Maddy's picks: Soothing Touch Body Lotion

I'm in LOVE! I'm in LOVE! I'm in LOVE with this lotion, and I don't care who knows!!!

When I come across a new product that not only falls in line with my beliefs, cruelty free, natural, local... but is AMAZING and really is all it says it is, I am excited to share the news!

While strolling the isles of Sprouts recently, in search of a new lotion, trying on every sample, sure that I would end up with the usual Kiss My Face, or Burt's Bees, I saw this sexy little bottle.  She was lined up on the shelf next to her sisters, and was whispering my name.  I decided to give her a sniff.

Actually, I went ahead and sniffed all 4 flavors. 

I'm not into really "loud" floral scents.  You know, the cheapy candles and lotions pretending to smell like your favorite flower, but making you feel nauseous after a few minutes.  I wan to have a nice scent on my skin, one that lingers, but only faintly.  A scent that smells clean and natural and herbal.  This lotion pretty much rocked my world.  I decided upon the Tuscan Bouquet. 

This "flavor" contains Lavender, Chamomile, Bergamot, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Rose. 

Le Siiigh!  When I put it on my skin, I love the aroma it puts off. 

Ok, speaking of putting it on my skin....

I live in the SW.  The desert.  I NEED something with some staying power!  This lotion is made in Santa Fe, so, the creators know what our needs are here, that's for sure!  It contains Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E, Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, Mustard Oil, and Sesame Oil.  I put it on my hands and don't have to reapply 20 minutes later.  Actually, it's been about 45 minutes since I've used it, and my hands still feel so silky! (oh, and they still smell good!)

I decided to look them up, and found that they started in a garage in Los Angeles in 1977, using a few oils from India, share with them, by the late Yogi Bhajan.

They are certified organic, and create everything in their facility in Santa Fe, NM.  Being a New Mexico girl, this made me like them even more!

Here is their info:

Soothing Touch

5058201054

35 Bisbee ct

Santa Fe, NM 87505

www.soothingtouch.com

Thank you for reading! 

Be kind

Be patient

Be brave

Follow Your Bliss!!!

Dead & Co 4th of July 2016

*** This was written by me, 4th of July weekend, 2016***

(just now editing and publishing)

I just got back from the most amazing weekend!
I ran off with The Grateful Dead!
When you first meet me, you will see a big smile and greenish eyes.  Usually a cute outfit of some sort that I cleverly put together from thrift store duds, and always a lot of jewelry.  As you get to know me, get to know my story, you will understand that things are not always what they seem.  That we all have had the journey behind us, to get to where we are, and make us who we are.  My heart is big, and my soul is old, but my spirit is young and free.  In my early 20s, I did what a lot of young people were doing in the 90s. I was going to concerts, going on trips both physically and in an enhanced mind trip sort of world.  I, myself spend most of the early 90s in Southern Cali, working at Disneyland, doing a little modeling and such for extra money and hanging out with the hippies on Venice beach.  Then one day I got to see the Dead play in California.... my life was never the same. 
I feel lucky to say that I got to see Jerry a few times before he died and enjoyed several shows on the west coast from 92 and 95.  I wasn't a super follower, so, I wouldn't want any Deadhead who has been to hundreds of shows to think i'm comparing myself in any way, but I did see them and I did love the  experience, every single time! The people, the parking lot, the feeling of unity and love, the sights, the smells, and of course, the music.
I moved back to Albuquerque sometime in '94 for school and to be near my family.  In '95, I started working at the great little hippy shop in Nob Hill, called Birdland.  Tye dies, tapestries, Grateful Dead art and paraphernalia.  The owners were a wonderful couple who I soon became very, very close to.  While I worked there, I met Grateful Dead artist Michael Everett and The Grateful Dead Hour host David Gans, along with an assortment of local 
Deadheads and fabulous people!  What a fun time! 
We had some great events and parties surrounding the local Deadhead community.  Such a wonderful time in my life.  During that time, i met and married someone i met working at a local nightclub.  Great guy, we had some wonderful moments, lots of camping and hiking and getting high, but, alas, he was not a Deadhead.  He never understood my love of the lifestyle.  I mean, he got used to me being a hippy, crunchy girlfriend and later, mom, but... never did go to a show with me.  
15 years and 3 kids later, we finally called it quits.  That shitshow story is for another post.
After a few years of being single and dating around, i met a wonderful man in the smallish mountain town we had been living in, in Northern AZ.  On our 2nd date, he wore a Grateful Dead shirt! i knew then he was "the one".
We spent 2 years together, loving one another so hard, i thought i was on a cloud.  Unfortunately, circumstances were not ideal, and again, leaving my long, sad story for  another post, i moved back to Albuquerque, because of my kids and a long drawn out custody battle with my ex husband.  I left the town i loved, the job i loved, the family of wonderful people i'd created, that i loved, and most of all, the man i was madly in love with.  Having felt that kind of love with someone for the 1st time in my life, now in my early 40s, and having to leave him behind and choose being near my kids nearly shattered my spirit.  It broke my heart in way that made me feel somedays like i was literally dieing.
When The Dead announced their Anniversary shows last summer, i wanted to go SO bad!  It just wasn't a good time financially or emotionally to rally and get to The Bay area.  When the fall tour was announce, an ex boyfriend of mine, got us tickets.  We'd been broken up, we still kept in contact once in a while, and were trying to remain friends.  When he bought those tickets though, told me, no matter what, he wouldn't have wanted to take anyone else.  We met in Flagstaff the day after Thanksgiving and drove to Vegas together.  
We had floor tickets and went as far up to the front as we could and got to see Dead & Co together, just a few feet from Bobby and Johnny.
It was such a blast!  

So, now it's summer and Dead and Company is on tour.  My Deadhead friends in Albuquerque have all talked about what shows they're going to, and i've been wondering off and on how i can get to a few.  
This past week, my friend Jenny says "let's go Boulder this weekend hope for a miracle"
Well, i had other plans, but, couldn't help but think about how much i wanted to see my guys play!  Little by little, things regarding my 1st plans started to fall apart, and getting to go see the boys in CO started to magically come together!  Then on thursday, one friend who was supposed to go decided she couldn't and was trying to get rid of her ticket for saturday! That was it! i had to do it!
Friday afternoon i hopped in my friend's volvo with her, her 15 month old and another friend, and got on I-25 north to CO~
As is always the case, the closer i get to the venue where The Dead is playing, and i start to see signs of "my peeps", i get that excited and wonderful feeling of being "home".
We got there a little late and didn't get to actually enjoy the lot scene, but, just being around the crowd and going into the massive arena with all of the Deadheads was like heaven!
The boys jammed about as hard as i'd ever seen or heard them jam , and love him or hate him, John Mayer is FUCKING AMAZING!!!!!
Good Golly Miss Molly!  What an amazing show!!!!!
Here's the setlist if anyone is interested:
 http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/dead-and-company/2016/folsom-field-boulder-co-5bff93ac.html

***

Day Two

The girls and I headed back to our hotel room to sleep and get ready for the Sunday show! (Never miss a Sunday show!)

We had already decided that we were going to spend the day on the lot.  Old school style Dead Lot!

Shakedown Street

WOW!  i have not felt like that, and had such fun since my old Dead days in the 90s!  We ran into people we knew, we sold our handmade wares, i did henna, and yes, we smoked a lot of pot! (Hey, we were in Colorado!)

My friends had tickets for that night, i however, did not.  All day, as we people watched from the car, i saw Deadheads walking by with signs asking for a miracle, or just with one or two fingers up in the air.  A sign that they needed tickets.  I definitely wanted to go, but, hadn't stressed about it at all.  i guess i just thought i'd figure it out, ya know?

So... as everyone decided to start heading up toward the stadium, i figured i'd just walk up with 'em.  As my friends all entered, my friend Jenny yells back at me, "i'll see you in 10 minutes".  I stood there for a few, one finger up in the air... just hoping for that miracle...

Then, behind me, i hear "hey, do you need to get in?"  i turned around and there were 3 guys and a girl sticking a paper ticket out of the fence at me! One of the guys says "Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, We love you, Have fun!"  

I WAS FREAKIN' MIRACLED A TICKET!!!!!

i was too excited for words! i ran in and went straight to where i knew my friends would be!  They had stopped at the restroom, and hadn't even gotten there yet!  They were so happy to see me when they did get there!  

Another night of dancing to our fave!  Something i've said about those 2 shows, is that, as fantastic as the Saturday show was, it was a crowded stadium and i felt like the boys played for the masses.  Oh, it was AMAZING, but... Sunday's show? Now THAT was worth going to!  Those boys played for shear, unadulterated FUN!!!!  We, the audience, the fans, the Deadheads were privy to one hell of a show! It felt like we were each getting a personal show.  It was so powerful and perfect! 

Leaving that show felt like i was leaving one of the best church services i had ever been to.  Like i had just had a spiritual experience like now other.

I for one can NOT wait for 2017 tour! 

Oh, and if Johnny Boy is still single.... 

<3

When Life Hands You Lemons...

How much lemonade can one make?  Seriously?  How freakin' much?  

I am grateful everyday for my blessings, really i am, but...  the taste of sour lemons has created such a thick coat of muck in my mouth, i am ready to throw in the towel sometimes!

I'm not perfect, i make mistakes, but, don't we all?  I mean... don't we?  Is it just me, or does life sort of like to kick us when we're down?  This idea, this thought process i've always had that the energy i give, i will receive.  I'm kind, i always use my manners, i hold doors open for people, i smile at people, i even go up to random stangers to tell them that i like their hair or outfit, or to let them know that their tag is sticking up or they have something stuck to them.  You know,, one of those nice people in the world.  I work very hard at being emotionally responsible with my kids, always with words of encouragement, and several "i love yous" a day. Well, that idea tends to fade the older i get.  The more i find myself with more lemons!

I used to be a super happy human.  Always smiling, always positive.  As much as i could, anyway.  I was in a very unhappy marriage for far too long, and was miserable at home.  But, when i was out an about, i was sincerely happy.  I loved being around my friends.  I loved taking the kids for walks or to the park, but, i remember that being at home turned me into a different person.  So much so, that my kid's dad would accuse me of being fake while i was out with friends or a work.  He would say that people didn't really know the real me because i was always putting on an act with them.  I could never quite get him to understand that i wasn't acting at all.  The me that i was around my friends or at work was real.  I was happy.  The me i was at home was real too.  i was cranky and unhappy.  It was all very, very real! 

Don't get me wrong, we had our moments, our laughs, our fun, but, deep down, i knew that if i left a mess in the kitchen, or didn't sweep just right, i'd be yelled at.  There was the time that i went out with some girlfriends. We were going to see a friend of a friend at a singer/songwriter showcase.  Apparently  i told the husband that i'd be home around 9.  That's what he heard anyway.  In my memory, the singer we wanted to see wasn't due to go one until 9.  I had 2 small children at home, so going out with friends at this time was a rarity.  We were still fairly new in town and these girls were new friends.  After the performance, we walked back to the friend's house that we had all parked at.  The moon was full and she was at the top of a hill that faced the moon.  We stood outside and chatted for probably 3 or 4 hours.  You know, those nights when the conversation is just so good you can't stop?  I remember looking down the street a few times wondering if the family Volvo would come around the corner with the husband and kids looking for me.  He didn't know where this friend lived though.  So, finally, somewhere around 1 or 2, (we actually hadn't even realized it had gotten that late), we all headed home.  I had ridden down with one of the ladies.  She dropped me off and the house was dark.  i know i was "in trouble".  I sent her on her way, even though she knew i couldn't get in.  Yep, that's right, i had been locked out of my own house while the husband and the kids slept inside.  i knocked and knocked.  i even went to the side door that entered into out bedroom, right by the bed and knocked and knocked, calling his name to be let in.  I finally saw that the bathroom window was ajar, so i pulled a bin of dogfood over to stand on and hoisted myself up into it.  Luckily i was skinny, it was one of those smallish bathroom windows.  Of course he was laying there waiting for me, and we ended up in a big fight over where i was.  I apologized for being so late, (we didn't have a cel phone yet, this was around 2002)He told me that he'd left the bathroom window open for me, he figured i'd see it eventually.  I"m sure we made up, as usual, but not after the usual "go round".  The thing with us, just as a side note, was that there was no such thing as make up sex.  As the years went by and the fights didn't stop, my attitude toward him became more one of loathing, then love.  I loved him like family, but not as a wife should love her husband.  Yet...i stayed.  I became more and more miserable.  I know he found me harder and harder to be around.  

The point i am trying to make with that story is this, i am a happy person.  i have a passion for life, a lust for life so to speak.  I always have.  My kid's dad saw it back when we were young and dating, but, i know that it faded after a few years, so he saw me as a miserable bitch.  Which i was, but only at home.  

The point of all of this is not to bash someone who clearly has their own issues, but to try and figure out, but clearing my own mind, why, through my positivity, do i continue to have "life's lemons" handed to me., 

Lately, i feel as though life has been handing me more and more lemons, which is what this entire post is supposed to be about anyway.  I am currently a mom of 3 without a car.  The car that i've been driving for almost 2 years was stolen recently.  It was just swiped from out in front of my house.  Missing without a trace! As my teenage son would say, "SUCKISH"!!!

Everytmie i feel as though i'm beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel, i get another slap from somewhere else.  I want to love my life again.  I do! I do! 

I am grateful for my kids, for my job, for my friends, for my art.... 

It would just be nice to stop feeling so much anxiety all the damn time though.  Like, "what next?" ya know?

So, i suppose, the moral of this story is to keep making that lemonade and maybe, occasionally spike it with vodka, huh?

Be Grateful

Be Brave

Be Kind

Be Yourself

and always Follow Your Bliss

~Shoestring Fashionista~ 4 June 2016

The first outfit, i wore to work yesterday.  It's a little scaled down from my usual office attire, but, it was friday, and i figured i'd be a little more casual.

The skirt is the main piece.  I picked it up at the thrift store for about $4.99.  It's got 3 levels of gorgeous, multi colored, stitched floral design.  (close up below)

I paired it with a black tank top and a thin pinkish sweater.  I think the tank was probably from Old Navy or maybe Target.  The sweater was from a clothing exchange.  The shoes are my fave black, strappy sandels.  Picked those up at Buffalo Exchange last year for about $10.

The next outfit is a "Saturday afternoon out with my kids", outfit.

The dress has an H&M tag, and the fabric reminded me of my 90s hippy dresses.  It has a little rip on the bottom, so it was $3.99 at the thrift store.  Flat and comfortable, fabric baby doll shoes by Chinese Laundry, also known as my "chola shoes" were my choice today.  I grab them at Asian import stores for $5 usually.

I couldn't handle my hair today, so messy bun was about all i could do.  The shades are from a cool shop in Phx called Lady Muerte.  They always set up next to me at the Northern AZ Tattoo convention, and we traded.  I did henna on her, and she let me pick a few things out. I love barter!

Back side view.  Just for fun!

Summer Adventure Series: Meow Wolf

"

Have you ever been to a place that overwhelms all of the senses and leaves you feeling giggly and and literally drunk off of art and the actual experience?

Well, if that sounds like something you would like to feel, my dear, i encourage you to head to Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico!!!

Being the social media fan that i am, i heard about this place, this upcoming artsy thing, via Facebook in late Feb, early March of this year.  i wasn't sure what it was exactly.  A venue?  i saw that Amanda Palmer was performing there opening night, i was that Dear Tic was on the roster for late march.  Hmmm... but all of the images that were showing up made it look like some sort of psychedelic museum.

Well, twice this year i missed out on seeing Amanda Palmer. Shoot!  Her opening night performance at Meow Wolf sold out! (also when she and Neil were there supporting Bernie Sanders)Damn it!

When my sister and her kids were in town from Portland for my grandmother's funeral.  They decided to road trip it one day with her best friend, and ended up at Meow Wolf.  All she told me was that i HAD to check it out! That she and her teenage children, who grew up in the weird and artsy city of Portland, had come out of there having had quite a mind altering experience.  Well, being the me that i am, i knew i had to make it there ASAP.  

Finally, the kids were out of school for the summer and i had an extra day off of work.  We hopped in a friend's car and a group of us drove the quick 45 minutes up the hill from Albuquerque to Santa Fe.  

We were not disappointed. 

Let me back up a bit and explain, to the best of my knowledge just what Meow Wolf is.

Meow Wolf itself is an art collective.  A group of artists came together a few years ago to create something phenomenal. They had an open door policy to their studio and many people used that "radically inclusive" policy to show up, no questions asked, and create.

i mean, really, how cool is that?

These artists and creative types collaborated on pieces of art, both one and 2 dimensional using color, texture and recycled pieces and things began to come together, and then, come life.  

When this collective decided to expand and had the opportunity to move into a large space, i.e. the old bowling alley, they needed, as was put in their TedX, a fairy godfather of sorts.  Enter, George R. R. Martin.  Santa Fe resident and famed author of Game of Thrones.  He was able to help out with the funds necessary to bring this artistic wonderland to life.

Ok, fast forward to this past Monday.  

When you enter the parking lot, you know you're in for a treat~ A "ginormeous" spider, a metal wolf, a giant robot...

I won't give too much away because, one, you just have to go there and see it for yourself, and 2, you experience, along with everyone you're with will be completely different!

I was there with my 15 year old daughter, my 7 year old son, two girlfriends and their 2 teenage daughters.  We entered and were immediately transported into a fantasy of psychedelic and thought provoking phenomena~

Every window and door leads to something extraordinary.  Even the refrigerator lead into another room!  Yes, you can walk through the refrigerator! I mention it because it was my son's fave.  There are tree houses and black and white rooms and florescent rooms and even a siting of some sort of giant, abominable snow owl!  The lights, the sounds, the 100s of things to touch and pick up and open... It goes on and on and on~

We even took a break in the 1980s game room! Unfortunately, Ms. Pacman was out of order, but, my kids tinkered with a few games while my girlfriends battled it out on Galatica!

There is a stage in one room of Meow Wolf where they bring in acts of all sorts.  That's next on my list, hitting up a night of music there!  (It would be fun with a date! Anyone interested?)

I want to share a few pics from out adventurous day at Meow Wolf and i encourage you to head over there as soon as humanly possible! i for one can NOT wait to go back!

  

Shoestring Fashionista~ 2 June 2016

People ask me all the time where i shop, or want to know about my outfits.  I'm going to let you in on a little secret...okay, it's no secret, i tell everyone: I'm a thrift store junkie! Yep, 90% of my clothes are 2nd hand. 

This little section of my blog is going to be for posting my fabulous finds and how i style them for either professional looks, (i have a regular job during the week that i have look like a grown up for) or for going out dancing, or a sunday cook out with friends, etc...

My first outfit to post is this gorgeous pink retro chic dress.

This adorable, sheer, pink dress cost me $4.50 at the thrift store.  It was marked at $9.99, but i went on 1/2 off day and picked it up for under $5.00!

I styled it up with a black belt from my collection, and lacy looking "fishnet stockings.  The shoes were thrift as well, i may have paid $4.99 for them at some point.  

As you can see by this fabulous collar, there was no need for jewelry other than the small pink studs i bought at the local flea market.

To show off the collar, i did my hair in a messy, low side bun~

Open Letter to Amanda Fucking Palmer

Dear Miss Palmer,

How are you? No, Scratch that.

What have you been up to lately? No... cheezy!

How is 2016 treating you? Nope, Uh! Uh!

Dear Amanda,

I have a question for you,

What feeds your soul?  I mean, really.  You are this amazingly wild and untamed beauty who seems to have a wonderful and charmed life.  So, tell me.... WHAT FEEDS YOUR SOUL?  What really makes you tick?  It could be different today than it was yesterday.  Perhaps, It's even changed in the last 5 minutes.  Or, is there something that has always stood with you, to calm you in times of absolute madness, and to ease you when your heart is falling out of your chest. That thing that you crave and dream of and that gives you the feeling of most passion and gratitude for being alive?  You know what i'm talking about, you artistic, free spirited girl.  That thing that gives you wings!

Miss Palmer, may take a moment of your time to chat?  i have watched your career from afar, and have thought to myself, "now that's a women who doesn't give up".  As a fellow woman in this country, a mother, an artist, a Bernie supporter, i admire that trait so much!  We have all been handed this amazing and powerful life, and sometimes we are faced with roadblocks that could actually bring us to our end.  Believe me, i know! May i share? 

 I'm a 43 year old mother of 3 living in Albuquerque, NM.  I am divorced from their father and have had to make a go of it alone for the past 6 years.  Our marriage was decent, but, he was rough on me.  He seemed to find joy in making me miserable.  To be fair, we had a decent friendship, when not fighting, but, there was no real love, no true passion.  My oldest is 17, (hold onto that baby of yours and smooch him every second you get because you will blink your eyes and he will be graduating from high school).  He's handsome and artistic and owns my heart.  He's is a senior this year, and is chomping at the bit to get out into the world and travel and find himself.  My middle child is a gorgeous, blue eyed beauty.  She's an honor student and wants to be a surgeon, oh, and she's transgender, so there's that.  My baby is 7.  He's precious and golden.  He has been the subject of a heartbreaking and soul crushing custody battle for which i was not victorious.  I only get to see him every other weekend right now, and i cry every single day.  This girl who was once a pretty thing, even the muse of several artists has allowed salty tears to turn into lines and crevices on her face.  The tell tale signs of pain and a rough journey. i hold tight to hope, though.  Ya know?  You see, i am one of those people who was born seeing the world through rose colored glasses.  i have always seen the good in people and situations.  The eternal optimist.  The last couple of years have pushed me beyond my limits though, let me assure you. From about 2002,  I was living in a little mountain town in Northern AZ.  After the kid's dad and i split, i had my children going back and forth about 50% of the time, worked at a rockin' cool indy bookstore, had a small artsy business with my best friend doing henna at festivals, had started a tour business, giving the haunted tours of the old wild west town i lived in, (you and Neil should visit there, you'd love it! i'll meet you there and give you the grand, historical tour) an absolutely AMAZING group of supportive friends, and i had the sweetest, kindest boyfriend anyone could have asked for.  For the 1st time in many, many years, i was happy.  Then, the kid's dad decided that he wanted to move back to Albuquerque.  He had a partner, and they wanted to start a new life in his hometown.  Long story short, after lots of debates within my own heart, a few backs and forths, a long and painful custody battle, i made my way back to "the land of enchantment".  i left my life behind and came home to NM to be near my kids.  Talk about more heartbreak.  It's been interesting and i'm finally, almost a year later, finding my groove.  i miss my friends, my community and my sweet lover.  He and i have, after plenty of tears and heart wrenching conversations, decided to release one another.  This too has been completely heart breaking to me, being as how i really thought he was "the one", at least, i know that for the 1st time in my life, i could honestly say that i know what it was like to be in love.  Like you mentioned in your book, about your relationship with Neil being different, this man made me feel safe, loved and at home.  Letting him go has been like giving a piece of me away to someone i don't know.

I'm sharing all of this with you because i believe you to be a kindred spirit.  After reading your book "The Art of Asking", i felt like i related to you in several ways.  So many jobs, so many lovers, trying to live in the world that we don't really fit into.  I have made several attempts to live as an artist, but, as a single mom, i have always resorted to having to find work outside of the home.  i have waited a lot of tables and i have served a lot of coffee.  I now find myself in a regular, 9-5 position because i needed to be able to pay rent on time and not be kicked out on the street.  i actually like my new job, and i think i can really make a go of it.  Art has taken a bit of a back burner, but, i do make time for it as often as i can. As an eternal creatrix, my thrift store wardrobe and the food on my plate tend to all be artistic expressions.  It's just the kind of person i was put on this earth to be, i suppose.  

I have enjoyed watching you, via social media, ease into motherhood.  Seeing breastfeeding pics of you and your little one bring me so much joy!  I was a homebirthing, baby wearing, extended and public breastfeeding mama and i advocated for "breast is best" whenever i had a soap box to stand on.  I even started a group in my town that i called "Boobs not Bombs".  We did nurse ins and natural parenting classes and mama gatherings.  Knowing the kind of "rockstar woman" you are, seeing you in precious poses with your child is heart warming.  i absolutely adore you for it!

Perhaps you are wondering why i would even chose to take the time to type this all out for you.  Well, i know that you are performing in Santa Fe this coming friday night and, well, i would love to get and Amanda Palmer hug.  Your show sold out before i could buy a ticket, as did your Bernie rally recently, but, if you could give me a minute or two, to give you a squeeze, hold your hands in mine and look into your eyes as kindred souls, bosom pals, it would mean a lot.  I am planning on heading up to Santa Fe as soon as i get out of work on friday.  My dear friend lives there, so, if anything, we'll make a girls night out of it, i believe that one of our local Grateful Dead cover bands is playing there that night... (yes, i LOVE me some Grateful Dead!!!).  I have fashioned you a handmade treat, and will at least drop it by the venue you're playing at, but, if you have any time for a fellow, intense, passionate, and full of heart woman and kindred spirit to give a squeeze to,and to answer the question: What feeds your soul? Please let me know.

In this world, no matter what we do, or who we are, making connections with others who understand us, seems to be the only way to get by.

My dear, much love to you, Neil and that little bitty boy.

Besos,

Madeline Mariposa

I'm the little mama in the middle, this was at my daughter's 8th grade graduation last fall

Bushai 16

Ronin 14

Spring 2015

Me and my baby, he was cranky

My beautiful girl, she was 14 here.

a mama and her munchkins, sometime last year.

a

Christmas 2014

me and my toothless meep! <3