Counting the Days...

Aragorn, costume design courtesy of Deborah Carlisle

I have a handsome, faux leather clad, deliriously happy 8 year old.

one last love- Happy Valentines Day, Rosie

The other day I was sitting in the fancy, brand spanking new, studio arts building (whose concrete steps are already cracking (shame on them) which made me think of my brothers-in-law who would never have allowed that to happen...). Anyway, I was sitting there in the sunshine, waiting for my class to begin and rereading articles, when I thought to myself, I should write a letter. To someone. I used to do that frequently, just a few short years ago. But wait, who will I write to? Rose, I thought, I will write to Rose. Honestly, I thought that, for a millisecond. It's like a habit- a muscle memory, these reactions I have to tell her something. To reach out to her. And, of course I could write to Rose. But I can't send it to her. She is not on this earth, in human form.

But those links below will lead you to her voice and her tremendous love story. I have the links but I can't bear to listen right now.

Rose on NPR#1- woman finds love in spite of herself

#2- one last love

P.S I know it is not Valentines Day yet, but I am in no position to assume that I will have time tomorrow to do anything so...

cookie delivery

This morning our house was bustling with the boys smearing buttercream frosting on sugar cookies and sprinkling them with nonpareils. And they were very good about not licking their fingers. I promise you. SO, if your children were the lucky recipients of our afternoon cookie delivery, they are safe to eat, I mean other than the fact that they are made with tons of butter, sugar and a scary amount of red food coloring. Really, the germs that they may contain are probably nothing compared to the main ingredients.... They had such fun running them around to their friends houses in North Village. It was so cute. They would come back home breathlessly asking for another bag of cookies.

AND like a child myself I couldn't wait to give them their Valentines Day presents. Well at least the main gifts, they will still get their vampire wax lips tomorrow.

I got the boys The D'Aulaire Book of Trolls and the D'Aulaire Book of Greek myths, because we didn't have a book of trolls and is any library complete without one? Ezra has already picked a favorite story that I read to him twice upon opening it. And Henry has outgrown his first book of Greek Mythology by Aliki, which we love but it is more of a quick who's who, not nearly as comprehensive as the D'Aulaires book. The D'aulaires are geniuses with their storytelling and illustrations. We do not have the book of Norse Myths.....which might be a great birthday present for Ezzie....

Oh and this post ties perfectly into my idea of a dream job: bakery and bookstore owner. Yes, I love teaching but I think if I was millionaire I might just forgo that and work with croissants and novels forever.

Hello 2010! You are so sci-fi.

Holiday Rundown

What I ate too much of:

Sponge candy from Olivers in Batavia. A family tradition. Aunt Morene and Uncle David send us boxes of this every year...It is unbelievably delicious. I am pretty sure that crack is one of the main ingredients.

What I read:

The first two books became my appendages for a few days. The last book I am still reading. I highly recommend all three. The image size is not a reflection of how engrossing the books were...

Other notable books we received...

Amy gave me this to feed my passion for Virginia Lee Burton, a remarkable woman and artist.

This exquisite book had the kids mesmerized. I appreciate the section on War Maidens... I see a lot of tracing paper in our future...

This is a classic book about Santa claus written by L. Frank Baum. The illustrations are gorgeous.

Bats at the Library and Bats at the Beach, both Harcourt books from Amy, are sure to be favorites. The illustrations are so warm and sweet. I love that the stories are written in verse. Perfect for a new reader.

craft catch-up

I think if I had had two cups of coffee and was armed with ample duct tape I coulda been a contender in the helmet making arena. Alas, I only had masking tape and foil and Matty is careful to drink the rest of the pot after I have had my one cup of joe.
Espresso with cocoa and homemade marshmallows, essential for afternoon crafting.
Yesterday, while sipping the above beverage of the Gods, the boys and I made snowflakes using Martha's method of dissolving 3tbs of borax per 1 cup of water and then submerging some fuzzy pipe cleaner snowflakes in the solution for a few hours. We were surprised how quickly they crystallized. Every half hour or so the kids would peek at them to see if they had "grown".

I have been working on birds for a few weeks now. I am using the gorgeous wool samples that Laura gave me from her workplace. It is so much fun to work with high quality wool felt. I normally would have to settle for the cheap poly stuff. The colors of the wool are so subtle and gorgeous. Thanks Laura....

sweet pillows of love

or marshmallows as we like to call them in this house....

n Friday, Ez and I made these delectable confections. Last year I infused them with peppermint oil. This year I just wanted vanilla but it turns out that they were destined for a dip in semi sweet chocolate and a sprinkling of lovely white nonpareils. We listened to Christmas oldies (Ella, Louis, Frank) while we mixed the sugary gelatinous mixture and then I played the Beatles later while dipping them. Ez did not take part in the dipping, he couldn't even stop himself from licking the confectioners sugar off the table so he was banned from the kitchen during this process. I always use Martha's recipe for marshmallows but there are tons out there.

Friday was a lot of fun for Ez and I, it seemed like the first Friday in ages when I had no papers due and not even preschool curriculum to think about. We wrestled ( it was too cold to go outside), we danced to Rihanna's new album (save the racier songs, and I always make sure to sing really loud over any naughty words). Rihanna has joined the boys "Favorite music" lexicon with Queen, Ratatat, Michael Jackson and a few others. And we made a train city with his tracks. AND when Matty came home home from an overnight in Boston, I got the hell outta Dodge and went to the store to get dish detergent and a new teapot (we seem to burn ours every year, long story), which somehow took me two hours!! This story is getting pretty boring so I'll stop here. I am just really happy to have a break and I am looking forward to going home and spending time with family.

P.S Auntie Michaela, if you want to make these when we come home, let me know. We can make it happen.

Seasonal Crafts so far...

The kids made these wreaths from the paper from a Campmore catalog. I can't find the link to the tutorial page right now but I will post it soon...found it

The boys and I made these British Royal nutcaracker/soldiers yesterday, in between icing Ezzies swollen arm* and writing my last paper! Next year we might just make the Jackson Five...And no, that dude is not supposed to be Hitler. I was going for Charlie Chaplin.
Ezzie wasn't having the Anglo interpretation.....He wanted his soldiers to have a "wild" vibe...

I remember first seeing these as a kid. My nana and aunts made them for our tree. I have always wanted to make more. All we did was paint some of those doll pins and glue a black pom pom on top. We used a sharpie for the faces. Henry was begging to do it all day and I was trying to put it off until I was done with school, but I could deal no more with his whining. I secretly sipped eggnog (where the hell is the Rum when you need it?) and played some Christmas oldies while the boys went nuts making their soldiers. Ez. was most excited about making swords for them.

* Ezra had a pretty bad reaction to his vaccine and I slept with him all weekend, woke up at midnight to give him Ibuprofin and Benadryl. It was awful. We went to the doctors twice. He is just fine but part of his arm resembles a..., well I can't even say. It is very swollen. It should start going down soon. I didn't tell anyone cause sometimes I worry more if I even talk about such things.

Up next... MARSHMALLOWS .....

All Hallow's Eve

Mom Don't Look ! Christmas Spoiler Alert!!!!!

From Anna Maria Horner's 'Seams to Me', the adorable pin cushion caddy!

Okay, so don't scrutinize, my fusible webbing was not fusing very well. My sewing machine is a pain.  It works until about 1/4 of the way through a project and then it gets fussy. Until I am sewing every day, which may never happen, it will do. I love this pin cushion, its big, bold and made of some of my favorite Denyse Schmidt prints.  It is something that I would love to make for myself if I am ever finished making things for everyone else.

favorite holiday tunes

etsy love part deux

A Black Apple print from Inside A Black Apple's etsy shop

When I was waxing on and on about etsy the other day, I neglected to include in my ravings, the following bloggers whose lovely blogs grace my side bar. One of whom is a friend of mine from college, a very talented artist who is committed to greyhound rescue and is also one of the funniest people I know. 

bag from Maya Made

booties from tiny happy

bracelet from wise craft

greyhound print from Jennifer Zalewski

landscape from Jennifer Zalewski

handmade love

The Holiday Season is upon us. Luckily, many families (both sides of mine included) have begun to pick one family member to exchange gifts with or maybe just fill stockings. For better or worse, I attempt to make my giftee's present every year. It is fun for me and my family tells me they prefer handmade. They really seem to love handmade except for the year that I made rice hotters (Rose coined that term) for everyone that had an unpleasant smell. Last year I made Amy a perfectly imperfect quilt. For those of you who don't have the time or creative energy and you still want to give gifts, shop at etsy.

These custom vegan Kimiko flats are from Hydraheart

Etsy is an online community of artists and craftspeople. It is surprising how many beautiful handmade items are out there. You can also find vintage/thrifted items at etsy.

Fingerless gloves from corpseknit

Dauphine cameo from JenniferRydineDesigns

Tote from yorktownroad

plush doll from caracarmina

felt flower headband for women and babies from louandlee

It is a wonderful thing when people start to understand the value of handmade things. We are so surrounded by mass produced everything that these homemade things of beauty really stand out. I love the idea of supporting artists. Vote with your dollar. If you don't have any money to vote, make something. 

And speaking of voting and non-mass produced items. DId any of you hear our president elect's little speech on Friday? He was asked what kind of dog he and his family wanted to get for the White House. He said that he and his family are committed to getting a shelter dog. COuld he be any more perfect?