Taking The Long Way Home

Our friend and neighbor Shirlee has had her three grandsons staying with her for about a month. We really like the boys, and will miss them when they go back to Arizona this weekend, so we're having a little going away party for them on Friday night. The only question is, what to feed them? I hear them talk a lot about how much they love meat, and obviously they aren't going to get that here. Still, I want my guests to be well fed and happy. My solution? Trick them! I'm going to serve Smart Dogs, corn on the cob, Kaleslaw (for the adults, I'll bet), and Sweet Black Beans. The trickiest part is, I'm not going to eat a Smart Dog until they're done, because I want them to think they're "real" hot dogs. I'm pretty sure I can fool them. I once fed Smart Dogs to a friend who used to be a butcher, and he thought he was eating meat! Tee hee! So shhhhhh! Don't tell them what I'm up to. What a wicked girl I am, getting kids to eat healthy food...

I wanted to get up a little extra early this morning, and just left it to the Universe to figure out how to wake me. Sure enough, at 6AM, a little earlier than I'd wanted, I awoke to the sound of our little dog Heidi preparing to, uh, "toss her cookies." You know the sound. It's enough to make a person leap out of bed from a sound sleep, in hopes of diverting the mess away from the carpet. I didn't quite make it, but fortunately Heidi aimed for the flagstone floor this time. I thanked her for that, cleaned up after her, and went for my walk before the sun was even up. Yet another version of "careful what you wish for." I always think I'm careful with that, but apparently, I need to refine my technique. It all worked out, but next time I think I'll just use an alarm clock. ~~~~~~~~~ Now let's have some beads... These are all CZ flowers, all encased and lined with sterling silver. Some fit Troll, and some fit Pandora. Something for everybody...

I chattered enough yesterday, so just beads today. Sticking to my "Me Schedule" takes a little determination, and a willingness to say No. It's a word most women I know don't really learn to use properly until after 50. I'm using it liberally and lovingly. Hey Kim, can you, will you...? You get it all the time too, don't you? When I check on what really feels right, not just nice , the response is often, Why no, but thanks for asking! And so, today, I'm saying no to my own inner chatter box. Here are the beads! $30 each These fit Troll Bracelets only. All are beautifully layered and encased for depth and realism,  with sterling silver-linings and sparking CZ centers in the flowers. 1T, 2T, 3T 4T, 5T, 6T ~~~~~~~~~ $30 each These fit Pandora  and  Troll Bracelets. All are beautifully layered and encased for depth and realism,  with sterling silver-linings and sparking CZ centers in the flowers. 1P, 2P, 3P 4P, 5P, 6P

I've been back from my travels for a week now, and it's taken me that long to get my head back in the game. A head cold didn't help. Neither did the fact that I really didn't want to come home. I'm terrible, I know. But part of knowing what we want is also knowing what we don't want. I'm sorting it out and making some changes, which I think is something we all do, on some level, all the time. Lounging in perceived perfection really gets boring pretty quickly. Life is the ultimate Creative Process, so I don't expect, or even want, to "get it right," once and for all. I just want to keep rolling on the river, gently steering my own boat, eager to see what's up ahead. Right now that means making better use of my time. I don't really need more hours in a day, I just need to use them better. And what that means for me is getting up and getting moving, instead of easing into the day with too many cups of tea, too much sitting around, too mu...

I took a bunch of beads on my trip, to give as gifts along the way. The five I have left are looking for good homes! These are all silver lined, and all fit Troll Bracelets only. Pandora lovers, don't despair! I'll be making beads just for you, very soon! As usual, please read the ordering info to the left if you're new to the process. Basically, order by number, from left to right, in an email to me at kim@kimmiles.com. If you're first in line, I'll send you a PayPal invoice. If not, there will be more next week. The thrill of the hunt is half the fun! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 All Sold - Thanks! $30 each click the photo to enlarge Stay tuned for silver-lined Pandora-sized beads! WooHoo!

I went to an amazing, possibly life-changing restaurant in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. Thrive is located in the Roosevelt district, at 1026 NE 65th St., an address I think I could be happy to visit every day. As a vegan, I do a lot of cooking at home, and eating well while traveling is tricky. I often have to make compromises, and often find myself face to face with a boring bowl of lettuce. This is not what vegan eating is about. It's about beautiful, fresh, whole foods that nurture body and soul. Sitting down to a meal at Thrive, with my friend Sally, was almost a religious experience. They call themselves "Leaders in human refueling technology" for good reason. Their mission: " to cultivate environments designed to nourish, inspire, and awaken all people to their fullest expression of magnificence ." You can't go wrong with that. After eating some of the best food I've ever had, drinking fresh juices, and catching up with Sally, I practically ...

I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. The last 18 days went by so fast my head is spinning. Sort of literally. I caught a cold somewhere the last few days of the trip, probably on the flight from Seattle to Reno, so my head is woozy and stuffy, and the rest of me just wants to lounge around for another day or two. I shun the idea of needing to recover from a vacation, but what can I do? I feel crummy, and maybe I just need a little more time to ease back into being... back.  You know me, I much prefer to move forward. And travel of any kind, even small travel with family (as opposed to big travel, to say, Ethiopia) always makes me want more. Some people like to go home. I really just want to keep going. Maybe this time it's because I watched my dear family elders shuffle and teeter along, with one of us "young ones" always poised to steady an elbow or point out a dip in the terrain. They didn't see old age sneaking up on them any more than I do. I ...

When we lived in Seattle, the 4th of July was often cold and rainy. It was normal to drag out long winter coats, gloves, and blankets to keep us warm enough to watch fireworks. Not this year. It's sunny and gorgeous here today, and has been, except for a bit of gray yesterday, since I got here. Seattle in the sunshine is a glorious place to be. There's no time, and little point, in blabbing on about everything I'm doing here. Suffice it to say I'm visiting my kids, Rick's family, and my dearest Seattle friend, eating amazingly beautiful and tasty vegan food, taking nice long walks around Greenlake, and enjoying the perfect weather. Here I am with some gigantic lettuce from Rick's sister's garden. For the rest of the pictures visit my Seattle album on Facebook . Happy festivities to you!

I'm in the Albuquerque airport as I write this, on my way to Seattle. I don't have a lot of time today, and there's really not much interesting going on here, except maybe the live choir that was singing when I entered the Sunport a little while ago. Pretty cool, but not a total blog's worth. So today I want to send you to a brand new blog, written by an old high school friend of mine, Paul Graham. It's called Eating Vegan in Vegas , and it's scheduled to go for one year, giving us 365 tasty days of reading, that will surely encourage us to do some healthy, creative, delicious eating. I'm particularly fond of all things leafy and green, while I suspect Paul eats his dinner so he can have dessert. Rick is sort of "vegan between parties," but I'm working on him. And I met a woman on the shuttle this morning who eats "raw" two meals a day, and "anything she wants", including meat, for dinner. We all find our balance, one w...