Hey sweet friends!

Just had to show you some recent thrifted goodness.

Love this virgin mary statuette:

Close up:

And this footed covered candy dish:

 And I couldn't help myself, I bought my first Beanie Baby. But it's a unicorn. A pink Unicorn with a crazy white mane and irridescent twisty horn.

See?

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This isn't thrifted, but you may remember a while ago I mentioned that my dad had a book about stars that one of us kids wrote in when we were little. Dad dropped it off the other day so I could photograph it and show you!

Here it is, the defaced inside cover:

Tee hee! How jaded or cranky do you have to be to think that stars suck??

xo,

melissa

oh, you know me.

I'm reflective even when it isn't the first week of January. I can't help but think about my year.

For the last week or so I kept  trying to write this post, but, you know... some awful things happened for me this year. It's hard to bring some of it up.

Some awesome things happened, too. Wonderful, amazing, unexpected things.

oh, 2009. Let's see.....a spontaneous mix of heartbreaking and hopeful, serious and frivolous:

For the first time since I can remember, I had a not-sad Thanksgiving and a not-sad Christmas. Victory!

My studio was on the cover of a magazine.

I made Unicorn Stories.

I was asked to write a book. I said yes and I was terrified.

I designed a line of fabric that I adored and it never saw the light of day. It still makes me sad.

I have grown a loyal and wonderful clientele at my shop.

I tried Dom Perrignon. It tasted like champagne.

I experienced the two (separate) most heart-wrenching, soul-shatteringly painful days I've ever experienced. (I've always been a crier, but I honestly didn't know I could cry that hard and for that long. good god.)

My brother committed suicide. I still can't really believe it.

I got engaged to my true love. I am so lucky.

I saw the dissolution of a 20 year friendship that I thought would be my companion into old age.

I nurtured a bunch of new friendships. Many have taken root.

I went to see Bruce Springsteen with Stuart and his three kids. I will have this burned into my memory: we were all standing up singing/shouting, "tramps like us, baby we were born to ruuuun." It was cute.

I signed up to run a marathon as a relay, and  dropped out a few days before. I felt like a jerk.

I experienced my first full year as a shopkeeper.

I wrote a book. It was so much work but I loved it when I didn't hate it. But mostly I loved it.

I gained twenty pounds.

I realized that Stuart is my Best Friend.

I learned to crochet granny squares.

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>big sigh<

see? not all bad, but  the bad parts were the worst ever. I'm so glad it's over.

Here's to a better 2010!

Specifically, I hope to:

get less lumpy

return to my yoga practice

release at least one new fabric line

go on vacation

blog more

have a more brisk business at the shop

deepen friendships that support me

let go, let go, let go

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I hope we all have more love, less pain, yummy food, surprising connections, quiet contentment, and unlimited creativity.

and unicorns... more unicorns.

xo,

m

yay! thank you so much for all the book love, wow!

Just a little bit about Small Stash Sewing: The projects I've created are a way to use your precious designer fat quarters, without being a fat-quarter-only book, if you know what I mean!

The idea was: oooh how can I feature this little morsel of fabric that I love so much? So, yes...I have made up 24 projects that feature fat quarters... and sometimes something else!  You know me, I'm not one to stick rigidly to a prescribed format!

So, some projects use more than one fat quarter (or less than one!), some use different kinds of fabric in addition to the cotton quilting fabric. Let's be honest, if you are hoarding fat quarters, you probably have some muslin hanging around or maybe a yard or two of a print you got supercheap, that sort of thing.

(((Small Stash Sewing will be available in May of 2010!)))

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I have been so excited to finally share the book cover with you I am thrilled by your enthusiastic response. In thanks, I present to you a free pattern from Small Stash Sewing, the scarf from the cover!

And just in time for some last minute holiday crafting!

I'm psyched that this project is the one I get to share because it totally exemplifies my style: both my personal sense of style and the way I like to sew.

Remember when I went to Quilt Market last fall and I made myself this scarf to wear?

That was the inspiration for this piece.

This is a quick project, so I hope you'll take the time to make some of these for gifts and post your pics  to the Small Stash Sewing flickr pool!

Also? Isn't my friend Shelly gorgeous?

I am a little nervous... did you know that this is the  first time I have offered a pattern/tutorial?

Please be gentle! 

Ok, click the picture to download the free Silk Scarf pattern from Small Stash Sewing!

Hey, we have  a correction already, thanks to an astute reader named Emily:

In the file supplies list it states 1/8 yard of silk, but you really need 1/4 yard!

(thanks emily!)

Note: I used dupioni silk (will add to the pattern in the final edit!) , but if you don't feel like going out to get some, try fleece for a more cozy number or maybe linen if you have some laying around! Let me know how it works.

(We are still in the editing phase, so if you find a glitch, email me instead of cursing me, ok? Also? The file might be kind of huge, so please be patient when downloading. also? special thanks to the people at Wiley who are awesome beyond belief!)

xo,

melissa

ps omg! yay!

Oh my god, you guys.

Here it is, my book (to be published by Wiley!)

eeeeeeeee!

Back soon with more info and a free pattern from the book that you might want to use to make some holiday gifts!

xo,

melissa

ps oh my god!

hey!

I have been  gearing up for our Yummy Goods Open House on Friday--- making sure I have cookies being made by friends, straightening up the shop and studio, that kind of thing. To invite my regular customers, I even sent out my first newsletter last night! It was fun to create. If you want to sign up for it, look over there in the sidebar. Just know that it is specifically shop related, ok?

The open house is also the conclusion and celebration of our Handmade for the Holidays drive! I suppose I ought to seam together the cowls I knitted for it:

Ooh, look at that. Ice cream colors! Doesn't it look like one of those containers that have strawberry, vanilla and chocolate inside?

I am not all that knitty. I only just learned how to purl! And I hate following directions of any kind. Or counting. So I'm sticking with scarves and that's it, yo.

But I have fallen head over heels for crochet. Thanksgiving night I taught myself how to make granny squares and I am now addicted. I want to have the Crochet Superpower. I want to be *amazing* at crochet. It seems more forgiving than knitting and more conducive to freestyling. I'll take some pics this week and show you what I've been working on.

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 It's been a whole year now since  my studio was photographed for the Cloth Paper Scissors STUDIOS magazine cover.

How about a peek inside to see what it looks like these days? I totally didn't plan on doing a 'year later' post, so these pics are not comprehensive at all--- the main workspace isn't really shown!

But maybe you'll want to have a look anyways.

The fabric shelves are pretty much the same. Added the YGCO next to it for fun. It stands for Yummy Goods Corporate Office, which is what my girlfriends and I call the studio. We're a little bit silly.

Oh, who's that?

That card is the letter U from Chronicle Books' awesome Webster's Wall Cards. (Yes, I have some in the shop!)

The color shelves are pretty much the same, only fuller!

But I will admit, there are not always as neat as they are in this picture. If that can be considered neat, that is.

My dad stopped into the shop last week and when he saw that Seeing Stars book on the blue shelf, he asked me if I remembered a similar book around the house when I was little. He said he still has it he would bring it in for me to see... one of us kids had written STARS SUCK on the title page!

Bwah haa aah ha! Stars SUCK! That just cracks me up. We were big defilers of books, we were.

Also, you may recognize a certain ceramic unicorn from a couple of posts ago. He is now wearing a unicorn hat (complete with horn  cozy) that Beth made several weeks before I bought him!

Speaking of Beth-knitting, DANG! That girl has made me some amazing stuff lately. I am wearing two items right now. I need to photograph them for you, you will not even believe the perfection. Knitted things are the texture of love.

Oh, sorry. We were in the studio.

Did you notice the giant tub of Atomic Fireballs?

One of the yellow shelves. Yes, there are now two, but I think I only took a picture of one:

A little bit of the orange shelf, I love those chinese lanterns:

And my awesome bead/jewelry supply cabinet, which I am dying to dig into to make some ridiculous necklaces:

I'll have to take more shots so you can see the main work area.

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Did I tell you that I finished the last of 24 patterns for the book the other day? Yay! Now to finish the photography and do Author Review (AR). That's when a project has been through a bunch of  different editors (development, tech, copy) and now it comes back to me  to approve changes, answer queries, etc.

Author Review. AUTHOR! Tee hee!

One thing I have learned since I started writing the book: I will never tire of saying 'my editor.' It is just plain fun to say.

(((since i started this post last week, i have finished photographing 4 more projects, and taken a bite out of AR!)))

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The Giveaway:

I have randomly selected (ok, it was random.org who selected ) the winner of last post's giveaway---

Commenter #46 : Erin, who said "Yes please. LOVE these fabrics. And love your blog design too by the way. "

Thanks, and congrats! Email me your  mailing address, ok?

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Huh, look at that. My next post is #350.

Back soon.

xo,

melissa

Excuse me, but would you like some fabric?

I thought you might.

How about a  good-sized bundle of some Anna Maria and Tina Givens fabric?

These pieces aren't fat quarters, they are probably more like halves or 3/4 yards. Maybe more. You know me, I didn't measure- I just cut.

I know, I need to do another giveaway of my own fabric. But I don't have that much of it left and I, um, well, I kind of hoard it.

But hopefully you will like what I am offering up here.

So, just go ahead and leave a comment to enter the giveaway. Not sure yet if I will draw a number randomly, or if I will let Stuart pick the comment he likes best.

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Not sure if you noticed all the changes in the sidebar recently, but go ahead and have a look-see if you like.

A little reminder of a few ways for us to connect:

You can sign up for the shop-related newletter if you want to hear about that stuff (in the sidebar where it says Sign Up For The Yummy Goods Shop Newsletter). This will have different content from the blog, as it will be primarily shop-based as well as local interest stuff.

Also, you can always get my blog posts delivered right to your email by signing up in the other section further down on the sidebar where it says "Subscribe to the Blog."

And then there's the Facebook Fan Page for the shop, but you already know about that, right?

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Hmmm, post number 348, huh? I've already been doing giveaways, but I'll have to think of something special for #350. Suggestions?

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How about some shop/product pics, since you asked?

I like silly stuff:

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xo, m

Saturday night.

My sweetie's watching college football and I'm trying to tune it out. Would you think my life was more exciting than this? I tell you, it's not.

(This post's photos are brought to you by my trip to Provincetown from a while back.)

So here I am, trying to quell the holiday blues that have snuck up on me. I feel better when I am connecting with people, so that's why I'm here. I like hanging out with you.

I was explaining these blues to a friend today. It's like getting a chill that doesn't go away for a month and a half. It's a loneliness that I feel inside my bones.

It's weird, because I don't really feel depressed, per se. Life is good, I'm generally satisfied, I have loving people in my life.  It's just this seasonal affliction.

The holidays bring up Family Stuff, you know?

My friend asked, "What's the antidote?"

And I said I don't know of one. But being around people helps. Since it's basically a deep loneliness, that makes sense, right?

Generally, I'm not one who needs to be with people all the time. I enjoy my own company and like time to myself. But when I feel this way, being by myself makes me anxious, restless...lonely.

So, here I am--- connecting with you. Good job, me.

I know a lot of people struggle at this time of year. I'd rather just talk about it than hold it too hard and fool myself into thinking I'm the only one. It's not a huge deal, it just is the way it is. I just need to make sure I spend time with loving people, reach out when I start to feel down, and do some good self-nurturing. It'll be ok.

Ooooooh, look at this:

Nummy num num.

I'm glad that I asked last time about what you remember from your time here with me. I was surprised that you wanted to see more rust and texture photos! Sometimes I hold back because I figure you are like, 'Enough, already! We get it! You like rust and peeling paint, geeez!'

I also have been holding back on showing more of the shop, which many of you said you wanted to see more of! Yay! I could show you pictures of it all day, I just have been trying not to bore you!

............................................................................................................................

Did you see that I posted a follow up to that giveaway post? Yeah, I just announced the winner.

So that you don't have to go back if you don't feel like it, I'll repost it here:

I let Stuart pick the winner of the giveaway based on whatever criteria he wanted.

He chose the comment that he liked best:

i deeply appreciate how you share all the parts of you and your journey. you are real. and you remind me i am not alone. i love the fabric and the goodies and the photos, but it is your words full of truth, beauty, wisdom, and realness that pull me in over and over.

blessings to you...

Liz Elayne! you are the winner! Email me your address!

Thanks to everyone for the heartfelt responses. You are so awesome.

.............................................................................................. 

Just so you know, I'll be doing another giveaway next week: fabric!

Hmmm, well. I think I'll go for now.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend.

xoxoxoxoxo

m

Hey!

I just posted about our first Craft Circle for Handmade for the Holidays. Go here if you'd like to see pics and hear what participants had to say about it! That also takes you to the rest of the info about the project that I said I would post, so go check it out! (if you get lost, click on Handmade for the Holidays in the sidebar on the right, that will let you see all the info)

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So I've been kinda wrapped up in the Handmade thing and its been really fun! Handmade for the Holidays was featured in an article in the Cape Cod Times about how locals are using social media (blogs, facebook, twitter) to get the word out about charity events/drives. There was kind of a huge photo of me on the front page of the business section! I'll have to photograph the actual paper so you can see. I've never been in the paper before!

Well, unless you count when I was a kid, but it wasn't a local paper ( I mean, it wasn't local to me, it must have been local to someone) and I didn't really do anything except for look cute standing next to one of those giant Snoopy stuffed animals in a toy store in Kennebunkport, Maine. I'll have to see if I can dig up that clipping and scan it for you. I believe the caption was, "Cuddling up with friends at The Portly Beagle."

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I promised you a giveaway and here it is!

You can't shop online yet, so how about winning some Yummy Goods?

How about a cute donut lip gloss, for example?

or perhaps a lovely zippered pouch made from recycled plastic and printed with hedgies and birds?

(print by the ridiculously awesome helen dardik)

And, oh......

how about one of these phrase bracelets that everyone loves so much?

One lucky commenter will receive all of it and  either have some sweet goodies for her/himself or a couple of gifts taken care of already.

Here on the blog (actually, this goes for the shop, too!), I strive to create a place where together we can relax and be ok with imperfection, find beauty in the midst of struggle, be honest, be playful and real. You never know what stays with people, though,  so for a chance to win the goodies above, please leave a comment and tell me something that you remember from your time spent here with me. It may shape the things I touch on in the future.

xo, m

I loved reading your thoughtful comments about my last post. I haven't responded yet because I have been a busy girl, you can tell by looking over to the right at my sidebar!

Yes, that means if you are looking at this post in a reader or via email, you need to go to the actual website to see what I'm talking about! Sorry for any inconvenience :o)

This is just  a quick note to introduce you to a special project that Beth Dunn and I dreamed up while kicking ass butt on the treadmills at the Y (totally NOT unicorn-related, if you can believe that!):

Click on the button to learn about it! I will of course be doing a more in-depth post about it in the next few days.

I love this creative community- such warmth and heart. Thank you for being here with me!

More very soon, including that giveaway I promised to bribe you with this week.

xo,

m

p.s. yes, i am feeling much better :o)

p.p.s. the sidebar and webpages are still being worked on, so please let me know if there are any typos!

um, so here is the thing.

Sometimes?

Sometimes I...

Ok. Sometimes I feel like, well, like I am you know.... a... well....

Sometimes I feel like a loser.

Or like I suck.

See, today I felt kind of lonely. Just off, for whatever reason. And sometimes that can lead to those weird I Suck thoughts.

Isn't that strange?

Being lonely = I suck?

Whaaaat???

It's definitely not rational. I can tell myself  Hey, you don't suck! You're doing great. You're first book is almost done, you have your  shop, you're in a great relationship etc.... And I do tell myself those things. I try to cut myself some slack, be gentle and reassure myself.

And, being a self-searching kinda gal, I like to try to figure this stuff out. Was there anything that triggered it? Is it hormonal? Where is this coming from?

Is it because the shop is slow? (it is really slow) Is it because Tuesday would have been Michael's 40th birthday? (it was and it was weird) Is it because I haven't been exercising as much this week? (I haven't and I feel it) Is it because the blog has been quiet? (It has and I'm sad!)

I was trying to just brush it off and talk myself out of it. Ah, it's nothing. Sometimes that's a perfectly good way to deal with a weird mood! But, what bothered me about that tactic today was that  I was kind of trying to deny it, actually. Hmmmm, why?

Because as embarrassing as this is, a good part of my weirdness today is actually blog loneliness! I know, I know! It's so silly!

So I thought I would just own up to it and maybe someone else could relate and then I would feel better. I just miss connecting with you is all. I sometimes wonder if everyone thinks I've officially gone off the deep end, what with all my unicorn activities. 

One time when I was feeling bad after looking at other designers' blogs,  I posted something about it on twitter. And several other craft/sewing/designer bloggers direct messaged me that they feel that way sometimes, too. Overwhelmed by the beauty and seeming perfection of what every one else is doing.

We all do.

Even the people who look like they have the perfect life or career or are popular (ugh, am I in freaking 8th grade again?), or are doing what you want to be doing... all of those people have doubts, have off days, have moments when they feel like a loser.

I am sure of it.

(And if they don't then I want to stab them in the face.)

The trick is to remember that we are not alone, even when we feel that way.

We all are flawed. And we all are amazing in our own ways.

Even me and even you.

So there.

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In other news, my book really is almost done! We are working out the cover and the book design, choosing fonts, writing the introduction. I am starting to get really excited about it. At the beginning, I was terrified. Seriously, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pull it off. But now that all of the projects are done and about half of the photography is finished... I see that I really pulled it together! I can't wait to show you! I'm not exactly sure when I 'll be able to share the cover and what the book entails, but you know I will be here wiggling like a happy puppy as soon as I get the go-ahead.

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Also, I am totally going to try and bribe you with a giveaway next week, so warm up your typing fingers.

xo,

m

(the photos are from the garden at this great shop called Wa that I went to in provincetown.)

I do so hope that you enjoyed Episode Four of Unicorn Stories: Halloweeen Dream!

I loved making the backgrounds. This one was painted right over the ocean scene from the third episode:

Of course, the ocean scene was painted right on top of the woodsy scene from episode two.

I don't think you could really see it all in the film, but the characters changed expressions once they were scared by the candy-corn-fang sportin' unicorn. You know, in the dream sequence? Tee hee, dream sequence.

This is what they looked like first:

 And this is the whole cast with their scared faces on:

Beth and I  are super-fond of the cloud's distressed look.

We always love doing the little closing credit bit where we just have the characters goofing off on the backgrounds:

Silly jack-o-lantern, nomming on candy corn.

Love this background, too:

And the pink owl.

Ok, fine.  I can't help it: I love it all!

Oh yeah, this bit didn't make it into the final edit, since we know a lot of kids watch the series:

We didn't want you to have to explain to your kids what WTF meant.

Aren't we thoughtful?

xo,

m

Please enjoy our Halloween episode of Unicorn Stories: Halloween Dream by Melissa Averinos and Beth Dunn.

Awesome music: Cincinnati Flo Rag by Ken Tucker and James Swafford.

Wandered around Provincetown yesterday snapping pics and this is one of my faves:

This sign is  on the top of a little village market.

I love (love) how this ivy is growing kind of sideways across this brick wall:

And the blue of the grass at the bottom of the shot.

I'm so glad that blogging got me back into photography. It's such fun to record these little moments of beauty.

I've always wanted to have ivy growing in my yard. I know it can be trouble, but I want some.

There are a couple of other plants that can be invasive or tear down structures that I want, too: trumpet vine and wisteria. But I can't justify buying any plants with how much neglect my yard and garden gets now. (sad face)

P-town has some gorgeous little gardens right on the main  road, Commercial Street. Most of them are pristinely manicured little courtyards.

Some are in front of stores, some are at private residences, and many are in front of guest houses or inns.

But my favorite one was this:

Awesome wild vegetable garden with a little stand at the front.

Love! The veggies, the signs, the stove.

Me, wearing my brother's jeans:

It would have been his 40th birthday next week. Sometimes I go to call a friend and when I scroll through my phone, I see his number still listed. It's weird.

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Have still been trying to finish up the book, ordering new stuff for the shop, joined the Y. Feels so good to be back to working out! Looking forward to losing what I am now calling Book Weight. Looking forward to treating myself to what I will call Book Boots. I'm thinking about this blue pair of Fryes. And I don't usually go for Uggs, but I am crushing on these.

I'm starting a newsletter for the shop which I think will be really fun. It will, of course, have shop-related stuff but also cool local stuff! If you didn't receive my email over the weekend and would like to be on the list for the newsletter, please email me: melissa@yummygoods.com. 

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New amazingly yummy thing that I have been eating: eggs with feta and fresh rosemary. Oh my god, yum.

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Once I finish the book, I will be doing some freshening up of this here blog, including finally doing a tutorial for you! Is there anything else you'd like to see? (Besides new fabric, which I am working on!)

xo,

m

A friend stopped in to the shop today just to bring me a  bouquet of fresh herbs:

I love that. Thanks, Regina!

Parsley is  so yummy chopped up and added to a salad. Included in the bouquet was also some basil and  rosemary, oh drool. I asked Stuart if he would make me his "Special Potatoes" with the rosemary and he said yes.

Thanks, honey!

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Last weekend I managed a little bit of time off on Saturday. A friend of mine picked me up and we went to Cranberry Day at Green Briar Nature Center. The Jam Kitchen was bustling! What an awesome place. I'll need to bring my camera next time. Stacks of enamel bowls that have been used there for decades, swoon. We ate homemade cranberry crisp with real whipped cream.

I bought jam that had been made while I was there- the jar was still hot! I've eaten it all already. SO good. I could have eaten a bowl full of that stuff like it was soup.  I always wanted to be the kind of person who makes jam. Maybe I'll take a class there someday.

After the jam festivities, Oksana and did a bit of poking around at a couple of shops.

My haul, small but satisfying:

Unicorn, $1:

Was I supposed to resist?

I think it's funny that it says "hand painted" when the only thing painted on it is the horn! But hey, the horn is hand painted I guess, so, woooo.

Cute little metal cup, 50 cents:

Some beads, 1$:

Pretty faceted glass buttons, $2:

And gorgeous handmade collar, $1:

It's not that everything around here is so inexpensive, it's that I only by the cheap stuff!

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A few weeks ago I was feeling overwhelmed by book projects, so I took a Saturday off (still working the store, of course. Just "off" of the book) and did some sewing for myself.

You remember how I loves me some scrappy quilt action, right?

My latest, in pastels if you can believe it!

3 of my Tendril prints and one Candy Dots, mixed with some fresh Tanya Whelan gingham, damask and ticking stripes.

No planning, just cut-sew-cut-rearrange-sew.

Love that tiny piece in there, above.

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Saw Zombieland the other night and it was frigging hilarious! Violent, for sure. But funny.

I want to see Whip It.

How are you doing?

What are you making?

Any music recommendations for me?

xo, m

Well, hey. I've missed you.

I have been working like crazy on the book and I am so thrilled that it is almost done!

In addition to working like crazy, I have also been, surprise, eating like crazy. To the tune of several pounds gained. Which leaves me cranky and not feeling very cute. 

But, the end is in sight. With the wrapping up of the book on the horizon, I will be getting back to some healthy habits. That's the plan anyways. I know, I know. I always say that.  I suppose I will always struggle with eating/weight/body image issues.

>sigh<

 I just had a piece of Key Lime Pie.

Oh, and thanks to me and my bright ideas, some girlfriends and I are signed up to run a marathon as a relay in, like, 3 weeks. And I haven't been out for a run since June. Good times.

Oh, jeez. Enough of that stuff.

Look at this awesomeness:

I wish they were mine, but they belong to Original Cindy. ( I was calling her Old Cindy, since there is a New Cindy, but Stuart was like: You can't call her 'OLD Cindy, Extra Crispy'! So now I say 'Original Cindy'. Like Original Recipe, only better.)

So, yeah. These amazing boxes belong to Original Cindy, who I visited the other day.

 Oh, swoon:

mmmmm, Cindy's angel:

Um, kinda racking my brain to think of anything I've been up to that might be even mildly interesting.

Um, Watched Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. I enjoyed it, but the first 20 minutes were kind of annoying, with Amy Adams (who I like) acting like a frenzied Muppet ( I also like Muppets.)

I saw Bright Star (oh my god, swoon) at this theater that  I love, Cape Cinema. That movie was absolutely perfect. The opening scene was delicious cello music and a closeup of one of the main characters doing some hand sewing. I was all, Awwwww, yeah.

And to see that movie at that theater?

>sigh< 

Before the film started, I did what I always do when I go to that theater. I leaned my head back on the white seat covers (which I learned from my date, Beth, are called antimacassars) and stared at the ceiling, which is a giant  celestial mural by Rockwell Kent. Ahhhh.

Pumpkins and gaura at O.C.'s:

I had been wanting to write to you over the last month, but all I had to offer was more anonymous unicorn mail, and I figured you were pretty much unicorned-out.

Cindy's Satyr:

What have you been up to?

xo,

m

So, I don't mean to be All-Unicorns-All-The-Time here at Yummy Goods, it just seems to be working out that way.

You've watched  Episode One: Seaweed and Episode Two: To The Moon, right?

Riiigghhht???

(Hint: kids love these films. I have actually heard the word 'obsessed' thrown around.)

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In Episode 3, we find Unicorn back at the seaside where he becomes enchanted by a beautiful conch shell.

Melissa Averinos and Beth Dunn present the end-of-summer serenade to love lost and found... and the friends you meet along the way:

The awesome music is  Mother's Mandolin by Up Stairs.

Well, Beth and I spent another unbelievably fun Friday night together.

We were watched over by this guy:

And we did not want to disappoint him. He kept us on task and as a result (not even 24 hours later) we have a new film for you.

Yummy Girls Presents:

By Melissa Averinos and Beth Dunn.

With music by Freja's Bluegrass Band.

We hope you love it as much as we loved making it.

Ahhhhh, I had a whole day off. (thanks to my sweetie!)

I slept in till ten. Stayed in bed for another hour, leisurely chatting on the phone with an old friend.  Then it was time for coffee.

Mug in hand, I headed to the shade behind the raspberry patch. I curled up  in my light blue pladirondack chair and  finished reading a novel I had started the night before, The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. I enjoyed  it, but it wasn't great. I think I'll reread her first novel, which I absolutely loved: The Secret Life of Bees.

Afterward, I  took an outdoor shower for the first time in years.  It felt like I was washing with  blue sky and sun instead of soap and water.

Ahhhhh. Magic.

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I keep meaning to show you this:

You may have noticed it  on my desk  in the Studios feature.

Let's look inside:

mmmm, that's sweet.

I love that, "someday he will fly on magic wings."

What magic bits...................

I feel like the third one down. In an awkward state of transformation. Not what it used to be, but not yet fully formed and able to hop and swim around gracefully.

Is that frog on the bottom waving or high-fiving? Ha, just noticed he still  has his tail in that image!

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After running some errands yesterday, I went to Craigville Beach. Yes, I finally went swimming! The water was so warm and welcoming. I bounded right in and dove under the surface. The words came the second I was fully submerged, "This is who you are..." A kiss on the forehead from my old friend, the ocean.

My mom always said that salt water is good for healing wounds. I was there to do that. At the same beach, in that same salty bath that I have been healing myself in since I was a little kid. The waves, the heaviness of the water... it comforts me. It's my place. How many times have I brought myself here? To escape, to grieve, to share it with a friend, to play...

Just a couple of weeks ago, thrashing around within myself, I walked for an hour. Letting go of a painful relationship...Trying to outpace the grief and despair, the disbelief, the loss...the anger.  The waves drenching my dress up to mid-thigh, I trudged and sloshed through, sobbing the whole time, unable to stop until I returned to my car, spent.

That feels so long ago, already. I have found some peace since then. Maybe it was the salt water.

Yesterday....After a nice long dip, I sat in a chair a few feet from shore.  The rocks and shells collected by the waves, an irregular crunchy stripe along the sand. Of course, I thought of Michael, whose ashes I helped scatter right there, just a couple of steps away. He thought of this place as his, too.

You know how they capture and tag animals and send them back out into the wild to be tracked? I wish I could have done that with Michael's ashes. I wish the bits of him would light up for me as I make footprints in wet sand.

Is there a place that helps you remember who you are? A place that holds your history, that calms your heart?

Where do you go to be healed?

 xo,

m

Thanks for the Unicorn Love!!

Beth and I had a crazy amount of fun making our first installment of Unicorn Stories. The night we filmed, I kept saying to Beth, "This is a perfectly normal thing for two adult women to be doing on a Friday night, right?"

We have the storyline for the next episode already, now it's time to work out the visuals and get to filming. yay!

And no, I absolutely don't have time for this kind of thing, in case you are wondering.

But it's a way of blowing off steam and playing while I am here at the shop... and it's a necessity. I am so burnt out and am looking forward to Sunday, which will be my first day off in 2 months. I am planning on spending some time in the ocean. And laying around. Lots and lots of laying around.

So, let me just tell you something interesting about the star of Episode One:

I drew him two weeks ago. Just a five minute drawing in brown marker on scrap brown paper. I was all, "I don't know why a unicorn is swimming in the ocean, but there it is."

About 4 days later, a big ship ran aground in Woods Hole (on the Cape).  The ship's name? Unicorn. A unicorn in the ocean? Well, Beth and I had just been wondering what the first story would be for our series, and that about sealed the deal. It was a sign. So I quickly threw some color on Unicorn, and there he is. The star of the show.

That's all. Just thought you should know.

And for the record, I would totally tell you if you had seaweed on your horn.

xo,