New Look

How do you like the new look? I'll admit, keeping a blog is no piece of cake! I'm trying to learn the ropes, but it's tricky. Thankfully my husband is very patient, and has been learning himself, while trying to teach me. I wish my good friend Pam still lived closeby, she's a blogging wizard! But, alas, she now resides in the frozen north. :( Miss ya, Pam!

So, while I am slowly working out the blog-kinks, I am keeping very busy with SpiceRak! This month has been a whirl-wind of activity for me, at home and with the shop. Soon we will be taking a few days of much needed vacation to go back home and visit family for the holidays. I can't wait!

I'm also planning to introduce a new line of aprons and housewares in January. I'm working on new apron styles for every aspect of home life, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some additions will be perfect for gardening, crafts, and even bake sales! We are also developing some innovative and eco-friendly housewares to add to the shop. It's going to be exciting!

In the meantime, I am working like crazy to squeeze as many new items into my shop as I can before we go, while simultaneously doing all the holiday baking, decorating, and gift-wrapping. Oh...and laundry... I am now convinced that the dirty clothes must actually multiply while in the hamper...there should be a scientific study somewhere, right?

Okay, back to work!

Holiday Shopping, thrift store style!

I can't help it...I love to shop thrift stores! There are so many treasures to be found. I love "old" things...vintage, antique, long forgotten...you name it. So, I'm always on the look out for unique gifts for family and friends while I'm treasure hunting. (My peeps are so understanding...they all love to thrift-shop too!) Here is a very cool pair of ceramic clogs I found for my little sis. This is the second pair of clogs I've discovered for her, and I know she's going to love them! Best of all, I can be fairly sure she's not going to see them on every store shelf this season. :)

New Full Aprons from SpiceRak Designs!

Here are a few of our new Full Aprons. Four different styles...which is your favorite?

Clockwise from top left: 1) SUNDAY BRUNCH in Estee print by Alexander Henry, 2) Double MIDNIGHT SNACK in Juicy print by Alexander Henry, 3) MIDNIGHT SNACK in Birds and Flowers print, 4) TEA TIME in "I promise to keep the trees healthy and beautiful" print by Heidi Grace.

This is the bounty we brought home from the "Pick-Your-Own-Veggies farm here in Vegas...apparently someone is capable of growing healthy veggies in this climate...maybe I just need more practice.

This is the LONE little Beef Steak Tomato we have harvested from our kinda sad little
"urban" vegetable garden...hoping for a surprise late harvest once the temperatures are lower around here. Las Vegas is not known for it's tomato gardens, ya know...but we try anyway.

We are now on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Vegas-NV/SpiceRak-Designs/159209953809?ref=share


My husband just set up a fan page on Facebook for SpiceRak Designs.. Come check us out..

Family Fun

It's always a challenge to find family oriented activities here in Las Vegas, but we do try to get out and do something together, just for fun, every weekend. Here is our son, after enjoying a very exciting tour and ride on the historic train in Boulder City. It really was a blast! I think the best part was listening to the volunteers tell stories of the "good old days" when the most common mode of transportation was train...their eyes would just light up with the memories. Our son was totally in awe! Of coures, he did have to ask if the train was haunted...such are the matters that weigh on the mind of a twelve year old boy... :)

The Best Medicine

There are times when the only thing left to do is have some chocolate. There are days when even chocolate can't solve things, but I'm always willing to give it a try anyway!

All joking aside, I absolutely love to work with chocolate. Everything from making truffles and gourmet cupcakes or dipping fruit to creating entire centerpieces out of chocolate. I have found that a box of handmade chocolates makes a great gift for many occasions, and I do so love to give gifts! Since we live in a very warm climate, (Nevada), I patiently wait for the weather to cool down enough in the fall to work chocolate...and it's almost time! To celebrate the approach of chocolate-weather, here's a slide show of some of my adventures in chocolate last fall.

"Homemade Chocolatey Goodness"

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Bewitching Aprons for Fright Night!

Food for Thought Tuesday

Fishie Inspiration!

I have been wanting to try some new fish recipes, and decided to share this one. It's so easy, and delicious! I made a little slide show! What do ya think? Here's the recipe, with a few changes.

yield: Makes 4 servings
In this delicately flavored main course, the asparagus steams along with the fish in individual paper packets.

Ingredients
• 4 15x15-inch squares parchment paper
• 4 5-to 6-ounce Mahi Mahi fillets
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons orange juice

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place parchment squares on work surface. Generously butter half of each parchment square; top buttered half of each with 1 fish fillet. Sprinkle fish with salt and fresh ground pepper; top each fillet with a sprig of fresh rosemary, then a couple small pieces of butter. Arrange asparagus around each fish fillet; pour 1 tablespoon orange juice over each. Fold parchment over fish and asparagus, folding and crimping edges tightly to seal and enclose filling completely. Place on 2 rimmed baking sheets, spacing apart. Bake fish packets 17 minutes. Slide packets onto plates and serve.

Mahi Mahi with Asparagus in Parchment

"Mahi Mahi with Asparagus in Parchment"

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Monkey Wrench

Well, I think it's safe to say...you never know quite what life is going to throw at you next.

It seems that the moment you think you've straightened everything out, dotted the i's and crossed the t's.... when you've got all your ducks, big and little, in a nice, neat little row...everything goes bananas.

Such has been the story of our lives lately. Anything and everything has gone completely bananas. I'm not going to gripe. (It's pointless, anyway.) I just want to say that sometimes, when life gives me lemons, I'd really like to send them back and ask for a slice of the lemon meringue instead. Or even better, chocolate cream...

So, I'm back in the saddle, so to speak. Let's hope I can stay in it. :)

Unexpected Visitor

It's July 4th, and our neighbors have graciously disregarded any and all laws prohibiting the coolest firecrackers... to our great benefit.

Which we are totally enjoying as we sit in the pool at 10 p.m., watching the gorgeous fireworks display, quite literally exploding directly over our heads, and reflecting on the surface of the water! (It would have been terribly romantic, had my husband and I been out there alone, but it was still very cool, with the whole family there to share the experience!)

Well, the firecrackers were not appreciated by all. Would you believe a little baby Desert Banded Gecko was high-tailing it across the patio, headed straight for the (illusionary) safety of our home? (We have three cats...you can imagine the disaster that would have insued.)

So, my husband came to the rescue, and scooped this cute little guy up, to return him to the garden, where he could munch on some bugs, and grow up big and strong. We did take a couple quick pics on the way, for posterity. Isn't he a handsome fella?

Pretty in Pink?

Well, today I had to pass up a chance to buy a vintage 1950s dinette set... which I really did love. However, I did not love that the upholstery was wrecked, and the price was so high, I wouldn't be able to foot the repair bill. So, the hunt continues, one garage sale and thrift shop at a time.

Then I somehow managed to slice my hand open while trying to repair a bar stool, of all things. I hadn't even got the tools out, yet! It's not really that bad, but my son nearly passed out at the sight...which was kinda scary. But he was a trooper, and was ready to bust out the first aid kit for me, despite his queeziness. He was very heroic! (Be prepared. Ya gotta love scouts.) Luckily, my husbands' mom came to our rescue, and now I have a pretty blue Peanuts bandaid, and I'm none the worse for wear. Thanks, Yvette!

Before all of that excitement, I did manage to eek out a few hours in the workshop. I've added a new fabric to my line. It has a very retro vibe, and I'm hoping shoppers will like it as much as I do! I'm always on the lookout for cute retro fabric designs that I can incorporate as "staples", if you will, in my shop.

What do you think... Should it stay, or should it go?

Hello, and Welcome to SpiceRak Designs! Here you will follow the daily challenges and successes of a modern housewife. I am happily married, and a proud mama of a twelve year old son.

Our son does remote learning, which is another term for online schooling, which is a fancy way of saying that he does home schooling with school district supervision. I love it, but it can be a real challenge...for all of us. It's amazing how much has changed since I was in school! So, we learn it all together, which has it's cool moments.

My husband's parents recently moved in with us from out of state. I love them both very much, so this is not a typical "in-laws" situation. However, as with any change, there are growing pains. Since this was something of a "growth spurt"...well, we're all working together to adjust.

While I'm happy that our son is getting the education every child deserves, it posed a problem when I was ready to go back to work. I found that I wasn't willing to send him back to the schools we have to choose from, just so I could get a job.

But I really needed something. Not just to help provide income, but also for my own sense of self-worth. After battling with some serious health problems for the past couple years, and coming out the victor, I realized I wanted to live. Not just breathe and exist, but really live life. So...I decided to start a little business. Nothing monstrous, nothing to make millions. Just a little something to give me back that feeling of personal accomplishment.

Now, don't get me wrong. I do accomplish a great number of things in a day, much like any modern housewife. I teach our son, and keep the house tidy, cook meals, run errands, and all the other things in between. But what I was missing was a sense of personal accomplishment. Not as a wife, or mom, or daughter. Just for me. And I've found it.

I started my little business by designing and sewing a few retro style aprons. Very June Cleaver. I love vintage, especially from the 1940s and 1950s, so I took my inspiration from that time period, and put a modern and practical twist on it. I started a shop on Etsy, a handmade marketplace of sorts, and off it went! I am excited to say that so far, it's been good.

So, here I will chronicle the ups and downs of life, as a wife, a mom, and an indie business owner. But also, as a woman who got another chance at living...and decided to take it! I hope you find something to laugh about, or encouragement that you, too, can grab life by the horns!