Tagged!

Oh, how fun! I've secretly been wanting to be tagged and guess what? Andreagirl, a.k.a. Ruby Red, tagged me! So now I get to post 20 things about me that I haven't talked about on this blog. Here goes!

1. My nickname, and thus the title for my blog and company, is Bean.
2. My family started calling me Bean when I was little because I jumped around a lot (according to some, I still do). Most of my sister's friends didn't know my real name for a long time. I even remember one girl who, upon being introduced to me using my real name, said to my sis, "Oh, you have another sister? I thought Bean was your only sibling."
   
3. My first kiss was with a guy named Lester who looked like Vanilla Ice. I had one of my friends break up with him for me as soon as it was over.
   
4. When I was in high school my youth group leader accused me of dating half of my home town...
5. I was a bit of a flirt growing up and my husband was my first relationship over six months. Most ended before the three month mark.
6. My husband knows that the only man I would flirt with other than him these days is Josh Groban. That voice of his is my weakness.
7. My other weakness is Laffy Taffy jokes. I'm a dork, I know. I have had multiple extended laugh sessions just trying to get out my favorite joke. Many co-workers have stopped what they were doing to watch me roll in the aisle, only to ask "What's so funny?" and make me start the whole process all over again! The joke? "What do you get when you cross a rabbit with an anesthesiologist?" See answer at the bottom! I'm already rolling!
   
8. I have been recording ideal names for my some-day kids since I was twelve.
9. I won an art contest in ninth grade sponsored by some food group for doing a drawing of a sandwich shaped like Washington state that said, "Taste Washington. Bite the best."
10. My friend and I were supposed to get our noses pierced while we were in Germany, but when she freaked out and almost passed out after getting hers, I decided to wait. It didn't help that she was so panicked that she forgot all the German she knew and I had to serve as translator. It took a while to understand that they weren't going to use a piercing gun, but a needle with a hollow tube on the other side. They make the hole and THEN stick in the ring. Anyone know how to say "pain killer" in German?
    
11. I waited until I got back to the States to get mine pierced and didn't tell my parents about it for six weeks. I had my nose ring for three years and still miss it.
12. Along with doing something in the creative field, I considered being an optometrist. The eye is SO cool!
13. When I was in college, rowing was my life (my boat was first in the nation for Div. II schools). I prided myself on being an athlete and am a bit sad that I haven't rowed in three years. Maybe once the biz takes off.
14. My senior thesis was "The Influence of Sports Participation on Adolescent Girls Self-Esteem on the Basis of Body Image." Try saying that three times fast.
    
15. I love to write and will admit that I have a knack for words (usually).
16. Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. I have four huge tubs that I can't wait to pull out each year. I have to get the ok from my hubby to make sure I don't start decorating too early. Plus, I love buying and making presents for people, for Christmas or any time of year. My sister is frequently the recipient, but now with the little nephew in the world, she might have to share the goodies.
17. My hubby works for a cell phone co., but I am NOT a phone talker. Esp. if I don't recognize the number.
18. I have held a range of jobs including: ski instructor, babysitter, selling kayaks and fishing gear, a grocery store bagger, website producer (the ad agency), working at a horse race track, a fruit stand and the county fair. My favorite? CEO of my own company.
19. When I am ready to retire I want to buy a vineyard in Italy and live there. Doesn't need to be very big; just enought to make a dozen bottles of wine or so.
20. I love to cook and entertain. I can't wait to buy a house and create the kitchen of my dreams. I'll have weekly parties!

Ah, that was fun! Now I tag Erica, GnomeG (yes, I know you did the 5/10 tag not long ago, but this is different! =-) ) and Tammy at Polka Dot Mittens.

Answer to the Laffy Taffy joke: The Ether Bunny! Oh, hilarious! Ha! Ha!

Pumpkin contest

The highlight of this past weekend was definitely our pumpkin carving party! We munched on "bloody stubs" (lil' smokies in bbq sauce) and devoured a graveyard (chocolate pudding with crumbled choc. cookies on top, a few gummy worms scattered in and Lady Finger cookies cut in half to make the tombstones). Everybody carved a pumpkin, then it was time for the judgement.

Here are the entries. Care to take a stab at the winner? (Sorry, couldn't resist the spooky term...)

And the winner is....

Fun times had by all! With so many pumpkins willing to spill their guts, I was able to make four different types of toasted pumpkin seeds. The first was a spicy curry concoction that didn't quite turn out, then some sprinkled with plain old Cavendars seasoning, one large batch of old fashioned Johnny's Dock and butter, and finally a cinnamon and salt version that is surprisingly delicious!

If you aren't familiar with Johnny's Dock, it is an absolutely delicious seasoning, perfect for the BBQ; slightly peppery, slightly spicy, all scrumptious and useable on many dishes. I thought that my dear hubby knew it well enough, since it is always a staple in the spice drawer, but apparently I was mistaken. He was helping me clean up the kitchen after the carving fun and put each version of the pumpkin seeds into their own baggie. I didn't think anything of it until I went to get some snacks last night and found a baggie labelled "Jonny Stock". Apparently my husband has stock in someone named Jonny and is using pieces of him to flavor our pumpkin seeds! I laughed so hard I cried! (Sorry, it might be one of those "You just had to be there" stories.) Trust me, it was funny. It helpeld that not only did he misspell the entire thing, but, having the man-writing he does, it looked more like "Joint Stock".

Ah, I needed another good laugh.

Anyway, just in case you still need some last minute Halloween tricks and treats, here's a few sites for your browsing pleasure!

If you still need to get your candy for the treaters, check out this pile o' candy - reviews of some of the Halloween specific treats. Many other great spooky finds on this site, including a review of Jones Soda's freaky brews.

Looking for some new pumpkin carving ideas? Check out this artist! (Look through the Gallery of Grumpkins.)

And when you're done with the pumpkin, what better way to put the insides to use than roasting pumpkin seeds using your own Joint Stock!

Houston, we have liftoff!

Yes! I finally got my scanner! I can now create/manipulate/design with so much more ease! Check it out: the first pass at scanning in some of my artwork. This lightbulb came to me in a dream... seriously. Or at least during that boarderline between willing yourself to sleep and actually achieving it. I love that with the scan you can see the texture of the oil pastel, although there was a bit of a wrinkle in the page I still have to iron out.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have so much more to scan!

Teaser... the logo

With the website unveiling to be commencing soon, I thought I'd start the anticipation by rolling out the new Blue Bean Creations logo! Ta-da! Whadda ya think?

Speaking of trends...

Marketing specifically to teens? Check out this report on the creators and marketers of pop culture for teenagers... They actually make an attempt at getting inside the heads of these young thangs and trying to understand how they think.

Watching the trends

Being in a very consumer driven profession, it is important not only to follow trends, but also to try to stay ahead of the curve. "Futurists", the apparently new PC name for trend spotters, claim that they are cultural anthropoligists for the modern day, tracking how, when and why society grabs on to certain ideas or themes. They watch societal movement and translate it into what will be the next cultural "must-have". I wonder, do the advertising and media folks listen to the culture, or does culture only respond to what they are being told is good?

This article in the LA Times Sunday edition has some interesting points in following fads. What's hot right now? Conscious living, hot land values, hip parenting, and "curation nation" - everything customized. According to the author, "Life is being captured, repackaged and sold back to us as quickly as we live it." Who knows, maybe the next big fad will be buying someone else's life. Oh, wait, we already have that.

New Favorite

I'm hooked.

I really enjoyed Friends in its heyday (althouh, not so much in the later years. The writing seemed a bit lacking). Loved Ally McBeal. Sex in the City - well, I didn't have HBO while it was on (college budget...), but I've rapidly devoured the DVDs. I still wonder what happened to "Two Guys and a Girl", an old favorite that had many great laugh moments.

So what have I been enjoying lately? Yes, I'm on the Desperate Housewives bandwagon. Getting more interested in Gilmore Girls. I've caught a few episodes of Grey's Anatomy and plan to catch a few more. And after tonight, I've got another definite favorite: Hot Properties.

What makes a good evening of TV? Witty banter? Check. Good chemistry between characters? Check. Can I identify with the characters? Check. Good time slot? Check. ABC Networks - you've got another winner.

Hot Properties is four women in various phases of relationships - one divorcee of a gay husband, one newly married to a much younger man, one hot young thang, and one girl who swears that she is the reason Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo wrote "He's Just Not That Into You." (She's actually my favorite character! At least, one episode into airing.) Add in a few supporting cast members, including Evan Handler, Charlotte's husband on Sex in the City, and you have a fairly well rounded-out, funny and worthwhile show. I highly recommend catching next week's episode!

Mini vacation

The past few days have kind of drained my creative resources, so I decided to take a mini vacation. Didn't even need to pack a suitcase. Put on my sundress and flip flops, grabbed my iPod, sketch pad and favorite graphic design mag, and marched on down to the beach. A whole two blocks. Hee hee! There is something good about living in Southern California. It's the start of October and 92 degrees!

Back to the vacation. It was wonderful. I didn't even mind that about 50 people saw me dancing in the waves. Heck, I think everyone should be able to let loose a little. It's good for the spirit. You know what they say, "Dance like no one is watching."

So now I can get back to work.

The Bean with Horns

I finally got the Nut to go to a flea market with me. SO many great finds! Yes, even including this monstrous-sized pair of bull horns, but no, we didn't buy them. I think the poor old guy whose booth it was thought we were making fun of him, but really we were admiring the man who could amass a collection that even included something like this. I mean, either he shot it himself or he bought it from someone else. Either way, it's somethin' else. Too bad I don't have a fireplace to hang those over. I'd never need another conversation starter again.

Get a lasso on that deer!

Also from the flea market, let me present to you the next big cowboy, my Peanut. Or rather, "deerboy", since the only thing he's trying to get a lasso on is that metal deer.