Under the Polka Dot Tree...

Contemplations from the Kitchen

2009-12-17T07:22:00.003-05:00

There is something quite comforting in the making of homemade bread. It speaks of home and warmth and comfort. When I was a little girl, around 7, my mom and dad made a very contentious shift in the direction of our family. Many many things came about because of it, but one thing was this: mom started making our bread. Now this may seem a small thing to you, if you make bread regularly. But I had never had homemade before and this was very new and strange. I remember trying to eat a sandwich (the kind with lunch meat on it) with mom's whole wheat bread. It was really difficult and not the tasty-est. I slightly rebelled against the whole bread made at home thing. But as time went on I learn to appreciate and love my mother's bread. I learned how to mix and knead and rise and shape the loaves. I help roll it out and spread it with butter and sprinkle it with cinnamon and brown sugar, then roll it up and drop it in the pan, watching it rise and bake with mouth watering and cutting it open before it was even cooled to have a slice. By the time I was 13, I could make bread almost without the recipe and the love of bread making has never left. My 1st year or so of married life put bread making on hold. I was pretty busy with my new life, husband, and soon after, the expecting of a new baby.
But eventually I pulled out my cookbook, the one identical to my mom's, given to me by one of her old LLL friends at my wedding shower, and looked up the bread recipe. Olivia was now the helper and has a love of bread making - the sprinkle of yeast on warm water, the mixing and kneading, the slow wait of the rise, the punch down and rise again. All for the delicious taste of warm golden bread.

My mom was inspired by new friends to make bread. We had just moved away from the midwest and left all family and everything familiar behind to start over in the mountains of North Carolina. We knew no one and my mom had taken the plunge to be a stay at home mom and home-school me and having a newborn all at the same time. She joined the local La Leche League and soon made many friends. At the time I thought they were weird (little did I know how I would turn out!) with their breastfeeding, home birthing midwife stories, tofu and quinoa, Birkenstock's and no make-up. But, they encouraged my mom to eat healthy, stay at home, love her babies, and try new things. My mom bought the LLL "Whole Foods For the Whole Family" cookbook and started practicing "new." Her bread making adventures were wide and varied with wide and varied results. The bread recipe that she finally landed on was called "Challah" or Jewish Sabbath Loaves. I always thought that was pretty cool but since we didn't do the traditional braiding of the dough, it was soon just bread. Good bread, but just ordinary bread.

Let's fast forward the clock 18 years, shall we? I'm now the mommy, teaching and homeschooling my girls, involved with my own "weird" friends and totally used to making my own bread, salad dressings, jellies, and the like. One day a friend and I get to talking about our school plans and this Math curriculum, and that science book when the subject of Jewish traditions came up. (Why, I can't say and don't remember, but that is not unusual for us as we have some very winding conversations.) I tell her that I bought this book to study with Olivia as part of our history curriculum and we talked about our desire to celebrate life during the month of Oct. and something other than Halloween at the end of the month.
This all lead into a discussion on Sabbath and learning Hebrew and a million other things (that's how we roll. Our husband's drag us out the door, still talking, and bundle us into the vans, still talking, and drive away with us still talking and saying, "I'll call you tomorrow!") but it boiled down to wanting to learn Jewish history for ourselves and our families and we started celebrating Sabbath together. My friend and I read over a suggested menu and she says, "What's the ch-al-lah" thing they keep talking about?"
Cue light bulb moment music please!
"Challah! I know how to make that! It's Jewish sabbath loaves. My mom made it for years growing up. I'll make the bread for Friday. "
And so it began. A tradition began, a recipe was shared, heart attitudes adjusted, lives forever changed. What started years ago as my mom's desire to feed her family healthy has turned into a Friday tradition of one of us making a batch of bread on Friday and breaking bread together as a family (two families) and taking some time out of our busy busy lives to honor and bless our Heavenly Father.

Challah Or Jewish Sabbath loaves
2T. yeast
2C. warm water
2 eggs
1/4C. honey
2t. salt
2T. butter or olive oil
7 to 8C. flour (my recipe calls for whole wheat, but I don't use w.w. for this recipe)
egg wash

1. Dissolve yeast in water in large bowl. Let rest for 10 minutes.

2. Add eggs, honey, salt, butter, and about 3 1/2 c. flour. Beat well with mixer. Add as much remaining flour as possible in your mixer.

3. Turn soft dough out onto well-flour surface and knead for 8 minutes (5-10) Use as little flour as possible for a delicate Challah. It should be velvety soft (like a baby's bottom my mom always said.)

4. Place dough in greased large bowl, greasing top of dough as well and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rist for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled.

5. Punch down (kids love to do that part!) and let rise again.

6. Cut dough in half, set half aside. Cut into thirds and roll dough into "snakes." Braid the 3 strands of dough. Repeat with reserved half. Place on greased baking sheet, let rise until doubled.

7. Brush with egg wash and bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve warm or cold.

Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.

Biteavon! -Hearty appetite!

Contemplations From the Kitchen

2009-10-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam,
ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.

Blessed art Thou, LORD our God, King of the universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.

Biteavon! -Hearty appetite!

A day in the life of a SAHM

2009-12-16T15:25:00.002-05:00

There are days folk, just "those" days when you wake up with a vision and a goal, you have a list made before your feet ever hit the floor, and all seems good.

You put a kettle of water on to boil for tea. You flip open the laptop to check email and Facebook for just a second. But you have 15 notices and you have to read every one. And that email needs a reply.

Then, the kids wake. You really lose time here. There are no long sleeve shirts hanging in the closet or they don't want eggs for breakfast even though there isn't another thing in the fridge or pantry to eat.

The phone rings. And rings again. And rings again. One of those calls is a crisis and needs time and attention. Another is an order. Another, a friend who wants to chat and catch up.

Then school. Oh school. Math takes up an entire 2 hours and you both feel like beating your head on the table. Who cares about spelling, handwriting, science, and history at this point?

Husband walks in the door and is expecting lunch. Lunch?? You only ate breakfast an hour ago.
He fixes a salad while the little ones spread peanut butter on the table instead of on the bread.

Daddy leaves and every one is told to "find something to do" Baby needs a nap.

The phone rings.
Again. And they need complicated sewing advice.

Baby is still sleeping and oh, did I mention it was on your lap and if you dare to move, baby wakes up and refuses to go back to sleep and will cry for the next 4 hours straight?

Older child sticks in the 4th movie of the afternoon (really?? Really???)

You look at the Christmas tree and notice that is leaning rather alarmingly forward and an entire strand of lights has burned out.

It's 4:30. Hubby will be home in 20 minutes.
School was never finished.
You forgot to take any kind of meat out of the freezer.
You have a chiropractor appointment at 5:30 and books due at the library.
But you haven't had a shower in 4 days and you can't even find the mascara.
And that load of laundry the you put in the washer last night?
It's still in the washer. Along with the only pair of jeans that fit and your favorite sweater.

But wait, where in the world did that list go?
I think it crawled back into that unmade bed upstairs and is taking a nice long nap.
Maybe until after Christmas.

Does any of this sound familiar?

A new adventure

2009-12-09T10:22:00.007-05:00

The giveaway is closed. Nikki is the random winner! Congrats Nikki!

Hello all of my friends!
Such exciting news to share and a fun goodie.
Several months ago,
I was approached about contributing
to a nation craft magazine called "Crafts'nThings"
I was quite excited and scared at the same time,
but with some encouragement
and quite a few emails back and forth
I submitted my first designs in September
for the January/February issue.

One of them was picked up and accepted for publishing.
It is been a long wait to get to see it finally in print,
but yesterday the issue arrived in my mailbox
and I can't quite explain the thrill I got
from seeing my pictures and words on a glossy page.
Kind of addicting, I must admit. :)

A fun little sidenote: Two of the pictures that were chosen
happened to be a birthday gift to the ever lovely Chelle
and a small gift to her daughter Annabelle!

My editor is more than kind and I'm delighted to be part of their team.
I also can't wait to show you subsequent issues
that I'm part of as well!
But all in good time.

Now, on to goodies!
I want to share some of the excitement with you guys
so I'm going to be giving away a copy
of the Jan/Feb issue of Crafts'nThings to one lucky person!
If you want to enter please leave
your name, email, and
favorite Christmas craft for this year in the comments.
Addition entries if
you blog about it,
facebook link it,
or twitter it!
Just let me know in the comments.

You have until Monday, the 14th to enter
Good luck!

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

2009-11-25T22:36:00.001-05:00

By Abraham Lincoln

"The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

"In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

"Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

"It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

"In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed."

Done at the city of Washington, this 3rd day of October, A.D. 1863

Taken from the Dave Ramsey website. Can be seen here.

Blogging Award

2009-11-02T12:58:00.004-05:00

My dear friend, Katie, has awarded me (and several other sweet friends) the 'Over the top' blog award. Thank you! And while I don't feel "over the top" (hello lost little blog!) I am very honored.
Part of this award is answering a little quiz and passing it on to 6 other bloggy friends.
so here goes ...

1. where is your cell phone:utterly lost. Mike took it running errands one day and it never cam home.

2. your hair: is long. "Someone" wants me to cut it short. I'm terribly undecided.

3. your father: is someone I love dearly.

4. your favorite food: the food that I don't eat. lol Pizza, ice cream, bread, desserts.

5. your dream from last night:I'd rather not try and remember. I have such crazy dreams.

6. your favorite drink: hot tea most days with an occasional latte or frappachino thrown in.

7. Your dream/goal: a farm, in the country. Lots of animals, lots of babies, and lots of family around. And a successful sewing/crafting venture with publication. Writing a book, at least one.
Building our own farm house. I could fill pages with dreams and goals.

8. what room are you in: the FROG.

9. what is your hobby: washing dishes, folding laundry, cooking 3 meals a day, vacuuming, scrubbing bathtubs and toilets, teaching 2nd grade, wiping faces and hinney's, buying groceries, mopping the kitchen. lol

10. what is your fear: losing a child

11. where do you want to be in 6 years: see #7

12. where were you last night: at home, talking on the phone, eat popcorn, and watching movies with Mike and the kids.

13. something you are not: outgoing, organized, on-time, good at saying "no"

14. muffins: blueberry with strusel topping, apple cinnamon, or peanut butter with raspberry jelly on the side.

15. wish list items: that will be coming soon. Mike needs some ideas.

16. where did you grow up: everywhere. Kansas, West Texas, North Carolina, East Texas, and South Carolina.

17. last thing you did: read Olivia her spelling words.

18. what are you wearing:yoga pants, sweatshirt, and socks. It's cold today!

19. your tv: is off.

20. your pets: are non existent. Unless you consider the dust bunnies "pets."

21. your friends: are a blessing.

22. your life: is in an ever present state of flux, learning, and change. But, good.

23. your mood: is quiet. Lots to think about.

24. missing someone: lots of people. Family and friends can all seem very far away at times.

25. vehicle: a total "mom" car. Toyota mini van. But I've wanted one since I was 8. :)

26. something your not wearing: can't think of anything.

27. your favorite store: People, Places, and Quilts.

28. your favorite color: turquoise, lavender, yellow, and pink for my house. But navy, plum, gray, black, and dark green is I'm wearing it.

29. when's the last time you laughed: this morning at Rose. She's always doing something silly.

30. when's the last time you cried: last week some time probably.

31. your best friend: I don't think I have just one. Many different friends fill many different places in my life. I won't name names.

32. one place you go over and over: the grocery store

33. one person who emails me regularly: Chelle, Jenni, Debbi.

34. Favorite place to eat: I don't really have one. Panera is our usual place of choice, but I'm sure there is better out there.

Now, to nominate. I will try not to overlap KT's nom's even though I think she was absolutely correct in all of them! :) My choices are

Keri of Pink Lemonade
Jessica of Living the Swell Life
Misha of Beauty and Joy
Jenni of Lana Bella
Nicole of Lillyella
Aminta of Beauty in Simplicity

Have fun you guys!

Playing catch-up

2009-10-15T20:51:00.016-05:00

Hi everyone,
We're still here, I promise. Life is busy busy right now with school work and an almost 2 year old and a few new adventures that have come our way. Hard to believe it's been a month since my last post and I know a few people are pretty desperate for some recent pictures of the girls.
Here a few, take on our trip to TN and NC during our Labor Day weekend camping trip.
(Yes, I'm aware that that was quite awhile ago, but that's the best I can do.)
Hope you enjoy them!

sampling the fresh cider

Daddy, Rose, and apples.
Such a wonderful combination.

tables and tables full of apples

more cider sampling

Olivia and her apples

the orchard had wagons this year and the girls loved it!

Rosy loves apples.

Mike and Miss O.

I've been picking apples at this orchard since
I was 7 years old.
The owners recognized us when we came and it
made the old lady cry.

Mist over the creek at our campground

We had lots of rain on this camping trip and Sadie~Rose lived in her jacket

visiting the ruins of the clubhouse is a must

All of us at Abram's Falls, Cades Cove, TN

We were right inside the mist.
It felt so good to cool down after the 2.5 mile hike in.

Lovely Abram's Falls.

One our way there.

The kids taking a break from hiking to climb.

O and M were photographing all the mushrooms we saw along the trail.
It took f.o.r.e.v.e.r.

Olivia taking pictures.

More pictures

My Rose and I, with Daddy sneaking in, while we drove through Cade's Cove.

It's a bear cub!

My most favorite picture of the whole trip.
Olivia took it.

Rose taking a nap and me doing some "research"

The girls playing while we set up camp.

New Found Gap Overlook.
Our 1st stop on our way through the park.

The girls and I at NFG overlook, on our way to camp.

On my kitchen window

2009-09-15T10:31:00.003-05:00

Olivia picked these and brought them to me
while she was supposed to be getting the mail.

She said she liked the purple and yellow together.
She is the master of mini bouquets
and unique color combos. :)

A new school year

2009-08-04T22:06:00.007-05:00

Oh my, can it really be year #3 of homeschooling for us?
I have to admit that I think I'm more excited this year than I have previously.
Although it hasn't been the easiest year as far as making a plan and deciding what to use.
Some how last year I was put on a lot of different mailing lists for many different curriculum's. Some I had heard of or even used in my own 11 years of being home-schooled. You're typical Christian companies like ABeka and Bob Jones University. Others were not so known to me like, Memoria Press, Veritas Press, and Timberdoodle. We also some how started receiving a home-schooling magazine as well full of very good and encouraging articles( I highly recommend getting one yourself if you are planning or even thinking about home education.) I spent quite a bit of time studying the various catalogs all last year, but since I had already decided on using A.C.E. and then bought and started using the 1st grad books I thought it would probably not do well to jump ship. Thankfully, Olivia's foray into this thing we call "school" was successful and we now know how to read and write and add and subtract. But, we did discover some weaknesses along with known strengths along the way.
As a disclaimer, I used A.C.E. grades 2nd thru 12th with a few supplements from Abeka thrown in along the way from 5th grade on. That is what I know and it is good. It gave a me pretty good foundation. I'm sure there were areas that could have been more developed, but at the time these same resources were not available and there are and will always be areas of myself to improve upon.
That being said, I felt like something different could be used to work better with Olivia's strengths, improve her weaknesses, and engage her interest and excitement again.
So, last week I decided it was time to quite procrastinating (something I am very very good at) and make a plan for this new school year. After deciding that I found with a very paralyzing and overwhelming sense of fear and indecision. I can't quite explain why, other than it seemed terribly terribly important to "get it right" this year. I felt like I was running out of time to teach her everything I want her to know, all the things I wished I had learned. There was too much and I would never be adequate to teach her. I was going to fail and ruin her education for life and it would be all my fault. No one to blame but me since I am the one who get's to make these decisions. How did such an all important job get placed in my hands? I struggled with knowing what grade to place her in as we are already a year ahead.
Oh my, the hours I spent agonizing. Wasted hours, time I will never get back. God is so good to meet us right where we are and take care of our needs. One night I was up late, doing a little blog walking because I couldn't sleep because I was so stressed about this and I happened to read Miss Misha's lovely inspiring thoughts on her upcoming school year. And I felt the shift inside of me. The reminder that learning is not always found in text books and in the defined hours of 8-3 of the school day. Learning and become a well rounded beautiful person is in the every day.
Homeschooling is not just about academia (though it plays a part) it is, for me, about shaping and molding little hearts to love and follow Jesus. To learn to live with compassion and joy. To learn how to change the oil in the car and how to bake bread. How to have integrity and be a hard worker and trustworthy. How to share God's message with the world and be a light no matter what situation you find yourself in.
Hello!!!! Talk about a wake-up call. I shut down the computer and went to bed, thankful and eager to begin fresh in the morning. I woke up rested and feeling like a weight had been lifted from me. I made lists and then lists under those lists and then another list under the list of lists.
(I'm lost without my lists!) And as I poured over the catalogs and prayed and spend several long long conversions on the phone with my mom ( I tend to think better out loud) I made some decisions. And I was so happy with them and excited. I went out on a limb a bit, taking some from one magazine and some from another and some of what I and my mom already have and dabbling in 1st and 2nd grade at the same time. I could do a whole other post on my wavering between doing 1st grade again (in a different curriculum) and starting cold turkey in 2nd grade with something new. After much thinking it over and making some choices based on what is best for Olivia and where she's at, I'm doing mostly 2nd, with some 1st and I'm ok with it.
After all, does grade level really matter in the big scope of it all? I think not.
I showed my master list to Mike and it felt so good to hear him say, "Wow! You did a great job and everything looks really good." (High high praise from my husband!)
I've allowed the melting pot to simmer a little, rolling my selections around a little more, ruminating on them. I've made a few slight changes, added more and took nothing out.
Several people have asked recently and in the past what we used or were going to use this year
so I thought I would share. I know our family would enjoy knowing as well.
Below is my list. We are using a bit of Veritas Press and a bit of Timberdoodle with a small bit of some Bible stuff that my mom used with me that is older, but I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it with Olivia. We'll see. I'm still thinking about that one and will maybe wait a couple of years and use an alternative this year. I'm listing my alternative as well.
All Veritas Press materials will be labeled with (VP) and all Timberdoodle will be labeled (Td) and most everything will be a click through link if you are interested in looking at the details of a specific course.

Math:
-Saxon 2 (VP)

Language Arts/Literature:
-First Favorites Comprehension Guide vol1 (VP)
reading list:
Curious George
Caps for Sale
Corduroy
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
Blueberries For Sal
The Little Engine That Could
Floss
A Chair For My Mother
Harry The Dirty Dog
Billy and Blaze
Bread And Jam For Frances
Frog And Toad Are Friends
Frog And Toad All Year Long
The Little House

-The Random House Book of Fairy Tales (VP)
-Little House Comprehension Guide (VP)
-Pathway Readers (Td)

English:
-Shurly Grammar 1 (VP)
-A Reason for Writing 2 (Td)

Spelling:
-Sequential Spelling (Td)

Science:
-Apologia's Young Explorer: Astronomy (Td)
-Stepping Into Science Kit (Td)
-D. L. Moody Science DVD series (Vision Forum) (This is a Christmas gift to the girls from my parents so we will be using them after the 1st of the year.)

History:
-The Story of the World vol1 "Ancient Times" (Td)
Reading List:
Living In Bible Times (VP)
Journey Through Bible Lands (VP)
Exodus (VP)
Celebrating Biblical Feasts (VP)

Bible:
-Leading Little Ones to God: A Child's Book of Bible Teaching
-The Family Bible Library (The Southwestern Company, copy write 1971)
-Old Testament and Ancient Egypt (VP) (this is my alternative)

Foreign Language:
-Prima Latina (VP)
-ASL (Td)

Art:
-Drawing with Children (VP)

Geography:
-Legends and Leagues (VP)
- A Child's Geography (Td) (this is if we wish to do another geography course after we finish Legends and Leagues which only last 1 semester)
-State Capitals Songs and Map (VP)

Typing:
-Typing Instructor (Td)

Please please please don't flip out! I know the list looks long, but some things are short courses, like the Legends and Leagues, and others we will only have lessons once or twice a week. I haven worked out the exact schedule, not having the books in my hands yet, but we won't be doing all of these subjects every single day. Most of them are reading, a few are listening to a CD, and all of them a should be done in 15-30 minutes, no more. Except if it involves art and drawing and maps and paint. Then it can last all day.

If you have any questions or you find a link messed up, let me know! And feedback is welcome. I would love to know what your family is using this year!

images via my tumblr

20 months

2009-07-30T21:18:00.002-05:00

My dear little one,

You are now 20 months. We're getting so close to two. How did that happen?
You are the most adorable little doll that we know. It's not that we are totally biased, everyone who sees you thinks so. You couldn't get any cuter or sweeter.
Lately you've decided to actually talk. For a few months I've been a little worried about your lack of words. You would make this sound that was half-way between a grunt and a whine.
Not pleasant to the ears, let me tell you!
Your daddy decided enough was enough and if you were not going to talk, you must at the very least use your sign language.
Which displeased you very much.
So much so that you flat out refused to sign and started to talk instead.
Imagine that!
Now, several weeks later, you use a combination of both talking and signing. But you talk when you use your signs. "Please," "thank you," "more," and "help" are all spoken and accompanied by the hand sign.
We competently melt at the sound of your little voice. Lately your new words are coming more and more quickly. Today I caught you singing "e, i, e, i, oh!" Olivia had taught you the song of Old MacDonald and you have had a blast singing "e, i, e, i, oh!" all day long. Even on the phone to Mimi.
Another favorite is "The Bunny Hop." Olivia has an old record with the Bunny Hop on it and whenever the mood strikes you, you will find the nearest person and start saying "hop! hop! hop!" and hopping up and down. You'll grab a finger and drag the person to the record play, pat it and repeat with great certainty, "hop! hop! hop!" And Nothing will do until the song is played.
Other new words include:
"gee" (drink)
"ocky, oddle, oo" (cockadoddledoo)
"quack quack"
"puppy"
"itty" (kitty)
"o-yah" (Olivia)
"mommmmeeeee" (mommy)
"buh-byeeeeee" (bye bye)
"nigh nigh" (night night)
"elp! elp!" (help help)
"soes" (shoes)
"cool!"
"preey" (pretty)
"coot" (cute)
"ose" (Rose)
"bites"
"pweas" (please)
"kank uooo" (thank you)
"k k" (thank you)
"eyes"
"nose"
"rrrrr" (ear)
"u-o" (uh-oh)
"choo-choo" (for train)
"cues cues" (Blue's Clue)
"noooooooooo!" (just imagine her eyes closed, her head tipped back and hand on forehead while say this. Most most dramatic.)
You drop all of your "h's" and most of your "r's" but it's the most adorable baby talk. Sadly, I don't have any way to share it online.
Somehow you have acquired a deep unending love of dogs. Any dog, and shape, any size. You and it will be best of friends. You carry around a pretend puppy most of the day and love to fall asleep with one. We can't wait to get you a real puppy. Soon, my dear, soon.
You like to pretend to be a puppy too. You crawl and bark, scratch and playfully bite. You love for Olivia to wrap any kind of cord, measuring tape, jump rope, string, or ribbon around your middle and let you crawl and pretend. You get very upset when she tires of this game.
You have quite the burgeoning sense of humor and make little jokes with yourself all the time.
The other evening, while Daddy and sister were playing "go fish" on the floor, you found a Barbie princess crown on the floor. You walked up to your daddy and gently positioned this coin sized crown on the top of his head. You took a step back, surveyed the picture just like an artist would with hand on hip, and suddenly burst into peals of happy hysterical giggles.
After it fell off with quick shake of Daddy's head which induce more giggling, you thought it was Olivia's turn. After placing the crown in her wavy locks, you found it just as funny as daddy's royal crowning.
You love "Blue's Clues, Spot, and Kipper" (All puppies, you see.)
Swimming (and water) is your thing.
You have no fear of heights, falling, swinging, jumping, being tossed, or going fast.
In most instances of any of the above, you beg for more.
You adore being outside and getting dirty, dirty, dirty.
You help pick the cherry tomatoes. Red or green, doesn't matter to you. They are all the same.
I some days wish to never see a blueberry again. We've been to the blueberry farm 3 times this year. And you have a great love of blueberries. I've changed a lot of purple diapers in the month of July. So many, in fact, that I have a hard time stomaching the smell of blueberries at times.
You still eat salad, tomatoes make you swoon, green beans are your best friends, broccoli and asparagus have no hope of survival with you around. Cucumbers are good, but you also think they are great for stashing away in secret hiding places. You love salsa, the hotter the better. You eat pretty much any kind of cheese. You love to dip so guacamole, hummus, spinach dip, and ketchup are regulars on the menu. Pasta is not your think, nor is meat. I think you think that you would die without blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and yogurt. You eat them every. single. day. You take vitamins and have no problem swallowing them whole, even though we prefer you to chew them up.
You love Dr. Justin, our chiropractor. You smile and bat your eyelashes at him, then say "hi!" in your most honeyed tone and wave your prom queen wave.
The librarians know you by sight, if not by name. You are a great help to them, always rearranging the DVD shelves to give them something to do.
You wave at every stranger in the grocery store and can solicit a smile from even the grumpiest store clerk. I have to say that you, your sister, and I make quite an eye-catching trio. Poor daddy is getting use to standing guard and carrying the shotgun (just kidding! sort of.)
You love dancing and music. Your favorite move is a little thing called the "Twirl." Daddy says you look like one of those little ballerina's in a jewelry box. Your not discriminating with your musical tastes, not yet anyway. 50's classics blend well with techno, Celtic singing, and praise and worship. It's all good with you.
You think you a quite the big girl. I'm pretty sure you believe that you are really 6 years old. Not surprisingly you and you sister get into some doozy fights. Amazingly, you hold your own quite well. But you adore your sister no matter how much she aggravates you. You love to lay on the floor, side by side, and color or do school work. If Olivia asks me for something and you know where it is, you run a quick as your chubby sweet legs will carry you and bring it back to her. You'll share bites of your precious cookie with her and snuggle under the blankets together and giggle. You play the "fish game" together daily. You drive her batty with your constant desire to watch Blue's Clues and nothing else. You two love being "dramatic" together. Those are the days that mommy puts you two in separate rooms and shuts herself on the back porch. You look up to Olivia with those big adoring little sister eyes. I pray that never changes.
We love you dearly and kiss on you every chance we get. Until just lately you've been quite stingy with your kisses and hugs back though. But, all of a sudden, something has changed and at the mention of "kiss" or "hug" or a kissing sound, you come running with open arms (and mouth!) It's been so sweet to see you be more affectionate with your family and friends.
So my Rosie, I'm sure I've missed a few things worth mentioning, mommy brain had been a bain since your arrival. But, it's been worth it just to have our sweet baby girl in our life.
We love you ever so much. No one can resist your charms, least of all your mommy, daddy, and sister. Know that you are loved and cherished.

With all my heart,
Mommy

all in a Sunday evening

2009-07-19T20:32:00.009-05:00

A spritzer on the porch.
Seltzer water and Newman's grape juice.

Fresh flowers on the table.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine.

A new skirt made from a vintage sheet.

14 cucumbers off of one vine!

Watering the garden.

Some swinging, but no looking at the camera.

Catching fairy fluff.

Playing in the water.

A cup of Lady Grey tea.

The books that we are pouring over at the moment
and the notebook to write our thoughts and plans in.

And the last installment of Frontier House.
Mike's dreaming. :)

It's been a good evening.

A midsummers eve

2009-07-14T09:17:00.004-05:00

isn't playing in water, the hose going full blast, and the pool all quintessential summer?
We have been enjoying our summer days and nights ever so much.
Once upon a time it felt like summer would never make her annual appearance,
but she finally did and there is no time like the present.

One evening Mike and I were doing some "yard beautification" i.e. digging holes in our clay filled flower beds and dropping poor unsuspecting plants in these holes and praying that they live through the shock, and the girl's needed some sort of amusement to keep them from running into the street. Mike cleverly thought to bring the blow up pool into the front yard and turn them loose with the hose. I don't think Sadie~Rose has ever had more fun in her entire life.

Teeth

2009-07-04T16:34:00.002-05:00

or the lack thereof.
Olivia lost her 1st tooth while we were on our trip to Oklahoma (very special) and then she lost her 2nd tooth just one week later on mommy's birthday (even more special.)

She has been learning how to eat corn on the cob, pizza bones, and apples without the use of her teeth. Because, her top tooth is also lose. I think I know what she ill be wishing for for Christmas!

Please ignore the evidences of chocolate around her mouth.
She is her mother's daughter after all. (wink)

You are...

2009-06-22T15:29:00.004-05:00

turning 38 today.
The 1st birthday we celebrated together
you were turning 31
and now here you are
38 and all grown up now.
(wink wink, laugh)

You are my darling,
my friend,
my lover,
my choice above all other.

We laugh.
We flirt.
We love.
We drive each other crazy -
keep each other sane.
We hold each other tight
and hold each other together.
We're each better because of the other.
Life is so amazing
with you...
and I wouldn't have it
any other way.

Happy Birthday Mike,
I love you.

25

2009-06-08T13:38:00.004-05:00

photo found on tumblr

As many of you know, I celebrated my 25th birthday a few days ago and, to me, it's a milestone.
My mom was 25 when she had me and for some reason I've always thought of it as the "grown-up" age mark. Silly I know. And I've also heard those reports that say that your teenage hormones don't fully leave until 25 (or in other words - you don't smart-en up until 25.)
In any case, I am looking forward to this year. There are so many things I would like to do and want to do. It feels like a huge new chapter of my life is opening up and I'm eager to begin.
So, in honor of that I am going to make my list of
25 things to do before I'm 26

1. attend a live symphonic performance
2. knit something more complicated than a scarf or hat
3. take pictures of finished sewing & craft projects
4. write down my goals and dreams for the future
5. teach at least 3 more sewing classes and demos
6. make "date night" a regular occurrence
7. move to the country and our own little "farm"
8. do daily devotions with Olivia before school
9. take a trip to the West Coast
10. start a family business with Mike
11. take another sewing/quilting class
12. read my Bible every day
13. stop procrastinating
14. visit an art museum
15. go to the theater or the opera
16. no more late birthday and Christmas gifts and cards
17. start working on the book that's in my head
18. see the Nutcracker ballet in person
19. plant daffodil bulbs around my house in the fall
20. read The Great Gatsby
21. go to D.C. and enjoy the Smithsonian museums, and the monuments
22. apply for a passport
23. invest in 3 pairs of boots (these, these, and these)
24. learn to milk a goat ( or cow)
25. exercise 2x a week ( any suggestions?)

I will periodically update and mark off this "done" things through out the year and keep you updated.

7 years

2009-06-01T07:40:00.005-05:00

11 years ago, I met a man and fell for him.
3 years later, he asked me to marry him,
and 1 year later, I did.
Now, 7 years have gone by since that day,
and I love him more than ever.

I'm so glad that I said, "yes"
and even though we've had a lot to learn
in these past 7 years,
I wouldn't trade them for anything.
Because I was with him.
And I'm ever so excited
to get to plan and spend my future with him.

My dear husband,
I'm looking forward to
the next 70 x 7 years together.

xoxo,
Fairlight

Happy Earth Day

2008-04-22T10:38:00.003-05:00

No, we're not "tree-huggers," (maybe we are) but I think we kind of fall into the "crunchy" group of people. Yeah, we're a little on the weird side,(and I have been hiding it from, you guys!) but I'm ok with it. :) We had planed a day to be outside, planting morning glory's, sunflowers, zinnias, and petunias and doing a little weeding in the beds, but it's cloudy, overcast, and chilly outdoors so we will be postponing those activities until a warmer day. Maybe tomorrow.
But, I thought I would share my recipe for home made laundry soap (which I had to make today), in honor of this very "green" day. :)

1 bar of grated soap (Fels Naptha is recommended, I get mine at Publix in the laundry section. Also, just so you know, I have used Dove brand and handmade natural soaps too, but to be really green you should probably use a natural soap that doesn't have a lot of chemicals in it. )
1 cup borax
1 cup WASHING soda (Arm and Hammer makes it and it's usually in the detergent aisle, again I get mine at Publix. Our Walmart doesn't carry it.)
**optional*** 1/4 cup of Oxyclean (I don't use Oxyclean, I use OxySun because it doesn't have all the harsh chemicals in it that would hurt the baby's skin as well as being not so great for the environment)

Mix it all up in a reused covered tub. Add 1 TABLESPOON (2 if it's really nasty) per load of laundry. This recipe is great to double or triple and it's wonderfully cost effective.

I got the recipe from Beth with this post who got it from this website. (And not, I didn't go hunting for the post. Sorry!)

Here's what they had to say about the penny pinching aspect of it: "Cost to make your own: Around $2 per batch. This is about 5.7 cents per load (using 2 tablespoons for each load, you get about 35 loads). Arm & Hammer laundry detergent is about 12.4 cents per load. Tide detergent is 30 cents and more per load."

That's pretty darn good if you ask me!

I'll be back soon with Birthday party updates and hopefully some "Passion." :)

Tumblr-ing

2009-05-20T06:23:00.005-05:00

To say that I've been a bit absent from my blog
would be a bit of an understatement, wouldn't it?
I haven't forgotten my dear blogging friends,
nor my family who check in often.
But, part of my heart has been a bit stolen by
this new thing they call Tumblr.
So full of yummy eye-candy goodness.
You can see mine here.
You are warned that there are over 70 pages at this point.

A camping we will go

2009-05-19T12:39:00.013-05:00

or actually, went. (Warning: very very heavy picture post ahead!!)
Last weekend Mike and I took the girls and went camping in the Appalachian Mountains. We love the mountains and always have a wonderful time. We visit and stay in the Smokey Mountain National Park. They have several campgrounds and we love them all, but are very partial to one. :)
We spent a lot of time enjoying the scenery and taking short walks since there were high chances of rain all 4 days that we were there. It didn't seem too wise to venture far from shelter with the downpours that blow up over the mountains. We had lots of fun and enjoyed every minute. Even the wet, muddy, and dirty ones.

We discovered while camping that Sadie~Rose is our nature girl. ?I've never seen a little one with such an affinity for dirt, mud, water, rocks, and plants. She was in heaven the whole time we were there. And a dirtier urchin I have not seen. But she had fun, so much fun.

We went to the Cherokee Indian Museum on Friday morning.
It was the perfect indoor outing for a rainy day.

We went to a working grist mill.
It's always a favorite hike for us.

We also hiked to Mingus Falls.
It's the tallest waterfall in the Appalachian Mountains.
About a 10 minute hike straight uphill, but so worth it.

A heart shaped knob on our tree by the campsite.

Sadie~Rose, passing the time waiting for dinner
sitting on a concrete bumper and looking at
a Babies-R-Us magazine she found in the car.

Our drive to Cade's Cove.
Rainy.

We saw lots and lots of deer in the Cove
after the rain storm was over.

Rose, practicing her driving skills.

Miss Olivia, pretending to be a bear in the
Cade's Cove Visitor's Center.

A lovely little stream that feeds into another working gristmill.

Sadie~Rose playing in the water.

Mike and the girls in front of the mill.

Driving through the park
you get some of the most amazing views.

We have a hard time keeping this child out of the water.

River stones.

Mother's Day.
Mommy with her girls.

Last picture on the camera.
I was taking pictures of the mountains
out the window when Olivia says,
"Quick, I need the camera!"
So I hand her the camera
and instead of pointing it out the window,
she points it at Mike and I's clasped hands.
Which is how we ride.
And what she sees.

Daddy and Mommy <3>

How does your garden grow?

2009-04-23T23:10:00.005-05:00

Proficiently!

If you are on the fence about the square foot gardening - don't be.
It is amazing.

I remembered this weekend that it's time for an update on our gardening adventures.
We've been eating dwarf pak choy almost every day for a week! It's a good thing both our girls like it! :) I harvested over 5lbs of it on Sunday. It's so good and such a delight to be eating something that we grew our self.

I need to take more pictures. We have stir-fry greens, collards, snow peas, heirloom tomatoes, zinnias, marigolds, carrots, onions, leeks, bell peppers, hot peppers, zucchini, patty pans, wild flowers, cornflowers, and potatoes all growing. And a few more things we need to plant. It's so fun to see our garden growing!

For Katie

2009-04-23T22:10:00.003-05:00

and for Olivia.
This past monday was Olivia's 6th birthday and this is one of the gifts I made for her.
Several months ago on Domestic Bliss we had a scrap swap. One of my lovely partners, KT, made us the adorably sweet matryoshka doll iron-ons.
Olivia immediately latched on to them, claiming them as her own. So I've been dreaming up a way to make them into something that will stay with us for a long time, rather than a t-shirt that will be outgrown in a season or two.
So, I hit upon the idea of a little patch work pillow. I had somthing slightly different in my head, but I was running out of time and lacking in inspiration so I ended up finding a fabric in my stash that matched the little doll perfectly and cut strips out of it to make the square of fabric the right size to fit over the pillow insert.
I think it turned out quite adorable and Miss O. is tickled with her darling pillow and sleeps with it nightly.

Doesn't she look sweet?

One of my favorite details of this pillow
is the 4 vintage buttons from my stash.
Love them!

Thank you Katie, for a wonderful gift.
We will treasure it for many years to come!

Spring is here and leaving

2009-04-16T16:11:00.005-05:00

I didn't mean to skip out on the whole entire blogging community for almost a month, but it sure did happen.
While I've been living life, spring has happen here in the lowcountry and we are on the tail end days. Our spring flowers have bloomed and gone away for the most part.
But, I have a few catch-up photos to show you.

The Bradford pear tree in our yard was ever so lovely.

And the flowering cherry tree in my neighbors yard
also afforded me a few lovely shots.

Miss Olivia has been learning to ride her bike without training wheels during the past month. I didn't realize what a big deal it was going to be to teach her to ride without the extra wheels. We've been walking to our local Middle school (it's directly behind our house) and letting her practice on the yards and yards of side walks.
She and Sadie~Rose were taking a break in the picture above.

Sadie~Rose has also gotten in on the action. She adores riding on sister's bike.
So they have to take turns.
Not that it breaks Olivia's heart to have to take a break from practicing. :)
She's getting much better and gaining confidence, so hopefully I will soon have pictures of her riding all by herself
sans training wheels.

We went on a trip to Florida for the Easter holiday weekend.
Visiting with my sister, her husband,
and my grandmother was also visiting as well.
We had a lovely warm laid back weekend.

Olivia discovered on our way south that she has her
1st loose tooth!
Can anything compare to the excitement of that discovery
at the tender age of 5?

Mike and I are busy dreaming and scheming,
and making plans.
Can't share a whole lot right now,
because nothing is set in stone.
But change is in the air and so close
we can taste it.
I'm hugely excited and
can't seem to keep the big ol' happy smile off my face any time we talk.
It's a good season for us.

So, my dear friends, that's a very brief over-view of
what's been going on in my neck of the woods.
What have you been up to lately?

On my favorites list

2009-03-24T19:53:00.005-05:00

I hope you shop on Etsy.
I really do,
because it's the best shopping place
in the whole wide world.

Here's a peek at some of my recent favorites.

Etsy
Buy Handmade
flightoffancydesigns

What's on your favorite list right now?
Make your own Etsy mini here.

I make stuff

2009-03-20T07:03:00.006-05:00

I've been busy making stuff around here. The machine never seems to stop, but it's the season for it. I always get the itch to sew like a maniac in spring. I don't know why.
I thought you guys might like a peek at what's been sliding out from under my presserfoot.

My 1st project was Olivia's dress. My crazy beautiful child who picks out fabrics and colors I would probably never look at. She pick out the fabrics for this dress all on her own. We decided on the bird fabric and I thought I would pick out the coordinating fabric, but no matter how many bolts of dark purple and magenta I pulled out, Olivia kept saying "no." We went upstairs and enlisted the help of our local quilt store employee and friend, Mary. Still nothing suitable to a 5 year old's taste was found in purple. So I finally asked her "Well, just what fabric do you want?" (I think I may have said this with just a touch of desperation in my voice.) She makes her way oh so casually down the row of bolts, running her finger across them and then stops in front of the section I never go to, the oranges. She stands there studying them for about 2 seconds, says, "I was thinking more like fall colors Mommy." Grabs 2 bolts of fabric off the shelf, carries them over to the cutting table, thumps them down, "Like these!" she says and then walks off, totally unconcerned, to get herself a cup of tea. Mary and I walk over and study her fabric choices. They match the bird fabric perfectly. Colors match, the prints are perfectly sized to coordinate, the tones are perfect. Everything is a match. Mary's jaw about hits the table in amazement and I just shake my head. Mary tells me that I should listen to Olivia more often. And I laugh.
Because I don't know any other 5, almost 6 year old who can match fabrics better than 2 women who have been sewing most of their life. Maybe I should listen to her more.
My 2nd project wasn't really my project at all. Well, it kind of was, but it kind of wasn't. See that bunny in Olivia's arms? She sewed it together, and stuffed it, and dressed it. Two Christmas's ago, a dear friend with the most dearest of hearts bought Olivia a "Sew-A-Bunny" kit. She meant well. She really did. I put it away in the top of the closet until last fall. Then I pulled it out because Olivia had been asking to learn how to sew and could she use the machine? Well, I was busy using the machine myself at the time and thought this might be the perfect "1st project." Let's just say it wasn't and I put it back in the top of the closet. But Olivia has never forgotten nor has she let me forget that she had an unfinished bunny up there.
Some time recently the bunny got taken down, how I don't know. Probably by the unknowing father, I'm guessing. Olivia decided to give it a try again. So I threaded the needle and showed her how to hold it, reiterate the same instructions again and again. Then I promptly went back to my own sewing. Which was not a good plan. Every two stitches, Olivia came to me for help. It was definitely not my best teaching moment and tears were shed on both sides and a few swear words rolled around in my head. But, we took a little break, sat down on the bed together and finished that rabbit. She stuffed it and I sewed the last bit closed and we were done!
I can not tell you how proud she was to show her daddy when he came home.
I think we both learned valuable lessons with that project. One being: Never give a child a "sew-your-own-stuffed-animal" kit before the age of 8!

My 3rd project was a special order purse for my friend Jenni. I showed her the one that I had made and she immediately ordered one of her own. I have enjoyed making it again. It is good practice for me since I'm teaching a class on this very bag in two weeks. I used some more of the chocolate linen and she ordered the cutest Japanese print fabric from this great Etsy seller. (He shipped it 1 hour after I purchased it!)
I'm very pleased with the results and can't wait to take it to her.

If you are interested in one of your own, please feel free to email me for prices.

A Camping We Must Go...

2009-03-17T08:37:00.008-05:00

with pretty things and flowers on our table. Real dishes and curtains fluttering in the wind. Tiny beds made up with warm down comforters, and thumb-tack postcards on our wall.

Mike and I are in the very middle of planning out our vacation time for the 1st half of the year. And while we do have differing opinions on most everything else, one thing we always agree on is a camping trip. It's usually a big one. 4 days, no electricity, no showers (ick, I know but we do "wash" every night,) cooking over the fire, sleeping in a tent, lots of hiking, etc. It's always tons of fun and we love it. But, we have thought about purchasing a camper to take with us, to ease the amount of work and leave room for more of the "fun" stuff.
In this months MaryJane's Farm magazine there was a whole article on "glam-ping" (glamor camping) and ladies who use vintage campers. We thought it was pretty cool and then low and behold I found a vintage camper on craigslist over the weekend. And today I've run across the coolest photo shoot ever and I think this is seriously something we are going to have to do!

Because seriously, who wouldn't want to go camping, if you could look this cool while doing it? :)

Photography by Nicole Hill Gerulat for Rubberball