his perspective. Fully informed by his world view and his study of the scripture this man is speaking of injustices in this world. And in the process of expressing himself he chose language that would over-state his thoughts and ideas. Language that would confront, offend and challenge the listener. Language that would prod and pound our casual approach to injustice in this country. This language is as indelicate and unsalted as some Old Testament prophets. His words offend our shamelessness about treatment of the first nation of Native Americans, dropping the atom bombs, and much more. Yeah, I think he crosses the line in his approach, but I don’t think the ideas themselves are as extreme as they appear in a 10 second sound byte on FOX news. He makes the point that the events of September 11^th came as a result of reaping what American foreign policy has sown into the earth. I dare say that there are plenty of Americans who would agree with that point to some degree. It certainly is not a new idea, there are plenty who have made exactly this point for a long time. It’s a point I find difficult to disagree with. So why this reaction in the media?

Is it because this man is a preacher? Uh… has anyone heard that old preacher that is a close friend of the Bush family, let’s see… what is his name? You know the one, he suggested that Venezuela’s president be assassinated. Now that is an interesting foreign policy! That is just one excellent example out of many comments that are overstatements of things many believe. And that came from Bush family friend Old whats-his-name Pat Robertson. While many Americans may agree that Chavez is an inconvenience to American interests and a thorn in the side, certainly very few agreed with the overstated idea that the leader of a sovereign nation be killed by U.S. agents. We’re used to these sorts of things from Pat Robertson, so why is it such a big deal when the same kind of overblown rhetoric shows up from a black preacher? So he went a little “Malcolm X” in the pulpit and it was captured on tape. Which is perfect for those who like to trade in the politics of fear. Maybe it is all about race and fear of a (justifiably) angry black man. Especially one who suggests that God (that Ultimate Super Power) ain’t that thrilled about how we’ve been treating the poor and the powerless down here on this little windy hot marble. So which is it? Communication? Fear? Race? Religion?

So I listened carefully to Obama’s speech on race in America. At first I was distracted by the fact that the stage was draped in – count um – EIGHT American flags. Come on! Doesn’t THE American flag say enough? Isn’t this the equivalent of stars and stripes shouting? Then I saw a quick blurb from Hillary standing in front of THREE! Apparently it’s all the rage these days. Multiple flags just in case anyone was wondering exactly how American these candidates are. (Obama is apparently ahead in this regard as well.) I guess if one is good...

Once I got past the visual of the one lone figure draped in the stars and stripes... I gave some consideration to his speech. It was long. Too long. But it wasn't about race. Or at least not only. It was about race and power, injustice, opportunity, religion, faith, pessimism, despair, fear and hope. Yeah, we come back to that last one. Hope.

Obama provided a context for understanding Pastor Wright’s words. It reminded me of my days in Social Work classes in college. He recapped history for those of us who seem to forget – because we don’t live in the same world with the same kinds of privilege (or lack of.) How could I with my blone hair and ultra pastel skin understand the privilege that is mine for reasons that have nothing to do with me? I thought he did an excellent job of laying out a framework for working to improve life in America for those who are underprivileged, underemployed with sub standard health care. For Americans of any race. And I was impressed with him again.

For me it’s about judgment. In my opinion Obama showed good judgment in voting against the war in Iraq back when it was political suicide. History continues to prove that he chose right. This most recent bout of audacious hope for working toward “a more perfect union” is further evidence of Obama’s judgment. There is a fine line between condemning and betraying a friend in the process of distancing yourself from a man’s political opinions while still honoring his friendship and personal and spiritual history with the Obama family. No doubt it won't feel so kind to Pastor Wright, nevertheless I think Obama did a good job of handling that delicate balancing act. As a matter of fact, it didn’t sound at all like a politician’s speech to me. I’ve never heard a candidate speak that profoundly honestly about race in America. Even Clinton who was our first black President. LOL! But then Senator Obama is no ordinary candidate.

My hat is off to the tall thin guy in front of the eight flags. He’d make an excellent Social Worker in Chief. An uncommon man for an uncommon time in history. Yes indeedy!

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Choco-lotta-yummy

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:12:56 -0700

Earl grey

I’m planning the Chocolate for a fund raiser coming up next month. Since we are adopting from Colombia I’ve used the flag colors of red, blue and yellow as an inspiration for the colors and flavors for the chocolate. And I’ve looked to South American deserts for inspiration for these truffles.

Here are the twelve flavors I’ve got in mind at the moment:

They are:

White chocolate lemon ganache molded in dark chocolate garnished in yellow. I may put some gold leaf in this one for the fun of it. I happen to already have it so it would be no big deal but I think it would look amazing.

Dark chocolate black raspberry ganache molded in milk choc and wrapped in red foil

White chocolate blueberry ganache dipped in milk chocolate with blue garnish

Vanilla truffle (the cream for the ganache is infused with a South American vanilla bean until the flavor is full tilt rich orchid goodness) in dark chocolate garnished in white. I can’t wait to try this one but I only have one vanilla bean and since they are rather expensive I don’t think I’m going to get a trial run on this one. I hope I get it right.

Chocolate truffles

White chocolate cranberry almond in white chocolate garnished with red. Hubby hates this one but I think it’s pretty good and it’s a good texture contrast to the others and the only one coated in white chocolate.

Marzipan (a personal favorite) dipped in milk chocolate garnished with almond

Earl Grey truffle (I can’t wait to try this one!) in milk and wrapped in silver foil. (Ok, it’s not the least bit South American, this one is all about me!)

Hot red peppers

A red hot South American chocolate flavor: Dark chocolate ganache with cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper in dark chocolate with tiny red rose medallion garnish. (I’ve already tried this one and love, Love, LOVE it!)

Pecan praline in milk ganache with a pecan half garnish. This sounds divine and easy to make. Maybe I’ll get time for a trial run this week.

Dulce de Leche (a South American milk based caramel) cashew in dark or milk (Have not decided) chocolate. Sounds good. Don’t know whether to make my own or buy it online. If I made it I’d never know if I got an authentic end product. Hmmm… undecided.

Hazelnut truffle in dark chocolate wrapped in blue foil.

A dark chocolate, blue and white layered peppermint with snowflake garnish. Coooool!

I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be a feast for the eyes as well as for the taste buds. I’ve done some serious chocolate making years ago so this is a real flash from the past. I hope the old skills are still in there as far as dipping and handling the chocolate. I hope so anyway. It certainly will be a nice change from what I’m usually doing these days!

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More Artzy Alpha Bits

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:03:31 -0700

LAUGH thumb

YUMMY thumb

I’ve been on an alphabet kick for some time now. And the other day I took out a chop block, put it on the sink in front of the kitchen window and proceeded to photograph everything I could get my hands on in my kitchen. So now I have a kitchen alphabet and can spell just about anything. See earlier posts for some examples from my first architectural alphabet photographs. I have ideas for other alphabets as well. I don’t know why, but this idea has completely gathered up my imagination and just won’t let go at the moment. I think these would be marvelous in a kitchen, especially my kitchen since these are my kitchen utensils. LOL! I’m going to print out a bunch of these letters and package them up nicely and offer them at our “Art & Chocolate” fundraiser next month to raise money for our adoption. I hope people will take the time to play with them a bit to spell out names and such and then place their orders. I think that would be cool anyway. It is the kind of thing I’d buy for my own house. I need to learn how to create a website where you can see all the letters and order exactly the configuration you want. I think that would be cool but I don’t know how to do it yet. If anyone has ideas on that – especially free web tools for creating dynamic html websites or something like that – please let me know. Especially the free part! LOL!

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Artzy Alpha Bits

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:47:24 -0700

Carmen

I’m in love with the alphabet! I have been taking photos of things that look like letters for about a week now. Since I started this project everything looks like a letter of the alphabet to me. Hubby drove me through town this afternoon and all I could do was look out the window and wish I had my camera with me. I kept seeing stuff I wanted photos of. I have about 100 photos now, maybe more and they are all of architectural alphabet letters. I have only one U but two Q’s. I have ten E’s. I’m looking for a few more options on a couple letters but for the most part I should be able to spell just about anything without repeating the letters. Here are some samples:

Peeking in windows, wondering about open doors...

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:58:54 -0700

Today I went on a scouting mission. I checked out an available shop space. I know the price is really reasonable. It’s in a historic area next to an excellent quilt shop and just down from one of my favorite restaurants that is really popular in the area. I had initially thought about another spot in town, it has a more high profile location and a considerably higher price tag. But as I began to give it some thought, I began to think this spot might actually be the better place for my shop. And it looks like there is enough space for studio and retail.

As I talked to the quilt shop ladies this afternoon, I realized that with a few modifications to my old business, I would benefit from the same demographic as they do. I could really ratchet up the beads for the DIY'ers as well as teach classes in a variety of art media. Plus, I would be selling all the same kinds of products that worked so well for me in the old gallery. Everything was hand made and one of a kind, made by myself or one of the artists who gave me their work on consignment. The ladies at the quilt shop would be really good neighbors and they lay out some serious cash to market their store. These things sound good to me.

Sooooooo… I called the number on the door of the available space and just got an answering machine. The ladies at the quilt shop had given me a different number and when I tried that one, I got the guy right away. So the property manager is going to meet me there tomorrow at noon to take a look around. (Yay!) I have already gone around and peeked in all the windows, so I have a general idea of what it looks like inside. But I’ll actually be able to go inside and take a look around tomorrow. I’ll take photos. This is pretty exciting to me! After these conversations I had a pretty big case of the jitters because just the idea of a new shop being a possibility for me was so exciting that I could barely contain myself.

It’s also a little overwhelming. Last time I put together a shop in a little over a month. I could do that again I think, or come close since I already have so much stuff on hand. I’ve never had this much square footage before, so it could be a significant jump in the amount of work required. I suppose I’ll just take it as it comes. If this door is really going to open up for me, then it’s really going to take some hard work in the coming months.

I’ve got plenty to think about. The medical stuff I’m dealing with, the adoption stuff, the fund raisers for the adoption, and more. Not to mention my two jobs. There is much to consider.

So tomorrow, I’ll go to my first job, and briefly then to the bakery as well. I only have one cake on the schedule tomorrow so getting out by noon should not be any big deal. I’ll see the shop space at noon and then be at the hospital in time for my appointment with the ENT Doctor by 1:30. Maybe I’ll have some time after that to give some thought to these ideas.

What an interesting day.

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The signal that the end is near

nobody@vox.com(Artzy Carmen) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:59:51 -0700

100_8345

This is the lovely little cake the signaled the end of my bakery employment. I think it turned out really cute, but I went through enough drama over this one cake that it made me realize a thing or two. It is time to begin the end of my time there.

In the process of going back through some old posts today and seeing the various complaints and whining I’ve been doing… and to see the same complaints repeated and see that nothing will change. I just can't become that person that stays at a job I hate because I'm too freaked out to get on with my real life and get off this detour.

I think I’ll talk to boss lady, she’ll offer me more money and I’ll quote some obscene figure and see what happens. Then I’ll make enough money to buy myself a brand new computer and then blow that pop stand. Sounds like a lovely plan! Maybe some things will improve. Maybe the negotiations will lead me back to that brick wall. I can live with that.

I’m going to do a little more research into some of the retail spaces that I saw available in town recently. There are some interesting options out there! There most certainly are! Maybe I can do some research and something interesting can evolve. It's time. I think I'm ready to get back to being a retail shop owner again.

yeah

I like the sound of that!

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