About Me

Robin HeadshotI have a wide range of interests! I love to read, which opens me up to all kinds of things…plus there’s this thing called the internet…maybe you’ve heard of it? I’ve often wondered what the government is doing behind our backs while we’re distracted by Netflix, Real Housewives, and YouTube.

I started making jewelry back in 1999. It started with a Christmas “Seed Bead, Sequin, and Straight Pin” decoration project from a Family Circle magazine or the like, where you put a bead and a sequin on each pin and push it into a Styrofoam sphere, covering the whole thing and making a pretty, sparkly decoration to just lay there in a bowl or something. Having leftover beads, I started investigating what else I could do with them, and, who knew? People actually make jewelry with them. In fact, they have been for centuries (researchers think some of the oldest beads found in Morocco, and in Israel and Algeria, date back at least 110,000 years).

I started making my own beauty products in the summer of 2011. I was using too much DevaCurl product for my wallet (I have a lot of hair!), and started investigating this “no ‘poo” movement (do I use a dash, do I capitalize anything? What the crap?). I stumbled upon this eBook by Diane Kidman called “Hair Gone Wild,” all about how to stop buying overpriced, underwhelming hair products, which led me to “Beauty Gone Wild,” (about making your own lotions and products) and “Herbs Gone Wild” (about using herbs like our grandmothers did). Very informative. As is “Love Your Skin: Expert Skin Care Secrets Exposed,” by Nicci Leigh, which has step-by-step instructions for all skin types (going way beyond your normal, oily, and dry categories), and some awesome DIY recipes. I’ve even made my own mineral make-up. Not every attempt is a success, but I don’t see me going back to buying store-bought beauty products any time soon. See the “Books” category for more about my favorite books.

I’ve been cooking since before the age of 8, when I was in charge of basting the turkey in the oven while my parents were working. My great-grandmother’s corn bread recipe was a popular one that I got to help make, as were blueberry muffins, and blueberry pancakes that my dad would usually make were a tradition in my house every Sunday morning. I love recipes! Toying with recipes, ruining recipes, throwing away ruined or unloved recipes, (my husband is willing to play my game, thank God!) and sometimes, striking gold! Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is one of my favorites. It took some doing, but I finally perfected the Old Coffee Pot Restaurant in New Orleans’ made-from-scratch “Green Bean Casserole” recipe from the “Signatures Twists” episode. “Botta-choppala?” What the hell did that guy say?? It took months of waiting for the episode to come up on actual television, so I could turn on the captions to finally figure out what the “secret”–read that “mumbled”–ingredient was.  “A LOTTA CHOPPED GARLIC!” oh my good God was that so freakin’ hard??  Yes, yes it was.  And holy crap will you be glad you found this recipe!

Organizing is always a goal. I’ve found some very handy resources for organizing (thinking about it, how to do it, and getting it done). I’m usually about halfway to where I want to be on that goal! There’s almost always at least a pile or two of laundry and a load of dishes to get done.

I have tried several diets. I haven’t done them all perfectly, have had success on a few, and have a little input about each that I’ve tried. The latest of which is the Nutrimost plan, which I am highly satisfied with right now!

When I was around 11, my dad really got into taking vitamins. Then into eating “health food,” which included lots of brown rice and carob powder. I know it was supposedly good for me, but it made me rebel by using my allowance money to do things like by bins of chocolate frosting and bags of CHOCOLATE chips to hoard in my room and suck down late at night while watching Friday Night Videos. Now that I’ve learned so much more, natural health is something I strive for, using natural remedies and homemade solutions whenever possible. And some of them we know they’ve been using for thousands of years! I’ll try to pass on useful information that I’ve learned, through experience and otherwise.

I’ve had paranormal interests from a young age as well, starting way back with Amityville Horror (those damned red eyes outside the window gave me nightmares when I was 8!). I still love a good scare, even kinda crappy horror movies…not so much “B” movies, I just love the mood those creepy ghost movies are trying to set. Poltergeist is one of my all-time faves! We went and saw the new Poltergeist “reboot” before it went to streaming (it was oh-kaaay). I also love the Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures shows. I don’t believe all of it, but I don’t know that it’s all fake. And again, I love the mood it sets. It’s been more recently that Bigfoot has been an interest…I’m open-minded. UFOs, also a possibility. Conspiracies? Probably.

As for books and movies, I’ve been watching and reading as far back as I can remember! Same with singing, I’ve been singing since I was 5 and have a band called A Tasty Jamm. I’ve been doing radio and voiceovers since I was 17, and now also write and produce radio commercials.

At times, I’ve also gotten myself immersed in cross-stitch, embroidery, colored-pencil drawing, decoupage, acrylic painting…who knows what else I’ll get into!

One comment

  • Laurie Applegate

    I love reading your blog – – now that cooler weather is around the corner, you have inspired me to clean up and start re-organizing my closets and shelves AGAIN. Thanks for keeping updated on this subject.

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