Springtime Craftiness

Cookie and i were getting a little antsy for some Springtime crafts.  We stood in the local hobby store yesterday wondering what we might make.  Some things, like woven ribbon over egg shaped styrofoam, just seem too hard to make because she's still so young that the attention to detail just isn't there.  And, the fact that i am a perfectionist doesn't help craft projects much...poor kid.

We thought of some fun things to do though.  The more holidays and seasons i live through, the better i like the idea of framed artwork for decorations.  Changing out things that way is much easier for me.  Hoping that way i won't collect too many trinkets.  Well, except for Halloween and Christmas.  :)  We made Spring collages with the bunny theme in common.

First we used The Google to find rabbit silhouettes.  Then we traced them on cardstock and cut them out.  Then we glued them to the scrapbook paper.  I also made grass, designed & cut painstakingly by hand (that for a fleeting moment i thought i would make lots of and list on Etsy for scrapbookers, but then i realised that i have a life!) 

Cookie Monster had decided that her bunnies were going on a vacation.  To Hawaii.  (lucky bunnies!)

 I rather like tradition...served with a side of whimsy.  So my initial plan was just one stinkin' big chocolate bunny silhouette on the floral background.  Then the devil in me took over. :) 

Luckily, i had enough paper left over to make another insert with a PG rating (for suggested violence*), incase my in-laws visit.  Or friends come over.  :)

*no actual varmits were harmed in the making of these collages for this blogpost.   

Ha!  Almost makes me want to wallpaper a room with these. 

Eggs-cellent!!

Another way mes ami spoils us is with very interesting Easter gifts.  Which she delivered today.  She always finds the most interesting things!!

Like this penguin her son, shall we call him Detective Boing Boing, picked out for Cookie Monster.

It was made by a classmate of his from a homeschool co-op that has a class on "Starting Your Own Business". :)

Also, mes ami put together a little Easter something for Moose...a malted milk ball chick. :)

 Then we usually do a little something special for each other.  This year, she went overboard though....
What's that peeking out from under this beautiful handtowel (how am i ever going to use this thing???)

 I was getting fidgity...because it was from Anthropolgie and i've been pining for something from that shop for a very, very long time.  But it couldn't be, because i don't think i've ever shared with her that i've always wanted one....

Hoorah!  Score!  It was the ceramic egg carton i had been wanting!!  You know, having a telepathic friend really comes in handy sometimes, eh?  I couldn't help but drop everything and grab the camera...and a carton of the jewels from the girls.  Excuse me while i indulge in a little Gratutious Egg Staging...



Hope you and your family have a wonderful end to Lent and rejoiceful and relaxing Easter!

Pure Evil.

Last night, our dear friend brought over a surprise that looks a little something like this:

 What eeeevil lurks inside the heart of this box?

I didn't even take a picture.  Trust me, you don't want to know.

This is a small list of what it could be....

There were 6 of them in there.

And these ain't your Maw & Paw Grocer donuts either...these are Gourmet Seattle Donuts.

If you can call a donut gourmet?!?

We're talking a maple bar as long at a foot...3 inches wide.

Then there's the chocolate donut with the "icing"...and we're not talking "icing" as in that greasy, foul smelling stuff in a tube they use at other donut shops.  No.  More like a 4mm thick layer of chocolate ganache--completely covering the top of the donut AND the filling the entire donut hole!!

Like i said:  Pure Evil!

The minute i opened it, i knew we were in trouble.

If we ate the whole thing then and there, i'd wouldn't be 20lbs lighters anymore

--that's certain!

So i portioned out a third of a donut for everyone...and wrapped up everything else.

This morning, Riona and i finished off 2/3's of a donut a few minutes ago; i can already feel the sugar rush.  Cold sweat.  Heart Palpations.

ei yi ei!

Curse you, Top Pot Doughnuts, and the day you were ever given a business license!! 

But thank you, kind mes ami, for spoiling us ROTTEN! xoxox



The Tail of Three Biddies by Chaz Chickens

To Outsmart the Dogs....

Moose designed a chicken ark.

Take that you stinky dogs!!

Spring Has Arrived

We haven't seen the outside of the house in a few weeks.  The rain has been gushing!

I'm glad to see that while we were getting drenched that Spring didn't forget about us!

Alpine Tulips

Currents are flowering

The parade of daffs are almost over--just in time for the dandelions

More Alpine tulips (these match our house!!)

The razzies are leafing out

The onion sets are planted

Spinach's a-sproutin

Thanks Mother Nature!

Why Homeschoolers Should Work For Hallmark

Does anyone else out there have this Boatload of Birthdays from mid-March to the end of April?  We have 10 birthdays scattered through--Cookie Monster can't keep up with handcrafting them all, so she is in charge of the card for her cousin. 

This year, she got real creative and drew a scene from her studies of Egypt:  her various cousins and herself as Egyptian gods and goddesses and the birthday boy a pharoh, of course.

Close up of Happy Birthday card designed by Cookie Monster



She also wrote a cute little...how many kids would sound so formal in their greetings?  Curious as to way she would choose to be Anubis?  Isn't he the god of the underworld?  Her behaviour has been rather stellar lately, making it all the more curious. :)

What really impressed me the most was that she remembered her parents in the drawing.

Apparently Moose is an undercover tomb robber (that fact must have gotten past me when i was reviewing the "Application for Husband-To-Be" a few years back.)  :)  Of course, it wasn't much of a stretch to cast me as Ma'at, the goddess of harmony and justice. **grin** 

Rescued From Goodwill

Another lucky find i came across at Goodwill recently was another beautiful blanket.
 

I could never do this kind of hook-work.  Especially because it measures the size of a twin bedspread!

Unfortunately, it seems the resident feline and i are in a battle for snuggling rights to the blanket.

Everytime i think to grab it for a little extra warmth before heading off to Dreamland,

i find the cat snuggled up on it.

Sunday Stills :: 4 Points

This week's challenge was to photograph the four points of the compass.

Did i mention it's been too rainy and grey to take decent pictures here in the Seattle area?

So sorry, but today you get photos from inside my home.

This is my favourite reading spot.

 When i sit in it (the southern part of my living room), i see the fireplace and fish tank to the north.

 And i can gaze out to the east and see the moonrise over the Cascades (when it's not pouring) :)

 or if i happen to be there in the daytime, i can see the snow covered Cascades.

 And if i look to the west, i can see the maps we keep on our walls, and daydream about where we'd like to visit someday.

Preferably a desert.  Or some other place where they don't get rain. :)

For more 4 Points pictures, click here.

Who Wears The Pants in Our Family?

Made another one of these easy peasy pairs of fleece pants for Cookie Monster today!

 She picked out the red pom pom embellishments.

 Makes me want to travel to AZ and have a margarita!

But most importantly, Cookie's satisfied with them.

So good, they inspire her to do an imitation of Puss 'n' Boots from Shrek. :)

Almost Finished

Finished Cookie Monster's sash for her Communion dress tonight.  I couldn't find a nice 3 inch wide ribbon, so i "made" one out of broadcloth.  Sliced a piece off 6.5 inches wide x 55 inches long, embroidered the lilies, and stitched it up. 

We can't find the usual white shoes sans heels unless purchased from a "european style" retailer, however we can't see the point in purchasing shoes so expensive that what you would spend for them would feed a needy family for a month!(I think that's a more important lesson to pass on, don't you?)  So Cookie Monster has decided she'll wear dress shoes she already owns. 

Grandma is finished with the dress and we found a headcovering, so i think we're set. 

Now to finish memorizing the Act of Contrition! :)

Inaugural Run

Moose and i decided that we'd make the Tenth Anniversary cast iron instead of tin or aluminum.

We ordered this baby back in January, however they are so popular that the company was experiencing a backorder.  It's nice to hear...there are lots of people choosing quality products. 

(Too bad something like these couldn't be made in the USA!!)

It arrived last Friday, making we wish that i hadn't done such a good job of planning out the meals while my parents were here.  I would have loved to cook a couple of meals in this for them.  Having never used an enameled cast iron, i was a little nervous to experiment on them too.

So last night was the test run.  Thanks to Julia Child's cookbook perpetually being on our library's shelves on Monday (2 copies rest there on the shelves and will for eternity i am certain, due to the area we live in.)

A roasted chicken with root veggies and leeks (i loosely interpreted Julia's recipe for roasted chicken in a pot--basically just needing the cooking directions.)

And what intrigued me about having a pot like this, was that as soon as the chicken was carved and veg was placed on a platter, the carcass could be thrown right back into the pot with the veg trimmings from other dinners that i save in the freezer.  Cover it all with water and simmer--BAM!  Eight cups of homemade chicken stock goodness!  Hooray!  Now we can really get our bang for our buck with the organic fryers we purchase.  Makes me yearn even more for the day when we finally get our own farm and we can cook our own chickens.  And for the day that i can pass down this purchase to Cookie Monster--maybe for her own 10th wedding anniversary. :)

Thrifty Goodness

I don't know about you, but all this rain is bumming me out!!  Six inches of rain in March alone!  Sadly, April isn't looking any better.  I know this is Seattle, but come on?  For the love of La Nina, could you cut us a break?

I thought i'd take advantage of the nasty weather today to check out the thrift stores nearby.  Pouring rain = crowd control.  :)  And i am on the hunt for a couple of specific homeschooling books.  I didn't find them, however i found other neat items--proving that i need to make a list for the thrift store and not stray from it.  :)

One of my finds...this adorable quilt. 

 I wasn't too sold on it at first, beacuse it was just cute, you know?  I'm trying very hard these days to curb those "i got it cause it's cute" purchases.

You know what sold me in the end?  The Sentimentality Issue.  Look, Mrs. Ruby Dorrah sewed her own label into this quilt.  She was proud of her efforts enough to put her name on it, and i couldn't "bare" to think of her handwork languishing on Goodwill's racks until the orange tag sale day came. 

(sorry about the rotation of the picture--i can't figure out why Blogger is rotating this picture when it isn't that way on my card. *sigh*)

I wonder who Mrs. Dorrah is?  Did she make this quilt for a little baby she knew?  Gasp!  I hope it wasn't a grandbaby or other relative of her.  Can you imagine giving away your relative's work to the thrift?  Maybe she made it for a friend she knew in a nursing home who adored bears.  Maybe she made it for a church raffle.  Or a hospital charity.  Heck, maybe she made it for herself, just for the sheer pleasure of it.

It doesn't matter.  I'm a complete sucker for a handmade item--rescuing them from unwantedness and giving them a decent home.  Mrs. Dorrah, wherever you may be, thanks for making such a cute little bear quilt.  We will enjoy it for years to come.  First up, a "teddy bears picnic" out in the front yard (if April showers will yield a few hours of sunshine.) 

If i get the bug, i may just enlist my mom's help in putting a new flannel backing on your quilt top.