The Buzz: MY NEW BLOG!

I'm getting so excited about the launch of INTERIOR MOTIVES!

It may be a little closer to month's end than I anticipated, but it will be worth the wait. I just cinched the deal to take you for an "on camera" journey of a complete kitchen renovation...right down to the lathe. That's right kids, we're knocking down walls! The idea of sharing real-time design projects with you, ON VIDEO, is very exciting. Remember when  it would take Bob Villa and his team of talented craftsmen an entire season to renovate This Old House? While I will undoubtedly show you tips on how you can quietly makeover your current diggs with my new video blog, I assure you that the "design project journeys" we'll be going on will last more than 24 hours.

Why? Because real Interior Design needn't cost you an arm an a leg, but is not instant. Nor is it created over night with velcro and a budget of $500. I don't care what you've been told on TV! My goal with this new website is to keep it real. You see,  I have INTERIOR MOTIVES this time, and you'll have to stay tuned to see what they are...

What Will YOU Say?

Having a Motivational Speaker as a client and dear friend certainly has its fringe benefits. Mostly it has me contemplating how I move through my life. Hopefully with more concise direction!

I came of age in the 80's when Nancy Reagan's JUST SAY NO campaign was raging. I'm not entirely sure how effective it was. I still managed to say YES to everything at least once. As well, I've always been the kind of person to over-extend myself. Even as a teenager, my Mother would say "Just tell her NO! You have to learn to say no Michael." Alas,  no hasn't ever taken place at the front-and-center of my vocabulary. Why? There are far too many reasons to say YES! In fact what I'm realizing, is that I haven't said YES, enough...let me share a little story with you.

About 6 months after my Mother passed away, I had the most extraordinary, vivid dream.

You can call it a visitation, if you like.

She and my Grandmother were  trying very hard to convince me of something. They desperately wanted me to understand that I possessed magic. They insisted it had always been inside of me, my whole life! I can see the plaintive look in her beautiful pea soup-green eyes as she said "You can do it Mockie, you can do ANYTHING you want to sweetheart- the magic is inside of you!" Just then fire started shooting through my fingertips as if they were rockets. I completely freaked out, but they just giggled and laughed. There was an extremely loud and audible POP, and then my eyes flew open to see fire shoot out of the wall next to my bed. I jumped out to feel the wall, certain that there was an electrical short inside of it. It was cold.

The next day I pondered the dream. Of course I knew that they hadn't meant literal magic, as in witchcraft. I decided that they must have meant ability/capability. Gee, that was nice. Then 2 nights later, ( but without the special effects dream) I awoke at the exact same time to the same loud as hell POP(!), and flash of light coming from inside the wall. I once again hopped out of bed to make sure there was no fire or electrical short. Come on already, really?! Then I realized what that was for. All my life she had badgered me with "Are you paying attention Michael?!" SO like her. She was just making sure.

For all of the amazing adventures in this life I've said yes to, I can readily create the list of possibilities I've turned away. One of the biggest (if you know me) is singing. I've had a burning desire to make music with my voice my whole life. What has stopped me? I could spend allot of time on a therapist's sofa trying to figure that one out, but when you reduce it, I just haven't said yes. Could that really be all it takes? Recent events have convinced me, YES! As I began to explore the idea that I really could do anything I want,   I started creating some things...My fellow Bees and I are now DOING a thing that most people would never believe that they themselves could do! And I reiterate, its happening.

Could it be possible that YES was magic my Mother was referring to?

These days, I'm thinking allot more about the possibilities I've said no to in the past. Where there is a will, a desire, I have learned there is always a way. And if that is truly the case, then ANYTHING is possible. Truthfully,  sometimes its easier to say no, but it's always more rewarding to say yes.

What will you say?

8 TO 40: Yo

MUSICAL TREAT OF THE WEEK

TAKE TWO

I REALLY need to work on the lighting in the new place...NOT pretty!

THE BUZZ IS: Stacey's Hot Dish!

The flavor profile for the October Edition of STACEY'S HOT DISH is decidedly Asian, and as always Stacey keeps the visual ingredients surprising while delivering his unique approach to food! I had the great fun of following Stacey with Arthur ( Did you know that The Killer Bees video camera is named Arthur?! ) on not one but 2 field trips- and I feel that this month's videos and articles are some of the best pieces Stacey's done yet! I Check out the video above for a taste of STACEY'S HOT DISH! I am more excited than ever that STACEY'S HOT DISH is a Killer Bee Production!

For my monthly column POTLUCK, I share my Asian spin on an American comfort food classic, with Double Happiness Meatloaf ( Shown below ). Want the recipe? Visit The Dish!

www.staceyshotdish.blogspot.com

THE BUZZ IS: Cassandra McShepard!

Killer Bee Cassandra McShepard is sitting comfortably at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Well, at least that's according to the folks at OnMilwaukee.Com and their monthly Heat Index! As her friend, fellow Killer Bee, and Manager, I'm not the slightest bit surprised. The seeds we've been planting are sprouting and beginning to grow...like Jack's beanstalk!

The new television show REAL MILWAUKEE which she co-hosts daily with her wonderful and crazy new buddies Katrina Cravy, Nicole Coglin, and Rob Haswell, is a bonafide ratings smash! She's being featured in next month's Milwaukee Magazine, and she and I are about to start filming Season 4 of her Video Blog, THIS IS WHAT I KNOW SO FAR, A Killer Bees Production...

Last Sunday I took my first stab at directing a music video for her new recording of the classic showtune FEELING GOOD. Joseph Suarez snapped this beautiful shot during the filming. There will be an official YouTube premiere on October 29th!

REAL MILWAUKEE has been on the air just 3 weeks, yet already has a legion of loyal watchers. The clip below ( which was filmed on only their 4th day on the air ) clearly demonstrates their instant chemistry, which has only deepened and blossomed since...

If you live outside the Milwaukee area, you can watch the show streaming LIVE weekday mornings from 9-10 AM on the REAL MILWAUKEE website!

http://www.fox6now.com/home/

INTERIOR MOTIVES?

Sometimes a department deserves a spin off...

If you thought I was plumb-cuckoo for attempting to maintain just ONE blog with my crazy schedule, I'd have to agree with you. That's why I'm starting another! It's basically an expansion of the Interior Motives Department that's been here at Killer Bees Make The Most Delicious Honey from the very beginning, but with lots of cool new features.

INTERIOR MOTIVES will debut on Blogger sometime around Mid October. I already have the site under construction and some pieces in the works. Here's what you can expect...

• 
  
  A very FRANK approach to interior design advice. I'm not holding back kids!
• 
  
  Field trips to stylish retailers and trade resources!
• 
  
  Design Project Features from myself and other designer friends of mine!
• 
  
  What's hot, and what's NOT!
• 
  
  And a brand new VLOG SERIES starring mois! Because it's time.

The archival department for Interior Motives will remain up here, but moving forward all interior design related articles will be posted in this exciting new format. I'm truly excited to start creating this for you (and for me!). Look for notification here @ KBMTMDH as soon as the site goes live!

BACK IN THE BOX

Apparently I'm a big pushover. Or eager to please. Whatever.

It seems that all it takes is one person to speak up and I'll accommodate. I took the archival blog "OUR RECIPE BOX" down many months ago because quite frankly I couldn't get folks to play with me!  Well Emily, here's the deal- it's BACK with a fresh new look, but I expect YOU to be the first person to send a recipe to me!

Okay folks, it's super easy. Email me your favorite recipes, with or without a picture. Then I'll share them in "OUR RECIPE BOX". Food is something we've all got in common, and personally I love to share mine! If you want to share a recipe you think is special- send it today! Include an anecdote if you like!

JUST SEND ME YOUR RECIPES!!!  m.mckinley@rocketmail.com

www.killerrecipebox.blogspot.com

QUACK!

This isn't exactly my usual Musical Treat of The Week fare, but it sure is a whole lotta fun....

100 BEAUTIFUL WORDS

Saw this online and loved it...

Ailurophile: A cat-lover.

Assemblage: A gathering.

Becoming: Attractive.

Beleaguer: To exhaust with attacks.

Brood: To think alone.

Bucolic: In a lovely rural setting.

Bungalow: A small, cozy cottage.

Chatoyant: Like a cat’s eye.

Comely: Attractive.

Conflate: To blend together.

Cynosure: A focal point of admiration.

Dalliance: A brief love affair.

Demesne: Dominion, territory.

Demure: Shy and reserved.

Denouement: The resolution of a mystery.

Desuetude: Disuse.

Desultory: Slow, sluggish.

Diaphanous: Filmy.

Dissemble: Deceive.

Dulcet: Sweet, sugary.

Ebullience: Bubbling enthusiasm.

Effervescent: Bubbly.

Efflorescence: Flowering, blooming.

Elision: Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.

Elixir: A good potion.

Eloquence: Beauty and persuasion in speech.

Embrocation: Rubbing on a lotion.

Emollient: A softener

Ephemeral: Short-lived.

Epiphany: A sudden revelation.

Erstwhile: At one time, for a time.

Ethereal: Gaseous, invisible but detectable.

Evanescent: Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.

Evocative: Suggestive.

Fetching: Pretty.

Felicity: Pleasantness.

Forbearance: Withholding response to provocation.

Fugacious: Fleeting.

Furtive: Shifty, sneaky.

Gambol: To skip or leap about joyfully.

Glamour: Beauty.

Gossamer: The finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk

Halcyon: Happy, sunny, care-free.

Harbinger: Messenger with news of the future.

Imbrication: Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.

Imbroglio: An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue: To infuse, instill.
Incipient: Beginning, in an early stage.

Ineffable: Unutterable, inexpressible.

Ingénue: A naïve young woman.

Inglenook: A cozy nook by the hearth.

Insouciance: Blithe nonchalance.

Inure: To become jaded.

Labyrinthine: Twisting and turning.

Lagniappe: A special kind of gift.

Lagoon: A small gulf or inlet.

Languor: Listlessness, inactivity.

Lassitude: Weariness, listlessness.

Leisure: Free time.

Lilt: To move musically or lively.

Lissome: Slender and graceful.

Lithe: Slender and flexible.

Love: Deep affection.

Mellifluous: Sweet sounding.

Moiety: One of two equal parts.

Mondegreen: A slip of the ear.

Murmurous: Murmuring.

Nemesis: An unconquerable archenemy.

Offing: The sea between the horizon and the offshore.

Onomatopoeia: A word that sounds like its meaning.

Opulent: Lush, luxuriant.

Palimpsest: A manuscript written over earlier ones.

Panacea: A solution for all problems

Panoply: A complete set.

Pastiche: An art work combining materials from various sources.

Penumbra: A half-shadow.

Petrichor: The smell of earth after rain.

Plethora:  A large quantity.

Propinquity: An inclination.

Pyrrhic: Successful with heavy losses.

Quintessential: Mose essential.

Ratatouille: A spicy French stew.

Ravel: To knit or unknit.

Redolent: Fragrant.

Riparian: By the bank of a stream.

Ripple: A very small wave.

Scintilla: A spark or very small thing.

Sempiternal: Eternal.

Seraglio: Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.

Serendipity: Finding something nice while looking for something else.

Summery: Light, delicate or warm and sunny.

Sumptuous: Lush, luxurious.

Surreptitious: Secretive, sneaky.

Susquehanna: A river in Pennsylvania.

Sussurous: Whispering, hissing.

Talisman: A good luck charm.

Tintinnabulation: Tinkling.
Umbrella: Protection from sun or rain.

Untoward: Unseemly, inappropriate.

Vestigial: In trace amounts.

Wafture: Waving.
Wherewithal: The means.
Woebegone: Sorrowful, downcast.

Now if only I can remeber to use them!

MORE FROM STORYTELLERS...

Last month, I was excited to share STORYTELLERS FOR GOOD with all of you, and featured a couple of the short films that Cara Jones and Co. have produced. I feel compelled to share the latest ones with you now. The light these people are sharing is truly an important one. I will continue to share these inspiring stories here, but encourage you again to check out their site for yourselves....

P.S. I had the option to upload these wonderful short films in Hi-Def, so they make take a short time longer to load.

www.storytellersforgood.com

Where In The Hell Is Matt?

Matt makes me feel like dancing....

MUSICAL TREAT OF THE WEEK

BELLA & TARA

Who's your best friend?