Florence + The Orzo Salad

My nose has been to the grindstone...er...wheel since the beginning of October, getting ready for two holiday shows. This weekend was the biggest show I've ever done: Crafters' Marketplace in Princeton, NJ.  Other vendors (over 130 of them!) were more than kind and super-generous and I learned more from this weekend than I have in the entire year:  what shows are good, how to efficiently transport your booth, where to source shelving, how to discover all the aspects of Square, etsy tricks, etc. etc.  It was wonderful to talk with customers and share my passion for ceramics with them.  And yes, it was heady that random strangers wanted to part with their hard-earned money for one of my pieces!  It felt, as my friend Jen would say: "A-Maze-Balls."

I wanted to share the weekend's pics:

So today was my first day off in almost 2 months and it was so, so sweet!  I didn't do anything fancy - even better - I did everything decidedly unfancy.

There are now clean clothes in drawers, an empty dishwasher; we have milk, bread and eggs again.  This morning I made pumpkin bread in my son's third grade classroom, happily counted the weekend's earnings, and watched a YouTube video of Florence + The Machine on SNL from this past weekend - a joyful, transformative version of "Shake It Out" with full gospel choir and ridonk sequined dress. Watch it here: Shake It Out - and guaranteed that you're going to wanna shake it out...

For lunch, I SAT DOWN to eat grilled shrimp with Orzo Vegetable Salad ala Ina instead of scarfing down a yogurt (okay, maybe not a yogurt, maybe a handful of Fig Newtons,) standing up.  I actually listened to my sons' after-school chatter instead of pretending to listen and really making a long mental list of what I had to do.

I'm looking forward to being present for the next few days...until my next little show next week. ;)

Why Andy Valued Women Who Are Over Forty Most of All...

I've never put someone else's words on my blog, but, as a woman of a certain age, this just made me smile.  And it reminded me why, we women in particular, should all miss Andy Rooney.  Of course he knew how to properly poke fun at the universe, but he was also wicked smart, had his head screwed on straight, and was way ahead of his time. 

Andy Rooney on Women Over Forty

By: Veronica Kavanagh (View Profile)

 

Andy Rooney says:

As I grow in age, I value women who are over forty most of all. Here are just a few reasons why: A woman over forty will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, “What are you thinking?” She doesn’t care what you think.

If a woman over forty doesn’t want to watch the game, she doesn’t sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it’s usually something more interesting.

A woman over forty knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of forty give a hoot what you might think about her or what she’s doing.

Women over forty are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won’t hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it’s like to be unappreciated.

A woman over forty has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn’t trust the guy with other women. Women over forty couldn’t care less if you’re attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won’t betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over forty. They always know.

A woman over forty looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over forty is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They’ll tell you right off if you are a jerk, if you are acting like one! You don’t ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over forty for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it’s not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of forty-plus, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some twenty-two-year-old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free,” here’s an update for you. Now 80 percent of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it’s not worth buying an entire pig, just to get a little sausage.

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