Update from the North Pole…

Okay- I’m not really in the North Pole…but I could be! It’s finally turned cold and wet and rainy here, I’m ensconced in a make-shift Santa’s Workshop (churning out presents by the dozens! erm, no, not precisely…but I did get two bags done yesterday…), there’s a Tree in the house (said the cat, with extreme doubt in her big round eyes), carols at the spinnet, cookie lists being drawn up, and cards being folded and addressed by late night T.V. Speaking of lists- it’s time for the Christmas Musings:

- I went Christmas Shopping Monday- first time all year, and it was T.E.R.R.I.B..L.E! The stores were thoroughly turned over, as if they were the victims of a burglary. With all the traffic (even at 9 am!) it was astounding how many people were inside the shops, too. I haven’t done much store shopping in years, but I waited too long to use my trusty old standby (Amazon- hi guys!) and had to brave the crowds. Oh my…

-I made our Christmas Cards this year, and am sooo proud of myself for doing so! I’ve wanted to do this for simply years, and finally just sat down a few weeks ago and got out my paints and went at it. Very soothing, very simple, and very effective(if I do say so myself!). Who cares if they don’t look perfect? It’s homemade!

- I’m making most of the family gifts this year, but kept it simple (I‘m sensing a theme here), focusing on things I’m currently making in my crafting- bags, purses, aprons, napkins, etc. It’s keeping me sane, and happy (cause I just like to make things, ya know?) and keeping costs down, yaay!

- Christmas Ornaments can be a source of stress for me (perfectionism, and obsessive-assembly-line-production anyone?), so Ive cut way down and focused on easy things, with only one “big” ornament. Cornstarch dough circles, paper snowflakes, and gilded walnut-shells are pretty and effective, while my Tree Faeries are spectacular and relatively simple.

- I’ve decorated the house simply, too: bowls of greenery trimmed from the actual tree, battery candle and dried roses from my stash. And so far the Tree only has some tiny round lights on it, but it’s so pretty!  Simple. Done. Love it!

- and last, but never least- the Cookies. Every year I try something new, but this year we need a few of our favorites on the table: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Frosted Sugar Cookies, and Pecan Snowballs. Okay, maybe I can fit in some Coconut Shortbread, and maybe a pan of brownies wouldn’t be out of line…

Ahhh, nothing says Christmas like a seriously over-loaded To-Do List and a Sugar-Overload…am I right? Hey you Faeries get outta that powdered sugar! No, it does not look like Santa tracks! It’s gonna look like an ant trail…

How to make dinner

Ahhh, Autumn Dinners. Nothing compares to the yummy foods of this time of year- Roasts, Stews, Soups, Baking, Gravy (Gravy!), Braises…you name it, Fall is the time for it. I’ve recently begun using Pinterest to help me plan my meals- what’s better than a list? A visual list!

This week I tried a few new recipes that came out quite good, as well as let myself relax about time spent in the kitchen, and all-in-all it’s worked out for a happier, healthier Autumn so far! Here’s what I did to change it up:

Salad- I love salad, but I don’t love making it anymore. I want LOTS of choices, which translates to LOTS of prepwork, which I just don’t have time for anymore. So we’ve found a few places that do amazing salads, and go there for date-night a couple of times a month. (one of them is our favorite pizza joint, which makes it a win-win for Mr. Awesome. And yes, I just gave my hubby a bloggy nickname. We’ll have to see if it sticks, shall we?)

Man food- It’s been all-chicken-all-the-time around here this summer, so I wanted to make sure I plan in some Man Food nights to the ol’ dinner rotation. Steak and Bleu Cheese is a huge favorite, I just make sure I get small, organically raised (which, due to the cost, helps keep the portions small) steaks with minimal marbling. Sausage is an old favorite which got left by the roadside years ago, but now that I’ve discovered chicken sausage, is back on the table (you put enough red pepper in those bad boys, he’ll eat them all day long-even if it is chicken!) Pizza is a by-product of Salad Night (yes!), and ooey-gooey desserts happen at the other salad place (oddly enough, I don’t have as huge of a sweet tooth anymore, so I grab a small cookie, sit back and watch the carnage).

Pinterest boards for menu planning- this is an interesting recent development. I do tend to have a love/hate experience with social media, but Pinterest has more or less been a random bingey kind of thing for me. Until I came across people using theirs as file storage. Now, instead of just mindlessly clicking everything that looks good, I throw images into two categories: Dinner; or Baking Board. Then, every Thursday I look through those files and research what I’ve pulled for the week, clicking over to the source site for the recipe, tweaking what I have to change for our diet, and drawing up my shopping lists. I also delete any ideas that didn’t work, or make the cut from last week, which helps thin the board down to a manageable size. (I hate ginormous Pinterest Boards, that I have to scroll through for hours just to get to the end if it. I have more important things to waste my time on!)

So far, I’ve tried 3 new recipes (Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup; Sausage, Zucchini, Squash and Onion Foil Packets; and Zucchini and Mushrooms Sauté), cooked dinner 4 times since Saturday, and cut down on the amount of wasted food for the last month (you know when you have a fabulous idea for a series of meals, but they are all untried and untested, and no one wants to eat the strange new food- including the chef? lol, yeah, that happens too often lately. Back to the basics! Now if only I could convince the Faeries to take up teacup piglet farming…)

A deep breath…

It’s such a nice time of year, isn’t it? Cool, crisp mornings that are perfect for a leisurely neighborhood walk to view the turning leaves, breathlessly hot afternoons that turn back to cool dark-early evenings- just in time for a nice evening chat outside in the garden. Lovely!

My morning walk takes me past this lovely view as many mornings as I can get out there. Sometimes it’s in the early evenings, but mostly I like to walk first thing in the morning- it’s a great start to the day in any season, but especially now. All the birds and lizards out for their breakfast, spider webs sparkling with morning dew…it’s quite magical.

Some new ideas I’m working on this week:

My first Men’s Shirt- trying a “toile” in basic brown to start, I’m excited about getting into that…

Another bag- basic white or black, cross-body, two or three pockets, for traveling/walking/sightseeing…

More Linen skirts are lined up for this month- bought the fabric this weekend, lovely “Potting Soil” brown and a mustard yellow called “Honey”…

A year-long knitting project that is nearing the end has slowly turned from a bag, to a hat, and back to a bag- purse! I’ll be lining it and adding a handle for a scrumptious-yummy knit purse…

And finally, a small re-do of the garden- cleaning up, clearing out, repotting and attempt at cool weather planting…

So…lots to do this week! Hopefully those Faeries will do more than just dump pots of dirt all over the balcony this time…no, it’s not fertilizing the cement you guys!

Spring Reading

We use our Public and County Libraries a lot in this bookish little family of mine- so much so that sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. Ahem. (they let you check out so many! And it’s free! what’s one more? picture me hidden behind the stack of books in my arms…) So lately I’ve given myself a 3-book maximum rule: One for research, one to read, one for fun. It works out pretty good, too- two libraries, once a week or two, 6 books. More if my husband brings something good home. It can overlap though- right now I’ve got 7 books to post on the reading list to the right over there (they are going back this weekend) to be replaced by the 6 I picked up last night (holds that came in midweek are too tempting to leave at the library!). I’ll order books I see in the bookstores, or titles I find recommended in my blog reading online. With so many titles lying around I thought I’d round them up and make a list!

Julie Czerneda’s A Turn of Light- This is so good! Wishing Magic, with invisible Dragons, armored House Toads, traveling Gypsies, and pie…all against a backdrop of Frontier Homesteading and Doorways to the Otherside. Yummy.

Marie Brennan’s A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent- Alternative Victorian fanciful piece with Dragons  of all sorts, a tragic love story, Russian folklore, and even a  bit of amateur sleuthing? It was read in a mere 4 days- worth every second of lost sleep!

Mark Alan Hewitt’s Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms- Lovely pictures and line drawing of the houses, furniture and landscapes of the Arts and Crafts movement, some background info of how it came to be, and an in-depth look at the attempt of one man to create a Utopian community.

Michelle Obama’s American Grown; The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America- I’m enjoying this for all the information and background on kitchen gardens, the White House Gardens in general, and the impact food has on our health and well-being.

Bob Thomson’s The New Victory Garden- Love this one! Broken down by month, with colour pictures and beautiful line drawings, this is a gold mine of gardening information, with a little bit of personal history that keeps it from being a dry text book.

Gladys Taber’s The Book of Stillmeadow- A personal account from the 1930’s of running away to live in the country. Susan Branch quotes her constantly in her books and artwork, so I wanted to see what she has to offer. Lovely anecdotal and lyrical writing, and bits are truly funny- she has a ton more that I might check out too.

Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone- A really big, heavy book (not convenient for reading in bed) with lots of really good ideas, some simple, some rather complex looking. Why do these vegetarian books always work out to be behemoths? Vast encyclopedic monstrosities with every single recipe the author can think of, very few (if any) pictures, and rather a lot more commentary and “instruction” than I want to wade through. I am finding ideas, but it’s taking forever to get through it, and I get bored every other page. Very disappointing really. 

So there you have it- some research, some reading, some fun (some not so fun…but necessary). What can I say?

I love to read.

Summer’s coming…

It’s just around the corner- can you feel it? We certainly can…heat spells, dry skin, brown hills, sleepy cats. Time to start making lists and gathering supplies:

• Summer menu planning- vegetables, grilling, sides and snack ideas; lunchtime for two (instead of one- it takes planning and a bit of creativity to avoid the lunchtime slump!) and lots of picnics outside.
• Redecorating- lightening it up, storing away the fall/winter things, pulling together a beachy inspired look (or a summer-camp feel: stripes and cots, enamel and folding chairs anyone?)
• The summer itinerary- daytrips, local sightseeing, thrifting expeditions, hiking plans, maybe a new restaurant or two. Summer movies, our birthdays, a trip to the beach (definitely missed that last year), the county fair…
• A new daily schedule- time for my work (sewing projects, quilting, blogging, a new Faery Tale perhaps?), his work (new class prep for the Fall semester, website design, gaming research, bike tinkering, and working on his book), household chores, new hobbies to try out, reschedule the daily exercise (early morning or late afternoon is better in the coming heat).
• Time to make the summer reading and movie lists- libraries (public and county are really good here for books and movies both), used book stores, thrift stores, hobby stores, and our own bookshelves (I love to reread certain series every year)- not to mention all the summer movies about to explode on the scene.

I’m really looking forward to Summer- such a fun time of year! So much to do and see, it’s great to get a headstart on the fun by doing a little daydreaming and planning prepwork.

Spring Cleaning

Spring is here, and it’s been a month of cleaning up, clearing out, assessing life and implementing new strategies around here lately. I feel the need for a list!

I finally found a new doctor- Yaay! Who diagnosed me with Type 2 Diabetes. Ick.   Which has lead to…

A new diet and exercise regime. Yaay! Been trying to do this for ages it seems. Loads more veggies, whole grains and lean protein. It just feels so…right.

I’ve started a new quilt! The fabric gathering has begun. Pinks, violets, greens and light browns. Yummy!

Found a new Potting Bench for the wee-small garden at the thrift shop this week:

Yes, yes- it’s really just a T.V. tray- but it’s a glorious rich solid wood one, perfect condition- just needed a little oil and elbow grease to spiff her up! Lovely.

So…lots to do, lots to see, lots of places to go. Gotta get back into a daily schedule around here. Here’s a peek at what my mornings look like nowadays. Back soon with more tales from the Magickal side of life…

And now for something completely different…

Ah, the joys of crafting.

Um… I’m in the middle of a project that is quite, well-

Overwhelming, to say the least. This is the Watercolours Quilt that I started a year and eight months ago. Seriously- what is taking me so long? Well, it’s getting finished this week. I am hand tying it, which partly explains why it’s taking so long. And also why posting has slowed down. Just in case you can’t tell just how much fabric is in there:

I have a loong ways to go, but I’ve already started picking out fabrics for my next one! Glutton for punishment? Or just plain crazy? No- just finally figuring out the right way to make a quilt (and it’s not been the way I’ve been doing it, silly me. Wish I’d read more books before I’d started this one! Or at least made it smaller…)

Do we have time for a quick list? I think so- here’s what this March has looked like so far:

• Hiking in Mission Trails Park- beautiful scenery, only a few sunburns.
• LOTS of handsewing of the quilting and finishing of garments variety.
• Our lovely pink scheme in the garden is working out just beautifully.
• Some new veggie recipes- leeks, zucchini, asparagus and champ (love! where has this been all my life?!)
• A little house shaking up as well- lots of closets turned out and reorganized, piles taken to the thrift store, new shelves built, furniture moved around. It’s been wonderful to get a new energy flow going around here…

Lovely March- Spring came early to our corner of the world. Lots of sunny days, light breezes, and a few rain-and-hail storms thrown in for good measure. I’ll be back next week with more updates from the Workshop!

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Well! That was just a wild and crazy ride, wasn’t it? Here it is, New Year’s Eve already- where did the year go? I’m glad I got to spend some of it here with all of you, sharing my makes and do’s. This last month just flew by:

The Pixie Workshop in full swing! Well, there is another wing you didn’t get to see, all my papercrafting spread out over the dining table, but you get the idea don’t you? Paper, paint, glue, glitter…it was all there for a few weeks going full steam! This is one tired little elf, I can tell you…

Here’s some of what I collected through the season, and got done in the workshop: Glass ornaments- Tigers and Polar Bears, and a lot of glittery Owls. Paper Sleighs and prancing ponies to match. One trip to Disneyland (decorated for the holidays- it’s our favorite time to go!), a bit of Birch paper that never made it to the finals (not every idea makes it to completion- I wouldn’t have any time to visit here if it did!), some mini cupcake papers in the seasons colours, and some mini gnomey gnomes for the Christmas tree…

And finally, some of the Christmas knitting- a new frilly scarf, a pretty blue Pixie Pouch, and the raw materials for a few other scarves and bags that got made in the wee small hours of the days and nights leading up to the big day!

This has been an incredible year for us here at Magickwyrds, and we look forward to a brand-spanking-bright-New-Year with all of you in the coming year! From all of us elves, kitties, Faeries and Pixies, we wish you a very Happy New Year!

Goose Yoga and other things…

Have you ever seen an elephant fly? Or a goose doing yoga?

I don’t know what was funnier- the goose or me trying to set up the shot! Too funny.

Today is Tuesday, and it’s exactly a week until the Kitchen Olympics. Err, or in Muggle speak, Thanksgiving. If you’ve never “done” Thanksgiving before, I’ll let you in on a little secret…

Cooks are cooking (and baking) the Thanksgiving Feast in their minds … as early as July! And we start getting really excited the last week of October- ‘cause that’s the earliest we can get away with stocking up! Soo much fun, shopping for the Big Day! Almost as fun as planning the menu…

This year we are spending the day with my family. Lately we have tried out a few different ways of celebrating Thanksgiving- which have all been special and meaningful in their own ways.

But…it’s really hard to justify cooking a 16 pound bird for two people. ahem.

So! This morning I finally sat down and made a list of all the things I’d like to bring with us next Thursday.

BIG mistake. Want to see it? Okay, here goes-

1. Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
2. Green Onion Casserole
3. Orange Glazed Carrots
4. Dijon Brussels Sprouts
5. Seared Asparagus
6. Sweet Potato Casserole MY way- that one’s yummy- I’ll be posting a recipe soon.
7. Spinach Gratin
8. Lemon Broccoli
9. Risotto
10. Buttermilk Biscuits
11. Brioche Rolls

umm…yeah. Can you see where this is going? (and for those observant types, nope - that isn’t even the whole list. I know!)

Confession time: I have been writing a cookbook since this summer. And sometime around September (or maybe it was August?) I started rolling that research together with my dreams of Turkey Day! And now, well…

I don’t think there’s a table BIG enough in the entire city that could hold everything I’ve got planned! (Wait til you see my Christmas Cookie List! It’s even bigger…)

No worries though- the Faeries have caught wind of my mad schemes and are “helping” me with the prep work…they’ve already eaten an ENTIRE loaf of bread that was supposed to be the stuffing, and that Asparagus recipe has completely disappeared from my files. Oh, and I might as well admit that I just couldn’t actually wait for Thanksgiving and started making some of those dishes for dinner a few times this month, so I’ve been able to satisfy my desire to make all of these dishes without actually having to make them all for one meal….

The rest of the week should be a hoot- I’ve got to plot out the Christmas gift lists this week, sketch out a mockup of our Christmas Cards (been meaning to do this for years! So excited…), try out a new idea for glass ornaments (there’s gold paint involved! And glitter!), a VERY IMPORTANT crochet project to get finished, and one very coldy little kitty girl to cuddle when the sun goes down (I’ve been informed that my job in the evenings this very cold Fall is to keep her feet warmed up, thank-you-very-much-mamma!) Lots to do, busy busy!

Some books I like this time of year…

I’ve been to the library a few times in the last two weeks, and thought I’d make a list of the books I brought home…oh my. I might have bitten off more than I care to admit this time around:

1. Martha Stewart Living December 2012

2. Gooseberry Patch Christmas 2012

3. Christmas Gifts From The Kitchen Georgeanne Brennan

4. Christmas With Rosamunde Pilcher

5. Mary Engelbreit’s Tis The Season Holiday Cookbook

6. The Best Of Gooseberry Patch Old Fashioned Christmas Favorites

7. Christmas With Mary Engelbreit Voume 1 Let The Merrymaking Begin

8. Betty Crocker’s New Christmas Cookbook (1993)

9. Southern Plate Christy Jordan

10. Eating Well Comfort Foods Made Healthy Jessie Price

11. The Book Of Burger Rachel Ray

12. Quick Fix Meals Robin Miller

13. Christmas Cookies Lisa Zwirn

14. In The Heat Of The Kitchen Gordon Ramsey

15. Martha Stewart’s Dinner At Home

16. The Homemade Pantry Alana Chernila

17. The Food52 Cookbook Amanda Hesser & Merrill Stubbs

18. Williams Sonoma Casual Entertaining: The Best Of The Lifestyles Series

 

Ahem. I’m going to be fairly…busy…the next week or two it seems.

Christmas is coming, I can almost smell it! Well, actually, ok- I do, because I’ve been trying out some of these recipes and the house smells amazing…

What? Doesn’t everyone check out 18 books from the library just to test recipes for Christmas two months in advance…  while rereading every back-issue of Victoria magazine for Thanksgiving decoration ideas, in between making paper houses and animal cutouts for Yule decorations and Pajama bottoms for Solstice gifts?

Or is that just me…

Hey, you Faeries get out of that glitter- it’s not snow!

Friday recap

Finally! The first storm of the season- clouds filled the sky as far as the eye could see:

Lovely aren’t they?

I love a good rainstorm to ring in the new Fall season, don’t you?

Today is filled with all kinds of cold weather projects:

Work on the Watercolours Quilt has begun again- adding borders to fill it out a bit…

The weekly food prep is underway in the kitchen- Roasted Butternut Squash is featured again this week. So yummy…

On the baking front- Blueberry Muffins, Buttermilk Biscuits and maybe a chocolate chip cookie or two…

The knitting needles are out in full force- a new Pixie Pouch, a hat, and maybe some socks finally…

All that, plus Christmas Crafting Lists, Thanksgiving Meal Planning, and even a Winter Solstice idea or two are in the works. Oh my, I do love cold weather!

Happy Weekending everyone!

That bright, golden October light…

Lovely October- the gold, brassy light, streaming into the house, blinding me with its’ brightness, turning the computer screen and TV into nicely reflective mirrors…drat. Time for new curtains!

So- first I measure the windows- or rather, in this case, the glass doors. 8 feet exactly. Okay, I want them long enough to brush elegantly against the floor, 2 inches for that. and, I don’t like sewing drapes, I generally just fold over an allowance at the top to slide the curtain rod through and call it done, so 4 inches for that. 96 inches plus 2 plus four= hmm…lets just make it 3 yards, that’ll be plenty. Now I just need to dig something suitable out of the stash. In the meantime…

I have a little black Pixie Pouch almost done, and plans for a white one to go on the needles before the day is done…

The shower curtain is working out great- until I realized that I never finished off the seams! Drat. Guess I’ll take that down today and do some work on that this week…

It’s time to drag out the Cricket and cut some new Fall shapes again! Bats and pumpkins, leaves and foxes this year…

Playing around with a new Purse idea- it’s involving lots of brown velvet, ribbons, leaves and Fall colours!

And finally, still messing about with doll patterns, ideas, sketches and plans. I really do like the early stages of a new idea, but sometimes the logistics just get in the way!

Pinning for cooler weather- can’t even look at the oven its so hot nowadays!

On frustrations, and new ideas…

Oh, I’m being brutal with Pandora today folks! Even if it’s just the first two bars, if I don’t groove- off with it’s head! I need some new music this Fall…

So, I’m in the Workshop this week, trying out brand new ideas, different techniques, and a few new materials. Ugh. New is hard. My head knows what it wants to see, can see, is seeing, in that busy space, but my fingers don’t know how to get there! They’ve never been down that route, and the instructions are kinda vague, you know?

Lots of new around here this year. It’s good for the soul, and good for the artist, but it’s hard on the girl, who likes things a certain way…

Don’t feel too sorry for me yet, though- it’s Fall! And you know what that means:

Cool, crisp mornings, which is wonderful whilst watering and puttering in the garden! It’s time to begin weeding out the poor dearly departed, and almost time to get out some graph paper and plan out a new spring flower garden…

Time to dig out all the yummy fall/winter-time pillows/throws/scarves/hats/ tablecloths and dishes from their summer hiding places, and time to polish up the silver and glass ware in preparation for Fall entertaining…

Kitty sitting & Knitting time has rolled around again! Oh, how we’ve both missed this quiet time in the late evenings, where it’s just me, her, and a nice ball of yarn…

So! Lots of new things around here this week- new crafting ideas (some that just aren’t working…sometimes the best thing is just to let ‘em go…), new knitting projects (loving these little pixie bags!), new table scarves and napkins, and one of my absolute favs, new cleaning potions (Tea Tree this time around, for the smell, and its antiseptic properties. Yummy!)  It’s a wonderful start to our new year!

What’s new around you?

A Hobbit’s Tea

Did you know that it’s Hobbit Week ? And that this Friday is Hobbit Day? I know! I’ve been reading The Hobbit this month, and just discovered this awesomeness myself. So I immediately had to plan a Hobbit Day Party, with all the trimmings. Here’s what we have so far:

We will be participating in Second Breakfast, which is this Friday. Interesting, because it is also Mabon, and there is also a birthday in the family! So much to do, so little time…

A new table runner has been made, inspired by this little scene I cooked up whilst doing a dry run for Second Breakfast:

See all the props back there? I had a few of those beanpot jug-teapotty things already, and knew they’d be just perfect for this, so I went down to the thrift store to find more, and well, just look!

I am just totally in love with these little dishes- and that glass jug! That is sending me over the moon. So I’ve had to sew up some new things to go along with the new colourway.

Now, on to the menu…

Sausages! Hobbits are forever eating sausages in the movies, and the book, so I made up a batch of Turkey Apple-Sage-Allspice Sausage Patties.

Bread. As you can see in the photo above, a nice plump, golden brown loaf was baked this week, just for the occasion. Ahem. And promptly eaten! We may have to bake another, the day of, just to make it last long enough to actually be eaten at the party!

Scones might be nice, so I whipped up a batch of Maple & Brown Sugar Scones. Yummy!

Mushrooms, of course, since everyone knows Hobbits love Mushrooms. Stuffed or Stewed, I’m not sure which yet. Hmm, maybe both?

Tea, of course- we love tea, I actually prefer it over coffee. Which is featured in the book prominently, so perhaps I ought to include that as well?

Ale. Since the weather has started it’s turn to cooler nights and mornings, I’ve been fancying a bit of crusty, yeasty Beer Bread, so I might just bake up a loaf of that as well…

And that’s as far as I’ve gotten in the food department. Quite nice I think. The Faeries are just over the moon with excitement- they think I’m celebrating their birthdays, since they love all the brown and greens in the house this Fall! Silly Faeries, haven’t they ever heard of a Hobbit before?

So I’m off to see what else I can whip up for the party! This is such fun already- don’t you just love the planning part the best? Ta!

The Weekend Review

I should have written this yesterday, but got sidetracked with all the yummyness that is my Fall crafting projects. We had a really good weekend, and I want to start reviewing what we do that is fun, works great, or just generally made the weekend a happy time for us. Here goes:

Gaming with good friends- we had a fun time Saturday, too bad I got sick and had to cut the day short.

Lunch at our favorite Mexican place, with a side of library time (I had no idea they had such good movies! Got the whole run of Harry Potter- it’s marathon time!)

An early-morning swim- we used to do this all the time, glad this little peaceful ritual is back, need that.

Sunday shopping in town- more of a browsing exercise with a delightful twist. Still need new Fall shoes, but found some great new pants!

And a good library run- always good to stock up on new ideas for browsing through during the coming week.

And last, but not least- some light housekeeping/ cooking a simple dinner/ sitting on the balcony in the cool evening air. Soo glad that Autumn is almost here- it’s been so darn hot this summer!

Full steam ahead in the workshop…

Christmas prep starts this week- I am thick in the midst of researching new ideas, mock-up building, and daydreams galore! Sometimes the best part of a new design is the initial dreaming. Lots of ideas flying around the workshop today:

Doll ideas and patterning- trying a half-size variant this week. Tiny fingers!

How to make a Winter Fairy Throne? Hmm…

Want to make a new Fall Tunic out of some yummy fabric I just found that I had totally forgotten about in my stash…

Winter Holidays menu building…

Christmas Gift List- what should this years’ theme be?

Holly, Mistletoe, Pine, and Moss internet research…

And lots more to come in the following weeks ahead! I just love the creative atmosphere of this time of year, don’t you?

Hey you faeries, get outta that fabric bin!

Summer, oh my!

Where has the time gone? It’s August already! Lots of doings around these parts:

Movies! The new Batman, Spiderman, Iceage, Brave, Snow White and the Huntsman, Men in Black 3, Dark Shadows, and the Avengers- a lot of really good movies, and some not so great, but all were enjoyed as a break from the madness of life.

Walks! Finally we have settled into the rhythm of  life in this (hotter) new climate of ours, and discovered the perfect time and place for a good walk. Early morning finds us out a Lake Murray with the ducks, bunnies and those cheeky sparrows. Bliss!

Cooking adventures! Homemade tortillas (so easy! so delicious!), lots of curried chicken salads, grilled chicken, sautéed zucchini, and I found the most yummy feta cheese this summer…

New Crafting projects! Stonework houses (from paper grocery bags!), French Knots embroideries, metal mini painting tutorials from friends, birthday presents for friends (no spoilers!), and even some knitting getting done during the early evenings!

Late evening star viewing out in the garden…

Facebooking!

Pin(terest)ing!

Photographing! (new camera= renewed interest in taking pictures again)

Early morning weekly shopping= free time the rest of the day (yaay! Time for crafting again!)

Lots of Game Days- new venues, reconnecting with old friends, leveling old toons, and even some new character builds…

It’s going fast- time speeds by so quickly these days. I’m still working on the book- but I must say the time I’ve been able to allot to it has shrunk as the summer has progressed. So glad it’s almost done, though. Soon, soon!

So enjoy the rest of your summer, friends, and I’ll meet you all back here periodically for updates, news and fun.

Lazy Hazy Friday

I spent some time this morning before breakfast reorganizing the garden- there were lots of pots straggling around the balcony, dirt and dead leaves everywhere, and I had even found an empty window box stashed in the outside storage closet- empty of all things! There’s no empty planters in gardening now, is there? Honestly!

Ignore the paper bag- I like to fool myself into thinking it’s my compost heap!

I rather like the effect lining the edge of the railing with the window boxes has on the overall appearance out there- it’s like I’ve outlined the space with plants…

That big blue tray has got to go- and I need to find a saucer for the nasturtium nursery. Here’s a better shot of this corner-

There! Now it’s “artistic”!

I love my little balcony garden- it brings me such peace and quiet joy. I would like to find a few more plants this month, maybe some more herbs, and another rose would be nice. I’d like a trailing rose to train onto the balcony bars, but can’t decide between white or red? And I keep finding references to a “moonlight garden”, which I think would be lovely out here this summer- lots of white flowers, some that even open in the evening! We’ll see. I hope I can find room for some new things. We should do a head count- I have no idea how many plants are out there so far.

Let’s make a list!

1. Aloe
2. Lemon Verbena
3. Rosemary
4. Thyme
5. Pansy
6. (3) Stock
7. (2) Oregano
8. Pink Rose (There’s also some chamomile, or borage, I’ve forgotten which, in the base of that big pot, too.)
9. (2) Lavender
10. Sage
11. Basil
12. Lemon Balm
13. Snapdragon
14. Parsley
15. Chives
16. Spearmint
17. Catmint
18. Kitty Salad (aka wheatgrass)
19. Alyssum
20. Dianthus (aka Pinks. squee! I love the old fashioned flowers!)
21. Pink Geranium
22. Red Geranium
23. Morning Glory
24. Strawberries
25. Calendula

And even more Pansies back in the corner there. Also in that great big pot on the right are some sunflowers seeds, and a volunteer something-or-other. It could just be a weed, but I’m letting it go until it gets big enough to identify. The same thing is going on in the strawberry pot. I think they are from some Honeydew Melon seeds I threw in there around Christmastime, but I’m not sure.  Oh, and there is a volunteer spring onion in there somewhere- it came home in one of the spring cell packs, and just kept growing! I can’t wait to see if it will flower…

Hmm… I think I can squeeze in a few more plants in out there, at least the Faeries seem to think so. I know they’ve moved out there recently because Tasha’s Gnome gardener keeps getting moved to the oregano (she knows the difference guys!) and the hummers seem madder than usual, something about getting mooned last week? And I don’t think they are talking about the Full Moon either…

The Countdown Begins…

So, I woke up yesterday and realized he had one week and four days left.

…

I am sooo very glad I did all that planning last month! Because Summer is indeed here. And so begins the whole crazy round of wonderful summer things:

Monday Night Spaghetti Suppers-

Mad sewing marathons to finish the Mom’s Birthday Presents (one down, one to go!)

Crazy Hot days= watering the little garden that could every-single-day! Which means-

Making watering every day (got smart and make twice as much so I’m not filling bottles every single day)

Baking dinner in the morning, BEFORE it gets Crazy Hot-

Making double veggies for dinner one night, lunch the next day. Bliss-

Weekly Library Runs, which means-

Weekly Mexican food Lunch Dates . Our favorite place does the most amazing beans and rice…

Spending the whole weekend at home reading books, cooking lunches, and giving little miss some much needed cuddle time-

Rediscovering summer veggie dishes-

Discovering some new summer veggie dishes-

And a whole lot more to come! I love summer. What are some of  your favorite things about summer?

The Summer Plan

This weekend was a blur- family visits, phone calls, Spring Cleaning (!!!), furniture moving, a dinner-and-a-movie-date-night, homemade lemonade makin’, and a whole lot of video games, reading books and watching movies at home. Oh, and gardening, closet turnouts, laundry, vacuuming and dinner making. Ahem, okay- so maybe just a few dinner making. We ate out a lot this weekend. Whew! I need a break from all that weekending…

This is the week I’ve set aside to make the all-important Summer Plan. With the end of the school year coming up fast, it’s time I started making the lists: Things We Want to Do, Things We Need to Do, Places to Go, People to See, and my favorite- What We’ll Eat Whilst We Do All That! I have been keeping an informal list of ideas throughout the year, and I’ll combine it with my notes from the end of last summer (I can’t believe it’s been a year already! Where does the time go?!) to come up with a master list for this summer. Then I get out my calendar and look at birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, movie release dates, Game Days, and any other Big Events for this year. It takes a while to plan it all out, but it helps give us a structured vacation filled with fun, good food, time for our hobbies, meaningful celebrations, and enough time for my art, and the household chores, without which this entire plan self-implodes and the summer becomes two months of nothing but stress, tears, eating awful food, seeing too many movies, and absolutely no fun what-so-ever. My family works better when we have a plan, everyone knows what the plan is, and most importantly, knows what the back-up plan is. When in doubt, follow the plan.

* a Note about The Plan- Interestingly enough, The Plan is not written in stone. And, everyone has a say in what The Plan is. It is flexible, it is ever-changing. We sit down as a family and plan it together- everyone gets a say in what they want, what they don’t want, and the execution of the plan changes from day to day, week to week. If it doesn’t work, out it goes! The last thing I want is to stress my family out by forcing them to follow a plan- the plan is only a framework, not a leash. What worked last year may not be what will work this year.

Oh, and the back-up plan? stop. take a deep breath. repeat.

Works like a charm every time...