I did it!

I can't believe i pulled off a post a day for NaBloPoMo.

I got this recipe from a friend but she didn't provide me with the instructions. Yesterday was my first time making them and this is how i did it. I should give the little dude credit for his part actually, he did all the dumping into the bowl and a good portion of the stirring. S-C-A-R-Y! Wood spoon, egg, splatters, wall, counters, hair, mom, but hey it was fun and then i had to throw him out. I don't have the name of the cookies so i'll make up my own. Okay, onward!

Triple-Chocolate-Threat-Has-Everything in-them-including-crunch Cookies

1 cup of flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 stick of butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup of milk choc chips
1/3 cup of whit choc chips
1/3 cup of semi-sweet chips
1/2 cup of cranberries
1/2 cup of almonds (if you want)

(I left out the almonds because LD doesn't like crunchy stuff in his food. I used one type of chocolate chips - semi sweet and i used cranraisins instead of cranberries. They were all good. And practically all gone. :-)

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients (not the oat meal though or choc chips). Set aside.

Soften butter (micro for 12 seconds or so). Mix wet ingredients and cream sugar and egg.

Mix dry and wet, add in the oatmeal and then chocolate and cranraisins or cranberries.

Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and lick the bowl clean - and don't let your toddler seeing you do that or they will fight you over the bowl and not listen to your warnings about salamonilla.

some days...

Some days as a Mom i find it so hard to stay at home and some days when it's particularly rough i want to go back to work. I was so twitchy last night from fighting with this boy. It's got to be the hardest job. If i didn't feel so strongly about being home with him, i would definately go to work. It's just so hard. You begin to lose your mind some days. With a husband that works so much and not knowing anyone else here makes it even harder.

Anyway, today is a new day right and it's been a good one alhamdulillah. And tonight we get a treat. Box seats at the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse tour. Should be fun and hopefully he'll have a good time around other kids and maybe i'll meet some of the wives from my husband's work.

Fall into winter

fall into winter
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

My backyard right now. Okay, it's not mine past the little fence structure off to the left, that begins our neighbors and down is well nature's but the view is all mine. Love it. This was taken at maghrib the other day. Maghrib is the late afternoon prayer of Muslims.


Here is the same view the day with the snow...

back yard
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Felt!

This blogging every day thing is making me boring isn't it?

I spent naptime felting wool scarves. After unsuccessfully finding sweaters to felt, I ordered some 100% wool vintage scarves made in Japan off Ebay. 8 of exactly the same scarves but different colors.


I felted one alone to see how it would turn out...i have a front loader so i had to wait and see. It turned out perfect. So then i did the other 7 at one time. Strange, every single one turned out a different size but now i have felt. Hot diggity dog.



I am into felt and fabric these days with embroidery tossed in - all on the same project. Fun. Working on special projects for special people that i can't show until they are in the hands of the beholders which is probably still a few weeks out.

I give up on doing the store thing right now. Too much pressure and it just isn't going to happen for a few months i think but ideas are running through my head.

I have a book review with a deadline of last week. It's editing stages today and yesterday and probably tomorrow. I can only work on it when LD is sleeping so it's slow going and I tend to work on one draft per day and not spend more than an hour a half to two hours at a time or i go buggy and ruin it with overanalysis. I usually do this for 4 or 5 days but i have to send it in tomorrow so i better get in gear and do draft 4 tonight. Sigh. I hate writing at night. I used to love it and would only write at night but since that boy wakes me up so dang early i'm neither a morning person nor a night person and i'm not even really a writing person anymore...i'm at his heiness's beck and call. Ah, to be human again... My husband keeps bugging me to get back at the writing but i just can't. When kids are in school and i have more time i'll work on a novel, until then it's my hands i like working with, it's quick and satifying and it warms my soul through and through...kinda like tea on a rainy day or hot chocolate on a snowy day. It heals, it mends, it functions, it's fun.

contest

I so need to learn to knit. It's really beginning to bug me. So, instead of opening the store by the holidays I'm going to get presents done for my family, some baby presents, and then I'm going to take the time and finally get it.

I'm hoping to win Grammie knits contest. Check it out!

Buy handmade!

If you are shopping this year for presents, of whatever kind, you can always give handmade.

Take the pledge!

I heart Japan and a regret

I don't try not to regret my life choices but there's a few that eat away at me. One is at the end of college, a friend of mine and his girlfriend were going to Japan to teach English for a year and told me I should go too. I really wanted to but I was afraid to quit my job, go to a country where I would be suddenly, not only tall - but bohemith, and where i didn't understand the language at all. I was also reticent to go to a land where Hello Kitty and the teenage style sort of freaked me out. I regret this decision. Years later, I would read a book that would make me fall in love with Japan and it's seemingly simple but visually aesthetic way of life. What makes it worse is that my husband went to Japan for an extended trip/class during college and I have heard stories and seen pictures.

I dream to go. I long to go. And since I've started crafting, the urge is stronger. I got a package today from Japan and I believe I smelled the items to take in Japan for just a moment. I'll share a picture of the lovliness later or tomorrow. I do believe this is the beginning of another obsession...and one of many future orders from Japan.

I felt like spoiling myself a little because I just sold a lot of stuff on Ebay and Amazon and I've been wanting this book for a long time. Next time fabric will probably be involved. Ah, what is my first obsession? I've been slowly building a collection of feedsack material. I love the prints - they sort of remind me of Japanese prints. Last week I sold a piece of my vintage material to someone in Japan. Funny...

Did i really agree to blog every day?

I can hardly ever read blogs let alone blog every day. Some days it's been a close call. Hope everyone had a good turkey day. It's one of my favorite holidays. Yeah, i don't like that Indians were slaughtered and we eat turkey because of it, but the food is good dangit. Laziness is good on occassion and being home with family is well, the best part of it all. After my mashed potatos and gravy. ;-) My mom taught me how to make her pan gravy this last visit and i've taken every opportunity to make it since then. Delish!

Today I became an official NJ resident. Drivers license picture stinks. Even after she took it four times (the reward for being nice i guess and feeling their pain for having to work the day after thanksgiving). First one was best but i had to go with the last one because the others were deleted. Oh well...it's the thought that counts right.

Now to anxiously await a surprise delivery that I'm dying to know what it is. Tea in hand, book that i have to read...hate that but it's gotta get reviewed by Sunday. Husband out running errands, little boy sleeping. Perfect.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

3 years

Yesterday was our anniversary...i sort of forgot. Well I didn't forget, I just always forget if it's on the 20th or 21st because of the whole 4 day wedding thing. I took a gamble and went with the 21st because i don't like even numbers very much and figured i probably didn't get married on the 20th. I was wrong. We did. My mother in law chose the date because that's when the hall was free.

I got presents last night and he didn't. He will today. I just got back from getting them. It's been an interesting three years for us. Getting pregnant right off was sure the most interesting part - sure didn't expect that since i was told i would probably never have children. Liars. We barely knew each other when we got married. I mean we knew each other but we didn't really know each other so it's been a couple of years of getting to know each other, and the little dude too. I still can't believe it's been 3 years. And that we have a 2 year old. Happy Anniversary yesterday dear. And glad to have you with us Little Dude.

Universal Children's Day

Farhana asked for posts for Universal Children's Day...a craft, a poem, book, etc...if you want to join in i'm sure you still can.

I like doing things with my kids hands and feet because it gets him thinking outside the box.

Making a Thanksgiving turkey out of your kids hands and feet is what we are going to do today when he wakes up and also make Thanksgiving table markers even though it's only going to be the three of us this year. We also did the sunflower back when fall began which was a lot of fun.

In general, I really like the Enchanted Learning website. I linked to their preschool section but there's crafts for all ages. Just go to the main site. There's a kazillion sites on the web and lots of books too. I have to admit though, my favorite sources are these books:

The Toddler Calendar - I got this at the library for 50 cents and there were other teaching books i really should have got that day after looking in this.

The Toddler Busy Book and also the Preschooler's Busy Book - both are great for ideas. I get them from the library and copy the ideas down on paper.

Recently i found at our new library a discarded librarian guide for children's programs. It gives great ideas on felt displays, songs and stories all with a theme. Maybe ask your librarian if they discard theirs if you can have it. I got mine for free as a discard. I can't find my copy right this minute but i will post the name when i do. I think the Toddler Calendar is better though (next on the list).

I think my favorite is the Toddler Calendar. It has tons of projects, ideas, pages to color (i print them so can keep reusing them - i do that with coloring books right now too until he's actually coloring) and calendars too. I really love this one. It's selling on Ebay right now I see for 99 cents plus shipping. Not a bad deal...that's the exact book i have so i can vouch for it. Oh, it's also on Amazon used starting at $1.82.

It really makes me want to homeschool. I was planning on it in Georgia because the schools stank. Here the schools are real good, and we are in a good district so i probably won't but boy do i wanna.

Oh, and there's some great coloring pages online too. I like the alphabet ones on learningplanet.com but just do a search for alphabet coloring pages and you'll find a ton.

Mostly what kids need i feel is time spent learning with their parents. It's a fact that children learn best with nurture. Nurture them when they are doing a learning activity and reading and they'll grow to love learning.

Need felt

I need 100% wool felt and I can't find anywhere here. I look online and they charge an arm and a leg. It's really holding up some projects and driving me crazy. Anyway, that off my mind, the snow didn't take the leaves. And it's gone! Little Dude lucked out this time, but he better watch it. Momma's gonna get him good. Consider it payback for all the days I woke up with his feet kicking me in the face, him pulling my head up by my hair asking for milk, the metal cars he sleeps with mashing me in the face....all at the lovely hour of 5:30. Last week we the parental idiots stayed up and watched a movie (A Mighty Heart - good movie) and finished it at 2:30. The little punk woke up at 4:00 demanding milk........not a good day lemme tell you.

Anyway, it looks like I'm on a tangent today. Oh, and i must post something for Farhana's thing...that'll be nap time, i snuck away while the chocolate chip pancakes were getting wolfed down...i'm sure there's chocolate finger prints all across the walls now.

Does anyone know where to get 100% wool felt for a decent price (meaning instead of costing an arm and a leg, maybe a finger and a toe)? And does anyone know how to get a toddler out of your bed and into his own? He likes to twirl my hair to fall asleep. He needs this i think so that may be the problem. I need sleep though. We are both light sleepers and disturb each other. I seriously doubt i'll kick him out though...i'd miss his stinky feet in my face or the hair pulling probably.

Snow all day long...

Today the snow stuck. Lots of it. Was tempted to go out and play in it but it was cold, the house was just cleaned and so we didn't but tomorrow....

The only bad thing about snow is that it takes fall with it. The feel of fall, the look of fall, the smell of fall and it marks winter. Living in Georgia it seemed we never had winter because we never had snow. There were flowers all through winter. It seemed like a twilight zone to me... I do remember from my Colorado days that come February, i get tired of winter and snow and long for the living again...

I miss the leaves though. But it will be fun to have a snowball fight tomorrow with Little Dude. Finally I can win in a snowball fight. Muah ha ha. Te he he.

Snow!

I haven't woke to snow in over 3 years. What a wonderful feeling. I didn't even know it was coming because my husband had told me it wouldn't snow until January. Time to break out the hot chocolate, grab a stack of firewood, smore fixings, a good movie and blanket and hunker down. :-)

ADD

I am pretty sure I have ADD. I always wonder why I don't accomplish anything I set out to do but get done pretty much everything that I don't need to do and it's because i get distracted. I surprisingly make all my deadlines albeit, on the night before usually. It's really bad. Crafting ADD is the worst. I have such a short amount of time per day to get stuff done that I find myself making something, anything, in that short naptime that I can that i never get to the bigger projects that i really want to do. I got a book about ADD but I never remember to read it because I'm too busy being distracted. :-0


I see these people who do all these amazing big projects...and i sigh because over here it looks like I get a lot done but I don't. I have a basket of socks that have needed sorting for over 2 weeks. Poor husband has to get all his out and fold them himself...i just don't finish things because i have too many interests and my head goes in a thousand directions. Is it a momma thing or do i really have ADD?

Yellow.

internet love

I know i shouldn't love inanimate objects but really...the internet provides all earthly wants doesn't it.

Some provisions from the internet today:

1. lovely food and recipes. I tried Pioneer Woman's "Chicken Spaghetti" and I don't typically like cream of mushroom soup casseroles and i can't say i've ever used a seasoned salt...how un-american of me!...but this was pretty darn good. I used the 1/4 teaspoon of chili and it was the perfect amount - LD went to bed before it was done so he get leftovers last night but he enjoyed this as leftovers today. We ate together today at his mini table and had a lovely discussion about the coolness of trucks. The kid actually says "cool" when he thinks something is neat. What kind of parent am i?

2. Lovely vintage fabric and vintage books...all from the mail via ebay today. Did you notice the Lois Lenski first edition? All these lovely old books for a penny, plus shipping. And a free video was sent too!

3. Awesome crafting tutorials .

Guess where we went on the way home?

Pretty eh?

On our way home...

The drive up to Toronto was nice and I'm glad we did it. Upstate New York is beautiful with its farms and countryside. Very picturesque although i didn't take any pictures. The border crossing wasn't fun. 2 + hours in a queue and an antsy toddler - all around at 10 at night. Heading back today. I'm glad we drove this time but I'm not sure I would want to do it again.

Pyrex - an ode to you

That is my big glass Pyrex dish on the left and Little Dude's toy plastic one on the right. How cute is it that our Pyrex matches? The day I found his was a very lucky day. I found a wood thing that i thought would make a nice play kitchen. The price on it was $5 (a steal!) but since it was the end of the day and beginning to rain, everything was all of a sudden 50% off. $2.50. My husband finally broke down and let me get it after much whining and foot stomping and guilty glares. He just didn't see what i saw...a wonderful little kitchen for my boy. And yes, like i told him, boys cook. Most chefs are men. Bobbby Flay rocks. The world needs more boys that cook. I love that he cooks (real food!) at school too. Anyway, the pyrex was in a laundry basket with a bunch of other toy plastic dishes (i prefer wood which is what i had for him already, a pot and a pan anyway, but i digress) and the pyrex stole my heart so i bought the basket full of dishes for a whopping 50 cents. For $3, some masking tape, glue, and a printer and we have this (i plan to add a microwave and an oven door but that's gonna have to wait till spring i think):



Oh! But this was supposed to be an ode to Pyrex! Ahhhhhhh, Pyrex, i love thee. Thy sweet little pictures on glass that is oh so hard to break (can you work on the lid thing though - most pyrex i find has lost its lid - my son's has his though, how cool is that?). I collect vintage Pyrex. Slowly i'm getting rid of the clear stuff i have and replacing it with the lovely prints of days of yore. My husband has come to the other side. Pyrex goes everywhere and the stuff just doesn't break. LD eats most of his meals out of a set that i got at this same sale. It was a bunch of little ones and I'm sure they are worth something so I'm not looking it up because i love them for his meals. Even when he tosses them into the sink - literally - they don't break. Everything around them might, but they don't.

It's Time for fall!

I've really enjoyed getting Lois Lenski books from the library - especially this one. I need to get some for our home collection. Such great pictures that I want to frame them all. So sweet. The words are such a joy too. Simple. Good. Fun.

Quick gifts!

I'm getting good at these! I love the way they turned out. The fold over tops will work better once the pencils get some usage. Hope my neice and nephew like em...

Toddler sushi

Fun food. Notice the finger grabbing it ready to eat.

This is what was left:


It's always a challenge to get him to actually swallow chunky carrots and cucumber. This is ohw i get some down him. :-)

Blah

This must be the longest time it's taken me to get over a cold. Ears. Blocked. Nose. Blocked. Throat. Sore. Mood. Blah. Need. Coffee. Time. Energy. A babysitter.

Now I must start packing/planning for a visit to the inlaws this weekend.

How I spoil myself...

Okay, one of the ways I spoil myself.

PA310144
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

I don't buy luxury items, rarely wear makeup, but I always splurge on personal hygeine and drugstore.com's natural section is the best place to do it. I love getting this package every six to twelve months. Yummy stuff. That alba shampoo - oh me oh my smells like you can pour it over ice cream and eat it.

I also like this:

PA310145
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Yeah, it says 100% free range chicken poop. It's yummy chap stick. It doesn't really have poop. It has jojoba which i love, lavender, and orange essential oils with a soybean base. Pure goodness.

Can you tell i love fall?

PA310143
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Fall really is my favorite season. We have about 15 books from the library focused on fall. It's such a wonderful season to me and the only one i get excited about although spring feels good when the buds come on the trees, animals come out from hibernation, people too, summer is fun with outdoor activities and i love the first snow (excited about seeing snow after 3 years of not having any!). Fall still is the season that grabs ahold of my soul and i seriously cherish every day of it. This is my first real applique. I love it. I put it on LD's school bag. They wrote his name in big black letters and it was just too bland for me. I had to put it at the top because of that but i really love this apple. It's made out of feedsack material and makes me smile whenever i see it hanging near our doorway. After "school" we find natural things to put in the bag. Such joy those two mornings are when we are so in tune with each other.

Our messy table....

PB020159
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It's simple, it's fall, and I like this little spot. Apparantly, i'm not the only one...

PB020162
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

And he did stop to smell the roses... Funny what i catch him doing when he thinks i'm not looking. He's a climber too. I really have to watch him because he climbs everything with absolutely no fear.

PB020163
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

And I think i forgot to post our pumpkins this year. The one on the left is the pumpkin that someone carved. I did a quick rendition of the cow jumping over the moon for LD. It literally took 2 minutes so if you don't think it looks like a cow jumping over the moon, that's why. And the little one, also a 2 minute carving, i have no idea what it is....asian man?

PA310142
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

How's that for a late Halloween fall post. I've been so sick. LD picked something up at "school", got sick, stayed home on my "mommy day" and promptly got me sick for the weekend and today is the worst of it.

A picture is worth a thousand words?

Fruit
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Gotta love it when pomegranites hit the shelf. LD loved this mixture!

New career?

I seem to be doing well at buying other's people junk and selling it to other people and making a decent profit. So, I'm on my way to an estate sale today to see what I can find. I seem to have an eye for goodness. When i was in that antique shop that was closing a few months ago the lady said the same thing as i ravaged the vintage clothing (to use the fabric). I didn't end up cutting up the clothing after learning it's history and value. So far, the biggest money maker was a Vera linen tea towel that I bought to make an apron out of but realized it was too small for that. At the time i didn't know who Vera was until i was getting ready to sell it - I loved the print. I just sold it for $15. I bought it for 50 cents.

keeping a little neck warm...

I love scarves and have been known to wear them indoors. I was cutting up a chenille blanket when LD woke up, traipsed over my mess careful not to fall eyeing something. He grabbed a scrap of the chenille and said "i waaaant. I wannnnt." So I made this for him with that scrap.

I love this fabric. Another remnant table find. Since I'm new to sewing I don't want to spend a lot on fabric in case i screw up, but i love the nicer fabrics and prints. The remnant table is a way for me to accomplish both. I might make myself a one of these chenille backed ones. I wear this one already quite a bit when he doesn't want to wear it. First i must make him a belt because he's going through pants - waists are always too big if the pants fit in length. I need longer nap times. He's home sick today which took my precious 3 hours of me time (errand running time) but we're having a good day. I nursed him back to health with chamomile tea (which he promptly put his yogurt into), chocolate chip pancakes, yogurt with blurberries. This afternoon i'll make him chicken soup and he should be ready to conquer the masses again.

I've been wanting to make my pay it forward items but am brain dead on what to make. Do you guys feel like giving me a hint at least in direction of color, item...some clue. I am coming up blank!

NaBloPoMo

I'm going to do the NaBloPoMo thing this year so i'll be posting once a day all of November. Fun.