It's About Time!

Hello again after a long five years!

Happy New Year's Eve

It has been a long, long time since I wrote on this blog! What ever made me forget about it and leave it sitting here all by itself. The Distracted Cook did. And life did. But not now! In 2012 Everyday Special will once again bloom, or cook, or travel, or just sit around and talk. But it will be here. And I invite you to join us again as we wander through the new year taking notice of those things that will and always have made "everyday special" if we only take the time to notice them.
Happy New Year!

The Distracted Cook

Today The Distracted Cook  finally became a reality. After months and months of planning, forgetting, losing the notes, cooking, shopping, eating, and having fun, the blog is finally "live" and up for reading. I hope that you will join me in the kitchen as I work my way through the mysteries of cooking. It is definitely a different game for the ADD cook, and it has taken me a long while to figure that out. Oh, yeah, I KNEW something was different, but I just assumed ( I know, I know) it was a glitch in the particular process I was attempting to conquer. Well, I am here to tell you that it is an entirely different world, not just a glitch in a process! I have learned many ways to work around what seem to me to be incredibly mind-boggling hurdles. I have devised methods and "helpers" that keep me sane and sort of on track. I don't think there is such a thing as staying on track for The Distracted Cook -- there are just too many tracks that are all leading me to exciting destinations. The real problem is that I am trying to travel them all at the same time!
So, if you are looking for some inspiration, some learning, some links to really, really fascinating writing and photography (after all, this distracted cook loves to look at pictures and dream of what she could do with the same ingredients - no, not a bit off track, right??) click on the link and join in the fun in the kitchen. After all, Halloween is over and the only scary thing left is the mental picture of The Distracted Cook trying to carve the pumpkin while she eats all the candy that she hid from the Trick or Treaters!!

Getting Ready to Move

I never really thought too much about "moving" blogs or websites or even moving ideas and concepts into the "real deal." But now it is almost time and I am having second thoughts about all it will take to get this done. Second thoughts is really misleading as I haven't even had the first thoughts about some of the things involved in this massive undertaking. When I checked to see what I needed to do I discovered that I have four websites and about thirteen blogs that have to be coordinated so that they will all interlink and the information contained in one of them can be accessed from all the others. Of course I didn't think about any of that - I am lucky if I can concentrate on one thing at a time on a boring day.


 "You are driving me to distraction," isn't just a cute saying that your Mom used to mutter when  the kids were running around playing tag through the kitchen while she tried to cook dinner. Nope, she was on to something for sure. And my own children would tell me when I would say  they were driving me crazy, "It's NOT a long ride, Mom."  I am finding out  just how short a trip it is!


I seem to have a problem concentrating on one thing at a time. It is as if my mind lives in an appliance store that it is full of televisions all going at full blast. I do have a "clicker" but strangely enough it doesn't do a thing to turn down volumes or change channels or turn them off. So, I just jump from one screen to the next,  falling into whatever drama is playing on that set. That is what goes on in my head and it is what drives my thoughts and actions. And like the kids said - the trip to "crazy" isn't long especially when when I am driving in "distracted" gear. 


Can you even imagine what happens in the kitchen of The Distracted Cook?

Watch This Space!

Sometimes a headline is more than just a headline. On Tuesday, November 2, the second generation of Everyday Special will launch - right here! For over a year now I have been working on a new format and perspective for my blog and next month it will finally see the light of day. My cameras have been working over time to snap glimpses of what we will be exploring and the things about which we will be writing and journaling. I thank you for the time you have spent with us already, and hope that you will find as much fun and interest in where we are heading next. I will have links to other works that will expand and develop the subjects that we will be exploring right here. I will continue to find those things that make our Everyday Special and I hope to continue sharing them with you!

What's It All About?

I am happy to report that I have received a new camera and I think we are going to become great friends. I wasn't actually in the market for a camera as the one I have been using for the past few years is a great camera. It is a great camera because it is almost foolproof. I am not the sort of person who needs a camera that is complicated, has a lot of bells and whistles, or even demands some level of sophistication about light, speed, contrast or any of these things. The easier the better as far as I am concerned.

I took this new camera out into the yard to give it a spin and I think you might like to see some of the handiwork it produced. Here we go:

These are some ginger flowers from plants that a friend gave me many years ago. They have the most wonderful scent and when I cut them and bring them inside the entire house is awash in their perfume. 

This is another picture of plants in the "back 40" that were blooming only a few weeks ago. This is the flower spike of one of the Yucca plants. They are so very dramatic and I always try to find a way to bring them indoors, but the spikes are so huge and heavy that I have nothing that can support their weight. So, we have to enjoy them on the patio instead of in the house. 

I will be using the camera in the next few days to chronicle some of the changes that are occurring around here and around the blog. Now that the store is no longer in existence, I have the time to let my imagination run wild. I have rediscovered a long-time interest in cooking and food. I have been testing recipes for one of the food blogs and that has been a great adventure. I took some time to participate in an e-course that was truly remarkable while being just plain fun. It is called Across Mediums and is the work of Kate Swoboda. You can read about her e-courses and visit her website here. I will post about this later and show you some of the wonderful things that were my results of our subject studies. 

I am beginning a project that will involve a new blog and a spinoff cookbook and I will be writing about that as well. As soon as I have mastered the new format for the blog I will post a link so that you can catch up with me there also. I am designing a website that will work in conjunction with the blog and that is going to be a large undertaking. I am hopeful that this will all be up and working before we all become caught up in the holidays and all the celebrating that we will be doing. There will be much going on and I hope that you will join me in seeing where this next Everyday Special adventure takes us.

April Showers

I am thinking that May will be full of bloom as today the clouds are gray and it does indeed look as if an April Shower is on the way. Of course there are other benefits to such things - a lot less pollen and seed shells will be blowing around if we do have some rain. For the last few weeks everyone's car has been a eerie shade of yellow-green as a result of the bursting forth of the oak and pecan leaves. While I love the first signs of spring, this is a bit much. And the pond has also had a strange science-fiction shade to its surface. I wonder how the fish and turtles manage to stay alive.

After my quick dash around the yard yesterday to mark the colorful comments of the plants, I decided to dedicate an entire post to the colors of early spring here in my backyard. First out the door is the wonderful pink/crimson of the petunias hanging from baskets on the back porch (or veranda as we say here in the South call them) just under the eaves for protection from the hot sun.

And then we find the brilliant blue of a pot plant snuggled under the petunias, smiling at each and every one of us as we exit the kitchen door.

The next burst of color to catch our eyes is the beautiful magenta/purple of the small bulb plants under the crape myrtles. I am not sure that I even remember what they are, but I am thinking that someone told me (most likely Dr. Deeds the planter) they were a kind of gladiola.

Right outside the gates to the yard and pond sit the beautiful young dogwoods. The flowers this year are truly wondrous - I can't remember when that pink one has been so vivid or had such large petals.

I am always amazed at the show that the azaleas put on each springtime, and this year is no exception. I believe that Pride of Mobile is the name of the ones that line both our property and most of our neighbors' lawns also. The flowers are almost a pale pink, or a pale K&B purple to those of us who still remember such things. 

In the front yard is a wild brushstroke of purple (LSU Tiger Purple?) that sweeps across the front circle and lends a really vivid and jaunty character to the front of the property.

It also makes me laugh to think that a Past President of the Tulane Alumni Association has LSU colors running wild all over her yard! The yellow of the Forsythia, Iris and Marguerites are the perfect finish to the purple Tiger roar!

Here Comes Spring Again

As if we didn't already know it - Spring is here and in screaming color. A few of the wonderful hints that lurk around my yard are the vivid yellow Iris, the magenta Azalea (don't know if it really is magenta, but don't you just love the sound of the word?) and the white of the graceful Bridal Wreath. Now to take a spin around the perimeter and click the camera a few times and then I will be back with the photos!

While I am out there I will leave this view of the pond as a tantalizing preview for what is to come next! 

Something like this definitely makes Everyday Special.

Time To Move On

It seems fairly easy to just say "shut it down" and move on to bigger and better things. But, really, it isn't easy to shut down, and the moving on to better things is really the hard part. After turning off the lights and turning in the keys mid - January, I haven't gotten much past "go" in the moving on part. I am still trying to get the last phone bill in hand so I can pay it. I think I am finished with all the rest of the "business" part of the business and now I am looking down the barrel of the "getting rid of the stuff" part. My garage is overloaded with old inventory and display pieces and my poor car is sitting in the drive for the duration. I wish it were as simple as just calling for the Salvation Army truck to run over and haul it off! But to do that, I have to take the final inventory and that means start thinking about "the taxes" and that is never a happy thought!

And then comes the inevitable questions of what to do next or whether to actually do anything next. I am stuck here too. While I think that I may want to keep myself in the game in some way, I haven't hit on exactly what that role will be. I think that I am just mentally exhausted by the whole experience not to mention things going on in other parts of my life. So, yes, it is time to move on. And yes, I will get it all done. And yes, I will get back to this blog when the dust has settled and the sun is shining bright in the sky again. In the meantime, I will just keep on keeping on and see how far it gets me. And just for some good laughs for everyone, I will post pictures of what the process looks like. Prepare yourself for a real shocker of a garage!

Coming Soon

Just a few more days until the end of the year and the start of 2010. Are you ready? I think I am just about there with only a few more days of "packing it up" and waiting for the truck to appear to take these last things away. The phones will be down, the computers disconnected, the credit card terminal shipped, and all the final dusting and sweeping will be done. And then,.....what?

With the November Novel almost finished (the rewrite or "making sense of it all") and ready to be put to bed, I will have the time to devote to the blog and to the website. The poor website has gone through some troubled times - mainly just neglect - as I was trying to get the shop closed and make all the arrangements for the inventory. And then we had the holidays which are always a good excuse to just stop working and start partying. And now it is time to celebrate. So with Best Wishes for a great 2010 I close out this final year as a storefront retailer and look forward to beginning a new adventure. Stay tuned for the next chapter......

Another Chapter

It is such a relief to finally be able to answer the question "What are you going to do now that you are closing your store?" with something resembling a plan for the future. I must admit that it is rewarding to know that your friends are concerned for your future and well-being. Some of my dearest friends are also my greatest customers and they have been on a crusade to find a great location for my "next store." It took a long while for me to convince them that I wasn't looking for another location - that there wasn't going to be a "store" the next time around.

I must confess that once retail is in your blood, it is no easy feat to just turn and walk away. Not only is it not easy, I suspect that it is impossible. So with that in mind, I just kept drifting towards that deadline when I had to have the premises vacated and all the utilities and communications services terminated. It is a funny thing, but the greatest things to come my way have always been "out of the blue" and not something that I set out to find. And so it was that I came upon this next adventure.

As I was leaving Whole Foods one afternoon I picked up one of the local social interest publications and started reading through it. I happened upon an article about a venture that was new on the horizon - a marketplace opening up in a different area of Baton Rouge. Hmm... this could be interesting. The article described the new marketplace and then went on the discuss the concept and the fact that the owner was calling for local vendors and retailers to join. Might this be the answer to my questions of what I would be doing and how and where? After a few emails and phone conversations and site visits I was sure this was something worth the effort! And so, ....

New Orleans At Home is moving into My Favorite Things Marketplace! I will have a presence among many and varied vendors and retailers in this new space. The location is perfect for it is in an under-serviced area of our city that has a population with the needs and the ability to buy what we are presenting. It will be exciting for many reasons, not the least of which is that I will be able to still do all those things that I have loved about being in retail. And I will no longer have to deal with all those things which I liked least about being in retail! Sometimes things just work out that way - not often, but sometimes.

So I am now in the process of closing down my store. Each day that I break down another display I remember how much I loved making this place what it is today. There is just some form of magic in building a display that showcases a product in a way that mimics art and enables a potential buyer to see this same item being used in their home to add to their enjoyment. Retail sales is not so much about selling something to someone, but rather in showing them a product and the many ways in which it can enhance their everyday.

By the end of 2009 I shall have closed and locked the door for the last time. I will say good-bye to Mid City Baton Rouge and the many friends I have made there. I will hope to see them again in our new location where we can visit and catch up on all that is happening during the holidays and look toward the new year with hope and best wishes.

What Happened to Summer?

Now that August is almost over, I am wondering just what happened to my July! Of course there was the usual July 4th fun and frolic with children, grandchildren, out-laws and assorted pets. And then there was the "bomb" - a major health issue that came out of nowhere. And then in August we experienced a tragedy that still has us and many dear friends reeling from the shock. And a major decision about "the business" closes out the exciting "what did you do on your vacation" spiel.
After 15 years at this retail game, which I dearly love, I will be closing the shop and moving into a new phase of "the career" which means more excitement and hoopla. But first, I now get to experience the adventure of actually closing a business. A customer asked me why I was doing this and that started me really thinking. I have been through the start up, the moving of a store into renovated quarters while trying to remain open for business, the name change and focus realignment, a major hurricane and aftermath for 16 months, a move from one city to another with accompanying selling of buildings and finding new quarters, putting 6,000+ items into storage in a flood ravaged city and getting them delivered out to another city 2 months later, attempting to bring a business built on customer loyalty to a new venue, and lastly, just trying to get all other aspects of "after Katrina" put to rest. And that is how I get to where I am today! A long trip to be sure, but one I wouldn't change if I could.
So, now --- what happened to that summer? Well, for those of us here in South Louisiana summer isn't over until Thanksgiving at the very earliest. Football season isn't the signal for us that cool Fall weather is around the corner. If we are lucky, we may be cool for Christmas -- or maybe, just maybe, it will snow again like last year!! I dream of such things.....

July 1st and Vacation Begins Here

It's a wonderful feeling to know that from now until July 31 it is officially "vacation" and that I don't HAVE to go to the shop. Which of course means that I probably WILL go to the shop, just not to do any heavy lifting or floor mopping.

This will be the time to get everything ready for the big re-opening August 1st, when we will be getting ourselves ready for the next transformation. As some wise man once said, "if you aren't changing, you aren't growing." We will definitely be growing and changing that is for sure.

Now I have to take the time to work out the logistics and get the timeline finished. It will be a sad but sweet ending to an almost 15 year part in the retail world. I have certainly been entertained, delighted, perplexed, rewarded, and bamboozled by the experience. It will be sad to try to close something that just makes me happy - happy to work at, happy to look at, and happy to think about. But too much happy can be a bad thing - even I know that. When you start thinking of other things that you could be doing and start wondering how you can do both --- well, that means the handwriting is on the wall.

So, for the next few weeks I will be moving things around, consolidating, practicing web skills, doing a little canvas shuffling, and trying to figure it out. In the meantime I will try to do some creative blogging that can be my "to do" list, my game plan, my dreamscape, and my touchdown at reality. Until next time, take the advice of Coach Les Miles and "Have a Great Day!"

Good Advice or Idle Random Thoughts?

It was such a lovely vacation and I did so regret having to pack it all up and head home. And somehow I just can't seem to get back into the hectic pace of business everyday. My mind keeps balking at all those chores that you have to do on a daily basis just to keep a store open and alive. I keep seeing those cloudless blue skies and the beautiful white sand beach and thinking about going back to stay!

Alas, it seems that even before the week was done the storm clouds came rolling in. You know how that can take over your perspective on just about everything. It seems that everywhere I look now I see business articles geared to giving advice to just keep on keeping on during the downturn. You have to get more customers through the door, add on to your sales, update your inventory, advertise in new ways, increase email, re-train your staff, and keep a good attitude.

Now that is a LOT of advice and to be really truthful, it can tire you out before you even get to reading the articles . I, for one, have taken an oddly distanced reaction to all of this and I am attributing it to my current frame of mind.

I have just recently spent much quality time "doing nothing" and enjoying it immensely. I lolled around all day at the beach reading a huge stack of good fiction that I have been saving for that rainy day with nothing to do. I have been giving a lot of thought to the retirement scenario. My lease comes due for renewal in a few months and I have been asking the age old question "what would happen if I just quit?" And I have been making all the lists of things that I would have to do to make it happen ( or not happen depending on which way you view it) so that I could close the door at the end of the year and have no regrets. Is there anyone else out there mulling over these same things?

I just found out that my next door neighbor's store was burglarized over the week-end. And the really great part about it is that they found a wallet left behind with a driver's license and all sorts of identification. Now, the first reaction has to be "what a dummy", but then you think that it must be a frame-up job. Surely no one would be that stupid or careless. Or would they. I guess we won't find out until we hear back from the police. But this just added one more item to the list of reasons why I don't need to be doing this anymore. Who really needs the emotional stress of worrying about a place 24/7, rain or shine, 52 weeks of the year?

I will be doing some hard thinking in the next few weeks - I've allowed myself to the end of the month to figure it out. What would I do if I weren't doing what I've done for so long? My family says "Ha!" - you are never without something to do!!" And they are right. I have never lacked for something ( or many somethings) to do to keep myself occupied and happy. I know that there have been a lot of things that I have had to say no to doing that I would really have liked to have done. And I could certainly learn to enjoy living in the world of "spare time" that seems to always elude me now.

But will this love of the retail game, the excitement of design, and that thrill of creativity win again? Will I be here still trying to keep it all in line? Will I miss those buying trips to Dallas, Atlanta, and New York?? Will I miss the excitement of greeting the UPS man with my box cutter and scissors in hand, ready to open the first arrivals of the new season? Of course I will. But I can't help but think that there will be other exciting things to witness, other fun adventures to experience, and new friends to meet.

Once Around the Store

I love doing these once around the place posts - gets me moving and looking at what needs to be done. Today I am here at the store and snapping some pictures before I go about changing the displays and changing out some display shelving. It helps to have something to reference so that when I decide I can't stand what I just did I can always fall back on the old plan and do an update instead of major overhaul.

It seems to me to always be a major undertaking to try to compose a display. I know that all the retail gurus say that in-store signage is a must, but I somehow manage to ignore it. I know that I shouldn't, and this time I am committed to doing something about it. Instead of just making nice looking vignettes, I am going to actually put the maxim to the test.

So, this is what we look like right now - before! The next post should have some subtle changes as well as some dynamic ones complete with signage. Of course, I will be taking a small holiday in between, so maybe that will impact what you see when you return as well as my attempts at first-class merchandising!!

Once Again Around the House

You may have noticed that there hasn't been too much going on around the house lately. I must confess that I have been a little distracted (again, already?) for the last week. Taking advantage of a challenge thrown out by Susan at http://www.homedigz.com/ I submitted pictures of my "laundry room" as an entry in her Help This Home project. This is indeed an exciting adventure and I want to share with you what has happened so far. But, before we start in on the project, I'd like to take some looks at the rest of the homestead so you won't fall down in disbelief when you see the Laundry Room!

Here is a rather placid view of the family room, pretty common set-up, not a lot of fuss or muss.

And from here we can go into the kitchen - getting closer to disaster area but not quite there yet!

Behind this door lies a sight to behold. You will either kill yourself laughing, or immediately sign me up for ADD-Anonymous. So here you go!!

Now! What could I be thinking? I was obviously thinking that this is a walk-in dumpster!!

Once Around the House

Okay, we started out with our walk on the patio and then I jumped the fence there to include that daylily. Let's get back to what we have here. Dr. Deeds specializes in "pots" - anyplace that he can fit a pot he puts one. I, on the other hand, like to place them with great precision. What with the ADD, I can only stand so much visual confusion in one place at one time. My newest project is to secretly hide some of the pots and see if anyone notices. Until then, let's take a look at what currently resides in some of them.

Pink is a special color for the patio at this time of year. In fact, we have some very lovely "weeds" that are a delightful pink. In fact here is a picture of them -- in a POT!

Next is a lovely variety of Hydrangea that will really be beautiful in a few more days of this high 80's-low 90's temps we've been having. I know that there is some magical stuff that you can do to change the color of your hydrangeas, but I really like these just the way they are.

One time Dr. Deeds brought home a lovely exotic plant for beside the pool - naturally in a pot - that is a lovely shade of yellow and orange. I am not sure what they are, but they certainly lend an air of the tropics (or maybe the desert?) to the poolside. What do you think - and better than that, do you have any idea what they are?

Probably my favorite right now is the bright pink Bouganvilla. We used to have one that grew all up the side of the house. It was just tremendous and didn't even look real. I'll check to see if I have some old picture of it for camparison one of these days. In the meantime, here is what we have to look at right now!

To finish up this pink story I took a picture of this fine plant. I don't know its name either. Did I mention that Dr. Deeds also is an avid gardener and never met a plant he didn't love? He is so crazy about them that he just has to bring one home - or two, or three. I have lately taken to telling him I am stealing his Lowe's chargecard if he brings one more plant home (but really, it could be worse, right). We now have an entire slew of these beauties - some white and some pink. Don't worry, we'll get to the white ones later. Remember, we haven't even left the back patio yet! We have an acre of so to cover before we get to the dog days of summer and an entirely different roundup of blooms! You can see by all of this that I almost never lack for a flower to make "everyday special".

Pick a Favorite?

What's your favorite color? What do you think the chances are that we can find it out here in the garden? Betcha a donut that we can! Now, let's take that walk around the yard we've been promising ourselves while we get in our workout and stake a bet. Okay - ready to go?

First, I think RED! Yes we can still find some red out here if we look closely enough. Actually, red is a pretty common color in this landscape. I hadn't really noticed before. Right here on the patio are two really nice "reds." The first is a really lovely vine and I notice this one and a few others of different shades. We'll snap a few pictures of them too, and add them to our "colorlog." Next we find a really beautiful "tree" - well at least it looks like a tree to me. Or maybe a bush. Think I need to start some research and study into floraculture?

And then, there is this Day Lily (daylily?) out here behind the pool stuff. It sits here amongst a sea of yellow cousins standing out like the brave soul it is. There is just something really lovely about these lilies that "make everyday special."

Another Look

Well, for the past few weeks now I have been a bit busy and not really posting here as usual. I got myself involved in three online courses, a major store spring-cleaning, a photography project, and a migration of three websites. I have been a bit pre-occupied to say the least. And now I am planning the coming week and making lists and lists and more lists. I almost always make these lists - don't you do that too? And then I actually do try to work my way through them - it's just that I can get really distracted really quickly. So I am telling you right here and now, this time it will be different. This time I have a real determination to get through them all because they are the blueprint for the future, so to speak.

It is time to take a look at what's been happening and all that I have been trying to do, and make some sense of it all. For starters, after tonight's post I am going to work on a few design tweaks to the blog site here. Nothing radical - at least not at the beginning. But it is time for some change, and change is almost always exciting and certainly a lot of fun. I have pages and pages of sketches and definitions of "ftp stuff"and html and all that techno-talk. What it comes down to is this - we won't know what we are getting until I hang it out here. So it may be changing on a regular basis until I get it right!

So take a good look at it now, because with the next post it will surely look different, maybe even better (depending on how you look at it.)

PS And did I mention that I have been having a real bang-up time over at Twitter also? That, my friends, is the place to really learn some stuff!

Something's In The Air

Something is in the air just about now, and it isn't just the music that will burst forth from JazzFest over the next two week-ends. No, this is something that's been around long before JazzFest was a dream in Quint Davis's eyes. I am talking about the flowering plants that are all over the city. Just walking past one will immediately take you "back home" no matter where you live now.There is just something magic about the way a scent can transfer us back through time and space. What am I talking about here? Well, for any of you who go around with weepy eyes and sniffly noses, you know exactly what I am talking about. Let's see what it could be.........

First on the suspect list is the famous ligustrum bush that bursts into bloom all over the city and countryside. Ligustrum has a very fragrant scent and I have been told (although I have yet to authenticate this fact) that it is a relative to the lilac plant which also evokes some of the same reactions from folks with an allergic factor at work.

The next culprit may well be the beautiful and sometimes undiscovered "sweet olive" plant. I am not sure what its real name is, but anyone who has lived in New Orleans knows exactly what I am talking about here. I once actually thought that a candle with the scent of sweet olive would be wonderful to remind me of my home town. I gave up on that and adopted the Magnolia instead and I am sure all my friends are thankful.

Rounding out the trio here is the Jasmine plant - I believe that this one may well be the variety that is called Confederate Jasmine, but don't hold me to it. I will have to go and research this for us. Right now though, I am using the names that were bandied about the neighborhoods where I grew up.

Is there any plant that you remember from your childhood that makes you remember things you had long forgotten? Another that I am waiting for is the ginger plant - butterfly ginger grew right under my window and I still look forward to its blooming today! Go take a stroll around your garden and see what memories you can conjure up!