bloom +

our attempt to force paperwhites and amaryllis was inspired by kristina back in december. i thought it would bring in a little bit of spring. my teacher mom naturally led me to all sorts of other things the big bug and i could do as we watched nature at work. i captured the plants with the camera (here) while e "journal-ed", measured and drew on a fairly regular basis in a (made by melissa very special) little notebook she carries with her wherever she goes. i'll try and get it away from her to capture some of her images. it has been a fun project. but i fear it is coming to an end as this morning the blooms were beginning to droop... (a little like me today.)

i feel a math theme at work. (mommmm!) happy wednesday.

simple arithmetic

plus



equals



i am finally feeling better after battling a terrible head cold for the last three days. i started making these oh-so-easy crayon hearts with the big bug one day after school last week. she got really into it with her dad and sister over the weekend (while i lay on the couch), and i think now we have enough for both her and the little bug's classes for valentine's day. (you can find the instructions here. i believe that the 150 degrees stated is celsius, as we found we had to go to 300 degrees fahrenheit for about 10 minutes to get the desired results.)

for those of you interested in giving this a go, we used a wilton silicone tray from target... after the crayons had melted, we slid it into the fridge to cool. an hour or so later the big bug was able to pop the new heart-shaped crayons out. have fun!

thanks for all the bathroom love. i have to repeat that d did this all on his own. it hasn't been easy. but it is definitely worth the pain. when the house is done. it will truly be ours!

have a wonderful weekend

Corners of Our Home 22

where you get to see the result of a year's worth of work. yes, this do-it-yourself project is taking that long. and hear that we are almost, yes almost!, finished. (see Corners of Our Home 7. looks alot like the inspiration pic, don't it?)

enter from our bedroom through the custom made pocket door. custom made by d.

and step onto my favorite flooring. cork. and look over for a view of our "baby blue bathroom" (as the bugs refer to it).



left on the list: shelving; drawer faces; counter top; mirror; sinks and fixtures; lighting over vanity... oh and baseboards. (someday.)

d. i am in awe of your craftsmanship. and perseverance. it is all worth it my dear.

for linens. i am thinking an unbleached hemp for the shower curtain and towels. what do you think?

sunshine on a cloudy day

it is cloudy and cold and looks like it will rain any minute now. this kind of weather puts me in a fabulous mood. socal is almost season-less. and this feels like something!

we got the new floor finished in the bathroom. you can not imagine the joy this brings me. (ok, d, i know you can imagine!) you can check it out here. it is glass tile and cork and it smells so good and feels so good and. well. i am in love with my floor. it is true. i think a thursday "corner of our home" post is a must...

the above pictured poncho was precured this past weekend while on a treasure hunt with sam. {thanks sam for your sharp eye once again!} the trip also yielded three new dresses for miss e and a fabulous hand-knit vest for miss k. the poncho appears to be handmade. and is a bit of sunshine on this otherwise cloudy day.

we are busy getting our miniswap package together. and working on aprons and bonnets for the bugs. all perfect for a day like today.

"c" is for cupcake

and for today's birthday girl.

a last minute bookbag inspired by this. {i cheated a little. the bag premade. and the "c" an iron-on from a fantastic local source for iron-on transfers embellished a little by hand.}

and then we got carried away...



it is overcast. and cold. {for l.a.} and not-so-good for taking photos.
but i love it anyway. feels like a touch of winter. hope you are having a lovely saturday.

late to the party

i know this is old news. (but sam this one is for you...)

so while attending my aforementioned niece's birthday fete. which happened to take place at a mall not too far from us. i spotted forever21. the little one was a bit fussy and needed a break from all the celebrating. and then alicia's post came back to me. and in i went. little bug and i spent most of the remainder of the party in the forever21 changing room.

wow.

yes, i have read about the proselytizing. (which has never stopped me from going to in and out so didn't stop me here.) and about the sweatshop watch. (which is now apparently settled.)

the colors. the styles. and the prices. yes. the prices.

care to hit the mall my friend?


happy weekend!

to do

* gift for a wee cousin
* gift for a wee friend
* prepare for baby shower
* prepare for pta sponsored walk-a-thon
* visit school gardens
* visit the dentist
* watch my girls bloom
* watch the flowers grow

(so much so quickly! we think we could see them growing yesterday...)



hope you are having a wonderful week...

i'm not very good at this game

justine just tagged me.

i have been pretty good at avoiding these kinds of things over the last year of blogging. now two in one week. i don't at all want to sound bitchy. i always enjoy what others answer when put in this place. and i am a big fan of the 2 who tagged me. but i am not very good at this. it makes me feel slightly awkward. don't really know why. that same feeling i used to have in gym class when the ball was headed my way. my answer then was to duck. i have gotten much better at catching balls in recent years. i even own "athletic shoes" (as my husband calls them). so for you justine. here i go. (you can read the rules etc. on this here.)

5 random things i don't think you know about me

1. i was accepted into a graduate program at the bard center for curatorial studies and art in contemporary culture. i deferred. then declined. every so often i wish i had said yes. but if i had i wouldn't have had the opportunities to meet some really amazing artists. (i love working with artists.) go to some really amazing places. or likely have married d. who i am very very happy i said yes to. and had the joys that are my kids.

2. yesterday my church nominated me to join the vestry. i deferred. next year i may decline.

3. i am thinking that a family of 5 sounds really really nice. but i am not yet completely convinced it would be right for us.

4. i have spoken to my mom on the telephone almost everyday since my dad died 5 years ago this february.

5. my mentor is a truly amazing woman named mildred "connie" constantine. she turned 92 in june. i am so blessed to have her in my life. someday i hope to write a book about her. the big bug's middle name is constance.

whew.

project found

so sam and i have decided this is what we will start our project with. forgoing the gingerbread motif. (but hoping to revisit it during our "christmas in july" crafting blitz.) i am going to try and make a matching bonnet a la angry chicken. we are all "little house" over here right now. to the point where the big bug will only answer to "mary", and insists that d (or should i say "charles") call me "caroline".

now what fabric should i go with? sam's ideas here...

at zoe's request

6 weird things about me. sounds easy enough...

the rules as from zoe are as follows:

People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.
right, here goes...

1. i must make sure that the ikea plastic dishes, bowls and cups used by the girls are always stacked in the following order: orange orange blue blue green green yellow yellow.
2. i get quite excited when a letter arrives in the post and the stamp has not been cancelled. i carefully cut it out and save it to reuse. (if it is from canada i mail it to my mom - who i picked up this habit from.)
3. we don't have cable. or tivo. just our local channels that we pick-up via a cumbersome set of rabbit ears d purchased when he realized we received no channels without them. this may not be that weird. people in l.a. are generally pretty shocked by it though. i do miss pbs.
4. i can't stand the taste of ketchup. except on fish sticks. and i love old dutch ketchup flavoured chips. but don't eat them anymore because they contain msg...
5. i love tomato aspic
6. whenever anyone in our little family says "hey" someone else inevitably replies "you've got to hide your love away." we are all weird in that way.

this was more difficult than i thought.

instead of tagging, i'll leave it up to you. any takers?

have a lovely weekend.

crazy weather

this was the sky looking east this morning. the new banner, the same flock of {canadian} geese, looking west.

finally watched an inconvenient truth all the way through. {it was a holiday gift from my conspiracy theory loving husband.}

thinking about moving to higher land. d suggests the top of mt. galiano.

i'm thinking higher.

any suggestions?

birthday.bird.bag

one of my nieces celebrated her 7th birthday in style today. my girls were primped and preened and turned into fairy princesses in celebration.

i made a little bag for the birthday princess. based on a free pattern found here. but with some liberal adaptations. i didn't do the batting. nor a closure. i admit i was in a bit of a rush this time {ahem, late last night} and was looking to cut corners. but i am happy with how it turned out. i added the contrast to the beak. and i love the little wing/pocket with the ruffle. next go i would include the trim as it is called for. and do a button closure, i think. i used some long long ago thrifted corduroy. and some calico from sam. and a little bit from shannon too. thanks ladies.

we are all in a bit of a holiday monday fog... and it is cold. so cold i had to break the ice on the turtle pond. {giselle is ok - no worries} and windy. i think a nap is in order.

818 to 310

when i moved here 10 yrs ago, i was so lucky to meet this lady. we moved here from different countries to attend the same program. we ended up staying here. meeting our husbands. getting married within a week of each other. having kids . . . sewing, blogging (she's the one who got me going) . . .

while we are still in los angeles per se. we live quite a distance apart. at opposite ends of it all. sometimes with a 30 degree temperature difference. sometimes 20 minutes apart. sometimes 120 minutes apart. (god bless the 405 freeway.) in different area codes (me - 818 / she - 310)

for me she is the queen of thrifted fabric. she has a keen eye and impeccable timing. and i am often the lucky recipient of her finds. (as the package i just received above attests to.)

so we have a new deal going. an on-line sewing support group. trying to keep each other motivated this year. and a "christmas in july" holiday crafting blitz.

so what should we start with sam? something from here? or should we try starting with the same fabric and see where it takes each of us? let me know...

a bit more nothing - and a little something

so to clarify - i am lousy at meditating. the closest i come, like gwen, is when i am knitting. i am also a pretty lousy knitter. must concentrate on each and every move i make. i like it this way. makes me completely clear my mind for the task at hand.

and i am not any good at doing nothing either. i worry that if i start doing nothing it will be too difficult for me to return to something.

in further conversation i was told that one should not attempt to discover the nothingness behind you (ayin) without a guide as if it is reached, you may be lost. so there we go.

anyway, enough...

here is a little something i added to the top of a package for my dear dear friend to wear in her hair.



have a lovely weekend, doing something. or nothing. as you please...

a post about nothing

where has the week gone?

we are settling into the groove of it all. first week back to school for the big bug and of course it was riddled with the unexpected. but we are marching forward.

a friend asked me last night if i was good at doing nothing. it caught me off guard. i had never really thought about it. at work, we have been talking a lot about the kabbalistic practice of trying to focus on what is directly behind you as a form of meditation. the nothingness that you can never see. (the artist i work for is developing a series of pieces based on this idea.)

nothing. behind us.

i tend to dwell on the past. worry too much about what didn't happen/get done/go the way i had hoped.

everything. before us.

{un}forced

forcing amaryllis and paperwhites
drinking chai
reviewing 2006 magazines and tearing out inspiration

listening to the sisters at play (its all about having babies this morning)

perfect s l o w morning

a new hotpad

sorry about yesterday. {i could feel your eyes {lovingly} roll sam!} no real excuse. and hannah was bang on. less time worrying about it is in order! the little bug has been diagnosed with esotropia and is experiencing some discomfort while she wears a patch to try and strengthen her weak eye. we think she is experiencing some discomfort from the strain. and in turn so are we! and she will start wearing glasses next monday. (she seems quite excited by that prospect.)i think this got me thinking about hometime vs. worktime a bit more than usual.

the bugs and i pulled out some scraps of fabric sent recently from stephanie and pulled this together. our house is full of blues and oranges. and it makes me smile.

and i feel better already.

a new day

2007 feels so far so good.

though i fear that the rush and anxiety that i felt during the last half of 2006 is just around the corner as the big bug looks toward returning to school next monday and our day-to-day routine shifts from vacation mode back to "normal".

i read this last week and felt my head swirl. lisa spoke of an interview i had missed on charlie rose with cate blanchett. in answer to his question (to paraphrase) "how do you do it all?" she replied, "i don't know anyone who has managed it all.... something always atrophies". isn't that the way it is? something has to give a little. i know this conversation over balance (motherhood / friendships / career / creativity / marriage / spirituality / physical well-being...)has been gone over again and again. but this year. 2007. i fear something in our household will have to give. atrophy. i am battling with how balance can be found. how i can organize my priorities and find the solution that works for everyone under our roof.

i love stephanie's idea of a slow life movement. but how do i attain it right now? what can i say "no" to? i look forward to hearing more from others on a similar journey. i feel i have been able to formulate a slower pace for the girls, but in turn find that mine has accelerated.

where to let it give a little.

i am working on it.

such reflection began and the reshuffling of priorities was strengthened with the news of the kim family tragedy. how could it not? bid it you can and show your support.

happy new year!

may your feet dance and your heart sing throughout 2007!