angry chicken

glueing stuff on stuff and happy 2019!

I finally packed away all my supplies for making these—they went on various gifts this year as gift toppers, my new passion. I made so many different types, all from bits and bobs from my stash. They are all glued to clothes pins and then clipped on. After, they can be reused as ornaments! I'm all about making more of these next year, along with Christmas corsages, which was a huge rabbit hole for me late one evening. 

We are slowly getting back into the groove, this holiday season seemed impossibly busy. I'm relieved to get the tree down and clear the house of all the stuff that seemed to pile up.

Unrelated, I am smiling at this great video series over on the New York Times, a maker challenge called Make T Something. So cool.

36 hours in seattle

We had so much fun running around Seattle last week. We saw Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker. I had been dying to see the new costumes and sets designed by Ian Falconer a couple years ago. It was so good, and so wonderful to see it all in person. Here's my rock-star parkig at the market. I was so proud. It pays to get there early.

We shopped and ran around going to old favorites and now ones. I did not make it inside of Nana's Green Tea, sadly, because the was a crazy line around the block. And we went early! So, that will be for next time.

favorite kid gifts, 8th edition

The holidays came fast this year, I usually have this list up before now. This year, the girls seem much older. At 15, 13 and 10, they are into different stuff than previous years. My 10 year-old is still into toys, but with two big sisters, her interests and tastes are older. She still loves digging in the dirt, thank god.

Here's some items which have delighted the girls. It's so trendy, it reminds me of middle school when everyone had a Swatch. I did not, only because I never was able to wear a watch. Weird. I did have a lot of Esprit.

There are lots of great items in my previous lists: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010. The 5th edition of favorite books  will be coming soon. 

Please click on the photo for details on all these items. I was having linking issues when I wrote this— long and very boring story.

 

These cute little plant pots for room decoration are adorable. Minimalism is all the rage with my middle daughter and these colors fit in perfect with her room. These are the pots only, and she opted for all cacti when she was at the nursery.

 

 

There are many books out there on chalk lettering and lettering in general and we have seen and looked thorough almost all of them. We got this one from the library and loved it the best and have since bought it and use it all the time. A total winner.

 

Okay, it's like a fancy spa in the house. This lamp is really pretty and the girls love it! No band posters in their rooms. I'm laughing when I think about what my room looked like at 13-15. I did have a lava lamp, so I guess this is like that.

This is just fun. We have our record player in the living room, but this can go into the girls' room. It's a great price and a wonderful gift to start a record collection. It also has a headphone jack. And bluetooth!

These stickers and book and one of MANY we have around the house . They love these—but really any planner, sketchbook, sticker-thing is a win. Bonus points for anything in rose gold.

All 3 girls have these and wear them almost daily. For real. Not out of the house, but they change into them when they get home. They are adorable and funny.

Just putting this together is making me smile. It's such a great snapshot in time. I have no new table top games to share this year. We are in love with all our old games and didn't get a new one, you can see them in the previous gift guides.

I have linked all these up with Amazon, where I am an associate. I love shopping local, and I hope you all can do that, but if online is your jam, I sure appreciate you using my links. Happy holidays!

holiday stitching

I started and finished this little brooch last night and and am so happy with how it turned out. I used mostly crewel wool and then a little cotton floss for the detailing. It's on linen, stretched onto the clever brooch form made by Clover that I got in Japan. I haven't found it in the US, if any of you know where I can find them, let me know. I should have bought more.

It's been crazy around here—snow, ice, parties canceled, lessons canceled, one of our cars is stuck in a hedge blocked in by ice in a neighbor's yard. But, there is plenty of food and craft supplies in the house and it's been really nice not driving anywhere or 2 days. I've been baking and sewing and made a new sweater for our bad chihuahua. It's been an unexpected break, which I think we all really needed.

I am between books, which I hope to remedy today. I also have some netflix shows I need to catch up on. I'm not sure when this will happen. Now I just want to do more needlework.

holiday gifts (that you can buy from me)

I have been getting more holiday orders from my Etsy shop, which is wonderful!

I have little sheer bags I tuck gifts into, and can add a little card (all for free) so please let me know if it's a gift you are ordering. This year, there are more oils than ever to try, many of them are a very price friendly range ($12!) and I also have one-of-a-kind jewelry alters available, which would be a an amazing gift for an arty jewelry lover. There are prints, birthcharts, and enclosure cards available, too. I also have a few PDF sewing patterns, which would be fum to give, or make into gifts for friends and family.

I will be closing up shops mid-December, so order soon and thank you!!

 

matryoshka dolls

It's been a crazy 2 weeks around here. The ballet shows just ended and now we are on to the rest of the holiday season, which should be pretty mellow. My two eldest dancers were in this show and they were both cast as matryoshka dolls. Coincidentally, we have been reading my youngest the Rebecca AG doll books, and noticed Rebecca's doll is a matryoshka. So, we thought it would be fun to get some unpainted dolls and decorate some. They turned out great. These are my 9-year-old's, she painted everything but the face. I helped with that under her direction. The other sets are being painted now-

I painted two sets of these dolls years ago, before Lydia was born .They were red and white. The girls were so tiny then, too little to be crafty yet. It's so amazing to see them paint their own now. I loved my sets of these dolls when I was little. I don't have them anymore, which makes me sad. I remember them so well.

Unrelated: I listened to Kristen Wiig being interviewed by Marc Maron on WTF. Marc Maron, as a host, can be tiring for me. I have to be in the right mood to deal with him. Pete usually listens WTF episodes and then tells me about them, which great, but I'm so glad I heard this one myself. She was so mellow and normal and t was wonderful to hear her path. It was not exciting at all, just a lot of hard work and a love of improv. I just spent 30 minutes writing and re-writing a bunch of words about process, paths, late-blooming interests, and pressure on 20-year-olds to figure it all out lest come across like flakey losers, but I couldn't get it together. I need my matcha.

 

no one lost a finger

We made it through another 4th of July with no injuries. Well, I got one during the archery tournament, a band snap from the bow on my inside forearm that will be a horrible bruise few 2 weeks, but besides that, we are all good.

There was much debate in my brain about what to make for the dessert this year and I decided on these adorable watermelon shaped rice krispie treats with mini chocolate chips, made by the two younger girls. We saw a tutorial on Kawaii Sweet World and they were very popular. My cousin brought something like these s'mores bars which were also devoured by everyone, as was Grammie's stone fruit tea cake (recipe here, originally from Rustic Desserts.)

Thank you so much for the oil orders, I hope they are traveling well in the heat. I'm adding some more new items to my etsy shop, including an art print that I will blog about soon in more detail. It feels good to get some of this creative work out of my brain and out in the world.

valentine's day charms

We have been making some more charms around here. These were made for valentine's day to give away. The larger hearts were made into magnets or brooches. I love making these, they are really relaxing. Sometimes. Sometimes, they are maddening, but that's only when the clay gets too soft. I helps to pop it in the freezer and wait a bit. Then it's all so much easier. I also still love watching the tutorials on you tube—there are so many out there and I find them mesmerizing.

I just finished Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir, by Carrie Brownstein and it gave me such crazy dreams! I have been having crazy dreams anyway, mostly about babies, but these dreams were not about babies, but about living in Eugene and Seattle in the mid/late 90s during the whole Eugene/Portland/Olympia/Seattle scene. This book brought back so many memories. Mostly of being freezing cold or very hot waiting for shows to start or end, my ears feeling like they would bleed the music was so loud, seeing amazing raw bands that blew my mind (or were unbelievably horrible) feeling itchy from goodwill clothes, and the smoke. She doesn't mention the smoke, but god, remember that?! I would have to put my clothes outside after shows because they stank so bad.

pinwheel cookies and happy holidays!

It's been a whirlwind of activity with the girls around here, most of which was unexpected. There's been a few very sore throats, fevers, an emergency trip to the dentist to get a tooth pulled, a lovely solstice celebration last night (expect horrible tooth pain for one of my daughters) but we are all good! There are times I can just roll with it, deal with what comes up, and just be happy* and one way is to make cookies, so there you go.

This is a basic sugar cookie recipe that I formed into pinwheels. They are vanilla flavored, although mint would be nice. I got huge props from my daughters on how they turned out. They said the were instagram worthy.

I hope you all have a lovely holiday and new year! See you in 2016! Thank you so much for reading. It's been a long time I've been blogging now and it's meant so much to me. Thank you, thank you.

• Unrelated, I loved this story in the NYT about an art curator that in my mind, is the perfect Wes Anderson character that hasn't been created yet.

*This is also easier to do if I'm not having back pain, which I am not right now. So grateful about that.

Christmas candy boxes and using up my favorite supplies

I have been collecting vintage Christmas bits and bobs for a long time now. A few years ago, I tried on a new craft/art mantra— use it. I tend to squirrel away precious items and then I don't use them, don't see them, can't enjoy them, and although this sounds bad, I also can't justify buying/looking for more, because I have so much I'm not using. I now use my favorite fabrics, trims, stickers, mushrooms, all that. I make them as gifts or keep them, or think about selling them (?) but I get such joy using up my favorite supplies. Also, I had these unpainted cardboard boxes already, so no trips to the craft store needed. Resourceful or hoardy? Who's to say?

The idea for these started after seeing vintage ornaments I inherited from my great Aunt Mickey never really getting the love they deserved. I added the mica glitter, velvet ribbons, bottle brush trees, my precious angel candles, and made these boxes over the course of a few days. I just love working in 3D and I also love gluing stuff onto stuff. I had similar good creative vibes making these woodland centerpieces a few years ago.

These might get tucked away and given out next year, I'm not sure. That's another thing I have been doing the last few years, making gifts not knowing the recipient or the occasion. I figure it will be clear, and it always is. I do this with knitting a lot. I just knit scarves, hats, mittens, and don't worry about what I will do with them. I have a special box I keep them in, and then, sometimes 2 years later, give them as a gifts. It's so freeing know I don't have to "know" exactly the why, I can just make the thing.

more charms

I packed up some of the charms I made and tucked into gift boxes. Now I can't stop with the buckteeth. I'm trying to control myself. These designs were all from various tutorials online. So much fun. I did learn the hard way that you really do need to pull out the eye pin after baking, super-glue it, and stick it back in. Otherwise the charm will come off and that's pretty tragic.

The internet is still causing me to try new projects. There are some lovely ideas for gifts and free printables over on Almost Makes Perfect. I have to just accept that I normally relax after Christmas, not before. So my urge to make, bake, and research is something I'm not going to fight. I am, however, trying to stockplie books to read under a blanket when all this is over next weekend.

 

pot holders and matcha salt

Some holiday gift making has been completed around here. I always have about 4 crafts going one at once, just hoping I have time to complete them. Then I get excited by something else and add more. I made matcha salt (again) because it's so easy and a great gift to give to people who aren't super into sugar-type stuff. Like most ballet teachers, for example. I also sewed up some pot holders. I have a lot of fabric scrap that I wanted to use up. Grammie made this all come together by letting me pull from her jelly-roll stash for the bindings, which made me love these fabrics all over again. There is nothing like a happy, bright, patterned binding to give a project life.

We have been watching a lot of musicals around here, as part of a homeschool theme, and it has been met with some pretty funny reactions. The sensitivity to schmaltz has gotten pretty high with the older girls, so watching anyone break out into song is met with some snark. I get it. Singing in the Rain will always get a thumbs up, also Moulin Rouge! (by my 13 year old) and most of the classics although they were NOT smitten with Oklahoma the way I was. Grease, always good, and Grease 2 even better (what?) but a big thumbs down today to West Side Story. We had to skip a lot of it, but there was still much to discuss. All of which was pretty funny, even though it is a tragedy. They liked Bye Bye Birdie, which Pete was traumatized by. They LOVED Wicked when we saw it live a month ago, so there's that.

candy cane lollipops

We made these cute candy cane lollipops courtesy of pinterest and they were really fun and easy. I looked for candy canes that were more applicable to forming the heart shape. I did soften them in the oven first (for about 1 minute at 350°) to get them to hold together at the top and on the stick. We used melted chocolate chip to fill in. The girls loved making them. I have them wrapped up in little treat bags ready to give away.

More flooding! Portland is underwater. We personally are doing okay, but our neighborhood is pretty bad, lots of people with flooded basements and lakes for yards. Lots of sandbags. We are all trying to help each other move furniture.

Like always, I keep seeing items that I want for myself while buying and making for others. I informed Pete that he bought me a lovely pair of socks and a stellar Christmas ornament from Russia. I even had them wrapped. I also sent a link to this book for my brother to get me, Face Paint: The Story of Makeup. It looks fascinating—all about the history of make-up. And he didn't mock me! Yet.

favorite kids books, 3rd edition

Here are some of our favorite books this year. We still love our books from the 1st and 2nd edition lists too, so please take a look at those for more ideas. I tried to include a wide age range of books. This list is always impossible to keep small. I tried my best, it could have been three times as big.

Thirsty, by M.T. Anderson: I got this YA book from the library for vacation reading and Sadie got a hold of it before I did. I couldn't find it for a long time and then had to return it, so I haven't read it, but she has multiple times and has since bought her own copy. She said it's funny, scary, sad, very well written, and best for kids 12 and older.

Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder : This beautiful book was given to us by a dear friend and we all adore it. In it, the life of ballerina Anna Pavlova is illustrated by Julie Morstad, a favorite illustrator of ours. It's so lovely to read and look at, it's a real treasure.

Finish This Book, by Keri Smith: I don't think I can write a book list without including a book by Keri Smith. This is part journal, part activity book, and part writing/action-prompt book. Sadie has this one, loves it, and it's perfect for age 12 and up, we think. What is so special about her books is that they guide while being open-ended. I actually don't know what Sadie writes in hers, it's her private book, but I remember what it looked like blank, and I want one for myself.

The Day the Crayons Came Home, by Drew Daywalt: This is the second book in a delightful and wry series that we love. We bought it as soon as we saw it. It's a picture book, perfect for younger kids, but we all read it repeatedly.

Roller Girl, by Victoria Jamieson: I wrote about this book already (both books in this post are so good) and they are still big hits with all the girls—especially my 11 year old.

The Wonderful Things You Will Be, by Emily Winfield Martin: This book, beautifully written and illustrated book by our dear friend Emily Martin is adored in this house. All her books are amazing—so carefully composed and drawn. And who doesn't love small pants for squirrels? This would make a very special gift for a baby's library.

Lone Wolf (Wolves of the Beyond, Book 1), by Kathryn Lasky : My 8-year-old is in love with this series we are reading to her. She is obsessed with the woods, animals, and nature-based magic and lore. She is our little survivalist. These are told from the point of view of the wolf, who in the first book is raised by a bear. These aren't humorous, and can be a bit harsh, and she loves them. There is an owl series, too, that we will most likely read.

How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps: Step by Step Cartography for Gamers and Fans, by Jared Blando: I found this book when we were learning about cartography and sort of freaked out. It's very well organized and full of ideas, not just for landscapes, but for structures (Dragon's Lair! Ancient Portal!) towns, cities, and forests and even heraldry and shield design. I love Jared's drawing style, it's friendly but also exact, and we were all able to easily draw detailed maps using this book. Drawing maps from scratch can be really paralyzing, and this book makes it very easy to start.

I hope this helps your gift giving! I know many small indie book shops carry these titles. Support them! Or maybe today you need to shop in your pajamas. I have linked these to amazon, where I am an associate, so if you use my links (while in your pajamas) I thank you!

just chillin'

Every year we go to a pretty raging Halloween party. There's no kids and a lot of dear friends we've known from way back. There are photos displayed of all of us in costumes from about 1992-present. There were many years where this party was on hiatus, with the babies and all, but it's been back in full force for a few years now and it's so much fun. I borrowed my middle daughter's surprisingly comfortable banana costume, which I had a hard time taking off. I actually want to wear it around the house occasionally, because it's just really funny and almost sad. Pete went as Freud. We went as a couple, you know, Freud and a banana. Enough said.

There was this amazing story in The Oregonian about a masked superhero in Beaverton that makes the rounds at night, walking the streets, in a homemade costume. I kind of want to just stop by and say hi. As a banana. Pretty much every word of this story is outstanding, I read it aloud to the family.

I was asked if I am going to do my yearly super cool gift round up this year and—yes! I have done this for many years and its so fun to think about and look though all my past lists. I will try to get it up either right before or right after Thanksgiving

mini poison bottles

I'm trying to show all our Halloween projects and new decorations before the week is over. I fell in love with these tiny little bottles and bought them about a month ago. They come with the poison stickers. I love miniature items so much, these are going to stay out all year.

Tonight I had my first meal planning fail. It was saved by Pete running by the store on the way home from from ballet pick-up to buy what the recipe actually called for. So far, I have been very by-the-book. Dinner was late, but it was very tastey. Details will follow, but I was heard saying "Well, this looks a lot better than what just threw in the garbage."

ridiculously cute halloween cookies

I was so tired the other evening, it was about 8:30ppm but it felt like 1:00am. I am a morning person. Delia was all excited to bake something. She's almost 11 and very industrious. I told her to go for it and she made these cookies with almost no help. I got off the couch once. She used the recipe and wonderful online tutorial over at Kawaii Sweet World. She made the dough, died it, flattened in out in layers, stacked it, and chilled it overnight. The next morning, she cut out the cookies and baked them. Then added the faces. They are delicious and very adorable.

Thanks again for all your tips, suggestions, and feedback about meal planning. There are some great ideas in the comments. Homeschooling, I feel like I make food all day. Breakfast is more on their own, but I am usually up early baking muffins, etc. I also make a sit down lunch everyday because we do a lot of learning while we eat together, mostly talking about a specific topic. Keeping with the theme of making things easier and asking for help, I'm having one of them help, or make lunch for everyone, one day a week. This is much easier now that they are older. I didn't really think about doing this before, which I know seems odd, but it was because they are always busy learning on their own while I make lunch and I didn't want to interrupt them. Of course, teaching them to feed themselves and the family is learning and they really like doing it. Their cooking styles are very different and funny. One is fast and loud with lots of banging, one is very slow and careful, and one mostly talks and gets distracted telling stories.

spooky bottles

We made these spooky bottles using this great tutorial.  I was both horrified and grateful I had so many bottles of expired and forgotten about vitamins. What the heck? I don't know why I never throw these out, but good for me, because I had them for this project. I feel like there is a KonMari joke in here, but I can't quite get pull it out. We ended up making some mushroom cap shaped lids out of air dry clay.  The small bottles got cork shaped caps. And because the air dry clay came out, a mini taco and hamburger were made, because you know, that's what happens.

The supplies are so simple for this— plastic vitamin bottles decorated with a glue gun, chalk paint, silver paint, and some moss. I really want to try the technique with a book cover to make spell books. We dabbed on the silver paint with a paper towel and it looked perfectly aged and distressed.

Thanks for all you support and ideas about my meal planning! It's been really good this week. I keep having to remember that I have it  figured out when I start thinking about what to make for dinner. Oh, brain. I will keep linking to our favorites as they come up.

valentine's day magnets

We really love air-dry clay. We made these hearts using small cookie cutters, let them dry, and then painted them and glued magnets on the back. They can break if you handle them too soon. I usually help them dry faster by putting them in a low oven for a few hours during the day. The letters are from this great cookie set (here's the set, but I can't find the kit online anymore, sadly.)

Unrelated:

I found these great printable sheets for simple science projects/experiements you can do at home over at bill nye's website.

 

 

a cyclops snowman cookie

For a couple years now we have had friends over to decorate Christmas cookies during the day. Hooray for homeschool flexible scheduling! Otherwise, I don't know how this would happen this time of year. I make a double batch of sugar cookies a few weeks before and freeze them and take them out the night before. I seem to use a different recipe each time. These were yummy, but got very puffy. Then the kids go to town with icing and sprinkles. We had these eyes on hand from when we were making Twinkie minions last spring, and they were such a hit decorating these cookies! They took a fabulous comedic turn. I love seeing a stocking with eyes. Delia added broken candy canes pieces to the mix, which was a great addition, too.

Unrelated:

I am reading Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's Learned and am almost done. Lena Dunham is much younger than me. I find her writing interesting, smart, funny and sad. Mostly I feel grateful I'm not in my 20s anymore. I read an interesting discussion about this book on Man Repeller. In keeping with the theme of female comedic writers, next up— Yes Please by Amy Poehler.

solstice gifts

I put together these 3 little jars for the girls for solstice. They don't read my blog which is why I am showing them early. I like to give them handmade, or partially handmade, gifts for solstice and I had so much fun making these. The bottles came from Cargo, here in Portland. They are small, only about 3 inches high, and the goodies inside came from Collage, also in Portland. These shops are very dangerous places for me, I try not to go in them very often. Collage carries quite a few miniatures now, which I find delightful.

Unrelated:

• I had a cooking fail today—caramel sauce. I am doubly bummed about it because I have made caramel sauce so many times with no issues, but this time I tried it in the microwave (why!?) and not only did it boil over, but them got too hard, and then separated. It was sad. I made Pete throw out all the evidence, so now I am pretending it didn't happen.

• I can't stop watching the Hobbit Office skit on SNL.

• I'm excited to start this clayoquot toque pattern (free!) from Tin Can Knits after the holidays.

small needlework gifts

I stitched these little gifts last weekend. They are framed in 3" hoops. I didn't stitch them in this size hoop though, it's too small to work with. To finish them, I glue a felt circle on the back. Then I sign and date them. Sometimes I accidentally write the wrong year on one of them, like "2004".

The designs are heavily inspired by the book Mariko got me from Japan, which I have blogged about already. I just can't get enough of the combination of wool and silk in the same piece. And working on 3 or more is so fun for me. I work so much better when I am doing multiples of things, then each decision I make doesn't have to be the only one. I was sad when these left my wall.

gift factory 2014

Last weekend pete bought whole spices in bulk, toasted them, and ground them up to make garam masala. We found the little spice jars at Cost Plus, and magically, quadrupling the recipe filled all 9 of them perfectly. The recipe calls for rose buds, which we left out. I really like to give a non-sweet gift item every year, along with all the sugar stuff. Having said that, I think I'm going to use this today to make these garam masala oatmeal-raisin cookies. This spice blend is also great on popcorn and hashbrowns.

We use this blend at home for the red lentil soup we have made almost weekly for a few years now. 3 out of 5 of us love it, and the 10 year old eats it for breakfast. It's so easy I always feel like I'm forgetting something. The recipe is from a friend, and I'm not sure where it came from originally. I've probably made some changes along the way, but here it is:

Red Lentil Soup—super easy and delicious!

• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 cans (16oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 1/2 cup broth or water
• cilantro, chopped (optional)
•  juice of 1/2 lemon (not really optional)

Saute the onions and garlic and then add the spices and cook for about 2 minutes, add the lentils, coconut milk, water, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer (give it a good stir now, the lentils like to stick to the bottom of the pot), cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the lemon juice and chopped cilantro. I love this soup.

Unrelated:

This hysterical piece in the Oregonian by Jamie Hale is the most Portland-y Portland story I have read this week. A brief summary—

"This is not just a story about drunken Santas roaming Portland bars. This is a story about a secretive society, riot police, fake protests, legal battles, Chuck Palahniuk and, incredibly, a rivalry with people dressed as bananas."

apricot ginger shortbread

I bake these cookies every year for the Low-Stress Cookie Party I attend. it's a win-win, you just come and eat cookies. You can bring some you have made, or not, all you have to do it show up. Then, if there's some left, we split them up and take them home. It's genius and we have been doing it for many years now.

I always think I will branch out, but then I don't, because these are so good and I only make them once a year. They use 2 sticks of butter for a 8" square pan, so you know. I know I have blogged about these before, but since I am repetitive, so is my blog.

Real Simple calls them Apricot Crumbles, but I have renamed them because they have ginger and they are a shortbread.

I'm trying to make sure I take the time to do fun holiday stuff right now—bake, make little gifts, wrap stuff, use too many stickers, that kind of thing. There's been a whole lot of driving and errand running with the 3 girls all in the nutcracker this year, so our days have been spent in a minivan suck hole, which is not my favorite. My brain is working over the whole— what do I have to do, vs. what do I want to do, and then deciding I should do what I want to do so I don't resent what I have to do, thing.

thanksgiving trifle & learning geography

I made this for Thanskgiving—it was the first time I have used this amazing trifle dish Grammie gave me for my birthday. It was a raspberry, gingersnap, mascarpone trifle. It looked amazing, and in theory, was amazing, but in reality, was a fail. But I have not given up hope. The big mistake was using gingersnap cookies instead of gingerbread. There wasn't enough body in the cookies. They got mealy and grainy in the liquid, so instead of being a trifle, it was more like a sauce. A delicious sauce with a very grainy texture. It's like it should have been on top of another dessert, and for a bit I thought about serving it on top of pie, but I didn't.

Unrelated:

The girls have been really enjoying these geography quizes. This first link is fun with some sense of geography already, but for learning from scratch, this site is better, because they can learn little bits at a time. This second site also has the US state capitals. I like to follow up with a blank print out they have to fill by hand periodically in so they can practice spelling. Then I can use all the stickers I have stashed.

favorite kid books, 2nd edition

My Milk Toof: The Adventures of Ickle and Lardee

Last year, I realized our favorite books needed their own list, so here's the 2nd edition. Here's the 1st edition.

This book was given to us a few years ago and is always near by. It's not really a story, but little vignettes depicting the adventures of these adorable teeth. Inspired by this, all the girls have made their own teeth out of sculpey to play with. So flippin' cute.

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #1: Wolf Brother

This is a surprise hit for us. I was looking for fiction while we were studying the stone age and found this series and the girls are in love with it. The first book is about a boy and a wolf and the wolf narrates some of the chapters. There's so much wonderful research in here. It's like taking a wilderness survival class from the sofa. We are in the middle of book 2 now and will surely read the rest. It's not funny or light at all— the drama and tense survival challenges they are thrilled by.

11 Birthdays

A neighbor friend told us about this book, and my 10 and 12 year-olds have read it repeatedly. I have not read it yet, but know it's about a girl and boy who have to repeat their 11th birthday over and over again. There are other books in this series and this one is their favorite.

Manga for the Beginner Chibis: Everything You Need to Start Drawing the Super-Cute Characters of Japanese Comics

All my girls draw a whole bunch and this book (and all the manga books by christopher hart) are very popular around here. Chibis rule the roost however, because who doesn't love cute adorable chibis!? There is a section on learning to draw chibi animals, too.

 
The Buddha's Apprentice at Bedtime: Tales of Compassion and Kindness for You to Read with Your Child - to Delight and Inspire

I read these short stories aloud to my girls and they love them. The illustrations are really lovely and the stories are simple and have a lot of issues to discuss. I wondered if it was too young for my older girls, but it's not, they ask for these stories almost every day at lunch time. Then we talk about them at length. I think they like the discussions afterward even more than the stories.

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

This book disappeared the day I got it. My eldest is a huge Percy Jackson fan and so this went into her bed and rarely comes out. I have heard her read it out loud to her sisters, and it's funny and interesting, but again, I don't see it much. She assures me it's super great. It's also big and impressive in hardback.

 

Kids Are Weird: And Other Observations from Parenthood

I bought this for myself because it made me laugh so hard and reminded me of Will and Abe in the best way, but now I can't get it away from the kids. They think it's so funny—because it is. It's all direct quotes from the author's son, and they are priceless.

There are more books that mean the world to us I have already blogged about this year, including:

• Day Dreamers
• Making Peg Dolls
• Amazing Greek Myths of Wonder and Blunders

 

favorite kid gifts, 5th edition

It's that time again! Here's the 2014 favorite kid gifts list. Some of these we have had for years, some we have gotten recently—all of them are very popular with our family in a way that stands out.

Here are the previous lists: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010. I love all these gifts, too. And just like last year, I am planning a separate favorite books list, which I will post next.

 

 

Kingdom Builder

We like board games in this house, and this one is pretty great because each time you play it, you draw cards to define the rules, so it's different every time. It's more complex (I'd say ages 8 and up), but our enthusiastic 7 year-old can hang just fine. Scoring is at the end, which is nice because there isn't that sense of losing the whole game while you are playing it.

 

Elenco Electronic Snap Circuits, Jr. Kit

This circuit set is played with so much. It's pretty basic, so it's time we got more advanced ones, but the girls still go back to this one. They have many different kinds and come with complete directions that are very clear and easy to follow. For tinkerers, makers, and kids that like to see how things are powered and work, Snap Circuits are really cool.

 American Girl Crafts Art Kit, Julie Albright String Cards

All my girls have a few of these craft kits from American Girl and love them. They have all been very well made with clear directions and nice materials. This one is the favorite right now, but we haven't had a bad one yet. They are easy to find and at Michaels and Joanns, can be scored with a coupon, which is very helpful because these are a higher quality of craft kit, so the price is higher, too.

IQ Fit

Our eldest (12) takes this into her bed at night and plays it until the wee hours. It's a puzzle where you match the shapes to cards that show different patterns. It's simple and comes in a very pleasing box and is easy to pack in the car or in a bag. Which she does, often. This company makes quite a few games like this for younger kids too, which look very cool.

 Wreck This Journal

I think this book, along with tape, pencils, markers, and scissors should be given to every kid and adult. It's just that great. My girls have several copies and each one they do differently. They instantly start wrecking, drawing, tearing, and experiencing this book in a way that is so great, I just can't say enough good things about it. There are prompts on every page telling you how to wreck it, so all you need is the book and some gumption.

 Lincoln Logs Classic Edition Tin

A classic. We have had this big tin in our house for about 8 years now and it still gets played with by all of them. They love it for their Calico Critters, but they also just love to make the cabins.They also like to put in the tiny battery operated tea lights for a fire inside.

painted t-shirts for 4th of July

Every year we have a big 4th of July party with my extended family and this year my Aunt gave us three shirts to decorate for a group photo she wants to take of all the kid cousins. These were so fun and easy to make. She made them for our little boy cousins, all they had to do was press their blue-painted hand on the shirt. I think she painted the stripes for them. Having the different sized hands on the shirts is pretty cute. For ours, the girls did them all on their own. They did some t-shirt altering first—cropped the length, cut off the neck, and shortened the sleeves. Done, with dance poses, no less! 

tulips and zip lines

We went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm over the weekend and the tulip fields were amazing.

There were plenty of other activities as well. You can go just for the tulips (parking is $10) but everything else—the food and activities, add up real fast. Zip lines, paintball archery, rock climbing, and this crazy jumping thing. The hippie in me wanted a little less of all this extreme un-tulip like activity and a little more nature craft, but the girls had a blast. Watching people totally eat it on the the mechanical bull was very funny.

Angie thought it was lovely.

snow!

we got snowed in the last 4 days and the girls have been:

• Reading a ton—we finished reading Tom Sawyer and started To Kill a Mocking Bird (from our Family Library)

• Working on their DIY skills with intensity. Also, they were sledding a whole lot and we realized we don't have a lot of snow gear, like real gloves. Oops. We used socks instead.

• Working on their books—for a couple months now they have been writing and illustrating their own stories on StoryJumper. So far, they are just online, we haven't paid to get the actual book printed yet. It's been so fun. Sadie uploads her original artwork, Delia is learning so much about grammar, and Liddy is writing an amazing story about an elephant that owns a candy shop and Medusa makes an appearance.They are learning so much about writing along with basic graphic design on the computer—using scale, layers, placement features and formatting text. It's amazing to see and I had no clue when we started this how much they would learn on the computer side. We always make our own books (with paper and staples and draw everything) but they just took off with this in such a different way, it has been great to see it develop. StoryJumper provides a little outline for them to use first so their story doesn't get too off the rails as they go. It's also free (unless you want an actual book sent) and you can read other books written by kids, which are pretty swell.

• I ran out of sugar and we couldn't get to the store in all the snow, so I made cookies with sweetened condensed milk instead. Who knew? I had no idea you could do this, but you can. They were so good and really made us all very sick.

happy 2014!

Happy after the holidays!

We made it through. It was a lovely but tiring December—6 Nutcracker shows with all three girls dancing this year, and then the holidays and then a bad violent bout of the norovirus that hit all 5 of us at once. It was pretty terrible—the house just sort of shut down for two days, but we recovered. We then went to the Oregon coast after we all felt better and it was so warm, sunny, beautiful and relaxing. We all needed it so much.

The girls just chilled out with some needlework they hadn't worked on in a long time and I finished a cross-stitch piece that I started last year, which I am very excited to have done. Delia learned how to make balloon animals which was really fun and so her. Taking them all home was cumbersome and I have no idea where she stashed them in her room now, but you'd think I'd know where over 20 balloon animals would be in the house, but I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to.

I spent some time thinking about new projects I want to try this year and I realize I can't think very far out, only what I want to do next. I really want to try and knit with multiple colors this year, and am very excited to try a Lopapeysa sweater. I went back and read all of Kay's great posts on her lopapeysa sweater obsession. I try not to bug her too much about knitting, but knowing I can makes me so happy. It's kind of like knowing a superhero, it just feels good to know she is out there when I need her. With a cape, knitted of course. Or a shrug. Or, duh—a cowl, what was I thinking? Of course it's a cowl. I think I will try this wonderful free pattern here.

Portland knitters, does any LYS sell Istex wool for these sweaters?

happy solstice and see you in 2014!

Sadie and I brought home these fabulous items at Crafty Wonderland last weekend. I was doing really well, not spending too much and just looking around until I saw the E is for Ethel booth and sort of lost it. There was so much glitter, sparkle, and magic crammed in, I felt but elated and overwhelmed. I bought these items, but I think I could have reached at anything with my eyes closed and been happy.

Happy Solstice! We are getting ready to celebrate with almond cake, the lighting of candles, shadow puppet shows and a late night of fun. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and New Year's and see you in 2014!

peppermint hot cocoa

I got this idea (I'm surely not the first) while I was baking and craving hot cocoa while I also happened to be handling mini candy canes.

My girls don't like peppermint hot cocoa (criminal!) so I never make our hot cocoa mix minty, just normal. I use the recipe on the can—sugar, cocoa, and milk. Sometimes I add a little cinnamon or other spices if I am crazy and it's not for them. I wanted a mint flavor and mint extract gets too strong— especially in one cup. I grabbed one mini candy cane, pounded it lightly with a rolling pin, added it to my mug before I added the hot cocoa mix and then poured in the hot milk and stirred like crazy. There were no bits of candy, it melted, and the peppermint flavor was perfect. Just the right amount.

Ideally this post would have included a photo of the finished hot cocoa with whipped cream on top and a light sprinkle of more crushed candy cane, but that didn't happen. In my mind it did and it was beautiful. And we were also out of marshmallows. So I didn't show what it did look like, because, you know, it looked like brown liquid. But it was delicious.

Unrelated:

I am SO HAPPY I found this list— the 100 best movies in Netflix Instant over on Paste. This will save me much precious time. There's nothing I dislike more than having just a little time to watch something and then getting stuck trying to figure out what to watch. Maddening! And now triumph!

the best birthday gifts come from my brother

Inflatable turkey. It's way bigger than you'd think!

candy terrariums

I saw this simple/brilliant idea for candy terrariums over at Martha. It is a video. Delia watched it and having never seen her before said, "She's pretty good." which cracked me up. These little glass bowls were from the dollar store, which was a real saving compared to the expensive fancy candy I had to get from our favorite candy shop. It all evened out. A friend asked if were were planning to keep the rabbits alive in there, only to eat them later? Yes, we are.

There's some really pretty spring terrariums using plants (not candy) over at Pink Pistachio.

card making goodie bags

We made these card making goodie bags for a Valentine's Day party Delia was having—but then didn't have because I got the norovirus, again! It has only been 6 weeks since my last fight with it. It must have been a different strain. This makes me not super popular with the rest of the population. I feel pretty germ-y. I know my immune system is pretty low right now. And it flared up my back pain again, but I am trying to stay positive. We canceled the party, but a March party has already been planned in its place. My kids are total troopers.

On a better note, I am almost done with the first sleeve of the sweater. I have a huge hole in the armpit but trusted sources assure me this is ok, and stitching it up tight after is not lame. I already have my eye on this vest for a next project. Too hard for me? I'm not sure yet.

easy origami heart

Things have been moving pretty slow around here. I'm still making—I sewed a sweater dress last weekend, and a nightgown for an american girl, and I am knitting, and folding a lot of paper, but my buzzzzziness is slow. I am on week 5 of a horribly inflamed sciatica which is keeping me down. The mornings are excruciating for about 10 minutes and then I feel about 80% normal, except sitting is hard—so I am now one of those people toting my own foam wedge around so I can sit on it, and not on the floor, which was, at best, a fire safety hazard in most public places. I am seeing a wonderful acupuncturist for this and feel I am on the med, when I am in a good mood. When I'm not is a good mood, well, you know how that goes.

Anyhoo, the slow deliberateness of paper folding is making me happy, and I am now into folding hearts as many different ways I can find on the internet, which is a lot. I'm not sure why I am so delighted by being able to get the same shape so many different ways, but I am. I think I used this pattern for this heart.

I also just got hip to Brain Pickings, which can be a real time-suck, in a good way.

In knitting—the sweater body is almost done. I keep getting sleeve excitement, only to realize I'm not ready yet. I also have realized I'm not so good at just straight knitting, which I find amusing. Little dropped stitches and weird wraps, I never realized I did this.

happy holidays and have a wonderful new year!

painting by delia, 8

We got some some snow! Very exciting. We are gearing up for the nutcracker performances and winter solstice and holiday celebrations and then hopefully a whole lot of nothing but rest—with some knitting, reading, and walk-taking.

Recently, I've been putting on albums and just listening while lying on the rug, like I used to when I was 7-14, back when actually listening to an album was an activity, you know? Not something I did while doing one or two other things. The girls love it. I used to put barbies on the records and would watch them spin while they played. I haven't told them that.

I'm trying to finish up gift wrapping and I have been finding some real gems on pinterest for gift tags to print and use. I just have to limit how much time I take looking, dang it. I can't believe what's out there.

Thank you all for reading, commenting, and just being out there—I hope you all have a mellow and wonderful holiday and see you in 2013.

custom wrapping paper

This is sort of spoiler for my brother, but I'm not sure how often he reads my blog so I'm showing it. Last night I was doing some wrapping and remembered all the science fiction book covers I spotted on flickr a bit back (long story) and as an life-ling science fiction fan, I knew he'd dig this custom paper. I printed out some images onto plain printer paper and there you go. The gifts I wrapped are small enough that one sheet fit perfect—I sure wasn't going to make a trip to the copy shop for over-sized sheets, but if I muster up the energy to do that one day, that would look cool, too. I love wrapping paper from photographs.

Life has been full of hard stuff lately, culminated by this horrible shooting back east and this awful local shooting at a mall here in town. Our family has been dealing with some very challenging health issues (not me) around here and there's a long road ahead—I'm just very sad and tired. Baking cookies has really helped. And wrapping gifts. And talking to friends. I also made this butterkuchen from the December Martha and it is really really good. And for all the sadness out there, this tonglen meditation I link to in this post really helps me, for others' pain and my own.

gift factory—seasoned salts

Making flavored salts has been on my list since I got some matcha salt from mariko years ago. I love it to death. It's so good on eggs, I almost cry a little every time I eat it.

So, I had these jars (a lot of them, for a possible new skincare product, long story) and wanted to use a few of them for gift containers so I can be less self-conscious about how many I have in the garage. This became a thing—trying to figure out what to put in the jars for holiday gift-giving. I didn't want to give sugar scrub this year so the seasoned salts won. I made 4 different kinds, combos that were quick and easy to make that didn't involve drying lemon rind or roasted garlic. They are also tasty and versatile. I used fine sea salt. I was going to use flake sea salt, but wasn't sure if everyone would like the chunkier salt texture. The flavors I made:

• Chipotle & Cinnamon salt
• Coriander Salt
• Cumin Salt
• Matcha Salt

For the cumin and coriander salt I toasted whole seeds and ground them. For the other two, I just mixed it in with the salt as is. I used 1 cup salt and about 8 teaspoons total spice/tea, which seems to work great, but I think this ratio is pretty forgiving. I have been using them all on soups, stews, tofu, toast, pasta, rice, fish and eggs. The chiptole & cinnamon would be great in a chocolate bark. Look out!

Here are some reference links I used-

• very pretty jars of seasoned salt in Country Living with recipes
• clear and simple seasoned salt recipes from She Knows
• how to make matcha salt (thanks for this markio!)

gift factory—hot cocoa mix in a jar

The girls wanted to make their own gifts for friends and family this year all by themselves, so we have been having little gift factory parties. I try to do this with just one child at a time, so they get some one-on-one time and we can more easily thwart disaster.

The middle child wanted to give "something in a jar" and she got hot cocoa mix last year that had both mini-chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows and hasn't stopped talking about it since, so the answer was obvious. She made a master batch of hot cocoa mix:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

scooped it into each jar, about half-full, and then topped it off with mini-chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. I tried to get her to add cinnamon or peppermint oil, but she is a purist. To make the actual hot cocoa, I think it's easier to add the whole amount in the jar to almost boiling milk and stir like crazy. The amount above makes 8 cups, but depending how big your jars are, it can vary. I think these jars would make 2 cups of hot cocoa, depending on how sweet you want it.

The circle punch I happen to have fit the lids perfect. Crafty-stars aligned.

I love making things in jars. For more inspiration/ideas I searched "in a jar" in pinterest. It's almost too much. Sometimes I don't even go to pinterest just because I feel too excited/overwhelmed. Like a cat with catnip, minus the napping schedule.

We are now approaching the time of year when I am making gifts I can't show lest I spoil the surprise, and when I am sewing costumes for the Nutcracker the girls are in, so I am fitting this in with everything else, which always seems ill-advised. This year it's a party girl dress. I have already told them it's not ours to keep, so I'm sure I will be sewing a keeper soon.

free video workshops at creativebug!

The super awesome folks at creativebug are showing 5 video workshops for free! All of them are perfect for holiday gift making and wrapping, like this holiday Burlap Bunting Project. I can't stop watching these videos. I loved working with them on my workshops and as people, they just rock, I tell you. I think their production quality is the best out there —I'm so happy they are doing this so you all can see how cool these workshops are to watch. Here are the other free ones:

Hand made soap

Luminaria Candle Shades

Holiday Upcycled Bow

Paste Papers

favorite kid gifts, 3rd edition

Okay, here's the 3rd edition of our favorite toys/books this year. Here's the lists from 2011 and 2010. I love looking back at these. They still play with them all!

The whole family is getting a little board game crazy and Catan: Junior has been a great entry point. We all can play, no reading is necessary, and like so many of these euro board games it requires planning ahead and stragety, not so much luck. They play fast, which is great for keeping it fresh. They are so well made and have very pleasing pieces to hold.

I am a huge fan of all of the Usborne books. I went to architecture school and have a lot of those old books still on my shelves, but I wish I had See Inside Famous Buildings back then. The flaps make it fun for the younger girls, but the text is full of really interesting info—great for older kids. There are a few of these books in the flap series and we love them all.

 

The Fujifilm INSTAX MINI is soooooo good. It teaches the kids to use film wisely and the look on their face when the photo just pops out is priceless. I need my own for sure.

Tear Up This Book! has been a huge hit. We had to buy 3 copies. It's by the crazy talented Keri Smith (of Wreck this Journal and How to be an Explorer of the World fame) and is FULL of stuff to do. It's creative, wonderful, and clever.

I already wrote about this game, Timeline, but here it is again. I just love it so much. It's addictive and now that we have had it for about 6 months, I can see just how much history they have learned from it. A whole lot, I tell you. "The invention of weapons is always earlier than you think." There is a new version I just got and one on the way.
What is it about these Skip Hop Zoo Lunchies Insulated Lunch Bags? I mean, I do love them, but my girls and all their friends adore them. They also make matching backpacks and roller luggage. They are so cute, well made, and I probably would have bought one when I was in college for myself. There are a lot of animals to choose from (which means Sadie collects them) I'm not saying how many we have in this house.

more items—We also love our hand drill, Oddfellows Orphanage, and The Lives of Extraordinary Women, all of which received their own blog post.

I hope this list helps. I know it's nice for me to look back and see what toys/books/stuff seemed really worth our money and I love hearing from friends about what their family has really enjoyed and loved over the years. I've linked all these to amazon, but I think most of these things you can buy in your local toy/book/game shop (except maybe the camera?) Portland is full of amazing indie shops—I am so lucky to have them here.

glittery advent calendar

We are getting ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow and I am so happy to have the advent calendar done well before December first.

I got this kit a year or so ago on super-sale at the now closed Paper Zone (sniff) and I have no information on it, sorry. I did a quick online search and came up with nothing. There are some wonderful ready-to-alter items here at Stampington, but not this one exactly. It came as unfinished chipboard and masonite. I had to glue all the little boxes together and make the frame. It was wonderfully time consuming. It took me forever to decide how to decorate it and after being pretty modern/minimal/sparse in holiday decorations in the past, it was nice to really get fussy and Victorian. The girls love it. They have also told me on several occasions the drawers are the perfect size to put Squinkies in. I was thinking more natural items— felt beads, acorns, and wooden-type toys, but you know. They will take turns each day opening a drawer, which works out mathematically, fortunately.

Random items-

• I love Rdio so much. I have been using it (I have the membership that allows for multiple devices) since around April and it really changes how we listen to music in the house and on the road. I love it not just because I can listen to all the Duran Duran I want, but also because whenever the girls hear a song at a friend's house or from dance class, or in store, or where ever, we can get it and they can add it to their own playlist. It's so good for classical music, too. I don't have to spend all this money or time waiting to check out cd's from the library and it gives them so much more freedom to choose what they want to hear, so I'm not forcing moody folk music on them all day. They just made a dance mix which contains very little I can stand to hear, but they love it to death. I slipped in some Queen and Björk just so they know what's up.

• We are learning about Benjamin Franklin and I found this great site, which is so nicely designed and fun to use.

costume—medieval princess

This is the Halloween costume for the middle child. She saw a costume very similar in a catalog and wanted it. I used McCalls 5499, which has quite different lines, but I love this pattern and had enough yardage.

I'm not sure why I already had this crushed stretch velvet, but I did. In three colors, no less. The stretchiness makes it very forgiving. The real fun for me was the head piece. I found super big cotton cording and covered it with fabric and wrapped it with trim. It was like working with huge noodles. Or intestines. In an art installation kind of way.

It's sort of a weird feeling copying janky costumes from catalogs to make for them. These catalogs are not my favorite source material and it's unlikely if it's less expensive to sew them. But because I already had the fabric, it feels like it's free. Especially since I can't remember buying it. This one turned out really pretty and it doesn't itch at all, unlike the catalog ones. The next one I am finishing is a Movie Star costume, also copied from a costume catalog, which is highly questionable and definitely tacky. But whatever. It's been fun to make, too. I need to finish the fur stole, which again, is probably cheaper to buy. We did purchase one costume this year, for the 5 year old— cheerleader outfit. It has sequins, so, you know, it's an extra fancy cheerleader outfit. I got blank stares when I asked "who wants to be a maid?!"

Unrelated, (but in a way related to everything) I just read this quote from a book I am loving.

". . . once you begin to respect what you do —not in an egocentric way, but with appreciation and self-worth—then any activity becomes meaningful. Life is to be respected, appreciated, and lived full—instead of chastised or rushed through.

—Running with the Mind of Meditation, Lesson for Training The Body and Mind, by Sakyong Mipham

happy holidays!

 


This week is crazy! I was able to bake a few cookies over the last few weeks, but nothing like what I usually do. Friends and family used to getting cookies from me will be getting perfume oils instead. I have been making hand-blended organic perfume oil for a bit now and I have some really nice scents to give out. So far, they have been very well received—along with some oils that help with headaches, you roll it on at the base of your neck.

Over the weekend I made marshmallows and dipped them in chocolate and then either peppermint pieces or walnuts with cinnamon and sugar. I didn't make these last year and I missed them.

I'm itching to make the almond cake we make for Winter Solstice every year and then I'm gonna wrap like a mad woman. I had to take my serger in. It broke yesterday, 3 hours before I was supposed to have 3 Nutcracker dresses done (we are in the middle of 10 shows, the girls have 6 left to do) so I have lost my sewing privileges for 10 days while it's being repaired and I think this is a good thing. I was horrified at first, but if the only way to slow me down is to take my machine away, so be it.

Happy Holidays you all and see you in 2012! Be safe and sort of good!

advent calendar

I am so happy I finally made an advent calendar for the kids. This was a project that had a lot of parameters—I had to use what I could find in my craft room (I bought a few things), and wanted it to be fun, inexpensive, not involve sugar (and it involved sugar), and not involve small toys. I love small toys, but I feel like our house is full of small toys. Over the years, we have accumulated so many stocking stuffer type small toys, we have drawers of them. I kind of have nightmares about all the small toys we have, so I knew I didn't want to add to that.

What I ended up using was small envelopes (used for gift enclosures/business cards. I have a ton of these I use for thank yous and for items I sell) and then I had Pete get some cool stickers downtown at Powells— they have a great selection. I cut them up and stuffed them in the envelopes. I also added gold chocolate coins then used my 1" hole punch to punch out numbers and my big splurge was the $7.50 I spent on the digital collage sheets, which I printed and then glued on the envelopes. I love using these sheets and the price is totally worth it to me to have repeated use of these images for all sorts of craft projects. I added some twine and 24 small clothespins (which were hard to find around the house, but I managed)

Okay, then. The girls will have to take turns opening these every 3 days. It will work out. I hope to make a different one next year, it was really fun and felt right. It felt like a good project, not like a "I have to make this and it stopped being fun 20 minutes ago" project.

in other happy news:

I was excited to buy these new cards from Eireann and received them last week, they are even better in person. (Don't look, Grammie) I am a huge fan of Eireann's watercolors and have been using her cards and looking at her calendar every month all year. She has a new one this year, too. And in this lovely post she provides a discount code good for a few more days.

and it's not even for Halloween

Over the years, I have sewn very few things for my husband. And now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure the only things I have sewn are costumes. And not very many from scratch, mostly altered existing clothes. This dashing tunic is sewn from Simplicity 3519. We were looking for a piece that would work in plays/living history and dress-up and would span the most centuries. You can do a lot with this tunic. I also thought it would be great to wear for solstice. You know, us ladies in the house get pretty decked-out in finery and dad is just sportin' his normal look—it didn't seem right.

So, this came together quite well. I did have to make it harder by using what I had on hand—a top sheet. But it was jersey, and while this makes it quite soft, it was like sewing with pancake batter. The belt is his and the sword is my brother's, of course. We actually had 3 swords to choose from for this photo, which I think is pretty impressive considering we have no boys and Pete has never been a sword type of guy.

He reminded the girls several time this was not his Halloween costume. He says he's going as Jim Rockford. From the Rockford Files. No one will know who that is and even if they do, his outfit is so un-notable that the whole thing is perplexing, so I am choosing to ignore this whole topic when it comes up. Like last year when when threatened to go as Dorf.

I was remembering his past costumes (we have always ran with a Halloween lovin' crowd): A pirate (back in 1991 before they were everywhere) Ed Wood, Evil Knievel, Robbie Knievel (Evil's often injured son, so it was the same costume, only with blood and a cast) Magnum P.I., Carlos Santana (in casual day wear) I'm trying to think of others and they escape me. Oh, a samurai that ended up looking like Freddie Mercury, which was not good.

*And the oils are shipping! Thank you again for all your support. I am still mixing and bottling and working on that video.

4th of July. Sandy, OR

Archery Contest

Blue Velvet Cake

The neighbors driving over rocks, 'cause why not?

Moustache Cakes

Airstream Trailer Hideout

Popcorn Cake

Camera-shy adolescent rooster

Scandinavian Midsummer Festival

We had a lovely time at the 83rd Scandinavian Midsummer Festival this last weekend. The rock star parking we were blessed with made it actually possible. It was a great way to celebrate summer solstice and Sadie, in particular, was riveted by the folk dancing. I suspect classes will be requested soon. Her Kirsten doll came with us (the Swedish American Girl who is retired now, sadly) and was recognized by everyone which was pretty cute. I fell in love with the Sami jewelry by Nomadic Artisty. I have one Sami bracelet that was given to me by Pete a few years ago—but want another in the worst way.