Big Girls Rule

I have friends who are big and small.  In fact, I have girlfriends who are really big and really small.  Friends come in all sizes.

A nice thing about big gals is we can share clothes.  If you're a size 12 or less, I'll never fit into your clothes.  I dress with the big girls.  (That sounds like a biker boast; perhaps we should start our own Big Girl Club and wear "colors" to scare people.)

The reason I mention this is because yesterday I received a package in the mail.  From Hollie.  Hollie is a Big Girl.  She's one of our charter members.  Hollie swaggers when she walks and little girls shrink in terror at her approach.

Just kidding.  Hollie is really a sweet woman.  Proof of that is this -- Hollie has a glamorous gown she wore once to a fancy occasion but has had little use for it since.  Contemplating who might benefit from the gown, Hollie thought of me.  Me!  I'm proud to be a big girl, especially if it gets me pretty clothes.

Here is Hollie's gown, with Ally touches.  What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Gals In The City

I'm lucky to live in New York because when other bloggers come to visit, they can easily include me in their plans.  It feels like I'm on the NYC tourist checklist: (1) see Times Square; (2) visit the Statue of Liberty; and (3) eat brunch with Ally.

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Gracey, a blogger from Oregon whom I never imagined have the chance to see in person.  Gracey is in town for the first time and she invited me to join her for Sunday brunch.  We went to my favorite restaurant where we ate Cajun omelettes, drank endless cups of strong coffee, and dished about other bloggers.  Your name came up.  :)

Gracey and I share a trait -- we're both tall (at least, for women).  Gracey humorously calls her blog "Fashion For Giants".  In truth, she's only slightly taller than me; if I'd been in heels, we'd be the same height.  (A little wish-fulfillment there.)

Gracey has natural poise and beauty.  On top of a charming personality, that's a winning combination.  We chatted easily about numerous topics, starting with our similar experiences of being large in size.  Gracey directed me to good stores to shop.

I admire strong, independent women and Gracey sits comfortably in that category.  She's as confident in person as she is on her blog.  We should all be so fierce.

Gracey has been blogging about the same amount of time I have (3-4 years) and if you haven't seen her blog yet, you should.

Here are some pics from my day.  The weather was perfect for being outdoors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dangerous Food

I love hot sauce. But I never knew you could make it. I thought hot sauces had to be bought, in bottles with funny labels on them.

A friend gave me 50 habanero peppers recently which she'd grown. These suckers are super-hot. One of them will spice up an entire pot of food to the breaking point of human endurance. I've gone through 15 of them so far and wondered what to do with the rest since I can't eat them any faster. Then I realized we live in the age of the Internet. So I went online and found numerous recipes for making hot sauce. I took 30 of the remaining peppers (reserving five for future cooking) and turned them into Ally's Batch No. 1.

The process was not without incident. While cutting the habaneros, I rubbed my eyes and -- OMFG, I'm blind!! My eyes burned intensely for ten minutes. My sight came back but the whole area remained inflamed for about an hour. No amount of washing or bargaining with God relieved the paIn.

I finished making the hot sauce and am now bottling it for my enemies. One drop of this stuff will remove grease stains from your driveway. Two drops will cause cardiac arrest.

Life is full of adventures, isn't it?

For those who are interested, here's how I did it.  I chopped and seeded the thirty habanero peppers, then sautéed them with minced onions (one-half of a big one) and chopped garlic (five cloves) for five minutes.  I added two cups of water and a dash of Tamari soy sauce, and cooked the mixture at high heat for 20 minutes.  After letting it cool down to room temperature, I pureed the concoction in a food-processor while adding 1/3 cup of vinegar.  Voila!

Here are some pictures of the procedure.  Warning -- DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Holidays -- Welcome, or Not So Much?

This month starts the official beginning of "the holidays."  The crazy time of year when people shop endlessly for gifts, spend money they don't have, endure crowds and long lines, reflect on everything that's wrong with their family, and feel intense pressure to put on a fake smile and pretend they're happy. 

Or it's a time when people relish in holiday cheer, spread joy around to their loved ones, and savor personal connections.  The seasons can go either way.  Or both.

What's your attitude toward the holidays?  Do you welcome this time of year?  Or dread it?

They're Coming!

The 2013 Bloggy Awards are coming!

Three recipients were selected this year.  I'm sure you'll agree these women are exceptionally nice and have wonderful blogs.

I'm polishing the bigass trophies each will receive and writing the announcement post.  It will go up later this week.  Stay tuned!

The Trees In My Yard

Autumn is lovely in New York.  The colors of nature burst with vibrancy.  These pictures were taken in my front yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Birthday Suit

Just kidding!  You didn't think you'd see a picture of me nude, did you?

I found the cutest skirt in a thrift-store this week ($5).  I love its animal print.  I figured yellow would go well with it so I pulled out an old yellow top I'd thrifted but never worn.  They go nicely together, don't you think?

My birthday is Sunday and tomorrow night I'm taking a pack of friends out of dinner.  Celebrating my birthday always lifts my spirits.  I hope you have a good weekend, too.