Creating A Natural Life

A Light Moving Across the Room

2012-01-22T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hmmm.......... My oldest son Luke noticed this picture among the several other odd photos shot on this evening. This one stood out among others, though. Not only were the photos saturated with "orbs", but this one caught some sort of movement of light. All I can say is what the heck is that on the left? Peculiar and yet so intriguing!! I love it..... It gets better and better..... :)

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:: Moment ::

2012-01-20T00:14:00.000-08:00

This moment, inspired by Soulemama. A captionless photo. A memorable glimpse. A Friday Ritual....

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Asian Influence in Our Kitchen

2012-01-19T22:40:00.000-08:00

Lately, we have had a craving for Asian dinners. They have proven to be quite balanced and delicious. Even the kids approve.

This image is my son's bowl of Spicy Asian Stir-Fry with Whole-Wheat Linguine. Simple, yummy...

This was a thrown together red quinoa mock Asian dish from things I had left in the fridge. It was a hit! Flavorful and complete.

This is probably a poor representation of a delicious dish we made called Gaeng Khae (Spicy Thai Vegetable Soup). It was both therapuetic and savory.

This is our Citrus Salad, slightly modified from the recipe, but super refreshing and delectable.

This dish was based upon the Bamboo Shoot, Mushroom, and Long Bean Stir-Fry recipe in the December 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times Magazine. I can't find it on their website, though.

This Sticky Rice with Carrots, Shitake Mushrooms, and Peanuts dish was also in the same article, "Buddha's Delight" as the above recipe. Likewise, it also is not yet listed on their website. We always seem to change things here and there. Instead of sticky rice, we used wild rice and jasmine rice. Mmmmm....

We were feeling under the weather for a few days, so we decided to try some Ginger Tea. Both potent and soothing.

Try these if you like or get inspired to try some Asian cooking that is light, yet filling, balanced, and often medicinal. Enjoy.

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Homemade Gifts

2012-01-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

This past Christmas season, I made a few handmade presents for a few close friends and the boys. The boys saw me as I progressed through the process of knitting their warm hats, so it really was not officially a surprise. Plus, I have yet to complete Jared's.

I started out with knitting a beanie for Dylan. I thought this bright green Andes Wool yarn from my stash would be complementary to his red hair. It turned out pretty cute.

I made this hat in Firecracker Heather (also wool) and black stripes. I would have probably done a black beanie with red stripes, but I had more of the later than the former. He loves it anyway. Besides, it unintentionally matches his snow jacket he received for Christmas. Perfect!

Somehow, I still always make him laugh. Maybe it is because I myself am such a goofball. Yeah, Luke, hold it back....we can't tell you are not trying to crack up here.... ;)

I decided to make some select friends and mothers some creative necklaces/ornamental decor for the holidays with supplies I already have on hand.

Talk about slacking......some of these I have not given to my friends yet. My goodness!

This gallery of orange pendants on hemp and a matching sunshine painting were given to my dear friend, Shannon, who quite apparently loves the color and sun-shininess itself. I painted this below out of impulse one night. Other than on the table the boys and I made, I have not painted anything for years. Though amateur, it didn't turn out too bad. :)

Love to create! Wish I had more time to do so at this point. But I am enjoying just being much of the time.....being a mother, being a teacher, being a chef, being a woman, being an active human being...

Catch you later......

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Christmas At Our Abode...Though a Bit Late In Posting It...

2012-01-16T15:34:00.000-08:00

Wow, I have been more unplugged lately than I have been in a long time, which is wonderful. I am obviously with the kids more, enjoying this insanely sunny winter so far, and since Xmas, I have lost about 13 Lbs! So, I finally loaded a month-and-a-half of pictures onto my computer today because I have been super busy...even too busy to worry about quilting. So, here is a collection of photos from Christmas time.

The boys and I made ornaments with some friends out of little cloth dolls that my girlfriend found at the thrift store. Here is my silly little elf. He reminds me of a court jester.

On Christmas eve, the grandparents stopped by to give the boys their gifts. They were awesome!

Jared has since had fun making some of his Eco Crafts...

All I can say is that this is one of the coolest things a 12-year-old can receive as a gift!

Dylan got a little tree home with three finger puppet forest pals, two of which him and Grandma are playing with. So dang cool!

Lukey is drawing a winter forest scene...maybe he was trying to summon the snow...

For Christmas Eve dinner, I made a vegetarian meal, both because turkey and ham are expensive, and because we are eating meat and poultry less and less frequently. Above is an apple butternut squash torte before it was baked, so that you can see the yummy innards.

The torte was baked with cheese on the top, and the meal was accompanied by green beans with shallots and sherry and a bowl full of garlic mashed potatoes.

We also had veggie jambalaya to round out the whole meal. It was fantastic!!

Christmas morning was mellow and super exciting for the boys.

Santa really spoiled them this year. I think next year the "old jolly man", a.k.a. Mommy, should flex better skills of frugality. They made out like bandits. Also, Note to self: we need to get our tree later on than last year. Getting it the day after Thanksgiving is not conducive for a small home that constantly has the wood-stove running. It was pretty dry by Christmas. Oh well.

Dylan showing off some of his stocking stuffers...

Lukey was excited about his hats and his skinny jeans and his funny pajama bottoms and.....

Dylan sporting some serious fashion here.....Jared getting stoked off of his many Barefoot Books...

They all got some super cool games and puzzles.

Lukey checking out his Official Handy Game for Boys....

The Littles playing with their new Connectagons....

Mickey Mouse pancakes for Christmas morning. I totally forgot until recently that my mother used to treat me to these when I was little. :)

Jared helped make flax seed meal shortbread cookies.....

Here are his finished cookies.... They were buttery and delicious!

Dylan was so cute when playing with his dinosaurs on the grasslands with a river and mountain range.

And lastly, for Christmas we indulged in an enchilada recipe that I am consequently unable to find, and I am not wasting anymore time looking for it right now. It was in one of my Vegetarian Times magazines. And, of course, mine never looks as good as the photo in the magazine. This was accompanied by avocados, lime wedges, sour cream and we served sauteed kale on the side. It was superb!

We drove to Tahoe, but unfortunately there was no snow and almost everything was closed so it wasn't as fun as it could have been. That is okay. We already figured that before we went there. Other than that, we stayed home and enjoyed each others' company. Merry Very Belated Christmas!

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Christmas Creations

2011-12-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't exactly been frequenting my blog much lately. The holiday season and the growing demands of my growing boys has stretched me slightly thin. However, I do now have a moment to share with you a few reflections of Christmas time in our home.

This wreath was a pain in the neck and I nearly gave up out of frustration as I was making it. We recently had quite a wind storm. So, as a result, there were branches on the ground everywhere. We piled several together and I started overlapping branches and tying countless times until it was long enough and thick enough to compete the circle.

Still, once completed, it wasn't holding together as had envisioned to begin with. I then decided to cut some strips of red fabric and tie the fir needles together externally in 5 places. I completed the hanging by doubling the thickness of the fabric strip to strengthen it, as the wreath ended up being very heavy. After hanging it, I trimmed the wreath and added pine cones. Voila!!

This pillow beautifully matches the incomplete quilt that I made (I have been so busy that quilting has been very hard to do, so I am letting go of perfection and accepting the fact that we will have it absolutely ready next Christmas). I love the array of fabrics!

And here is the back of our Christmas throw pillow. As you can see, it is a pillow sham essentially, so the cover can be washed and the pillow itself can have interchangeable covers representing all seasons, holidays, and general decor. I didn't follow a pattern on this one. It was more on a whim. :)

We simply made this Advent calendar by cutting a rectangular piece of burgundy felt, several olive green triangles suitable for the given squares made by using black permanent marker, and some small rectangles for the month label and for the pocket holding the "Christmas trees". Every day, Jared pulls out the corresponding tree and places it on that day of the month. Ah, the magic of wool felt... It just sticks to itself. Less effort on my part. :)

A while back, when I received all of that fabric and quilting supplies from my aunt, I noticed this "Coca Cola" cool polar bear fabric. Usually, this is not my kinda thang, but it is definitely reminiscent of my father, who passed away almost 10 years ago. He is so special to me and I haven't enough to sufficiently remember him by. So, being that him and my also deceased Grandma were so absolutely into the Coca Cola thing (seriously, they loved it!), I decided to quilt a stocking in their honor. Unfortunately, I used fleece for the inner lining, so for me, it was extremely difficult to sew with. It was another pain in the neck. The other less than fortunate aspect is that it looks to me like a stocking-shaped oven mitt. I guess that is what happens when you try to entirely create your own pattern. Oh well... It has grown on me.

The boys have been working hard using their hands for the purpose of Christmas, as well. Jared used beeswax to create the big tree shown above and the man. He also helped me with the toboggan. Dylan created the snowman with a little help, as well as the little Christmas tree. Fabulous! I love beeswax!

Jared created this snowman in one of our many homemade play-dough sessions. What detail!

We went to one of my dear friends' houses for a gingerbread house party. How cool is that? So, each of the boys were able to construct their own little gingerbread house with frosting and a variety of candy. Problem was the little ones kept eating the latter! I suppose I wasn't too worried about it. They know they normally do not have access to it, so I am lenient when we go to parties.

3 Brothers: 1 snacking on a candy cane and expressing his joy with his hands like the little boy with the Italian genes he has been partially given; 1 overseeing the others' work in progress like a concerned parental figure ready to guide the little one on command, standing with arms akimbo; 1 meticulously engineering his architectural masterpiece with intention and gumption.

This train set was a hit for all 3 boys after they completed their gingerbread houses. I was pleased with how well they worked together and helped one another. Fun times!

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Autumn Leaves

2011-12-14T00:18:00.000-08:00

You have all heard of the cliche of making piles of leaves and jumping in them, or perhaps you have read children's books with portrayals of raking Autumn leaves and playing in them. Well, unfortunately, growing up in my suburban neighborhood made this annual ideal a mere fantasy. However, living in the mountains has offered our family several natural opportunities, such as Autumn leaf play, familiar to the children of yesteryear. We have so many trees, and thus leaves on the ground, that it doesn't take much raking to create huge piles for playing with and burying little children. We quite enjoyed this day. Plus, the boys even buried Mommy, which was warm, cozy, and just plain delightful to be one with nature.

These are merely but a glimpse of our leaf-play, but I thought I would share anyway. I really enjoyed their natural exploration and ultimate joy. What a good day!

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Harvest-i-ness

2011-12-13T23:53:00.000-08:00

Wow, I am long overdue! We are well into the Christmas season, but I have been slacking a bit...for the legitimate reason of spending undivided time with the boys, I suppose. I made several Harvesty edible things, but, like with our bacon and harvest apple omelet on Thanksgiving morning, the pictures did not turn out so well. So, I will show you a glimpse of what turned out okay. :)

This was our breakfast pumpkin spice oatmeal morning dish on the morning of Thanksgiving. It was accompanied by, of course, our bacon and harvest apple omelet. Super Yummy!

And here is a quick peek at our pumpkin streusel.......

Hard at work making turkey art with dried beans, bark, and leaves......

Dylan is scoping out which beans to utilize for his unique turkey.

Nice turkey face....with help from Mommy a bit.....

The boys' finished, yet undried work...Dylan's is far left, Jared's cycloptic turkey is in the center, and Lukey's is the big, orange-backed, methodical one. I LOVE these!!!

Pre-Thanksgiving dinner.... Garlic mashed potatoes, awesome kale dish from Epicurious.com, orange-cranberry sauce, and the Butternut Squash-Bartlett Pear Soup recipe from Yoga Journal. Never fails!

Happy super-belated Thanksgiving!!

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A Little More Color

2011-11-18T11:22:00.001-08:00

For those of you who get easily creeped out by the supernatural, I would like to lighten the situation with some bright, "lively" colors. Heeheehee.... Here is a glimpse at some of what I have been working on. I will show you more very soon.

These have since become blocks and now a baby quilt top. I still have to make the back and the binding. These were really radiant, fun colors to work with and I love the cute town fabric!!!

These are the unfinished front of my tooth fairy pillows.....

And the backs......

Here is a larger quilt I am going to frame in grey. It will be a free motion quilting study, whereas each square will have a different experimental threading design.

And here is a glimpse of the first baby quilt top I made for my shop. I love using a little red! Can't wait to complete the entire quilt....

And I thought I would throw in Jared's dinosaur book he made for school. He basically studied the 7 different categories of dinosaurs and how they each differ. As one can see on the cover, he shows them all: pachycephalosaurs, ornithopods, stegasaurs, ankylosaurs, sauropods, ceratopsians, and therapods. The coolest thing about home school is that I am also learning, as well!

Have a great Friday and weekend!!!!

Living in a Haunted House?

2011-11-18T10:01:00.001-08:00

Let me start this post by saying that I know I am going to sound like a crazy lady. I am very aware of this. I wasn't going to say anything to anybody, but it is so interesting and intriguing, that I must share with you our discovery. I am a skeptical and analytical person, who likes concrete explanation. I am always open to possibilities, yet I have still found no logical explanation for this. Here it goes... ever since we returned from the haunted castle a couple months ago, we have been experiencing orb activity in our home. I was curious because it seemed like the orb activity increased around the children. So, I took several photos in all rooms of the house, which ended up being orb-free. I was relieved and feeling silly until I took a couple photos when they were sitting in their room. There were some orbs that moved around from photo to photo. I was pretty scared at first with thoughts of other presences perhaps having followed us home. So, I put it out of my mind for a while. I have since periodically caught them on camera, which can be annoying when I am simply attempting to capture a normal, clear photo. Several photos are perfectly clear and yet, several have orb movement. We think it is spirit energy or something along those lines. We are pretty convinced, though entirely open for alternate explanation. All I can say is that they were never present before we went to the castle, and I have thousands of photos in our home from the same that are orb-free prior to visiting the place. Truly, I am not fearful anymore. I am okay with consciously coexisting with these potential spirits. We joke about it now and like to think of it as many of the lonely boys who died at the castle and just want to be around a loving family. This may not be the case, but it is fun to think of it this way. Exciting!!

So, these photos are from merely one day recently, though there have been several other occasions. All I was doing this day was taking photos of the 3 boys playing together. I got more than I bargained for, though. Look primarily at the speaker in the picture below. In other consecutive photos, it is not present there anymore.

Lots of activity in this one. Maybe they feed off of human energy, which is why they are more drawn to children? Maybe....maybe not......

What is that around Jared's head...and by his foot? Hmmmmm....

They have change locations again, within seconds.......

What the heck are all of those? Very interesting... By the way, I love the stance, Lukey. Darn orbs are messing up my photo of my son! :)

So we decided to move to a different part of the room to experiment with these orbs. Plus, we just wanted to make goofy faces..... The photo is orb-free from what I can see.......

But moments later...... a couple appeared (look mainly near Luke's head).....

A couple random spots on the wall that you will not see in other photos as I stood here taking pictures, one after the other.

Cute faces!!!! Look above the desk... that wasn't there before.... nor was it in the corner on the wall by the door.

A couple vague ones...questionable, I suppose....

Not much going on, but you will notice 2 random circles on the floor in front of the desk. They are not in the next photo, taken seconds after.

And what are those huge transparent circles that just magically appeared? Hmmmm..........

Look at all those in front of the curtain!

Whoa!

Where the heck did that bright one come from randomly?

They keep moving as I stand there and continue taking photos... excuse the cobwebs, by the way. I have since cleaned them. ;)

Whoa! Way more than when the kids were over there. Huh.......

Cool! Lots of activity now....maybe they are not drawn to the kids....my goodness!

Look on the wall and kinda on Jared's dresser (yes, it is dusty, but you will notice the difference in the next photo)......

The orbs are no longer on the wall and there is now a visible orb in front of the bookcase. Trippy.

It is obviously not dust, especially with the hit and miss of orbs in photos in any given room. If it were dust, it would be more consistent. Besides, dust doesn't reflect like that when flashed. Furthermore, we know it is not water spots on the camera due to the circles moving when the camera has not moved and the fact that some photos are completely clear throughout the photo sequence. So, what could it be? Don't know for sure, but it is pretty awesome just the same. What do you think??

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What's New?

2011-11-17T21:23:00.001-08:00

Life has been crazy, as usual. Between looking ravenously for employment, vigorously catching up on home school, preparing for the long winter ahead, and consistently trying to work on items for my shop, among tons of other daily pileups, we are constantly busy around here. It is funny to think about a family farm right now. Where does one find the time? Actually, a friend of mine grew up on a family farm and she is going to teach me first hand much of what she knows (that is if I have time to go and visit with her!!). Currently, she has twenty chickens of all different breeds. She has four sons, but feels that twenty hens are too many. So, she said she wanted to give me four of them, in addition to the materials to build a chicken tractor. She said she will keep them through the winter for us. Awesome! That way, in the spring, they are more self-sustaining with their free-range abilities when there is no more snow on the ground. Thank you, Katie. Anyway, I would like to share a few things with you, aside from the above thoughts.

I have noticed there aren't too many photos of the children and I together, so, on a whim, I decided to take one of those delayed photos because there were some perfectly flat rocks on which to perch the camera at the beginning of one of our many hiking trails. I am just happy we have been making more time for hiking lately. It is good for one's soul to be in nature. :)

I had to share this photo because it is just too dang cute! In the dress-up basket, I just added Jared's old 4T formal suit worn at my best friend's wedding, knowing that Dylan can easily fit in it. The vest, the galoshes, the casual look beneath, and the priceless body language, all comes together in a fantastic look. Very Dylan, might I add. ;)

Another thing I have noticed lately is that I have very few photos of all 3 brothers together. This one is quite lovely, as they are in their element, enjoying an activity in unison, despite the age gap from 3 to 12. I love it!!!

The other thing I will share with you briefly is our Christmas Quilt....only a sneak peek, though. Perhaps I will show the entire quilt top tomorrow, when there is daylight. It has inspired me to get going on the 5 baby quilts I am currently working on, though progress has already been made. Four quilt tops have been completed, one in progress still. Two backings and bindings are complete. All I need is a bunch of batting to complete the two and to soon complete the others. Fun!

I started this quilt last night and I already finished it this evening. It is better than I visualized prior to patching it together. Beautiful fabric from Connecting Threads, among the first I have ever bought new (most of my stash was from the thrift store previously).

Soon, I will share some of the other finished baby quilt tops and, perhaps, I will buy some batting tomorrow so I can finish some of the quilts yearning to be completed. Until then, good night. It is getting a bit late. More soon........

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Autumn Bike Ride

2011-11-11T13:30:00.001-08:00

Riding through the neighborhood on my bike,

Passing through like the breeze,

No two properties, nor trees alike,

Will soon change with winter freeze.

By Jayme

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Zigzag Rainbow Baby Quilt Top

2011-11-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

This is the first baby quilt top I will share with you that, when finished, will be sold in my shop on Etsy. Yes, I know fairly recently I said I didn't feel ready to do so, but I have since refined my skills, to my own amazement. Furthermore, I am simply ready to sell my work as it unfolds. The shop will open when a few things are ready to go. Right now there are 2 finished quilt tops, 2 partially completed tops, 1 nearly done top (all for babies), and 6 tooth fairy pillows that are each 90% finished. So, here is the one that was finished this evening. The colors burst forth with the white zigzags between each color. I really enjoyed using a variety of fabrics, rather than making a uniform pattern within each zigzag. It gives it a bit more character anyway. :)

Be back with more soon.....

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Fall Pumpkin Recipes

2011-11-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite elements of fall and winter is the continuous opportunity to bake and create new things and old in the kitchen. The togetherness of making food with one another, the warmth of the oven or stovetop, the warmth of food freshly baked, the coziness therein, the natural ingredients, the appreciation of the process and the divine results, the nourishment of tummy and soul, etc....... It is a wonderful thing, especially when there are family and friends to share with. So, I decided to come up with a few pumpkin-esque recipes this last week to celebrate the continuing harvest season.

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Iced Pumpkin Cookies

These lightly-spiced cookies were super moist and sweet. Every bite was like a taste of Autumn, cozy at home by the fire. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

This recipe should easily make 36 cookies, about 3 batches in the oven.

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Spiced Pumpkin Bread

This bread was very simple and delicious. I will definitely make this Fall comfort food again next year... in fact, I am making at least another loaf before year's end! The boys loved it and it certainly didn't last a day in our house. You can find the recipe here at Plain and Joyful Living.

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Peanut Butter Pumpkins

These cute little treats were a blast for the boys to help with, but they are certainly a bit on the sweet side. These are along the lines of a healthier version of candy, being that they are made mostly of peanut butter, but they still have a ton of butter and sugar. A titillating pleasure for those with a fierce sweet tooth, these pumpkins are a cute, simple treat that little ones can enjoy.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar, sifted

red food coloring

yellow food coloring

green decorators icing

Directions

Melt butter in a large bowl and add a few drops of yellow and red food coloring, until mixture has a nice orange color.

Add the peanut butter and confectioners sugar and mix together until a dough-like consistency is reached. (This means that when the dough is nice and stiff and it gets hard to add any more sugar, to let it go at that).

Shape dough into small balls shaped like pumpkins; make ridges on the pumpkins with a toothpick or butter knife.

Add a small amount of green decorators icing to the top of each pumpkin for a stem.

Refrigerate, if you like, to allow pumpkins to firm.

Serve on a plate lined with toasted coconut and Halloween decorated cookies, if desired; these also look good on top of cupcakes.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte

This was fantastic! My old beat up mug that was only half full happened to be the only photo I caught between all of our lattes. The 3 boys dove in right away before I could capture a pretty picture. Can't blame them. The only modification I made to their's from that of mine was that they didn't have any coffee in their's. Lovely recipe for those who want to kick up their coffee or hot chocolate craving a notch or two. This recipe can be found here...with a much nicer photo, too. ;)

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Pumpkin Hummus

This delicious hummus is great for parties, snacking, or even a pretty solid lunch. We were certainly full once 3 of us finished this platter for a mid-day meal last week. There was a fantastic balance between the pumpkin, garbanzo beans, and spices. We just couldn't get enough, me and the little ones. I will certainly make this one again! The pumpkin hummus recipe can be found at the same website as the latte above.

......And there were even leftovers after filling up.....

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So, there you have it. A cozy little collection of pumpkin recipes, aside from the obvious traditional pumpkin pie. Try them and enjoy! Let me know if you have any more fantastic ideas for pumpkin recipes. In the case that we try a few more, perhaps I will share a pumpkin recipes post #2.

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Halloween

2011-11-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween was mellow, as it is every year for us. We usually hit Main St. in town with the kids because it is early, safe, and fun to see the creativity in others' costumes. There are usually some pretty creative ones. My favorite this year had to be a little boy who was maybe 7 years old, dressed up as Edward Scissorhands. The perfection of the wig and the costume, along with his professional-looking makeup job made him look like a movie-quality Mini-me of the original character. Not only was he super cute, but genuine and cool. The other winning costume ended up being my old friend (though I didn't realize it until later) in a homemade-walking-on-her-head costume. She was literally talking to me with her hands in the air, faceless, through a pair of pants, holding shoes as if her feet were above her. She was cracking up as she gave me "crotch hugs". Hee hee hee! Clever, Leslie. You are such a goofball!

This year, for several months, Jared has been talking about being a vampire. I tried to steer him away from that a bit, suggesting a scarecrow or something easy to create with very little. But, No. His unwavering choice was undeniable on my part, and I had to make this happen for him. How could I let him down? We had neither the money for a "frivolous" costume, nor materials and patterns to make one. So, we happened to find some clearance fabric in black and in red. I bought it and came up with a vampiric cape pattern that seemed to come together as I tried it on Jared several times, as if he were a mannequin. We had some black hair spray from last year, we threw in a pair of cheap teeth and makeup, and voila! He loved it and he looked awesome!!! Dylan inherited the monkey costume in their dress-up clothes. Jared wore this costume when he was Dylan's age, too. Nothing wrong with hand-me-downs. Cuteness is timeless and Dylan pulls off the costume with an original cuteness. :)

And here is silly me..... I neither wear makeup nor dresses and skirts. So, Halloween is my excuse to "get girly." I wasn't going to dress up, but I saw this gorgeous skirt in my closet....beautiful, but I just know I will never wear it.... and I found the cape in the very back. So, last minute, I created a Colonial witch...mildly like the characters of Hocus Pocus. It looks better with the hood of my cloak on my head, but it's a decent enough shot. ;)

We just enjoyed the simplicity of the celebration, along with the inevitable entertainment of others clad in their Halloween spirit, and the kids enjoyed the short-lived ability to binge on candy before we returned home.

~ Happy Halloween~

A Day In Apple Hill

2011-11-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

Though we technically live here, Apple Hill is a fantastic place to meet up with family because it is essentially just down the road. Convenient and cost-effective. Harvesty and fun. I thought we were going to be getting little pumpkins for the boys, but we got a couple bags of apples instead. Yay! Apple pies among other treats are on the menu in the near future.

Contemplating, Awaiting what is to come....

Chilling on the Tire Swing ....

Reaching, Picking, Gathering...

Tossing, Catching, Munching.....

Going for the Perfect Apple....

Concentrating, Helping, Eating Pumpkin Muffins....

Smiling, Laughing, Enjoying......

Avoiding his photo being taken and laughing, knowing that Mom was catching him when he wasn't even aware of it.

Turning with a perfect smile when calling his name out and tricking him, once again....

Stroking Brother's hair.....

Amusing the Girls....

Laughing, Conversing, Amazing me with how fast these little ones are growing.......

Swinging, Playing, Hanging....

Flying Back and Forth, Showing off......

Intensely Talking, Connecting, Hanging Out.......

We didn't really do too much that day, but it was a day of beautiful young faces and laughs and togetherness. Happy Harvest!

~ Lucy's Baby Quilt ~

2011-10-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

Lucy's Baby Quilt was finished on Friday, along with Liv's, just in time for Jenna's baby shower. I hand-sewed the entire binding, which is why I ended up having to use the flash in the dim light of early evening. Using the flash is not my favorite method of photographing quilts because you cannot see the lovely crinkle of the final product once washed and dried as well as when you just use the natural light. Oh well... that is what I get for procrastinating ;). I think this is my favorite quilt yet! All the ladies at the party thought it was pretty cool, too. Best of all, Jenna loved it. Success!

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~ Liv's Baby Quilt ~

2011-10-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the last little bit of Liv's binding on Friday! I gave it to my cousin (Liv's mama) and both she and my ex-quilting aunt loved it. My aunt even mentioned that this quilt made her almost want to get back into quilt-making. They made me feel better about my feeling amateur through their lovely compliments. :) By the way, pardon the poor quality in the photos..it was getting later in the day and my clothesline and bedroom had low lighting. Nevertheless, enjoy.

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Early Autumn Colors

2011-10-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

It is interesting to watch the subtle changes in the beginning of the fall season that will soon become the very apparent changes of mid to late fall. Pay attention to the colors, the smells, the sounds of flocking birds and the active breeze, the feel of moisture in the air, the approaching chill of winter...... this all, of course, depends upon your climate and its patterns right now, but just take notice of your seasonal change, even if it just turned spring and you are watching as everything becomes more summery on a daily basis. Just be a part of the cycle of change. Be aware and in every moment.........

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Starry Night At Home Quilt ~ Part 3

2011-10-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

I have had this wall decor finished for a while now, but I haven't made the time to post the final results. It has not yet been washed either, so that may affect the results of it's final look. I last mentioned digging up some solid black in my stash, but I suprisingly have none. However, I found some solid brown that gave me a mellow, woodsy feel. When all was put together, I handstitched the mini-quilt, which was very enjoyable. Besides, there is nothing like a hand-sewn quilt.

When I created this little quilt, the theme I had in mind was a "night time at the most cozy place on Earth... home", type theme. I thought just today, though, that perhaps I could have at least made a green horizontal strip below each house to give the effect of actually sitting on the ground, but I still quite like it the way that it is. I then finished the quilt with two of the four similar fabrics used in the red door theme. It turned out brighter than expected, but I still like the glow it gives off. The finished piece measures at about 27.5" on each side. I decided to use 3 fabrics I had already used in the quilt on the hanging loops at the top. Bamboo or a wooden dowel would have worked more seamlessly, but I instead grabbed an imperfect stick outside, which I think I might like better. It certainly fits nicely in the boys' room, among the other eclectic Waldorf, thrifted, and handmade wall hangings.

What a fantastic project to practice handsewing and the implementation of my own designs... you know, taking risks and seeing what the results end up being. What a learning experience. For instance, I now know I haven't the patience for such hand stitching on a full-sized quilt, though I truly admire those who do. I also am now quite aware that I thoroughly enjoy creating familiar images with patchwork, like these houses. To me, it is all about the process, even though final results are a wonderful perk. :)

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Japanese Quilted Decor For a Special Lady

2011-10-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

I was so excited about creating these quilted wall decorations for Daniel's mom as a birthday gift. She has been infatuated with Japanese culture far longer than I have known her, collecting silky kimonos, fanciful obis, gorgeous tansus and other antique furniture, assorted decor, and making kimekomi dolls, among several other additions to bringing the culture into her home. I was pleased to see her appreciation, as she opened her gift.

These ended up measuring about 9.5 x 11" and they are intended to be hung from bamboo, which she has plenty of. I truly know very little about Japanese design, but I kept playing with fabric and different asymmetrical ideas. I came up with this, starting with a piece of large patterned fabric somehow hiding in my stash, and to me, it looks pretty darn Japanese. :) This project was not only interesting because I was learning a bit about design along the way, but I also had fun practicing a couple new free motion quilting patterns.

Jared and Dylan made cards for her using what we have, and I wrapped her gifts in tissue paper and an inside-out paper bag. I finished it off with raffia ribbon, and I made a little attached card with matching fabric. It all turned out so lovely.

Daniel tells me I should make wall hangings similar to these and sell them on Etsy. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with life right now and I feel I am too amateur at this point to feel comfortable selling pieces such as these. For now, I will practice and make gifts.

Have a great remainder of your week!

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How Shall I Arrange Lucy's Triangles?

2011-09-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

I am nearly done with Liv's baby quilt, having only to hand sew the backside of the binding. Also, I have to go back and finish Lucy's baby quilt. Now, I was having "sew" much fun making baby quilts for baby girls, I decided to make a second one for Lucy, using the same fabric as I used on Liv's quilt. All patches are made, but I have one small problem. I need to figure out how to arrange them. Here are a few ideas below. Let me know what you think I should do.

A Consistent Pattern Throughout of Green and Pink.

Pink and Green Diamonds.

Diagonal Stripes of Pink and Green.

Pinwheel-Style.

Pink and Green Zigzags.

There are so many more possibilities, too. Who knew triangles would lead to being so stumped. ;)

PS ~ Jenna, your opinion on the quilt is mandatory. :p

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~ Autumnal Equinox ~

2011-09-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox is super fun. I love the smell of approaching rain, the kite-worthy afternoons, the occasional gray skies, the cooling air, the harvest, the food possibilities, and most of all, the colors. It has taken me nearly a week now to share with you a glimpse of our celebration, but here it is.

The boys and I sang some Autumn related songs at circle time and did a brief Autumn meditation to welcome the changing of the season and to renew ourselves, for the equinox is a time of new beginnings.

I was going to have Jared do this project, but it was more tedious than I had originally thought, so I decided to make these Autumn leaf spirits, inspired by the Magic Onion. I cut out leaves from wool felt, sewed on wooden beads with thread, glued wool roving for hair and acorn hats for fairy caps, and when dry, I hung them up with wool yarn.

Dylan and Jared painted some wet on wet watercolors, exploring the varying shades created when using red and yellow. Dylan's painting became the leaves for Jared's thankful tree below.

With my help, Dylan was able to gather and design this Autumn mobile above the boys' nature table.

And here is the nature table, set up by Jared who wanted to ensure a degree of symmetry. The corn on the table is Red Murieta corn from our garden. And below the table is a book basket, also inspired by the Magic Onions. We gathered our favorite fall time stories and placed them in this basket. Included are:

Autumn by Gerda Muller

Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip by Elsa Beskow

Around the Year by Elsa Beskow

Christopher's Harvest Time by Elsa Beskow

Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

Mother Earth and Her Children by Sibylle Von Olfers

In the Woods by Cristini and Puricelli

Oh What A Thanksgiving by Steven Kroll

The Ghost-Eye Tree by Martin and Archambault

The Changing Seasons Grange Books

Homemade play dough play is a necessity in autumn colors, of course.

Jared was working on his calendar. He was focusing on festivals primarily at the end of September through the beginning of December.

Jared's Thankful Tree. He painted the sky with red and yellow, and the earth with blue and yellow, then placed all the finished leaves of thankfulness in their place on the branches. He said he didn't want any of the thankful leaves to have fallen to the ground, hence their sole placement in the tree. My favorite are the little leaves that symbolize our values. He did a fantastic job!

Carrots from the garden! Oh, I love the harvest!

Corn! We yielded corn!!!! I am so trying again next year, even though they aren't that large, I still cannot believe we were actually able to harvest corn from our backyard!

And, surely, we had to bake some harvest bread with sunflower and poppy seeds. We love baking bread around here. :)

So, how was your transition into the harvest season? .......or the spring season, for those of you in the southern hemisphere. Did you let it pass you by without notice, or have you looked around and noticed subtle changes? Enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the season. Have a fantastic Autumn!!

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Autumn Quilt

2011-09-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished our Autumn quilt from last year! This was my second quilt ever, though you wouldn't know it because it only took a year to finally get to it and finish. I completed the binding last night, just in time to initiate Autumn. This was made from various fabrics on hand from the thrift store, a vintage pillow case, vintage sheets, and a set of cloth napkins. Pretty eclectic and resourceful, I suppose. Either way, I am really happy with how it turned out, even with lazy 12" patches. :)

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Starry Night At Home Quilt ~ Part 2

2011-09-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, now I have completed the remaining 3 blocks! Now for perhaps some black sashing. Hmmm...let me dig through my stash and see if I even have black fabric.

This project, is super easy to design and implement. I love it!

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