I have my little office set up in the sunroom, or solarium, as they call it around here. Its a nice little room, about 12'x5' with windows on all along three sides. There's plenty of room for a desk, printer, small work table and a set of shelves. The sunshine makes me happy. Its a good place for an office.

HOWEVER, there's no room for me to keep any stock. My henna is in a giant chest freezer in the garage. Everything else is in cabinets and old dressers in the basement. (BTW, this is not a wet, cave basement. Its the nice kind of dry cool basement that could be a game room with a sub floor and carpeting.)

My solution to this situation is to take my little shopping basket around the house to collect things for orders. I make a list from the orders and go about pulling the things I need. It works fine most of the time.

On light order days I prepare stock. Yesterday I thought I would decant some cajeput oil. I buy this in small, paint-can-ish drums that need to be decanted into amber glass as soon as I get it. (To any EO purists, I swear this is how your supplier does it too. The cans are lined and this is definitely the norm.) Anyway, I had already divided the can out into some 16 oz amber glass bottles. I went to the basement and got 1 16 oz bottle and a box of 8 ml vials to bring them to the work table in my office.

UNFORTUNATELY I fell up the last few stairs smashing the bottle between my calves and the step. Of course this was uncomfortable, but when I stood up I noticed the shard of glass sticking out of my jeans. Plucking the shard out produced a rather large amount of blood. I won't say it spurted, but the large bead of blood got from mid calf to my foot before I could bend over to investigate.

The wound kind of gaped open a bit, which is my mom's guideline for needing stitches. (She worked ER for a number of years, so I appreciate her judgment.) I couldn't clean up the mess because standing and bending produced more blood. Lots more blood. I started to try and get my husband on the phone to come home from work to help me, and gave my kids directions on how to safely clean up a puddle of cajeput and glass from the basement stairs. Now, it was 4 on a Friday afternoon, so getting Jon to come home wasn't hard. Of course by the time he arrived I didn't need much. After holding the wound closed with my fingers for 40 minutes or so, the bleeding had mostly stopped and I'd talked myself out of stitches. I did send him out to get me some butterflies. A bandaid wouldn't have held is shut and I don't want THAT ugly of a scar.

It was really tender all evening, and every time I stood it would produce a new few drops of blood, but after a good night's sleep it seems to be fine.

There is a large section of my third step from the top that no longer has paint.

Pre-Order your Jamila at Henna Muse and get the amazing sale price of $43.00 per kilo or $7.25 per 100 gram box.

I will ship every pre-order the day my Jamila comes in if I have to stay up all night!

[url]http://www.hennamuseshop.com/product.wml/storeid/1100/productid/43914/The-Henna-Muse-Shop/Pre-Order-Jamila-2009-kilo.htm?SessionID=0a00001e07d90603081804dcc3[/url]

In case any of my handful of readers has noticed that I haven't really posted any henna related stuff here so much lately...

You want this blog: http://hennamuse.blogspot.com/

And this facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Henna-Muse/67802559306

In these two places one can be free of my personal rants, political views, and family photos, I SWEAR!

Sometimes I watch the evening programs on MSNBC. They're comfort food for me in a way, but I KNOW the slant is pretty significant. I am painfully aware that I'm being spoon fed the antidote to Fox News. But whats left in the middle is so washed out and fluffy, I'm not sure its useful.

Leave it to Jon Stewart to show the "real" media how to behave. I find myself wondering if that interview with Jim Cramer may have some real impact on how the media handles its self.

AND there should be more F-bombs in the news. Why, you may ask? Because we're f&#ked, at least for the moment, and if someone well respected said so from time to time it might put this moment in perspective, and have a little more impact on the behavior of the average unengaged citizen.

I miss Peter Jennings and Tim Russert. I had no idea how much comfort I got from those guys until they were gone. :(

I'm slowly coming to the realization that I've wasted two months of work. I guess since they were such bummer months for sales, I didn't have anything better to do, but its depressing none the less. Maybe I can come up with a way to for me to take advantage of it. MYSELF.

I bought my airfare this morning. There's no turning back now!

It sounds like its going to be a pretty low-key deal this year.

Can't wait!

Henna Muse is proud to announce the addition of amla and cassia to our catalog.

Cassia has the same wonderful conditioning and thickening properties of henna without the bright red color. It can also be used as a color booster for blond hair or mixed with henna to produce shades between blond and red.

Amla adds shine and boosts curl. It can also be mixed with henna to shift the color toward brown. Aside from its uses in hair care, amla makes a wonderful facial scrub that tightens pours and gently exfoliates. High vitamin c content give the effect of a chemical peel when used as a mask, but without the chemicals and risk of redness and drying.

For a limited time get 10% off your entire order when you buy a cassia, indigo, or amla product!!!

http://www.hennamuseshop.com/category.wml/storeid/1100/categoryid/7944/The-Henna-Muse-Shop/Hair-Care.htm?SessionID=0a00001e07d9020f090f312d68

Consider it an invitation only sale. Those few folks who read my blogs and share online communities in common with me will ever know about it. Aren't secrets fun?!?

I have some spring harvest Rajasthaini henna that does this:



It also has the unusual characteristic of being especially easy to rinse out of hair. It requires no sifting or straining, and is mildly stringy.

You can have some today for the low-low price of $30 per kilo plus $5 shipping. This is in bulk packaging, but I will supply you with individual baggies if you wish to divide it out. Share with friends. Stock up for summer.

This really is good henna. I'm not trying to get rid of it so much as trying to raise some cash.

I'll also part with Jamila for $6 a box. ($5.50 each if you buy a kilo or more) Shipping will be $5 for as much as I can stuff in a flat rate envelope. If you need more than will fit, I'll charge only the real cost of shipping, no mark up or handling fee.

The offer is good through Saturday only. Shipping prices are for US only. Tell me where you live for a quote on shipping to other countries. Don't use my store. I didn't set up the sales in my shopping cart. I can add any items that you may want to order from the store into a sale purchase though. PayPal and US credit card accepted. Interested parties should email (info@hennamuse.com) me.

Thanks for looking!

Jen

They really like each other! For realies, not for appearance's sake.

http://www.mrs-o.org/?p=3149

I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with the blog entirely devoted to the First Lady's style, but I am a noted anti-fashion snob. I'll try to cope.

But I mean really! I can't remember seeing a president expressing real Joy like President Obama does. Well, maybe Bill, but there was always something a little mischievous in his grin, ya know, and he wasn't ever smiling like that at his WIFE. :)

And there's more. Wanna see something scary?
http://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/2009/01/26/a-photo-to-inspire-a-photo-to-scare/
That'll keep you up at night!

I'm trying to plan menus for a family of 4 on $5-$7 per meal. I'm not talking socially responsible, local food; chemical free, organic and fresh food. Just food. Good to eat, reasonably nutritious, and cheap.

Sausage and Rice

• 1 pre-packages smoked sausage, sliced


• small onion, chopped


• garlic


• 1 can dices tomatoes (the kind with garlic and basil flavor is extra good)


• 1 can green beans, drained


• 1-2 cups prepared rice per person

Saute the onion and sausage for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and beans and season to taste. (I like a little basil and red pepper.) Allow it to simmer until everything is hot all the way through. Serve over rice. If you have a bit of extra money, add mushrooms. My husband loves a slice of provolone cheese between the rice and the rest.

Eggs 'n' Bread 'n' Potatoes

• 2 cans sliced nwe potatoes, drained


• 2 eggs


• 3 slices of bread (this is a good way to use up bread that's getting close to stale)


• 2 slices of bacon per person


• fresh fruit

Break the bread into small pieces, about half the size of your thumb. Set aside. Beat the eggs, add a little salt and pepper, and set aside. Fry the bacon in a saute pan. Remove the bacon when its done and add the potatoes to cook in the bacon grease. (I do pour out some of the grease depending on how lean the bacon is.) Once the potatoes are warm all the way through and start to look a little darker, add the bread pieces. Pour the eggs over the bread and stir so that the bread gets soaked in eggs. Continue to stir being careful to scrape cooked eggs off the sides of the pan. Its done when the eggs are cooked to your preference. When we have it, we cook in a handful of shredded cheddar cheese, added at the same time as the eggs. Serve with fresh fruit.

It's you're turn! What do you do for cheap eats!?!

I wish I had the luxury of turning down work. Any work. I would love to say "no, I'm not going to put your name down your forearm in old english script." I NEED that $15 bucks.

I think maybe the Obamas are breaking through my prejudice against opulent wealth and expensive things.

I'm just not feeling the usual nausea over seeing people chatter about expensive fashions. Michelle Obama absolutely deserves designer dresses for the inauguration. Good for her for picking new designers so they can move up in the world a bit too. And she has great taste. Always classy. Never over the top.

Usually when I see such expensive clothes I think "how many starving children could you feed with the money you spent on that dress?" This time I'm thinking "this way this family inspires people will help so many people in the long run."

So maybe the prejudice is sill there, but at least I can see that there are some truly good people who have money to spend. I used to think that opulent wealth and humanitarian values were mutually exclusive.

So I'm trying to learn how to use joomla! to build a web site that goes a little beyond the basics. As I started to read up in it, there was all this PHP flying right over my head. I found this awesome web site that taught me everything I needed to know in like an hour!!! They have other tutorials too, for html and css, MySQL and some popular business software. I feel so smart now!

http://inpics.net/index.html

I've done some work on wood lately.





And I listed it on Etsy, just to see how that goes. If the market is any better than eBay, I may post some of my favorite pieces that I know just won't get what I feel they're worth on eBay.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6258626

Today I found two really cool things on the internet. First, there's this article about my friend Paul.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2009/01/19/090119ta_talk_toobin

Paul was in high school when I was in college, but I ran with the "townies" for the most part so I knew some younger people. He was pretty cool. I haven't seen him in years, but I remember that the last time I saw him at the bar in our hometown (he was visiting for the holiday) I showed him pictures of my kids. He told me "Don't let them grow up to be republicans." That's the last time I remember talking to Paul, and now there he is running a liberal blog host. WOW! Good for him. And I get to say my friend was in the New Yorker.

Then, as I was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes I started thinking about how precious sunshine is in the winter. The window over my sink faces south so I try to do dishes inside the two hours a day that the sun actually rises above my neighbor's roof and shines in the window. It feels so good on my cheeks!!! Anyway, with a complete lack of sun today, I started to think about a short film I'd seen between movies at a friends house on HBO when I was a little girl. It was about a place where the sun appeared so rarely children couldn't remember having seen it! One poor child is locked in a closet by classmates on the day the sun is supposed to make a rare appearance and misses all the joy of sunshine, likely for many years to come. I mention it often, but no one I've spoken to could help me figure out what it was I saw! Well, today when the thought occurred to me I stepped away from the sink and went to consult with google. With the key words "hbo short film sun school closet" This site was my top hit:
http://ask.metafilter.com/8695/What-is-this-short-film-or-show-about-a-place-where-it-rains-for-a-decade-and-then-is-sunny-for-one-day
I mean, I've been wondering about that for something like 10 years. Once I thought to check into it online, the answer was there, IMMEDIATELY!!! It never ceases to amaze me!

Something new!

I'm now hosting a listing for henna suppliers, and soon henna artists. You can check it out at HennaSuppliers.org.html. If you'd like a listing FREE OF CHARGE all you have to do is follow the the rules. If you want to find a supplier (or artist in your area eventually) you can rest assured that they are reliable, honest and only use 100% natural henna.

Please bookmark it. Pretty-pretty-pretty please link to it!

Uh-oh, I almost accidentally fell into the life-sucking hole that is youtube comments today. Really people, if you are looking at a video that could be construed as even remotely controversial, trust me, don't read the comments. It will only frustrate and depress you!

Anyway, I stumbled on a video segment with a woman who still nurses an 8 year old. She believes that the child should decided when to ween. Now, I'm pretty cool with extended breastfeeding even though I weened both of mine at a year or so. I don't feel the need to make that call for other families. I do find 8 to be taking it a little too far. I can't help but think that the mother's reasons for allowing this have to be at least partly selfish. I miss nursing. I miss it a lot. If I had it to do over again, I probably would have done it longer, but 8 years!?! I can't think of any benefit of it that late in the game except for comfort for mom and child. I can see some pretty serious cons though. Nope, definitely not for me.

I'm curious as to how others feel about this. I know that a lot of people I know are pretty open minded about such things, but I'd like to know if others think this is going to far.

So, the Holiday design book I edited for the Henna Tribe is up!!! Yeah. Get it here: http://www.hennatribe.com/patterns/freepatterns.htm

I gotta say though, that there was some chaos at the end. I got the damned thing put together and THEN I was told that there was a problem with uploads. Wow that would have been good to know before I put about hours upon hours into the thing! Anyway, once that was worked out I was emailing it to an administrator to upload and realized it was almost 50 megs!!! My preferences were set wrong on my page layout software. I thought it had been reducing the images to screen res at the size I made them in the document. Nope, that wasn't turned on! At the last minute I had to go back and shrink ALL the images down then replace them into the document. ARG! Took me most of the day. (I should have been sewing the quilt for Jon that I kept having to put off because he kept being home sick!) The really frustrating part was every time I'd delete an image the pages would fall apart even if I used a place holder and I have no idea why. I miss pagemaker. It always did what I expected.

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And... da da da-da-da! My new shopping cart!!!! http://www.hennamuseshop.com! Come and see. I still have some dead links to clean up in the articles on the old page, and I want to make some informational pages on the store site that link back to the articles on the old site. It's all there through, and ready to use. I just have to go through and make sure it all blends together well. After my library job on Monday the kids will be spending a few days with grandma and I'll get all that finished.

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NOW! I have to get the house clean, wrap the hubby's presents (and add a few finishing touches on his quilt,) Make a few shrinky dink ornaments for gifts I didn't quite get to, go by parmesan cheese, make stuffed mushrooms, make sure everyone has clean close to wear Christmas morning, and get ready for my dad to visit tonight! Ack! Better get going. (sometimes Christmas seems like way to much to deal with. I mean, I kinda consider myself a religious hybrid, which makes it seem a little silly to make jesus' birthday the zenith if the year. Oh well, at least I get to see the whole family that over 2 days time every year, even if its not for one of my favorite holidays.

Happy-whatever-winter-holiday-you-celebrate!!! Or Merry-Merriness as a friend of mine says.

Oh I so hope I get a prezzie from one of my Secret Santas today. I was up most of the night with my hubby who's had a scary-bad cough for a while. I could sure use the excitement of a package in the mail to insert a little energy into today!!! *fingers crossed*

I've had time to play a bit now with my new henna. Admittedly sloppy (I mixed a little too thin) but the color is proving nice!

Click on the photo to go to flickr and read more about it.

I've got this lovely henna for sale here: Henna Muse Rajasthani!