Olive takes a bite out of the big apple ....

I will post all the details next week, but wanted to get these pics up for now! So happy to be home!

off to NYIGF ... have a great weekend everyone!

Off to New York International Gift Fair - Booth 5001!

Wish me luck - will let everyone know how this goes and post pics soon.

when a bowl of cherries really is a serious thing ....

Yes, I'm still alive

although I should state clearly here, since no one in my family listens to a word I say, and this should be written down somewhere that in the event of my actual demise -

probably in some "gotta get healthy, better eat some fruit" related mishap (which I will explain later) - I want Monty Python's "Dead Parrot" sketch to serve as my memorial, obviously replacing Norwegian Blue with Cat Ivins.

Anyhoo, I have been slowly pulled

(yes, like taffy - my legs are about 6 foot long now)

back into myself by 6 accupuncture sessions, the amazing daily weather - hot, with the most gorgeous blue skies and cloud formations I have seen since I was six years old and would lay in the weeds with my sister finding unicorns and goddesses in the sky and our imaginings -

frequent barefoot walks in the backyard grass

(I have been saying for years that Olive is so smart and conscientious she only poops in this one patch of ivy in the backyard .. I found out many times this week that this is not true, dammit)

- and the Olympic games which I have been crying over for days and days.

(are these not the most amazing people on the planet - good God I love them all - felt so terrible for those Russian gymnasts - wish everyone could win)

I should also say that since I stopped blogging, my blog readership has increased, just another sign from the universe that sometimes it pays to know when to just shut up.

I will have some answers tomorrow on some health stuff which remains unchanged - the accupuncture doesn't seem to have done much for that - it has helped bring back some motivation and focus that I had lost although I have to admit it is still determined to play hide and seek with me ...

I am preparing for New York International Gift Fair in a few days and have never felt so unprepared for anything

(with the possible exception of childbirth, my first driving test - luckily I was an old pro by my third and that time I interviewed for a job and forgot the name of the position I was applying for - note ... it was CASHIER)

The one good thing about dealing with anything health related is that it puts everything else into perspective and my goal for New York is now to "have fun", truly, truly I am going to "have fun"

and stay away from cherries.

(ok time for the gotta get healthy, better eat some fruit story if you are still with me)

I was home alone.

(well, Olive was here, but very determined to separate a toy mouse from its squeaker at the time and paying no attention to me)

I was eating a cherry (gotta eat more fruit) and had the entire cherry in my mouth (stem removed, of course).

I had separated the cherry from the pit and obviously what any normal person would do at that point is take the pit out of their mouth. But what did I do? I took the cherry out of my mouth and swallowed the pit. This all took place in about 2 seconds. I immediately realized my error - mostly because I couldn't breathe

thinking fast (I am a quick thinking Jersey girl after all) - did I try to perform some kind of kitchen chair heimlich on myself, well, no - did I call 911 before I lost the ability to speak? well, no - so what did you do Cat, you are thinking because obviously I am still alive, as I stated in my opening sentence.

Well, I grabbed a pen and wrote CHERRY PIT in big letters on a paper napkin ... so people would know what happened to me and sat down.

(luckily the damn thing popped out of my mouth a second later all by itself - acid reflux has its advantages I guess)

So, I am off to watch the closing ceremony of the Olympics - I love these kids!

(I noticed hubs brought home some cherries again today - kind of like tossing peanut butter into the peanut allergy kid's backpack, I think - I'll have to keep my eye on him)

xo all

... not extinct ... but definitely evolving

You might think that since I haven't been blogging I have been getting all kinds of things done -

(crafty projects I never had the time for, dishes washed and neatly stacked in those open style cabinets that are so trendy now - cabinets that I made myself from rehabbed wood, floors sparkling, closets organized - of course none of this actually happened although I did cut out pictures of things like this one afternoon which is kind of the same thing in my world)

and I did have a goal of having certain things completed before the full moon yesterday, but forces beyond my control

(control is a slippery little devil - once you set your intention to release it in one area of your life it somehow finds a way of releasing itself from others)

seemed determined to slow me down and change my direction and of course, things are never really done after all, but maybe there are times when things are more complete than other times

(note- this is not one of those times)

Some health stuff hit me very suddenly or maybe got to the point where I was forced to take notice and because this is stuff I dealt with almost 10 years ago, I have been trying to find a better way to deal with it now than I did back then.

(back then it was loss of fertility hopes, followed by loss of my mother, followed by months of pain followed by surgery with two different doctors, followed by never really looking at how this all connected together)

I have needed a few hours a week to devote to accupuncture (first time evah, more on this another time) and journaling and getting ready for New York International Gift Fair and the only place I had to pull those hours was my blogging, so my blogging has been napping in the backseat.

(mouth open at times and snoring, but just loudly enough to stir me awake once in a while and not so noisily to jar me into action)

It is getting a little antsy back there, so I'll have to make room for it in the front seat again soon.

In the meantime, I hope everyone is taking some time to enjoy this summer, which is not over until September 21st, no matter when your kids go back to school.

(you still have plenty of time, so please, please get out there and savor it)

And I do not think it is a coincidence that we get a 2nd chance at a full moon at the end of the month - the expression "once in a blue moon" is speaking to the rarity of the occurrence of a second moon happening in the same month, so things in August will definitely be interesting for all of us ....

step away from the mouse ....

The shop owner whose giveaway was going up this week has decided to postpone a bit since she will be away so I am taking the opportunity to step away from my blog this week to find more pics of George Clooney get ready for my upcoming shows - which I have never been so unprepared for - triple ugh!

Have a great week everyone ...

also here's another picture of George for your walls - you're welcome.

friday the 13th, mercury goes retrograde (yes, again) and finally a giveaway winner

In case you haven't heard, I am an amateur professional intuitive.

(yes, this is a noun, too - trust me)

If you tell me what is going wrong with you/your symptoms/what you had for breakfast/the shape of your poo ( I've studied with Dr. Oz ... from my couch) where it itches, etc

I will intuitively give you my take on what is really going on. It only takes me about 42 seconds because I am very uninformed fast and gifted.

As a professional  intuitive (I take payment in cork and dog biscuits) I like to pass along a little general information and some life lessons now and then about what is really going on in the world to keep everyone up to snuff.

Mercury Retrograde

What is it? Why should you care? Well, you'll have to google that stuff because it's complicated, sort of, and that's not the kind of intuitive learning you will pick up here at Olive Bites anyway. 

You probably already know that when Mercury goes retrograde it kicks up alot of delays and changes and mishaps and that things began when Mercury is retrograde have a way of changing later on (often radically and in unexpected ways). 


My insight for you is that Mercury is retrograding in a fire sign - this does not mean that it only affects fire signs, because it affects everyone - but because fire signs are fearless and creative and innovating big thinkers these are the kinds of skills and thinking we should be applying to any problems that might crop up now.

And because I am, at heart, a glass half full kind of girl I will remind everyone that this is the best time of year (it happens 3-4 times a year) to do all the re's - reconnect, redo, rethink, repeat, relax (it's summer, remember) - in business it is a great time to reconnect with old customers (as opposed to looking for new ones), go back over old projects, revise and redesign things, repair things or buy recycled (rather than buy new) - yes, I have a dog in that fight (literally, Olive is one tough cookie), but it's still true.

It is an excellent time to perfect things and then launch them later.

The winner of the Old New Again giveaway that everyone has been asking me about is #220 (chosen by Liz at Old New Again using random.org) - Mary!! Mary wants Old New Again's gorgeous turquoise wall hanger with mason jar shown here. Congrats to Mary and thank you to everyone who took the time to enter. I have a new giveaway starting Monday so check back then! Have a wonderful Friday the 13th everyone! xo