...who lived in a shoe

new blog location!

2009-10-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

Life happens, and my little blog home got neglected for awhile. We moved, we started school, and grandma moved in with us! Lots of adventures, but not a lot of time to blog. Because of some email changes, and html updates, I've actually moved my blog to the following location click here to visit the new site!

Holidays, learning to knit, and other excitement!

2008-11-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

Lots of really exciting things in the works, including...I am learning to knit!!! Mary at Lizzie Ann's Wool Co has taken me on as a student. I could not beleive I was able to leave the shop after less than an hour with crazy knitting skills! Okay, not quite crazy, but I can cast on, and I can garter stitch something fierce! Purling is next...

My first project is a basic scarf made from some INCREDIBLE Classi Elite Aspen Yarn in Resort, a fantastic multi-toned purple.

I've also been working on some fun little projects for the holidays, Etsy, and a friend who's expecting a little one in March...

not too much to say today...

2008-11-03T18:11:00.000-08:00

Just a snap of some recently thrifted items. vintage linens just like the ones my mom had as a girl, some diner mugs, and a nice pyrex casserole...I can never have too much Pyrex or Fire King!

Been feeling very blah lately, I think it's a side effect of an endless marathon of editing weddings and protrait sessions in front of the computer. As of right now, I see no light at the end of the tunnel, hoepfully that will change in another week.

So, can I live vicariously through you all? Do me a favor, get some fresh air for me and enjoy the fall! :)

the last few leaves...

2008-11-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

I can hardly beleive that fall is nearing it's end. It seems like just yesterday that I was posting about the end of summer. Although it was busy, we had lots of time to enjoy the crisp weather...picking apples, outdoor portrait sessions, trick or treating, soccer games, and of course, football! My favorite holidays are just around the corner, and a season filled with baking, sewing, needlework, family time, and just being snug as a bug.

Photo Therapy!

2008-11-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Even though I felt icky and depressed, I could NOT resist the incredible late October weather that we had yesterday. I borrowed my business partner's camera, and set out with my little Stella Bella, in her special Matilda Jane dress, and I decided to just try to have fun with a camera...no pressure. We chased fairies, made wishes, picked flowers, and spun in circles, and took a few pictures along the way.

It really was good therapy...here are a few images that I loved!

pieces of grace...

2008-10-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when we are at a low point, or a point in our lives where we choose to question who we are, who we are meant to be, and who we want to be, a little piece of grace, purely by chance, drifts our way.

Photography is not my passion, that is far too limiting. It is in fact, how I see the world around me. It's my saving grace, my sanity, my outlet, and it ironically allows me to let down my guard. I can see a side of people, even loved ones, through my camera, that are so blatantly pure. I have documented my newborn babies while I still lay in the bed they were born in moments before, the face of my beautiful daughter as her tiny body was set in her wooden coffin, my grandfater staring into the sunset at the same nursing home he passed at months later, my 2 youngest children tucked into a cardboard box, pretending to sail away, never knowing I was watching...beautiful and painful things.

Lately, I have questioned my ability, and have had moments of doubt, where I think that just maybe this love that I have for images and portraits and the world around me is not what I should be doing, not my job to document, and is not a gift that I have.

Then I watched Antiques Road Show (I know, that's what you all expected me to say, right?), the same as I do every week while I edit images on my laptop, and as I was about to shut off PBS, the biography of the incredible Annie Leibovitz came on. Of course I have been a huge fan of hers for years, along with Bresson, Capa, and the modern day Jill Greenberg, but I had never before seen this side of her. Very real, vulnerable, and at times it appeared, unsure of herself. To see someone that in my mind has always been so sure of herself, and so in charge, and has documented and recorded some of the greatest portraits of our modern times, was just...grace. Pure, saving, grace. Something that I needed to hear. I am quite possibly the most self critical person that I know, but I realized that's okay, as long as I can keep at it. If my criticism ever gets to the point that I want to quit, then the point of what I set out to do is gone, as is my love for photography. I want to push myself BECAUSE I love what I do, not to MAKE myself love what I do.

back to blogging, and doing fall stuff...

2008-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

So, I would be lying if I said the insanity has died down, and that's why I'm back to blogging, but alas, it is not. Things are still going full force here...photography sessions, proofing, packing to move, cleaning incessantly, and sadly, dealing with the theft of thousands of dollars of photography stuff. Big huge bummer there, but many thanks to Stuart and my fellow OSPers for their help in that department, and for letting me borrow cameras and stuff!

The fact is...I just miss blogging, about the little bits and pieces of day to day life that keep me sane. And insane. :D Right now, I am trying to find little snippets of time for Christmas gift creation. I'm working on a granny square scarf, I think for my sister, in lovely shades of espresso brown, gray, and muted pink. I may have bitten off more than I can chew in the realm of handmade items, but we'll see what I can squeeze in time for. I just cannot bear to give my family more toys. We really need no more cheap, mindless toys! There may be a felt board in the works inspired by my friend Visty. I think a fabric play teepee, and thanks to Amanda Soule I (along with the rest of the world) flocked to the Stubby Pencil Studio to load up on stocking stuffer crayon rocks, and art supplies, for Max, my mercurial artistic genius of the bunch. Just a peek below of the scarf, cuz it's perdy!

Okay, I am seriously excited!

2008-08-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have been stalking Oliver + S for days and days eagerly awaiting the release of the fall patterns! Time to do a happy dance...they are HERE!!! And just in the knick of time, my littlest ones have NOTHING and I mean nothing for fall, but my fabric stash could use some whittling down to say the least. I'm allover that Playdate Dress. As soon as my next batch of print orders come in, I will be snatching them all up! Hmmmmm, time to go rummage at the fabric store for some fine wale corduroy...

Summer days...

2008-08-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how FAST this summer has gone for us! As a photographer, this is my craziest time of year. I try not to schedule any work during the fall, winter, and early spring so that I can spend time with the kids, their activities, and academics (as well as all my crafty stuff!!), so the warm summer days (aka wedding season) is my working season. I always need to preschedule little breaks throughout the summer so that I know we'll get some great family time in. Our last hoorah of the summer was a week long stay camping at the beach.

It was so much fun! We had a spectacular time playing in the waves, feeling the warm sun on our face, and sand in our toes. We ate plenty of ice cream, lots of s'mores, and sat under the night sky around the fire and took turns naming the stars. The kids picked out such hilarious names for the stars...just a few that I can recall...Apple, Brad, Twinkie, and many many more. The weather is still warm and summery, with a few beach days left, and I hope to streeeeeeetch them as long as I can, and linger in the days left until September.

anybody home?????????????????

2008-07-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

I've actually had 3 people email me to ask why I have neglected my blog for a few...which totally surprised me in all honesty, lol! I had no idea people were checking here daily, I feel bad now! I have a really painful stress fracture in my left foot, and to top it off, my photography business is always the busiest in late July and August, and I've been shooting all of my portrait sessions on crutches...so not fun. To top it off, we've had a handful of personal troubles lately too, some of the financial nature, some of the life in general nature, but things are slowly turning around.

Anyway, I'll be back soon with some great photos of my middle child's birthday, as well as some updates and fun things in general. And since I can't post without leaving a photo, here's one of my favorites of Maxwell and his cake (he said it MUST be orange and covered in candy).

enjoy the weekend!!

A market birthday

2008-07-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Javen's birthday was on Saturday, the same day as the local farmer's market. Our little guy is obsessed with cooking and food, so I made that the theme for the day. The morning started with him opening a cooking apron I sewed for him...which he loved! Then we went to the local market, and watched a chef demonstration, and my awesome husband talked to the chef, and Javen got called up as an assistant!!! I seriously think it was the highlight of his life. Then we picked out strawberries and Javen baked his birthday cake from scratch, Strawberry Country Cake. It so so incredibly good, the lemon zest really makes this recipe, I doubled it and omitted the orange zest. Javen's procclaimation at the end of the day dubbing it "the best day of my life" was really a great reminder of how important love, time, and one on one attention are the best gifts a kid can hope for.

thrifted curtains, and shirts that make me swear...

2008-06-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

I guess I can't have it all, can I? I bought all of the Simplicity Built By Wendy patterns at Joann's this week, as they had a $1.50 pattern sale. Second ONLY to the 99 cent pattern sale. I went a little crazy, but at a buck fifty, I guess I can afford to splurge. So, the first one I attempted was the shirt with the diamond shaped inset, pattern number 3964. Bad choice. I swear I have made so many stupid mistakes on this shirt. I have spewed a string of profanities a mile long while stitching and restitching that derned diamond inset. GAH!!!! I am scared to actually try the thing on. Thankfully I just used some dirt cheap calico for my first attempt, and I SHOULD have the hang of it next go round. I am not thwarted easily!!

The same day of the pattern sale, I scored this really cool vintagey valance at the thrift store, for a handful of pocket change. I love it! I may use it for a pillow, or trim along the bottom of a skirt for myself of the girly girl. The last image is just a killer sunset I took with my latest lens purchase. I love summer sunsets.

shoes for needy kids...

2008-06-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the baby and toddler shoe brand See Kai Run. Not only are their shoes adorable and super soft, but my little girly loves them too. I went to their site to look for a new summer pair for the littles, and I saw that they have an awesome promo going on. For every pair that is purchased in June, they will match it with a pair donated to a child in need. So, if you are looking for new shoes for your baby or toddler, give them a try this month!!

japanese crafty goodness, and a good mail day!

2008-06-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

I hit the jackpot when the mailman rolled into town today. First, I scored 2 patterns I'd been awaiting from Oliver + S, then came the next package, some cool Japanese crafty stuff! I LOVE Superbuzzy, I think it's been my coolest website discovery this year. I adore the modern, simplistic, timeless styles in Girly Style Wardrobe, and so naturally I sought out more lovely Japanese pattern books. I fell in love with my latest treasure...Home Couture for Girls. It's filled with schoolgirl-esque smocks and skirts, little dainty tea dresses, and peter pan collars galore. I am smitten. The photos are very easy to understand, and the patterns, while a pain to trace, are quite simple. And to top it off, my superbuzzy package contained some little pieces of Japanese candy for my oldest son and I to sample. Green tea and milk flavored...hmmmmmm. Caleb's response to the candy?? "Japanese people make cool video games, but their tongues are WEIRD". :D

Father's Day...

2008-06-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

In our house we really work hard at defying gender roles. I am the flippant, overlooker of all holidays that are sentimental (birthdays, valentines day, sweetest day, mother's day, and lastly, father's day). It's not that they are not important to me, it's just that I am of the school that "things" don't make the day any MORE important. By "things" I am referring to cakes, cards, flowers, chocolates, presents, and so on. My husband, on the other hand, gets downright grumpy when I forget or opt out of those things, so we are always at odds when it comes to choosing how we will celebrate something.

So, this year he pleasantly surprised me when he announced he just wanted a quiet (laugh!!) dinner with myself and the 5 kiddos, and then just wanted to spend time being their daddy. So, we had a great little evening wandering around the waterfront film festival, having a dinner of shrimp po'boys and crab cakes, a trip to the ice cream shop, and then we finished off the night sitting around the firepit with marshmallows toasting, and little firecrackers. The kids could not have been more pleased, and daddy was smiling from ear to ear. A perfect evening!

He is one of those daddy's who is perfect in his imperfection, loving, sensitive, and I cannot imagine life without him. I have held his hand in lieu of medication during labor, cried on his shoulder more times than I can count, listened to him softly read Peter Pan off of his palm pilot to our 1 pound twins as they fought for life in their NICU isolettes (and subsequently snicker over all the times Tink says the word "ass"), watched him weep as he held our daughter Mya when she passed away, and have seen the lines appear on his often furrowed brow as he quietly stresses and thinks about the well-being of his wife and children.

We have our ups, and we have our downs, and we have been through more in our short marriage than many people endure in years, and I am so happy to say that even though our story is not yet written, and what is to come is still and always an unknown, I am more in love with him now than the day we said "I do".

Happy Father's Day Lamont!!

This and that

2008-06-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I have an ambitious week...I plan a meal list, a corresponding grocery list, and then I follow it to a "T". And sometimes I do NOT have an ambitious week. This week is the latter, all week it's been a little bit of this and a little of that. I had a craving for hot german potato salad, so we made that yesterday, it was so good. The only part that was to be dreaded, was the boiling of potatoes on an eighty degree day. Of course, yesterday was also bread baking day, so I spent the better part of the afternoon in a sweat. The perfect counter to the heat was a basket of fresh local strawberries from the outdoor market. However, the little boys in the back seat of the van who were "only looking at the strawberries on the ride home, somehow managed to look at the berries with more than just their eyes. I arrived home to find red lips and tongues, and a few random berries rolling around the bottom of the basket. Gah. So, I made it up to myself today, I went out thrifting and got a chocolate shake.

tricycles, zucchini, and buttons.

2008-06-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

I can only take so much of the wiggles soundtrack, so my kids usually wind up listening to mommy's music. they're pretty big fans of Regina Spektor, U2, and The Beetles. So, I went on a quest to find cool kids music that we all like listening to. I stumbled across the songs Sometimes, and Tricycle by Frances England, and we were all hooked! You've got to give her a listen. My daughter now begs to ride her tricycle even more than she already did, and she sings the Tricycle song as she peddles away. If you listen to the song, you'll understand how impossibly cute this all is.

On to our garden. The garden that my kids talked about endlessly, but the second the seeds had been nestled in their dirt homes, the wee ones scattered in all directions and abandoned me to finish the job ob my own, "now that the fun part is over". :) Well, today the first fruits of my labor broke through the soil. The zucchini! The kids were thrilled! Possibly even thrilled enough to pull some weeds for a few minutes. I planted the zucchini specifically to use in a recipe for Zucchini "Crab" Cakes that I make every year. I prefer to bake them, as opposed to frying, and I serve them with a salad of mixed greens, and lemon dill sauce...

And the buttons you ask? In reference to the button picture, there is none, I just love buttons and was happy with my last button purchase. I cannot quit looking at them, or touching them, or setting them on random fabrics to see how quaint they look.

the game

2008-06-07T05:33:00.001-07:00

The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

a punk rock shirt for a punk rock baby...

2008-06-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

I made this shirt for a friend of mine's little peanut-girl. This fabric definitely suits little Ellery to a "T". Her mama is going to give me some feedback on my seemstress skills, to see if I can hang with the pros on Etsy. I had my daughter model it in the last image, I cropped her head out because I may be reported if someone sees the crazy way I left her hair today. That's what rainy days are for, right?? Sewing and bad hair. Oh, and notice her inclination to wear her panties backwards so that she can look down and see the "Go Irish", nevermind that she can't yet read it. :D

summer makes me happy.

2008-06-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

I love it, I love running outside with the kids, and not caring that all we are wearing are tee shirts and skirt or shorts, I love the smell of the breeze, the dirt, the flowers, sunscreen, barbeque, Lake Michigan, and the combination of all the smells and sights at the outdoor market. Summer just makes me happy. I think the best part of summer, after being tucked away all winter, is having the windows open, and bringing the outdoor inside on a pleasant day.

My only girly child has been defying any sort of growth spurt for eons, to the point that I actually question if she is sneaking espresso after bedtime. Well, be still my heart, she FINALLY grew. So, in honor of her added inches, and in consideration of our pocketbook, I have been stitching a few things up for her, mainly using scrap fabric and some random fat quarters. I love the tie top in (I think pattern F??) Girly Style Wardrobe, but couldn't get it to fit on a fat quarter, so I busted out the tracing paper and drew my own pattern. The skirts are elastic waist, improvise-as-you-go summer creations. Stella's only request is that one of them had a pocket for her "ponies and flowers" on the front. The desk pictured below is a thrift store find that the kids are loving. I painted the desktop with chalkboard paint, and nestled the desk under the ash tree.

and lastly a summer picture of my princess that I just adore...

using up the stash...curry curry curry

2008-05-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

just when I thought I had sorted and unearthed ALL of my stashed fabric, I found a huge bag stuffed full of more. It contained this cute little hula girl fabric I bought 2 or 3 years ago. I did not feel up to sketching my own pattern this time, so I used a simplicity project runway pattern. I have some vintage red buttons that will go on the back, and probably some fat, red rickrack that was also in the bag.

We love curry here at our house, and my husband picked up this great tin of curry powder when he was in Japan awhile back. I have an old standby curried chicken recipe that I love, but it's a little too much for the kiddos. And really time consuming. So last night was the shortcut version, it was great! It started out as a Real Simple Magazine cheater's recipe, but I kind of tweaked it for more of a Cambodian/Thai style curry.

Rotisserie chicken (pick the meat off and set it aside)
2 tablespoons of coconut milk
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1 small size container of plain yogurt (about a half cup)
fresh lemongrass
fresh cilantro
mild yellow curry powder (for a NOT kid friendly version, use a teaspoon of Thai curry paste)
small yellow or white onion
white rice

chop the onion and saute in a tiny bit of olive oil over medium high heat. cook until slightly golden. Add the curry powder, coconut milk, heavy cream, and yogurt, reduce heat, and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in fresh chopped or grated lemon grass (one or two tablespoons), fresh chopped cilantro (about a half cup) and toss together until cilantro has slightly wilted. Serve over white rice. Season to taste with kosher salt.

a bit of honesty...

2008-05-31T04:46:00.000-07:00

sorry about the lack of pictures, more to come soon!

On to the honesty. Sometimes we go through a series of rough patches in life, and we feel alone. Nobody ever wants to talk about their rough patches, esp if it's something that makes us feel like a failure, so we all just silently cope and feel alone. But truth be told, we all go through hard times in some capacity or another, so guess what? I'm going to TALK about it. I'm going to share what we are going through.

We are losing our house. It's going to be foreclosed on and we'll have to move this winter. It was a long road that brought us to this point, and we didn't give it up without a fight. My husband and I bought this house about 5 years ago. At that time we had three boys, and both worked full time at high paying jobs. Months after we moved in, I became pregnant with our twins, Mya and Stella. I was off work and in and out of the hospital (as well as getting IV's at home) for my entire pregnancy. It ended with an ambulance ride to the hospital and our twins were born 14 weeks early. They fought to live for 6 months, Stella won the battle and came home...Mya did not. She died at 6 months and 4 days of age. During their hospitalization I had to quit my job, and my husband was laid off from his. Finances were a struggle. We were also struck by a city bus that ran a red light, and our only vehicle was totaled. Thankfully no one was severely injured, but the payout on the vehicle was much less than we owed, and the city's insurance only gave us $250.

My husband quit school and got a job as a bartender to make ends meet. Recently he was employed as a manager at a bar and restaurant, we needed a job with insurance, but he's taken a pay cut. We also had another baby (the last one), little Ty. We have been struggling to get my husband back in school, but just can't find the time or money to do it. So, that's where we are today. 3 months behind on our house payment, and in the early stages of foreclosure. I know our story is not written yet, and I have beautiful hope that things will turn around, but it breaks my heart all the same. We are putting our faith in my photography business and our own perseverence, as well as God, and we hope and pray that good will come of this. If someone else reads this and is struggling, just know you're not alone, you're not a failure, and there are people who will listen to your story.

we took the leap...homeschooling the tweebs

2008-05-29T06:20:00.001-07:00

My 2 middle guys, Jay and Max, are the Irish twins of the bunch, and so, wound up in the same grade. Max was very ready for kindergarten, but Jay needed some extra help to come along. We have had several struggles with him at the public schools throughout the year, and decided to talk about homeschooling the two of them. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the right choice. I finally made up my mind when the boys came home after a field trip to a local farm. Their eyes lit up when they told me about riding the pony, and going on a hayride with bunnies. I was thrilled that they had such a wonderful time experiencing those firsts, but my heart broke when I realized I couldn't share it with them. I feel as though I am missing so much.

They are still such little people in the making, and at the end of the school day, I am missing nearly 8 hours of their lives. To me, that is just completely unacceptable. I want to experience the thrill of learning WITH them, I want to watch them plant a garden, paint a picture, ride a horse, read a book, bake brownies, the list goes on! My oldest will still continue in the public schools, he is in many advanced classes (didn't get that from me!!) and very involved in activities, so he prefers to continue on in the school system, but we have decided that elementary school will be replaced with homeschooling for the 4 youngest. I'm very at peace with the decision and can't wait to begin sharing our adventures!

and Visty, yes we ARE all just copycats, lol, you were on to something all along!

my mermaid's 4th birthday!

2008-05-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

birthdays are always a special occassion, but for our daughter Stella, they are even more so. She and her twin sister Mya started out as preemies, born 14 weeks early. They were extremely ill, even more so than most babies that early, and were given very little hope of survival. After 6 months of fighting, Mya passed away. Stella made it home after a long rode, and is in perfect health today, with zero long term complications, other than being small for her age.

Her party was at the hotel daddy works at, and of course she asked for an under water theme. She is obsessed with mermaids, and in particular, the Disney movie Aquamarine. She insisted on a pink cake (strawberry), with aqua frosting, covered in orange starfish. Pretty specific, eh?? My hand was in serious pain, and cramped like crazy after piping on all those starfish, but watching her gaze in satisfaction at her cake was well worth it! I think more practice is in order before I try a cake more elaborate than this, but it was fun all the same!

I just had to give her something mama made for her birthday, but in all honesty, after the Dutch costume insanity, I was a bit worn out, so I opted for a totally simple dress stitched up from some Amy Butler fabric that I love (of course, in aqua). I had so much going on this week, that I had only 45 minutes or so to whip it up on the day of her birthday, so the gathers aren't as perfect as I'd like, time maybe to get a ruffler??

beaters and rickrack

2008-05-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

I seriously think one of my best childhood memories is of watching bowlside in the kitchen as my mom baked (she was a cake decorator), and my anticipation of being handed the ultimate reward for my patience...a batter covered beater. Heaven on Earth. I perfected the art of wriggling my tounge and fingers just so, so that every last tiny speck of batter made it's way into my mouth. So, as I made my favorite brownies this week, I remembered the glory of licking beaters as I watched my two youngest stare in awe as I mixed. I handed them over, and Stella and Ty looked at me as though I had surely made some mistake, and would momentarily come to my senses and yank them out of their grasp. When it finally sunk in that they could actually LICK them, they went to town. Ty quickly dubbed it his "chocolate sucker". I honestly think they toted them around the kitchen for over 30 minutes.

On to the rickrack. I have some old fabric I am trying to use up, so decided to stitch up a few play dresses for Stella. The first attempt started out as a pattern, but I went off on some crazy tangent, and wound up with a far different dress. Yeah, my improvising skills are a bit rusty, but Stella was giddy all the same.

Sewing purgatory is over...til next Spring.

2008-05-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I live in a Dutch town in Michigan and we have a huge Tulip Festival every year. Complete with carnivals, parades, klompen dancers, and my favorite part, Dutch costumes. I have a love/hate realtionship with the costumes. There is nothing more adorable than watching my little clan run around in wooden shoes, placket pants, aprons, and twirly skirts, but alas, where there are costumes, there is much sewing. Nevermind that my kids seem to be growing at warp speed, and I can NEVER seem to get more than a year or two out of each costume. Tulip Time for me, means elephant ears, funnel cakes, cotton candy, and endless nights hunched over my machine stitching on backwards sleeves, and gathering aprons. Sigh...but the end result is well worth 6 trips to the chiropractor and a full bottle of Advil!!! :)

apparently this is what happens to a dehydrated 10 yearold who walks 2 miles in wooden shoes. trust me folks, it's not a pretty sight!

my oldest's good friend and her own mommy-made costume

yeah, can you beleive after all my hard work, the two middle children peeled off the costumes and donned sweatshirts?!?!?

However, the unlucky baby does not posess the dexterity or freedom of choice that his brothers do, and therefore was doomed to wear his costume endlessly

the Dutch marching band

And back again!

2008-05-16T11:40:00.001-07:00

After a looooong break and some home remodeling projects, I am back to blogging. Never to leave again! Or so I hope...

Our oven conked out on me a few months ago, and we only recently replaced it. Something strange took over my body. I donned one of my beloved vintage aprons, and went on a 3 day baking marathon! I swear I now have bread-kneading biceps that would rival that of Bruce Banner gone green. Pictured below, this is what happens when a carb deprived bread junkie gets a new oven...

The honey buttermilk recipe below is my personal fave (I found it on the web and tweaked it), but I also did some
banana-oat bread which the kids devoured. I couldn't stop at just bread, I had to hit up the first day of Farmer's Market to snag some INCREDIBLE local raw honey. I need to run today. Far.

Honey Buttermilk Wheat Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour mixed with 3 cups whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS
In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Combine buttermilk, butter, honey and the yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add salt and two cups of the flour. Whisk well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 6 minutes.
Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until the tops are golden and the bottoms of the loaves sound hollow when tapped.

Thank goodness for macaroni and lentils.

2008-02-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

They add a bit of color and fun to the otherwise drab and boring snow days. The proportion of glue to macaroni was skewed to say the least, but at least the macaroni won't be falling off anytime soon. Their faces all lit up when they realized they could actually paint the noodles as well as the paper. I myself just had a grand time scooping up the tactile wonderment of handfuls of lentils and elbow macaroni. I think we need a huge bowl just filled with lentils to stick my hands and feet in, and squish them around!!

a fat free craving...

2008-02-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

I am beyond obsessed with cupcakes, but as a rule, it's not such a good idea to consume them on a daily basis as I've been doing. Maybe even more than one a day. :O When one of my friends mentioned she wished she could crochet because she saw a darling crocheted cupcake wristlet, well, I jumped at the opportunity to create one for her. I could indulge in the frostingy bliss without the guilt!! It's actually for her daughter's birthday. My own little princess was enthralled by my project from the first second she saw me bust the fluffy pink alpaca and confetti yarn out of the bag. I promised her a second one would be for her (after some legwarmers she's been begging for), but she was all too happy to model this first one for a snapshot. Ignore the Don King hair, she opted to forgo the styling today! It's a great free pattern found at crochetville and written by Cynthia Gurisko. Love it! I chose it over others because of the great ribbing in the "cup" created by front and back post stitches.

what's a little crocheting without a glass of wine?

Burried alive!

2008-01-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

That's what it feels like. The snow is absolutely insane! The kids had no school yesterday, it completely made their week. They got a rare mid-week day of hanging out and playing their Nintendo Wii, a treat that is normally off limits until the weekend. I got a ton of work done around the house, and we had new carpet installed in the boys room. I just wish there wasn't *quite* so much of the fluffy white stuff. :)

Some new projects...

2008-01-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure what these items will ultimately be, but I had this urge to start crocheting tons of granny squares in shades of red and aqua. At first I was thinking they'd be a blanket, but now I'm loving the colors so much that I am leaning toward a tote bag. I think I may line it with one of the fabric remnants below. They're leftovers from some craft aprons that I made my daughter. Anyway, I'll update more when I finally decide what lies in store for the granny squares. In the meantime, I just keep making more!

a new day, a fresh start.

2008-01-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

I love New Year's. I am so typically enthralled with the idea of a clean slate. It's exciting, and rejuvenating. No matter how much stress I am under, no matter what challenges we face, I somehow feel like the insurmountable becomes possible, and all is right in the world, albeit briefly. The only comparison I can come up with, is that feeling that you get on the first day following a horrible cold. As one of my friends puts it, you feel week, and shaky, and tired as hell, but your fever is gone, you can taste your food again, and anything in the world seems possible. That's New Year's to me, the first day after a horrible cold. Wow, that makes my life sound incredibly exciting, doesn't it?? Well, I was never one for appropriate analogies, so just bear with me.

So, this is my blog. My fresh start. Me, slowly revealed, days, weeks, months at a time, in my rambling, sporadic, quirky, and sarcastics ways. Here's to the New Year, may it be better than a bad cold!