Inspiration by a candle...The Loveliness of Fall

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot

I love fall. And yet, sometimes I forget how much I truly do until the season comes around again and I walk into a grocery store and the aroma of cinnamon scented pine cones greets my nose. Then I am in heaven! And inspired. Feeling crafty and domestic like an 19th century young woman (minus the corset, lack of baths and basic civil rights).

Its amazing to me how one small thing can brighten someone's mood so tremendously. Scent, for me, and many others, has this magical power that can lift your mood instantly. Yesterday, in lieu of fall's newborn arrival, I went to Wal-mart with my mom and bought Mainstay's pumpkin spice scented candle. It was just a small one with a glass encasement for a $1. Totally worth it! It reminds me of my childhood in Utah, and even annual home shows where they'd always have something like pumpkin & apple pie, mulled cider, or sugar cookie wafting through the corridors making the public happy. Lets be honest, it seems Utah hands down has the best candles on the planet being that it is probably the craft capital of the world. But Wal-mart is a close second, and luckily they manufacture and serve worldwide :)

My little pumpkin spice candle is already getting great compliments and use in the household. We burned it for about 6 hours yesterday in the living room and its only a 1/4 gone. It is now positioned on my computer desk so that I may make both my nostrils happy and keep my inspiration flowing (is it odd how I use the word 'nostrils' when referring to inspiration? LOL!). But then again, think about it, scent trigger memories, and if they are good memories you can transport yourself to that feeling again, even when you are struggling to attain it at times. Its scent therapy. And it works! I should know.

All last night I was raving about the candle and its heavenly odors, to which my mother declared, "If I knew it would make you this happy I would've bought a case load!" She probably said this because during our evening watching a 2-hour episode of "Dancing With the Stars" I kept proclaiming, "Doesn't that smell so good?", "Oh, that is so divine!", "I want to make pumpkin pie!", "We should make pumpkin pie chocolate muffins," etcetera etcetera etcertera!!

As you can see I've been hypnotized by pumpkin, and for only a $1. I can't imagine what the $5 large version of that candle would do to me! Undoubtedly it would be a sound investment. When it comes to one's nose and state of mind, peace and pleasantry is priceless.

So what scent makes you happy and reminds you of happy times? I ask because I may expand my candle empire beyond pumpkin and should like to know. Thanks :D


Leaving you with lovely thoughts of fall :)

Some beautiful visual imagery....Scottish Style

I don't know about you all, but sometimes, when I am really wishing I could go on holiday, I go on a mental one. No, that doesn't mean I go nuts, haha, just means I go to google image search and start typing in places I'd like to go and see where it leads me to.

From the beginning of me and my boyfriend's courtship we have always talked about going to Scotland, maybe living there someday. I am absolutely in love with England, yes, but there's something so rugged, pure and untouched about Scotland's landscape. We didn't have time to go on my last trip to the UK but what I've seen, and heard, makes it a definite destination next time around.

What I love about Scotland from what I've heard from Pete and seen from photographs is that that most of it is hills, valleys, and lochs, with no civilization for hundreds of miles, even more so than England. I love that. And wherever you are in Scotland you are always close to the sea- since its such a narrow country. I cannot wait to go there. I long to walk through the hills and valleys attempting to channel ancient wisdom from my ancestors onto paper (just kidding, I just mean writing in a journal, or working on my novel), taking photos, and listening to Enya on my MP3 player. Sounds like heaven!

During my google search of Scotland for my mini-holiday I found these GLORIOUS and absolutely divine photographs by photographer David Lloyd-Roach. When I saw them it literally took my breath away, and I've been sharing them with everyone I can since. Hope you enjoy them blog ladies and gents and they brighten your day and make you dream of glorious holidays, too :)

*Note, click on the photos to enlarge to really get the true experience :)





This is my favorite photo of all. It makes me think of a prehistoric paradise (minus the dinosaurs, of course)

My Attempt At Domesticity

Two weeks ago afore I welcomed this flowerous visitor (we shall call her Miss Chrysanthemum) into my home in hopes that I could nurture her, watch her grow, and enjoy part of nature indoors whilst basking in the pride of my green thumb. I have been writing on a regency novel lately and envisioning beautiful English summer gardens in my head and thought if I had just one actual pot of flowers (however small & minute) on my desk of inspiration, that somehow, I’d have, well, more inspiration.

For a few days I did have more inspiration, and then despair, when I woefully realized that my Chrysanthemum was beginning to wilt. I tried to water it regularly (but then one has to be careful not to over water, causing root rot – these things are so delicate), and I attempted to give her some natural sunlight, but mostly incandescent light by the lamp near my desk. Miss Chrysanthemum was having NONE of it. Her largest blossoms were shriveling by the day and I felt so wretched I decided to put her outside on the balcony. First it was a couple hours airing each day – but last night, I forgot about her and left her outside the entire night.

I took this picture of her today. This is the first day (and after much trimming away of the excess dead flowers and leaves) that she actually looks perked up. Apparently, leaving one’s precious Chrysanthemum out all night is a positive thing to do (I've just learned that these flowers are supposed to be outdoor plants). If this solution does not work out I suppose I should not be too upset, however. I only spent $2 for the entire project ($1 for the Chrysanthemum, $1 for the pot; the trouble and worry of it all – priceless).

This story is to be continued. In the meantime, does anyone have any recommendations of pretty, colorful and small indoor plant I could buy (preferably a flower)? I was thinking perhaps an African violet. Something lovely to perk up my author's corner of the room. I need a backup plan in case Miss Chrysanthemum makes a dramatic exit.

P.S. Admittedly, I am quite proud of myself; I didn’t even have to look up how to spell Chrysanthemum, hehe. Reminds me of that scene in Anne of Green Gables where the teacher asks his soft-voiced blond protege how to spell it, but she ruins it, and Anne triumphantly declares the actual spelling. Hurrah!

Blogless Inspiration or should that be Inspirationless Blog???

I don't know about you all, but sometimes I feel like I don't have much to say, or if I do, it shall be boring in a blog, which then in turn bores other people, defeating the purpose of a blog, haha. But then again, you might be like me and find that no matter what is going on in people's lives, and blogs, other people's lives are far more interesting to read about and news worthy than my own on paper, or blog space for that matter. So perhaps that is why I've been M.I.A. in the blog realm lately. A lot has been going on, yet if I wrote it all down, it might seem like nothing at all. HA!

But alas, I am back again, regardless of my aforementioned fears, and attempting to be creative or blog inspired once more. My blog title after all does promise such.

Let me think what I have been up to lately.... a road trip and visit to Utah to see my family (was lovely), I live in a hotel (well not really, figuratively speaking, two more family members are staying with us right now, but its been fun, and never short of laughter, only room, hehe). I have seen far too many films in the last few weeks to number, (mostly redbox, so haven't broke the bank) and have spent far too much time playing bedazzled on facebook, (oh wait, is it called bejeweled? HAHA, it is, and that just shows what a brain-numbing/addicting/make you solve imaginary equations afterwards whilst even on the toilet/sick/freaky and hypnotising game that it is). It really is terrible when one thinks about it, haha. But I can't stop, I'll probably even play just 15 mins before I go to bed after this (which translates to= 150 mins, haha).

I will say I have accomplished some good things lately as well in my blog absence. I am 100 pages through my Regency novel that I've been writing, have rewritten some of the plot (for the better I believe) and the story has evolved a great deal. I have done a helluva lot of research recently to keep my regency knowledge & vocabulary up to par which was fun, and time consuming . P.S. If anyone wants to know what an ape leader is, just ask me and I'll tell you ; P because I think we should all incorporate it into our daily vocabularies. JK.

I have also been doing a very difficult, but beneficial diet for my health recently - perhaps that's why I've also been inspirationless and maybe a little crabby. Its the adrenal/anti-candida diet. Which basically means stay away from all the tasty stuff, to improve one's health and vitalization. Translation = stay away from bread and sugars.

You'd be surprised the first couple days on the diet are horrible - I'd liken it to someone getting off crack (not that I've ever done crack, but I've watched that A&E "Intervention" show, it's scary!) , but after the initial few days the diet gets much easier. (I say that only because I tripped up this last week and gave into bread products and ice-cream). Oh well, back on the straight and narrow tomorrow! The good news is I already lost some weight around my middle because of it, which is super hard to lose, and its encouraging that I am beginning to be able to see inside my belly button since... well, I can't remember, lol. Encouraging stuff, haha.

Alright well, I am a bit delirious and tired. I hope this was somewhat amusing. Till I return again lassies & laddies...

Now Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Program

Okay so its been a busy couple of weeks - what with family coming to town, me chauffeuring said family around town, taking my teenage niece to modeling gigs and castings (she just got signed to Wilhelmina Modeling Agency, wahoo!) helping babysit my cute 2-year old nephew, going to the beach with mom and the kids, going swimming, having BBQ's, - its been hectic hectic hectic. I just wanted to send a shout out if anyone is still around in my bloggy corner of the world that yes, I am still alive, and will be back to posting more soon, (when I'm not busy baby proofing an apartment that has never been baby proofed, since my nephew gets into everything, haha). It's been an adventure with all this new energy and excitement in the apartment, that's for sure. But I wouldn't miss any of it :)

I hope everyone else is having a grand summer. Before I go I wanted to post some things I'm grateful for (thanks to UKYankInOz for the idea). I normally do gratitude notes in my journal, but why not send some positive energy out to the blog world also methinks. And so without further ado:

I am grateful for my loving boyfriend Pete
I am grateful for my family visiting me here in L.A., and a wonderful family in general
I am grateful for the beautiful California sunshine and good weather
I am thankful for a nice place to live and good food to eat
I am grateful for laughter, smiles, music, and all the simple pleasures in life that make it all worthwhile.

Happy Summer everybody!

The Ugly Truth - My Extra Debut

So I'm sure anyone in America who has basic television has seen the endless previews and media attention surrounding the new romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth" starring Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl, and I suppose if you've been following my blog enough you'll know that I got to be in this film May 2008 when it filmed in Los Angeles and near San Diego. Now it was nothin' special, I was just an extra for 2 days, but it was a fun experience to hang with the stars up close and personal, watch a movie being made and be part of it, so I just wanted to reminisce a little.

Day 1: I was scheduled to be a night club go-er and patron at for a Salsa club scene to be filmed downtown at the train station (odd location I know, but they made a pretty impressive make-shift salsa club inside). As always with movie making there is usually a very early call, and then a lot of sitting around and waiting for hours. Luckily wardrobe approved me quickly in a red chiffon and beaded halter top, black ruffled skirt and black heels I'd all brought from home, and I was sent to wait in line outside the hair and makeup trailer for approval. About an hour and half later I was sent inside the trailer, with a little surprise as I came up the steps to see Gerard and Katherine inside by the entrance. I don't remember much but I do recall that it was very stuffy, and small in that little trailer and that Gerard Butler has a loud, infectious laugh that seemed to filled the tiny space with a sense of fun and humor.

The set for the salsa club was very large, with balconies overlooking a long oval bar I believe, and a dance floor, with rows of tables and booths on each side. Because of space, and filming tricks, they mainly kept people on one side of the dance floor tables. During filming my first assignment was to walk to a booth by the dance floor, and sit down and join my "date" (a guy whose name I can't really recall, other than he made me laugh and we enjoyed playing with the accoutrements on our prop drinks). Ours was a great spot to be because it was close to all the action, where the actors hung between takes, and apparently the camera was right on us, (my friend actually found a movie still shot with my head in it, total crack up, haha!) I know its me because of where I was positioned, and because there were no extras on the booth tables on the opposite side of the floor. Here's the pic.

LOL, I'm such a nerd! I feel like a party crasher with my head tilted like that (I promise I wasn't looking at the camera, lol!) Let's hope someday my personal and career accolades extend past something more monumental and slightly embarrassing like this, hehe, but if not, it was fun and that's all that really matters.

Overall, film day one was a great day, a long day, a little over 12 hours, but full of laughter and good people. What I enjoyed most was how friendly the other extras were, (extras usually are though) and how casual and laidback Gerard Butler was. Even though some people still didn't know who he was then, (the guys especially until they realized he was King Leonidas in"300"); he didn't act like a star. Gerard didn't sit in his actor's stool really, and instead preferred standing talking with extras and crew, or sitting in a booth next to ours squished next to some camera men. In fact, it struck me that he much preferred this casual atmosphere verses hanging out in a lonely trailer between takes, because he mainly hung out on set with all of us during that time from us extras to the salsa dancers to the crew, regardless of our importance on the film and Hollywood politics. I thought that was really cool.

Being on set was one of those observational experiences where you see this strange dichotomy firsthand with the Hollywood hype, filmmaking, and movie "stars". Its an exciting feeling to be there and yet everyone is normal, they all sweat, they all get tired, they all get hungry, restless, stressed, happy or forgetful. The only difference with famous actors is they have a job where they can have creative release, share a bit of their charisma and hopefully get a handsome paycheck for it, and depending on the press and public's mood they receive adulation and acceptance or criticism and indifference. Makes you realize how fleeting and complicated it all is.

I have to say that living in Hollywood for 5 years now you see it all when you go to parties, meet celebrities, hang with them, even date them, and your perception changes. Hollywood isn't really isn't as glamorous as people think, its mainly an endless rat race of the egos. I love the entertainment industry, don't get me wrong, and its fun to participate, but my belief is that unless you're in it for the right reasons you will get chewed up and spit out. You've got to just love your art, be passionate about it, be pure about it, and hopefully you'll get a break, AND if you do NEVER EVER take yourself too seriously to forget the people who got you there in the first place. It seems like Gerard Butler and even Heigl maintain that humbleness and I really respect that.

Anyway, not to take a completely serious and philosophical approach to this blog, I just wanted to share that portion of the experience in lieu of the new movie coming out. My other day on the Ugly Truth set wasn't as exciting I'm afraid, (though it was more drama, haha). I was cast as a wine festival go-er (they always add go-er to extra casting assignments, haha) at a Lake near San Diego. Beautiful location, but the day was rather like an endurance contest, and showed the not so glamorous side of filmmaking which includes knats attacking everyone in the bitter cold foggy morning, following by a HOT HOT heatwave in the afternoon causing sun burns, heat stroke, and exhaustion. Can we say glamorous?! But hey, at least they got some Hollywood movie magic out of it and maybe The Ugly Truth will be a blockbuster, haha!

"The Ugly Truth" opens in theaters today. I may catch a matinee this afternoon, and maybe I'll see my silly face in it, lol. Good memories :)

Eatin’ Without Wheat – Domestic Goddess Attempt Part 1

For a long while now I have wondered if I am allergic to wheat flour. I’ve suffered from dizziness, lightheaded-ness, amongst some other maladies for awhile, and wonder if it could also be in something I eat on regular basis especially since the feeling seems to be increased after I eat flour. It wouldn’t be uncommon since the allergy exists in my family. And so I am on a quest, a test if you will, to see if I can stay away from wheat flour for a couple weeks, and see any changes in my health and state of mind.

Embarking on my quest I had no idea how difficult it could be at first. I’m sort of a wheat-addict if you will, plus it’s in everything, especially food on a budget. It’s in the macaroni, ramen noodle soup, cereal, bread, burritos, candy bars, dressings, and even soy sauce (gimme a break!!) Now I never really noticed how much wheat is on the shelf in every grocery store aisle product until I started really reading labels, and I found myself wondering what kind of alternatives I would have to use to substitute my craving. And it is a craving, dear readers. If there was a social profile for a Wheat-a-holic, I would fit it to a T. So what’s a lassie to do? I thought awhile and came to these conclusions:

One must get back to basics. Back when food wasn’t complicated and filled with all these sneaky chemicals and preservatives. I’m going back to the olden days and olden ways (save for grinding my own flour between two stones and cooking with a wood burning stove for hours, lol). I’ve got modern tools, a treasure trove of alternative recipes online, and a community of Celiacs to turn to, so I can do it right? This is what I’ve come up with…

My no wheat project officially started last Sunday. Thus far I have not ingested this grain in any form. A couple nights ago I decided that I would use white rice flour as a possible alternative. I found a good recipe for rice muffins on the internet and set about making my own rice flour. Lucky me I had a little mini grinder I’d never used (the kind that blends coffee, salsas, etc…), and it worked like a gem. A bag of rice came to about 2 and ½ cups of flour and was done in about 10 minutes. Here’s the recipe I used, changed up a little for more flavor, and might continue to change as a work in taste bud progress.

CINAMMON APPLE RICE MUFFINS

1 egg

1 tbsp oil

½ cup of milk

½ cup of applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups of rice flour

2 tbsp of baking powder

2 tbsp regular white sugar

2 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp of salt

DIRECTIONS. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (May be higher for higher elevations, but I’m in California and my oven makes me do things at a lower temperature or else they will burn). Mix liquid ingredients together first (including apple sauce). Then add the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. This recipe makes a little over a dozen cupcake sized muffins. If you want bigger muffins you can put more into the pans and you’ll get just a dozen. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. I like to check the progress with a toothpick. You will know they are done when it comes out pretty clean. You can’t completely tell by the color of the muffins as the tops don’t brown much, though the bottoms will. After that you can take them out and add butter, honey, or jam. YUM! Here are the end results:

Psychedelic rice muffins (courtesy of my crappy camera). Unfortunately I had already partaken of one of the muffins to create unity in the picture. Oh well! (Actual color of muffin slightly less YELLOW!) LOL!

My rice muffin hand- slightly out of focus, could be a lump of anything really, but luckily its a delicious and healthy rice muffin! Gobble up!

Unfortunately I don’t know the calories of these babies (though I gather it is better than regular flour). I imagine they’re not the lowest of calories due to sugar/carbohydrate content, but you can substitute the flour for brown rice flour, and the sugar for splenda, which I intend on trying in the future. They’re not as fluffy as wheat or white flour, similar consistency to corn bread, but they are a good enough alternative if you are trying to stay away from regular wheat flour and don’t want to feel totally deprived of bread-like things. Anyhoo, I think they're delish.

I am looking forward to diving into more rice recipes. May even get a little rice crazy! I could make rice milk, horchata, rice cookies, rice candy, (LOL, okay maybe that is going a little too far!), rice ice-cream (oh wait, should that be called rice-cream?) I shall let you know of my progress!

This is rice-cream, what I would like to eventually attempt to make (once I buy an ice cream maker, and also start churning my own rice butter, haha). Anyone note the irony of this photo? (The cow God looks down with envy at the bowl of rice-cream tastiness. After all, if we don't need her for milk, what will we use her for instead?!)

Which brings me to my next topic. Next thing to kick from regular diet: Dairy (this one is going to be even harder!) It’s really supposed to be a no-no for us singers, plus I’ve had sinus issues at moments when I need to sing. I will have to learn to overcome this addiction formed since childhood. I just love cheese, butter, and ice-cream! Help me Lord! Who’d have thought that the lactic secretion of Bovine in its various forms could be so addictive and alluring? I am searching for appropriate alternatives to this one as we speak. Have faith in me!

And so the journey continues!