I really need to blog more...

It's been forever since I've posted!

Much has been going on here..

Right now I am getting ready for Maker Faire KC at Union Station in two weeks.. I can't wait! It should be lots of fun! Stop by and see me if you're in the area - it's June 23rd and 24th.

 It's been almost a year since we moved, and I'm still not unpacked. I miss California very much - it's so different here. Or maybe I'm different - I did live here for a while back in the 90's, and it didn't seem so bad then.

My husband is doing better, but still has some issues. Hopefully they will work out eventually. Aortic dissection and open heart surgery are a lot for a body to recover from.

My son is doing well. He's decided to take up golf, so he starts round 2 of golf camp next week. He gets to go to a brand new school this fall - I mean really brand new... they are finishing it up, and we get to have a sneak peek in a few weeks. He's very excited, as it's a LEED certified school. He loves being green!

I've visited some of my friends in California already.. next week I'll post pictures.

I know I've made this promise before, but I will continue blogging on a regular basis. I plan on adding time to my daily schedule for it.. :)

Life in Kansas City

It's been almost 3 months now since my husband had his aortic dissection. He's doing very well, and has just gone back to work full time. I do think we still have a long road ahead with recovery, but hopefully everything will be grand by next summer.

I also want to send our heartfelt thanks to Regretsy, April and all the CF4L members who have been so awesome to us through this difficult time. YOU ROCK!

I'm currently planning a trip to California. Actually, planning 2 trips, one by myself and one with the family. My son really misses his friends and can't wait til summer to visit them. Until then he gets to experience a whole different life than we had in California. He met Father Christmas over the weekend...



Happy Thanksgiving!

Scary times..

As I stated in my last blog post, this move has not been easy.

It got worse.

Much worse.

On August 21st, my husband and son went to a cub scout info meeting. On the way home, my husband began to experience possible heart attack symptoms. I rushed him to the hospital, where they determined it wasn't a heart attack.

Instead it was something uncommon - a dissected aorta. He had to have immediate surgery, as a dissected aorta can be fatal - in fact it is most of the time. He was very lucky.

He is currently recovering at the hospital. He's had a couple of setbacks this week, but continues to work towards the goal of coming home and getting back to work.

Since he just started work, he has no vacation or sick pay built up, and we have no income for a while. I had planned to reopen my shop when I had time to retake my photos, change up descriptions and play with SEO stuff. I've decided now is a good time, in case I can make gas or grocery money from my shop. Please share this post with others to help me provide for my son during this very stressful time.

And remember to give extra hugs to your loved ones - you never know what's going to happen.

p.s. I apologize if I don't make much sense - I'm in a state of perpetual exhaustion right now.

Changes...

So lots has happened since my last post...

We will be moving back to the Kansas City area in June. Big change for us, since we've been in the Los Angeles area for 11 years now. My son was born here and other than visiting family back there, he has no idea what it will be like. I think he's stressing a bit (not unlike his parents) and I hope I can get him through the last month of school with some sense of normality. Of course, how normal is it to have boxes stacked all over the apartment... ;)

My shop will be deactivated June 1st, so until then I am offering all inventory at half off! Just use coupon code MOVING when you check out. My shop will reopen probably in August, after we get settled. Colin will be starting school mid-August, so I'll have lots of time to create new items! I have lots of ideas.. can't wait to share them with you!

Happy Birthday To Me!

It's been a crazy day! A crazy week, actually! My son's first grade class is doing the Nutcracker (the play, not the ballet) on Friday. Today was dress rehearsal, and they did very well! I need to finish up some hats for the costumes, but it's all coming together...

And as promised, I went to random.org to pick a giveaway winner. I had 14 entries between comments here, on my Facebook fan page and Twitter. The website randomly picked #7, which is Ann! Check out her shops on Etsy... she's very talented! I linked to only one of her shops, but she has 3 others, and they can be found by clicking "read more" on her shop announcement. Congrats, Ann!

Ok, that's it for now. I have a new year's resolution already, and that is to blog at least twice a week. One post will be about what I'm up to in my shops and life in general, and the other post will be featuring some other lovely Etsians. If I don't get back here before the new year, have a Happy Christmas and a terrific new year!

It's the busiest time of the year...

I don't know about you, but I have so busy lately! Making gifts, trips to the post office, baking, and making costumes and sets for my son's 1st grade play has kept me out of trouble! Downside is there has not been much "me" time...

That changes Wednesday when my birthday rolls around again. The best gift I can give myself this year is a day of down time. :)

You are invited to celebrate my birthday with me by entering to win my giveaway:



This is a stretchy bracelet, in the European 4 in 1 chainmaille weave. It has little silicone rings matched with aluminum rings. It is very lightweight - many people who own this cuff say they don't even notice it's on.

So, how to win? Simply go to my shop at http://RedBessBonney.etsy.com, pick your favorite item and come back here to post it in the comments. Here's how you can get two extra entries. You can follow me on Twitter and RT this giveaway. Be sure to @RedBessBonney so I know to add an entry for you. You can also like Red Bess Bonney Creations on Facebook, and leave a comment for me. On December 15th, I will use random.org to pick the winner. Once your address is confirmed, I will ship the bracelet out.

Ok, so go enter! :)

Zombie Dinner!

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures last night...

But I made the most fun dinner!

It was actually a baked ziti with cauliflower. My husband commented it looked like brains. I got to thinking that if you substitute spaghetti for the ziti, that it would be an awesome zombie meal of bloody brains and veins...

Here's the recipe:

8 - 10 oz spaghetti
1 head cauliflower, cut up
1 T olive oil
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 T fresh shredded basil, or 2 t dried basil
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 c mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan according to the package directions. After draining, return spaghetti to the saucepan.

3. Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower, oil, salt and pepper together on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once, until golden brown and tender, about 20 minutes. Stir basil and tomatoes into cauliflower and bake 10 minutes longer.

4. Add the cauliflower mixture to the spaghetti and stir well. Put the mixture in a casserole or baking dish. Top with mozzarella. Bake until cheese browns and bubbles, about 5 minutes.

This recipe originally came from the Cook Yourself Thin website, and makes 4 servings at 310 calories each. And it's vegetarian!

Tips: Feel free to play around with seasonings - make it to your taste! Add garlic to keep away the vampires.. ;)