we're singing in the rain!

from the warmth of our house of course. this is just what we needed: a nice rainy day. oh! i needn't water the farm! since my spray nozzle broke, watering the seedlings has been a pain in my arse. so yay!

no photos today my one & only reader. i did try, really i did. elvie is in a mood, & will not be swayed. santa? i know i've asked for a lot, but a laptop of my very own, & a new camera would look so lovely under my tree.

bodily update: all pestilence has left the building, & my back is much better. i did a little too much yesterday though, so my back hurts more than it should. even so... it is a huge improvement from spasms, & not being able to get up & down easily. silver linings!

bizzie update: 2 more needle books, & 9 drink slings completed in the last few days. i have to cut the pieces for 16 kiddie market bags today; but before i can do that i must finish the new countdown box. can you believe that december begins tomorrow?

which brings me to... i ditched the prezzies in the box that i've always done, in favor of paper's idea. she is giving activities each day; things they can do together. i think that is just so lovely, so am stealing it. rather than list all the things planned, i will post them as we've done them.

there isn't really much else to babble on about. wednesday we went to see the reindeer at the zoo, then walked through the nearby holiday light festival. locals: if you go to the light festival, i recommend walking rather than driving through it.

time for me to put the kettle on, & snuggle with thehobbit to finish reading the borrowers. have a faboo friday!

a prezzie for you to shake!

http://ww12.e-tractions.com/snowglobe/globe.htm

~peace.

i feel fantastic!

not really. our pestilence seems on the wane, but my back is still out. i did however wake in a fantastic mood, so i'm focusing on that. besides... more local people lost homes in the fires over the weekend, so i am very aware of how lucky i am to have a comfy couch to lay in agony upon.

elvie is behaving today which means it's picture time! here are the first of the needle books:


2 dark grey, two patterned. all with black pages & ribbon ties. i am going to cut more covers & pages today, as that's easily done from the couch.

the latest from the farm? some creature is still digging holes in the beds, but seems to be sticking with empty areas. i find it quite annoying, but at least it's no longer digging plants out. a great thing about farming in southern california:

i'm thrilled to still be getting cherry tomatoes off my last plant! it's getting scrawny & lanky, but who cares when it keeps producing blossoms? yay & yum!

i've saved the best photo for last!

my stamp! isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? no picture for my logo yet. i have it in my head, but manlyman hasn't had the time to get it onto paper for me. i do love the simplicity of just the words, so am sure i'll keep using this long after i've gotten the official 'with picture' stamp.

a question dear reader: is there a television show that you just love, but know you shouldn't? do you tell your friends about it, & they look at you as if you'd gone mad? (a bit like my love of lynn kurland romance novels.) well there is such a show in my life. i am obsessed with how i met your mother. i know. i know! but it cracks me up. & now you know my shame.

i've babbled long enough. have a wonderous day... watch a show that you know you should not love!

~peace.

you have got to be joking

what is more fun than a house full of pestilence on daddy-o's one day off? why mama with her back out of course! it began late yesterday; i honestly thought it was just twinges. by nightfall i was in agony. today is no better. it's all sneezes & spasms here at dandelion cottage. do not envy me my glamour life.

there isn't much i can do in this condition, but i managed the handwork on the first batch of needle books, & stamped (heeheehee) the tags that will tie on each bag. the rest of my day has been one of blissful leisure. minus tea & faery cakes. add to that our pestilence. & my back pain. ok minus the bliss as well. now that i think on it, manlyman did go out for treats, so perhaps a bit of bliss here & there was to be had.

look what oddsocks sent me today...


the flyer for winter faire - my first show!!! & our first show as well. this will be the maiden voyage of dragonfly artisans, the all-mama co-op soap, paper, & i created. ooh! i just realized i shall need a new outfit to mark the occasion. people don't wear their everyday clothes for grand openings, & ocean liner launches. that would be unheard of. once my back is well enough, i will head over to the thrift stores, & vintage clothing shops. something cute & funky that says 'me!'

time to say goodnight my lone reader. i cannot stay in one position too long, so it's back to my book... have you read julia butterfly hill's legacy of luna? so far it's very good. we heard her speak last year, & just fell in love. especially thehobbit... she spoke directly to his little spirit it seemed. it was that talk that made thehobbit decide he wanted to be an environmentalist (in addition to rockstar & chef.) soap was the only one of us who found the courage to go talk with her. & she didn't even faint! ;-)

sweet dreams!
~peace.

the pestilence always rings twice

or in our case; thrice. manlyman has infected us with his pestilence. rats & fleas! i've cancelled our sunday with the pom clan, & accepted (not in the least) that i'll get nothing done today. my to-do list will have to get to-done to-morrow. that being decided, this is where thehobbit & i will be spending our day...

... in my imaginary world. (i found that photo in my clipart files. don't you love the headboard?!) in reality we'll be on the couch. it's where the television, & mortimer are; 2 things one must have when one has pestilence... & one is 9.

time for hot tea, warm blankets, & loads of snuggles. to bed! err to couch! feel free to spend the day couching & snuggling right along with us :-)

my gift to you...

http://www.duirwaighgallery.com/inspiration_aknock.htm

~peace.

autumnal deep distractions

i meant to spend the week doing the autumnal deep cleaning, really i did. i even wrote a schedule of what was to be cleaned each day. somewhere between monday morning & today i got distracted. i'm not totally sure of this, but i believe it happend monday afternoon. i began organizing & rearranging... i do so love both those activities. the short of it? the house is in shambles; each room is clean, but torn apart. yesterday we destroyed sir fennel's room, & now can get neither in nor out without climbing & crawling. which means access to the laundry room is hampered. (pun not intended, but currently giving me the giggles.)

so what to do next? well i could beat myself up for not having stuck to the task at hand, or i can declare next week to be autumnal deep cleaning week. i choose the later. why moan when you can put something off?

the bizzie portion of my life is going well. the stamp is ready (yay!) to be picked up, & the "stock room" is filling nicely. here's a photo taken this morning:


last night before collapsing on the couch i managed a few drink slings, cut fabric for more, & affixed ribbon closures to needle books. notice the huge stack of market bags atop the built-in!

what's on the books for today? well not autumnal deep cleaning that's for sure. today is hogwarts. it's a few hours away yet, so thehobbit's not in his uniform. in his jams still you ask? nope. this is a photo taken one hour ago:

he's not playing any specific dress-up game if you were wondering. this is just who he is when at home. he used to dress in his fancies or costumes all the time, but too many people would comment. nothing negative, he's just uber-shy, & didn't like the attention.

where has the time gone?! i've exactly one hour to get ready! yikes! do you know what my sweet-&-only reader? time with you is great fun, but my how you distract me.

~peace.

sneaking a little 'me' time

i hadn't thought i'd have time for relaxing, let alone poking around online. unfortunately manlyman is sick today, so we're unable to have dinner at pom's. thehobbit & i will still go for a short visit before dinner. there is an upside: eating at home means i have less food to cook. hence... a bit of relax-time just for me.

we're vegetarian, so no turkey. we do have loads of amazing food each year, & i thought i'd share a recipe with you today. (we had it a someone's home a few years back. i've altered it a bit, so i feel safe pretending it's my recipe.) enjoy!

*thanksgiving brussels sprouts*

4c (2lb) brussels sprouts

2tbs trader joe's orange muscat champagne vinegar

2tbs balsamic vinegar

2tbs dijon mustard

1tbs coarse-grain cranberry mustard

1/2tsp salt

1/3tsp pepper

1/2c olive oil

1) cut the bottoms off the sprouts & remove icky leaves

2) drop the sprouts into a pot of boiling water & bring back to a boil. reduce the heat & simmer for 5 minutes. drain & let stand a few minutes more.

3) while the sprouts cook, mix all but the olive oil. slowly whisk in the oil, in a steady stream. the sauce will get thick.

4) toss the sprouts in the sauce, & chill in the fridge. they recommend eating it at room temp, but my fam prefers it cold. ( it's even better the next day! )

sigh... 'me' time has come to an end. time for thehobbit & me to get clean & into our fancies! btw... in his list of reasons he's thankful, thehobbit said he was thankful not to be a turkey today. well said my little one, well said.

~peace.

i am thankful...

...that everyone i love is well - i am thankful that our home is safe & we have more than enough - i am thankful that i have friends who love & accept me - i am thankful that i have my soulmate, my other half, my split-apart - & i am thankful to be the mama of my amazing, one of a kind, most magical little boy.

i hope you have a wicked thankful day my sweet reader!
~peace.

so sad & five things

firstly i want to say how sad i am to hear that our martha's mama passed away this weekend. big martha was always such fun to watch when she appeared on martha's show. how sad. i hope our martha is ok. (((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))

i had to get that in first, so i wouldn't be ending on a sad note.

minisoap's party was great fun (you outdid yourself soap!) we are recovering quietly today. no pictures. too tired to turn on elvie.

instead i thought i'd tell you five things i like.

1) victoria - it's back!!!!!!!
2) this & this - yes two things technically. don't get nit-pickedty
3) urban outfitters - the santa monica shop makes me drool
4) arthur - such a sweet movie! (despite a few 'actors' trying to ruin it via wretched perfomances) the little boy is brilliant.
5) cauliflower sammiches (see below)

cauliflower sammiches

sweet hawaiian egg bread, lightly toasted

thinly sliced cauliflower, steamed

salt/pepper

tobasco

mayonnaise

1) liberally spread may on both slices

2) add tobasco to one slice, to taste, & salt/pepper

3) layer as much cauliflower as you can get on there

4) plop on the other slice, & eat right away!

have a faboo day!

~peace.

"the rule is...

... jam tomorrow & jam yesterday, but never jam today." at least that's what the white queen says. at the beginning of the week thehobbit wanted strawberry jam on his sammich, so i opened a spankin' new jar. now he is 9, & quite able to make his own sammiches, so i left him to it. i think there have been 2, perhaps 3 jam sessions (i crack me up) since. why am i babbling on about jam? well reader it's like this; i was craving toast with sweet, strawberry jam last night. when i opened the jar this is what i saw

no, your eyes do not deceive you - half the jam is missing from the spankin' new jar. neither manlyman nor i have had any. my guess is that thehobbit had been eating spoonfuls as he made his sammiches. that is not good! the worst part is that i cannot bust him for it, because everytime i so much as think about the half-empty, spankin' new jar, i laugh hysterically! manlyman too. we are terrible parents! we find this hysterical. sigh.

here is the drink sling i made for minisoap's birthday:

thehobbit chose the fabrics. i think he did a great job.

we had a short day at hogwarts, so soap could get ready for today's birthday party. update: slytherin slime was a huge success! easy to do, & worked for all three kids. you really should give it a go (even if you don't have any shorties of your own.)

that's the new hogwarts vest. i bought a black sweater vest at a thrift shop, & painted the stripes with fabric paint. the old one was so small it was above his bellybutton! he hates parting with beloved clothing, so getting him to try the new one was difficult. he does look adorable in it.

since we had extra time after hogwarts yesterday, paper & i took the kids to jo-ann (huge sale!) i bought the stuff to make my own labels, thanks for the tutorial isew! of course i bought more than label-making stuff, but it was all on sale :-)

have a great sunday! we shall be at a harry potter birthday party, eating faery cakes, & playing gnome toss.

~peace.

fancy dress adventures

manlyman arrived home from work, & announced he'd had a crummy day (so sweet of him to have a crummy day along with me) & was taking us out to dinner to celebrate. don't worry, that made no sense to me either. but yay dinner!

thehobbit, hearing the word celebrate, ran to dress for the occasion. i think i have the most interesting 9yo in the history of the world. he wore: black dress slacks, gray dress shirt, metal sherrif badge, silk-covered top hat, & his black wool london fog coat. when i say fancy dress i do not exaggerate. btw...later he asked why all the grownieups were smiling at him. umm duh?
we went to my fave diner in santa monica, & sat at the counter. thehobbit thought the counter was the coolest of cool. i had a blt with vegetarian b, manlyman had a vegan wrap, & thehobbit had a small greek salad with a side of black beans & salsa (i'm tellin' ya, he's interesting.) the only downer was a mama i know (that annoys the bleep out of me) in a corner booth. happily, she never saw us. whew.

today is hogwarts. we're making slytherin slime & i thought you'd like the recipe, errrr i mean the potion.

slytherin slime

-2 tsp slytherin bone dust (original metamucil, coarse milled)

-1c gillywater (water)

1) combine the ingredients in a jar, & shake for 1 minute

2) pour mixture into a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium, & cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.

3) transfer to a bowl & stir occasionally as it cools.

muggle explanation: metamucil is made from psyllium husks, which, when immersed in liquid, are capable of absorbing more than 10 times their volume. what you end up with is a mucialginous gel.

i shall end with bragging of one of my bestest pals. check out paper's new blog, & see the journal she made for minisoap's birthday! that's one talented mama. but why isn't it my birthday?

okey doke my one & only reader... i'm off my rocker & on my way (it is only 8am & thehobbit is playing an elvis cd. i so don't want an elvis morning...sigh.)

~peace.

rainy days & crumdays...

...always get me doooowwwwwwn. well that's only partially true. i like rainy days. plus it's not raining. it is a crummy day though. i'll spare you. suffice it to say that i so wish i had not run out of soy cream. coffee would be lovely right now. coffee with booze in it. or maybe booze with coffee in it. i'm flexie.

people have been writing, wanting to see pictures of me. ask & you shall receive. here i am this morning, sitting in a favorite chair by the bigroom window:


i had to crop the picture due to a lack of clothing from the waist down. not quite sure where my skirt has got to.

time to rise above the crumminess of the day, & get going. i hope everyone out there is having a lovely day. or at least has the coffee creamer of their choosing to help get them through it.

~peace.

fish are friends...

just moments ago we watched mortimer create his bubble nest! he's built a few nests in the month he's lived with us, but this was the first time we were there to see the process. it's pretty cool.

yesterday was a sewing marathon. i don't think i'll do that again anytime soon. it took the joy out of the process. i shall save marathons for when they're needed, not just because i have a day free of places to be. i did get the ribbon lining into the tops of all the drink slings, & i was right to do so... they look much nicer this way.

before i got down to biz, i made myself a cover for my receipt book (yes i forgot to take pics of it.) it's made from a bit of old, taupe damask, with a buttery yellow print on the interior. the cover holds the receipt book, a pen, & has a pocket for bizzie cards. it's pretty, & will make using the receipt book less of a boring, grownie-up thing. i think it needs an applique on the front though.

i used more of the pink plaid. i have to say i'll be happy when that's all gone. i liked it when first i found it, but as time goes it seems less mid century fun and more i'm late to the pta meeting. here are two drink slings - 1 short, 1 long:


& the first of the dinky market bags! great fun to make. i tossed in a ruler so you could see just how dinky it is:


i also got started on xmas ornaments, but got bored after sewing 8. not a good sign, so i set those aside for another time. i think yesterday i just wanted to be doing something else. speaking of something else... i decided to bleach the roll of mind-numbingly fuschia grosgrain that soap lovingly donated to my cause. here is the before shot (hey! get me actually thinking about things in advance!)

yes it is a huge roll! that's why i was anxious to get it to a more 'me' shade. a bit of bright ribbon would be easy to find a use for. but that much? not even i... the creative genius that i am... could figure out what to do with a bazillion yards. so i took the rest of the bleach we used for mortimer's detox, & got to work. here is what it looked like drying on the line:

yes it is the same color in both photos. how nice of you to notice. & so you do not think i didn't use enough bleach, i shall tell you my sweet, lone reader.... that i took the ribbon out after a half an hour, & tossed in two huge lengths of heavy fabric. those did get much lighter, so we now know two things. a) i know how to use bleach, & 2) soap is league with voldemort & got the grosgrain from knockturn alley.

one more thing before i sign off: thehobbit recently discovered the andy griffith show, & is now obsessed. each night at 5pm he can be heard whistling the theme, right along with the television (then again at 530.) the last two days he's dressed up like a sheriff, & told me he asked santa for a hat like barney wears. at first i thought "barney? why on earth would he want a hat like barney, & do i need to remind him that the purple dino is forbidden in our home?" then as i was listening to him talk about it, i realized "ohhhhhh! duh. barney fife, not evil barney." holy maude this is too funny... just this very moment he rolled by on his car, & told me he was on his way to gomer's to get his brakes fixed. heeheehee! what cute kid.

happy thursday :-)

~peace.

she who must be obeyed...

that's right, i am queen of my castle. no sassy, slower-than-dirt computer stands a chance against me. i sat elvie down & told her what's what. ha!

i won't even begin my babble until i've shared a few photos. here is one of the patchy totes

& its interior with my very first lining attempt (i turned the bag around, so you could see that the fabrics are different)

there's nothing thrilling to show on the farm as it's all seedlings, & new rows right now. happily our alpine strawberry pots are still going strong. i think they're the prettiest of plants.

here is a before photo of the pillow sham that i scored last week thrifting

ok, technically i forgot to take a pic before i turned it into a bag, but as there was a second, i was able to take one of it. none need know of my duplicity. i know you won't tell.

& the after photo!

yes i know... it is an odd shape. i was going to cut the design out, & center that on a tote of different fabric (like any normal person,) but i thought this would be interesting. i don't know that others will think so, but i like it's oddness. it doesn't fall into any of my exsisting categories, so i created a new line. this is the first of my nonsense bags. if it were a tad longer i'd keep it for my yoga mat. i won't make an identical one with the other sham though. the sham's quilting made the handles a pain in the arse to attach. maybe i'll chop it to bits for holiday ornaments?? make an apron? some sort of things? who knows.

ok babbling time (as if i hadn't already begun.)

i ordered my stamp! the woman at the counter thought i was odd; getting the giggles over a stamp. i imagine she has been working the stamp counter too long. she's seen it all. jaded. fortunately my sweet manlyman is used to my odd ways. (he says i'm sparkley.) he gave my stamp giddiness the appropriate reaction, & hid the "my wife is strange"look in his eyes completely! now that is a man.

we managed to get a good amount done on the farm yesterday. manlyman dug out all the nasties from around the last of the raised beds, so that can get readied for planting this week. i wish i knew what the nasties were, so i could show you our enemy. they are the most aggressive, nastiest things i've ever encountered! they grow freaky under the ground, pop up everywhere, are drought tolerant, grow to be 15ft tall (as we see in our neighbors' yards,) & have vicious thorns.

while the denastification was going on, thehobbit & i tended the beds. we now have (in various stages of growth)... brussels sprouts, carrots, radishes, leeks, scallions, sugar snap peas, sweet potatoes, turnips, chard, green beans, celery, artichokes, alpine strawberries, herbs, & one lone cherry tomato. i'm amazed that the tomato plant is still going. only a few fruits a week, but it's fun. oh, & we have trees: apple, pear, lemon. the farm is still a tiny one, but i've got huge plans oh reader my reader!

wow that has to be record babbling. time to be off. thehobbit & minisoap are decorating teeeeny xmas trees for their borrowers' houses.

~peace.

i couldn't sleep & need a nap

good morning my lone reader. i woke too early & with a headache - or as thehobbit still calls it a headieache. i did try to go back to sleep, but it just wasn't happening, so i finally gave up. the upside to that is that i have been poking about the internet in the dark, with the house nice and quiet. just me & my coffee, whilst menfolk sleep. so lovely. the downside is that my headache is being replaced with getting really sleepy. c'mon coffee... do that voodoo that you do!

today's the day that elvie & i have it out. even if i didn't have loads of pics for you, there are far-away family members getting ready to storm the castle. it's been over a week of no pics of thehobbit, & that just won't do. manlyman thinks it may have something to do with there being a few thousand photos stored on it. it did once run much more quickly than now, so that's worth looking into. i shall get cds today & figure out how to transfer the pics to them.

before i forget: yesterday pom & minipom1&2 came over, & brought the most fun clay i have ever seen. it looked & felt like a giant glob of marshmallow. she sweetly left a small glob for us to play with, but we want more. more! she's like a clay pusher... the first bit is free.

so i hear that thehobbit has been poking about the house. this is the first year he's done that. when i was little, my brother & i tore the house apart looking for hidden prezzies long before we were nine. ah well, he's never been what one would call street smart - he's pretty. as i was saying, he's been poking about. manlyman told me last night of an interesting conversation they had, with the hobbit saying things like "i'm suspicious this time of year," & "what's in that starbucks bag way up there?" (it wasn't coffee as his daddyo told him, nor a prezzie... it's where we hid the hallowe'en candy he gave the switch witch ha!) manlyman played it cool as best he could, but he wasn't buying any of it. i suppose i need a better hiding place than in a bag atop the dresser? i knew the day would come.

why am i babbling about prezzies? because that's what coffe & i have been doing this morning; window shopping! santa baby, here are some things i came across:
sweeping set, sewing box, pruner #1, pruner #2, shears (cannot choose which,) & stool (to replace nasty plastic one in bathroom - you know the one.) ok those all belong to the i want this & actually need it category. so santa, should you get really wicked holiday tips at the club, i would like to find this under the tree (want & kinda need category.) & santa baby? should you win the lottery, i am certain this would fit in my stocking ( want & need if i get that time machine built category.)

i'm off to sew a larger stocking. the menfolk are up, oatmeal (blech) has been put in front of me, & i feel a snuggle coming on. besides... i just noticed i've been online for over two hours already. how did that happen? have a glorious day oh reader of mine!
~peace.

couldn't stay away

i had planned on taking a little blog holiday until i could get elvie to upload pictures to share. so i did. for all of yesterday. as you get to know me, you'll realize how impressive that is. i have the will power of a toddler.

the pile o' bags is getting tall. i found this eve that i was a bit crabby getting handles sewn, so i think it's time for a change of focus. the next few days i am going to make little pretties. holiday ornaments or door thingies or something.

speaking of making... i made my first pincushion! it's a tad wonky, but i adore it. i used this tutorial, then tweaked things. firstly i made mine huge. it's about 4 inches across. it stands less chance of getting knocked over or misplaced this way. i also am using mine upside down. i didn't like the circle of felt as i thought i would. i used a button on the bottom-now-top to anchor the floss. it looks like a funky, taupe, fabric pumpkin with pins sticking out of it. not what i'd intended, but i like it. it's me.

an update on the countdown box hunt: pom took me to acorn in santa monica yestereve. ooooh! it's like all my favorite kiddie catalogs exploded in one place. i can't wait to take thehobbit there. anyway... i got a silver acorn, a glass crescent moon, & a wooden mouse - all so teeny tiny. i wish i'd had more money to spend. probably for the best that i hadn't.

time for my weekly romantic dinner with manlyman, so i'm off.
~peace.

inferno - the lost circle

i have discovered a previously unknown circle of hell. of course dante may have known about it, but being born hundreds of years ago, just not understood what it was. who can say? i give to you; my lone reader; the tenth circle of hell....

"having had opportunities to share pictures with the world, yet being too lazy to upload to either blog or emails to family: those guilty shall have new pictures they long to share day after day, & suffer a slower-than-dirt-computer that thinks it is funny to refuse to upload."

i was sure i'd get snagged on one of the previous nine circles, but apparently ten is my unlucky number. & what pics i have to share! i have been quite the busy bee.

yesterday i was able to get four market bags completed. two have bodies of black hemp - i love the rustic feel & look of hemp fabric. i've held on to this left-over fabric for eons not knowing what i wanted to make. it was hard to let it go, but it did make lovely bags. two others are of soft corduroy - a yummy taupe color. these bring the total to seven market bags. the day before i finished my sixth patchwork tote. it's such fun, & i'm happy to say my seams are nearing straight!

did i tell you about the fun little miniatures? soap & i found these adorable faery bags ; which the kids must have for xmas. you know we immediately thought we could do better, & pay less. well we did! she found sweet metal trinkets at a craft supply site, i'm going to get some gems & acorn caps, & who doesn't already have loads of organza bags laying about? i'm so happy that thehobbit loves faeries & magic. i don't know what i would have done with a sporto kid. i digress. so we also found absolutely adorable, dinky tea sets! made of metal! i believe they are for a dollhouse, but will work fine for faeries or borrowers. i can't decide if i want to put them into the bag, or break the set up, & put them into the drawers of his countdown box. (his box counts to the solstice instead of xmas.) the funniest thing is that i had already hidden two sets in my basket, when both kids ran up to show me the same tea sets! ha!

speaking of shopping... old navy is having an outerwear sale, & i want to get thehobbit this. combined with my card discount, it will be half price! not even manlyman can get crabby at that price.

yesterday thehobbit spent most of the day playing make-believe with his pirate ship. i tried to lure him with games, projects, books...nope. he just wanted to be alone with his pirates, some knights, and a pile of dinosaurs. peter pan meets a knight's tale meets dinotopia? whatever it was, it was cute.

time for me to get off my arse. i have the roots & shoots meeting here today, & there is a certain kitchen that should be cleaned before it's condemned.

have a glorious day!
~peace.

woe is me

she's gone! manlyman took my beloved delilah back to work today. no pretty little laptop to say good morning to, no snuggling together in the warmth of the bigroom - just a cold, empty spot where once she lay. i shall drape that room in black until she's returned.

in honor of the sadness i feel, elvie (she who runs slow as dirt) has decided to upload no pictures this morning, no matter how many times i try. no threats will sway her from her decision.

on to happier things... mamas' night out last night! we went to my favorite coffee house to unwind, & discuss what we'll need for our booth at winter faire. so much work to do, & only a few weeks left in which to do it all. yikes!

just a short post today sweet reader. i've got three patchwork totes ready for sewing, & have promised thehobbit we'd do a craft project. the gloomy day outside, is perfect for indoor adventures! oooh & i just got a craving for yeasty rolls mmmmmm.

~peace.

*yeasty rolls*

flour (or spelt) tortillas

butter (or olive oil)

nutritional yeast

garlic salt

1) place tortillas on an open flame set as low as you can get it.

2) put a small pat of butter on each tortilla or brush with olive oil.

3) rotate the tortillas to lightly cook & melt the butter - watch for burning!

4) sprinkle each with garlic salt & cover with a layer of yeast.

5) roll the tortillas tightly & enjoy!

6) make some for me please.

broken promises...

...hopefully soothed by pics today! i'm sorry sweet reader. i did mean to get to my blog yesterday to post some photos as promised. instead i spent the day shopping with my wee boy, & the lovely papers (auntie & mini.)

before i start babbling, here is the trio of market bags. i don't know the decade of the fabric, but i can tell you for certain that the handles came from skirts & pants circa 1990s. i have just enough of the main fabric left for random handles to be used another time.


now down to babbling. we hadn't much time to spend thrifting, but i did find some treasures. here are some sturdy fabrics, two fancy shams just aching to be repurposed, & a swanky frame to house my sign at the winter faire.

i did try to behave whilst shopping, oh reader of mine. i swear it. most of what i bought was needed: a sweet cloche-shaped winter beanie, a black belt to keep me from stealing manlyman's, a delicious brassiere, & a pair of shoes for thehobbit. what i didn't need was lunch out, and these!....
shoes! how i love shoes! and seriously reader, aren't these too cute to pass up? classic with a funky twist. i love the detail, and that heel is my favorite kind. the bows are fun. if i ever tire of them i can easily replace them with invisible black elastic, or a button. i couldn't resist modeling them with my stripey stockings... then couldn't resist the wicked witch under dorothy's house pose. i am wearing the heels now. with jams and a robe. it's a look.

speaking of shoes. i want these desperately. they have the heel i love, they are black, they are mary janes, they are perfect! the lower heel means i can wear them more often than my pretty new ones. those will have to be for holidays, houses falling upon me, and other non-walking occasions.

time for me to run. i hope your day is lovely - celebrate the day by wearing shoes you love.

~peace.

spoiled rotten!

the past few weeks romancing manlyman's speedy (work) laptop, in the cozy comfort of my bigroom.... and i am spoiled rotten to the core. i'm not ashamed to admit it. what i am is no longer willing to sit alone in sir fennel's room, & work on my pc - which runs at the speed of dirt. why am i telling you? to explain why no photos of the funky market bags i made yesterday, nor of the first patchwork tote! bad kat.

i have to say i'm quite proud of myself. i've been dreaming of starting my own biz for so long, & now i'm actually doing it! i have stacks & stacks of things completed. ok two stacks, but technically that would qualify as stacks & stacks. so yay me!

the week ahead is going to be freaky-busy. in addition to the usual stuff, we have a roots & shoots meeting, i need to hit some thrift shops for fabric, the library is insisting we give books back, and i have to have a stamp made. that last is making me giddy! a stamp with my very own bizzie's name on it. people! err person! do you know that i looooove office supplies almost as much as i love art supplies? that is to say... office supplies + bizzie's name = well, i'm not sure what it equals, but it's probably illegal in a few states.

manlyman has a big gallery opening (ok golf thing - let a girl dream) for two of the days ahead, so i'll also be dealing with a mopey hobbit. i'm fairly sure he'll only be a pain in my arse in the mornings & eves. during the day he's seeing minipaper one day, then minisoap on day two. easy peasy.

pics tomorrow, i promise!

~peace.

of repurposing & cauldrons...

my plan was to get to bed early last night, to try to get past my disneyland hangover. happily, a guy at the club loaned manlyman dreamgirls, so my plan got chucked with the dishwater. minus the dishwater 'cuz i chucked doing the dishes too! (unhappily we forgot about the kitchen all together, so my super delish pot of vegan, cream o' broccoli soup got left out all night long, all night...)

today i have to plan my personal banner & the dragonfly artisan banner, & sort through my stack of stuff to decide what i'll be sewing tonight. i've got remnants from a linen skirt i chopped to bits, & a few pair of men's pants. all of that can be used for drink slings, as well as for random handles for totes. i suppose i should sort through a bin or two of fabric to see what could go with said random handles. i'm sure sewing from new fabric would be easier, but repurposing clothing and left-over fabric is vastly more fun & rewarding.

here's my new t-shirt shopping bag ala martha


& my new camera bag made from two (back-to-back) cargo pockets! (it still needs padding & lining)

& this has nothing to do with sewing, but is just too cool! thehobbit & the 2 minis made quicksand; which we called cauldron goo; instead of using martha's piddly amount, each kid got an entire 16oz box of cornstarch, yeah baby! it made for the coolest, messiest fun!

i've got to get lunch made. today thehobbit & i are having an indoor picnic. it's gorgeous outside, but we're on day two of make-believe snow day! brrrrr.

~peace, kat

a kingdom of thanks & treats!

the last few days have been a blur, peppered with moments of sparkling clarity! after technology & i had our falling out, i managed to relax, enjoy the time with thehobbit, & even got all my hallowe'en needs taken care of in time for my tuesday mama's night out! yay!

soap & i were the only ones who could get out, so we opted for a late supper, and window shopping. i saw many things at both cost plus & a book store that i so wanted to take home with me. i behaved, & only took home an imported dark chocolate. by "home" i mean that i ate it straight away. i do so love dark chocolate.

yesterday was fantastic! friends of soap generously signed my family into the magic kingdom for the day! thank you boneshaker & uncle r!! i'm not sure who was more excited - thehobbit or i?! i have loved disneyland since i can remember. we haven't been since thehobbit was 3 because it costs a zillion dollars per person now! again, thank you amazing friends of soap for our free entry!!!

manlyman said his favorite part of the day was being with his family (i love him more than dark chocolate!) thehobbit loved autopia & peter pan the best, and i? for a family ride i choose the haunted mansion, & for hobbit-less enjoyment i pick peter pan. thehobbit, minisoap, & minipaper got to ride in their own ship... sans parents! such fun for them! that left manlyman & i to snuggle over london in our very own ship. mmmmmm lovely.

the day ended much too quickly. before we knew it we had to leave the kingdom to get into our costumes. the trick or treating at california disney was fun, but suffered greatly in comparison. had i to do again, i think my family would stay behind at disney proper, and meet everyone later for the last hour of treating. happily they had fresh and dried apples, & natural fruit leather at the treating stations! we did get a little bit of nasty candy for the switch witch though. she took it all during the night, and left thehobbit a sweet little, lime green enamel canister. he's already inserted a label, on which he wrote "potions." of course.

i'd planned to spend the day playing sewing catch-up, but i'm so tired, even my fingers are sleepy. maybe later in the day. i think i need more time playing sitting still catch-up.

~peace, & belated hallowe'en blessings!