If I were to take you on a tour through my house you would see tidy piles in every room. There’s a pile for candle making and craft supplies, a pile for items destined for donation, the pile for clothes I can’t fit in the dresser or closet, the pile(s) of books I can’t fit on my shelves, etc… There used to be piles on the dining table as well but I’m proud to say that area is now cleared off—just don’t look behind the table.

I try to think back to when the clutter began. Did it start when I was injured? Did it get worse as I embraced my creative side? Am I making a statement or building boundaries? The pondering collides in painful chaos–time to escape with a book, this time a funny, poignant, and revealing tale of one woman’s journey into the depths of her clutter and the team of friends who helped pull her out.

A Cluttered Life: Searching for God, Serenity, and My Missing Keys by Pesi Dinnerstein is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. Pesi brings us along on her journey as she comes to terms with her clutter—how it defines her, how it traps her, and how it inspires her. Between these pages I found a kindred spirit. I gained insight into my relationship with clutter. I learned how to laugh at myself and my piles. If you live with clutter, or if you just want a good laugh, I encourage you to read this book.

Pesi is currently touring with WOW! Women On Writing. Come on by for my interview with the author, more information about the book, and a list of tour stops. There are plenty of chances to win a free copy too!

Synopsis:

Insightful, unsettling, and wildly funny, A Cluttered Life:  Searching for God, Serenity, and My Missing Keys (Seal Press) is the story of Pesi Dinnerstein’s quest to create a simple and orderly life—only to discover that simplicity is not so simple and what constitutes clutter is not always perfectly clear.  When a chance encounter with an old acquaintance reveals the extent to which disorder has crept into every corner of her existence, Pesi determines to free herself, once and for all, of the excess baggage she carries with her.  Along the way—with the help of devoted friends, a twelve-step recovery program, and a bit of Kabbalistic wisdom—her battle with chaos is transformed into an unexpected journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening.

Paperback: 312 pages (and Kindle)
Publisher: Seal Press
ISBN-10:1580053106
ISBN-13: 978-1580053105
For more information visit: www.aclutteredlife.com or www.sealpress.com

About the Author:

Pesi Dinnerstein (a.k.a. Paulette Plonchak) has written selections for the best-selling series Small Miracles, by Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal, and has contributed to several textbooks and an anthology of short stories.

Dinnerstein recently retired as a full-time faculty member of the City University of New York, where she taught language skills for close to thirty years. She has been an aspiring author and self-acknowledged clutterer for many years, and has spent the better part of her life trying to get organized and out from under. Despite heroic efforts, she has not yet succeeded; but she continues to push onward, and hopes that her journey will inspire others to keep trying as well.

Share your clutter comments! Commiserations, remedies, and rants all welcomed:)

Handmade by a gentleman in Arizona, this candleholder was crafted from one solid piece of Red Cedar. There is no finish on the wood; the shine is the result of a little bit of wax and some buffing. It feels smooth as satin and smells heavenly—I’ll be using an unscented candle in this one! Where is the scratch-n-Sniff button? You gotta smell this!

Along with my candle holder was a paper detailing where the wood came from. My holder was “harvested from a stand of Red Cedar that was being cleared as part of a fire control project in the Ohio River Valley” where the trees can be rather invasive. Donson Wood Works, the company that made the candle holder, “uses only renewable sources of wood.”

This is a gift I can feel good about. I appreciate that this artist is conscientious enough to use renewable sources and I love supporting local craftspeople and small businesses which is why I decided to post about this candle holder. A quick scan of the website showed all sorts of wonderful creations (check out the Steam Punk Pepper Mills). Great prices too!

The Christmas Village is the story of Jaime, a 12 year old boy whose father recently left. Jaime is having difficulty dealing with all the changes and, while at his grandmother’s house, begins wishing he could live somewhere peaceful and safe…like his grandmother’s miniature Christmas Village.

Poof! One night Jaime gets his wish magically transports into the little village, but things are not always as they appear…there is danger in the town of Canterbury. It’s a winter adventure as Jaime tries to help his friends and find a way home.

This is a warm, cozy read reflecting the importance of friends and family, trust, forgiveness, and gratitude. Great for ages 8 and up (I read it twice!). I love the book trailer, which I’ve pasted below for your enjoyment. I also had the opportunity to interview the author, Melissa Ann Goodwin, who is touring this week with WOW! You can read the interview and follow the tour schedule here.

 
Melissa Ann Goodwin is a native New Englander, now living in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband, artist J. Richard Secor. She has written extensively for Fun for Kidz, Boys’ Quest and Hopscotch for Girls. She was a regular feature article contributor to the Caregiver’s Home Companion for more than five years. Her work has appeared in Guideposts’ Angels on Earth, Caregivers’ Home Companion, Caring Today, The Lutheran Digest, The Peak Magazine, The Andover Townsman, and the Martha’s Vineyard Gazette. Her poetry took 10th prize in The Writer’s Digest 2010 annual competition. The Christmas Village is her first novel.

Author’s Websites:

Melissa Ann Goodwin
http://writeryogini.blogspot.com/

The Christmas Village
http://thechristmasvillagebook.blogspot.com

Dry, winter skin needs extra attention—a new regimen. One of the best ways I know to keep my skin from becoming dry is to apply a bath and body oil before stepping out of the shower. Many over the counter brands contain ingredients that are not helpful for the skin—they just fill the bottle. So I decided to share with you a recipe for making you own body oil. By the way, men can use this too—and it makes a great gift!

What you will need:

A dark-colored bottle, either blue or amber, usually purchased at a natural products store. The dark glass keeps out the light. You may re-use a small bottle already on hand; simply wash well and sterilize.

Sweet Almond Oil–contains vitamins, minerals, protein and sooths the itchy sensation.
Carrot Seed Oil (optional)—reaches the deeper skin layers (also safe to use on face)

Look for organic, first press or virgin oils.

Essential Oils:

Lavender—healing and antibacterial properties
German Chamomile—soothing and has anti-inflammatory properties
Rose—soothing and has antiseptic properties

Ginger (optional)—good for circulation because it draws blood to area
Benzoin (optional)—good for circulation, heals wounds, and sooths eczema

If you choose to add the optional oils I suggest using either one or the other but not both. Not only is it unnecessary to use both but you may not like the way they smell together.

Lavender and Chamomile are safe for children over 12 and elderly. Their use on small children requires a very dilute mixture. If your small child has dry skin I suggest the baby product line from Burt’s Bees. (If pregnant or nursing, consult with your health care professional before using essential oils.)

Look for good quality essential oils such as Aura Cacia.

Here is the basic recipe; you may adjust the ingredients according to the size of your bottle. Most bottles have the size stamped on the bottom. For conversion, there are 5ml to 1 teaspoon and 15ml to one tablespoon.

Your Base:
Carrier Oil= 90% Sweet Almond to 10% Carrot Seed

Essential Oils:
Up to 1 drop per ml of carrier oil
In other words, for 1 tablespoon of oil you may have up to 15 drops of essential oil. More is not necessarily better, though, when it comes to essential oils so use a light hand.

For each tablespoon of oil I suggest starting with:
3-4 drops Lavender
3-4 drops German Chamomile
2 drops Rose
1 drop either Ginger or Benzoin (optional)

• Begin with dropping the essential oils into your bottle. Replace the cap and roll the bottle between the palms of your hands to mix.
• Turn the bottle upside down once, then back upright.
• Add your carrier oils to this bottle.Replace the cap and blend again in the same way.

I suggest beginning with one small test batch; you may decide to increase or reduce the ingredients to suit your own skin (and nose).

To use:
After shower, massage into wet skin to seal in moisture. May also be added to bath water for soaking.

Store all oils in a cool, dark place such as a cabinet
Use your body oil mixture within 30 days (before the carrier oil turns rancid)

It all started a few months ago when the washer and dryer broke. The dryer had been limping along for a while but when the washer gave up I decided it was time for a new set; little did I know that this was just the beginning…

The fountain in the garden stopped pumping and then the pump in the hot tub did too.

Before we could get to those problems the refrigerator died. We spent two nights trying to repair it before accepting that we needed to replace it.

Meanwhile, the handle broke off the screen door.

Lowe’s delivered a new refrigerator—they removed the front door just to get it in. I had purchased an unused-yet-rebuilt model, silly me. The fridge was in place and the front door reattached and…no worky-worky. Off came the front door and out went the new fridge.

I threw out some food and bought ice for the Igloo.

Two days later the new fridge came. Off we went to buy some food and the handle broke off the only working door on the truck—stuck in the parking lot at Trader Joe’s.

Things were just beginning to get back to normal when the computer got hacked; some creepy person took out the hard drive, we couldn’t even fully erase it.

By this time funds were getting pretty low so we decided to fix the hot tub and put it up for sale. It’s fixed, it’s clean, and it’s working! We list it. That night a horrendous wind storm comes through and completely rips apart one corner of the cover.

What’s a girl to do?

Doodle.

           Talk to your favorite plant.

Light a candle and have some tea.
 

Above all, keep your sense of humor; it’s the balm of life.

Entries were judged by the following rules stated in the contest rules on October 15th:

So, here is my autumn call to all of you Poes, Thoreaus, Rumis, and Suesses to pen an ode to the season. Bring out the ghouls, the gourds, and the golden-hued leaves—whatever you fancy the season is up to you, just keep it family-readable. What’s the trick? Only one writer will win the treat.

Cast a spell over our judges with your originality, expression, and technical mastery. Although they will consider the pleas of the people, in the end the judges alone will decide your fate.

Limit is 100 words.

And the winner is…Until October by J.C. Nierad!

Congratulations, J.C., you win the jewels.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Ponder Autumn contest; it was so much fun to read all of the wonderful entries.

It was suggested that I host another contest for the upcoming holidays–I haven’t decided yet but if I do it will be something different.

Wishing everyone a beautiful week!

Calling us to have some fun!

We’re getting ready to have Halloween poetry judging party! Best of luck to all who have sent in their entries; the winner will be posted on November 1st.

I thought I’d share some of our party recipes with you. We’ll be snacking on crunchy, yummy, roasted pumpkin seeds and delicious Pumpkin Bisque soup. For cocktails we’ll have Bloody Mary and all her siblings (variations) or Apple Butter Cocktails.

First…a short video to get you in the mood!

Time to conjure up some treats!

Crunchy, Yummy, Pumpkin Seeds

Scoop out the seeds and rinse them in a strainer. They will feel a bit slimy and have little bits of pulp left on them but that’s okay, we’re going to soak them…

Fill a bowl with clean water and add enough salt to make it taste a bit like the ocean. Kosher salt is best. Soak your seeds for a couple of hours.

Place seeds back into the strainer, rinse, and set to dry on a clean towel.

Once seeds feel dry to the touch it is time to have fun—just toss with your choice of flavors and bake.

Here are some ideas but don’t stop here, get creative!

In a bowl, stir seeds with a little olive oil to help the seasonings stick. Sprinkle in one of these combinations:

Smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and a bit more salt

Salt and pepper (maybe add a dash of your favorite hot sauce or a little chili powder)

Go Asian

Instead of olive oil you can substitute peanut oil and sprinkle in crushed seaweed and a bit of ground ginger (maybe add a bit of Szechuan seasoning or some Chinese five spices which is cinnamon, anise, fennel, cloves, ginger, licorice, peppercorn and white pepper)

Go Buttery

Substitute butter for the olive oil and sprinkle in salt or your favorite popcorn seasoning (maybe add some crushed garlic)

Go Sweet

Toss with butter (or honey), cinnamon and sugar

Spread your mixture on a baking sheet and bake at 300-325 until golden (about 15 minutes). Toss them a few times while cooking so they brown on both sides. They will be soft when they first come out and get crunchy as they cool. Try serving with a sprinkle of grated parmesan or a squeeze of lime!

I came across this recipe in the Mother Earth News magazine- Oct 2011 I haven’t tried it yet but it looks pretty tasty for those who like sweet drinks.

Apple Butter Cocktail

1 tsp cinnamon
1tbsp sugar
Simple syrup (simmer equal parts water and sugar until dissolved- in this case you will want the syrup to be chilled)
1 ounce hard cider
1 ounce butterscotch schnapps
½ to 1 ounce cinnamon schnapps
1 cinnamon stick for swizzling (optional)

Chill a martini glass
While waiting, mix the cinnamon and sugar together and pour into a saucer
Pour a little bit of simple syrup into another saucer (for coating the rim of the glass)
Pour the cider and schnapps into a shaker filled with ice. Do your bartending dance.
Coat the rim of your chilled glass with the simple syrup and the cinnamon/sugar, strain your cold cocktail into the glass and add the cinnamon stick.

Bloody Mary and her Siblings

You just can’t have a Halloween party without inviting Bloody Mary.

Here’s the classic Bloody Mary recipe. Serves 1
1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 cup tomato juice
1/2 fresh lemon- squeezed
a dash of Worcestershire
Tabasco to taste
Choice of garnish (traditionally a celery stick)
Salt & Pepper
Combine the vodka, the tomato juice, the lemon juice, the Worcestershire sauce, the Tabasco, salt, and pepper.
Pour into a shaker with ice and do your bartending dance.
Strain into a tall glass filled with ice cubes.
Garnish with a celery stick, thin carrot sticks, or a lemon wedge.
If you wish to make a pitcher full start with 4 cups of tomato juice and adjust ingredients accordingly.

Get crazy!

Bloody Mary comes from a BIG family—the combinations you can come up with are almost limitless. Here are some ideas:

To the traditional, try adding:

Prepared horseradish, garlic, or both!
A dash of your favorite hot sauce
Some juice from your favorite pickled peppers
Some juice from your jar of olives
Pressed garlic

Substitute:
Lime juice for the lemon juice
V8 or Clamato for straight tomato juice
Flavored vodka for plain
I even heard that some people substitute beer for the vodka…

Garnish with:
Just about anything—pickled veggies, jalapeños, peppercini, cherry tomato, etc…

Finally, here is a pumpkin soup recipe I came across today on Mélange: A Medley of Life. I’m copying it here but to get the full effect you should visit the website and view the pictures!

Pumpkin Bisque

6 – 8 cups Fresh pumpkin, cooked
2 Large leeks
1 cup Yellow onion, diced
3 – 4 Garlic cloves
Fresh ginger, 1-inch piece ground
1 cup Fresh carrots
1 pint Half-n-half or cream
Low-sodium chicken stock
1 ½ sticks Unsalted butter
3 – 4 Bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste (at the very end)
1 teaspoon Nutmeg (or more)
Dash cayenne pepper or chili powder
½ to 1 cup Cooking sherry
1/8 to ¼ cup Flour (used to make a roux)
Crème fresh or low-fat sour cream
Parsley
Directions:

Scrape inside of pumpkin and peel. Cut pumpkin into cubes no more than 1 inch in size.
Chop carrots in ½ inch cubes.
Chop onions and leeks, making sure to thoroughly clean the leeks.
Melt butter. Sauté leeks and onions on high heat (about 2 min.)
Add sautéed onions to heated large soup pot.
Add carrots and toss 1 minute.
Add flour mixed as a roux. (Stephen didn’t tell me how he did this, but any cookbook should tell you)
Toss in pumpkin.
Add chopped garlic
Add cooking sherry: pour over mixture in pot.
Add chicken stock just until it covers pumpkin.
Bring the mixture to just barely a boil and then turn heat down to simmer.
Add bay leaves and cook uncovered about 35 minutes.
At the end of 35 minutes, take out the bay leaves. Puree the mixture in a blender. This will have to be done in small batches, probably three or four. Return to pot and on low heat add the cream slowly while stirring.
Grate the ginger and add to the mixture.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a dollop of crème fresh or low-fat sour cream.
Garnish with parsley.

Have a Howling Good Halloween and a Merry Samhain

Share your secret potions…

Have a favorite Halloween Party recipe? Share in the comments box!

Our final entry is a tale of the macabre ritual taking place in nearly every home in America this very day. For anyone who thinks the sacrificial act is ancient history, the practice of heathens, I offer you Truth of My Demise by SA Lawrence.

Truth of My Demise

If you’re faint of heart, then I ask you not to read
As I vividly describe the horrors done to me
In retrospect I offer this brief soliloquy
In hopes that justice might make these hoodlums pay

On a cool brisk autumn morning with dew upon the ground
I sat alone meditating, the sun above me shining down
Off I heard a turtle dove cooing softly on the breeze
Not noticing the scoundrels stealthily sneaking behind me

They took me to a house of which I’d never seen before
And carried me around the back and through the kitchen door
They placed me on a table with newspapers all around
And shoved a knife inside me, there was no hope to be found

They shoved a spoon inside me and scrapped away the guts within
Then with an evil gleam they started cutting me again
As they continued, the horror suffered is painful to describe
The morbidity of this may make one feel queasy deep inside

They cut away my nose and left a morbid frightful mess
And as to what they started next was maniacal at best
The shoved the knife into my face and cut away the rest
They carved a gruesome smile while laughing and making jest

They set my hollowed carcass on the porch that night you see
And to add humility to it they placed a candle inside of me
They left me out there all night long in the damp and cold night air
Like a trophy from a conquest they left me sitting there

But these charlatans were not finished; no they weren’t done with me
The worst was yet to come when finally morning came to be
They carried me inside and on the kitchen table once again
Then like before, they took a knife and to my back they shoved it in

These Cretans took the pieces to an oven and put me in
Cooking down my body into a mush to use again
This travesty continued as they made some pies from me
And served me as desert for all their friends to see

There’s no evidence to offer, not a crumb of pie crust left
My seeds were washed and toasted and shared amongst their guest
From the field they took me, they’re plowed and seeded once again
And the remnants of my existence are but a memory now my friend

Jack O’Lanturn Postscript©
SA Lawrence
Copyright :: All Rights Reserved
Registered :: Tue Oct 18 19:13:32 UTC 2011
Title :: Epitaff of Murder
Category :: Poetry

Fingerprint :: a2bebbd30d60a13592fc3bb8f9c6354bc7848721630cd3c45a8de6569b5955e8

Is it just me or is this one calling to be put to music?

I think it might be over the word limit but I’ll leave that for the judges to decide. For me, it provides a perfect lead in for the recipes we’ll be posting later today:)

There’s still time to comment/vote for your favorite entry…

tic…toc…tic…

For those of you just now peeking in, contest rules are:
Up to 100 words of poetry or children’s verse – family friendly please
Theme is autumn—Halloween, Fall, Samhain, Harvest—whatever feels good to you!
Prize is a pair of earrings. (Sorry Gents)
You may send your submission to PonderAutumnPoems@yahoo.com
Winner will be posted on November 1st

Tomorrow I’ll be posting some recipes suitable for your Halloween/Samhain gathering. Yum!

This one has so much imagery I had trouble deciding on a picture!

Hallow Weeny(s)

Bats from the belfry
Swinging from the eaves
Overlooks skullduggery
And spiders in the leaves

Exposed skulls…very scary
And goblins giving fright
Gathering darkness very eerie
Enveloping this sordid sight

Moonlight bright and silvery
Cleaves the blackening night
Forcing a change of scenery
And flushing out the fright

The black witch of sorcery
Mounting her speedy broom
Knows that the weeny(s)
Will soon depart the gloom

–H. Weeny, H.W.C.,B.S.A

The pendulum sways, counting down the hours to the end…of the contest.

Don’t play dead, rise up to our invitation–we dare you to enter! Winner takes the jewels. You have until midnight Saturday.