The Bon Lemon Revue (Almost): The Middle East

My video camera is set to arrive today. Yay! Soon, The Bon Lemon Revue will start giving you well edited news to keep you savvy. Thank you to www.vanns.com (a Missoula company) for having such a great deal on an affordable video camera made just for bloggers. And it is pink :)



Even though we don't have our video camera yet, with all of the turmoil in the Middle East, we wanted to keep you savvy. So here is a little, written preview of The Bon Lemon Revue. Enjoy.

Protests in Egypt

The US and Iran are not friends. The US's BFF in The Middle East is Egypt. Most Middle Eastern (and Northern African) countries are run by variations of authoritarian governments. (One dude tells everyone what to do and they do it. If they do not, things get nasty.) The US has to maintain friendships with the right people to protect their interests in The Middle East. Egypt has been our most important friend. (The US has limited options, because many countries are friends with Iran. Remember: Iran and the US don't play nice.)

Right now, Egyptian people are protesting their government. There have been protests before, but none this large and none simultaneous with protests in other parts of The Middle East. The protesters want President Mubarak to leave. He has been in office for three decades and people are sick of of the widespread poverty and corrupt government associated with his tenure.

The Egyptian government has said (for now) it won't machine gun or bulldoze the protesters, but any offers for regime change have been weak and unsatisfactory. The US hasn't said much, because they are caught between a rock and a hard place. Mubarak is the US's friend and they want to remain friends with Egypt, because it is the largest, and arguably most stable, country in The Middle East. But Mubarak is a dictator and as champions of democracy, the US can't publicly support rigged elections and self-serving administrations.

The biggest problem in Egypt is the lack of viable alternatives. The most organized opposition to Mubarak is the Muslim Brotherhood, which is not known for being a democracy oriented organization. (It's links to violence and terrorism are debatable.) So if the protesters succeed and Mubarak and his entourage leave, then what?

That remains to be seen. We'll keep you savvy.

Cocktail Convo: "Aren't those protests in Egypt crazy?" - "Mubarak looks like he is on his way out." - "But the Muslim Brotherhood isn't a great alternative." - "I wonder what this is doing to my oil, commodities, ______ stock."

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The Bon Lemon Revue is not CNN, Fox News, BBC, or Al Jazeera. We do not have a team of reporters and fact checkers dedicated to ensuring the accuracy of this information. Because of our abbreviated format, we can not give you every explanation and detail. We aim to bring you well edited news and information in a format that is easy and quick to read and understand. Let us know if we misspeak. We welcome your comments. 2011. All rights reserved.

ASPCA

The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals commercials. Have you seen them? Sarah McClachlan music. Pictures of dogs and cats in cages. Tear worthy.

Dolce and I like to watch them together, so I can remind him to be nice to me.

Sister! Fig!

Sister, Brother, and Fig have come to Scottsdale! And you can actually see Fig now! Yippee! She even moved last night, and I got to feel her. We have decided she likes the name Maebel. She does not like the name Cora. She also likes Patron and mini-brie snacks.

Sister and I had a laborious day of shopping for maternity clothes at Fashion Square, eating lunch at a yummy new restaurant on the canal, The Herb Box, and getting a massage at O'Hana. (Can Sister come visit every weekend? It sure beats researching POS systems.) The guys played 36 holes of golf, at... a golf course. (I should pay more attention I guess.) They are back at it today at Talking Stick, and we are off to look for baby clothes and home decor at Kierland Commons. P to the S, Sister and Brother's house is soo cute! Still working on the nursery. I love being the helper!

For those of you who don't know, this is what Fig looks like. Isn't she cute?

Portlandia: Greener Than Thou

After my blog post on eating local, organic, free range meats, I couldn't help but chuckle at this skit. It is VERY dry humor, so prepare yourself. Thanks to Sister for introducing me to it. Too funny.

Egypt

Authoritarian rule doesn't work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Czslbh_Bnw

The Bon Lemon Revue

When I was going through my "lemon" phase and trying to figure out how to make lemonade, I was brainstorming a lot of business ideas. I contemplated entering the political world as an attorney or lobbyist (maybe someday), I thought seriously about an organic baby food company, and I wanted to start a weekly, online news program summarizing all things pertinent to savvy ladies.

I spoke to many of my friends who said they were too busy to listen to Fox News or CNN everyday. They wanted to know what was going on in the world, but with the limited free time they had, US Weekly was winning out. I have a variety of interests, want to stay informed, and have a short attention span, so I get my news from a variety of sources. I like to know what's happening with the economy, people, politics, fashion, and food. I don't have the patience for the six page articles in The Economist, and pundits like Glen Beck make me want to through myself on hot coals. (Give me facts and opinions not rhetoric.)

I read Vanity Fair, Fast Company, The Puget Sound Business Journal, and The Week religiously. I read at least ten other magazines recreationally. I stay up to date with current events via Facebook and Twitter. I don't watch the local news on television unless I am visiting 6 Par Farmer, because I find it sensationalized and one dimensional. The most important element of information these days is editing. I don't care if we are talking about shoes or taxes, I want someone who can synthesize the information succinctly. Brevity please.

Now that Bon Lemon is starting to hit it's stride, I have been thinking of new ways to build the Bon Lemon community. I keep coming back to the idea of a well edited news source. What if we could create a news source that combined a succinct explanation of the bombings in Moscow combined with a snippet on American Idol and a little fashion/wine/food tip thrown in? We won't replace Marie Claire, TMZ, or the Wall Street Journal, but we will give you enough info to decide whether you want to find out more. With that goal in mind: The Bon Lemon Revue is born!

The Bon Lemon Revue will bring you well edited news and info to stay savvy. Whether you are looking for cocktail conversation or a teaser to determine whether you want to know more, we hope The Bon Lemon Revue will be your source for brevity and relevant information in less than fifteen minutes per week (yes, it an be done!).

Coming soon to Bon Lemon: The Bon Lemon Revue!

Chic Lemons

Here at Bon Lemon, we have always known lemons are chic. Tres chic! But now, many retailers are getting on the bandwagon. And we couldn't be more excited! Williams Sonoma has these great botanical lemon plates.



And Sur La Table's spring collecting is bursting with lemons. (You might see some of these pieces at the Bon Lemon shoppe. :)





We love lemons! Because when life gives you lemons... put on something sparkly.

The Fun Theory

VW has come up with the coolest contest. The Fun Theory. Check out the videos below.

I am obsessed with the idea. Piano stairs! Speed Lottery! Bottle Arcade! If you make things fun, you can change people's behavior. I bet you could apply this to all sorts of things... flossing, doing laundry, vacuuming. It is all about perspective. (6 Par Farmer wants to know if you can make paying taxes fun... Now that is a challenging project! I have an idea: you get to personally give your tax dollars to whomever you want them to help. Helping people is fun.)

What can you make fun today?

Mr. T on Flavorwave

Seriously... who decided Mr. T was a good spokesperson for an infomercial? OMG.

Well, I am still watching it. It's like a train wreck.

Warrior Dash

Have you ever heard of the Warrior Dash? I hadn't until a friend from high school, I have recently reconnected with on Facebook, told me about it. And it sounds like a hoot!

My take is that people dress up in crazy outfits and "run" a 5k. But they don't just run. They scale walls, navigate swamps, jump through fire, climb over round bales and do all sorts of cool stuff. And then at the end you drink beer and eat turkey legs.

Even though, I am not a runner, the rest of this thing sounds like so much fun, I might have to start hitting the pavement. Cute outfits, mud, and crazy stunts... Yes please.

Are you with me? Coming to North Bend, WA on July 16.

Dieting: WTF

I have always been about the same weight. I eat responsibly (well, at least kind of responsibly), work out, have never been skinny, but have never been fat. (Except the time I lived in Australia. Sister would be happy to tell you about how chubby I was when I returned. What can I say... I like ice cream.) I don't weigh myself and although, I have parts I would like to a be a little smaller, as a rule, I accept my body for what it is.



The other day, I decided to weigh myself. (Not quite sure what brought that on. A bout of stupidity, I guess.) You can imagine my shock (and horror) when I looked down at the scale and I was 10 pounds heavier. WTF. I don't gain weight. I don't lose it either, but I certainly can't be 10 pounds heavier. After I got over the shock, I started brainstorming what the cause of this could be. Is this what happens when you turn 30? Is it the large quantities of wine I drink... occasionally? (It has been a tough couple of years!) Do I eat too many carbs? Do I eat too much fat? Oh crap. I have to start thinking about my diet.

Many of my family members have been eating Paleo for about a year now for health and weight reasons. My mom has lost 15 lbs. My aunt closer to 30. And my dad says he has more energy and less crashes throughout the day. Eating paleo means you eat like a caveman. Pretty much meat, nuts, fruit, and veggies. No bread, no pasta, no dairy. Considering that everything I normally eat consists of one of the "don'ts" this diet never sounded remotely appealing. (Horrible really.) I would rather have a root canal.

But after staring down at the scale (and then a couple of other scales, because my first assumption was the scale was broken. Duh.) I decided, desperate times call for desperate measures. I jumped on the paleo bandwagon. I didn't jump on it. Really, it is dragging me behind kicking and screaming. I haven't embraced the lifestyle, but I am playing along in hopes of shedding my "winter weight."

I decided right away, I could only take the paleo thing so far. I would still eat dairy, alcohol, and corn. Because I have to have a tortilla or something to put all of the meat and veggies in. I have been eating paleo for 9 months now. Okay. It has only been 9 days. It sucks. I do not recommend it, unless you are trying to undergo some sort of Buddhist suffering exercise. My saving graces: frozen yogurt and champagne. Otherwise, I think I might die.



I will keep you posted on my progress. If I don't start looking like Christina Applegate circa 1995 within the next couple of weeks, you will find me at the Olive Garden eating all-you-can-eat pasta and bread sticks.

Wish me luck.

Talavera

6 Par Farmer is Bon Lemon's Chief Creative Officer. Did you know that? He has a title. Yeppers! He has spent countless hours tagging jewelry, creating spreadsheets, and coming up with creative names and descriptions for Bon Lemon's website. And with the roll out of our new and improved website on the horizon, he will likely be spending many more hours. We are so thankful and lucky!




Bon Lemon wanted to thank our Chief Creative Officer for all of his efforts, so we planned a night out at Talavera at the Four Seasons in North Scottsdale. We arrived at 6 to enjoy a cocktail on the patio and watch the sunset. The setting is gorgeous. You are hugged by the foothills of the McDowell Mountain Range and look down on the valley. I had my new favorite cocktail, the L.A. Thymes. Not too sweet, not too strong. So delicious. It combined Absolut Los Angeles (a special edition vodka combining blueberry, acai berry, acerola cherry and pomegranate), thyme, fresh lemon, blueberries, and San Pellegrino. I could have stayed out there all night drinking the delicious concoction. But we decided to venture inside for dinner.




We started with the King Crab & Beef Roulade with wasabi root, ponzu, and tempura. Kind of like sushi wrapped in beef carpaccio instead or rice. Yum! For dinner, 6 Par Farmer had the Duck Breast with quince jam and a cider reduction. I had the 8 oz Prime Filet that was cooked to perfection with a slight crust and a tasty porcini sauce. Mmm. Execution was great, as were the quality of ingredients.

To finish things off, we shared the Malted Waffle with caramel apples, candied bacon, and Jack Daniels sauce. It was interesting, but didn't quite live up to my expectations, but after the delicious meal, there wasn't much room left anyway.

The service was flawless, friendly, and attentive. The setting is gorgeous. The decor is nice, but we both felt something was missing, and there was a stiffness in the dining room we couldn't quite put our finger on. Overall though, an excellent way to celebrate an excellent Chief Creative Officer! Thanks Talavera and 6 Par Farmer.

You Are What you Eat (and I Love Bacon)

If the old adage is true, "you are what you eat," it is a miracle in my twenties I did not turn into cookie dough, corn dogs, or gelato. Maybe it is not meant literally, but I still think there is meaning behind those words. If you eat crap, you feel crappy. If you eat healthy, you feel healthy. Basic cause and effect.

I was an agriculture major in college. I started doing my own research on restaurants and eating at a much younger age. (Lots of practical research :) I have always enjoyed eating food, producing food, and learning about food. I learned about Monsanto/IBP/etc in college and it inspired me to change my shopping habits. I read Fast Food Nation 10 years ago when it first came out and it inspired me to change my eating habits. I know I am a little bit late to the party, but I just watched Food, Inc., and it has inspired me yet again. I want to make sure people know what is happening to our food. Because if you are paying attention, it is just plain nasty. (And there are a lot of people who would prefer you didn't see what's going on.)

I like pork. I like bacon, pork tenderloin, sausage, and pork chops. I could never get on the chicken bandwagon, so I have always eaten more beef and pork. In the course of my food education I have learned factory pig farms can be one of the most disturbing animal processing facilities out there. (Not saying chicken houses, dairies, or beef feed lots are Club Med...) Pigs live in dark sheds filled with inches of disease laden manure; they are abused (some of the videos of this make me absolutely ill); their growth has been unnaturally accelerated by hormones (chickens often can't stand on their own two legs); they are fed animal by-products, crowded on top of one another, and traumatized frequently.



There are countless reasons this kind of farming sucks. When you traumatize an animal it releases toxins into their body. Then we eat the meat from that animal, thus eating the toxins. No bueno. (Never mind the disrespect of another life.) Diseases spread rapidly in these environments and pass from pig to pig and then from pig to us. Gross. And not to sound like a tree hugger, but I don't like the idea of eating something that has been treated so poorly it's whole life. It makes me feel bad.

I don't think we need to stop eating meat. (Remember, I love bacon.) There are many animals that are raised on healthy, small farms. Supporting small farms is better for the animal, better for the environment, better for people, and they taste better. As consumers, we have the ultimate power to dictate what is available in the marketplace. If everyone stopped eating factory farmed pigs, factory pig farms wouldn't exist. I love the free market. (I will save my monologue on how the big ag companies are oligopolies and are violating anti-trust laws.)

Good food costs a little bit more. The Dollar Menu may seem like a bargain. Wal Marts prices may seem unbeatable. But I think the ultimate cost for this system remains to be seen. Our country is fat. Really, really fat. We have cancer, and Mad Cow, and all sorts of diseases we can't quite figure out. We might be rejoicing about a cheap gallon of milk or being able to afford to eat meat everyday, but I think the worst is yet to come if we don't start making some changes.

Like many social problems, change can seem daunting. Check out http://www.foodincmovie.com/get-involved.php for 10 Simple Things You Can Do To Change Our Food System. Do one of them. (Shopping at a co-op or farmer's market takes the guess work out of it.) I am a live and let live libertarian, but if there is one thing I can get on a soap box about (let's be honest, there's more than one :) it is this. We are poisoning ourselves, our animals, and our landscape. Consumers have the ultimate power. Let's change it.

Because, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.

Baby Showers Galore!

Tis the season to be knocked up! I have sooo many friends that are expecting. I think there was something in the water. (P.S. We carry the cutest "Knocked Up" Dogeared necklace. Available in silver and gold. Perfect for the prego friend in your life. http://www.bonlemon.com/item_184/Dogeared-Knocked-Up-Necklace.htm)

I am co-hosting 3, not 1, not 2, but 3, baby showers this spring. Pump Wearing Parole Officer is knocked up, Sister is knocked up, and Montana Belle is knocked up! These are all going to be unique and fabulous showers. I have been scouring the Internet for appropriate invitations and found some! I can't post pictures now, because it would ruin the surprise for all of the guests. :)

I have also been looking for unique games, decorations, favors, etc. Baby showers are one of those things that can get painfully generic, so a little creativity goes a long way. There are so many creative people out there. I am planning on scalping as many ideas as I can :). I love these bottles for a baby girl shower.



Are you freaking kidding me?




And how about this french patisserie...? Ooo la la.



And this...



OMG




I need an unlimited budget and lots of free time. More details on real life baby showers coming soon.

eTrade

I don't work for eTrade. I tried to invest money via eTrade once, and I got so worried I pulled it all out the next day and paid a bunch of fees. I am not getting paid for this endorsement, but...

eTrade has the best commercials ever!

Cute and funny without being crude. Love. Love. Love.

Camelback

After 24 hours on the road, Dolce Vita Evans was ready for a good walk. He made it to the top of Camelback on his first try!

Trunk Show Road Trip

We are taking Bon Lemon on the road. After our warm response in the Pacific Northwest, we are taking our trunk shows to Arizona and California. Watch out world! We have tons of new merchandise we are super excited to show off. Grayling jewelry (love), scarves, earrings, Pretty Little Lion hairbows, bracelets, and more! Yippee!

This is what happens when you drive 24 hours from Olympia, Wa to Scottsdale, AZ. You start making blog videos... I apologize in advance. ;)

I know it is a bit late, but...

I know I am a little behind the eight ball, but... this run by Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks left me speechless. Amazing. If you haven't seen it (which would be pretty much impossible if you are on Facebook or breathing air) here it is.

Mexican Winter Collection

I have always loved travelling and finding treasures in unexpected places. One of the best things about Bon Lemon is my ability to pass those finds onto you! After a week in Mexico, I determined I could buy higher quality, less expensive sterling from Thailand, but I was very impressed with the local bead work. So, I found a good sample of bracelets, belts, clutches, and coin purses to bring home to you. All are handmade in a village outside Puerto Vallarta, providing sustainable jobs for local residents. There were a handful of other modern pieces I was drooling over, but they just weren't a good enough value to make the Bon Lemon cut. Sexy and fabulous, but a bit overpriced. The exception were the layered, silk earrings I found. Although, they aren't inexpensive, they are reasonably priced, high quality, and super chic! Bon Lemon in a nutshell :) Here's a little video preview of what we will have for you in January. Come by the shoppe, check us out at a trunk show, or call us to reserve your favorite piece (or pieces :).

Technical difficulties... Video won't load. More pics coming soon!

Grayling Jewelry and Nelle Handbags

We are super excited for two new lines we will be carrying for 2011.

The first is Grayling Jewelry out of Portland. It is drapey, urban, and fabulous. (And the designer is from Montana!) You will love her combination of metal and stones. We can't get enough. Coming in January!

We are also picking up Nelle Handbags. These clutches are great for evening and handmade in Minnesota. A 2008 finalist in the Independent Handbag Designer Awards and available at Henri Bendel in NYC, these bags are both artisan made and tres chic. Our favorite combination! (Thanks to Calliespondence for the recommendation :)

Check out these new pieces at our shoppe or at a trunk show near you.

How to Make a Pina Colada

Since 6 Par Farmer's memory card doesn't fit in my computer, I can't upload any pictures to show you. Instead, I am trying out the video camera on my netbook. I present: How to Make a Pina Colada

Bring on the New Year!

I have never been much into fireworks. They always make me concerned someone is going to blow their face off, or conversely they seem like a fabricated gooshy moment. But last night's fireworks display in Puerto Vallarta is making me rethink my position. They had the best fireworks display I have ever seen. The entire bay was lit up for at least ten minutes. The video doesn't do it justice. What a way to ring in the new year! Yippeeeee for 2011!