Peach Coglo

Easter Weekend

Super duper late, but I am joining Amanda for weekending . . .

 

Another fast weekend . . .

This one blew by me, despite having Good Friday off, but it was a good one

We took our first true family bike ride as I finally procured a bike-thanks Greg!  It felt great to be pedaling along again.  I was lucky to get this bike, as a neighbor was selling it at a low, low price.  His wife rode it only once.  I think he left her behind on a bike trail - in the woods, and that was the end of that.

We planted a willow tree in 0ur oft flooded backyard in hopes that it would absorb the excess water we get so parts of our garden would be less soggy.  Except this year, we don't seem to be getting enough rain or snow.  Go figure.

I had to give up my fantasy idea of attending certain services holiday because things were getting scrunched.  So perhaps next year, we'll make it to the Requiem on Good Friday and Easter Vigil.  This year was a bust for both, but it was okay.

I made two peach cobblers this year (one for my family and one for a dear friend and her family), and potato salad.  Unlike previous years, I wasn't up until 1am making them.  So there is some progress on the organizational front.

The kiddos received their yarn balls and promptly lost two in my mom's house, but they enjoyed them.  I knitted up some super tiny and regular eggs, but of course I forgot to take pictures of the tiny ones.

There was egg dyeing and hunting, good company and a whole lot of Easter food.  I won't have to eat for days.  My mother cooks marvelously so there was brunch and then there was dinner: biscuits, ham, deviled seafood eggs, mac and cheese, candied yams, roast chicken, collards, green beans, cornbread biscuits and brisket.  I don't know how she does it.  I can barely make dinner every day.  Speaking of which I need to find her recipe for roast drumsticks.

I hope your weekend was wonderful and your week started off gently. 

 

Happy Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!  Since we can't be in New Orleans for at least the family-friendly celebrations, I decided we would have our own up here in CT.  I have made my first ever red beans and rice, gumbo,  and King Cake for our Mardi Gras dinner.  I don't dare try the etouffee or beignets.  I think next year we'll have to invite some folks over.  This party needs more of a crowd.  I do wish I could find my 1979 era beads.  I loved those things-the newer beads don't do much for me.  At least I have my old dubloons, yay!  I did pull out my green Halloween lights.  Turns out, I can use those for Mardi Gras  and St. Patrick's Day.  Sweet.

The day has been fun and busy so far with the kids stealing King Cake filling and helping me prepare.  Eden has been running around with her Halloween basket wishing everyone "Happy 'Olidays!", and looking for candy.  Hmm.  Now it's on to my bread pudding and fried chicken.  I have to put at least one vegetable dish in there somewhere.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Knitted Hearts

Joining Ginny today.

I promised I would start early, but then came The Penguin and life in general.  I am almost at peace with the fact that a fast knitter I am not.  So the kiddos end up receiving their knitted hearts this morning.  I stuffed them and put a small bell inside, 'cause I like the jingle jingle.  I used Martha's pattern.  I must say it took me forever to figure out certain  part of the pattern where you cut the yarn, weaved through the back and then rejoined.  It's easy, but I must have been really, really tired.  This knitted heart process serves as all the more evidence that I am a pretty visual learner.   I am super psyched with this project though.  It was very quick, once my brain got unstuck, and quite satisfying.  I can even see making some hearts to applique onto something or other in the future.  Loveliness.

As for books, I am reading the chapter on slowing down in Just One Thing.  The more I slow down, the more I realize I am not a rushy-rushy person.  I used to get a thrill out of running hither and thither.  Now it's just 'meh'.  I do like having things to do, but I don't like being/feeling rushed while doing them.  We are still reading Heart and Soul and Our White House.  Helena perused Ten Amazing People in search of an inspirational subject for her biography project.  Nothing new right now until we finish Heart and Soul-just trying to keep it simple.  Speaking of which the author/illustrator has an exhibit at the Eric Carle museum, so we are going to try to get up there to see it.  Kadir Nelson's work is gorgeous, so if you can get to the exhibit, you won't be disappointed.

 

So what are you making and reading this week?

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day my friends.  Now off to make some Valentine's magic . . . .

 

love rocks by Helena

Weekending~February 12, 2012

Joining Amanda at the habit of being for weekending . . .

 

For the love of a calmer weekend-yay!

We were in much slower mode this weekend.

There was time for board games-love this even with all of the sibling bickering.

There was Annie for our Friday movie.  I remember going to the theater to see this movie.  I forgot Tim Curry was in this and how delightful he, Carol Burnett, and Bernadette Peters were in this film.  Seeing bits of Geoffrey Holder's dancing has inspired me to find more of his 'dancing' movies to show to the kiddos.  The man moves like water.

I had a treat-going out for a seafood dinner with my parents.

On Saturday the valentine constructing began.  I see just how much Doran loves to paint.  I started and restarted my knitted hearts several time over.  Let's see if I can work it out today.  Luckily the pattern is a short one.

Sunday brought cleaning and teamwork.  I am trying to help the kiddos understand that we work as a team, and when we do upkeep is  so much easier.   My homemade wood cleaner concoction went AWOL as a result of their enthusiasm working all over the house, but it was found again.

We know now that Doran is not to be trifled with when it comes to vacuuming.  The boy is relentless so you'd better get your stuff off of the floor.

I gladly chose for Elijah to skip tennis so he could have an impromptu play date with a sweet friend.  I was told there were much giggling and laughter.  Joy.

I gladly got out the modge podge, fingerpaints and fabric for Valentine making.

And we all gladly went out for an ice cream parlor treat after dinner despite the 23 degrees registering on the thermometer.

Now off to start the week . . . .

How was your weekend?

 

Some Valentine's Links

So you know I am a reformed Valentine's Day celebrant.  I have my pink lights up but nothing else so far.  I have been grazing Pinterest and the interwebs, gathering bits of this and that.  I thought I'd share what I have found-so far, because the gathering never quite stops right. 

We are going to have a Valentine's Day tea.  I know it sounds all kinds of fancy, but in reality it could be anything from homemade cookies, cake and savory tea to Nilla wafers and milk, depending on how my weekend goes.  But I am going to try to bust out a few of these.  I know Martha says they are for cats, but I think they can work well for people too sans the catnip.  I just learned the kfb technique for increasing (thanks Tracey and Dee) so this should work.  Perhaps I'll stuff in some lavender with the bell.  I like jingly, good-smelling stuff as much as the next cat and so do the kids.

I also love these felt Valentine candy holders and these fingerprint hearts.  Those would be great for the Valentine's exchanges at school, as would these.  We have oodles of cardboard so this is a good way to reuse them.  This Valentine's votive is pretty darn cool too.  And have you seen this Zakka-inspired Valentine?  Cuteness.  And then there arefelt tea bags and cookies. I could go on, but for all of our sakes, I'll stop.

Time to get off the computer and get to making.  I hope you saw something inspiring.  Have a great Thursday!

Finally

We had a fun long weekend.  I hope yours was just as fun and relaxing.

The weekend started off nicely as I delivered a special order to some of the nicest people I have ever met.  It feels great to share my art and to be around such kind folks.

Our Friday night movie was Here Come the Littles.  That had to be one of the most 80's movies I've ever seen.  It was okay though and definitely entertained the kids.  However, I am looking forward to the new Miyazaki movie.  Somehow I think it will be much better.  You probably already know what a Miyazaki nerd I am.  

Saturday was studio time-time for painting and thinking and planning.  There was much lego-building, train-running and game playing all weekend.  We started an ice ring.  It's finally cold enough to do this outside.  The kiddos made gingerbread cookies after Helena's dance class.  It's a new tradition for the kids to find something to bake with their Dad every Saturday.

Sunday we took a trip to a jazz concert at the library.  Anytime I can get myself and the kiddos to some live music, I do.   We also took some time to clean some more.  I finally got rid of those cruddy knob protectors that were broken.  Maybe now I will attack that monster of a craft area.

I found some super cheesy pink twinkling Valentine's lights.  Yes, I went there.  For someone who didn't get why people decorated for almost every holiday, I have gone in the opposite direction.  I love twinkly lights; winter is dark and I miss Christmas lights.  Plus I think we all need more twinkly lights in our lives.

On Monday we took some more time to paint, draw and make wax paper crayon hearts.  I let Elijah go on this one so we may need to do some more ironing to spread out the wax some.  This craft was a little more difficult than I expected.  Oops.

The kids and I talked a lot about Martin Luther King and listened to his speech and biography.  We talked about how our family couldn't "legally" exist.  The kids are a little young so I try to dose out these lessons as we go along but in a sensitive way.  I watched the Meet the Press interview with Dr. King.  You can feel how much they didn't like him.  It's long but interesting.  You can find it here.  It is almost surreal watching Dr. King from 1965.  The questions he was asked are very interesting to say the least.

Then late Monday night we started getting this:

        Finally. 

How was your weekend?

Photographic Friday ~ Thirty-five

It's Photographic Friday, the day when I share practice photographs from the past few days or so.  They aren't perfect.  What is really?  I'm enjoying the process of concentrating, creating and working up my 10,000 hours of practice.  If the spirit moves you, feel free to share your own creations, photographic and otherwise with a link!

Here's to a joyful weekend for us all.  And for those celebrating, Happy Epiphany!

A Few of Their Favorite Things

Christmas time is almost over and we have tried to savor as many moments as possible.  The kiddos have been playing with their new toys and reading their new books.  It's fun to walk through the house and see what they have created during the day, even if I do say a few questionable words when I step on some errant clay or a toy zebra.  

We were also very excited this season because for the first time in his 10 years, Doran was very interested in presents.  He wanted to receive them, and unwrap them.  He was even interested in the actual gifts.  We could see it on his face.  He has always enjoyed certain things like paint supplies and certain books.  This year though, he "got it".  Doran even asked for more presents, which usually might be annoying, but we were happy that he cared and that he was connecting.  My brother gave him a new nickname-King Christmas.  One of his favorite gifts is Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett.  Doran loves hedgehogs and I am so happy he is in love with this book.

Helena has been creating some interesting outfits from some design fabric Greg's mom gave her.  She even put one of the sticker "crystals" on her own forehead.

Some of Elijah's clay creations.  He made some scuba-diving bears, a yellow bird, an ice cream cone and a red clock.  The photo doesn't quite do them justice, but mama was in a big hurry.

This is a doghouse that Eden's cousin MacKenzie made for her.  It's adorable.  It has a family of dogs that she put in there too.  Eden carries the dogs and the doghouse everywhere.

I think my favorite things were creating gifts, having a slower Advent season with my family, wonderful meals and visits with friends and family, and Doran's new-found interest in the season.

 How about you?  What were some of your favorite things?

 

Good Tindings-in Which we Officially Start Over

It's Photographic Friday, the day when I share practice photographs from the past few days or so.  They aren't perfect.  What is really?  I'm enjoying the process of concentrating, creating and working up my 10,000 hours of practice.  If the spirit moves you, feel free to share your own creations, photographic and otherwise with a link!

Ah a new year, a new start-even though I like to think of every minute, or even every second as a time to start over.  It makes life and the inevitable mistakes a  bit easier-realizing we have the opportunity to start over whenever.  But in honor of the New Year, hearty cheers to officially starting over!

Happy New Year!