Children of Eve

Christmas Doings

2012-01-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

Now that the doing is over, I can relax and look back on what was done. Here is my latest advent wreath, I make a new one each year. Of course I feel the need to sneak mushrooms and acorns into the decor whenever possible. Sure the mushrooms are fake but they made it look much nicer, like a walk in the woods.

I was inspired by the The Complete Dickens Christmas issue of The Storybook Home Journal to make this Christmas pie. It is a puff pastry 'package' filled with beef, carrots and gravy. I enlisted my husband's help, an extra pair of hands made the process go smoothly. While he cut out the decorative shapes I worked quickly getting the filling to stay in the dough parcel. He came up with the idea to paint the "berries" before baking with beet juice to make them that pretty red.

My new fish and fungus apron. My friend Andrea, who always knows what I like, gifted me with this mushroom print dish towel. Much too crisp and nice to wipe up slops, I decided to make it into an apron adding an interesting fish print I love but so far have had no use for.

Who is that cutie in my apron pocket? Her name is Mei and she is our new guinea pig. Over the holidays we lost two of our beloved piggies, Penny and Pumpkin. Our remaining girl, Woogie has not been doing well finding herself alone for the first time in her life. She has lived with us and her two cage sisters for the last five years. Yesterday we brought lovable Mei into the family. Woogie has perked up and is acting like her old self again.

Tea with Squirrel

2011-12-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

I’ve never had a tea cozy of my own. Sure I’ve made them to sell and made them for gifts, but never made one for myself until today. Each year when the temperature drops and I have need of a cozy I grab a kitchen towel, wrap it around my teapot and that’s that. It works so well that the real need is gone so I figure why waste the time making one when there are so many other things pressing. This adorable squirrel pattern was so simple and quick that I couldn’t resist it. I whipped it up today from a piece of berry wool felt. It would have been done even faster but my sewing machine has issues with metallic thread and I wanted gold stitching for this festive Christmas season. Tonight while the children were finally nestled all snug in their beds it was just me and the squirrel for tea. He did his job while I glanced through some of my inspirational Christmas books for more ideas of things to make and do.

knitting glasses

2011-11-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

There's something new in my knitting basket. Is it that great book, 'Vintage Knits'? Or my first ever intarsia project? Besides those things you also see...my knitting glasses. For a few months now I have been needing more distance between my eyes and whatever I am reading, sewing, or knitting. Well, I finally went to get my eyes checked out. After the initial eye chart reading the doctor said , "You have impeccable eyesight', she wrote 20/20 on my licsence renewal card. "O.k.", I said, "If they're so perfect, how come I can't see when I'm knitting?". "You're a knitter?!", she exclaimed. "Yes", I replied. "Obssesive?", she asked. "Can be", I said. Her reply? "Oh, we've got to get you some knitting glasses!" When she checked my eyes with that very close up magnifying device she said, "Oh, yes, you're a knitter. I can see a lot of fibers stuck in your eyelashes.". That was strange to hear. Maybe my knitting glasses will work as a shield to protect my eyes from all those fibers!

Fall & Mushroom Hunting

2011-10-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

With summer activities over we are getting back to a quieter rythm of learning. Lots of nature walks and collecting things to study. Mushrooms pop out of the green, soon to be brown landscape, surprising us with their unique colors and shapes. Mushrooms add a freshness to the same well known paths. We never know what we will see from one week to the next. From the minuscule to the monsterous. Letting my younger daughter lead me down a path we’d never been, we found these adorable lemon yellow spotted mushrooms.

We usually take a few mushrooms home to look up in the field guides. But sometimes if there is only one and it looks really perfect where it is, we'll take a picture so it can remain there to delight the next passerby. I can’t believe these colors! My first really purple mushrooms. Of course I automatically think, “How can I wear this?”. The softness of this purple needs to be a sweater or shawl to wrap me up in.

O.k., this bunch was not hunted, but bought. You never know where cute inspiration will pop up. These happened to be at an asian grocery store where I regularly go for my nori and condiments. I couldn’t pass by this pure white bunch of cuteness. They are all connected, growing out of one base. I wanted them to keep their shape and texture, so I cut them apart and dipped them in an eggy batter. I shallow fried them so they were crunchy, while keeping their natural chewy texture.

Of course field guides are the best for identifying mushrooms, but the book ‘Katya’s Book of Mushrooms' is a very good way to introduce children to the fun of mushroom hunting. Katya’s love of mushrooms, whimsical drawings, and overall joyous spirit make it one of my favorites, even as an adult.

Ripples

2011-09-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of 9/11. I opened up my e-mail and read a prayer request from a good friend who is scared because her brother is to be deployed to Afghanistan today. Here we are ten years after and I am struck by the fact that this is not and cannot be over. I think about repercussions. I picture a rock being thrown into a river and how the ripples keep going and going and going. We went out for a walk yesterday and it’s funny while I was thinking about these ripples that I happened on this picture. There were many birds in the water, all being kept in captivity because they were broken in some way and couldn’t survive in the wild. They caused constant ripples to occur everywhere in the water, coming from all directions. No deliberate act stands alone without consequences. The ripples of one unselfish brave act or kind word spoken at just the right time can also cause eternal rippling. I’m thinking about the ripples I’m causing and the potential they have to effect generations after me.

My New Black Tee Shirt

2011-08-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

A black tee shirt goes with everything, right? It's cozy and comfortable. The only problem is that I don't like to wear t-shirts anymore. Maybe I'm getting too old for them. I like something a bit more crisp, more like 'real' clothes (Whatever that means!). I still want to FEEL like I am just wearing a t-shirt though. Here's what I came up with. It's made from jersey that looks like black denim. I cut out a regular ladies t-shirt body and then I began to play around. I made a few different neckbands before I came up to this nifty thing. Kind of jaunty and sailor-ish. For the sleeves I ended up with something quite short and wide, so it's a bit flouncy. I really like it. The bad thing is that there is no pattern and I want more! Unfortunately, I will have to trace it off to make a pattern. This always happens when I "wing it". The best things happen when you are just playing around. With sewing and with food. I know when my kids really like something I've cooked. They ask with trepidation, "Is there a recipe for this?". They groan when I say "no". I know how they feel now because I really wish I had the 'recipe' for this one.

Learning to Sew

2011-07-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

She looked up at me and said “How old was Sissy when she learned how to use your sewing machine?”. “Oh, around seven”, was my reply. “I’M SEVEN!” That’s how it all started. We ended up taking the whole day to sew. The first thing I did was get her used to the machine, threading it, changing the bobbin. Then she started straight stitching on some scraps. Once she had all that down she worked on curves and corners. I don’t enjoy practice exercises, who does? Once I could sense she was getting the hang of it I asked her what she would like to make. She said, “Abigail needs some underwear, she can never leave the house because she doesn’t have any underwear. She can’t even go in the car”.

Abigail is her favorite doll. She used to be in my grandmother’s doll collection. Abigail is almost as old as I am. She has been waiting a long time for some underclothes. My daughter knew exactly what she wanted. She picked out the fabric and lace and did all of the sewing herself. The pattern is from a favorite book of ours, The Dolls Dressmaker. It’s the only book you will ever need of this type.

As soon as the drawers were done of course she needed an undershirt to go with it. Abigail has been wearing only this for a few days now because it’s so cute and since it is summer I think she can get away with it.

My day off

2011-06-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

Everyone can use a day off. Working folks get holidays off. Moms at home usually work overtime during holidays. My husband often suggests that I go off and do something "fun" by myself. My problem is that I can never think of anything worth doing. Or the day finally arrives and I decide it's just too much trouble. Everything I really enjoy doing I do at home, all the time. Fun events or nature excursions I enjoy most with my family. But, when my husband suggested that I go down to the city (NYC) to my favorite store (Kinokuniya Bookstore) and also browse the fabric shops I took him up on his offer. I am not a person who sees shopping as a form of entertainment, if fact it is quite the opposite. Except at my favorite store where I can stay for hours looking through oodles of japanese craft, sewing and food books. All of the sewing books come with full size usable patterns, ahh...love.

Working in the garment district for years, hustling and bustling to meet deadlines, I could never appreciate it. This time I just puttered along browsing from one fabric shop to another. Imagine, if you like fabric, streets of nothing but fabric and trimming stores just waiting for you to come in and haggle over prices. It can be fun once in a while. As for the noise and crowds, I've had my fill for a while.

Speaking of noise and crowds, Grand Central Station. I decided to go home a couple of hours earlier than I had planned. It's funny that I felt like I needed a day out to get some peace and I end up running home early for the same reason!

Ahh, home. They picked me up at the train station and the girls beseeched us to let them pick up driftwood by the water. The train parallels the river. It's good to keep a pair of rubber shoes in the car, because you never know when you might need them. It's also good to get out once in a while so that you can appreciate what you have to come home to.

After the Rain

2011-05-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

It has been raining here a lot. A whole lot. Like every day. I found myself slipping into “snowed in” mode. For me that means not leaving the house, reading, sewing and baking. That’s alright when it really is snowing. But it’s Spring. I should be out there planting, wandering, foraging, smelling Spring, being dazzled by the colors. Finally there was a break. We were sitting at the table reading. I was thinking about what to bake and out it came. The sun! I said to the girls “We need to get out, now! This might not last long.” We ran off immediately for a woodsy walk.

I am so glad we did. It seems we were not the only ones rejoicing in the sudden break in the rain, all kind of critters were scampering around us. The birds were shaking the water off their feathers and singing. So many mushrooms had popped up everywhere. Even a snake seemed to be enjoying the sun, stretched out relaxing so close to us I could touch him.

My advice is to get out there and grab the blessings while you can. When it rains again you will wish that you had.

(The photo is of my little one playing with some interesting clumps of mushrooms. She was making believe that she was the "Mushroom Lady", that her umbrella was a giant mushroom and that she was causing the mushrooms to grow. )

I love Easter.

2011-05-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

I love Easter and Springtime. Flowers that I planted years ago come back to surprise me. I seem to have forgotten them. Now they amaze me with their colors and scents. New life is everywhere.

I look forward to baking my Easter babkas.
And eating them.
The lamb cake is always fun.
I make ready the clothing for little girls to be in their ‘Easter best’.
I collect treats and hide them so they can find them.
I love Easter because Easter is “real” to me. Because my Savior rose from the dead to show me that one day I can too. I will follow him. If I didn’t believe this these little things I do would be futile. I prepare good things for my family- I plant, bake, sew, arrange. Things to delight them, to make them happy. I create with the intent to bring joy. Why do I do this? Because this is what I was made to do. Because I was created in God’s image and this is what he does. As I prepare my surprises I am reminded how Jesus after his resurrection went on ahead to prepare surprises for us. Things that I cannot begin to imagine.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
John 14:1-4

The stretching of a dish.

2011-04-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

I made a big bowl of this: corn, beans, cilantro, onion, salt and the juice of a lime.

It's made from canned beans and uncooked frozen corn, no cooking!

I immediately started devouring it with chips.

For lunch it resurfaced as my salad topper.

For dinner, I still had a taste for it. So I threw it in with some pasta and feta cheese.

The next morning there was only a smidge left. I ate it for breakfast with some neufchatel cheese.

This was the easiest thing to make and to eat. Does anyone have another easy, stretchable dish?

Seeking Solitude

2011-03-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have been a bit absent here, I know. For a couple of months my life has been a social whirlwind, blogging is a social arena too and I just needed a break. We all need time with our own thoughts, quiet times when we can recharge. One of the books I am reading right now is ‘Freedom of Simplicity’ by Richard J. Foster. I read this passage a couple of days ago and it pretty much sums up what I have been feeling for weeks.

“Many of us would find great relief in discovering our own cycles of activity and quiet. For example, I function best when I alternate between periods of intense activity and of comparative solitude. When I understand this about myself I can order my life accordingly. After a certain amount of immersion in public life, I begin to burn out. And I have noticed that I burn out inwardly long before I do outwardly. Hence, I must be careful not to become a frantic bundle of hollow energy, busy among people but devoid of life. I must learn when to retreat, like Jesus, and experience the recreating power of God.”

Foster says, “I can order my life accordingly”. Those moments aren’t just going to happen naturally, especially in our too fast culture. I am deliberately making room for those quiet times. I am forcing myself to say “no”, even to good things. (See Andrea, I am taking your wise advice!) Last Sunday I took a walk with my family. The girls were off gathering nature bits to make fairy houses, my husband was off studying trees, I had a chance to sit and just think and be still. I took this photo of the swans, and now I am using it as a reminder to me to be proactive in seeking out quiet moments and not just sitting back, waiting for them to happen. You have to make them. It does takes effort, it may mean saying “no” to people. If you are like me the benefits will be so great that when you don’t have breaks of solitude you will feel very lonely for them.

Valentine and Sugar Plum

2011-02-14T18:07:00.000-08:00

First, I want to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day.

I took this photo last month at The NY Botanical Garden, garlands of perfect hearts.

There are many dolls in my everyday life. It's about time I put one up on this blog.

This gal is The Sugar Plum Fairy. I snapped a quick shot of her as I was running out the door to a little friend's birthday party. She was all wrapped up, ready to be a happy gift.

felted flower-saved

2011-02-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

It's cold outside! I wanted to make a new hat that wasn't so tight that it flattened my hair down. A nice loose, comfortable warm hat. This knit hat pattern was supposed to have a felted crocheted flower on it. I have never felted anything before, so I thought it would be a nice experiment. Even after the shrinkage from the felting process this flower is too big for the hat. So, I pinned it on my lapel for a corsage. The consensus around here is that as a corsage it's still a bit too big. I like the flower. I didn't want to just chuck it on the pile of half done "maybe someday I'll do something with this" pile.

So, I figured out a way to love it and make it useful. I sewed it to an elastic hairband and it finally found it's place. I think it's so spiffy that now I'm going to make a bunch more in different colors.

bumpy-lumpy neck warmer

2011-01-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

I have always found myself attracted to textiles with round designs and patterns whether they be printed on or even better, textured. I have never gone for geometric shapes or grid type patterns. I guess it’s because I am most inspired by nature and rounded things seem more like living, growing things. I love the look of things with lumps, bumps and even circular things covered in spikes.

I had the idea of a scarf with random little bumps all over it. Like they were growing here and there, not in a perfect mechanical pattern. So I started to crochet.

I got this far when I realized that this would not be a very comfortable scarf because the pattern was so stiff and tight. It would never flow and wrap around nicely. So I stopped there and added four matching little pearly buttons. For a bit of unnecessary whimsy I made a tiny ball to dangle from the end. It’s like one of the balls in the scarf actually broke out and is just hanging there. I am really glad it worked out this way, it’s a lot more interesting than my original idea.

Three Kings Day

2011-01-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Today, January 6 is Three Kings Day, so I made Rosca de Reyes. It is the sweet celebration bread of the Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men (or Magi) traveled a great distance to honor the Christ child. Along their way they met King Herod and told him about the birth of the new king. He ordered them to find the baby and return to him with news of where the Messiah had been born. They found the baby and offered him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As they were leaving Bethlehem, the three kings were warned by an angel that they should return home by another route because Herod intended to kill the baby.

The bread has a bean (or small doll) hidden inside it to symbolize the hiding of the baby Jesus from King Herod. The person who finds the bean in their piece is obligated to give a party on Candlemas Day (Feb.2). Here is my bean all ready to be wrapped up in dough along with the filling made of sugar and ground almonds and orange juice.

The dough rises with a greased bowl in the center to keep the shape. The recipe can be found in the book Celebration Breads by Betsy Oppenneer. This book has been an invaluable source of information and inspiration for me.

My daughters, two of my best lady friends and I ate up more than half of this very large loaf tonight as we knitted away the hours. But nobody has yet to find the hidden bean. I was hoping I would. Then I would have an excuse to have a party! We’ll see what happens when we finish up the bread tomorrow at breakfast.

Good morning! Merry Christmas.

2010-12-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

I was awakened this morning by my daughter standing at my bedside whispering “mom...Mom!”. I did not want to get up. Jumping to the conclusion that she was eager to go downstairs and see what gifts awaited her, I said “It’s too early. It’s still dark outside.” “But Mom, the sun is coming up RIGHT NOW! It’s so beautiful, it’s red!” So, I dragged myself into their room to find both girls pressed against the window oohing and ahhing and squealing. The little one said, “I’ve never seen a sunrise before!" The big one replied, “It’s God’s Christmas decoration!” I was now fully awake and eager to lavish gifts on both of them.

I wish you all a Joy filled Christmas.

Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
(The first and last verse)

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Translated: John Neal, 1818-66

Learning how to eat...

2010-12-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

Six months ago my husband found out he has diabetes. His sugar was really high and we had to make immediate changes in the way he eats. I have always been known as a healthy eater, preferring a combination of whole foods, raw foods and what I call “happy” meats (animals treated fairly). But, after our six hour class on how to eat as a diabetic I have revamped my own eating as well as my husband’s. Seeing what sugar does to the body was an eye opening experience. It effects all of our systems. Sure, we need sugar, it gives us energy. But, too much of it is disastrous to our health. In a very small nutshell, these are the main changes in our eating habits.

-Cut out sugar, especially refined. Since I am not diabetic I can have some, but it’s very limited. I never realized how much sugar was going into my cooking. A spoon of honey or agave here and there was the norm. Now it’s stevia only for savory cooking.

-Carbs=Sugar. This was a revelation to me. instead of reading how much sugar is in a serving size, read the carbs. To your body, they are sugar.

-Beans, peas, corn...they are carbs. We no longer treat them as vegetables in this house.

-Last, but not least is portion control! This is so important. We are eating the delicious foods we love, but limiting the amount.

Six months ago my husband’s doctor wanted him to loose 30 pounds. He has done it, just by eating a little differently. I do find that I am cooking more meat than before, there must be a certain amount of protein at each meal. But again, the necessary serving size is much smaller than the typical American diet.

Here are some practical changes that I made to a few common meals.

Falafel, a favorite since our college days. Now I skip the pita bread since the chick pea balls are carbs. There is also rice in the stuffed grape leaves, so I am mindful of the serving size.

Chili used to be served in this house with rice or corn bread. But as I stated above, beans are carb. I replaced those sides with a low carb whole wheat tortilla with sauteed onions and eggplant. Cheese and basil on top. This meal gets a side salad too.

A meat and potatoes meal here. Sweet potatoes are better for your blood sugar levels than white potatoes. They are rich in complex carbs and fiber, so they help your body maintain stable stores of energy. This Curried Sweet Potato Salad is from Prevention's Sugar Solution Cookbook, the only diabetic cookbook I own because from what I've seen it's the best suited to my taste buds. I served this potato salad with grilled flank steak, snow peas and jicama.

This is what I do for tacos. More filling than shells. You can't really get enough filling into those little shells, so I break a couple and heap on salad and then everything else. This was so low on sugar and carbs I could even have a sweet something for dessert.

This is green pea risotto and basil shrimp. Okay, so this one's not exactly a common meal. But it was really good and I would never have found it if I wasn't obsessing over a stack of diabetic cookbooks from the library. Sorry, I don't remember what book this came from. I never have risotto rice on hand, so I use sushi rice and it's just as creamy and delicious. This one needs a vegetable and a side salad to be a complete meal.

Now that The Holiday Season is here I must tweak my Christmas baking. I will bake and I will make my traditonal family favorites. But, I am also experimenting with stevia, using fruits for sweetening and grain sweetened chocolate chips. Whole grains make a difference to your blood sugar, so I will be mixing up my flours and maybe replacing with ground nuts too. I'll still use some sugar, when it's really needed. I'll let you know when I come up with something good.

Thanksgiving Peace

2010-11-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

Last Thanksgiving I entertained a house full of family and it was great. This year we will be celebrating with friends at their home. And boy do they celebrate! There will be an abundance of good things. Every traditional Thanksgiving food will be spread out before us. There will be two turkeys, one roasted and one deep fried. Friends, music, games, a couple of dogs and probably some silly hats will complete the jovial scene. Above all that, together we will thank our God for blessing us so richly. On the eve of this good day I was left with not much to do. No cooking, no house to get ready. So I took the girls out for a very chilly nature walk. I brought coffee and donuts and went searching for the perfect spot for our “coffee party”. When the girls ran off to climb rocks and play in the leaves I just say there enjoying the silence. I watched as a tree lost it’s very last leaf. It gently fluttered down very dramatically, in slow motion. That’s when it hit me- Peace. I am so thankful for the peace in my life, the peace in my home, the peace in my spirit. With a culture always on high-speed peace may seem hard to come by. But peace is free and peace is calling.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

Colossians 3:15

more precious than jewels

2010-11-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

My grandmother passed away about a year ago. My father has been steadily cleaning out her house since then. He recently called me to say that he found “more of those knitting needle things, some really strange looking ones.” So, of course I had to go over and claim them before they went into the garbage can. I guess some of them are kind of strange looking to a non-knitter. My Grandma Jean was a serious knitter. Lots of circulars, straight needles, double pointed needles and crochet hooks. Some are so old that I’ve never seen any like them before. The color has been worn off the tips and the thinner needles are actually bent from so much use. There are stitch holders and stitch counters so old and brittle they crack when I try to use them. It turned out to be the perfect time for me to acquire these new treasures. Here I am knitting a sweater, coming to that point where I need to switch over to a circular needle to finish the neck. I wasn’t liking the idea that I had to go out and buy new needles for 2 inches of neck. I kept putting it off. Would you believe there in grandma’s stash was the right size circular I needed? Brand new and in it’s original packaging! They are great too, super pointy (which I like) and very smooth. When I use my grandmother’s needles I feel closer to her than say, when wearing her jewelry. The bent, worn out needles are a testimony to my grandmother’s character. Which makes them more precious than jewels.

Seaweed Scarf

2010-11-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

While at the beach this past summer my daughter found a huge piece of seaweed. It was about as tall as she was. It was wide and flat in the middle but the edges were all frilled like ruffles. She began draping in and wrapping it around different parts of her body, making clothes out of it. It was so pretty I decided that when fall came I would make a scarf that looked just like it. I now have my seaweed scarf. My daughter didn’t know anything about my plan. So, when I finished it I asked her what she thought it looked like. Her reply, “It’s seaweed! But, it’s the wrong color.”.

Yeah, she’s right, the real seaweed was browner, mine is more of a dull, mossy green because that’s what I want. I knitted the scarf and then crocheted around the edges to get the ruffled effect. Keeping true to the real seaweed it has one wide end and one thin end. When wound around my neck a couple of times it makes a nice warm ruff.

more and more books

2010-10-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Library book sales are a favorite excursion of mine and thankfully for the rest of my family too. To us a good time is stopping at a cafe, then hitting a book sale. This month seems to be when all of of our local libraries unload their treasures, and we oblige them by buying them. I feel like a squirrel storing up for the long winter. Here are some of last weeks goodies.

Yesterday's outing also yielded an excellent assortment.

Harvest Vegetable Quilt

2010-10-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

Our family has two favorite places where we take our regular nature walks, one of them is Stone Barns. As the seasons change there is always something new to discover. After a walk through the woods we were poking around the farm and came upon these fall veggies all sorted and laid out. We all said at the same time “It looks like a quilt!”. Of course I had to take lots of pictures. I am toying with the idea of making a real quilt based on them.

Afterwards we went into the greenhouse, and even the future salads growing there seem to be in a quilt-like pattern. Tasty and beautiful.

Crafty Kids & Cheese Wax

2010-09-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

For a snack I set out a bowl of cherries and some of those little cheeses that come wrapped in red wax. About 1/2 hour later when I passed through the kitchen I was surprised to see that my daughter had made a slew of these tiny wax figures. I was shocked that they were not only adorable, but they are TINY. Creativity just pours out of children as easily as their tears. I remember being like that too, as a child. What happened? Four years of art school happened followed by a couple of artistic careers. I learned the “rules” of art, but lost the passion and spontaneous fun of it. Since leaving my career and spending so much time with children I find those rules are loosening up. I have been slowly regaining a love of making things, but I still have a long way to go. As for my children, I try very hard not inflict my mold on them. Which is difficult for someone who has such strong opinions of what is good.

I put a kernel of corn there to show you how small these guys are. She used the stems from the cherries to make these little plants and the snow people's arms. I love them.

The snow baby is half the size of the corn kernel! It's crazy, I would have just thrown the wax away. She made the base out of a game chip and a bottle top. We adults would call this recycled or repurposed because we need reasons for doing this, right? But children just do it.

Just Peachy

2010-09-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

We went peach picking and I thought I would have plenty of peaches left over from our initial feasting to make some ginger/peach jam, but we ate them all. There were a lot of peaches too, but they are all gone.

What did I do with all those peaches? Most we just ate as they were. I did manage a few peachy dishes though. Here are a couple of really good ones.

Chilled Fruit Soup

I had this at a restaurant in Mystic, Conn. a few weeks ago and loved it. I have craved it ever since. I think this is why I wanted to go peach picking in the first place, to get really fresh peaches for this soup.

Chicken with Peaches

This one was my own invention. I cooked it with Vidalia Onions and wrapped it up in warm tortillas with sharp white cheddar. A really tasty concoction.

Educating Souls

2010-08-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

As summer winds down my thoughts turn to the coming homeschool season. This is the time I finalize my ideas and collect whatever books and resources that will most benefit my family. What I am realizing more and more is that my task is not to educate minds only, but souls. Whether you school or homeschool, you will agree that acedemics take a back seat to the more important thing- the relationships we have with our children. You can always catch up with your studies, but mending a bruised parent/child relationship is not easy or simple. This year as we learn all we can about this amazing world, I will be ever mindful to allow them to grow in the way that they should grow, not in the way that suits me. I will come alongside them in their struggles and not crush their spirits.

Having just read Hilda Van Stockum’s ‘Canadian Summer’ to the girls I am drawn to this quote. I am making it my own:

When asked if she has any special wish for her children the mother replied “Yes I do. I want you to become men and women who are easily moved by God’s inspiration. I think there is nothing more beautiful in the world than a soul who is sensitive to the language of God, whether He speaks in nature or in art, or through people, or whispers directly into our hearts. I think we are happy and alive just so much as our ears are open to His voice and our eyes to His handiwork. That is what I wish for you and that alone. Then I know you will choose the right way of life for yourselves.”

As I endeavor to teach my children I will revisit this post again and again, to refocus on what is truly important.

To see last year’s Back to School post click here.

Too Old Lady?

2010-08-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

While out sifting through some clearance fabrics I spotted this floral. The unusual color combination is the dull blue of blueberries and a very warm yellow. I said “Is this too ‘old lady’?”. “Too Old Lady!?”, my friends said incredulously. The looks on their faces told me that there in no such thing in their eyes. It’s a good thing for me that I happened to be with two people who agree that grandma’s florals are to be coveted, or I wouldn’t have my favorite summer tablecloth now. Thank you ladies.

hot days...cold food

2010-08-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

While on the phone with my dear friend who lives on the other coast she said, “Hey! What’s going on with your blog? I want to know what you’re cooking.” Cooking...ugh.The weather has been consistently hot and humid here in NY. Who wants to stand over a hot stove? You can forget about using the oven until September. One of my favorite summer things to make are these cold wraps. Raw vegetables, lettuce, cold chicken, herbs and thin mung bean noodles. The beauty of this noodle is that you don’t have to cook them. Just soak in warm water for 20 minutes.

This time the toppings were salted cashews, mango and peanut sauce.

All wrapped up in a rice spring roll wrapper. Again, you don’t cook these wrappers, just soak in warm water a couple of minutes to soften. I buy my noodles and rice wrappers at an Asian grocery store but some health food stores carry them. Of course you can get everything online.

Curtain to Cover-up

2010-08-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

I used a thrifted curtain to make this cover-up for the beach. I really like the combination of orange and pink. I also like red and pink together. The curtain was made up of panels of very sheer Indian cotton with lines of pink square sequins. This is a glamourous change from my usual bathing suit cover-up...an old towel. I lined the top for stability and a better fit.

Mad Alice & White Rabbit Alice

2010-07-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, more Alice in Wonderland dolls! I can’t resist a chance to get involved where Alice is concerned. Here are two new Alice dolls I made for the

Art Dolls Only Wonderland Blog Event.

I call this doll ‘Mad Alice’ because while I was sewing up the dress my six year old said “That doesn’t look like Alice, it looks more like The Mad Hatter”. So I said, “all right, I’ll make Mad Alice”. I painted her eyes up to look mad (as in angry). My original inspiration was Alice Liddell, the “real” Alice, the girl that Lewis Carroll wrote his Wonderland stories for. She wore ruffled Victorian dresses and always had a somber face in the photographs that Carroll took of her. Blue hair just seemed to fit the mood.

There she goes showing off her stripy bloomers, very inappropriate!

This one I call “Alice the White Rabbit”.

If Alice can shrink and grow, playing cards and cats can turn into queens, isn’t it also possible that Alice can become the white rabbit? Remember, it’s a dream after all.
Here she is just starting to change, still mostly girl but her hair and face are on their way to becoming bunny.

I also made a White Rabbit toy for Alice.

Fabric covered with white rabbits was the obvious choice for her dress. She has lace trimmed bloomers and painted on black mary janes.

Last year I made a "Growing Alice" doll and a Queen of Hearts doll for the Go Ask Alice Doll and Plush Show. If you would like to see them they are HERE on my Flickr.

Four-Leaf Clovers

2010-06-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

My daughter has a knack for finding four-leaf clovers. A year ago she started this little book to document her findings. All of the clovers on this page were found at one time. That’s how is usually goes with her, she finds a few at a time. She also keeps some three-leaf ones. “Real” four-leaf clovers come from the White Clover plant, this is considered to be the original shamrock. There are other plants that are passed off as four-leaf clovers like Oxalis or Pepperwort because they produce four leaves, but they are not genuine shamrocks. One way of identifying a real four-leaf clover is that the fourth leaf is usually smaller than the other three leaves.

In Irish tradition the Shamrock or Three-leaf Clover represents the Holy Trinity: one leaf for the Father, one for the Son, one for the Holy Spirit. When a shamrock is found with a fourth leaf, it represents God’s Grace.

My daughter recently found this little oddity, a Five-Leaf Clover! These are much rarer than the four-leaf variety. She took these photos herself, then pressed the plant to get it ready for her book.

The Fairy Teapot

2010-06-19T08:39:00.000-07:00

I like to change my teapots according to the seasons. Now is the time for fairies. In my garden the flowers are really blooming, the air is full of their sweet scents. We are being visited daily by butterflies and hummingbirds. So, it’s time for the fairy pot to grace our table. She will be with us all summer long.

Seeing all the beautiful organic strawberries at the market tempted me into making berried shortcakes from the current issue of The Storybook Home Journal, Deephaven.

Sweet 16

2010-06-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated my 16th wedding anniversary. We have actually been together for a whopping 25 years, but married 16. This day is also my Grandma Jean's birthday. Grandma Jean loved roses and my husband and I both love gardens, so we spent the day at The NY Botanical Garden. The rose garden was especially beautiful.

A doll named Rose came with us. I made her a couple of years ago to peek out of my daughter’s Christmas stocking. She is like a rose that is a bit past her day of perfection. She is a little weathered from all of her adventures and being well loved.

The happy couple, me and Daddy-O.

Barbie and Me

2010-06-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

My very good friend LL Barkat mentioned to me that she and other bloggers were posting about Barbie to promote a book give away for the book “Barbies at Communion”. I was intrigued. These folks are not “Barbie people”, or even doll people. So I wondered what they would say about the doll I have an intimate love/hate relationship with. My childhood was lived during the pre- “pink box” Barbie era. Through Barbie my eyes were opened to the world of fashion. Back then the Barbie clothes were like real clothes, just tiny. They were made of good quality fabrics with teeny buttons and zippers. A far cry from the plastic fabrics and velcro of today. Barbie became the perfect model for experimentation. I could poke, paint and glue her. I could put straight pins right though her hollow head (to keep the hats in place). You could pop off her head for someone else’s, if the hair didn’t quite go with the outfit. Clad only in a crazy arrangement of tin foil, she still smiled as if she were proud to be wearing it. She had dangerous adventures too. G.I. Joe couldn’t have all the outdoor fun. A favorite of mine was to tie string around her waist and throw her off a bridge at the top of a waterfall. I would watch her go down the falls, loose sight of her in the crash at the bottom, then pull her up after she resurfaced. This was reapeated over and over again.

One thing led to another and I ended up in a career designing clothes for real people. I don’t know how much credit Barbie gets for that, but I’m sure she had some influence. Where does the ‘hate’ come into our love/hate relationship? Well, I don’t care very much for the new Barbies. I don’t like the clothes, the hair, the stuff.

Here I am back around 1987, obviously I had much too much time on my hands. My sister and I would go to Barbie conventions. Yes, as you see sometimes we even dressed as Barbie dolls. I sewed replicas of real Barbie outfits for us to wear. You see me wearing the hippy get up worn by 1971 ‘Live Action Barbie’. I am also wearing a wig by the way. My daughters think this is very weird. They wonder why anyone would want to dress up like Barbie. Sure, they ask me to make costumes for them too. But, they prefer to run around as Laura Ingalls and Frodo. I guess I should count my blessings!

Here is my lovely sister sporting the 1965 Francie outfit ‘Dance Party’. Francie was Barbie’s mod English cousin. I wonder whatever happened to Francie. Has she traded in her false eyelashes and snakeskin coat in an effort to “go green”? I hope not. Either way she’s probably got a blog or two out there.

Happy Birthday Blog!

2010-05-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

Wow- I have been a blogger for one year now. It went by so quickly. The experience has been fun, but the biggest reward has been connecting with like minded folks both near and far. I am looking forward to what comes next.

Painting Nature

2010-05-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

We were all outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather when my small one asked me “Can I paint nature?”. “Sure”, I said. Of course I assumed she would paint a picture of something. But, no. She actually painted nature. She made cool stripey patterns all over the roots of a big pine tree, she painted some rocks and some sticks and some pine cones. Once the big one caught wind of what her little sister was up to she ran for some paint and proceeded to paint a maple tree.

Some red bugs crawling on a root.

Knitting socks

2010-05-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting for three years, for half of that time my focus has been primarily on socks. When I first started out it was so complicated. Until I realized that all knitting really comes down to those two stitches, knit and purl. Keeping that in mind I plunged fearlessly on. Now for me knitting in the round is more enjoyable than flat knitting. When the piece starts to take on a real sock shape it’s like magic. I just follow the pattern and pretty soon...there is a foot shape! Socks are small, they don’t take up much yarn which not only makes them a less pricey project then say, a sweater, but It also means that they take less of your time. I love the new self striping sock yarns that are available, they are mathematically figured to automatically stripe themselves as you knit along. That is fun. The self striping prompts you to go on because you want to find out what it’s going to look like.The pair shown here are the socks from my Socks and Bones post. Here I am balancing along on a log in the middle of a marshy place filled with skunk cabbage. I managed to make it across without getting my new socks wet and slimy.

“And I am hypnotized by knitting socks. Once a sock has been cast on to five double-pointed needles, I adore the mindlessness of going round and round like a hamster in a wheel.”

“The only way to knit a sock in the round is to keep coming back to your starting point. But, almost imperceptibly, progress is made. It’s a pattern, yes, but it’s not really a circle, it’s a spiral and all the stitches and rows, like days and weeks, are linked to form an unbroken chain. We can think we are getting nowhere with the cyclical nature of domesticity, and yet all the time, as with sock knitting we are moving on to a new row or color.”

quotes are from The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket

Secret Garden Backpack

2010-04-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

Since October I have been carting around a very big, very black bag. I love the bag. It’s a bulky mix of faux fur and leather with Edward Scissorhands type straps and buckles. Now that spring has come that bag seems to have gained 10 lbs. Along with shedding the heavy clothes it’s time to shed the heavy bag too.

With no plan other than to make something “light” and “springy” I poked around my local fabric shop. As soon as I laid eyes on this fabric with it's swirling vines and little birds my search was over. I bought 1/2 yard, took it home and proceeded to cut into it. With no pattern (and no patience to take my time and do it right) I cut out the general shape of my black bag. This technique rarely works out as well as it did this time. It was to be a shoulder bag, but after playing around with the straps I liked it better as a backpack. Once the bag was finished I thought it fitting to have an ornamental key as a closure. I found the perfect one on etsy. Once the whole thing was complete it reminded me of the book ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett. In The Secret Garden a robin leads Mary (the main character) to a mysterious buried key and then to the door that fits the key. The door leads her to the overgrown “secret” garden which has been neglected for so many years. The restoration of the garden to it’s former glory leads the characters on a path to their own restoration and healing.

Spring Bentos

2010-04-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

My girls and I are lurkers of bento blogs and love to look at bento books. Bentos are very cute arranged Japanese lunch boxes. Not only are they tasty little works of art, but they are usually healthier than the lunch fare kids are typically presented with. The foods are to be balanced for taste as well as for the eye. I recently purchased the book Kawaii Bento Boxes and we decided to try our hands at making Spring themed Bentos. It was a fun way to ring in the season. We have made bentos for lunch from time to time, they are great portable snacks and when compared they make fast food quite undesirable.

My Spring bento centered around the idea of new life. I shaped a nest from seasoned sushi rice. Inside are hard boiled quail eggs dyed yellow with curry. I have broccoli sprouts for the ground and a couple of tiny radish ‘mushrooms’ growing there as well. There is some fruit salad for color. Tempura asparagus grow up from the ground and a butterfly made from jicama and carrot flies over.

For my daughter’s bento she started with a bed of sushi rice. She made a butterfly with a rice ball body and egg wings decorated with cheese and carrot. She also made a flower made of carved carrot, cheese and a snap pea.

Bad Friday, buns and a new shirt

2010-04-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Each year when my daughter sees Good Friday come up on the calendar she says grumpily “I don’t know why they call it Good, it should be called Bad Friday”. I say something like “Yes, you are right what happened to Jesus was bad, but in the long run it was good for us. That’s why he did it”. She knows this but she remains sulky about it. Today is Good/Bad Friday so we have hot cross buns for tea and this evening we will join with friends and family to hear our Pastor read through the trial and unfair execution of Christ. Yes it is bad, a very solemn day. But we know the next part of this story don’t we? We eagerly look forward to Easter Sunday when we will rejoice.

This is our hot cross bun dough being deflated. My little one loves to punch down the dough. A year ago I made this shirt for her. Her reaction was, “Well... I don’t really like it.” I could tell by her tone that she was trying to be very delicate and not hurt my feelings. I asked what exactly was it that she didn’t like about it. “It’s not pretty enough” she said. That from a five year old means that it is brown. Not the favored pink, purple or yellow...brown. So, it hung in the closet for a year and now she actually likes it. I don’t know why, I’m just glad it still fits.

Hot cross buns,

one ha' penny,

two ha' penny,

hot cross buns.

If you have no daughters,

give them to your sons,

one ha' penny,

two ha' penny,

Hot Cross Buns

inspiration: little houses

2010-03-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

I find myself drawn to things fashioned as little houses lately. Maybe it's because they evoke in me a comfortable safe feeling, maybe they are just ridiculously adorable. Either way I've put together a few that I think are very cute and fairly easy to accomplish. These food houses are the best. We all have these ingredients- rice and bread, but it's the execution that really is great. I wish I had come up with these ideas, but at least we can duplicate them. The rice house was accented with cheese and nori, the bread house roof was dusted with cocoa powder. Try powdered sugar for a snowy winter roof.

O.k., these little houses do take a bit more effort to accomplish. But, because of the simple shapes they are not too difficult for even a beginner. The top embroidered house is a tissue holder which has an opening on the underside to pull out the tissues. The two cheery little potholders can also be used as coasters. Or just string them up around the kitchen. I love the mix of springtime fabrics here. These are great projects to use up those cute thrifted cotton prints you may have laying around.

Girl's Day 2010

2010-03-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

March 3rd is Japanese Girl's Day called hina-matsuri (Japanese doll festival). It's a celebration for Japanese girls. Being a big fan of dolls and girls I have adopted this holiday for my family. Last year I made sushi and pink sweets for the occasion. It’s my tendency to set up everything and present it to the girls. But, this year my ten year old had plans of her own. She has been using The Manga Cookcook quite a lot lately and she had her mind set on a certain menu. I relinquished my plans to hers, after all it is Girl's Day. I let the girl do her thing. She made rice balls with nori belts served with shoyu and wasabi and usagi ringo, apples cut into rabbits. I had nothing at all to do with it. Hot boiling rice and sharp knife! She was fearless. I on the other hand mentally played out the horrible possibilities. I am so glad that I resisted the urge to hover over her or worse yet to do it myself. Her confidence and her ability soared, it was a very special Girl’s Day.

“As adults we like to think that we are in control. After all, we have spent years developing our ideas and sharpening our minds. But, which is more fundamental: an adult’s intellect or a child’s innocence and faith? Whereas an adult has narrowed his hopes and expectations, a child dreams and wonders.”

from Toward A Meaningful Life, The Wisdom of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson by Simon Jacobson

Recycle Sewing and Snow Bunnies

2010-03-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

I cannot remember when we’ve had as much snow as we got last week. When a big snow is predicted I plan for it. I stock the house with food, water, candles, batteries and lots of library books. Then we settle in. Outside obligations come to a halt and I look forward to a couple of days of reading, sewing and making comfy foods. This time I made myself a pair of pajamas out of an old red flannel sheet and a pair of bloomers out of curtains that a friend was getting rid of. I make sheets into curtains and clothes out of curtains. While I was busy with all that my daughter did a bit of recycle sewing herself. She made this adorable black bunny out of a glove of mine whose match has been missing since last winter. Of course I found it’s mate the day after the rabbit was made! I told my girl that she must turn that one into a bunny too. It’s much easier to live with two very cute bunnies than one lonely glove.

The snowy season calls for special foods like these whole wheat donuts. To combat the gray/white sky I try to put as much ‘sunshine’ on the table as I can.

Out and About

2010-02-22T09:45:00.001-08:00

After a couple of weeks with car trouble then back to back snow/rain storms I was feeling the effects of being house bound. Lack of the great outdoors left me lethargic and my head hurt. I hadn’t realized how much my body needs and craves fresh air and sunlight. Well, this past week the situation was remedied. I took every opportunity to be outside. Although it’s still quite cold we now have blue skies and sunshine. My energy has returned and my head is clear again. What did we do out there in the cold? Well, one day we went down to the Hudson River to see the eagles coming back from their migration. That in itself is amazing but what I was taken most with was the ice floating on the river, the magical way it sparkled. A few days after that we took a walk on a frozen lake until our ears were burning from the cold. That was exciting and a bit scary. Our last trek of the week was a nice jaunt around one of our all time favorite places for nature walking Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. Stone Barns boasts “80 acres of gardens, pastures and woods”. Our walk brought us to where the cows happened to be hanging out that day. I love the way the cows look in their long winter coats. The sky, the trees, the cows all showing off their particular winter beauty. If I had not purposed myself to bundle us up and get out there we would have missed out on all of these fleeting treasures.

Sheets For Curtains

2010-02-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

My girls have a trundle bed so when I buy sheets I get two matching sets. That leaves me with two unused top sheets. They are never used for their intended purpose anyway. Instead they sit in the linen closet waiting patiently for a rare opportunity to become a makeshift tablecloth or picnic blanket. This time I did something a little different. I turned the top sheets into curtains. Since there are two of them, there are my two curtain panels. I just hemmed them to the required length and added a coordinating although unnecessary ribbon at the top. Voila! New curtains. I hung them up with ring clips, you can’t get easier than that. Not to mention that this project satisfies my thrifty nature. You can easily change your curtains whenever you change your sheets, and they’ll always match. Oh, make sure that you wash and dry your sheets before cutting into them so you don’t have them shrinking up on you after they are finished. Also, since sheets are not meant to hang in direct sunlight they will fade, but I am finding with this set that they are fading at the same rate as the sheets are due to the fact that the sheets are washed more often than the curtains. So it works out. I hope some of you will try this. It's not often that you get such a big change with so little effort.

God's handiwork

2010-02-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

“The straight line belongs to man, the curve to God.”
Antonio Gaudi

I came across this quote while reading about a favorite of mine, architect Antonio Gaudi. I immediately agreed with him. I don’t know why but it just rang true. Some days later I walked into my kitchen and was met with the scene of the sun shining on my little purple cabbage. It was so beautiful I almost didn’t chop it up. The Gaudi quote came right back to me when I saw it. It got me thinking about the greatest accomplishments of man like space shuttles, skyscrapers and the pyramids. They are all so stiff and unbending. I much prefer God’s cabbage.

Swirly Bucket Bag

2010-02-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

When you have children in tow it seems that you cannot carry enough in your bag to meet all foreseen needs. It starts with diapers and it just snowballs from there. They grow out of diapers but there is still always the inevitable stuff to cart around. I like to be prepared. My kids get splinters, they get stung, cut, muddy and itchy. They require potions and potties, and sometimes underwear. They are hungry or thirsty. According to the season our car is also stocked with a certain amount of stuff that may be required. There are sun hats and lotion, binoculars, sketch books, field guides, nets and jars because you never know when an interesting critter may cross your path. Oh, and extra clothes. My eldest has the unfortunate habit of falling into any and all bodies of water from puddles to ponds to oceans. She’s done it all. It’s enough to make you forget to pack your own stuff!

In the warmer months I usually have a back pack for everything but that doesn’t work now with a puffy winter coat. So I carry a large shoulder bag that serves as a “purse” but I don’t like the rattling around of snacks and water bottles in there. I wanted something other than a big floppy tote for the extras, something with a bit of structure. I made the bucket bag. I call it that because it packs up with the ease of a bucket or basket. Things stand up in it all nice and orderly, not all flopping around. I wanted it to look wintery, this fabric reminds me of swirling snow or ice. It’s made from upholstery fabric so it’s heavy and stiff. It’s small but roomy enough for food, bottles, my knitting and even a stowaway doll or two.

Sally skirt

2010-01-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

When the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas came out I was instantly drawn to the character of Sally . I guess it was because I saw myself is her. Back then I too had waist length bright red hair, I loved all things spooky and best of all both Sally and I were proficient with needle and thread. To top it off we both had a brooding boyfriend whom we were trying to keep out of trouble. Since then my hair has gone through many changes, I am even more handy with a needle and that moody beau of mine has turned into one heck of a great husband and father. I hope things turned out as well for Sally.
Now, about that skirt. I came upon this fabric in a clearance bin. It was the hideous combination of Mc Donald’s shades of red and yellow. I bought it, dyed it and packed it away for a couple of years. In an effort to be as Dave Ramsey as possible I have been making my clothes lately. So, this week out came the patchwork and the Sally skirt was made. The little lady next to me is from my Nightmare Before Christmas collection. She is a marionette and for some reason she has pink hair and crossed eyes.

On a side note, if you also like Jack and Sally you may want to check out the book ‘The Patchwork Girl of Oz’ by L. Frank Baum. It was published in 1913 and the similarities are uncanny. The main character is a “well shaped” life-size doll made from “a bed-quilt made of patches of different kinds of colors and cloth, all neatly sewn together.” She has yarn hair and red leather shoes with pointed toes. She is made and brought to life by a magician to be an obedient household servant (sound familiar?). By accident too much ‘cleverness’ is thrown into the potion when she is being made and she has too much of a mind of her own to stay and be a slave. She sets off on many adventures. One of the characters she befriends is Jack Pumpkinhead! Jack cultivates a field of pumpkins so that he can carve a new head whenever the current one starts to spoil. Oh, and he has a dog too. The characters in this one are much more strange and interesting than in the Tim Burton tale, it’s definitely worth a read.

Soup Of The Evening

2010-01-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

On these chilly winter evenings I like to have a pot of soup bubbling away on the stove. Eating it warms us up, the long duration of cooking time warms up the kitchen and the smell when you walk into the house is fantastic. It gets pretty cold in my house and sitting over a big bowl of delicious hot soup is a rewarding experience. Here are three soups that I will definitely repeat throughout the winter months. I try to cook what is seasonally available and what my body seems to be asking for.

I call this one ‘Golden Chicken Soup’. Pumpkin, carrots and a smidge of tomato paste give it a wonderful rich golden color. It’s pretty thick, almost a stew and it’s got a big pinch of thyme in it.

This is an Asian inspired soup. Make any broth, I use chicken or miso but veg would certainly work. Add some wide noodles, I used egg noodles here. Then have an assortment of cooked veggies, meat, hard boiled eggs, whatever you happen to have on hand. Also offer some condiments, a chutney, grated ginger, or a squeeze of citrus. I especially like a dab of garlic chili paste with mine. When I am feeling run down or someone in the house is under the weather this is good medicine.

The recipe for this one was called ‘Winter Vegetable Soup’. Of course I tweaked it a bit to use up whatever vegetables I had on hand. I think it originally called for parsnips and rutabaga, but I didn’t have those. What I did have was pumpkin, zucchini, carrots and potatoes. There is milk in it and lots of garlic. I served this soup with two kinds of bread, one topped with cheddar cheese and one with cinnamon apples.

In Alice in Wonderland The Mock Turtle sings the song ‘Beautiful Soup’. It is a funny parody based upon a popular song of the time. The original song is called ‘Star of the Evening’.

Soup Of The Evening
by Lewis Carroll

Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Beau - ootiful Soo - oop!
Beau - ootiful Soo - oop!
Soo - oop of the e - e - evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!
Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?
Beau - ootiful Soo - oop!
Beau - ootiful Soo - oop!
Soo - oop of the e - e - evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

Recycling an old favorite

2010-01-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

Twenty years ago I had a particular favorite shirt. It was already soft and faded when I bought it at a thrift store. What I loved and still love about it is the print. Once the shredding began I retired it to the fabric bin, I didn’t have the heart to throw it away. Well, this week it has emerged to give a little flavor to a plain raglan top I made. I cut a piece of the print from an area that was the least faded and made a collar. That old shirt holds a lot of good memories, a lot of history for me so I am very pleased to be able to wear it again. I’ve decided to turn the rest of it into a wide headband for me and a dress for a doll.
In the background of this photo there is a picture of me and my Dad from around 1988, in it I am wearing the old favorite.

The pattern for the new top is from the Japanese craft book Cotton Time, March 2006 issue.

Candleboats and New Year’s Eve

2010-01-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

My family and I enjoyed a quiet, comfortable New Year’s Eve at home. I made an Israeli inspired dinner influenced by The Frugal Gourmet Keeps The Feast. Before we began eating we lit our little walnut shell candleboats. In turn we each said our wish/prayer for the coming year then we set our boats floating. It went off so well that I think I will make this little ritual a yearly tradition. I got the idea for the floating walnut candles from one of my favorite books on seasonal celebrations All Year Round. The candles and their reflections gave off a really nice luminous glow throughout the meal.
Our peaceful family dinner on New Year’s Eve was the complete opposite of the New Year’s Day festivities. We entertained a houseful of our boisterous friends and ate way too much food of the decadent variety. Two celebrations couldn’t have been more different but at the very heart of them they were just the same. Ringing in the unknown new year with those we love. Being thankful just because you are doing it together.

Special Gifts

2009-12-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

I have been blessed with a husband who is attracted to and appreciates the same things that I do. So, it is no surprise that I am head over heels for the gifts he picked for me. My birthday is very close to Christmas so I received not one, but two wonderful pieces of hand made pottery from Bauman Stoneware. This photo of the pumpkin teapot and acorn casserole speak for themselves of their amazingly gifted creator. All I can say is that they are beautiful and magical as everything concerning Christmas should be.

Christmas baking

2009-12-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

The snow is piled up outside. The tree is trimmed with favorite ornaments. Fairies, mushrooms, nesting birds and woodland critters adorn it's branches. Oh, and the red lights are twinkling, I do love my red lights. The Christmas music is playing. It's time to get baking. As a child of the 70's (not the healthy hippie 70's) I was raised on a lot of packaged food. Potatoes and cakes came from boxes and vegetables came out of cans. But, come Christmas time my mom would bake cookies from scratch and she did it very well. As far back as I can remember Christmas we had the green acorn cookies. Mom would make the dough with the big wooden spoon, no mixers here. Then she molded each little acorn by hand. After baked and cooled she dipped each one in melted chocolate to make the acorn cap. They are buttery, kind of like shortbread, but flavored with almond extract. When I got married I started making them our tradition too. This year I also made a batch of sugar cookies that we have yet to decorate. They are from my late Grandma Jean's 1963 "Cooky Book". They are called wonderland cookies and we cut them out in fun animal shapes: pigs, owls, chicks, rabbits plus hearts and diamonds. It's just not Christmas though without the green acorn cookies. That big, gorgeous brown glass acorn ornament is a new gift from a special friend who really knows what I like.

Each Christmas I make a birthday cake for Jesus. I also like to make a buche de noel. It's a french roll cake filled with whipped cream. It's a less sweet alternative to the buttercream iced birthday cake. I decorate it with merengue mushrooms and strawberries. Of course I take any excuse to put cute little mushrooms on my table!

When serving this cake to company, one friend was notably disgusted to be eating mushrooms with his cake! I took this as a mighty big compliment at the realism of the little shrooms.

The Storybook Home

2009-12-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

It is bitter cold today. The perfect day to snuggle down with the latest issue of The Storybookhome Journal, which arrived in my mailbox just yesterday. It is a rare treat to anticipate and receive something of worth in the mail these days (not email!). The Storybookhome Journal is put together by the artist Al Young and his gifted family. It is a bimonthly publication centered around wonderful classic literature. Each issue spotlights one book or author. Various aspects of the book are brought to life in whimsical yet practical ways so that you can “live out” the book in your own home. In each fabulous issue you will encounter delicious recipes, home decor and handiwork projects, music pieces, gardening ideas and much more. Each idea is pulled directly from the book and personalized by this highly talented, very imaginative family. Each issue is a work of art in itself. There is beauty and inspiration at every turn. I find myself refering back to certain issues again and again.

If you are searching for something special to give this holiday season for mother, sister, or friend, a yearly subscription to The Storybookhome Journal is perfect. It is very reasonably priced for the ongoing gift of delight that it will bring. Individual issues can also be purchased. Here are just a very few past issues that will whet your appetite: Heidi, Litttle Women, Silas Marner, The Wind in the Willows, Bleak House, Persuasion, Little House in the Big Woods, Understood Betsy and Treasure Island.

Five years ago I was asked if I might contribute to the ‘Old Christmas’ issue which focused on the author Washington Irving. I was more than happy to oblige, it is very exciting to be a part of such a wonderful and worthwhile endeavor.

Being Thankful

2009-12-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was by far the best I’ve ever had. I cooked, family visited and we had a relaxed, fun time being together. Everything went off without a hitch. Now that it is over I realize what made it so special. The very things that I am most thankful for, the intangibles. The intangibles can’t be seen in these pictures. They are not the food or the stuff, they are invisible. They are faith, love, joy, health and many other things that without them the tangible things in life are meaningless. What good is a well cooked bird if it shares the table with pain or discontent? You will be amazed at how thankful you will become when you begin to count your intangible blessings.

I am thankful for my place at the table. I am thankful for the cleverness of a daughter who figured out where everyone should sit, made place cards, and set about to make it all look nice.

I am thankful for a husband’s thoughtfulness. When passing by a yard sale, he grabbed the squirrel/nut dish because he knew I would be crazy about it. I love that he gave them money for it even though it was in the box marked “free”.

I am thankful that the people who really know me love me anyway.

Hold on to your head!

2009-11-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

I finally finished up my Queen of Hearts for the Go Ask Alice show and she is just about ready to start chopping off some heads! My goal was that she would have a stiffness to her, very unemotional since she is after all a playing card. I wanted her to be royal and no nonsense, that’s why I opted for no hair. Hair to me adds too much softness. She had to be very hard and unmerciful. She has a tightly laced black suede corset and long pointed golden boots. Despite her attitude she’s still pretty. Even if I wanted to, I have a hard time making ugly.

If you’d like to see more of her, check out my Flickr.

Socks and Bones

2009-11-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

As a child I collected deer jawbones. I kept them in a box like treasure. I would take one out from time to time and comb my long, dark hair with it. All the while imagining myself a beautiful Native American princess. When my daughter came home with these two jawbones I thought it was pretty cool. Her story is that her and her friends came upon a deer skeleton in the woods and claimed it as property of "the fort". The bones were gathered and arranged artistically in the fort along with a lot of other broken, sharp and dangerous treasures that I'd probably rather not know about. My girl tells me she was allowed to take what she wanted home because I'm the only mom who happily allows "dirty bones" into the house. About the sock- I started this blog with my spring sock so I thought I'd show off my fall sock. It's taking a long time what with all the doll making going on around here but it's coming along.

Go Ask Alice poster

2009-11-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

I am furiously working to finish up my 2nd doll for the Go Ask Alice Doll and Plush Art Show with opens on Dec. 5th. Here is the very cool promotional poster which is sure to drum up interest with all those lovely images. There's my long necked gal peeking in at the side there. If you are in the Santa Barbara area join them for a Mad Tea Party reception, I'm sure it will be a grand time.

acorn caps

2009-11-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

I’m always looking for different ways to bring bits of nature into my home. I am especially fond of acorn caps. The little hats fit snugly on many things since they come in different sizes. Here are a couple glued onto the corks of little glass bottles. One holds tiny glass seed beads. The other is filled with an ancient red dye, a powdered pigment made from the crushed cochineal insect. In the foreground you can see one of my many beaded acorn pincushions.

food ruts

2009-11-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

When I find myself in a food rut I use the internet to get some inspiration. I’m not talking about a recipe search. What I’m looking for is an idea, a pretty picture that will spark me. Many times I come across an old favorite that I haven’t made in a while because I just forgot about it. That’s what the rut does, makes me forget about great dishes that I may even have all the ingredients for. It’s wierd, but the rut seems to creep back little by little. Soon I’m rotating the same 3 or 4 dishes. I’m not talking about buying fancy new foods for the sake of variety. I’m talking about buying your usual, seasonal, fresh and affordable foods and just rearranging them a bit. To liven up your senses while sticking to your budget, that’s the aim here. What seems to be mundane can become quite exraordinary with just a few tweaks. So here I am posting a few recent successful meals of ours that you may want to try. If you have any favorite fall meals or cookbooks I’d love to hear about them.

*All meals pictured here are just as tasty without the meats. I just happen to have 50lbs of organic, grass fed beef in my freezer at the moment and need to use it.

Chili with plantains. I like lots of raw veg toppings. For company I would add on some corn muffins.

A stew of potatoes, carrots, white beans, corn and green beans all flavored with oregano, can tomato and a sprinke of feta cheese. One chicken breast goes a long way when you've got all those other tasty things.

Beef and mushrooms with cumin and cinnamon served with coconut rice. A little bit of good quality something goes a long way to enhance a dish. In this case it was chopped tomato and plain (full fat) yogurt.

This is my current favorite sauce. It is coconut-tomato with basil from Molly Katzen's book The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without. What can I say? She is the Queen. I made it here with wide noodles and veggies.

The Goat

2009-10-27T13:37:00.001-07:00

Lord, let me live as I will!
I need a little wild freedom.
a little giddiness of heart,
the strange taste of unknown flowers.
For whom else are your mountains?
Your snow wind? These springs?
The sheep do not understand.
They graze and graze,
all of them, and always in the same direction,
and then eternally
chew the cud of their insipid routine.
But I- I love to bound to the heart of all
your marvels, leap your chasms,
and, my mouth stuffed with intoxicating grasses,
quiver with an adventurer’s delight
on the summit of the world!
amen

from Prayers from the Ark by Carmen Bernos Gasztold

The photo is of a fancy gentleman we met on our last Bronx Zoo excursion.

keeping warm

2009-10-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

We have been experiencing some frigid days over here. Overcast, grey, it even snowed last week! That was actually pretty fun, since we were having a “home day" anyway. To combat the cold and bring a bit of sunshine to the table and to the belly there were fresh buns, peach preserves, a bit of cheese. Also in attendence was the happy mouse cheese plate, a well used thrift store treasure.

The Monster Mushroom

2009-10-12T19:20:00.001-07:00

While enjoying an autumn stroll around a favorite local haunt this past sunday the girls discovered this crazy huge mushroom. We didn’t pick it, it was already plucked and lying on the ground. As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I dig mushrooms and I am always on the prowl for new specimens. I have never seen this type this large before, so it was quite a big deal. It immediatly brought to my mind the following quote from the book The Supper of the Lamb by Robert Farrar Capon.

“And the mushroom? Ah! It is proof of creation ex nihilo, the paradigm of the marvelously solid unnecessariness of the world. How anything so nearly nothing could at the same time be so emphatically something- how the Spirit brooding upon the face of the waters could have brought forth this... well, words fail, and mystery reigns. “

Go Ask Alice

2009-10-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

I will be participating in a group show of doll and plush toy artists based on Alice in Wonderland. A nice person named Cimmi of the Dollhead blog is putting it all together at her gallery in Santa Barbara. So now I am immersing myself in Alice, gearing up to make the best dolls I can in about one month’s time. There are so many great characters to consider, the many faces of Alice, The White Rabbit, The Hatter, all of the unconventional queens...so little time.

Gettin' cozy

2009-10-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

The weather here in NY is quite chilly, perfect for getting cozy with a cup of hot tea. The matryoshka tea cozy from my etsy store went off to it’s new home in Australia this week. I wonder if the weather is as brisk there today as it is here. This year I am going to make myself a tea cozy. I have been saying that for years, but you know the old saying about the shoemaker’s kids going without shoes. The maker of tea cozies drinks tepid tea. It’s pretty lame but I usually wrap a kitchen towel around my pot to keep it piping. I am determined to make myself a cozy, let’s see if it happens.

Recycled Tablecloth

2009-09-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

I’ve had this thrifted vintage tablecloth for many years. Rosebuds with bits of metallic gold tendrils, very sweet. I made these pants for my daughter out of it. The coolest thing is that the lace was already attatched to the cloth.

Back to school

2009-09-21T09:05:00.001-07:00

As you know the back to school season is here. As homeschoolers, “back to school” conjures up different images than the ones presented to us in the media or in the mall. It is refreshing that a new season of learning is upon us, new ideas to be introduced, new loves to be discovered. I recently read the book Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter and I couldn’t agree more with this bit.

“Schoolhouses are made wrong. If they must be, they should be built in a woods pasture beside a stream, where you could wade, swim, and be comfortable in summer, and slide and skate in winter. The windows should be cut to the floor, and stand wide open, so the birds and butterflies could pass through. You ought to learn your geography by climbing a hill, walking through a valley, wading creeks, making islands in them, and promontories, capes, and peninsulas along the bank. You should do your arithmetic sitting under trees adding hickorynuts, subtracting walnuts, multiplying butternuts, and dividing hazelnuts. You could spell everything in sight and this would teach you the words that are really used in the world.”

Let Freedom Ring

2009-09-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
       and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
       a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
       a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
       a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
       a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
       a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
       a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
       a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

I was at a women’s prayer meeting, praying for our children, our country, when someone ran in with the news. A plane had crashed into one of the towers. We listened to the radio reporting the surreal information, we prayed, we listened and we prayed some more. Our husbands were down there, in the city. We would have no contanct with them for the next several hours. The city was “locked down”, which means no one can get in or get out. The train that my husband left on that morning could not return.

We each went home to be near our phones in case a husband should call. The phone lines were so jammed up no calls could get through to us. I waited. I prayed. I listened to the radio for updates. I appeared calm so my small daughter would not worry. The words from that REM song played over in my mind “it’s the end of the world as we know it”, but I was not feeling fine. I waited and waited and made a big pot of lentil soup. If my husband did come home he would be hungry and he may be bringing with him people who no longer had a home. Finally he did come home to us, Thank God. But so many others did not. As the days went by the communter parking lot became an eerie monument. Whenever we drove by it you could see all those cars whose drivers would never return to them. For each car a family was waiting. I have the same sick feeling in my stomach today as I remember those cars. So many cars. As more bodies were unearthed another image of cars was burned into my memory. Funeral processions, lines of cars everywhere, for weeks.

I recall also an unspoken bond with everyone I came into contact with, a bond of seeing this happen and still being alive. On that sept. 12th I was on line in a grocery store. The woman behind me had clearly just finally made her way back from the city. She was disheveled, she had on a rumpled business suit from the day before. She had a glazed faraway look in her eyes. As I was leaving I was taken aback by her small purchase, a bottle of water and an American flag.

(please note there is no meaning behind the drawing of the flag being backward. My 5 year old drew it today and she thinks it’s perfect)

Tea and Memories

2009-09-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Each weekday that we are at home everything stops at 3:30 for a tea break. We sit down with a pot of tea and a little something to nibble on. I read from whatever book we happen to be into or something about the current season, poetry or nature study. It’s our time to decompress and settle down. After we may disperse to our own activities, but many times we linger to play a game, read or work on a craft. On days when we are not able to have our tea break I find everyone tends to get cranky and disagreeable around 4:30, I call it “the witching hour”. The combination of resting and appeasing our blood sugar levels seems to do the trick. On tea days the tone is set for the rest of the evening and it usually goes smoothly. You can’t allow activity to continue to escalate without giving the mind (and body) some downtime to recharge.

With my grandma’s recent passing I decided to have our tea in her honor. I sifted through her “Cooky Book” from 1963 for something to make. Grandma Jean had marked off many recipes that she used but I noticed an extra big checkmark on the Scottish Shortbread recipe, so we made them. The table was set with one of grandma’s hand embroidered tablecloths. She gifted me with this one last June. She said it was “for the children” because of the childlike, whimsical motifs all around it. She would have loved to see her things being used and so enjoyed. She had a long life well lived. So instead of mourning, today we celebrate her life. We raise our little pink cups “To Granny Jean!”.

“the oil of gladness, instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

(taken from Isaiah 63:3)

Grandma Jean

2009-09-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

My grandmother was buried today. She passed on over the weekend at 91 yrs old. The more I think about her, the more I want to share her life with others. She was a second mother to me. Hers was the first home I lived in when I was born and the home I left on my wedding day. It wasn’t until I had children of my own that I realized how patient, tireless and creative she was.

Jean was born to Polish immigrants in Brooklyn in 1918. At 14 yrs old she became a “career girl” to help support the family when her father was out of work. She loved to tell me the story of how her mother had her keep a little of her earnings to buy herself a new hat every week. She always had that twinkle in her eye when she talked about those hats! She married my Hungarian grandfather when she was 27. They saved their money and bought the house in Queens that she would live out the rest of her life in. They bought the house in cash, no mortgage. Grandma Jean nurtured and fed every person and animal that crossed her doorstep. Every Christmas she would gift the local nuns with hand knit shawls “because it gets chilly where they live and they don’t have much money”. She was always entertaining someone, there was a never ending spread of polish or american food on her table. Her garden was bursting with life. She exchanged twigs with her neighbors and ended up with the most beautiful collection of roses growing alongside her pears, cherries and vegetables. Each year she canned her bounty of tomatoes. She knew what it was like to have nothing, so to have this abundance was not work, but joy.

Grandma Jean’s hands were never idle. If there was ever a moment when she was sitting still she would be knitting, crocheting or embroidering. She made jewellery, ceramics and every conceivable home decoration. When I was a child my books, toys and crafts were strewn all over her house. Grandma never fussed, but instead joined in the fun. When I got older and began bringing home my “colorful” friends Grandma didn’t bat an eye, she entertained like they were her friends. She would run out with her cart on wheels to the market and return with all the snacks we could possibly consume. I recall once when some friends needed a place to stay for the night . The friends happened to be a heavy metal band, all boys. She put out the food, laughed and told stories and played cards with them. They all slept on the living room floor with her cozy crocheted blankets. When it was time for them to leave the very big, very loud singer, Moose (who also had a penchant for spitting fire onstage) couldn’t stop praising and hugging his new “grandma”. Jean gave and I took. I am ashamed to admit that I never lifted a finger to help her. She didn’t complain, she was just happy to have me with her.

In recent years when I would go on and on about the great things she did she would shoo me away with a “Come on, I enjoyed it!”. It wasn’t until I had a family of my own to look after that I realized the strength it took to live that kind of life. A simple life of serving others.

The photo is of my grandparents around the time they got married. When my grandfather (who was equally resourceful, creative and amazing) was stationed in Hawaii during WW2 he picked up mother of pearl shells on the beach and carved crosses and hearts for his new bride back home.

Happy Birthday Cutie!

2009-08-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my daughter’s birthday, she is now a whopping 10 years old. To make the day even more memorable she experienced her first ever movie in a theater. Yep, it took a whole decade to find something worthy enough to actually go out to see. We happen to be loyal fans of Hayao Miyazaki’s films so when Ponyo came out this weekend it was perfect timing. After all that restaurant/vacation food of last week my girl’s birthday meal request was a home cooked favorite, chicken paprikash. Coffee ice cream for dessert, she doesn’t care for birthday cake. We were all grateful for the “home food”. The day was made even more special when we picked up our guinea pig, Pumpkin who seems to have made a complete recovery. We are all very very happy to be home.

Goodbye Bloggy Friends...

2009-08-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we are off for our annual beach vacation. Normally I would be elated. But, instead I am a ball of nerves. One of our guinea pigs, Pumpkin, is very ill. This morning the Vet hydrated her and gave her an antibiotic shot. She will be needing antibiotics and special food given to her 4x a day for the next few days or she won’t survive. We leave tomorrow for RI and a hotel that doesn’t take animals. ARGHHH. You see my dilemma. I am leaving her with a very responsible friend, but still I am nervous about Pumpkin and uncomfortable putting my friend in this position. I will actually have to force myself to relax and have a good time at the beach.

The photo is of Pumpkin the day I brought her home 2 years ago, she was soooo tiny.

Summer Food

2009-08-07T05:39:00.001-07:00

There are certain dishes I make constantly in the summer. Right now we are in the throes of "summer food". By the time September rolls around we will probably be sick of them, but for now we are loving it!

Tomato/basil salad

Any summer fruit or veg ends up in a crepe!

Cold peanut noodle, yum!

Cool 2-in-1 Bag

2009-08-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

I Have been saving this fabric for a rainy day and boy is it raining! I used a pattern from the July issue of Cotton Time, an excellent japanese sewing book. I am taking this very cool bag on vacation with me in a couple of weeks. By day it's a big tote carry-all. For evening it transforms into a cute little purse. Very nice. It's also very nice to have a fetching friend at the ready for some impromptu modeling, thanks D!

Alice in Wonderland Clock

2009-07-27T16:33:00.000-07:00

If you have to look at something multiple times a day or it is a permanent fixture in your home why not make it attractive and amusing, right? I found myself in need of a portable alarm clock. Not satisfied with any, I settled for a cheap little drugstore number that I could work with. I embellished it with images from Wonderland. I save my expired calendars because they are always beautiful and useful. I cut these images from a 2007 Alice calendar illustrated by Iassen Ghiuselev and glued them in place. With minimal effort and no cost I have instant transformation.

rain rain go away

2009-07-22T05:42:00.001-07:00

I actually really like rain, except when it is relentless and destroys my tomatoes. We’ve been having an awful lot of rain lately. Maybe that is why these little umbrellas are popping up all over the lawn.

Feather Display

2009-07-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

We have an ever growing seasonal nature shelf where we display our found treasures. I used to keep feathers in a glass vase, but they always ended up in a clump. Well, I just found a beautiful way to keep them apart while avoiding man made objects. Using a bee's nest each individual feather can be shown off. To stabilize it I sat it in a seashell. I think it looks great.

That sort of bear...

2009-07-07T06:28:00.000-07:00

My 9 yr old daughter will often ask "can I do some sewing?". She disappears for hours. Behind closed doors while listening to audio books, she sews. I am not allowed to peek or to help. A couple of days ago she emerged with this bear! It's so great, such personality, I begged to have it. I had to save him from ending up at the bottom of some toy box. So, he is mine and I love him.

My Mushrooms

2009-07-03T05:27:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of years I have been devoting much of my time in nature seeking out mushrooms. I have taken countless pictures of them. I can't always keep track of labeling who they are because they are too numerous. So many shapes , colors, sizes, textures. It's never boring and each time we come across a new one it's special. Here are a couple of beauties from our most recent walk. The jelly one looked like amber with the sun behind it and the two tiny guys in that amazing moss forest were each as small as a fingernail.

I used to make dolls.....

2009-07-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Twelve years ago I started making dolls. Ten years ago I got pregnant and stopped making dolls. It's not that I decided to stop, actually I just forgot about it. I'm a very attached kind of mom. I was way to busy enjoying my little ones to think of sewing. Once the girls got a bit older I found pockets of time appearing in my day and I began sewing again. It has only been about 1 1/2 years that I've been back at it. I started the etsy shop and started making cute things to put in it. Even though that continues to be really fun I am now getting the urge to pick up where I left off ten years ago. Not always cute, but definitely interesting. I'm itching to see what is going to come out of my head. I hope you will stick around to see what comes next.

The doll shown here is named Var. She was auctioned off at a benefit for Love 146.or g, an great organization dedicated to stopping child sex trafficking abroad and here in the US. Please, go to their site, get educated and if you can, get involved.

Butterflies are born!

2009-06-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

When we were at the butterfly farm we took four caterpillars home to watch "hatch". Well, today was the day. They are painted ladies and there are two of them. We have two pupae to go. We have a little butterfly garden so hopefully they will stick around.

zoo day

2009-06-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

Since our Bronx Zoo membership is about to expire, I figured it was time for one last hurrah until we renew in the fall. I was also looking for some creative inspiration and I wasn't disappointed.

2009-06-25T20:21:00.001-07:00

I had to be very sneaky to get this close.

2009-06-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, a black swan.

2009-06-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Awesome bug carousel.

Thanks Julie

2009-06-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

My Octo-bag is among the featured etsy pieces on this lovely blog, check it out!

Rainbow's End

2009-06-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Rainbow's End Butterfly Farm. If you are anywhere in the area you should definitely check it out. In any case go to their site and see what you can do to make a butterfly habitat. My husband, who is a very very talented illustrator always gets annoyed when people refer to him as an artist. He believes he is a technician. As he always says "an artist puts a piece of his soul into his work". Well, if this is true then I saw a bit of God's soul at the butterfly farm and it is beautiful.

afternoon

2009-06-16T05:07:00.000-07:00

We are busy doing a whole lot of this before the weather gets too hot.

fairy houses everywhere

2009-06-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

Ever since I took this book off the shelf we have been fairy house crazy. My little one who is 5 likes to build hers in the bottom of trees. While the big girl who is 9 only makes hers up high in the trees so that the birds will visit.

pretty food

2009-06-11T19:17:00.001-07:00

Most days I will make myself a salad of whatever I find in the fridge. On this particularly colorful day I found a purple egg (dyed with purple cauliflower), a handful of cous cous, and a radish "mushroom". Sometimes the things unplanned are the nicest.

Scary?

2009-06-08T09:09:00.003-07:00

The Strawberry Festival has come and gone. I met lots of people, sold a few things, ate strawberry shortcake, and got a very sunburnt forehead. Having done it, I must say it is not something I am likely to repeat. I did get a lot of great feedback, but the best thing for me was overhearing this conversation: One lady said to her friend, "WOW, did you see those dolls?". The friend replied (as she ran past my table, averting her eyes), "They scare me!". Besides making sales, that was definitely the highlight of the day!

the blue broom

2009-06-04T08:21:00.001-07:00

My philosophy is this: if I have to look at or use something multiple times a day, it better delight my eye or amuse me. Enter...the blue broom. I told my husband that I wanted it for my birthday. He was apprehensive, thinking he would be looked upon as a chauvinistic cad. I assured him he could direct any accusers to me and I would set them straight. I got the broom and I love it. It's 100% natural, plant dye was used for the awesome color.

backyard babies

2009-06-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago a robin decided to build her nest directly in front of my kitchen window in our old magnolia bush. Since the parents are quite protective I planned my photo carefully. As soon as Betty and Arnold flew off to pull worms I ran to the nest and quickly clicked 3 pictures. In the first picture the birds were still with beaks down. As you can see by the third picture one was roused up hoping to get a meal from me. I thought how like them we people must appear before God. Blind, helpless and always hungry.

making progress

2009-05-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Little persons are materializing from the piles of fabric. This is good.

pink pick me up

2009-05-26T12:48:00.001-07:00

I was about to put the kettle on for some mid morning tea when I spotted a pink tree outside the window. I sent the girls out for the flowers. Barefoot and happy they returned to find pink strawberry smoothies. If I hadn't noticed the tree we would have had that cup of tea. No smoothy, no run in the grass. Sometimes you just gotta look outside the routine and go with it.

sewing, sewing, sewing.....

2009-05-25T09:03:00.001-07:00

Not being a mass market kind of gal I am finding it difficult to enjoy making quantities of goods for the upcoming strawberry festival. I am trying my best to have everything still be one of a kind, unique and interesting. Two weeks left.

berry crazy

2009-05-23T07:53:00.001-07:00

Whatever possessed me to agree to be a craft vendor at an upcoming strawberry festival? Oh, because when I said yes we were buried under 5 ft of snow and the idea of a strawberry festival sounded great. Now I find myself with 2 weeks left to sew my brains out to have something to sell. I will blog my progress....or lack of.

A happy day

2009-05-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

Today the girls and I went to Kinokuniya Bookstore. We are fortunate to have this treasure trove of japanese goodness. It was time to renew my mother's day gift, a year subscription for the sewing magazine Cotton Time. We then popped over to our favorite restaurant and had this very tasty lunch. As you can see we brought along our tiny pocket dolls Miss Happiness and Little Peach because if we didn't they would be very cross with us as they also love all things japanese. :)

The Red Shoes

2009-05-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

Recently I took stock of my closet and realized that the last few pairs of shoes I've acquired are red. Not just red but red & Girlie. What's going on here? Not so long ago my closet was teeming with thick, tough, black boots.

When and how did this transition occur? Then this thought hit me, "Is this my mid life crisis? Am I that bald guy driving around in the shiny red convertible?" Eek!

Oh well, I'm off to see if those cute red clogs over at Hanna Anderson are on sale yet. :)

another green, growing thing...

2009-05-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

I am finishing up my first pair of hand knit socks. They are great, I have never had a sock actually fit the contours of my foot. Too bad they take a bit of time to make, I want more.