Posted by missjunebug on April 26, 2012
Check out missjunebug's shiny new wrap bracelet with added bling! Photo by mjb2012
missjunebug had some fun recently getting crafty at Queen Beads in Camarillo. This nifty bead shop is located at 1877 E. Daily Dr. Camarillo, CA 93010 (805) 987-2555. Chris Dodson, the resident Queen/owner of Queen Beads can graciously assist you in supplying all your jewelry making needs. The shop is spacious, well-organized, and fully supplied with fabulous beads and stones and buttons and wires and leather strings of all kinds to get you started making your own Chan Luu-inspired jewelry or any kind of jewelry you want.
missjunebug is a Chan Luu wannabe so under Chris’ expert direction, mjb was able to make her own wrap bracelet in just a few hours using some gorgeous coral beads. missjunebug did have to take a break during the process and run across the street to have lunch with a friend. (Yummy beef enchiladas!) But she made it back and finished her little masterpiece in no time at all. Thank goodness missjunebug’s friend who introduced her to Queen Beads, didn’t mind mjb jumping from one social event to another. missjunebug is determined to get in as much fun between rounds of chemotherapy as she possibly can!
That little wrap bracelet could not have turned out any better. Queen Chris is a natural born teacher with some awesome clipboards and clips that make weaving that little bracelet together as easy as pie. The directions are printed right on the clipboard! And the thread used to anchor the beads has a built in needle! How cool is that? Very. Very.
missjunebug’s dear friend did a neat trick herself by making her bracelet from some lovely blue-green recycled beads she’d harvested from jewelry she no longer wore. Now that’s clever! And believe missjunebug when she says her dear friend’s bracelet turned out fabulous, too! missjunebug has some really smart, eco-minded friends.
So the next time you get inspired to make jewelry worthy of the Sundance Catalogue or Chan Luu’s beautiful pieces, take heart! You can do it with the help of a bead shop like Queen Beads. Look for local bead shops in your area that offer reasonably priced classes and get busy with it! Imagine the fun you’ll have, the beads you’ll recycle, and the money you’ll save! Or you can do what missjunebug did and buy brand new shiny beads to make a bracelet! Oh. my. yes. Even more fun.
Happy beading!
Posted by missjunebug on April 13, 2012
The best chocolate sheet cake. Ever. (Photo credit: Appletini ?)
missjunebug cooked last night! A complete chickeny meal with two side veggies, a creamy risotto, and a rockin’ dessert! Who does she have to thank for this not-so-everyday occurrence? That unrivaled blogger The Pioneer Woman and missjunebug’s inspiration, ElderJB!
As an occasional blogger herself, missjunebug is truly inspired by the blogs of others and Ree Drummond’s Pioneer Woman blog tops the list of blogs worth checking out. This blog has everything and missjunebug’s blog looks really Mickey Mouse in comparison (no offense, MM!). The only things missjunebug can hold against PW is that she’s from Oklahoma and she graduated from USC. What an unfortunate combination! missjunebug says this with the authority of being a Texan who graduated from UT Austin (Hook ‘Em Horns!). That said, The Pioneer Woman is truly inspiring especially by way of the recipes presented and the outrageously good photos of the cooking process that documents every possible step and then some.
missjunebug thought it was time for some home cooking for her ElderJB who is visiting from his home-away-from-home, Rwanda. Yes, she’d made the requisite Easter ham and pineapple stuffing for Sunday’s celebration, but the junebugs had managed to dine out quite a bit, too, so it was time for some home-cooked nutrition to round things out.
The two vegetable sides were simple: bacon-laced green beans and glazed carrots. Yum. The requisite starch? (requisite must be the Word of the Day!!) Lundberg’s Parmesan Risotto, simple and simply wonderful and done in 20! The main course? Ree’s Chicken in Mustard Sauce laced with plenty of whole grain mustard, a dollop of Grey Poupon, and a full cup of brandy. That’s what missjunebug is talkin’ about! Throw in some garlic and cream, and you’ve got a crave-able sauce that embraces chicken like no other! missjunebug won’t waste your time re-writing the recipe here: check it out on Pioneer Woman yourself when you need something delicious and not too complicated.
Now on to the really important part: the dessert! The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever. missjunebug heartily concurs with naming this Texas-size sheet cake the best ever because it is the best ever! This recipe is not exactly easy. There are some steps involved that take some time, melting butter, stirring in lots and lots of cocoa, mixing sugar and flour and stirring pretty much nonstop for a while, then pretty much repeating these same steps for the decadent icing but it is so worth it! Check out The Pioneer Woman for this recipe and make it very, very soon. You will be thanking yourself for days!
Not only is The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever. a great dessert, it makes an awesome breakfast with a big glass of cold milk (non-fat, natch!). And, yes, that’s what missjunebug had for breakfast this morning!
Let’s hear it for homecomings and home cooking!
Posted by missjunebug on April 8, 2012
Happy chickie says "Happy Easter"!!!
missjunebug has been away for far too long. She’s been having some fun and dealing with some unfun, kind of like the way life usually is, but she couldn’t let this day pass without wishing a Happy Easter to her faithful readers. Speaking of faith, it’s a good thing to have. She wishes you a lot of it, if you find yourself occasionally lacking in that department. It’s a really good thing to have a pocketful of to carry around with you at all times and in all places. This is as good a day as any to start thinking about getting some! Maybe even the perfect day to start thinking about it, come to think of it!
missjunebug hopes you are joined with friends and family, sharing a meal, a stimulating conversation (ElderJB is the master of ceremonies at the dinner table for starting all philosophicals!) and a moment of reflection on all there is to be grateful for!
Happy Easter! Happy Springtime! Happy Life!
