beauty that moves

design dilema #1

Today marks the beginning of the one month count down to the Victorian House Tour in our town, of which our house will be on... open to the public... for all the world to see... in it's many stages of renovation glory. On more than one occasion Adam and I have made the obligatory "What were we thinking, agreeing to this?", remarks to one another, as we attempt to clean 45 windows and try not to think about the hike we aren't on. You know, it's very clever how the committee invites home owners to be on the tour sooo far in advance that it all seems endearingly possible to turn your dog hair filled, wet towel strewn, 1/2 painted, various colored walls, house in to something out of Cottage Living in what suddenly feels like a very abrupt time frame. A breeze, right? (what have we been doing for the last 8 months anyway?)

In all fairness and kindness, the committee goes out of their way to make you feel that rest assured, whatever you pull together, people will appreciate, don't sweat it. But still, I know with all of you creative, crafty folks reading, you understand the potential for fun and design/style bliss in dressing up an old house for a special occassion, you all get that, I am sure.

So I turn to you... I apologize now for the month to come. You will be sick of me I am sure. But you see, I know your secrets, I know each of you has impeccable taste, ability to create, and an insatiable desire to do so. I will be seeking your help. Like today. On the table, that great wooden box. oh my, what belongs in there? I'm thinking of using it in some way as the table's centerpiece. I'm coming up empty at the moment, what kind of display you would put in there? Plenty of folks will be setting their tables with dinnerware. I was thinking of a family craft table. This is a Bungalow after all, more Bohemian than Victorian. So? Care to share your ideas? I'd be so grateful.

I'll bribe you with food. Tonight's dinner, BCT (bacon, cucumber, tomato) pasta salad with the garden's first chives of the year! Always special, the first herbs. We also had a big and beautiful green salad topped with kalamata olives.  I love the simpler meals as Spring gets underway. Yum!   

pink and fluffy

So pretty. And sooo 1950's! Flea Market find this weekend. My computer is refusing to rotate photos for some reason, therefore I am unable to show the TWO tiers of these billowy, "excuse me while I straighten my pearls and serve lemon meringue pie" curtains. I'm not sure what that means other than it's all I can think of when I look at them, all seven of them! I know!! Emily's bedroom only has four windows. Hmm, what to do with the extras? Of course... send them to the neighbors house so they too can have a bedroom fit for hat boxes and stiletto's. Making the neighborhood a happier place, one over the top frilly curtain at a time. Both girls are thrilled, and now I just need to find myself some of these dishes like Meg's, serve a little breakfast in bed, and I will have officially entered a time warp.

Oh, I'll just put them in anyway. Gently drop your left ear towards your left shoulder...

Okay, we're doing yoga now, breath into the side neck, release tension...

Have a great Monday everyone, and thank you for all of the sweet and kind words of support over the weekend. Really, thank you.

Grand Opening

The little shop that I mentioned a while back, you know, the one I said was opened in early February? Oh, that one! Well there are finally some handmade goodies for your enjoyment, to add to your ever expanding Etsy shopping adventures. I do hope you stop by, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. My reason for procrastinating around the opening of this little shop? I feel a little shy about putting my things out there, on such display. (blush)

Well, with the encouragement of others, I'm letting go of that, and jumping in. Because truthfully, I get such pleasure out of making things. The whole process... salvaging fabrics at flea markets, music on the ipod in the studio, combining fabrics until they look just right (love!), a bit of wine or tea enjoyed while crafting, and finally, the satisfaction of producing something with my hands. Something that is made of mostly or all repurposed materials.  I think that above all is what I keep coming back for.

So, without further ado, welcome to my official grand opening, there is a link over to left, in the sidebar, if you're interested. Please enjoy your visit!

Now, back to dreaming of weekend plans.

yesterday and today

Lovely, yes. This was yesterday. Outdoor knitting, reading, sun soaking. Happy moment for sure. Lots of gratitude captured in this photo.

Enter today. It seems we are being invaded by turkey vultures. We live on 1/4 acre, so when the oak tree fills with 20-30 of these creepy fellows... it's just freaky, especially when today's sky is so dark and ominous.

It's okay now though, all is safe, 9 year old vulture whisperer and lover of all critter type things intervenes. Phew! Emily had a long chat with these uninvited tree dwellers, turns out they're not so bad. Apparently they promised not to eat Sukha (dog), Hazel (cat), or the neighborhood children. They mean no harm, just happen to like this old oak very much. Oh, and they wished her luck on her guitar lesson. And I was quick to judge.

Enjoy the weekend! I do hope the sun returns. Adam will be rock climbing, dry rocks would be nice....

freezer full

One for dinner, one for the freezer. I have a not so secret obsession with filling my freezer full of meals, cookie dough, cakes, frosting for cakes, muffin batter (yes, you can do this), bread, soups, stews, casseroles, it's endless really. I'm not sure why I do this, it's just really easy to, so why not. It's so easy to double whatever it is I'm cooking, and throw one in the freezer.

I love food. I love to read about it, shop for it, cook, and serve it. The women that inspired my love for cooking all cooked big. My family is French Canadian. My paternal grandmother, Memere, had what I believed as a little girl, to be a magic oven. I remember actually believing it might be magical. She had nine children, you could never prepare too much food, not possible. Whenever she would have gatherings at her house, that grew over the years to include spouses and grandchildren, the oven produced food I swear until the final guest went home. Roasts, potatoes, casseroles, baked beans, it just kept coming, never ending.

When my parents were teens and dating, the first time Dad had dinner with Mom's family, Mema politely served Dad the potatoes first, as he was the guest. Dad promptly took all of the potatoes from the modestly sized, delicate serving dish. There were no teenage boys in Mema's house, she wasn't prepared for his appetite. He wasn't prepared for the food to actually run out, or the ridiculously impractical serving dish.   

I also learned to cook working on an Herb Farm years ago. A lady named Delia was the head cook, straight from the south. We helped her prepare a five course luncheon daily for 100 people, one seating. Cooking big, it's what I know how to do. It pays off though. At least once a week we pull from the freezer stash, accommodating late schedules, afternoon hikes, laziness. It's quite lovely really. I am such a dork, honestly. Still, would you like to come for dinner? Cake?