kats in the belfry

happy day of love

2012-02-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

happy valentine's day!!!

there has been rotating pestilence at thebelfry, hence the lack of babble. i shall try to get back to posting as soon as i am no longer locked in nyquil's embrace. until then, look at my sweet potato! manlyman baked a pan of them, & this little guy sliced open to create the sweet potatoist (real word) heart.

~peace.

milk, milk, & milk

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

my recent purchases are all milk-related. it was not planned to be this way, it was just serendipitous.

the gorgeous glass pictured above was found at anthropologie. usually i can resist buying (new) things i truly do not need, but these glasses were perfect in every way. the pale recycled glass, the jam-jar shape, the lettering - they simply screamed kat!. so i screamed back ok!, & took home a set of four. because there are four in your family, kat? no. that would mean that i will let the menfolk use them. because i needed one glass, & the glass needed three!

this little pitcher was the only milk-related item for which i had been hunting. i wanted a small one that we could use to pour milk into our tea, porridge, etc at the table. the gallon is too unwieldy when you need only a small amount of milk, or moo juice, as elfling calls it. besides, this way is more fun.

after many failed thrift hunts (there had been pitchers, i am just freakypicky), i decided to look for a new one. i finally found this just a few weeks ago, at world market , & only four dollars!

the only thrifted milk purchases were these milk-glass mixing bowls. i am in love with them more than one should probably admit to loving a pair of bowls, but there you have it. i would have been swoony at finding just one of these, but to find the two? in pristine condition? gasp!

i am off to play tea party with my elfling, a toy recycling truck, & a stuffed panda. see you tomorrow!

~peace.

official faq moment:
* no, i do not have a large house in which to store all of my thrifting purchases - it is quite small, in fact. i am either replacing broken items, or buying things i find that i need. the set of glasses is an exception to my norm; four glasses from my cupboard went into storage.

* nope, i am not rolling in dough. we live on only manlyman's income since i closed ye olde shoppe.it is just that i am dedicated to finding things as inexpensively as possible, so will scour shop after shop. it helps that i a) adore thrift shopping, & 2) truly prefer vintage (used) over new.

a hobbity day

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

photo :: property of bellalulu

happy fourteenth birthday, my sweet hobbit. you are amazing, & i love you from here, to the moon, & back again.

~peace.

gorgeousness, found.

2012-01-27T14:43:00.000-08:00

you simply must see the gorgeousness found by my dearest tinker. enjoy!

~peace.

uglies be gone!

2012-01-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

this past august i discovered that i have disc goings-on in my neck. i shall spare you the details, save this one: the accoutrement for a healthy spine are ugly.

it recently occurred to me that though i could not change my circumstances, i could change the ugly. & so i did.

i made a case for the ugly cervical pillow. (excuse the wrinkles, i do not like to iron.)

i then made a rice pillow (to be kept in the freezer) to replace the ugly cold-packs.

there are also two neck rolls that need prettyfication (real word), but those will have to wait. oh! the vintage loveliness in the first photo is meant to ~~one of these days~~ trim the ugly cervical pillow's case.

my neck isn't healed by making pretty cases & ice pillows - but my mood is lifted a wee bit. that's a good thing :)

uglies be gone!

~peace.

thrifting show & tell - book

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

photo :: property of mutt ink

today i found the most fabulous book that ever there was - there was an old lady who swallowed a fly, by jeremy holmes. oh my one & only reader, you must see this in person to truly appreciate it. click here, then click on views to see what i mean. ack!

i cannot believe i had not seen this book before now, nor even heard of the illustrator. ooh! & when i was googling the book, to get the link for you, i found the trailer for it. enjoy!

~peace.

shakespearean pigs

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

most likely you have already seen this, but i had to share it anyway. enjoy!

hogwarts homeschool - herbology

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

this post really should be on my hogwarts homeschool blog, but i am not quite ready to dust over there just yet. soon, i promise.

at the start of autumn, we began a new version of herbology. this time around it's just thehobbit & minisoap, with auntiesoap leading the class. in addition to a new teacher, a lot more is expected of them - they are both teens now, after all.

each month professor mudd, as she is calling herself, teaches them about one herb: folklore, medicinal properties, & culinary uses. the rest of the month is spent foraging, cooking, creating, drawing, writing papers, & so on. he is enjoying the increase in work more than i thought he would.

january's herb is chickweed. thehobbit took the above photo when they went foraging in auntiesoaps' neighborhood. once back at her home they set about making a healing salve. (i shall edit this to include instructions for making your own soon. thehobbit forgot his herbology folder there. again.)

photo :: property of thehobbit

for the jar's label he used this free download. scroll down to find the blank version. finally! a use for thehobbit's freakytiny printing.

some notes on his label:

he forgot to include beeswax in the list of ingredients.

whilst it can be used to heal a myriad of woes, it cannot be used on any med problem. that is a slight exaggeration ;)
edited to add :: prof. mudd informed thehobbit yesterday to not use salves containing comfrey on deep cuts or puncture wounds.

do you use herbal remedies? what is your favorite?

~peace.

blackout in protest of sopa

2012-01-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

chopsticks for everyone!

2012-01-17T08:24:00.000-08:00

all photos in this post :: property of thehobbit

we had lunch at my favorite restaurant yesterday. in the past i would go there regularly, but i believe this is only our second visit since elfling came along. wow. i had not even realized that until just now. anyway -

the waitress gave elfling a rigged set of chopsticks to use. (they fold the wrapper, stick it between the sticks, & hold it together with a rubberband. it is fabulous!) as i was showing him how to use it, manlyman commented that he was only two, & would not be able to use chopsticks.

instead of explaining how toddlers can do much more than most people think they are able; which i was about to do; i asked him what he thought they used in asian countries. usually i opt for the hermione (insufferable know-it-all) approach, so surprised us both with my reply.

after only a few attempts, he mastered the rigged chah-spicks, as he called them. of course he did, because toddlers can do vastly more than people think they can.

um, i mean - just like children in asian countries do.

~peace.

ps :: hey doc! thought of you when we were there. hope you are feeling well.

in which she talks about books. again.

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

are you tired of listening to me babble about books yet? sorry. i did say that i had been thinking about them quite a bit. did you not believe me?

in searching through my books for some faerie images; elfling is currently mad for them; i realized that i had amassed a lovely collection of books containing faeries & their ilk.

i thought it would be fun to share some of them with you - so, in no particular order...

once upon a time

victorian color picture books

lady cottington's pressed fairy book

a field guide to the little people

care & feeding of sprites

gnomes

fantastic beasts & where to find them

fairy houses ... everywhere!

fairy houses & beyond!

filed guide to the fantastical world around you

the garden gnome book

this list does not include the books that thehobbit asked me to store in the garage, nor the eleventy billion books on dragons. still, it is quite enough to get you started on your own collection, should you be of a mind.

some things to note:
a) i did not append the authors, but you can find that information on each book's amazon page - just click on a title in the list.
2)many of my books were found at thrift shops & used book shops over the years. that said, i do not know if any of the prices quoted on amazon are reasonable.

are there any books on magical creatures that you would like to recommend? i am sure i can find room for a few more on my shelf ;)

~peace.

thursday things - books, vintage & odd

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

this week's thursday things is about books for kids: old ones, strange ones, & just plain creepy ones. in other words - wonderful ones.

i spotted the utter zoo alphabet on a thrift shop's shelf, moments before thehobbit did. a better parent would have stood back, knowing that her son, her firstling, was about to reach for the book. i, am not that parent. i snatched that book so quickly, that you could hear the woosh! as i brought it to my chest to be rocked in my loving embrace.

mine.

mine!

wonderfully mine.

don't judge me too harshly, i told him that he was allowed to borrow it whenever he liked. so long as he wears white gloves. & he does not breathe on it.

now that you are suitably horrified by my parenting, here are two blogs that you will adore:

* vintage kids' books my kid loves is sublime. i stumbled upon her blog early last year, & immediately liked her page on facebook. that is how i keep up with blogs these days, by the way, it's much easier for me than subscribing. anyway, give her blog a look-see; i know you'll enjoy it.

* curious pages has the best tag line: recommended inappropriate books for kids. yes, please! i have not had time to go through the archives on this blog yet, as i only discovered it last week. from what i have seen however, the blog is packed with lovely oddness. i did not even know of this amazing book, until i saw it on curious pages.

that is all today. my not-so-vintage-but-ever-so-wonderfully-odd children are both still swimming in pestilence's waters. i suppose i should stop ignoring them ;)

~peace.

an old book of old cars

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

this is one of the vintage books we gave elfling for xmas. i had been looking for a book of cars for him, but everything i found was ever so ugly.

when i spotted this at a used book store i may have actually squealed. the illustrations are sweet & simple, & not one car pictured has a face. do not get me started on that rant.

that is one funky van! i know it is supposed to be bicentennial, but it reminds me of a circus. must be the stripes.

this illustration has to be my favorite. manlyman is planning to get a mini. this is sort of what i imagine he'll look like driving it.

i was going to put it away for when he is older, because he is brutal to books, but i didn't. after all, it isn't as if this book is rare, or cost a lot of money; i just wanted it kept pristine because i think it is so wonderful. i eventually realized that if that was the most important issue then i should keep the book for myself. but if i truly wanted elfling to have it, i needed to just let him have it.

hopefully he'll learn to be more gentle with books, until then i shall just focus on not hyperventilating each time i see him reach for this particular one.

do you buy vintage books for your kids too?
~peace.

twenty twelve

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

has your year been lovely thus far? mine started off that way, then pestilence hit. nothing dreadful, it has just kept us home, missing out on a few outings & parties we had been looking forward to.

most of yesterday was spent in bed, reading with fifi le fire. i love fifi, & do not know how i managed without her for all these years. but that is a chat for another day.

i am off to attempt a nap with elfling. have a great one, do!

~peace.

ps :: the photo is unrelated to today's babble. this pestilence hasn't had us spending a large amount of time in the bathroom, i just stumbled across it in my archives. oldies may recognize it from thehobbit's old borrowers' house. i wish my bathroom was that clean. & large.

old timey new years & a wish

2011-12-30T19:43:00.000-08:00

isn't this victorian card fabulous? even the slightly creepy father time makes me happy. know what else makes me happy? you. i have enjoyed spending another year babbling into the ether at you - thanks.

my wish is that all of you have a wonderful end to 2011, & and even more wonderful 2012. see you next year!

~peace.

pretend-shopping gone global

2011-12-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

comic :: property of mama is

my friend heather was inspired by my pretend-gifting to create a beautiful version of her own. of course, being the fabulous cowgoddess that she is, heather drew a comic to tell the tale. enjoy!

~peace.

pretend-shopping, the second

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

photo :: property of armadillo dreams

there were so many more things that i wanted to show you, so thought i would! whilst the last post featured items i pretend-bought myself, today's post focuses on items for my kids. let us begin!

* this pirate ship has to be the most wonderous pull-toy i have ever seen.

* thehobbit & his friends are serious dr who fans, so he would love this itouch skin.

* how utterly fabulous is this toddler shirt?!!!

* another fabulous toddler shirt!! (disclaimer :: this one made by a friend of mine.)

* who wouldn't want to mustache-ify their mugs & cups? i am fairly certain that both of my boys would love these.

that is all for today, my one & only reader. that to-do list will not get to-done on its own.

~peace.

thursday things - pretend-shopping

2011-12-21T08:53:00.000-08:00

photo :: property of little bits clothing co

this week's thursday things is being done today instead, as tomorrow i shall be off having solsticey (real word) adventures. enjoy!

i have been pretend-shopping quite a lot over the last few days. mostly i keep my finds to myself, with occasionally showing a friend what i pretend-bought for her/him. when i saw the above frock coat i just had to share with all of you. it is just too wonderful to not.

in fact the entire shop, little bits clothing co is wonderful. it is packed with handmade historical clothing & accessories. even bum rolls! i don't need a bum roll, as i am already rolling in the bum area, so to speak. i do, however, need that frock coat. yes, i know it is for a man, but i want it anyway.

here are a few more things that i pretend-bought for myself:

* this hat is simply perfect. i love having a warm head, but do not love beanies - on me, anyway. this is actually a hat, but crocheted, so maintaining a sense of beanieness (real word).

* if these gorgeous boots were half a size larger, i would be more than pretend-buying them right this very moment.

* i am swoony for these salad tongs. pretty, aren't they?

* ack! eiffel tower scissors!! want.

i have pretend-bought ever so much more than this, but my wee elfling is done playing blocks, so the rest shall have to wait for another day.

~peace.

hustle & bustle & videos

2011-12-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

there has been much hustle & even more bustle in thebelfry these last few days, which is why i have not been around to chat with you. unless you are vastly more together than i (& i suspect you are) you have been hustling & bustling as well, so not noticing my absence. shame on you.

it has been difficult, but we have managed to squeeze in some holidayness (real word). in addition to crafts & outings we have watched: miracle on 34th st (original & newer), elf, a charlie brown christmas, & a plethora of youtube videos. here are the videos getting the most play:

~peace.

random randomosity

2011-12-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

good whatever it is where you are. here, it is just after five in the morning. the house is pitch black, my menfolk are sleeping, & the rain is softly falling outside. i don't know why i just typed outside. where else would the rain be falling? though with all the quirks, shall we say, of this old belfry, i imagine i am lucky that it is only raining outside.

i am closing my etsy shop at the end of the month, did i tell you? it was not a decision i made lightly, & it brings me great sadness to do so, but it is for the best. at least that is what i am telling myself. i am not closing my bizzie entirely, just this construct of it.

we have been indulging in a bit of holiday crafting. thus far elfling's most favorite activity has been stamping. i learned at hallowe'en that if i wanted something holidayish to hang on the art wall, i needed to set out only the appropriate stamps & colors, not the entire tin. so for this round of stamping i set out the santa & star stamps, & the colors: green, red, silver, & gold. after elfling declared his holiday art complete, i let him have the rest tin. that boy of mine can spend quite a long time stamping.

i did manage to make those magnets we chatted about. mine aren't nearly as cute as the ones in the tutorial, but i was short on time. the choice came down to a) forgo painting them, or 2) risk not getting them finished by xmas. i chose the former. that's them in the photo. they are good enough; there's that pesky good enough again; for a toddler - i doubt elfling will care that he can see the wood grain.

once the sun rises i need to get sewing. my mother-in-law is coming for an early christmas, & i realized only last night that her gift was not finished. she travels a lot, so i am making her a large, flat-bottomed pouch that she can toss in her suitcase. to make it special, i had elfling draw on the fabric with permanent markers. he is only two, so basically it will look like someone scribbled all over her pouch. that said, she is a grandma, therefore will adore it as if rembrandt himself has done the scribbling.

that is all for this morning's random chat. i am in desperate need of coffee. thanks for visiting.

~peace.

santa peggie

2011-12-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

put some presents under the tree. for me. (that is how we are singing the song these days.)

unlike his first 2 decembers, elfling is good & truly aware of the magic all around him. that awareness has breathed new life into traditions that had become stale, or forgotten over the last few years. don't get me wrong, thehobbit still adores the winter holidays, but he has long since outgrown the squealing at even drawings of santa stage. know what i mean?

oldies may remember me babbling about my santa collection last year. well, when we set them out the other day, elfling went mad! he wanted to hold each & every one, kiss them, hug them, & even have deep conversations a few. unfortunately, most of the santas are old, with a few being quite fragile, so we had to limit his santa-loving.

which brings us to the santa peg you see in the above photo. i knew elfling needed a santa that he could carry about with him, one that would survive a month of toddler kisses. it was great fun to paint, & i love the way it turned out. i did forget to paint arms, but i am pretending that i meant to do so - that can be our little secret.

as with steve, the santa peg is nowhere near perfect. i rushed it, so it would be ready when he woke from his nap. it is coming in whispers, but i am actually learning to find peace with doing things good enough.

sing with me! santa peggie, put some presents under the tree...

~peace.

pouches gone bad

2011-12-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

there are times when i think sewing is a good idea, only to later discover i was wrong. zippers are sewn in crooked, there is a tiny stain or snag i had not noticed, the design on the fabric is off, or something else is not as it should be. with a toddler & a teen in residence, these times occur more often than they had in years past.

many friends have suggested i list the items in theshop, at a discounted price, but the perfectionist in me just couldn't do it. until now. the pile of pouches gone bad was beginning to top that of the perfect ones, & i was running out of free time to sew more.

so (insert deep breath here) you can now find the bad boys in my etsy shop, at a considerable discount. don't be afraid of them, they aren't as bad as i have made them out to be - after all, not one of them has a prison record. that i know of.

the pretty linen pouch pictured above is for sale, as is a sweet taupe pouch. there are two others that have yet to be listed; both even prettier than these.

thank you for taking the time to look at my pouches gone bad. i hope you like them.

~peace.

vintage books for kids

2011-11-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

photo :: property of this site

a few months back a used book store took over the space that was once a border's. this shop is the most amazing place that ever there was! it is a huge space, filled with shelf after shelf of gently used books (my favorite kind!). most are priced at $1 or $2, which is unheard of even at thrift shops nowadays.

i have yet to get myself more than a handful of books, because i find that i spend all of my time digging through the children's section. thehobbit has come home with many treasures, & elfling is now the proud owner of a large stack of some very cool board books.

the best part? i have found some gorgeous vintage kids' books like the one pictured above. elfling likes charlie brown & snoopy, so i tossed the book onto my stack, without even looking at the condition. after all, a 2 year old doesn't much care if pages are torn, or scribbled upon. imagine my surprise when, once home, i discovered the book to not only be in pristine condition, but a first edition. needless to say it was elevated to books we look through only with mama or dada status. i know, i'm a killjoy.

here are a few more vintage books we have recently added to our collection:

* richard scarry's busy, busy world was one of my favorite childhood books. my mother bought thehobbit many scarry books, which we saved, but not this one. i was thrilled to find a 1970 copy! apparently later editions were edited to be more p.c. - blah. our copy is missing half of one page, but as i only paid two dollars, i am not going to complain. besides, elfling enjoys stopping on that page to say "dis page es teared. bébé not teared et."

* richard scarry's best counting book ever is one i had not seen before. elfling is swoony for this book because it has green bug on nearly every page. our copy is from 1975, but looks as if it's never been read.

* little golden book - cars from 1973 is so cute! elfling loves vehicles of all sorts, so is going to adore this book. unlike the others i chatted about, this one has been set aside for xmas.

like with other vintage treasures, searching for old books is not for the faint of heart. you have to love the hunt itself beyond measure, because it can be grueling. you also have to be willing to spend hours searching, knowing that most likely you will leave empty handed.

ok, i don't enjoy leaving without a treasure, but i do love, love, love the hunt. so tell me, what books from your childhood have you given your child(ren)?

~peace.

blessings

2011-11-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

blesssings to you & yours.

~peace.

sans turkey

2011-11-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

photo :: property of this website.

were i aware of my camera's whereabouts, i would have taken a few autumnal photos for you. los angeles in autumn is quite beautiful. as it is i had to rely on a google search for today's photo. i must say, that am happy i could not find the camera - just look at that wonderful old photo!

today my mind is filled with thoughts of food: what i am cooking, what i have gotten already, & what i have yet to buy. honestly, i do not know how people with large families manage. it is just we four, & i am having daydreams of chucking it all, & ordering pizza.

this year i am not attempting a fancy protein dish; instead i bought a quorn roast. earlier this year i discovered that if you thaw the roast, slice it into rounds, marinade it, then roast it, it is much more flavorful & moist. that is the plan for thanksgiving. want to see my menu?

* turk'y roast - with mushroom gravy

* green bean casserole - using fresh haricot vert, instead of canned, & a homemade soup base. i have always caramelized the onions myself for the casserole, but this year bought trader joe's can of fried onions instead. i am pretending it's to be retro, but honestly, i just haven't the time to cook everything from scratch.

* the brussels sprouts dish that i chatted about here.

* my mom's double-layer pie. ok it is actually libby's, but i don't recall the people at libby's ever making it for me, so i'm giving the kudos to my mother. i do alter the recipe a bit: milk, instead of evaporated & condensed, only one box of pudding mix, & i bake a regular pie crust. i do not like graham crusts. ew.

* sweet potatoes, roasted with olive oil, & red onions.

* stuffing. oh my one-&-only reader, i. love. stuffing. to the usual ingredients i add: 3 diced zucchini, a bag of diced mushrooms, tons of garlic, & chopped spinach - all sauteed until fully cooked. i also omit the butter, & add a can of cream of celery soup (or mushroom). i find that veggie broth is too tangy/salty, so use water as the liquid.

ok, now i am hungry.

tell me, what are you making this year? i promise to give you full credit, if i steal your menu :)

~peace.

on being thankful

2011-11-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

like many of you, i am busy getting ready for thanksgiving. we do not celebrate the myth of the pilgrims & natives - i shan't go into the whys & such here. we do, however, celebrate being thankful. one thing for which i am quite thankful, is you. i am grateful that you take time out of your busy life to come here, & read my babblings. thank you.

~peace.

in which i fancied gloves

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

let me clarify: whilst i did want a pair of gloves, that is not what i meant by fancied. i saw these ~~ugly~~ plain pair of gloves in a dollar bin. thinking they would be fine as-is for going to the park, i bought them. after all, i don't have to be fancy at the park.

only, i simply couldn't let them be. i rummaged through my bins of vintage goodness, hoping to find black lace or velvet ribbon. sadly i found none. what i did find...

... were 2 fancy shell buttons!

now i know they look a bit not so very katish when sitting on my filthy floor, but look!

on, they are perfectly lovely! &, i imagine, they shall look lovelier still when worn with something that is not my jams top.

i am looking forward to taking my fancied gloves to the park.

~peace.

thursday things - soap

2011-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

photo :: property of sacred waters soap co.

normally i feature items from different places that i have stumbled upon. because i also wanted to showcase the shops on my sidebar, i thought it would be fun to combine the two. & so, this week's thursday things is about soap - specifically soap from the oh so fabulous shannon, of sacred waters soap co.

shannon's own words:

I am inspired to create a quiet, simpler life filled with beauty. Soap making seems a perfect extension of that desire.
It all began 11 years ago, my daughter was born and so was my profession. Spurred to greater heights by a desire to stay home with my children and the onset of some skin allergies, I threw myself into the magic that is soap making. I have studied, asked old timers, and practiced hard to perfect my craft.

* pure & natural is my favorite by far. oh, did i forget to mention that we use her soaps? we do. i like this because i am a bit sensitive to fragrances, even natural ones, so having an unscented soap is perfect. i also appreciate having something i can feel comfortable using on elfling.

* the holly & spice soap would be a nice prezzie for those people you don't know very well. i think my postal carrier would love a wintery soap over the boxes of chocolates i know she gets each year.

* organic peppermint foot scrub spa set - say that 3 times fast! this set has everything you need to make your feet feel good. minus the hot water, of course.

* her laundry soap powder works as well as she claims. shannon graciously let me try a sample of the lavender zen, & i loved it. sadly, it does not come packaged with an actual person to do the laundry.

there is so much more to see, & she is happy to take custom orders. please take a look at her shop. the soaps are simply divine.

shannon is offering a discount for the bestest readers in all of blogdom! enter the code soapbox when checking out. woo & hoo, baby!

~peace.

ampersand, the end

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

i could tell you that i have been meaning to show you the completed ampersand for ages. i could, but i would be lying. not about the meaning to bit, but about the completed bit. you see, i kept waiting for time to do the thing properly. it would seem that life with a teen & a toddler leaves one with no time for doing anything, proper or otherwise.

today i asked thehobbit to play with elfling, & set about just getting it done. i knew that rushing the completion would mean a wonky ampersand, but it was either that, or stare at the half-finished project for the rest of my life. i have enough of those, thank you very much.

so it doesn't look like it would have had i had the time, & i am having to force myself to be content with its many imperfections - but that is ok she keeps telling herself.

what do you think? pretend you do not see all the imperfections, please. lie to me if you need. & remember: all comments that do not contain words of praise could quite possibly be deleted.

eventually it will hang higher on the wall, but for now it sits on the mirror. oh, ignore the dusty mirror, please.

it feels good to have one less half-completed project cluttering my home & head.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

~peace.

we save the brains

2011-11-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

thehobbit has begun the annual collecting of the brains. in more polite circles this is known as harvesting nasturtium seeds.

polite circles are dreadfully dull, if you ask me.

what is going on in your garden?

~peace.

it's all right

2011-11-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

there is such magic in the early morning sunlight. my sewing nook faces eastward, so is filled with this magic at the start of each day. i love how it makes me feel.

things are especially messy at the moment, what with the recent flurry of sewing goodies for theshop. i prefer sewing in the morning, to soak in some of that magic, but my children prefer otherwise :)

today i got as far as poking through my bin of vintage bits & bobs, before i was thwarted. i had hoped on finishing the latest fancy pouch whilst they ate, but a certain elfling insisted he needed an audience for banana-eating, & that his brother would simply not do.

that seen to, i did try to get some sewing done, but the sunlight was quickly settling behind dark clouds. without the sunlight, it just feels cold & normal in there - not nearly as enjoyable as with.

i snapped a few photos before calling it a day.

here comes the sun, & i say

it's all right.

~peace.

elevensies, the sale

2011-11-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

photo :: property of ???

beginning this friday, 11-11-11, there will be free shipping on all orders over $11.00!

ooh & aah kat, but for how long?, you ask. well, my dearest one & only reader, that is the best part of all. this elevensies celebratory goodness will last as long as the year does. by my calendar that means things should go back to normal come the first of january - unless you can find a way to stretch time, that is.

i have already begun sewing & painting lovely goodies for you, & will continue to do so until mid december. in addition to the things usually found in theshop, there shall be: toddler birthday crowns, adventure kits, acorn gnomie kits, fancy lined pouches, & more!

the hows & whats:

beginning 11-11-11 (pacific time, usa), go to theshop, & make your purchases. if your order totals $11.00 or more, you will get free shipping. you needn't let me know anything, nor enter a code of any sort. before your order ships, i'll simply refund your shipping to your paypal account - easy peasy! (please contact me if you need to make your purchase without waiting for the refund. i understand how tough times are right now, & am happy to fidget things for you.)

there you have it! please spread the word, so others can take advantage of the elevensies celebratory sale (& so a certain someone can pay for her blended mocha addiction.)

happy shopping! & happy eleven eleven eleven!

~peace.

downton abbey

2011-11-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

have you seen it yet? i fell in love with the series earlier this year, when it played on pbs. that link will take you to pbs' downton abbey page, & give you the dates for season two's airing. i have already seen season two! in fact, i just finished watching the last episode. i have connections, don't you know?

actually, i haven't. i watched the second season on fast pass :)

photo :: property of here

would you just look at those gorgeous costumes? i tell you, there were times i had to replay an episode, because i'd missed so much in paying more attention to what people were wearing. i want that gown on the left - minus the lace collar.

there is to be a special christmas episode, & then we have to wait until next year for season three. i hate waiting. until then, i shall have to be content with watching the whole thing from the beginning. over & over & over & ...

~peace.

clever goings-on

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

longer ago than i care to admit, i lost my kitchen blackboard's eraser. since then i have used rags, scraps of wool, thehobbit's eraser (which he promptly took back), & even a potholder - basically, whatever was at hand. oh. & my hand.

last week i had a few minutes to myself, so made an item whose purpose is solely to remove chalk from my blackboard. in other words, an actual eraser.

it was so simple:

* take two rectangles of felt, & pink their edges, so they will be oh so fancy.

* cut a small twig to size, making sure you have no sharp bits left behind.

* with some embroidery floss, affix the twig to the center of one felt rectangle.

* place the rectangles, wrong sides, together, & sew three sides shut.

* shove a blob of stuffing into the opening (you could even use felt scraps for this), & stitch the remaining side shut.

* marvel at the cleverness of you.

~peace.

thursday things - make it yourself

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

photo :: my new toddler-sized birthday crown, for sale soon!

i have decided to do away with all pretense, & just admit that i am already working on the winter holiday stuff. sigh. it is not that i want to, i have no choice. if prezzies are going to get made, & theshop is going to overflow with goodies for sale, then i cannot wait for the actual season to arrive. blah.

this week's thursday things focuses on prezzies you can make. hoorah, tutorials!!!

* wooden alphabet magnets this is the set i am making for elfling. i had been searching for new magnets for him, as his set is missing a few letters. it was fine when the magnets were just for moving around the front of my washing machine, but now that he is learning his letters, it's probably best to have them all.

* mp3 player arm band thehobbit needs one of these! i won't bother with the patchwork (though i do love it myself) & just make it all black, or dark gray. those are the only colors he'll wear these days. i think it's the teen uniform here in los angeles ~~she wrote, ignoring the fact that those are pretty much the only colors she wears as well.~~

* wrist cuff oh yes! both manlyman & thehobbit are getting an upcycled wrist cuff.

ack! he is awake? already? sigh. ok, my sweet one & only reader, that will have to be it for today. happy crafting!

~peace.

steve, pegged

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

elfling was given a dvd featuring 3 episodes of blue's clues. assuming he'd enjoy it a few times, then lose interest, i popped on the disc. yeah. there will be no losing of interest anytime soon. my wee boy is knee-deep in bluesmania. he talks, non-stop, about the show, sings the songs, & asks to play bahlews clews, as he calls it, over & over.

as i am trying to make most of the boys' holiday prezzies this year, i decided that a blue's clues play set was in order.

above is my first attempt at steve. not good enough for theshop, but just fine for my own 2 year-old.

i cannot show you my first blue as she, well - wondering if i was being hard on myself, i showed her to elfling. he did not even know who it was! he just sat, staring at her, with a look of utter confusion on his sweet face. that is telling, my friends.

hopefully i will manage a blue peg soon, as i am not so sure a steve's clues play set would be as thrilling ;)

~peace.

ps :: this is not another too-early xmas post - it is a too-early solstice post. so there.

a rockin' ho ho ho

2011-11-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

photo :: property of mimi kirchner

ok, i know i am always one of the first in line each year for complaining about early xmas posts. that said? i just had to show you this doll. isn't he fabulous? i always knew santa was hiding tattoos under his velvets.

you may return to your candy now.

~peace.

2011-10-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

of pumpkins, brooms, & black cats

2011-10-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

funny isn't it- how you only see things in photos when looking at them later? i had the camera in the yard with me this morning, in case elfling did something adorable. thehobbit was with us as well, but he is a teenager. teens are not known for being adorable. angsty, yes. adorable, not so much.

anyway, i remembered that a friend had asked to see the scarf i was working on, so snapped a photo of that. then the neighbor's kitten, ivy, came to visit, so i snapped a few of her antics. & so on.

when i transferred the photographs to the computer, i noticed the timely goings-on: the pumpkin colored ball of yarn, the tattered broom, & the black cat. & none of it planned! i don't normally have brooms on my lawn, by the way; elfling had been sweeping up the dirt clods he'd tossed onto the patio.

don't you love serendipity?

when witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near halloween.
~author unknown

~peace.

thursday things - hallowe'en

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

only a few days to go, & i am finally getting into the spirit (ha!) of things. this year thehobbit is going as a zombie doctor. all his friends are going as a dead/zombie/vampire/etc something-or-others. nobody wants to just be the something, they have to all have to be spookified (real word) somehow. bunch of nuts. or would that be bunch of zombie nuts? hahahaha, i just realized how that reads. i am not erasing it - zombie nuts! hahaha. sorry. i spend too much time with a 13yo & his friends.

here are some fabulous hallowe'en things i spotted when pottering about:

* ouija board ring! enough said.

* haunted house pdf this is very sweet. it would be fun to build with a child.

* the count's castle theatre & here is a gorgeous one for the teens to build. or you!

* nodder he gives me the creeps, yet still i want him for my very own.

* elegant treat bags these make me wish we were having a party.

* jams ack! so cute. i think i may have to get these for elfling. good thing he is small for his age :)

* it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown quite possibly the best holiday movie ever.

dear great pumpkin, i am looking forward to your arrival on hallowe'en night. i hope you will bring me lots of presents. ~ linus

~peace.

the veil is getting thin

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

as i went out walking this fall afternoon,
i heard a whisper whispering.
i heard a whisper whispering,
upon this fine fall day...

as i went out walking this fall afternoon,
i heard a laugh a' laughing.
i heard a laugh a' laughing,
upon this fine fall day...

i heard this whisper and i wondered,
i heard this laugh and then i knew.
the time is getting near my friends,
the time that i hold dear my friends,
the veil is getting thin my friends,
and strange things will pass through.
author :: unknown

in which a pumpkin patch...

2011-10-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

...isn't. we have not had time to get to an actual pumpkin patch this year. thehobbit could care less, being a great old man of 13, but elfling is just coming into his awareness of special events & times of year. bad mama.

i did not want to miss out on an opportunity for adorable pumpkiny photos, so found an alternative to the pumpkin patch - trader joe's! the store we frequent has a fun display out front, with crates of pumpkins, & even some of those cut-out photo stand things. sorry, am completely blanking on what those are called.

how i got adorable pumpkiny photos without an actual pumpkin patch: thehobbit moved some of the pumpkins in one of the crates, in went elfling, & out came my camera. poof! instant pumpkin patch.

apparently my idea was brilliant, because another mama had been watching, & asked us to leave the pumpkins like that, so that she could do the same. if only i could bottle my brilliant mind ;)

have a lovely day, do!
~peace.

montessori - the second

2011-10-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

another, & so soon? oh dearest kat, you did say you would not become a montessori blogger! easy now tiger, i photographed both activities on the same ~~quite overcast, sorry for the dark photos~~ day, so am merely posting the second before i forget the photos exist. see? i would not lie to you.

this installment: sorting! elfling thinks this activity is the most fun ever. he will play & play & play with his sorting kit for toddler-eons. i did learn early on that i have to watch for signs that his attention is waning; if i let him end this activity on his own, he will start tossing the pieces into their baskets, which quickly leads to throwing them. occasionally at things. more specifically, brother-type-things.

according to the books i've been reading (a post for another day), they can sort bits by: color, size, shape, & so on. i wanted to test the activity before spending money, so just pulled wooden things from my shop's supply bins. now that i know he loves sorting, i am on the hunt for the perfect objects & containers.

you set out a few small containers, (you'll need one for each kind of object), & one larger, filled with the assorted bits. to show elfling how to play, i placed one different item in each basket. it did not take long at all for him to catch on. by the way, elfling calls this activity same-same. i took his cue, & began asking same-same? when he'd put a bit in the wrong basket. if he says it is the same, i don't correct him. i just say ok. he usually sees his mistake later.

once all the bits are sorted, elfling pours them back into the larger container, & starts again. he keeps at this until an object gets tossed - which is when i tell him it is time for clean-up. without (yet) making a fuss, he: stacks the baskets, places the stack in the bigger basket, puts the sorting bits into the top of the stack, shuts the lid, & slides it back on its shelf. all on his own! ok, i do help with the latch, but honestly, that's the extent of my aid.

this is not unique to my toddler. in fact, i did not fully believe it would work beyond a few oh this is interesting times. but it does work! the more i ask him to help me with things, & the more jobs that are specifically his to do, the happier, & calmer he seems. too bad it doesn't work with teenagers.

a few notes on this activity:

* i use smallish objects, because 1) he is not known to put things in his mouth, & b) this is not an activity he's left alone to do; someone is always in the room with him. opt for larger bits if this is not the case with your toddler.

* objects for sorting: blocks, wooden shapes, pom-poms, acorns, smooth stones or shells, & so on. decide how you want to sort, consider the ability & age of your toddler, & pick what you like. i only went with all wood, because it's what i had on hand.

* if you decide to use small baskets for your sorting bins, i recommend sturdy ones. the ones we are temporarily using are from my kitchen (small ceramic tart pans sit in them, when serving), & not meant to take the wear & tear of a 2 year-old.

* there are a lot of pieces to this activity, so make sure your box/basket/bag closes securely. the cute basket you see in the photos used to hold a small ceramic picnic set. i like it for this kit, because it's lightweight, large enough hold everything, has a latch & handle, & can double as the larger container.

*enjoy!

~peace.

montessori - part one

2011-10-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

back when thehobbit was a dinky guy, i stumbled upon montessori education. i looked into it, but didn't implement anything, because i had shortly after stumbled upon waldorf education. the latter suited thehobbit's personality & style of learning much better. i did send away for the fabulous catalog however, which i still get.

recently i realized that montessori would be a better fit for elfling, so began re-researching it. as elfling only just turned two, i needed more information on implementing montessori at home, as opposed to homeschooling montessori. one of my favorite blogs is written by a former montessori teacher, who now has a toddler of her own. i popped over there, & found some things to get us started.

i have no intention of becoming a montessori blogger, but i thought i would share, every so often, some things that we are trying out. this post is the first installment :)

a scissoring activity. don't freak on me, i bought toddler scissors. he can squeeze his finger between the blades as hard as he likes, but it won't cut him. i tried it. hurts like the dickens, but it left not even a scratch. like meg, i created a kit: a box, which holds strips of paper, & scissors.

elfling has yet to get the hang of the scissors, but that doesn't seem to keep him from having fun. i have to hold the paper for him, & he uses both hands to work the blades open & shut. he likes to have the cut bits fall into the lid of the box. when he's bored with the activity, he goes about taking each scrap of paper out of the lid, then tossing them all over the room. the tossing part he does have the hang of.

when even paper-tossing loses its allure, he puts his scissors & intact strips back in the box, shuts the lid, & hands it to me. i like to keep this kit on a higher shelf, so whilst i am putting the kit away, he walks around, picking up his tossings.

for those of you who don't believe little ones can pick up after themselves, take a look at meg's toddler in action, here. when i saw that, i knew montessori was just what elfling needed :)

~peace.

thursday things - vintage kitcheny stuff

2011-10-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

photo :: property of beatrice in blue

on my mind quite a bit these days are kitcheny things, specifically those of a vintage bent. as my things get broken, & for some reason things are breaking at top speed of late, i find myself scouring thrift shops for replacements. it would be much easier to buy new items, of course, but easy isn't always best.

i could say that i buy used because i am making a conscious choice to live a more green life, one in tune with mother nature. i could say that, but i would be lying to you. the truth of the matter is that i am utterly head-over-heels in love with old stuff, & that's why i buy vintage. the green-living/mother nature part is a bonus; one for which i am thankful. it balances the fact that i am also in love with hair dye.

so back to thoughts of kitcheny things. last week i was on the hunt for mixing bowls. do you remember the fabulous sunbeam bowl from earlier this summer? well, i found another! this one is identical to the first, also in perfect condition, only smaller. i had been hoping to find large mixing bowls, but there weren't any to be found.

because i cannot go thrifting every single day (though to hear manlyman tell it, i do) i have been poking through etsy's vintage section. such gorgeous vintagey treasures! i thought i would share some with you.

* teensy molds - (pictured above) i actually have a stack of these! some in that shape, others with more rounded bottoms. she has them priced quite well, if you're in the market for a set.

* child's oven - i. want. this. as i haven't ~~that much money to spend on frivolity~~ any room at thebelfry for it, i shall leave the sweet oven for someone else.

* cake carrier - how sweet! i don't think i've ever seen one like this. i adore the wooden acorn knob on the lid.

* egg beater - a must-have in any kitchen. well, in mine, for sure. i have a gorgeous vintage beater that we use almost daily. i've yet to meet a person who doesn't love cranking the handle of an old fashioned egg beater. even elfling loves to beat eggs, though he needs to use both hands to crank the handle, & it takes forever ;)

* mixing bowl - gorgeous! i bet if i had one of these my baking would improve. that's how it works, in case you didn't know.

* refrigerator ware - i love, love, love these! ok, not so much the color, but the containers themselves are simply perfect. it is rare to find these in thrift shops (where i live), & even more rare to find a set. with lids! i store blocks of cream cheese in my lone dinky container.

sigh. there is so much more to share with you, but elfling disagrees. i am off to snuggle. happy shopping!

~peace.

the perfect farmhand...

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

...if your crop is mud.

elfling loves to help with farm chores, & i love having his help. in fact, i believe it is important for toddlers to do take part in chores. a favorite of his is watering.

as you can see from the photos, he is an expert at getting things watered. look how the dirt is good & fully watered - how he takes such care in making sure that even the tiny sticks get a thorough watering.

sadly, he has little patience for watering the things on thefarm that i need watered. sure, he will aim the hose at plants, but it's mostly at the leaves, fruits, or flowers. even then, he's on to the next plant before the first drop of moisture hits the last plant's base.

i have tried sneaking out to water, but, & i suspect a certain hobbit has something to do with this, he almost always discovers me, & insists on lending a hand. sigh

at least he's good at watering the dirt. we'll never suffer for a want of mud. plus,

he is so damned adorable.

the world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful ~ e.e. cummings

~ peace.

gnomie, pumpkin genus

2011-10-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

how utterly adorable! i had forgotten how much i loved my little pumpkin gnomies. old timers may recall that i first made one for a hallowe'en swap, a few years back. every year since, soap has pestered me to make more, but i never did. until now :)

should you desire one for your very own, pumpkin gnomies can now be adopted from theshop !!

ack! i am keeping this one; he is too cute for words.

~peace.

let fauns be

2011-10-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

elfling looked so cute in his faun ears that i had to take some photos.

of course being me, i could not stop myself from trying to get him to stand just so, & look this way & that.

he tolerated it quite well.

for all of 3 photos. sigh. way to ruin a fun toddler game, mama!

~peace.

this is the land of narnia,' said the faun, 'where we are now; all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of cair paravel on the eastern sea.”
~ c.s. lewis - the lion, the witch, & the wardrobe

farm happenings

2011-10-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

do not be fooled by the title of this post - not much is happening on thefarm. we do have a bit of drama, as you can see in the above photo. some wretched squirrel made a snack of elfling's pumpkin! my guess is it's the same wretched squirrel who stole all but one of the apples off our tree. i didn't much care about the apples, but the pumpkin!!!

there is some beauty still to be seen on thefarm.

i do so love the blossoms of the rosemary; they are so faery-like. this is my favorite variety - the trailing, or creeping rosemary. if you're looking for a bush that is low-maintenance, choose this one. not only is it pretty, it smells divine, & attracts bees.

you can always count on a bit of cuteness on thefarm, no matter the season. elfling takes his watering duties quite seriously. you will notice the official farmer outfit of jams top & diaper. not long after this photo was taken, he had to be stripped & wrapped in a towel, & his official farmer outfit hung on the line to dry. my elfling can get wetter than wet; it's a talent few posses.

can you believe that sad tomato plant still has fruit on its vines?! (please ignore the tall grasses growing in & about the plant. someone, who may or may not be me, has not weeded in quite some time.) none of the tomato plants have any new blossoms, so when these last fruits have ripened, we'll dig up the whole area.

while we are chattering about tomatoes: a friend recently asked why i grow my plants against the garage wall, & not out in thefarm. our first year at this house we did grow them out there. not one fruit set on any plant. after a lot of research i realized that it was the wind. we get a great deal of wind here, on a continual basis. tomato plants don't like wind. the next year we planted them against the garage, & all was as it should be. i think the white wall helps make up for the temperature as well. it does not get hot enough, for long enough, to grow tomatoes (cucumbers, peppers, etc). the wall reflects some of the heat back at the plants, which helps a great deal.

well, that is all for today. as i said, not much is happening on thefarm. what do you have growing? have you started your seeds for the next round of planting?

~peace.

of treasures found

2011-10-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

property of :: s. striker

found written in the front of vintage copy of the third anti-coloring book, purchased last week at a used book shop:

about school - by r. nukerji

he always wanted to say things. but no one understood.
he always wanted to explain things. but no one cared.
so he drew.
sometimes he would just draw and it wasn't anything. he
wanted to carve it in stone or write it in the sky.
he would lie out on the grass and look up in the sky and it would
be only him and the sky and the things inside that needed
saying.
and it was after that, that he drew the picture. it was a beautiful
picture. he kept it under the pillow and would let no one
see it.
and he would look at it every night and think about it. and when
it was dark, and his eyes were closed, he could still see it.
and it was all of him. and he loved it.
when he started school he brought it with him. not to show
anyone, butt just to have it with him like a friend.
it was funny about school.
he sat in a square, brown desk like all the other square, brown
desks and he thought it should be red.
and his room was a square, brown room. like all the other
rooms.
and it was tight and close. and stiff.
he hated to hold the pencil and the chalk, with his arm stiff
and his feet flat on the floor, with the teacher watching
and watching.
and then he had to write numbers. and they weren't anything.
they were worse than the letters that could be something if you
put them together.
and the numbers were tight and square and he hated the
whole thing.
the teacher came and spoke to him. she told him to wear a tie
like all the other boys. he said he didn't like them and she
said it didn't matter.
after that they drew. and he drew all yellow and it was the way
he felt about morning. and it was beautiful.
the teacher came and smiled at him. "what's this?" she said.
"why don't you draw something like ken's drawing? isn't
that beautiful?"
it was all questions.
after that his mother bought him a tie and he always drew
airplanes and rocket ships like everyone else.
and he threw the old picture away.
and when he lay out alone looking at the sky, it was big and
blue and all of everything, but he wasn't anymore.
he was square inside and brown, and his hands were stiff, and
he was like anyone else. and the thing inside him that
needed saying didn't need saying anymore.
it had stopped pushing. it was crushed. stiff.
like everything else.

~peace.

of mustaches...

2011-10-05T06:00:00.001-07:00

those besticked mustaches, from elfling's birthday, are still being played with. not all have survived, & some are looking a bit done for (do you see the one on the left is missing something?), but that doesn't seem to bother my wee menfolk.

i have to say that i am in love with this photo. we printed a copy onto card-stock, for their grammie's birthday. hers was in color. i had to make it sepia for myself; the old timey mustaches seemed to demand it.

so you don't worry: no, we do not let elfling play with the mustaches unsupervised. those are skewers, after all. he has to have one of us with him, & he's not to run about with one. i am working on a toddler set for the holidays. if i manage it, i'll share the how-to. stop rolling your eyes at me. i did say if. i am not that far removed from reality ;)

have you taken any mustachioed photos of your kids? i'd love to see them.

~peace.

i'm such a boob!

2011-10-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

how did i manage to forget to advertise the give-away on mama is? it's not too late, you can still enter to win the zippered boobie pouch! here is what you do:

go to heather's website mama is. in the comments section, write what you'd put in a pouch (of any size!). get creative, because that is how the winner will be chosen. oh, & feel free to suck up to me, because heather has asked me to pick the winner :)

the pouch is sturdy, made from reclaimed fabric. the breast is satin & velvet, & the nipple is a pink pearl. no, that is not your imagination, i sewed the pearl to droop a bit - clearly it's a boob that's been nursed upon. you can see more photos in theshop.

note :: the title of her post says that the contest is for members only. she has since changed her mind, & opened it to everyone.

good luck!

~peace.

ps. heather is the talented artist behind the famous comics: hathor the cow goddess & mama is. she is also the author of simply give birth.

a tree of a different sort

2011-10-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

please know that i have not abandoned you. not entirely, at least. the other week i found myself pottering about a genealogy site, & next thing you know i was spending every waking hour either working on my family tree, or thinking about it. i don't know if it is possible to sprain ones eyeballs, but i just may have.

it doesn't help that a certain tinker has been feeding the fire with her own genealogy obsession. i like to think that she's being helpful, when she sends me documents she has found for me, but truly? most likely she doesn't want to sit alone in the crazy-barrel.

one of the unexpected bonuses to this newest of adventures - i stumbled upon two cousins! on the same day, even. both are from my daddy-o's branch of the tree: one paternal, the other maternal. &, &, &?! they are of my generation. how fabulously cool is that?

what? wait! what am i doing here, chattering with you? there are manifests to be examined, fancy &/or messy handwriting to be puzzled over, & wow! is this another person's mistake, or did he have two families?

~peace.

sneaky peek

2011-09-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

this is a custom order that i am working on. it's going to be a give-away on a popular blog! yes, this is where you ooh & ahh.

what do you think it is?

~peace.

the posh travelling life - day 3

2011-09-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

poor manlyman. this day we woke to thunderstorms. at first they were mild, with only the occasional boom, & light rain. he left for the second day of the tournament, not thrilled at the prospect of getting wet, but happy to be playing. not long later he phoned to say the start of play had been delayed. another call like that, then eventually he came back to the suite.

after an hour of waiting, they announced that play would begin, so he headed back to the clubhouse. one hour later the storm was directly above us. thunder boomed so loudly that even i jumped each time, & the rain on the roof sounded like a herd of horses. a few minutes after that & manlyman was back with us. he was drenched, & sad. the day's play was called off. it was too dangerous to run about in the open with golf clubs.

i was super sad for him. the wonderful daddy-o that he is, he did not insist we head home early, nor did he pout. we snuggled in one of the heavenly beds, so elfling could nap, & watched episodes of the dog whisperer. by the time the bébé was awake, the storm had passed, & we headed to the pool. so you do not freak on me: the storm was far enough away that my kids were never in danger being in the water. we could see the lightning bolts quite clearly. seriously, i would not put them at risk.

to the rest of the photos! these are a bit random, i'm afraid.

there were palm trees everywhere. i grew up in southern california, so don't get swoony over them. i do like them wrapped in faery lights, during the holidays however. elfling thinks they're fabulous, hence the photo.

this cracked us up. the greens became so flooded that ducks were able to swim on them. nope, that is not a little lake! manlyman laughed too, but inside i think he was not so thrilled. this was the golf course he had been scheduled to play that day. i made a joke about the duck pga being less fussy about the weather, but it was not as funny out loud, as it had been in my head :)

we had our favorite pool all to ourselves for a time. it was still a bit cloudy when we arrived, but hot enough for a swim. eventually the sun burned through, & people began trickling in. not enough for the resort to open the bar & set out my beloved water stations, but whatever.

we'd already packed, so were able to swim until check-out time. the resort generously extended our check-out by two hours, because of the weather delaying (when manlyman phoned them, the tournament had yet to be cancelled) the start of play.

it was a really nice get-away, i must say. i could get used to the posh life.

elfling's favorite part? seeing the giant windmills on the way home. the swanky bed & swimming tied for thehobbit's favorite. i just loved ~~living the posh posh travelling life~~ being with my menfolk.

have a lovely one, do!

~peace.

the posh travelling life - day 2

2011-09-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

manlyman had a two-day golf tournament down south, so took us along. when he first asked if i wanted to tag along, i was hesitant. i imagined being cooped up in some random hotel with the kids, trying desperately to keep sane whilst waiting for daddy-o to return, & rescue us. then he showed me the hotel's website. wait. let me rephrase that: the resort's website. um, yes, please!

talk about swanky. my dearest one & only reader, it was the posh posh travelling life for me. so much so, that upon returning home i had a bit of a shock. thebelfry neither smelled swanky, looked swanky, nor had the feel of swankosity. & i don't like telling you this, but nobody came this morning, when i phoned for room service.

here are some photos from day two. there are none from day one, as day one began at night.

this was the main waterfall at our favorite pool. the resort had three (one for adults only. whatever.) i took the photo at elfling's request. he could not get enough of staring at the waterfalls. the others, around the perimeter of the pool area, were much smaller.

not the most thrilling photo, i know. i just loved the way the water shone. this pool was huge, by the way. it had a volleyball net in the center, & a water slide at one end. there were also whirlpools in the pool area, but i don't do hot.

my favorite thing, besides the cabanas that manlyman would not let me rent, were the water stations. ok i loved the bar the most, but never did buy that piña colada, so i'll tell you about the water. they had gorgeous glass water dispensers, filled with ice water. floating in the water were slices of orange & lime. so refreshing! i don't think i can drink plain ice water again. & these things i'm describing? i forgot to photograph. sorry.

here we have elfling taking a break ~~against his wishes~~ from swimming, to rest in the shade. at first he did not want to go in the pool. by our second visit to the pool, he was in love with it. mostly with splashing me in the face, but still. in this photo he was watching big brother do handstands in the water. i do have photos of thehobbit, but he has asked me to stop posting photos of him. teens.

there was wildlife everywhere you looked. ducks wandered the property, swam in the lake, & even swam in the pool with us. we saw canada geese, a (dead) rabbit, & birds of all sorts. this guy hung out with us the entire time we were at the pool. i named him poe.

poe was not well. scrawny, & missing feathers around his neck, as well as most of his tail. but i thought he was beautiful.

well, that's it for day two. tomorrow i shall share a few photos from day three. thanks for visiting!

~peace.

ps :: i jinxed myself by chatting about my many specs. my most favorite pair broke at the resort :(

make a spectacle of yourself!

2011-09-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

photo :: property of this etsy shop

how many of you wear reading glasses? i began wearing them, after a lifetime of 20/20 vision, about a year & a half ago. i went to the doc complaining of migraines, dizziness, & of feeling as though i had motion sickness when watching tv. of course, i thought i was dying from a brain tumor. turns out i was just getting older. whew.

my reason for writing this is curiosity. if you do wear reading specs, how many pair do you own? & don't say just the one, because we both know you'd be lying. i learned quickly that they are forever being misplaced or forgotten. also, where do you keep each?

i shall start - i have five pairs. i keep one by the bed (though right now there are two), one at the sewing machine, one in my diaper bag, one in my hand-sewing basket, & one that is homeless (the one currently visiting the bedroom pair). the homeless pair should be relocated to weasley (my suv), but i most likely shan't ever remember to do so.

before you faint from shock at the cost of five pairs, i should tell you, i got them at the japanese (nearly) two dollar store. i was surprised to find such cute specs there, so bought a bunch. more than the five i listed, if truth be told. the others were misplaced, one at a time, early on. sigh.

don't you love the pair in that photo? mine are cute, but not that cute. i think it would be great fun to have 1920s reading glasses, though i would want the faux tortoise, not black. no need to walk around looking like moaning myrtle'~~s mother~~.

so your turn! how many, & where are they? links to your dream specs too, so we can all see! (ha! unintended pun there.)
~peace.

cartoons of a hobbity sort

2011-09-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

thehobbit found this amazing book at a used book shop the other day. i thought he was a cartoon-drawing-fiend before, but in the past few days it's all we can do to get him to stop long enough to eat! & being a hobbit, that's saying something.

he gave me permission to show a few things he has scribbled, & asked me to say that he totally recommends this book. if you buy the book, let us see what cartoons it inspires you to draw!

~peace.
note :: thehobbit wants you to know that the weird fuzziness in the one photo was not his doing . i blurred the bebe's name, that's all.

books - ye olden tymes

2011-08-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

over the weekend thehobbit & i went through his books. the much needed culling was brought about by a certain toddler, who had taken to pulling the homeschooling books off one shelf in the big room, & tossing them. fun if you are the toddler, not so fun if you are the rest of us. in the going through, we found long-forgotten treasures. i thought i'd share a few.

* the forgotten crafts (pictured above) is a how-to for building things they way they did long ago, sans electricity. need a new rake? well this book will show you how to make one! honestly, i don't think this book was meant for kids, but thehobbit has always liked it. & no, he has yet to build me a rake. wretched boy.

* the american boys' handy book was definitely written with kids in mind. actually, only with boys in mind - the book was originally published in 1882. many activities to fill their days with adventures great & small.

* the american girls' handy book - you guessed it, for girls only. whilst the boy version is all out-of-doors adventure, the girl version focuses on activities to be done at home. i recommend letting your kids poke through the boy & girl versions. there's fun to be had in both.

* the dangerous book for boys is similar to the handy book. lots of activities that could bring about ~~harm~~ adventures. thehobbit says it's not as old tymey as the other. most likely because it was not written over 100 years ago, so was meant for kids of this age. still, great old tyme fun.

* the daring book for girls is one we do not yet have. i thought i should mention its existence, however. i can't have you thinking there wasn't a female equivalent. sad, all this time later, & still we are separating boy fun, from girl fun. sigh.

there are more books i want to share, but that shall have to wait for another day. a certain wee elfling wants some snuggles :)

~peace.

messing around

2011-08-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

please let me know if things look wonky to you. i began messing with my blog's template, whilst having a bit of a drink. :)

have a lovely one, do!

~peace.

a chalkboard station for your toddler

2011-08-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

elfling has been sick all week, forcing me to come up with alternatives to his beloved not quite a water park. like every other toddler on the planet, he loves coloring with chalk, so i set up an out-of-doors chalk station! it was easy to do.
1) move the chalkboard easel to the lawn.
b) stick a little table beneath it.
also) add the mug of chalk & an eraser.

brilliant of me, no? look at him up there, chalking away. for. all. of. three. minutes. he then took his mug of chalk on an adventure.

here we have chalk on a chair:

wait! is this the chalkboard?

nope. that was the shed.

& this would be the back of a bench.

let's make sure the steps are good & chalky.

we don't want the worm bin to feel left out, so let's make its table pretty.

ah, look. instead of encouraging the wee artist to use the chalkboard station, daddy-o & big brother drew on the patio.

it's a happy bench!

yes. he was going for the camera with that piece of chalk.

sigh.

i still think it is a fabulous idea. just not for my toddler. good luck with yours!

~peace.

boot gnomies

2011-08-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

isn't this boot gnomie adorable? i used to make these for craft shows, but as i hadn't done a show in over a year, i had forgotten all about the wee fellas. this guy was found a few days back, buried in a jumble of felt scraps. he never did get completed - he still needs the space between his legs widened. let us pretend that didn't sound wrong, shall we? anyway, if you look at the photos below you'll see why.

he isn't meant to teeter so high above the boot. oh. i forgot to say what a boot gnomie is for. when you line up the family's (or class', etc) rain boots, you keep them in order by clipping each pair together with a boot gnomie. this not only keeps pairs together, but, in the case of large families or classrooms, each person can quickly spot his/her boots by the gnomie.

so you see, he should be lower down on the boot. also, he should not be on a boot, he should slip over one side of each. i have yet to find a clothespin that is wide enough, so have had to widen them myself.

don't worry. i make sure to stop short of their private bits ;)

~peace.

farm, the dinky

2011-08-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

health woes have forced me to scale back on everything this month. only parts of thebelfry that have to be clean are getting cleaned, i've had to buy more ready-made groceries than i'm comfortable with, & the amount of time i can spend sitting down is minuscule when compared to how many things i do that require i sit (sewing, reading, blogging, crafting, etc).

bending & lifting has been curtailed as well, so i have had to make do with the farming i'd already begun before this whole mess began. sadly, that wasn't much. still, i am thankful for dinky bit of farm i have for tending. i thought i'd share a bit of what is growing.

this is thehobbit's favorite cucumber to grow. it is a lemon cucumber. the one pictured still has a bit more time left to grow. those black dots disappear when it's ready. they aren't blemishes or dirt, they're teensy spikes. all cukes have them when immature. by the way, the lemon cuke is perfect for container gardening. delicious, as well.

here is a nearly ripe better boy. this plant hasn't gotten very tall (not hot enough here), but it has been a constant provider of spectacular fruits. i won't say that we fight over these tomatoes, but there has been more than one hey! where did that tomato go? i was planning on having it for lunch! heard coming from the kitchen.

lastly we have our pumpkin patch. it may be the dinkiest patch in existence, considering it consists of two plants, surrounded by old bricks. illusions of grandeur? perhaps. that's ok though. if i can get one good pumpkin from each plant, i'll be more than happy.

not much else is happening in my dinky farm this summer. between not being able to do much farming, & the summer having been milder than usual, well, it just is what it is.

what are you growing?
~peace.

caspar babypants

2011-08-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

elfling is in love with caspar babypants. the songs are sweet & catchy, yet not terribly annoying like a lot of kids' music can be. the above video is elfling's favorite, the island hop. the entire family's favorite, actually. we have all been sporting what elfling dubbed baby baby fingers for well over a month now. watch the video & see if you don't do the same. i double dog dare you.

second in the list of favorites is their rendition of the itsy bitsy spider. how cool is this?

i know!

~peace.

ps :: we do wash our hands, quite often, actually. there is a great deal of re-drawing of the baby baby fingers that goes on. just thought i'd clarify :)

hello there

2011-08-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

i'm sorry to have disappeared without warning. it was not my intent to do so. i am dealing with a health issue right now. as soon as things are under control, i shall be back to my babbling ways.

i hope you have a lovely weekend :)

~peace.
ps - that's one of the bunting i made for elfling's birthday party. it looked so nice hanging in the garden, so i left it.

photographic proof of partiness

2011-08-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

the day began with every other thing going wrong. when i finally gave in, & stopped trying to make everything look just as i had imagined, things righted themselves. most never did turn out as i'd planned, but elfling & his guests had great fun. lesson learned. mostly. ;)

on to the photos! whilst i still have not mastered baking, it turns out i can make a mean frosting. i adapted this recipe, at the suggestion of my dearest friend (& master baker) spryte. she said to cut the sugar by half. i did, & heartily recommend you do as well. it was perfectly sweet that way. i piped it onto vanilla cupcakes (above) & spice cupcakes (below). after piping i just dipped them gently into sprinkles.

these spice cakes were gluten-free. originally i'd skimped on the frosting, not knowing if i would have enough for all 24 (there was more than enough. manlyman & i ate the remaining. with spoons.). in the end i was glad i had, because it made it easier to see which were the gluten-free. i did put them on their own tray, with a gf sign (flag on skewer), but forgot to take a photo of that to show you.

here are some shots of the food. i tried to stick with things you'd eat at parties when i was a kid. fruit, chips, & so on.

funny how the food matched the party's color scheme.

i have to admit that i am ooged by kids hands in my food, so kept the popcorn safe for adults by setting out decoy popcorn.

the decoys worked well, with a bonus! once emptied, the kids filled their bags with other snacks through the rest of the day. i shall definitely do this at future parties.

there wasn't enough time to make chex mix; a staple of every party when i was little; but i managed to toss pretzels & whales into a bucket. mock mix, if you will. a little mug from our picnic kit made the perfect scoop.

i loved the drink station. it was set up on a sturdy old bench, with a cooler to the side. oh! i found retro sodas at the grocery store! pepsi & 7-up made with the original recipes - no corn syrup! i made a few pitchers of iced tea & had waters chilling, but when i saw those? well, how could i resist? they fit the theme. i digress.

the little wagon kept the cups from getting blown over, & the pen from rolling off the bench. that red utensil caddy usually houses blank mushrooms & people turnings. you would have been horrified at the amount of dust it had accumulated. apparently the house elves don't clean my studio as well as they ought. digressing again - back to the cups. look at the stickers i made for each:

not to self - the item you want to feature should be in focus, not the background. we always put out a pen, with cups & bottles, for guests to write their names. to make things more fun, i created these stickers. i altered (in picasa) a hello my name is sticker to read hands off my drink. i like how they turned out.

here we have the photo booth corner. had i taken pictures of it before the kids set about mugging, the backdrop would not appear as if i'd been drinking when i hung it. sigh.

a closer shot of the sign. do you recognize the bunting? those were from thehobbit's party last year. only a few guests asked why the newspaper was written in japanese :)

i had meant to have more props, (an empty frame, harry potter glasses, etc) but waited too long to gather things from about thebelfry. as it was, guests had arrived before i'd put these few items out. the mustaches were great fun to make, & a huge hit. i had them stuck in the holes of a parmesan jar. the jar kept them safe, & the dried lentils, which filled them, kept the jar safe.

that's the top hat thehobbit used to wear, pretty much daily. i miss his fancy ways. i found the straw hat at a thrift shop a few months ago. elfling loves to wear it around the house. both made for wonderful props, i must say.

my favorite of the mustachios. perhaps i should have inked the edges.

thehobbit took this photo of his friend h. doesn't he look like a carnival rock star? oh. i forgot to ask the kids to frame the shots so only the sign & backdrop were in the shot. ah well.

my gorgeous manlyman. swoon.

even swoonier? the birthday boy himself.

i hoped you enjoyed the photos. thanks for the visit!
~peace.

party crafting!

2011-07-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

elfling had a lovely day turning two. i could have done without the broken water heater, & the house filled with handymen, but the wee birthday boy thought that bit to be great fun. we wrapped up the day with a meal at a (new to us) favorite restaurant, & more playing with his (thrifted!!!) birthday prezzie.

my week has mostly been spent getting ready for his party. i am not nearly as far along as i'd like to be, but then again, i never am. here is a sneaky peek at some of the things i have been up to.

a page of stickers! i printed the many twos on a page of sticker paper (from one of cathe's give-aways). these stickers are to be put on bags of popcorn.

three lengths of bunting! red & orange are not colors i am drawn to. in fact, other than barn red, i don't care for either. when choosing fabric for the bunting, i found two shirts that thehobbit had long outgrown. i had saved them to use as pouch linings, but proclaimed them to be excellent bunting fabrics instead. & so they were.

each bunting alternates between the orange/blue/white stripes, & the orange/red/white check. i didn't hem the edges, so over time they'll develop a wonderful fray. & look! a perfectly dinky version for the cake! a la twirling betty.

swoony, isn't it? if i could, i would spend all my free (hahahaha) time making teensy bunting. this one is different from last year's. i opted not to print his name on the bunting, remembered to buy the longer skewers, & i stitched it with embroidery floss instead of using the machine.

that's it for photos i'm afraid. my camera's batteries had just enough life left in them for uploading. i promise there will be more to come though. the party is to be this sunday, so monday i'll have party photos to share with you. pinky swear!

until then...

~peace.

if

2011-07-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

if

if you can keep your head when all about you 
are losing theirs and blaming it on you; 
if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, 
but make allowance for their doubting too; 
if you can wait and not be tired by waiting, 
or being lied about, don't deal in lies, 
or being hated, don't give way to hating, 
and yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: 
 if you can dream -- and not make dreams your master; 
if you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim; 
if you can meet with triumph and disaster 
and treat those two imposters just the same; 
if you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken 
twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, 
or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, 
and stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools; 
 if you can make one heap of all your winnings 
and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, 
and lose, and start again at your beginnings 
and never breathe a word about your loss; 
if you can force your heart and nerve and sinew 
to serve your turn long after they are gone, 
and so hold on when there is nothing in you 
except the will which says to them: "hold on!" 
 if you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, 
or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch,
 if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, 
if all men count with you, but none too much; 
if you can fill the unforgiving minute 
with sixty seconds' worth of distance run 
--
yours is the earth and everything that's in it, 
and -- which is more -- you'll be a man, my son!
~ r. kipling
happy birthday sweet boy.
~peace.

nearly two

2011-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

it has finally hit me. my wee boy is hours away from being a two year old. that isn't to say i am only now freaking. trust me, i have been easing into a freak for nearly a month now. it is just that now i am fully in the freak.

be warned, i shall allow him to be referred to as two for one full day - after that we revert to months. to recap:

july 28th, he is a two year old.

july 29th, he is 24 months old.

got it?

(update :: head over to my facebook page, & share your memories with the rest of us.)
~peace.
this photo (& yesterday's) were found via a google search. i cannot remember from which sites. if either image belongs to you, please let me know, so i can give you credit.

the birthday madness has begun!

2011-07-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

this week my sweet elfling is turning two. (that thud you just now heard was me, hitting the floor in a faint.) we are deep in birthday party-prep mode, so i am not sure how much time i'll have for chatting. i do promise to get back to the usual babble next week - with loads of photos of the party, & perhaps a tutorial or two. two two two two... sigh.

~peace.

the stack of destruction

2011-07-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

this is the ever-growing stack of books that elfling has destroyed. some have had their pages torn, others had their covers ripped completely off. you'll notice that most pictured are board books. board books, people! heavy cardboard books, created to withstand the abuse of curious toddlers. it would seem, however, not elflings.

~peace.

a blessed companion is a book, - a book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong friend,... a book that, at a touch, pours its heart into our own. ~douglas jerrold

update (july 26th) :: elfling has added another book to the stack.

thursday things - kitchen love

2011-07-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

a friend & i were chatting recently about kitchen gadgets that we simply could not live without. i thought i would share a few of the (thursday)things on my must-have-list with you. when possible, i've linked to the actual brand i use.

* (pictured above) i am absolutely in love with my apple peeler. my sweet friend soap turned me on to this wonder a few years ago, & i bought one as soon as i got home. you clamp it onto a counter, table, or some such, shove an apple onto the prongs, & turn the crank. that is really it! in seconds you have a peeled, cored, & spiraled apple. it takes mere minutes to crank out enough apples for a pie! by the way, if you don't want it peeled, you simply pull back the blade & flip the safety lock thing. kids love this peeler - both using it, & eating the spirals it creates. oh! it does the same with potatoes too. in all honesty, i have yet to try it on a potato, but that's what it said on the box, so i suppose it's true.

* a few times a week, at least, i use my japanese mandoline. this isn't the exact one i have. i bought mine about 4 years ago, at a shop in little tokyo. it didn't come in a package of any sort, & there isn't a label on it, so i have no brand to google for you. this is basically what mine looks like, though. it's a small thing, much smaller than my full-sized mandoline. i like it for that reason. if i need to thinly (& we are talking see-through-thin) slice only a handful of veggies, i don't want to bother hauling out the full-sized contraption. this dinky guy works perfectly, most especially for making cucumber sammiches.

* how did i ever live without my rice cooker? ok, it isn't technically my rice cooker, my mother-in-law bought it for thehobbit, but he is sweet enough to let me pretend it's mine. i had always poo-pooed electronic kitchen gadgets, insisting they were more time-consuming than doing things the old-fashioned way. & in some cases this is true. not so the rice cooker. perfect rice every time, & as easy to clean as a pot & lid. one day i'll need to buy a larger cooker (elfling is as rice-crazy as the rest of us, it seems), but for now the small one suits perfectly.

* i am having an affair with my baker sheets. just before the holidays, i saw these recommended on america's test kitchen. as my sheets were utter crap, i added them to my wish list. manlyman made me swoony by giving me both the half & quarter sheets! this brand really is as marvelous as the people on a.s.t. claimed. things rarely stick, & i suspect that when they have, the fault has been mine. my favorite use is for baking marinated tofu. oh my. oh, oh my! one day soon i shall have to share my recipe with you. the sheet makes the tofu crispy, but not quickly enough to burn it, before the insides have firmed enough. now that is a baker sheet! fyi: i have a slightly smaller-than-average oven, & can fit one half, or two quarters on one rack. hey! i just realized! i have not seen the lids to my sheets in ages. hmm.

well, that's it for the list of biggies. there are many things i love too much to do without, but the above i love beyond what is seemly. here are some of the other things that i love:

* electric ice cream maker. my heart years for an old-fashioned crank machine, but in all honesty? my electric maker is quick & easy. those of you with wee ones understand why that trumps yearning. i don't know that i've ever made actual ice cream, come to think on it. when the machine was given to us, thehobbit was unable to eat dairy & soy. we have made various ice liquids, instead. i have tried most of the milks: rice, almond, oat, etc. he loved the creations fine. i, not so much. i am an ice cream purist. i want the real deal, please. over time i did discover the best substitute: coconut milk. not the watery stuff - the thick, white, creamy kind. i blend a can of coconut milk with fruit, & pour it into the machine. the kids go insane for the stuff.

* popsicle molds. a must-have if you are a mama. hmmm, perhaps this should have been included in the biggie list. ah well, too lazy to move it up & hunt for a photo. i don't think brand matters here. you find the one you like best, & keep it handy. i make pops out of left over juice, tea, smoothies, whatever. other great pop ingredients: pudding, blended melon, yogurt, you get the idea. OH! when thehobbit has been quite ill, i've frozen diluted herbal teas. sucking on those pops kept him hydrated, & brought his fever down. i'd keep a flat of that frozen at all times, just in case, if i didn't have the smallest freezer in all the land.

* pan scraper. i included a link to this, because i'm not sure how to describe it well enough. all i can tell you is that you must buy one today.

* prep bowls another link, for the same reason. my mother bought me this set, & i use the bowls all the time. more so since elfling began eating solids. i would love to say that i use them as prep bowls, but, sadly, i am not as fancy in the kitchen as i'd like. mostly i keep meals for elfling in them. i'll make a double batch of something he can eat (we still have chewing issues), plop half into one of my bowls, snap the lid on, & pop the whole shebang in the fridge for the next day. the website says you can reheat them in the oven or microwave, but i have not tried either.

i do have a few other things i wanted to babble on about, but elfling decided to cut his nap short today. why don't you tell me what kitchen items you cannot live without? i'd love to know.

~peace.

the wings of change

2011-07-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

elfling is unsure about butterflies, pah-ah-yohn (toddler-speak for papillon), he calls them. he does like butterflies, gasps when he spots one, & stares in wonder until it flits away. the thing is, he also is a bit afraid of them. i haven't figured out why yet.

personally, i am convinced they are faeries in disguise.

thehobbit is still, even at the great old age of 13, mad for butterflies. of course he no longer shows his feelings about them as openly as he once did. these days he will quietly stop what he's doing, stand still, never taking his eyes from the butterflies as they go about their business, then resume his activity.

i do miss the excitement he once exuded around them, but i accept that thehobbit is no longer that little boy. well, i don't quite yet accept it, but i know he has to change. i suppose my sweet little boy was a caterpillar, & now he's a butterfly, wings still damp. i hope he has to sit in the sun for a long time, waiting for those wings to dry.

i am not ready to watch him fly away.

~peace.

through the eyes of a hobbit

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00


image :: aloe vera

after using thehobbit's photos for yesterday's post, i thought i'd show you some of the things he's photographed of late. enjoy!

image :: grass

image :: bark 1

image :: bark 2

image :: old pine needles

a visitor

2011-07-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

the title for this post was going to be ew! look what horridly disgusting thing is on my window! get it off now, or we are moving!, but was too long to fit the space. plus thehobbit (aka dr. doolittle) got quite angry when i said as much. he also refused to let me use the images ( he was the photographer) unless i went with something more kind. sigh.

what? you don't see anything dreadful in that photo? how about this one?

he's getting closer!

yes, please, go away.

now i love creatures, great & small, but i draw the line at creepy crawlies. especially those attempting to get into my house, & most likely kill me. or some other mischief. want to eat the nasty bugs in my garden? you are more than welcome! just please, not while i am actually in my garden.

ugh, i have to end this post now. it's giving me the heebie jeebies, just thinking about it.

~peace.

all images in this post were taken by thehobbit, & used with his permission.

tomatoes tend to babble

2011-07-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

have you grown tired of my babbling on about plants yet? sorry. i am just so happy to have things growing after so long a break from my garden & farm. that, & the fact that i would much rather babble on about my plants, than about my frighteningly filthy home. not that i am admitting to the filth, mind you.

this babble is about my tomatoes. i love seeing tomatoes growing on their vines. it screams of summer. this year i am even more in love with the sight, as last summer i could not eat tomatoes. long story. i just wish i did not so dislike the smell of the plant's leaves. blech.

the above plant is a better boy. we have eaten these from friends' farms, but never have tried growing this variety ourselves. the plant is indeterminate, meaning it has the ability to get up to 10-feet tall. well, long, really. tomato plants don't grow thick trunks, so in nature would not get tall. they would grow across the ground. it raises the risk of disease & infestation to grow it that way, hence the tradition of growing tomatoes in cages, & up structures. this one is being trained up a tall shutter. i have it held up with twine, but need to replace it as soon as possible. the twine is too harsh for the vine. i like to use stocking, cut into rings, instead.

these are the container tomatoes i told you about not too long ago. sorry i don't have the link for that post handy. the variety is patio bush, i think. it is determinate, meaning its size is set, creating a shorter, bushy plant. this specific one is meant to grow in a large container, so will be smaller than the average determinate tomato. though the plant itself will stay small, the fruit is full-sized. & look how prolific it is! there are already more fruits on this than on the larger better boy. we have grown this one in past summers, & hope to do so in the future. i may save seeds from this plant, i love it so.

there is a third tomato growing, a cherry. i am not sure which kind of cherry tomato it is, because i lost the marker that came with it. i only purchased the plant last week, so there was no fruit to photograph. thehobbit loves the tiny tomatoes best. when we had a plot in a community garden it was the only tomato we grew. he would just sit (he was a little thing at the time) next to the plant, picking the fruit, & popping it into his mouth. i doubt either manlyman or i ever had more than a handful ourselves. he was not nicknamed thehobbit for nothing!

thank you for allowing me to babble on about my maters. do you have a favorite?

~peace.

thursday things - inexpensive frivolity

2011-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

for the most part i buy only plants that will give us something we need: fruits, veggies, herbs. i love a pretty flower as much as the next guy or gal, but i always feel a bit like i am wasting water when i tend ornamental plants. i know, silly.

the flowers i have planted have all been drought-tolerant. i do live in los angeles, after all. i have the same feelings about having a green lawn, but that is a chat for another day. in the past week i surprised myself by purchasing not one, but two plants that will give me nothing but something pretty to look upon. hoorah, frivolity!

these mums were found at trader joe's. a 5-inch pot for only two dollars? are you kidding me? hell yes i bought one. thehobbit was shocked that i chose this color over the white, but there was just something special about them. i don't know how to describe it other than they made me smile.

he was right to be shocked. i love white flowers above all others. my dream flower garden is all whites & creams. the euryops that line the front of the house were for manlyman. when we moved in he asked if i would plant yellow flowers there, & so i did.

more shocking to thehobbit than the purpley-pink mums? i also bought these this week, at a local dollar store:

there, too, i chose this plant over the same in white. two plants for frivolity's sake, & neither white?! start hoarding coffee people, the world has turned upside down.

this week's thursday things - where to get flowers, inexpensively.

* grocery stores - i have found that large stores usually charge vastly too much for flowers, cut & potted. check smaller grocers in your town. the trader joe's by me had other potted plants at good prices, though none as good as the mums.

* farmers' markets - i have only ever bought potted veggies & herbs from my farmers' market, but have seen many flowers, priced well. if your plant seller only carries veg & herbs, ask. they just may not bring their flowers to your specific market.

* nurseries - yes, i know they are wont to charge a small fortune for flowers, but! they do have fabulous sales, so get on their e-mailing list. a few months back i scored two large tomato plants for only a dollar each. the next time i popped in, the same plants were priced at $5.00. now that is a sale.

* loved ones - you can create whole new plants from taking a bit off an existing plant. here is the more detailed how-to. i have only done this once. i had success, but i am too much an instant-gratification-gal, so buy my flowers already started. the exception: succulents. thehobbit & i love popping off pieces of succulents & sticking them in pots of soil. it is propagating for the lazy set ;)

every flower is a soul blossoming in nature. ~gerard de nerval

~peace.

thrifting show & tell - summer dishes

2011-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

we have been on the hunt for summery dishes, my lads & i. our kitchen is freakysmall, so i have always used my regular dishes for everything. money-wise it's a good thing, but over time many of my favorite pieces have been broken, or used to the point of, well, unusableness (real word). i decided it was time to go thrifting.

high on my list of wants was a small bowl in which to store & serve fruit. i have many dinky bowls, a few large ones, but none that were just small. imagine my joy to find the absolute perfect bowl on my very first thrifting expedition! (much thanks to the stunt strawberries, for appearing in this photograph.)

there hasn't been much time for research, but based on a quick googling (oh please spell-check, get with the times!), i know it is a vintage mixer bowl, glasbake, by sunbeam. oh! & it is milk glass, which i love. i could not have found a more perfect (for me) bowl had i tried. seriously, our first outing for the purpose of summery dishes, & the first thing i saw on the shelf. meant. to. be. mine.

this stack of sweet little plates is the beginnings of a collection of dessert plates. actually the top 4 were meant to sit beneath a tea cup, & the bottom 4 for bread. that is what google tells me. they were made by kelston, & it would seem they no longer are made. i've searched all over the internet, but can only find a dinner plate or cereal bowl for sale, & those for too much money at that.

this makes me sad. worse? i saw these plates a few weeks ago, but decided they were too pricey. they weren't really, but i was trying to behave. i was thrilled to find them still there, but (here is where the worse comes in) originally there had been 8 of each. i know! i am kicking myself. so now the hunt for more of each size is on. should you happen upon some, please let me know right away.

oh gosh, they are sweet.

now i have to find room for them, & for all the things i am hoping to find. this translates to purge. pout.

ok, my dearest one & only reader, i am off. see you tomorrow!

~peace.

punica granatum

2011-07-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

the pomegranate we planted last year is fruiting! is it not the prettiest thing? if you live where a pomegranate will thrive, i highly recommend planting one. ours is a shrub, by the way. i love, love, love pomegranate trees, but this is what the nursery had when we needed something to bury thehobbit's beloved fish beneath. i am glad to have found our shrub, it is the most beautiful of plants.

have a lovely one, do!

~peace.

in which i plant seeds & give you a quickie

2011-07-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

not that kind of quickie - you have a naughty mind.

so, i am actually getting things done! the other day i managed (thank you not quite a water park!) to get some flowers re-potted, & 3 flats of seeds planted. we have a very long growing season here, so there is still plenty of time to grow & harvest. if you are in southern california, here is a great planting calendar.

i planted: lettuce, cucumbers, chard, pumpkins, parsley, 2 types of zucchini, & fennel. yum.

do you remember this seed box? i wish i could find the post in which i wrote about it, but i cannot. here is a quickie how-to:

* take an index card to your favorite container store. you want one as wide as the index card. wider is fine, but less is not. i only need one container for my seed collection, but i have a friend who could fill a few. buy what you need.

* label each index card with the seed packets that will be stored in front of it. how you categorize is up to you. some seeds in my box are grouped into one category (herbs), whilst others have each their own (zucchini, winter squash, etc).

* place your seed packets, on their sides, in front of the appropriate index card. pop on the lid, & do the happy dance!

note :: i also keep small scissors (for opening new packets), a marker, & craft sticks (for labeling what seeds were planted) in this box.

now comes the hard part - the waiting. what about you? how does your garden grow?

~peace.

sweet is the shade ...

2011-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

in the summer we are lucky to have mild weather. all around us the city bakes, yet it remains ~~most of the time~~ quite comfortable at ye olde belfry. it has to do with how far we are from the ocean, the valley that leads from the beach, to thebelfry, & the hill upon which it sits. that is about as much of an explanation i can offer. i am fine with not understanding completely, because i need not understand to be ever so happy that i am not sweltering. those new to kitb: i ~~am a miserable wretch when it's hotter than 70f~~ do not do so well in hot weather.

on monday we hosted a small birthday-party-masquerading-as-the-fourth-of-july bbq. manlyman, 2 friends, & 2 minis had either just had, or were this week having, birthdays. i am sure they would have all been happy in the sun, but elfling & i needed shade. no longer having a structure, we hastily rigged our own sanctuary. what you see in these photos is the result.

i had initially decided not to take photos to share with you, because of the hasty nature with which it was created. martha stewart would cringe. so i let the day pass. & yesterday as well. today though? today i decided to take photos. & yes, it is still up there. please don't tell me this surprises you. we both know what a lazy thing i am.

we have the type of garage that is set apart, & back, from the house. our neighbor does as well. strung between the garages are five clotheslines, hung not long after we moved in. i am embarrassed to say that i have not hung as much laundry as i should have. over these lines we laid 5 large cloths (tablecloth, bedding, fabric) from my collection. the outer edges were secured with clothespins, & the inner with safety pins. not the prettiest way, but we were short of on time.

it worked better than i'd imagined! the area was shady, & oh so comfortable. i wish i could leave it up always, but the elements would destroy the beautiful fabrics. perhaps manlyman will finally agree to buy a few roles of that mesh cloth, meant for this purpose. a gel can dream ;)

how do you create shade? i'd love to hear.

~peace.

not quite a water park

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

this week's thursday things will not take place. sorry, my swiss cheese brain is in full bloom.

a galvanized basin, a green metal bucket, & a chipped enamel mug do not a water park make. this, i know. be that as it may, ever since chatting with you about it the other day (here), i've been poking around thebelfry, looking for items that would get us a bit closer to having our own toddler-sized water park.

manlyman would be quick to mention that i do indeed own quite a few metal & enameled containers that would suit. but he does not understand the difference between dear items in a much-loved collection, & a bunch of stuff gathering dust all over thebelfry.

when next we hit the thrift shops, i'll pick up a few enameled roasters & stockpots. they are always on the shelves, but i pass them by because of chips inside, where the food goes. for water play i don't think i need worry about the rusty spots. do i???

so there you have it - our not quite a water park. see you tomorrow!

~peace.

of sunlight & weathered wood

2011-07-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

edge of potting table :: came with house

i went out to water thefarm, & quickly became distracted by how beautiful the early morning light played upon the weathered wood. the poor plants shall have to be seen to later, as i never made it as far as the hose. instead, i grabbed my camera & took photos. here are some i thought you might like. the captions tell what you're looking at, & from where things came. enjoy!

legs of dining chairs (replete with cobwebs) :: friend was getting rid of them

seat of victorianesque park bench :: free, from a closed school

back of a wood & iron bench :: another from the closed school

back of old chair :: found curbside

side of a wine barrel :: neighbors left behind when moving

back of an adirondack bench :: found curbside

seat of a child's picnic table :: found in bushes

top of a make-shift table :: found curbside

back of the same make-shift table (1 of 2 chairs) :: thrift store

i know i should protect wooden things with sealant before setting them out of doors, but a) i am too lazy, & 2) i find weathered wood to be so rich & beautiful. there is something about the graying wood, the chips of paint left behind, the slight warping, & the occasional moss... sigh.

i do have to paint those dining chairs, however. the seats have split, making them quite unusable. remember those dining chairs on the series friends? they were each a different color. perhaps that's what i'll do. i have cans of paint with only a bit left, so wouldn't need to purchase any. that would make my chairs: white, sage, barn red, & buttery yellow. of course, this means i need to find the time to glue the seats first. oh the ever-growing to-do list.

thanks for visiting. i hope you enjoyed ~~my babbling~~ the photos. don't you wish early morning sunlight lasted all day?

~peace.

swoony old buckets

2011-07-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

no, that is not my pirate name, though it would be a good ~~& appropriate~~ one. thehobbit & i were poking through my photo archives, & found this photo of gorgeous old buckets. swoon! they aren't mine, sadly. they were for sale at a plant show we attended a few years ago. i could not afford even the smallest, so snapped a photo instead.

the large basin would be perfect right about now. the weather has finally turned summery, & elfling is mad for playing with water. we have a galvanized basin he fits in, but only just. plus, it is elongated, so not as much room on either side of him as a proper basin would have. wouldn't it be fun to have basins of all sizes filled with water, & set about the yard? he could have his very own water park!

i have been peeking in on craigslist daily, in hopes of finding some basins, or large buckets, but so far not a one. no worries though, i shan't give up the quest. arrrrggggghhhh. sorry. couldn't be helped. all i need do is write the word pirate, & i start thinking all piratey. perhaps i am swoony old buckets, after all.

ok, i'm off in search of more ideas for my imagined water park. have a lovely one, do!

~peace.

happy days galore!

2011-07-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

image :: the graphics fairy

i wish you a happy canada day, a happy fourth of july, or a happy regular day!

~peace.

thursday things - fun with postcards

2011-06-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

recently thehobbit read about a fun activity - how to walk through a postcard! i believe it was in one of his murderous maths books. when he told me what he'd read, i knew how it would be done, but didn't let on that i did. instead i let him astound & amaze me. on occasion i can be a good mama. on occasion.

i don't see instructions on the mm website, but here are some, courtesy of a google search. the above photo shows thehobbit nearly finished with cutting the postcard. if your child is on the younger side, please help with the cutting. i am not concerned with safety (i assume you know how to keep a wee one safe with scissors), i am merely warning that if the cuts go too far, the postcard will be ruined, & crying could ensue.

even though he believed what the book told him, he still was amazed to be able to walk through his postcard. excuse the fuzzy photo - it was cropped to omit his face. the goofy look of utter joyful amazement on his face; though you & i would find it adorable; offended his teen-aged sensibilities. i was surprised that he allowed these photos at all, seeing as he was wearing his jams at the time. most likely he didn't notice that, as horrified as he'd been by the look on his face. ;)

i highly recommend this activity for kids of all ages (yes, even your age). if you post photos of this on your blog, leave a link in my comments section, so we can all see!

23 months & counting

2011-06-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

image :: from here

today elfling turned 23 months old. that means that in exactly one month he will be turning 2 years old, & i will be drinking heavily. when did my wee bebe get so big? how did this happen? whimper.

so anyway, the planning for his birthday bash has begun! when i said the word theme to manlyman he got a bit pale in the face, & leaned against the doorjamb for support. he even asked if we needed to choose a theme. some days i wonder why i married him. i explained that yes, we did, & walked away in a huff.

to be honest, i'm out of ideas. he's too young to appreciate most of what comes to mind, & i don't like much of what i'm finding online. a) i don't do cutesy, & 2) i'd rather do cutesy than cartoon characters. i shan't delve into my loathing for those. even when thehobbit asked for a harry potter party, i managed to turn it into a hogwarts one. it was a subtle difference, but a difference none-the-less.

back to things: i knew we'd host a bbq, so decided that the theme would be retro bbq. this way i don't have to stick with anything specific, with the exception of the retro bit. much less stress. plus, this way i get a theme, & manlyman gets the illusion of just a bbq.

i'm thinking none of the usual fancier grill food this time. it will all be old fashioned things: dogs & burgers (of the veggie sort), macaroni salad, deviled eggs, ice cream, watermelon, the works.

decor, games, & music would all be retro as well. i doubt i could convince everyone to dress retro, though that would be such fun if i could!

what do you think? any recipes, or other help you care to offer?

~peace.