tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53773748986722311992024-03-21T10:41:26.484-07:00Children, Cooking, MiraclesIn which I write about my life and my work.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-63397655005665592772014-09-14T10:04:00.001-07:002014-09-14T10:04:24.336-07:00Pumpkin Oatmeal PancakesI know, I know. Pumpkin EVERYTHING! EVERYWHERE! But it's fall, so pumpkins. So there.<br />
<br />
I was born in central New York and raised in Connecticut. And my birthday is in October, the day before Halloween no less. So I am sure that I would be violating some sort of unwritten contract if I didn't love everything pumpkin and apple and autumnal. So it's a damn good thing I do!<br />
<br />
I also love food blogs, but it makes me crazy when there are 8,000 pictures of the same dish before you can even see the recipe! So I won't do that to you.<br />
<br />
I made these delicious pancakes this morning, and they are full of fiber and can be easily adapted to your own taste and dietary preferences, as well as vegan and gluten free options. They aren't too sweet, which is how I like my pancakes. I also like texture, so the addition of oats is good and adding walnuts makes them even better. Not everyone in my family likes walnuts, so I added them to the top of each individual pancake before I flipped them to the other side. I made half with and half without. I didn't soak my walnuts first because I decided when I woke up that I wanted these, and I didn't have presoaked ones on hand. You could also add diced apples, dried cranberries, raisins, ground flax seeds, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts. This already makes a boat load of pancakes (which can easily be frozen and reheated in your toaster), so remember the more stuff you add, the more you will have. But they will be so chock-full of good stuff, they will practically be like breakfast cookies! With butter and syrup!<br />
<br />
Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes<br />
In a large bowl, whisk together:<br />
1-1/2 cups raw milk (or almond, rice, or hemp)<br />
1 can organic pumpkin puree (or mashed sweet potato)<br />
2 eggs (or egg substitute if you are vegan. I don't have a lot of experience with chia as an egg replacement, but if you do, go for it!)<br />
2 tbs. melted butter or oil of your choice (coconut, grape seed)<br />
2 tbs. unfiltered apple cider vinegar (Bragg's is what I use)<br />
<br />
<br />
Then add:<br />
4 tbs. brown sugar (or honey, maple syrup, or molasses)<br />
2 tsp. baking powder<br />
1 tbs. baking soda<br />
1 tsp. allspice<br />
1 tbsp. cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg<br />
1 tsp. ground cloves<br />
1 tsp. ground ginger (grate some fresh, if you have it)<br />
<br />
Whisk briskly, then add:<br />
2 c. all-purpose flour (or 1/2 wheat and 1/2 AP. Or a gluten free AP substitute.)<br />
1/2 c. rolled oats (or soaked steel cut oats)<br />
2 c. walnuts (and/or other additions)<br />
<br />
Stir completely and thoroughly. Then drop by 1/4 cup blobs and fry in butter or oil. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Or melted fig jam. Or anything that you like!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKpeEJr8Fgtd8w-NkTByMuAkXpvi-Xpc2VPQoKaplelhpblCWuTvSLhgugWkDxCvUC-5D9P_uMN51VXmjaYkf5PsA2oLpoFFJ7nyLA41ICeVLKeF4ZMClu5A2Zl17mm0WOuuVQ2rzrqQ/s1600/IMG_4533.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKpeEJr8Fgtd8w-NkTByMuAkXpvi-Xpc2VPQoKaplelhpblCWuTvSLhgugWkDxCvUC-5D9P_uMN51VXmjaYkf5PsA2oLpoFFJ7nyLA41ICeVLKeF4ZMClu5A2Zl17mm0WOuuVQ2rzrqQ/s400/IMG_4533.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
And some thick peppered bacon goes perfectly!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5c-zQqV6yHdIsEgbA9ydiTF6rpzeDh6dcEImSGTBx9rX7XiFaVeZzIUlTiFqiKT_uMw0dVXDJUVFt3ozoObGCknrwELXYKQVHxun1BBNA8tGhO-CYSzLR8VCbA8LBToAjP2NUV_HnaM/s1600/IMG_4536.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5c-zQqV6yHdIsEgbA9ydiTF6rpzeDh6dcEImSGTBx9rX7XiFaVeZzIUlTiFqiKT_uMw0dVXDJUVFt3ozoObGCknrwELXYKQVHxun1BBNA8tGhO-CYSzLR8VCbA8LBToAjP2NUV_HnaM/s400/IMG_4536.JPG" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-13156100751468808272014-07-05T08:34:00.001-07:002014-07-05T08:36:29.729-07:00Saturday Morning Farmers Market<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB4WjR29uu3l6zOs_jm_kmxS5wgjur7tshGvGcwz_S2qSkJtcfVQwa0VXpUd9fHEyCp0Vcx_qA3GPnqRSXVfIZ-Wr1TDt9ULIyD_zKlqoNKqDckICTH4_L2q8Dsezf6aXFPbTanO-Yto/s640/blogger-image--2092620863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB4WjR29uu3l6zOs_jm_kmxS5wgjur7tshGvGcwz_S2qSkJtcfVQwa0VXpUd9fHEyCp0Vcx_qA3GPnqRSXVfIZ-Wr1TDt9ULIyD_zKlqoNKqDckICTH4_L2q8Dsezf6aXFPbTanO-Yto/s640/blogger-image--2092620863.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXx62nCbun_3R0Qj1mmpPQ-6_ylLQLdVRlbxImSe30nV8qPK0ki9SrFomRVo2zegtPLbQHe5eTl-JiGGBY0Z87H_QXrEkMqwfnRKHYcilqn5DlWxvNBcfxj60FyRpkXXJ-mszT4FZsYw/s640/blogger-image-1827055854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSXx62nCbun_3R0Qj1mmpPQ-6_ylLQLdVRlbxImSe30nV8qPK0ki9SrFomRVo2zegtPLbQHe5eTl-JiGGBY0Z87H_QXrEkMqwfnRKHYcilqn5DlWxvNBcfxj60FyRpkXXJ-mszT4FZsYw/s640/blogger-image-1827055854.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTqzuCUo0WKdOy7SJYany7CIGafvBMoyBU4klxyRtKis_14uVPGCufMA6IphsrfP6A_LPGm6FYAXwuGIvY15WMgtc_vgzedvb6JmNUa-Q7x-W0Fx1WKTIKpeWMQ25ZDPGKZQriPGYI8w/s640/blogger-image--1083678646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTqzuCUo0WKdOy7SJYany7CIGafvBMoyBU4klxyRtKis_14uVPGCufMA6IphsrfP6A_LPGm6FYAXwuGIvY15WMgtc_vgzedvb6JmNUa-Q7x-W0Fx1WKTIKpeWMQ25ZDPGKZQriPGYI8w/s640/blogger-image--1083678646.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPnOl26Kuk2ADPnSfv-krVUr9dVaDtDmYjgJAozLSLk2M-XNiXpZEtvlzrxkuNwFhDqq6EBSpe9WyPt-yoLDYC1RTFCda5ADRxX1FK1nRbuUnyfdY2X0hqjEwuHUvH67Ca4N1fhY4N-8/s640/blogger-image--1763492257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPnOl26Kuk2ADPnSfv-krVUr9dVaDtDmYjgJAozLSLk2M-XNiXpZEtvlzrxkuNwFhDqq6EBSpe9WyPt-yoLDYC1RTFCda5ADRxX1FK1nRbuUnyfdY2X0hqjEwuHUvH67Ca4N1fhY4N-8/s640/blogger-image--1763492257.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLX-UXxT9w6PiYbFUjqwz_cqeLbXehSkMpwgvpN_b11ArbVjk988W8DYiEVUpK8crXqzDSR37p9LOwcW8qkrCN28SEOI77t5Lg2pjUPc9lkCxjXJrrHl7qHvk73SH2oL-fZJ2_trpRmw/s640/blogger-image--1225973609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLX-UXxT9w6PiYbFUjqwz_cqeLbXehSkMpwgvpN_b11ArbVjk988W8DYiEVUpK8crXqzDSR37p9LOwcW8qkrCN28SEOI77t5Lg2pjUPc9lkCxjXJrrHl7qHvk73SH2oL-fZJ2_trpRmw/s640/blogger-image--1225973609.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Then I came home and made pancakes with these giant blackberries and some lemon curd. </div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-67704873298022203032014-07-03T17:50:00.001-07:002014-07-03T17:50:04.205-07:00Weeds or Wildflowers?If I have to pullover to the side of the road just to take their photo, I say wildflowers. <div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrYUhib0g1NIxbEjuUS5JqKCVyNvWZgtRrXrCIobRGDFbzOC2UKrvyJIpaz9MNk81ZTijAMgZ7-o7ZFJxMfg_10FXs_dIhjGyNL5kUUV6EuWjwMs3zm3Ofs4orkVQBxcbi6nYqxHcSG4/s640/blogger-image--819161280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIrYUhib0g1NIxbEjuUS5JqKCVyNvWZgtRrXrCIobRGDFbzOC2UKrvyJIpaz9MNk81ZTijAMgZ7-o7ZFJxMfg_10FXs_dIhjGyNL5kUUV6EuWjwMs3zm3Ofs4orkVQBxcbi6nYqxHcSG4/s640/blogger-image--819161280.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgkNklrJSkDlcmIlMw5_hKc1MLWlMNecYEaLVRX2pEHavwd73JB_G1s2CWTKlHQnMDfbVe1RehOKMPvPGj9WmMUjbxv4UzCnD72jGEzsMHejb__mEgFO9lEy7TiReTwpb7qyOE3tXomM/s640/blogger-image-1477653167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgkNklrJSkDlcmIlMw5_hKc1MLWlMNecYEaLVRX2pEHavwd73JB_G1s2CWTKlHQnMDfbVe1RehOKMPvPGj9WmMUjbxv4UzCnD72jGEzsMHejb__mEgFO9lEy7TiReTwpb7qyOE3tXomM/s640/blogger-image-1477653167.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVGWx7qpysWNGoQGRRd1P6ENhdNEIT0DoD7wx562cyDgWt-aFwQgNR7lPGmqQxu0qaVtr0eRf0Mf4nqD0OSg8Et1AO4WLXd64YjwNE8wT1q0lB7vb65WJgkfRY-ZnaAY5k0AeVKGYIUE/s640/blogger-image-696783149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVGWx7qpysWNGoQGRRd1P6ENhdNEIT0DoD7wx562cyDgWt-aFwQgNR7lPGmqQxu0qaVtr0eRf0Mf4nqD0OSg8Et1AO4WLXd64YjwNE8wT1q0lB7vb65WJgkfRY-ZnaAY5k0AeVKGYIUE/s640/blogger-image-696783149.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU9HCH3LksT5ERC74gpBY9lepYG_GGq8h2GJKnk2JaS1RSq4RavqK_12Qjk5Xf63Pjc6tyKQq1xTgMUYGIesVWIJhDIq6fxP7NVbctgpnAGeUk06Aqapj5ChbBpZxTkhQi5abggy_CXY/s640/blogger-image--1346057326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCU9HCH3LksT5ERC74gpBY9lepYG_GGq8h2GJKnk2JaS1RSq4RavqK_12Qjk5Xf63Pjc6tyKQq1xTgMUYGIesVWIJhDIq6fxP7NVbctgpnAGeUk06Aqapj5ChbBpZxTkhQi5abggy_CXY/s640/blogger-image--1346057326.jpg"></a></div></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-82033085808304253102014-06-29T19:16:00.000-07:002014-06-29T19:16:29.041-07:00The Joy of a Proper BagelI.<br />
<br />
Made.<br />
<br />
Bagels! <br />
<br />
I made bagels! From scratch! They were surprisingly easy and incredibly delicious. I can't get over how easy they were. All of them had flaked salt on them, and then some had poppy seeds, some sesame, and some caraway. <br />
<br />
I made one with all three seeds, plus dried rosemary. And then I stood by the counter and ate the whole thing, slathered in raw butter. Well, I did give hubby a bite. We just stared at each other like, “What have I done?!”<br />
<br />
I used <a href="http://www.thesugarhit.com/2014/03/sea-salt-poppy-seed-bagels.html">this recipe</a>, and it could not have been easier. Since I have been here in the Midwest, I have not had a good bagel, i.e. an East Coast bagel. I don’t even know if this qualifies as an East Coast bagel. But it is a delicious, homemade bagel that is chewy on the outside, tender inside, and can be made with whatever flavors you like.<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh, thank heavens for the dough hook!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHpnPZ1RvyuDRGZRECYOldpUrkbeAe2yI4rQnDlwF1j80ZRhG5DpZ_5ASZE-h5xd1-O8nGnqIJL1s1g8XmsTTbkG2Df2jyKVu5mXVFkk2Zr-Vgi1AQbJDFGsjvhPn2srtqKGQlDqJnek/s1600/IMG_4042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHpnPZ1RvyuDRGZRECYOldpUrkbeAe2yI4rQnDlwF1j80ZRhG5DpZ_5ASZE-h5xd1-O8nGnqIJL1s1g8XmsTTbkG2Df2jyKVu5mXVFkk2Zr-Vgi1AQbJDFGsjvhPn2srtqKGQlDqJnek/s400/IMG_4042.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Formed, already boiled, and topped with salt and seeds.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwycqH4aHMcQJKmjuEbDOPC4_Z-4fpmE6rDTmo1VQuTFSxraq0emOO6PFBotVYLobJwjhyphenhyphenKNI9m826O9B5avPIrPWKymaUiszVNGLQk9S_Nf_sJE9X5RSItzNpS94fualTRQzHb_f4LDE/s1600/IMG_4043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwycqH4aHMcQJKmjuEbDOPC4_Z-4fpmE6rDTmo1VQuTFSxraq0emOO6PFBotVYLobJwjhyphenhyphenKNI9m826O9B5avPIrPWKymaUiszVNGLQk9S_Nf_sJE9X5RSItzNpS94fualTRQzHb_f4LDE/s400/IMG_4043.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Baked and ready to eat! I probably could have let them go another 5 minutes or so, but I didn't want to mess them up!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbpjtYyGUHtJ5JIu9jPm2XMczK8UWaDLGxKwdwc69PHvAK-aeGXLPi7M12u-g83bdyMNnwv4fCZu9xAis3Mw0x96XHTjHTIU_WEo7DlwpzohAV-x56DN5jM6KAkLLGICHonAcfX9BHBw/s1600/IMG_4044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbpjtYyGUHtJ5JIu9jPm2XMczK8UWaDLGxKwdwc69PHvAK-aeGXLPi7M12u-g83bdyMNnwv4fCZu9xAis3Mw0x96XHTjHTIU_WEo7DlwpzohAV-x56DN5jM6KAkLLGICHonAcfX9BHBw/s400/IMG_4044.jpg" /></a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-74474562877450757042014-06-21T14:50:00.000-07:002014-06-21T14:50:25.791-07:00Little Girl HairMy girl is 7 now, but still small for her age and looks much younger. Well, I think she looks much younger, but she's got long arms and legs. She's very tall! If she were standing, that is. Her new haircut makes her look her age now, I think.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
Her hair is this lovely, soft cornsilk, but the back has always been a complete nightmare. For years, I attributed it to her being on her back a lot, but that is not the case. She can look perfectly normal from the front, but then the back is horrible, all knotted up, and almost matted into one solid dreadlock. I have tried coconut oil, olive oil, argan oil, and all kinds of leave-in conditioner. Even lotion, for Pete's sake. I was at Barnes & Noble one morning when I saw a man walk in with his daughter. She had the rattiest, messiest snarl of locks that I had ever seen — since I dropped P off at school that morning, that is. We chatted for a bit, commiserated over the frustration and pain involved with that kind of hair. We basically gave each other permission to carry on.<br />
<br />
I would love for her to have long, blonde ringlets or at least be at a length that I could braid, put up, play with. Maybe when she's older — if she allows me to still play with her hair. <br />
<br />
For now, a short bob with lots of conditioner and regular brushing is all we can do.<br />
<br />
Before<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTgqEa5fuhp1UFPbH7ZHO-sY4cHZFkVVhSQa9VFxdembLRPc8FgX91aBvesJhsGa7hAvB9NV08uXJEhQ3m1ar1ip6MzTxlBEZnM4ZEpGDtBs5W-gIX3jBKaslotKCvyVW9cIhHeRsO38/s1600/IMG_4002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTgqEa5fuhp1UFPbH7ZHO-sY4cHZFkVVhSQa9VFxdembLRPc8FgX91aBvesJhsGa7hAvB9NV08uXJEhQ3m1ar1ip6MzTxlBEZnM4ZEpGDtBs5W-gIX3jBKaslotKCvyVW9cIhHeRsO38/s320/IMG_4002.jpg" /></a></div><br />
After<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIpdPjMVJ0sCeALB0gmePOklPq9TdPjofffpkeCUugpQ87wxBqLHYwwF7IAtyZ_UCBlGwLpyFew5o59jIoejP7Z_jzCduhZbW09oIC7iS4F28uimifILGn2AUorPFF_ZDYw7RdOnV3yQ/s1600/IMG_4007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIpdPjMVJ0sCeALB0gmePOklPq9TdPjofffpkeCUugpQ87wxBqLHYwwF7IAtyZ_UCBlGwLpyFew5o59jIoejP7Z_jzCduhZbW09oIC7iS4F28uimifILGn2AUorPFF_ZDYw7RdOnV3yQ/s320/IMG_4007.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7qr9YPMozAqoJaW7S8OIbPB5CnBV_9szLDttgDmVQg9SeUcW48uTMaKpLKq_sEzLqv5OqxqPd9ox8qMRpmSu9eSGEr_SD0JvXt_JgfyPEq8ij0r_nzmy1RZSw5S2Tcn7t3n3bynv6ZI/s1600/IMG_4008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7qr9YPMozAqoJaW7S8OIbPB5CnBV_9szLDttgDmVQg9SeUcW48uTMaKpLKq_sEzLqv5OqxqPd9ox8qMRpmSu9eSGEr_SD0JvXt_JgfyPEq8ij0r_nzmy1RZSw5S2Tcn7t3n3bynv6ZI/s320/IMG_4008.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Or we could just forget about it and get her <a href="http://www.louisbboutique.com/blogs/blog/10915461-messy-hair-dont-care">this t-shirt</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgCCAOm8N_EV6HkNMqtObnqLa-Qa51Y8sYyCF6Zqh3PdPfRw4FsfbWnc7CVGPwq3xVViKwBpeHeQ72qBbxE8DJc9Ozpe7_Rm8DmkZHVCpJJyFIELBPTaiKU_65FamvC5dm7vClXRYeaY/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgCCAOm8N_EV6HkNMqtObnqLa-Qa51Y8sYyCF6Zqh3PdPfRw4FsfbWnc7CVGPwq3xVViKwBpeHeQ72qBbxE8DJc9Ozpe7_Rm8DmkZHVCpJJyFIELBPTaiKU_65FamvC5dm7vClXRYeaY/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" /></a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-82656667926419555442014-06-03T18:40:00.000-07:002014-06-03T18:40:39.189-07:00I just approved two comments from nearly TWO years ago! That just sad. I am so sorry!<br />
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I've been intending to get back to this. My neighbor works for a big blog site that rhymes with Blogger, and she encouraged me. So here I am. And I actually have something to say. <br />
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There has been a big (pun intended) movement lately of body acceptance for us rounder girls. Finally. What I don't understand about this is how it brings the amateur doctors and armchair stylists out of the woodwork! Every person knows better than your own doctor and, by God, they can just look at you and tell that you have diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, and probably cooties. We round girls don't think that every skinny person has an eating disorder or a tapeworm or giardia. We also don't assume that they are healthy. Just like it is totally unfair to assume that we are unhealthy OR that we eat Twinkies for breakfast, fried chicken for lunch, and 8 cartons of ice cream for dinner. As an aside, I just need to say that there are people in my family, extended family, who talk about how fat they are and are constantly on some diet or another. Because they are like a size 10 or in one case, a 2. Seriously. They must think I am some sort of monster. That's fine. I ain't got time for that kind of crap!<br />
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Anyway, I am not turning this into a fat acceptance blog. There are people that do that far better than I could ever dream, like Jess at<a href="http://www.themilitantbaker.com"> The Militant Baker</a> and anyone involved in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheBodyLoveConference">this bit of awesomeness</a>. I just had to get this off my chest as I had it out with some people on xoJane.com today. But I also got some immense love there and that was fantastic.<br />
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Your body does not determine your worth. There are worse things in the world to be than fat. Like a bigot or a racist or a misogynist or a murderer or a rapist or a child molester or a hypocrite or a traitor or a liar or abusive or mean to animals or mean to other people or rude. Well, I hope you get it. Thanks for listening.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrU13giVxb52VykMpHXpx629qTLgirnQay1yl88C7UhA7vawgSDyNZ5U31RDQcJJE6Var6-JH-qEjoteU5SFoppmnTVxW8psK5ozMabf4QdVkqg5hwi5IcHFQoY75NdYQ-XcyOIhcQec0/s1600/IMG_3789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrU13giVxb52VykMpHXpx629qTLgirnQay1yl88C7UhA7vawgSDyNZ5U31RDQcJJE6Var6-JH-qEjoteU5SFoppmnTVxW8psK5ozMabf4QdVkqg5hwi5IcHFQoY75NdYQ-XcyOIhcQec0/s320/IMG_3789.jpg" /></a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-63045296646610165232012-11-17T16:55:00.000-08:002012-11-17T16:57:03.174-08:00Fall DoingsP's class recently had a field trip to the apple orchard. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful orchard so close to our house.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RmHQZo0noZ41O7wguoKuK38z2x7wSGXE97qcsQpM-_SEhCCasDm6O7Npw_LZ4Pa6JIqUxCxsyS1-_8AlMqbxPosaHudqy6y7V5P_tcXHtiV095QtIEUwl55LzBOGiVEqwuCZYrtGgN8/s1600/IMG_1819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RmHQZo0noZ41O7wguoKuK38z2x7wSGXE97qcsQpM-_SEhCCasDm6O7Npw_LZ4Pa6JIqUxCxsyS1-_8AlMqbxPosaHudqy6y7V5P_tcXHtiV095QtIEUwl55LzBOGiVEqwuCZYrtGgN8/s320/IMG_1819.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I also taught a class at the shop where I am a vendor. This is one my students with her Halloween cone.<br />
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For my next class, which is tomorrow, we will be making this little guy!<br />
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And I've been filling my booth with sparkly Christmas beauties!<br />
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And the big news is that I am working on my Etsy shop so that you can buy online and start your Christmas shopping, all while supporting a stay-at-home mom and artist!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-83606572626819343482012-10-02T15:42:00.001-07:002012-10-02T15:42:24.089-07:00Busiest I Have Ever Been!This has been a busy couple of months, here in my little world. September started with First Friday Weekend at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BrocanteBliss">Brocante Bliss</a>, then sharing a booth with some friends at The Fleeting Flea, and last Saturday was <a href="http://amusingprovincial.com/a-gathering-of-souls/">The Gathering</a>, a day of workshops and creative ideas up in St. Joseph. Carol Spinski of <a href="http://raisedincotton.typepad.com">Raised in Cotton</a> was the guest speaker, and she was so inspiring! She talked about following your bliss, making time to do the things you love, and all those things that are so hard for us women to do sometimes — not because we don't have supportive people in our lives, but because we feel guilty taking the time for ourselves. Or maybe we have been doing other things for other people for so long that we don't even remember how to do what we like. One thing she touched on is branding, for those of us who are trying to build our own businesses. I need to talk to her more about that!<br />
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Here are some photos of the day!<br />
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I also have been busy, busy making too!<br />
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This week I am teaching my very first class at Brocante Bliss! We will be making Halloween paper cones (tussy mussies) to decorate the home or to give away. Then we're back to First Friday Weekend for October!<br />
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-5794686922740035662012-09-18T06:30:00.000-07:002012-09-18T06:31:14.051-07:00Back again. Seriously.So a new friend said to me, "You have a blog?" Yes, I do. I have one, one constantly neglected, yet always here for me. One that I always intend to get back to and only sort of do. I have been super busy with new creative adventures, so I really need to keep up with things here, and make it another part of my business. I also often have more to say than is appropriate for Facebook, where I live most of the time). Things will still get personal because that's how I am. An open book. But there is more too.
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[Photo by my friend and fellow vendor, Chris of <a href="http://pinkpicketfence.typepad.com">Pemberlie</a>.]
I have finally found a place where my creativity is appreciated AND brings a little much-needed money into the home. I am selling my jewelry and home accessories at one of the many vintage markets in Kansas City's West Bottoms. There are at least 8 markets that I can think of off the top of my head, and I have a booth in the newest one, Brocante Bliss, at 1222 West 12th Street. I absolutely love it! It is so energizing being around so many like-minded people. It is good for my soul and good for my head.
It is a wonderful distraction from real life, which is still hard and beautiful all at the same time. Little P is doing well in her therapies for her cerebral palsy, and we got her a new walker to keep her walking going strong. She doesn't need to be held up anymore, which is BIG! I haven't posted about it here, but last summer she was diagnosed with epilepsy, and we have been trying for this past year to get it under control, to no avail. We have been through five meds and two diets to try to control the seizures, and nothing has worked. Just a couple weeks ago, we switched doctors to someone who had been recommended on a special needs parenting Facebook page I am on. He is not a warm and fuzzy guy, but he has a plan but also had some bad news. He diagnosed her with <a href="http://lgsfoundation.org">Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome</a>, which is a rare and severe seizure disorder. I cried. He told me that she would never be free of seizures. I cried some more. But just like with the cerebral palsy, it's a little comforting to know what we are dealing with and make a plan, rather than stabbing in the dark like we have been for the past year.
So we are changing meds around and have added a new one. Things are changing slowly for the better for her. She also will be having a device implanted next month called a VNS, vagus nerve stimulator. In the simplest terms, it's like a pacemaker for the brain. Since her new meds are working well, I'm excited to see what the VNS does. But I have to keep reminding myself that we are going for relief, not cure. On the other hand, she has never once done what a doctor said she would or would not do!
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I stood at my kitchen window yesterday as a cold front came through. It was grey and windy, which I love. I had dinner on the stove and had just made some pumpkin bars. Fall is coming, my favorite time of the year. The kids are back in school and are loving it, thank goodness. Although fall means the end of some things, it feels like the beginning of others. This is my time of renewal.
Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-51326958209470594412012-03-01T06:21:00.003-08:002012-03-01T06:36:09.312-08:00Be fab!This started as a Facebook post, but it went on so long that I figured I ought to post it here.<br /><br />I had the craziest but extremely detailed and clear dream last night. I dreamt I was walking through a "mall" but in an old building, like Dewitt Mall in Ithaca or Thorne's Market in Northampton. There was a small Tibetan woman who had a small booth selling Buddhist items. I started talking to her, and she handed me some cards and told me to choose one. I picked one called "Grey" (one of my favorite colors). She told me that it said that I wasn't doing the world any good by not being awesome. That I needed to show my true self all the time, but I didn't know why that true self was. She said my true self was kind, loving, sparkling, adorable (she used that word). She said I DO show that, but that I needed to do it more. What she said was basically this quote from Marianne Williamson: <br /><br />"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." <br /><br />I love this quote! I read <a href="http://www.xojane.com/fun/how-to-take-a-compliment">this article</a> last night, which probably contributed to my dream. If you know me, you know that this is NOT me. I have pretty low self esteem. I was raised to be put on a happy face when things were truly crappy. I was so meek in high school that people thought I was a snot because I couldn't talk to other people (NOT because I thought I was better, believe me). I am grateful to be friends in real life now with people that I wasn't friends with in high school. I think (but I've never asked) that some of those friends were amongst those who thought I was weird in high school. I was Ally Sheedy's character in <span style="font-style:italic;">The Breakfast Club</span>, but I really wanted to be more like Molly Ringwald's character (at least in looks and in popularity). But that's not ME, not even now.<br /><br />So, to shine is NOT easy for me. But I get it! What if we all showed our fabulousness and delighted in the fabulousness of others? What if we complimented instead of belittled? So, GO and be fabulous today, and I will try really hard to do the same!<br /><br />I will start with five things I think are good about myself:<br /><br />1. I am kind to other people. If I see a stranger wearing something nice or with a great hairstyle, I will tell them so. I hope that it makes their day. It might be the only nice thing they hear all day and might turn their mood around.<br /><br />2. I think I have a good eye for color and style. I love browsing through my own Pinterest boards. My home is beginning to look like my Home board, but I need to dress to reflect my style more.<br /><br />3. I have really smart, really adorable kids. That's not all me, of course, as they have an awesome dad.<br /><br />4. I am a good cook.<br /><br />5. I am funny. Well, my husband laughs at my jokes, anyway, so either he's deranged or I am funny. I hope it's a little bit of both.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-48590222541037581722012-01-18T13:22:00.000-08:002012-01-18T14:29:28.182-08:00Zinc Table TutorialToday I want to share a project I have wanted to try for a while. I love the look of zinc tables and old industrial furniture, like shop tables, workbenches, etc. They are cool, but SO expensive. I recently saw a zinc dining room table at Anthropologie and I seriously did not even dare to look at the price. I can sure imagine though! I also love these <a href="http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod280181&categoryId=cat1653014">aluminum pieces</a> from Restoration Hardware. Again, don’t even look at the price. You will need medical attention if you do.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtMzSmL-Ku-GSKRB4YG4nT16OI4MP9oDYL2h4tTcPz91O-o5vDMpBt0JLNKGMWXn-jjZInwm5ajSqL7ToC52FYfblKJZWD-CCAQhRJE8rVpvM2-TUjG8I85KZ4RebIJNlKTDV11zM-jI/s1600/73605775129588295_xdwZEwHV_c.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtMzSmL-Ku-GSKRB4YG4nT16OI4MP9oDYL2h4tTcPz91O-o5vDMpBt0JLNKGMWXn-jjZInwm5ajSqL7ToC52FYfblKJZWD-CCAQhRJE8rVpvM2-TUjG8I85KZ4RebIJNlKTDV11zM-jI/s320/73605775129588295_xdwZEwHV_c.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699095868496491410" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br />You looked, didn't you?<br /><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">There have been a <a href="http://knockoffdecor.com/aluminum-foil-faux-zinc-letter/">couple</a> great <a href="http://knockoffdecor.com/oversized-zinc-letters/">tutorials</a> on making <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=77415&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS&color=zin">Anthro’s</a> zinc letters, so I used those principles to try on a larger scale. We bought this console table at Target about 4 years ago. It’s got an espresso finish, which I do like, but I wanted something more vintage looking.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLX3rGTnuyymlEzErtLUrcwbPnrgfBjP-5hPSHEh7qlORPWYENEXUiyF347JcKyL3yZeyORqFnCVrdzhSxaXNqdPpljlX5APfaETs2L4TDe-YVf8mV_SnIhzOpzn246-CVjemfK3rlGw4/s1600/table6.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLX3rGTnuyymlEzErtLUrcwbPnrgfBjP-5hPSHEh7qlORPWYENEXUiyF347JcKyL3yZeyORqFnCVrdzhSxaXNqdPpljlX5APfaETs2L4TDe-YVf8mV_SnIhzOpzn246-CVjemfK3rlGw4/s320/table6.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699086491450359170" /></a><br /><div><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">To this project you will need some inexpensive tools.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Table (or whatever you want to zinc-ize)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Modge Podge</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Craft paint (I used Martha Stewart’s metallic silver and black and Golden’s Micaceous Iron Oxide)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Cheap brushes, foam ones will work too</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Nails</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Hammer</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil (it must be heavy duty; you will thank me when your project doesn’t rip)</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QXvR8MCJb6PVHPc7H0VRGP3zum4gMRgNzARSJ_N9C7ToE4fZCSryXZMJMAqvB7v-u6pNkmtnJUuZetkbtdh2nKHdxT5nyeV8UTtOzquYYrzVNs9YR017c8ti_EKxpb14InN94LFDDNM/s1600/table7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QXvR8MCJb6PVHPc7H0VRGP3zum4gMRgNzARSJ_N9C7ToE4fZCSryXZMJMAqvB7v-u6pNkmtnJUuZetkbtdh2nKHdxT5nyeV8UTtOzquYYrzVNs9YR017c8ti_EKxpb14InN94LFDDNM/s320/table7.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699086618237229682" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The instructions are simple: Coat the piece with Modge Podge. Work in manageable sections so it doesn’t dry out before you stick the foil to it. I started with the legs and wrapped the foil around them. Keep in mind that as you overlap sections, hide the serrated edge that is created when you tear the foil off the roll. You would never see an edge like that on a table like this. Also when you are overlapping on the legs, make sure a piece higher up on the leg overlaps the lower section.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlgsvXOMHEnznRI-OM304VIUIN20ZTWoUt2YGf_YiV0uyRMbCBDZDDWZhKIN7iyV0Egkq7ksS5IjyHnUHzrhA2O1UOueBXZGltYZEsV9uJU-WbJQZU2BPY5VJn9oaeseXdXo5JewrMb4/s1600/table8.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlgsvXOMHEnznRI-OM304VIUIN20ZTWoUt2YGf_YiV0uyRMbCBDZDDWZhKIN7iyV0Egkq7ksS5IjyHnUHzrhA2O1UOueBXZGltYZEsV9uJU-WbJQZU2BPY5VJn9oaeseXdXo5JewrMb4/s320/table8.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699086732159313826" /></a><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">**REALLY IMPORTANT**</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">Put the foil shiny side down dull side up. You will forget this a million times and have to pull off the foil and start over. Or maybe you won’t. But I did. Have the dull side up gives you a good start to the zinc look.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">Okay, back to the table. When you get to the table top, kind of make like hospital corners when you wrap around a corner and edge.</span></p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Q15rtI4J53FJ3zLaAKgmoy_WwVKO0pRgTPh_LKwC6ze3zExzz_XSCKb4uVxa2MYKPBoJcqlQ4MqzEFMwDjgmglT4VsRA0Vvp05AWwnk1nY4YSc8qEPEGgJHtYUiwaZpAQ0B3X4AAKE4/s1600/table9.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Q15rtI4J53FJ3zLaAKgmoy_WwVKO0pRgTPh_LKwC6ze3zExzz_XSCKb4uVxa2MYKPBoJcqlQ4MqzEFMwDjgmglT4VsRA0Vvp05AWwnk1nY4YSc8qEPEGgJHtYUiwaZpAQ0B3X4AAKE4/s320/table9.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699086855097888562" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Then mix your paints with water. I can’t give you an exact formula because what shade you want depends on you, but don’t leave it too thick or it won’t spread and streak properly. Don’t make it too thin or you will still see too much of the foil underneath. You can always go over thin layers to get the right shade.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQFsOFFN-gjuktohrzdZm7KaGParTl3IyWZ2jNqIeT27c1P0uu5hiXcxE7R-549a-akwycr4E6X98qhtz9FeEYyb4weuI4DOEOv7RxI-NGZoSqPCkDQMqUJNBit0Y3ZWrlZgyNbmbNno/s1600/table5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQFsOFFN-gjuktohrzdZm7KaGParTl3IyWZ2jNqIeT27c1P0uu5hiXcxE7R-549a-akwycr4E6X98qhtz9FeEYyb4weuI4DOEOv7RxI-NGZoSqPCkDQMqUJNBit0Y3ZWrlZgyNbmbNno/s320/table5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699086114273177746" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIRPOrZn7Ph6YCj0HTJfb4GBTMybYq25OHWZcLf8Y211t3URO8_UZGDrB-7hND9-zvU_SngMDkpqv7TtVw7IqS24-NeMoYbY1pIQIR6tLNLeAo1EPqNqVHACrzPHh4xJ4Pv5I85k6JLw/s1600/table11.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIRPOrZn7Ph6YCj0HTJfb4GBTMybYq25OHWZcLf8Y211t3URO8_UZGDrB-7hND9-zvU_SngMDkpqv7TtVw7IqS24-NeMoYbY1pIQIR6tLNLeAo1EPqNqVHACrzPHh4xJ4Pv5I85k6JLw/s320/table11.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699087118375652338" /></a><br /><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">When your piece is dry, pound in some small nails wherever makes sense to you. I did at the corners, seams, and every 8” or so around the top of the table. Then I used my finger to apply some Micaceous Iron Oxide paint around each nail head for a more worn look. You can add some wherever some weathering makes sense to you.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">See? No big deal! Easy peasy.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The knobs came from Hobby Lobby and were about $3 each. (They have 50% off sales ALL the time. I hardly ever pay full price for anything there.)</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGdW_2lCWlLNCNzOh_mlnXQLTMX4KPBbM6Rs3GOlCLdTQtm6nOyVOwbYY4syjDrmGgFnHjdcHbjYkLMz7oQ3F9MOKFe3bgrjCOFBYLXri0YdmkQgsrUWd8td8yZagcDAayp2oMgnChZ0/s1600/table2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGdW_2lCWlLNCNzOh_mlnXQLTMX4KPBbM6Rs3GOlCLdTQtm6nOyVOwbYY4syjDrmGgFnHjdcHbjYkLMz7oQ3F9MOKFe3bgrjCOFBYLXri0YdmkQgsrUWd8td8yZagcDAayp2oMgnChZ0/s320/table2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699085973485334866" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6yzhYqhkR05OuwO2Vs4h4g0cxj_j_hZu7WFksrczhU0Dh80fvycu8w4QUzfaGa1fHEO9sDwrPfUgh5Stx26nRP_aoXeI-6HLIJXsG_mijVBXHg_bBE8nbXYWMsiDK8Y17L4ZPr7bbR0/s1600/table.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6yzhYqhkR05OuwO2Vs4h4g0cxj_j_hZu7WFksrczhU0Dh80fvycu8w4QUzfaGa1fHEO9sDwrPfUgh5Stx26nRP_aoXeI-6HLIJXsG_mijVBXHg_bBE8nbXYWMsiDK8Y17L4ZPr7bbR0/s320/table.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699085797803357842" /></a><br /></div></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-2648296785743432572012-01-04T12:25:00.000-08:002012-01-07T18:21:10.901-08:00A Small Christmas Tour<div>Our house is smaller, so our decorations are downscaled a bit. But that's okay because I got it all up before Thanksgiving and we had an early Christmas with the in-laws. I'm getting ready to take it down, but before I do, here's a little tour.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a fake tree from Target, but one section of lights crapped out last year. I just made-do and strung some lights across it. It was good enough. So this year I started to put it up, but when I checked the lights, all but *one* little strip at the bottom of the tree were out!</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I the next morning I went to ... (duh, duh, duuuuuh) Mallwart. Yes, I did. I was on a serious budget and I needed something right then. I browsed the trees online at Mallwart, Target, and Hob Lob. Mallwart had a cute flocked tree for cheap, so there you go. I hate that store. Hate it. But in these times, I'm sorry, but budget wins out.</div><div><br /></div><div>And it's a pretty gorgeous tree, I must say.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnxcVE8fGo_ysXd6f32oWRGwNzbGDfSaY-o3hzqD5esWGZA8RBI7zKliWzN2sf7_I2ea1u3ASKpM8dnW2ff2dQgcnjdVhgCt_8yRaXt5ILp8pPIR0gcaSbU-po840B1M3HHR3uOtNSIs/s1600/tree.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnxcVE8fGo_ysXd6f32oWRGwNzbGDfSaY-o3hzqD5esWGZA8RBI7zKliWzN2sf7_I2ea1u3ASKpM8dnW2ff2dQgcnjdVhgCt_8yRaXt5ILp8pPIR0gcaSbU-po840B1M3HHR3uOtNSIs/s320/tree.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693876684375524482" /></a><br />And guess what? There one damn spot where the lights crapped out! One evening the Hubby noticed they were exceptionally bright, and when we turned it on the next morning, they were dead. You get what you pay for, and that's what I get for shopping at Mallwart. Next year that spot will go to the back (provided no other lights go out), and then we will get something else after that. Jeez.<div><br /></div><div>(There's a little preview up there of the kitchen. There are these weird folding doors with sheer fabric panels. Those ugly babies will be out of here as soon as the tree is down. That cabinet behind the chairs is gone, and there is a whole wall of new cabinets in its place.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWfpHvPCu2HwcnURiurZv-FVZCHaju8tzLPTn0evM03GcnvsR_ihInaVZjqr1ZN-2vWii8Qhb7IFwcgw7kBLusB1Rl6fm2hSEGOyrIlqKylPtOZmuhBc2uUDz-Q-E8uGr2K514EqqQUI/s1600/treeclose.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmWfpHvPCu2HwcnURiurZv-FVZCHaju8tzLPTn0evM03GcnvsR_ihInaVZjqr1ZN-2vWii8Qhb7IFwcgw7kBLusB1Rl6fm2hSEGOyrIlqKylPtOZmuhBc2uUDz-Q-E8uGr2K514EqqQUI/s320/treeclose.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693876359034778850" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>This is the bookcase on the other side of the wall unit. That "believe" is all red, glittery goodness. I bought the flag at <a href="http://www.etflea.com/_/Home.html">The Elephant's Trunk Flea Market</a> the fall before we left Connecticut. It might be hard to see, but the round silver tray is collaged with a picture of my sweet grandmother in her garden, photo by my cousin Jon.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMSq_erC65vTQs57sC0IjAdRJhwZkvuKuog4jKD2K2Z_vICQuReMHIJ1cekcz_TCnQ34E9TNblcJ7V9bD9FEZNNvMfeemqJ3b0BZ4jra9lG0-EYRrCIB87iDNRX_YAPEoXTU1TwCer7M/s1600/bookcase.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMSq_erC65vTQs57sC0IjAdRJhwZkvuKuog4jKD2K2Z_vICQuReMHIJ1cekcz_TCnQ34E9TNblcJ7V9bD9FEZNNvMfeemqJ3b0BZ4jra9lG0-EYRrCIB87iDNRX_YAPEoXTU1TwCer7M/s320/bookcase.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693875976488702610" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>This is the bookcase below the TV. Those little silver cups are (I think) antique ice cream or sherbet dishes from someplace called Snow's. It has the name on them in a font that has snow on top of each letter. They are so cute. I coveted them at my favorite store, <a href="http://www.forgranite.com/">Taken for Granite</a>, but they were a little pricey. I went back a little after Christmas and they were in the sale shed for 50% off!</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7UBR2Ze0brnqdX51j6YB3lH2F2YmP1NeYPMoX81O2sIqdBSp2QxrzdT0zRYBTBzM-fIXc1UjJyXkzkH7ER8_a0qfrjGNzxkgXcP503n_qUV3r7zPNMxQBtWhDZPZg6lIyG4oeknXRJQ/s1600/shelf.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7UBR2Ze0brnqdX51j6YB3lH2F2YmP1NeYPMoX81O2sIqdBSp2QxrzdT0zRYBTBzM-fIXc1UjJyXkzkH7ER8_a0qfrjGNzxkgXcP503n_qUV3r7zPNMxQBtWhDZPZg6lIyG4oeknXRJQ/s320/shelf.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693875762251550594" /></a><br /></div></div><div>My poor husband got worked to death over the Christmas break. We had a whole kitchen's worth of new cabinets from Ikea that we never used. Out of those cabinets I got pantry storage in the laundry room, an 11' wall of kitchen storage, a craft room, and a workshop for Hubby. Over the break, he built all that (except the laundry room one) and we made the family room/teen cave in the basement.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll post pics as soon as I can. They might be a little crummy as I broke my camera and have had to use my phone. Phooey!</div><div><br /></div><div>Update: I called WalMart yesterday and went around and around with an assistant manager who said I couldn't return the tree, not even for a store credit, because it was a seasonal item and I didn't have the receipt. I argued that while that is true, it is still defective and didn't even last through the season it was intended for! And once I plugged the tree in and everything was fine, why would I have kept the receipt? Because I should have expected the lights would die on it so soon?! I offered to bring the tree in and plug it in for him so he could see I wasn't just "renting" it for Christmas and then trying to return it.</div><div><br /></div><div>So last night I wrote a nasty-gram to WalMart on their site, and got a call today from a different assistant manager than the one I spoke to yesterday. She said to bring the tree in tomorrow and she is going to give me a store credit for the full price. I would rather get my money back so I could get a tree elsewhere next year, but that's okay. I know that if I returned anything there without a receipt that's what I would get in return. So, I'll use this to get another tree next year, and I will keep the receipt FOREVER! So, the squeaky wheel gets the grease -- or the persistently complaining customer gets the store credit. :-) Just wanted to give credit where credit was due.</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-13997829722158818262011-10-21T05:31:00.000-07:002011-10-21T06:29:48.309-07:00Summer's EndIt's hard to believe that this summer is over. It has been a big one with lots of change, all good. We spent out first summer in our new home, in a different state, learning about our new town and all the great things to do around here. I have been visiting our local farmer's markets (I can reach at least four within 30 minutes). <div><br /></div><div>I did a lot of canning this summer. I wish I had time to do more, but I ran out of time and storage space! I can plan ahead for next summer. ("Can plan ahead." Get it? See what I did there? Canning?) I bought some beautiful peppers and made some pepper jelly from them. I had no idea what color these peppers would make all mixed together, but see for yourself.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHm7DBrbPqAGDZq90HMuVq8_iJjeNHUi1BAfl08GMDia-1k_CKbnwPaFWQwTZxYqCBSB_wYm4Urf_hQ3c6LgD0VdlzgbYuJ0P8ruVa6u4A3s08QMA5hNfxLDsXPgS9O-DIvrtj-fFie0/s1600/IMG_0942.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHm7DBrbPqAGDZq90HMuVq8_iJjeNHUi1BAfl08GMDia-1k_CKbnwPaFWQwTZxYqCBSB_wYm4Urf_hQ3c6LgD0VdlzgbYuJ0P8ruVa6u4A3s08QMA5hNfxLDsXPgS9O-DIvrtj-fFie0/s320/IMG_0942.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665923106411506050" /></a><br /><br /><br />It looks like honey, doesn't it?<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0_ER0x2MWp2bEuFaouWeYv8PA0vxCnw5leeK6OJA2jguuaIaMeMJScgViwiar3MnGBASuNfqGcnJtvjmg9MVnN_BdBRPvDFkYFsI9W1WgzHpH7VLvn5fLKrepnoaYUrHo8N3HRghiI4/s1600/100_0353.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0_ER0x2MWp2bEuFaouWeYv8PA0vxCnw5leeK6OJA2jguuaIaMeMJScgViwiar3MnGBASuNfqGcnJtvjmg9MVnN_BdBRPvDFkYFsI9W1WgzHpH7VLvn5fLKrepnoaYUrHo8N3HRghiI4/s320/100_0353.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665922118433838178" /></a><br /><br />I also made some jalapeño jelly, and both of these are going to be so yummy either on cream cheese with crackers or baked with sliced summer sausage.<br /><br />We closed on our new house in September, so I have started painting! I bought a can of bright white trim paint the day before we closed. For some reason, the previous owners decided to paint every stick of wood in this house grey -- the trim, the doors, the cabinets. Everything. One thing I took from living in Savannah is the beauty of bright white trim. It makes everything look so fresh. I think it's modern and traditional all at the same time. I'm going to have lots of "before & afters" for you! </div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-10768620120946689652011-08-26T13:13:00.000-07:002011-08-26T13:16:20.068-07:00<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I’m not going to make any excuse for being away from the blog except to say: hubby got a wonderful new job, new job was far away, hubby moved several states away while we tried to sell the house. Then there was NOT selling the house, waiting month after month, the worst New England winter EVER, still NOT selling the house month after month, getting an offer that fell through AFTER our house was packed and on the moving truck, cat running away and missing for 4 days, driving to our new home, getting kids in school to finish the school year, finding new doctors for little girl, summer break, FINALLY selling the old house, new health issues for little girl, starting school, boy in 6th grade (so a new school), and closing on new house soon.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
<br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Phew!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
<br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">So a lot has happened. A lot that I feel inspired to write about so I will. I also had a kind friend say that she thought I should get back to it, especially since I have so much to talk about. And hubby likes the way I write too and was encouraging.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
<br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The blog is called Children, Cooking, Miracles. There will still be some of each, plus a lot of home stuff as we start to make our new house our own home. I’m sure there will also be some crafty bits and sewing. I have been making some new clothes for the girl, I have some things planned for me, and of course, Christmas is coming! (As I duck the rotten tomatoes you’re throwing!)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span>
<br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">So basically, it will all be the same, just more frequent. I hope.</span></p>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-68188506798772970512011-01-06T19:22:00.000-08:002011-01-06T19:41:26.579-08:00I hardly know what to do with January.I guess that says it all! January. January. I don't start off the month with a big, champagne-filled fete -- I have little children, one of whom thinks that 3:30 is party time, so I gotta get my sleep while the gettin's good! This year, I went to bed on New Year's Eve at about 11:15. C decided he was going to stay up, but I heard him go to bed about 5 minutes after I did. Party animals, I tell ya!<br /><br />I spent New Year's Day putting away Christmas. There has a been some discussion in the blogosphere about "keeper-uppers" and "putter-awayers." I'm normally a keeper-upper, but this year it just made me sad. I had such anticipation of Christmas and preparing for K coming home. But after he was gone, it just reminded me that our visit and the magic and anticipation was over. I so look forward to taking it all out in our new home next year. This was the best Christmas ever, but next year will break the record for Best of All Christmases Ever, Ever, EVAH!<br /><br />January is such a long month, a long month with no holiday in it. Just at the beginning. I'm not much of a Valentine's Day decorator, but I put up a little heart garland on the mantle just to have something pretty and sparkly since everything else is a little bare. I am keeping the house kinda sparse so that buyers can see themselves here. (C'mon, Buyers!!!) But, yeah, January. Nothing big to decorate for, sew for, craft for, decorate for. I guess that's why all the home organization stuff comes out this month. Might as well pass those long winter days by weeding through your crap! I admit that <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> a good use for January. Guess I had better get to it.<br /><br />First I really want to sew a cape for P out <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/60513072/trefle-by-kokka-japanese-cotton-linen">this</a> fabric. Cute, right?! Or maybe a little coat like Jane's! <span style="font-style: italic;">That</span> coat in <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> fabric? Ohhhh..... Does buying more fabric count as organization?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP_-48ZE1xas9Y2aVwPPFiO8J0uq8F2LRJ8OyCmjjE9l0Bl9ayMqVzlSy_n7iaU7iIzmg5_-aokWW4xxQWjIaSUynkOAi16jrxYk9OgWtqyPf-CeYbSYU48gwU8nM0WnlWO7BeKi0dfU/s1600/MARY_POPPINS-15.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAP_-48ZE1xas9Y2aVwPPFiO8J0uq8F2LRJ8OyCmjjE9l0Bl9ayMqVzlSy_n7iaU7iIzmg5_-aokWW4xxQWjIaSUynkOAi16jrxYk9OgWtqyPf-CeYbSYU48gwU8nM0WnlWO7BeKi0dfU/s320/MARY_POPPINS-15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559282821414803890" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-59224994804962078352010-12-15T13:11:00.000-08:002010-12-15T13:41:22.412-08:00Christmas TourWelcome to our home! I really dolled it up this year since K will be visiting for the first time in three months, and also so that it looks homey and warm for potential buyers. I hope you enjoy seeing our decorations!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNRotKkAHlNs9YbNluksoG_3_4Ahq_NVLg1ASBC-8EZLwe-LBAXCP7J7f95kPLxkCcsSO8bDi3JzcbKd5oIFguER8TCJ1dXBtUe9u0E-Cw_1NXJm9fPmeRsxiBTPP2W0BFDUYQZR85rM/s1600/crimbo1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsNRotKkAHlNs9YbNluksoG_3_4Ahq_NVLg1ASBC-8EZLwe-LBAXCP7J7f95kPLxkCcsSO8bDi3JzcbKd5oIFguER8TCJ1dXBtUe9u0E-Cw_1NXJm9fPmeRsxiBTPP2W0BFDUYQZR85rM/s320/crimbo1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023701491410818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4-bMFrekBR3_MlVXSchzlE6J2-jGr3v4rTgOVEypz37YQtpEz5xJKmhMC-PAqtAmhiZ2RG1pFMbejpRfknKD5hm60AKq9-itMYdTQhi-mRa5rAjQEgW2U6BVk6TrMzGPVIpNBQTqQqk/s1600/crimbo2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4-bMFrekBR3_MlVXSchzlE6J2-jGr3v4rTgOVEypz37YQtpEz5xJKmhMC-PAqtAmhiZ2RG1pFMbejpRfknKD5hm60AKq9-itMYdTQhi-mRa5rAjQEgW2U6BVk6TrMzGPVIpNBQTqQqk/s320/crimbo2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023698841995218" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cIIjGdylmMRmiAOYSNcZJ7b0DjWiT9M2IBxeFIDsI1OJkgDdnisQXCjvLW7GXkBsFwLQYBWxexx6pJXCG83AwswX5X2COhmpJC2RK-JXdm2TOkSYzLe1JDe6eKbYyXzIW9W6SpcUWZc/s1600/crimbo3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8cIIjGdylmMRmiAOYSNcZJ7b0DjWiT9M2IBxeFIDsI1OJkgDdnisQXCjvLW7GXkBsFwLQYBWxexx6pJXCG83AwswX5X2COhmpJC2RK-JXdm2TOkSYzLe1JDe6eKbYyXzIW9W6SpcUWZc/s320/crimbo3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023691940815234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgOui6t3agQBFwz3N3uJ5JMf5y8MEOmYQgHUpi-20lVoFbY2haXnwWqh4yCmFUZeaq-WKuKQCAlBvYX06dlPafPC9vMU4gYoXq4DPEKC4kpXgUdHk-HRdfcxxRvMS1xZr8UAH75DshPA/s1600/crimbo4-5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgOui6t3agQBFwz3N3uJ5JMf5y8MEOmYQgHUpi-20lVoFbY2haXnwWqh4yCmFUZeaq-WKuKQCAlBvYX06dlPafPC9vMU4gYoXq4DPEKC4kpXgUdHk-HRdfcxxRvMS1xZr8UAH75DshPA/s320/crimbo4-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023687550934658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEotNPPDfa-lO4Ktjl0OsP_xbFc_GAHRNcBvDJ8l3xMoaKpUpgfhVq4LnDFsUl4Ujg7X2jWOjXXFxinppxlb0BAcFudPeeZ_Obz1iY9psOpTyGUE2VPnMQRRNL_nqh4jrH9Mg6OH9IYGM/s1600/crimbo4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEotNPPDfa-lO4Ktjl0OsP_xbFc_GAHRNcBvDJ8l3xMoaKpUpgfhVq4LnDFsUl4Ujg7X2jWOjXXFxinppxlb0BAcFudPeeZ_Obz1iY9psOpTyGUE2VPnMQRRNL_nqh4jrH9Mg6OH9IYGM/s320/crimbo4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023683439452978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VYDQVQ_Tw2QgNeDxbFw50dnOHuVbvliAoJqpHKoXDVSvtSMYBqdoh-vDuIHRGXFDqhONnASDuUaYXGcCsKXfrLbq39aA71Hoo21wfLelNNkSCjTHDmNzZA6tbqOhDl-w4vQmcWhp5tQ/s1600/crimbo6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VYDQVQ_Tw2QgNeDxbFw50dnOHuVbvliAoJqpHKoXDVSvtSMYBqdoh-vDuIHRGXFDqhONnASDuUaYXGcCsKXfrLbq39aA71Hoo21wfLelNNkSCjTHDmNzZA6tbqOhDl-w4vQmcWhp5tQ/s320/crimbo6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023296070161090" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Every year I get the kids a new ornament. C gets Santas.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w0nlcEP2AIAX-mGPLWfqXqA8wZARgVKDohkE5XurtrUPYUH2_FgcIURRXpAvE4qLu0jq_FgiLsiZMPnW-VFnbitByg5cgi3HQAssH2_coPIPmg9u-sI1eHneqGomLADr6Nb2Pb7FE_k/s1600/crimbo5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w0nlcEP2AIAX-mGPLWfqXqA8wZARgVKDohkE5XurtrUPYUH2_FgcIURRXpAvE4qLu0jq_FgiLsiZMPnW-VFnbitByg5cgi3HQAssH2_coPIPmg9u-sI1eHneqGomLADr6Nb2Pb7FE_k/s320/crimbo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551024991488088514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And P gets some sort of fairy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaDFmlx6FjCkH4AThGk7Waz2KGgyBDyzbcbtea2bdDX0_-0kfKiQ3zTySiJziHkAqeeJLSCQkzGlH9pYLrf-nCE88U9qi8KUzY5TBTQtvgUo93OtqdEwE_HCOYrI8oU8fbc4gplGDtzg/s1600/crimbo7.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaDFmlx6FjCkH4AThGk7Waz2KGgyBDyzbcbtea2bdDX0_-0kfKiQ3zTySiJziHkAqeeJLSCQkzGlH9pYLrf-nCE88U9qi8KUzY5TBTQtvgUo93OtqdEwE_HCOYrI8oU8fbc4gplGDtzg/s320/crimbo7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023284572821026" border="0" /></a><br />Molly loves it when the tree goes up because she can snuggle up to the baseboard and hide out.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_w9TBBQvpfP3bx9tBuSJjlCchvx0KYnu6eifJyYuRtCtw5dAbrBPM6IGswQFvgMvb8VI9J6ZusdPcEgBqtAXKjkxqim0drNYpzzEOke1oqHlnCW-yUV7A9nLiYgqxTAsebQ6weJRtBPw/s1600/crimbo8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_w9TBBQvpfP3bx9tBuSJjlCchvx0KYnu6eifJyYuRtCtw5dAbrBPM6IGswQFvgMvb8VI9J6ZusdPcEgBqtAXKjkxqim0drNYpzzEOke1oqHlnCW-yUV7A9nLiYgqxTAsebQ6weJRtBPw/s320/crimbo8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023279504632802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbJi7-42VELVBqhVXy2LJCBxvUFLWJSeNDLx6t2sqhFc2mI1DkAXd-BM_vP-9UpjSmEVE0gEW7q-kxMQl_hG9GK8eeLfdKenwChoeHj-4_JoSPSh-1hrexH4uGQGOxf7aQzw4_jeXcwM/s1600/crimbo9.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbJi7-42VELVBqhVXy2LJCBxvUFLWJSeNDLx6t2sqhFc2mI1DkAXd-BM_vP-9UpjSmEVE0gEW7q-kxMQl_hG9GK8eeLfdKenwChoeHj-4_JoSPSh-1hrexH4uGQGOxf7aQzw4_jeXcwM/s320/crimbo9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551023278274585490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HjmJKBHKF5pbvy19UKqnoo2smj_6vUGst9CLCJrxigl_zQd7owIbt0Qz6GMSF40YtgdTYOwNsYJ25XWHiqZ7BiTXFno1LovUbGUMSs6vwfb1aONr0aC2bOryzH3HLgYVgMyPMjhKc-U/s1600/crimbo10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HjmJKBHKF5pbvy19UKqnoo2smj_6vUGst9CLCJrxigl_zQd7owIbt0Qz6GMSF40YtgdTYOwNsYJ25XWHiqZ7BiTXFno1LovUbGUMSs6vwfb1aONr0aC2bOryzH3HLgYVgMyPMjhKc-U/s320/crimbo10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022970575181122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMtqW1LFQNZvDwF1t9hrUY0mbh97-jiBuYAbOBrv-OwncWRoqaRpgLv6gJOvZqscOd8olWn9ejzj0tsto3c4NHQzDsqbFCSoOwN-evIBF900LynrLiiT3US78KpFYqsbUUhOqvaDj24s/s1600/crimbo11.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMtqW1LFQNZvDwF1t9hrUY0mbh97-jiBuYAbOBrv-OwncWRoqaRpgLv6gJOvZqscOd8olWn9ejzj0tsto3c4NHQzDsqbFCSoOwN-evIBF900LynrLiiT3US78KpFYqsbUUhOqvaDj24s/s320/crimbo11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022962002665234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhah22C_9CbGyhPe78For1L1O3CNLiXLFGHVOVHDhTGsQoR6nmY5QcBOcqahPEubOWDs1lQh5Ci-Iq9p-PtedD_qmAO35oAQns4_As3_ZioHNR65Xai8BPWj_UBonoAFzIbXRqNaT-q0rM/s1600/crimbo12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhah22C_9CbGyhPe78For1L1O3CNLiXLFGHVOVHDhTGsQoR6nmY5QcBOcqahPEubOWDs1lQh5Ci-Iq9p-PtedD_qmAO35oAQns4_As3_ZioHNR65Xai8BPWj_UBonoAFzIbXRqNaT-q0rM/s320/crimbo12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022951570492482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWittZQlroFVA-rD6gDQMAQvJvzYbVQw0wC3mWdRFaP920LGeONlHjnRZrPNBTT4FtBxIQjbD20CqzHqUhoBUC7OC6FsdNokP-gCmOa_GQ7d8gS5uSkeVVLOQM4WXQEIWOyWq_KGGJZU/s1600/crimbo13.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWittZQlroFVA-rD6gDQMAQvJvzYbVQw0wC3mWdRFaP920LGeONlHjnRZrPNBTT4FtBxIQjbD20CqzHqUhoBUC7OC6FsdNokP-gCmOa_GQ7d8gS5uSkeVVLOQM4WXQEIWOyWq_KGGJZU/s320/crimbo13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022950909570530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnUBfzZ6H6HgKfKqKwfPdymBOIlkoXj58lnnM_UVmMHMvH_OVm7ks2mAfGEWzMZWv9eNKCVAV06PM6Qih1_NdFtekSXKq5Y2WZznzdXoQ-4FVyoY1HEolevN8yACoQsr4RDNEB4HnLxc/s1600/crimbo14.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnUBfzZ6H6HgKfKqKwfPdymBOIlkoXj58lnnM_UVmMHMvH_OVm7ks2mAfGEWzMZWv9eNKCVAV06PM6Qih1_NdFtekSXKq5Y2WZznzdXoQ-4FVyoY1HEolevN8yACoQsr4RDNEB4HnLxc/s320/crimbo14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022944413215890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLTY9E_r5oHW5S1uaEQKlax1iv83byRGCzqKkOTw0-8xKsb53hrXohxSjvgfK5dEeyJi5PdtrE925hMrBjk49TBPQnsY3_tdOuIvjtmb703nOhiL8TNZAqNiUNBAAPhabFkn9dZ5N0_E/s1600/crimbo15.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLTY9E_r5oHW5S1uaEQKlax1iv83byRGCzqKkOTw0-8xKsb53hrXohxSjvgfK5dEeyJi5PdtrE925hMrBjk49TBPQnsY3_tdOuIvjtmb703nOhiL8TNZAqNiUNBAAPhabFkn9dZ5N0_E/s320/crimbo15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022400831393026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84PFW4hS6xJYgqmSLLkzM630vBfyT_c_12Mg0NULzaDBcrNBWKIq-kbgPUQuLXL7LQpdow5cNnn95RMDjgqcR2C_tFxLZjRzXQFZS-HAyZyIDVdRq3G9BLFobEqM5oyULAnW1vdJazFk/s1600/crimbo16.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84PFW4hS6xJYgqmSLLkzM630vBfyT_c_12Mg0NULzaDBcrNBWKIq-kbgPUQuLXL7LQpdow5cNnn95RMDjgqcR2C_tFxLZjRzXQFZS-HAyZyIDVdRq3G9BLFobEqM5oyULAnW1vdJazFk/s320/crimbo16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022395582975010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpZ2AxrdeC8GCxVewqy9OZRCfJ1Q9pX0XY7CdArNkfLVNHLMIZIw3JWfySQ21E2nMOB6wtdgCltb8891GSJFjQGoOoY_Rc5SeS06m5Q7fULjbzlVVNuKd01lHp4tTtyqF2GaBAyuu9Cc/s1600/crimbo17.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpZ2AxrdeC8GCxVewqy9OZRCfJ1Q9pX0XY7CdArNkfLVNHLMIZIw3JWfySQ21E2nMOB6wtdgCltb8891GSJFjQGoOoY_Rc5SeS06m5Q7fULjbzlVVNuKd01lHp4tTtyqF2GaBAyuu9Cc/s320/crimbo17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022392754317586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWgu5ZvCs77lFg9KLIPxQS1G9GmLMPF0xxariBIskAFIW_ON7YJciViXdM8ot14GvSZNCRS35KHSWwfr9a_B1Ml1oVBTnyl3RXhQ2QuEwn2_DAmGaZOuVqCu_0bCqJSEfxZBhYB0hISA/s1600/crimbo18.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWgu5ZvCs77lFg9KLIPxQS1G9GmLMPF0xxariBIskAFIW_ON7YJciViXdM8ot14GvSZNCRS35KHSWwfr9a_B1Ml1oVBTnyl3RXhQ2QuEwn2_DAmGaZOuVqCu_0bCqJSEfxZBhYB0hISA/s320/crimbo18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022382293330914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5P6TAkj9tgkyfEFSM8HYU___grbYpLgkYCA3iwTlcXDuO-6nToUcwUnQ21c1ohvY7G5rvKPx_aGZn9OjKnXq_d5ZgmHL4rLxXIy1-feu3jE8jhdcFWRk_BElshmb3IZtRPA211pFQt0c/s1600/crimbo19.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5P6TAkj9tgkyfEFSM8HYU___grbYpLgkYCA3iwTlcXDuO-6nToUcwUnQ21c1ohvY7G5rvKPx_aGZn9OjKnXq_d5ZgmHL4rLxXIy1-feu3jE8jhdcFWRk_BElshmb3IZtRPA211pFQt0c/s320/crimbo19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551022382449115538" border="0" /></a><br />It has been so cold here! As it should be, of course, but this is more like January cold than December cold! I love New England and I do love the cold, except for taking the little one out in it. I have been enjoying our fireplace very much. It puts out quite a lot of heat for a fireplace that's not meant for heating, and I'm happy to go through oil a little slower than usual.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-29868949992598012702010-11-29T12:18:00.000-08:002010-11-29T13:51:40.289-08:00Holiday Shop GorgeousnessOh, this is THE most swoonwothy shop. It is, yes, my favorite store and, no, it's not Anthropologie! Gasp! This is <a href="http://www.forgranite.com/">Taken for Granite</a>, the prettiest little store in a converted old gas station in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stony_Creek_%28Branford%29">Stony Creek</a> section of Branford, Connecticut. (The pink/orange granite from Stony Creek was used to build the Brooklyn Bridge.) It is on the Long Island Sound shore so there is a definite sea theme, but at Christmas the store comes alive with the most amazing glittery, sparkle-y, vintage displays. Here, just look!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKV4auE8ja0cLNmNWI7Qqfam_rDQjOqs_yr6Ow5-ZY3r_hWyZgbNbToC_tK8WOZ64rMxRfwg6kti-txoUKQRpzNMph7v5BELZg-8Ag4Jzl3HsgVBZplm5jPf3JtN55gUOIUJiY7lXj1BE/s1600/gran19.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKV4auE8ja0cLNmNWI7Qqfam_rDQjOqs_yr6Ow5-ZY3r_hWyZgbNbToC_tK8WOZ64rMxRfwg6kti-txoUKQRpzNMph7v5BELZg-8Ag4Jzl3HsgVBZplm5jPf3JtN55gUOIUJiY7lXj1BE/s320/gran19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545071047303940962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXcw1oKZj4QjRfUh8chrCHFsA9vPjzUtxtmdMMcGFR9FZynCvJkffvzcTVRRxVGbAAdj000jyoF2bVskWFwXULqySlZcaq3qbIed1QPrl4QT_EK4c2rL_mGMhIdh6xCgD23o6CTW-ZZU/s1600/gran18.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXcw1oKZj4QjRfUh8chrCHFsA9vPjzUtxtmdMMcGFR9FZynCvJkffvzcTVRRxVGbAAdj000jyoF2bVskWFwXULqySlZcaq3qbIed1QPrl4QT_EK4c2rL_mGMhIdh6xCgD23o6CTW-ZZU/s320/gran18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545071043165701490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyK-a9aIkeZweWo8aBETpOGcDadJvE9hXcJm1DU8wA0rsZKqYoAoGW_KfRABAGqfmSnt_yh9YVxKuVzQhQBhgnVEGii4hOgF9wmPBbYbc12sCCSqK5gIaB61LQ9ikARt6yN6zxBxJj1cE/s1600/gran17.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyK-a9aIkeZweWo8aBETpOGcDadJvE9hXcJm1DU8wA0rsZKqYoAoGW_KfRABAGqfmSnt_yh9YVxKuVzQhQBhgnVEGii4hOgF9wmPBbYbc12sCCSqK5gIaB61LQ9ikARt6yN6zxBxJj1cE/s320/gran17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545071040351616754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNan30OaJB81TXI7P3xLaeoE9FIfzjGv9Le9cf9od4ryUZZmhlUdkNlC-K2XsGDkZA5ic-F9ALhLsehDMA6QLamvERqF4vUYO_FajVrJJTmD8EdWyLfp7DmWF0e9Jko4xAIr7FCmT2ZOU/s1600/gran16.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNan30OaJB81TXI7P3xLaeoE9FIfzjGv9Le9cf9od4ryUZZmhlUdkNlC-K2XsGDkZA5ic-F9ALhLsehDMA6QLamvERqF4vUYO_FajVrJJTmD8EdWyLfp7DmWF0e9Jko4xAIr7FCmT2ZOU/s320/gran16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545071033135845650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BgxRSmD4_cgzrUHpn0VOV38CmkdciyTns4-XvUS8ri7cbPpeL5HRD34yJQlyhPLhLTwHaWFTcGf9l3VwwxvcuYhyphenhyphenMeNo9GA_2aItw9An7ib0pwQFR4fDhZEINX9_CdFP5b_by2b22wM/s1600/gran15.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5BgxRSmD4_cgzrUHpn0VOV38CmkdciyTns4-XvUS8ri7cbPpeL5HRD34yJQlyhPLhLTwHaWFTcGf9l3VwwxvcuYhyphenhyphenMeNo9GA_2aItw9An7ib0pwQFR4fDhZEINX9_CdFP5b_by2b22wM/s320/gran15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545070582563850642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0z3Ez4QAW8h2JWLfNRfjBVbjhMPZp9tD38O1_2j-HV-LSctvPxycBmCYfZy3bDugI1rdsPjBezTBU2OvQtdYmn4e6fSMUn4oVVJnvGaEdoehqp1K1yrb14sJEtxgBd_ptf5_td-VV-4/s1600/gran14.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0z3Ez4QAW8h2JWLfNRfjBVbjhMPZp9tD38O1_2j-HV-LSctvPxycBmCYfZy3bDugI1rdsPjBezTBU2OvQtdYmn4e6fSMUn4oVVJnvGaEdoehqp1K1yrb14sJEtxgBd_ptf5_td-VV-4/s320/gran14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545070583129527010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXyV9nDACK3ngP8hwECXJktm-7Y0f4TVYOA-XQSGIuvfvHpQkVGmL271xMUP9sR4YtSFVNHjmM5lRsicE9zXVpnQX2SQS8ziJY8ZHT7I5pZHWZS0FWMqWgApdr0f32M_45pukxVb1Iyw/s1600/gran13.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXyV9nDACK3ngP8hwECXJktm-7Y0f4TVYOA-XQSGIuvfvHpQkVGmL271xMUP9sR4YtSFVNHjmM5lRsicE9zXVpnQX2SQS8ziJY8ZHT7I5pZHWZS0FWMqWgApdr0f32M_45pukxVb1Iyw/s320/gran13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545070573364778658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwqr4vxiy_FueKqu5ytNk7QeVnLEnjBSZumsvcdzNF_dMS3xEEKj2r3bMxECVQ7JUo-3XU98REmsge9nNdj90TaABch_rp6Nvj3ue6vzqyDqYlnROWV25idRq6qPAeRIjBIKKGIZwUVk/s1600/gran12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwqr4vxiy_FueKqu5ytNk7QeVnLEnjBSZumsvcdzNF_dMS3xEEKj2r3bMxECVQ7JUo-3XU98REmsge9nNdj90TaABch_rp6Nvj3ue6vzqyDqYlnROWV25idRq6qPAeRIjBIKKGIZwUVk/s320/gran12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545070569518094322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg91fWz5FzYTMwBu4-78_iXT1HLeiYNF5zX2WQjiVPlHqy3Mbh1uayqvRDAnpr6Ed6t1rnQ9j2TPswxSNK6jnEMT66Wufd1yiTNfoIgsH7dMRH70wBr40IoAOpTwTWBj70O9ehAiT8J24/s1600/gran11.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg91fWz5FzYTMwBu4-78_iXT1HLeiYNF5zX2WQjiVPlHqy3Mbh1uayqvRDAnpr6Ed6t1rnQ9j2TPswxSNK6jnEMT66Wufd1yiTNfoIgsH7dMRH70wBr40IoAOpTwTWBj70O9ehAiT8J24/s320/gran11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545070558123339042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSZjOdp_S9zPbNE7K3QmvnVZhoo4UysJwvC0vX7VEKayCDiD-RtqrjX50F8qPQj5h6K1mWeTxPMDdJnV2l-30TQw1uFIl4geAQdAOa73sLO4mmZxwlPSo4gyQ39-7Uh66itx8Qp4mnW4/s1600/gran10.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSZjOdp_S9zPbNE7K3QmvnVZhoo4UysJwvC0vX7VEKayCDiD-RtqrjX50F8qPQj5h6K1mWeTxPMDdJnV2l-30TQw1uFIl4geAQdAOa73sLO4mmZxwlPSo4gyQ39-7Uh66itx8Qp4mnW4/s320/gran10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069946041025378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHluTKJkrHy-EYBWnOfKtgmky4RjOuoS4cb8Pg7LIGEHNx0cx9HclY0nEQg-x6p3pSd9Uk1SRUYTfjKvhLyQ7Ysq8RuZFtA8ES5SnwDFrBV_1_0vixsCbvtTYzU5467GgL0OgxcIkB58/s1600/gran9.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHluTKJkrHy-EYBWnOfKtgmky4RjOuoS4cb8Pg7LIGEHNx0cx9HclY0nEQg-x6p3pSd9Uk1SRUYTfjKvhLyQ7Ysq8RuZFtA8ES5SnwDFrBV_1_0vixsCbvtTYzU5467GgL0OgxcIkB58/s320/gran9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069938602249826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsfxXplVn7E6530x3Mx5Yqg_deHrHc-JYlbH8WdoTy_KJ6eUXOG2AU6mqgfYXVUvzD7ZHqz7k5ZrH9G4a7stvDnMZeKO_DV30wcVesZkjcZFDqRfrB_8tjXUn2PDy68d99f8fyueTAZ8/s1600/gran8.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdsfxXplVn7E6530x3Mx5Yqg_deHrHc-JYlbH8WdoTy_KJ6eUXOG2AU6mqgfYXVUvzD7ZHqz7k5ZrH9G4a7stvDnMZeKO_DV30wcVesZkjcZFDqRfrB_8tjXUn2PDy68d99f8fyueTAZ8/s320/gran8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069934618926210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65-synuUnf0isemAD0YikhpMN6hkmkkl2cQShbMEV7N5vJOvELjv8VqSHuaSVq8NdFzxHiduiiewUosydm7BAcBYKXB7YcswnbogBCJA9YAdJB4PLZfOs0qkqB_SmNS7CbvvDMsGsRTo/s1600/gran7.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65-synuUnf0isemAD0YikhpMN6hkmkkl2cQShbMEV7N5vJOvELjv8VqSHuaSVq8NdFzxHiduiiewUosydm7BAcBYKXB7YcswnbogBCJA9YAdJB4PLZfOs0qkqB_SmNS7CbvvDMsGsRTo/s320/gran7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069922362875426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFTwzWTpqq3o-vs4ivjs8EHX1S7JX0_ttamD6qhyphenhyphenqg17m6O1wsZu8oCkv7YsHUmLhNBXYTeTsPbDWTg385cXqLG4O3w26B7Sm2j9W-RJ71R3Hmk4HvZMxjAGbieGDMgbJMFlAsCcZ3NE/s1600/gran6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFTwzWTpqq3o-vs4ivjs8EHX1S7JX0_ttamD6qhyphenhyphenqg17m6O1wsZu8oCkv7YsHUmLhNBXYTeTsPbDWTg385cXqLG4O3w26B7Sm2j9W-RJ71R3Hmk4HvZMxjAGbieGDMgbJMFlAsCcZ3NE/s320/gran6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069816725982082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqwORStfFZjo2iPnKI8tdrRW88fxpdoDCiHHEIDFVGZQpgeBrqE-QavfcNXs6KSZsdzzsiAOYHGBXnuLfs0s3pWyI3noClmRIRpsI0OEiNpIvJ7AORBcXIFZpboKdhkdSZ0OkJn-4QU0/s1600/gran5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqwORStfFZjo2iPnKI8tdrRW88fxpdoDCiHHEIDFVGZQpgeBrqE-QavfcNXs6KSZsdzzsiAOYHGBXnuLfs0s3pWyI3noClmRIRpsI0OEiNpIvJ7AORBcXIFZpboKdhkdSZ0OkJn-4QU0/s320/gran5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069508724279858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-LbUimYLLKZp9etKXdFew4Dq-OYtZcEIKfLlGRMfMrxjoGAqQZ6MIMinHH4fxZXwfA3A46xR6r4PaLwqdnUpvX1PRv09zleJvG-3eYYp6y5a-oqWu-1HcWEXD7sheVc3diPwuxZc9Bk/s1600/gran4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-LbUimYLLKZp9etKXdFew4Dq-OYtZcEIKfLlGRMfMrxjoGAqQZ6MIMinHH4fxZXwfA3A46xR6r4PaLwqdnUpvX1PRv09zleJvG-3eYYp6y5a-oqWu-1HcWEXD7sheVc3diPwuxZc9Bk/s320/gran4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069504864966386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEioxYxhXjSG0lYOWQmjCR5Ri63Wu_vPLy9xVbKLm-Q37y7N8KsfskFUCuhEQ3dPX6kvSogxpt4QtyHvxl2T8bdgNP8jrw_3y2FxF2q6muIelRM3oU0wBT6iXhf_OCevrxAoCI7RceXs/s1600/gran3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEioxYxhXjSG0lYOWQmjCR5Ri63Wu_vPLy9xVbKLm-Q37y7N8KsfskFUCuhEQ3dPX6kvSogxpt4QtyHvxl2T8bdgNP8jrw_3y2FxF2q6muIelRM3oU0wBT6iXhf_OCevrxAoCI7RceXs/s320/gran3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069480281829874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6A7_k35WC2_y4nt41evYrxs1lE1kh5eBDA5vrD_icvUWzASAKEEboBuU6U25AWvkbdtyafJYdVEIb68t9Wdo3HA6fWF9q9MjJTGbjmif_cRojwoke6XpP3D1I6U9pqF_ZKnK_TgOpZc/s1600/gran2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd6A7_k35WC2_y4nt41evYrxs1lE1kh5eBDA5vrD_icvUWzASAKEEboBuU6U25AWvkbdtyafJYdVEIb68t9Wdo3HA6fWF9q9MjJTGbjmif_cRojwoke6XpP3D1I6U9pqF_ZKnK_TgOpZc/s320/gran2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069476030831826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXplJ-dPx8r_44OgLfBqG2POMumKxR5EZ1yI4AJF60SR0hiU9oJawta7x8SjfS-5x1Y1owTC46kSbBfqF5XPUHrdyIqXYKUpX7q-zCD3osnYsU-nqXzbDjtMpTd8wxachk5e9PIiSr1Bs/s1600/gran1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXplJ-dPx8r_44OgLfBqG2POMumKxR5EZ1yI4AJF60SR0hiU9oJawta7x8SjfS-5x1Y1owTC46kSbBfqF5XPUHrdyIqXYKUpX7q-zCD3osnYsU-nqXzbDjtMpTd8wxachk5e9PIiSr1Bs/s320/gran1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545069472797294018" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And here is the centerpiece of the whole holiday display! She is maybe 8 or 9 feet tall with a wire form skirt, lit from within, and covered with magnolia leaves, frosty floral bits, and ornaments. It was so spectacular that I gasped when I walked in!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8N0-LfiHpThIqjzQlAtNAoI5zIZ6A3l6oAi1q0GH29Qx7rYLTM3i7sJfGHOzUaMcrNiCDAJKqm9GHM6FLGHcQyxXLk7ESvlPridEtD-iGkH2J33jYIENXOeQlTovSUjv9u3-qCtcGrU/s1600/gran20.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8N0-LfiHpThIqjzQlAtNAoI5zIZ6A3l6oAi1q0GH29Qx7rYLTM3i7sJfGHOzUaMcrNiCDAJKqm9GHM6FLGHcQyxXLk7ESvlPridEtD-iGkH2J33jYIENXOeQlTovSUjv9u3-qCtcGrU/s320/gran20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545071057152541426" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-79449775169292998432010-11-22T17:57:00.001-08:002010-11-22T18:18:11.784-08:00Tuna CasseroleFood. I love it. I love making it, eating, talking about it, planning the next meal as I'm still eating the current one. The women in my family love to cook, bake, and can and preserve. They have all the family recipes, all that good comfort food.<br /><br />One of my favorites is tuna casserole. Now, I loved it even with the inclusion of the contents of the red and white can, but <a href="http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/">Shauna and Daniel</a>'s version has none of that! My husband hates tuna casserole. Hates. Won't eat anything with canned tuna. At all. No way. So I save making tuna casserole for when he's away. Since he's working out of state ... it's tuna time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSWS0dLEyZuJ_zclDk4ftmd744NRmBWWiqCof2bnMqzV3zfep5blgXid1g-svxJP5LRFZldxk-ASzwufv_r9aGSHBFfMOqA4AuzfTIRXcvKjcVwwKbL7Tyk6lPIeOopSvtIm3GMop0BQ/s1600/tuna1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSWS0dLEyZuJ_zclDk4ftmd744NRmBWWiqCof2bnMqzV3zfep5blgXid1g-svxJP5LRFZldxk-ASzwufv_r9aGSHBFfMOqA4AuzfTIRXcvKjcVwwKbL7Tyk6lPIeOopSvtIm3GMop0BQ/s320/tuna1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542560492378433538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPuvNWNU48Pzb_hQja4P9Pu_RS4frT39KkqngAtZkzrKooHwad6itp1ld4_ZxLPdp8uHDlVZrv2hu5WoBWN1TnDPSiucTwUXX58cWbYTpANqie0mM1I6WHComuZw0PSfBV4E0wPzQdpw/s1600/tuna2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPuvNWNU48Pzb_hQja4P9Pu_RS4frT39KkqngAtZkzrKooHwad6itp1ld4_ZxLPdp8uHDlVZrv2hu5WoBWN1TnDPSiucTwUXX58cWbYTpANqie0mM1I6WHComuZw0PSfBV4E0wPzQdpw/s320/tuna2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542560492049198018" border="0" /></a><br />Yeah, those are potato chips on top, Baby!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtY_CiCX0oS2h52ngHl_hyphenhyphenypX6wIDDlVHTD3tCwixC2RmchNZ_0nDeh2mTcrnSbggYr8K77XSTmlBnPRPJ8Z5Wg5iyuHyjHmwQf96mEfEt8GfRFcK3i-mCO00-I7QlXZeT32940q2-H8/s1600/tuna3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtY_CiCX0oS2h52ngHl_hyphenhyphenypX6wIDDlVHTD3tCwixC2RmchNZ_0nDeh2mTcrnSbggYr8K77XSTmlBnPRPJ8Z5Wg5iyuHyjHmwQf96mEfEt8GfRFcK3i-mCO00-I7QlXZeT32940q2-H8/s320/tuna3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542560486637331506" border="0" /></a><br />Now that's the seal of approval! (Although you can see that he ate all around the mushrooms.) It was soooo good that C told his Daddy that he just <span style="font-weight: bold;">had</span> to try it. And he agreed that he <span style="font-style: italic;">might</span>. I'm gonna hold him to it!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-64354241176001986272010-10-28T17:35:00.000-07:002010-12-07T19:26:36.073-08:00Away for the weekendAaaah, vacation. Well, sort of. The kids and I went to New Hampshire to visit for the last time, I hope. Not that I don't want to go back, of course. It's just that I want to move. Our family has been apart for about a month now and it's really, really tough. Going away for the weekend wasn't the least bit relaxing for me either and was tougher than usual since I didn't have my dear husband there to help. It's tough being in the inn because I feel like I'm constantly shushing the children, and I don't want to be that way. But it <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> a business too so they can't just run around willy-nilly! C was "on" all the time because he knew my attention wasn't all on him and P was plain ol' grumpy. She is more of a creature of home and habit than I am, so being in an unfamiliar place with lots on the agenda and lots of people was just unsettling to her. She slept terribly too, as did I. Now that we are home, we can relax! How crazy is that?!<br /><br />The important thing, though, is that we spent time with friends, ate wonderful food, and got to see how beautiful New Hampshire is in the fall, one last time. While we were there I was thinking what a coincidence it was that the first time we three (we were just three then) went up to the inn seven years ago it was close to my birthday and here this time (a different three) we were there the weekend before my birthday. And so it all comes full circle -- and I hope we sell our house soon so that we can call it all complete.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I had to take a photo of this barn with Totoro, one of our favorites, painted on the door.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPF6xCtyBBN2BIC15KTZTSaKUbNA1DZIkkKvipgK4AuNihFfOkWJfJ86rg6LKJJ4et75YhHgLEpFk28JODUnrGXaymgsLD6Xm8X5kEeDl6UV_E2M7UMJSgwcmnuUiGYR4bWlMHqHSKeSI/s1600/barn.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPF6xCtyBBN2BIC15KTZTSaKUbNA1DZIkkKvipgK4AuNihFfOkWJfJ86rg6LKJJ4et75YhHgLEpFk28JODUnrGXaymgsLD6Xm8X5kEeDl6UV_E2M7UMJSgwcmnuUiGYR4bWlMHqHSKeSI/s320/barn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533261045684083970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Mount Washington. The sign at the start of the auto road says "This is a narrow, steep, mountain road with no guardrails [eep!], so if you are afraid of heights, you might not enjoy the drive." Shoulda taken a picture of that sign. I'm not afraid of heights, but I am pretty terrified of tumbling down a mountainside with my children in a minivan, so I opted out of this adventure. I have to leave New England without one of those "This car climbed Mt. Washington" bumper stickers. I'm pretty sure it's against the law to have one of those stickers if you didn't actually make the drive. If it's not, it should be.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0VJb3oSj-SiYmfeWtceBO6wMqkl-41wp03D4i24GnoufwI4E-vtfBIY0G8rD-W7WD_uGq2T6x10J3vrd6ueKEdp00bTopInrIKT9Zzy8UWtbTcj174sYGqG2dAI6QGXvNRVAT69BwR4/s1600/mountain.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0VJb3oSj-SiYmfeWtceBO6wMqkl-41wp03D4i24GnoufwI4E-vtfBIY0G8rD-W7WD_uGq2T6x10J3vrd6ueKEdp00bTopInrIKT9Zzy8UWtbTcj174sYGqG2dAI6QGXvNRVAT69BwR4/s320/mountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533260886718635986" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">My dear friend Catherine, a gorgeous singer (a gorgeous singer who sings gorgeously is more accurate), flew in from Minnesota to perform a recital at the little white church in Eaton, just down the road from the inn. The church is called The Little White Church and it's easy to find because it's the little church, the white one.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The kids waiting for the music to start. I think C is telling Tim bad jokes. Again.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24q_xZs57lmAI3EKp8FBuwDv8FWcwFXrJ8eEeLvaiqdmpP-mgOZ6c6VrHh7KJUvxbEgZq7ZzUbQ_eaGYNbpYoYgmkwf6MKsV-O0p456J5Sxv2j9j1tmQBTDkUy1V1kXvU_JFuEHdLhyphenhyphenQ/s1600/kids.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24q_xZs57lmAI3EKp8FBuwDv8FWcwFXrJ8eEeLvaiqdmpP-mgOZ6c6VrHh7KJUvxbEgZq7ZzUbQ_eaGYNbpYoYgmkwf6MKsV-O0p456J5Sxv2j9j1tmQBTDkUy1V1kXvU_JFuEHdLhyphenhyphenQ/s320/kids.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533260876798993586" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">It's white, it's little, it's the...<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZI6IX33u5QP3TMMk6pRk1L6WQXsnRbapbeF1BaX-6MgvuEX8d9C8ylcCkKQMcj7RlzBZ8pY0Z5YIyZde2IEnxrS2OaWuFigyuNDyn4tl_h63_fuXXdUH7hoQQB7CnI1RlWAaTIfBJzA/s1600/church.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZI6IX33u5QP3TMMk6pRk1L6WQXsnRbapbeF1BaX-6MgvuEX8d9C8ylcCkKQMcj7RlzBZ8pY0Z5YIyZde2IEnxrS2OaWuFigyuNDyn4tl_h63_fuXXdUH7hoQQB7CnI1RlWAaTIfBJzA/s320/church.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533260873548950418" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">And suddenly some magical creature appeared in the window! And he promised me Bailey's!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnM5BJ_7F8itLsjFiI2L4YszQzQGKs8Y7ODasZ2KtdmUpp2bJ1FNVZJpcmGGFutD_iAhXaIt-ouf70UyPncEINfcrlDQsisr6dG6c2nSPBaGzvCth3UJR0ZYIPVsh6yvw8ur-PluKN_Y/s1600/tim.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnM5BJ_7F8itLsjFiI2L4YszQzQGKs8Y7ODasZ2KtdmUpp2bJ1FNVZJpcmGGFutD_iAhXaIt-ouf70UyPncEINfcrlDQsisr6dG6c2nSPBaGzvCth3UJR0ZYIPVsh6yvw8ur-PluKN_Y/s320/tim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533260869776447890" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A view out the window of the church to the graveyard. I just looove a good old graveyard.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hJAeCYCAKBD82mo67iBh_07GuRdxLrBOsRdiSfbXwqtO7DwDUIFAU2US098MRUtrP2zvxANkCihqB6LIyjvrHkbUDkRHO9uuKEsuoenGhSiYlrSXBhfQoRl5UCcL_OMV-CcuU2lwCbw/s1600/window.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hJAeCYCAKBD82mo67iBh_07GuRdxLrBOsRdiSfbXwqtO7DwDUIFAU2US098MRUtrP2zvxANkCihqB6LIyjvrHkbUDkRHO9uuKEsuoenGhSiYlrSXBhfQoRl5UCcL_OMV-CcuU2lwCbw/s320/window.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533260860424177650" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-152134567400122362010-10-17T12:54:00.000-07:002010-10-17T13:57:12.024-07:00Crusty Bread That Even Those Who Eat Gluten Might LikeBread. It's the basis of so many world cultures. It's the thing many celiacs miss the most, and it's one of the hardest thing to get right without gluten.<br /><br />One of my favorite food bloggers, Shauna Ahern of <a href="http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/">The Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef</a>, and her husband, Daniel -- The Chef, have a new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Girl-Shauna-James-Ahern/dp/0470419717/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287346820&sr=1-1">cookbook</a> out of their best gluten-free recipes. It has everything from recipes that are naturally gluten-free (chocolate mousse!) to gluten-free recreations of gluten-containing foods.<br /><br />The Aherns were recently at the Hancock Shaker Village for a book signing. I've wanted to take the family there before we leave New England, so we went up on a beautiful early autumn day to meet Shauna, Daniel, and of course, little Lu.<br /><br />(Sorry I kinda caught you mid-word there, Shauna!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7ByiZJSGeAnW0_AYSnO_ltd99KqSfyay8MYoc_U_jnAWP8Bm5atV2j9xswZQMlsBIpwuMSXAYmTA0lNw8-640JAxv-GTEuiKygzLg4HB8pcMiOkxs3Pomtwl7aPrfx1U-Nxarx3hOtg/s1600/shauna.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7ByiZJSGeAnW0_AYSnO_ltd99KqSfyay8MYoc_U_jnAWP8Bm5atV2j9xswZQMlsBIpwuMSXAYmTA0lNw8-640JAxv-GTEuiKygzLg4HB8pcMiOkxs3Pomtwl7aPrfx1U-Nxarx3hOtg/s320/shauna.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529107161333929666" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhn0spBRbd4RJQ9B8l8wbLxgxpVMVXP4h5xVB_g4F_bXyOvzaL33PAt-NkjEP1JP_dQLi2miuqVaBEVvQLskKw_XZ8-hewvBjAJPb1ASLPY_ss9CieDFcIutuf0geAxuHl7A3OsEE8v8/s1600/ahernsmeg.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhn0spBRbd4RJQ9B8l8wbLxgxpVMVXP4h5xVB_g4F_bXyOvzaL33PAt-NkjEP1JP_dQLi2miuqVaBEVvQLskKw_XZ8-hewvBjAJPb1ASLPY_ss9CieDFcIutuf0geAxuHl7A3OsEE8v8/s320/ahernsmeg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529107153892358194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihREwOd78M1NA2CzdR_LYXW255bXkVJjQHdJWvGgAxUrbemiXr0BkJFKm6wYmC8SEsTvBd4E9oei73xI3T7P1MBy6XiSCtVIClFtj98PGqPKY8Nu15430Dhx4waBUQ8ZL-M0jlISDE9cs/s1600/lu.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihREwOd78M1NA2CzdR_LYXW255bXkVJjQHdJWvGgAxUrbemiXr0BkJFKm6wYmC8SEsTvBd4E9oei73xI3T7P1MBy6XiSCtVIClFtj98PGqPKY8Nu15430Dhx4waBUQ8ZL-M0jlISDE9cs/s320/lu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529106604717848994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is the beautiful brick house where the book discussion was. It was the home of the Shaker Brothers and Sisters.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzaXzqf8vtftObB7jGH0d9ugz-6iuft80QxZ6lUyOFVDPg3sQxSsX7x-uyxoDCxDYlt2f5w6WskL3xpvGGsAHIGynfeghBlqNQ_pXS6BPmX4itbRQs1Aa-f4B50qU6D3lFiHLTzGLF7g/s1600/brickhouse.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzaXzqf8vtftObB7jGH0d9ugz-6iuft80QxZ6lUyOFVDPg3sQxSsX7x-uyxoDCxDYlt2f5w6WskL3xpvGGsAHIGynfeghBlqNQ_pXS6BPmX4itbRQs1Aa-f4B50qU6D3lFiHLTzGLF7g/s320/brickhouse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529106591400543570" border="0" /></a><br />The beautiful round, stone Shaker barn.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGcdha1ppFKWI0V_MPKHbgZX2rNmSNO5QEdcJ5XET3GyvcpBTxydgBoEL1PRlDTG53pIMxlQLYevqF_wKVcYK2CnOXIhKJht0h4KkLMuFAaOXmsKe5vAtQQhzkXLdGqU-WsRjZC2LT-w/s1600/barn.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGcdha1ppFKWI0V_MPKHbgZX2rNmSNO5QEdcJ5XET3GyvcpBTxydgBoEL1PRlDTG53pIMxlQLYevqF_wKVcYK2CnOXIhKJht0h4KkLMuFAaOXmsKe5vAtQQhzkXLdGqU-WsRjZC2LT-w/s320/barn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529106566041955202" border="0" /></a><br />The intricate inner structure of the round barn.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeqXRnvWhGdMICwM_Z4t9QzTecVDBkdaB3Ws0PD8yTKlvSMD3Rbb_eZXHJuXqOu4nah3O8njO_6AzbgPrwGYal4HrH5tu8Jg4fepGk_bMEB1D5ZimhMh_PLP1qXo44R1_sI0Q-GVCjiw/s1600/barninterior.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTeqXRnvWhGdMICwM_Z4t9QzTecVDBkdaB3Ws0PD8yTKlvSMD3Rbb_eZXHJuXqOu4nah3O8njO_6AzbgPrwGYal4HrH5tu8Jg4fepGk_bMEB1D5ZimhMh_PLP1qXo44R1_sI0Q-GVCjiw/s320/barninterior.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529106550210705842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AKIj4lxUX6dd80WO6lTa-EFUz5Nt8q0Zw_VYTZv8QOCkVyx8Z3YCrz_gaE2uXDa-fQNg8PuyMwdiILDyNJ_QJ2bNSM6dek_dHTZg5V-XC83q4OXrmB2qspEdUWyLLw5bt4UXK38FdeE/s1600/pumpkin.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3AKIj4lxUX6dd80WO6lTa-EFUz5Nt8q0Zw_VYTZv8QOCkVyx8Z3YCrz_gaE2uXDa-fQNg8PuyMwdiILDyNJ_QJ2bNSM6dek_dHTZg5V-XC83q4OXrmB2qspEdUWyLLw5bt4UXK38FdeE/s320/pumpkin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529106578719805954" border="0" /></a><br />I told Shauna that I would like to do the Julie/Julia treatment to the book (except without the Queens/Paris (sadly!) element. So here I go!<br /><br />I started with the most missed, most lamented deprivation of people who are told to give up gluten: good old crusty bread. Crusty Bread That Even Those Who Eat Gluten Might Like, as a matter fact (yes, that's really the name of the recipe and it's exactly what it says it is). When I read the recipe, it reminded me of Mark Bittman's internet sensation, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html">No-Knead Bread</a>, in that it has a long rising time and is baked in a blazing hot pan. But this recipe calls for much more yeast than Bittman's bread, of course, since we're not dealing with gluten here. The dough is mixed very quickly and then rises for 2 hours. It's baked for 30 minutes in a 500 degree Dutch oven.<br /><br />The dough at the beginning of the rise.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54GQucybD59SSo880c4oLbLCILJYyixSTGef99DH2k6udS8NEuKvsywfrG-w_KvuFP1hAZfXznYehChCDuGhBKWC3YLt_oJRTIiJG4bd6190vydqjvTr9w00KJD6gyUEYW9DYc05ErRQ/s1600/bread1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54GQucybD59SSo880c4oLbLCILJYyixSTGef99DH2k6udS8NEuKvsywfrG-w_KvuFP1hAZfXznYehChCDuGhBKWC3YLt_oJRTIiJG4bd6190vydqjvTr9w00KJD6gyUEYW9DYc05ErRQ/s320/bread1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529107495156207970" border="0" /></a><br />After two hours.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiVFqs7Lbw1FUr5cqKRa0nvVbew2Sz_bOV8FYoFAeQQj2djd1UkUxyU2c07WoJ7h982QzAgXcVMLrUlQOb2-METhe9GGrIZ7NwWxlBMZ_ByYyNeXfCudWwPY5peK32TrjNXr2JRIXua8/s1600/bread2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiVFqs7Lbw1FUr5cqKRa0nvVbew2Sz_bOV8FYoFAeQQj2djd1UkUxyU2c07WoJ7h982QzAgXcVMLrUlQOb2-METhe9GGrIZ7NwWxlBMZ_ByYyNeXfCudWwPY5peK32TrjNXr2JRIXua8/s320/bread2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529107488752818946" border="0" /></a><br />I baked the loaf in my Le Creuset pan on parchment paper, which makes it easy to remove it from the pan. I poured a little olive oil on top and sprinkled it with some nice coarse Himalayan Red Salt.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlB-sdAaikLAz6enWxXAx5kSgdNPEhUqzv73U58IGXAbQ2BCHDMiEgx9XNqB3icZSov-wZkmfXVJWqPWVBxgAFMO93V5YmbzG8cSephwTBEfWbEmcoI0Wlq3gk94Lwc58Gus3ZUeg2xXk/s1600/bread3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlB-sdAaikLAz6enWxXAx5kSgdNPEhUqzv73U58IGXAbQ2BCHDMiEgx9XNqB3icZSov-wZkmfXVJWqPWVBxgAFMO93V5YmbzG8cSephwTBEfWbEmcoI0Wlq3gk94Lwc58Gus3ZUeg2xXk/s320/bread3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529107465196330866" border="0" /></a><br />Ahhhh, beauty..... And the smell..... Mmmmmm.....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDDY1afNX_YnOwA_vkGB2fW_HC1HQn_-xV6KAfCuUCMueJ70GPI46ThLLE-hbwMe2z5zFf_xGSJtrNu_V2TT6uqjsOvBalfA5HOEDEHFKjQc6-9_mhrD6FQlBMCjcvXeutyXgDH7wFF0/s1600/bread4.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDDY1afNX_YnOwA_vkGB2fW_HC1HQn_-xV6KAfCuUCMueJ70GPI46ThLLE-hbwMe2z5zFf_xGSJtrNu_V2TT6uqjsOvBalfA5HOEDEHFKjQc6-9_mhrD6FQlBMCjcvXeutyXgDH7wFF0/s320/bread4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529107197491300450" border="0" /></a><br />Absolutely delicious with just butter. I love Kate's Homemade Butter with sea salt. It comes from Maine and is the nicest, most readily available, and most local butter I can get around here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJst6ZrfLyFgX3lE1j2xJVgTFV5ds7WpLODMHwEHV5WhYuVME_KqOp-TAs9TdVyO8siP8o7wQXornKFB0DvicrqVfzYzE72AzE3mVIn69CU1YTukEBit1eVhwieoXzit-k1t9seEzass/s1600/bread5.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJst6ZrfLyFgX3lE1j2xJVgTFV5ds7WpLODMHwEHV5WhYuVME_KqOp-TAs9TdVyO8siP8o7wQXornKFB0DvicrqVfzYzE72AzE3mVIn69CU1YTukEBit1eVhwieoXzit-k1t9seEzass/s320/bread5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529107184769009378" border="0" /></a><br />And it makes a divine tomato, basil, mozzarella sandwich! I got a super dark red heirloom tomato for this. It was soooo good!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvQzOLlJKw_ACdDY1_2gAa9XZOygxyicustBM8ShZWRzF3AWJGGIdExvN5x7LgRRkz01NZcTrGtAmYCfw2VPhJSD7StkPtmrWwre0OJJqg-g7TvGlB3nSOch_bsnBCo4z8HSgepQ-Ox0/s1600/bread6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvQzOLlJKw_ACdDY1_2gAa9XZOygxyicustBM8ShZWRzF3AWJGGIdExvN5x7LgRRkz01NZcTrGtAmYCfw2VPhJSD7StkPtmrWwre0OJJqg-g7TvGlB3nSOch_bsnBCo4z8HSgepQ-Ox0/s320/bread6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529107165770175634" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-48215766098161955112010-09-25T18:33:00.000-07:002010-11-29T18:29:25.421-08:00September snuck up on me -- and I lost July and August.Oh, jeez. It has been a while! Well, for whomever is reading, goodness things have been crazy and life turned upside down in the best way possible! My dear husband got a wonderful new job, but it means we will be moving halfway across the country. I love New England and I love where we live, but honestly we have done nothing but struggle since the day we got here. It has been very hard on us, especially for my dear husband. He so deserves this break.<br /><br />So I have been decluttering and sorting and tossing. I had the dump-run guy here yesterday morning, and he took SOOOO much crap out of the basement. It looks AWESOME down there. I keep going down just to marvel at the tidiness of it all! Now, I do shield my eyes from the other side of the basement which is still a little messy, but the worst of it is done. Even if I didn't do another thing, it's still a huge improvement.<br /><br />So, let's see. It has been hot, as this poor squirrel could tell you.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtIKAajUZX2TMY8IT9FtlvtpQO5VI-9zvvFUFu7rB5e7S98dguVFuIPZxeyNFpU-qmsey5_d9x72TC4c390gequPrgyI1a9jasVXYLxHRWYQN5PgdrZ0a5fVpNbveRUqvPPHnaelImog/s1600/squirrel.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmtIKAajUZX2TMY8IT9FtlvtpQO5VI-9zvvFUFu7rB5e7S98dguVFuIPZxeyNFpU-qmsey5_d9x72TC4c390gequPrgyI1a9jasVXYLxHRWYQN5PgdrZ0a5fVpNbveRUqvPPHnaelImog/s320/squirrel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521029610977480098" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Before we move away, there are some things that I want to do that I thought I would have forever to do. One thing I have always wanted to do is to go to the <a href="http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=hancock+shaker+village&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8">Hancock Shaker Village</a>. Today we finally went, but it wasn't just the Shakers we were going to see. My own favorite gluten-free blogger, Shauna Ahern of <a href="http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/">The Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef</a>, was going to be there for a book signing and talk as part of the country fair that was going on this weekend! I was so excited to go that I couldn't get the family out of the house fast enough. We were rewarded with an incredibly beautiful New England Indian Summer day!<br /><br />Shauna and Daniel had their little one, Lu, with them. She was a trooper given that she's logged more miles in two days than most adults -- and she had WAY better coping skills than many jet-lagged adults! We and the other people who came to see them just sat at the long Shaker dining tables and chatted about our own experiences with going gluten-free, trading cooking tips (<a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/11/cooks-illustrated-foolproof-pie-dough-recipe.html">like this one about using vodka in pie crust dough</a>, which I am eager to try), and about all the deliciousness in the Aherns'<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470419717/ref=s9_wishx_gw_ir07?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1NCFXBUGVQI1R&colid=3M23VWAJXC4UV&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1KR26FZCJYD86NAZYE7Y&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846"> new cookbook</a>. I cannot wait to get started on the recipes, which all look delicious and not all of which are GF alternatives for "regular" food. Hey, chocolate mousse is naturally GF and their recipe for chocolate mousse with jam and creme fraiche is calling to me! I actually said to Shauna that I would like to do a Julie/Julia treatment to her book and blog about it. Oh, crap! Did I say that out loud?! When I'm trying to sell my house and when my dear husband is about to leave for his new job?! Yes, I did. And my dear husband hates tuna noodle casserole, so I will start with that recipe -- and follow it with the chocolate mousse. That's the ticket!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-5854315573966602922010-06-26T05:53:00.000-07:002010-06-26T06:27:53.245-07:00It's Saturday! And that's a very good thing!Well, "Something-I-Made Monday" turned into Saturday this week. I have made two dresses for P from Butterick 5439, and I have a third in the works. It cris-crosses in the back and can be made reversible. This one isn't, but it could be if I add another set of buttons. I don't stand her too close to the lamp in the family room because it's the same Amy Butler fabric! I might lose her!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fbFEks7LxuCXKLOmJk3KK2ayWZ_jdebqOK_V5AAonIUgmub770S5fQlNz6Za2kVaWRA5FHP9P4Iw1pllvpe6W6h18GIZ0N1d2RNrxvXB5vOocWV53KE5F1Bc9ihgZT21gcls1khUcQQ/s1600/turquoisedress.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fbFEks7LxuCXKLOmJk3KK2ayWZ_jdebqOK_V5AAonIUgmub770S5fQlNz6Za2kVaWRA5FHP9P4Iw1pllvpe6W6h18GIZ0N1d2RNrxvXB5vOocWV53KE5F1Bc9ihgZT21gcls1khUcQQ/s320/turquoisedress.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487064856942011506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKZA-wi_eC4cmv7CA5jhlFAOEM4gF1IEH_wAGLBoNxdfRTpM3EzGKL9rODHfF3olSUa6Orcnl7iMLaVMbnCqBZderWqgfpfuPqlr2ILgS9S5w0IeItAApDpLS0CxWVXij128_6MbLS-8/s1600/brassafter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKZA-wi_eC4cmv7CA5jhlFAOEM4gF1IEH_wAGLBoNxdfRTpM3EzGKL9rODHfF3olSUa6Orcnl7iMLaVMbnCqBZderWqgfpfuPqlr2ILgS9S5w0IeItAApDpLS0CxWVXij128_6MbLS-8/s320/brassafter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487065234584505698" /></a><br /><br />Well, now I've given you two things I made! Well, one I redid. Here's the before.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5U_wDmr7m_tRB8jIZEAsWVu01nvTwiR20zrm81sa1_Ga3-Sh1UNTeQBzO-OI_MG7u1QUn5IcIY8ymhN16lCWkwnkla5q2zPdU7egBIyw0b0U0z_AlZIldJJKV4kzNRBxDCXOnXoyezo/s1600/brassbefore.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5U_wDmr7m_tRB8jIZEAsWVu01nvTwiR20zrm81sa1_Ga3-Sh1UNTeQBzO-OI_MG7u1QUn5IcIY8ymhN16lCWkwnkla5q2zPdU7egBIyw0b0U0z_AlZIldJJKV4kzNRBxDCXOnXoyezo/s320/brassbefore.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487065493560775138" /></a><br /><br />Don't you see these ugly brass lamps like every day at your thrift stores? (Sorry, brass lamp connoisseurs.) This lamp was $6 and the shade was $3. One can of Montana Light Turquoise paint, one yard of Amy Butler fabric, and two yards of grosgrain ribbon. That's a $20 lamp! Take that, HomeGoods! (Not dissing you, HG. Oh, how I love HomeGoods. Don't you?)<br /><br />So, the delay in posting this week is because it has been nutty 'round here. P has been feeling poorly. She gets these allergy attacks (pollen) that just wipe her out. She gets congested, has post-nasal drip, which makes her cough like crazy, which keeps her awake, which makes her muscle tone go <span style="font-style:italic;">completely</span> out of whack, which makes it so that I can't even leave the couch to do anything. Last night, my beautiful husband stayed up with her so that I could sleep!<br /><br />On top of that, she is in PT bootcamp for three hours a day, plus driving 1.25 hours each way to get there (but <span style="font-style:italic;">totally</span> worth the drive). That's three times a week. This week on Monday we went to the children's hospital to do the preliminary stuff for P's dental surgery next month, which freaks me right the heck out. At least Wednesday C got to stay at his friend's house instead of going to PT with us, and yesterday he stayed with another friend. Lucky kid. <br /><br />Soooo....<br /><br />My house is a wreck. The laundry is multiplying on its own. Srsly. The kitchen is frightening. Not in a 'Hoarders' kind of way; just in a "I have to use the stove top as extra counter space for food prep" kind of way. That will be resolved this morning. My yard needs mowing because I didn't get to finish last time since the battery died in my nice little eco-friendly mower. Plus it's humid. Not Savannah humid, but humid. Got lots of things on my mind. Are we selling our house? If so, how in the HELL am I going to pack it essentially by myself because K is working soooo much and driving 1.5 hours each way to get there every day. (That worry may be several months off, but might as well worry about it now, right? Yeah, not right, I know.) Or are we just refinancing? That's good too because then I would have time to finish off projects around the house. I need to paint the deck and railing. I really want to change the ugly brass doorknobs on all the doors upstairs. They are just ugly and tarnished and I know that if <a href="http://taniyanayak.com/">Taniya Nayak</a> were here, she would tell me that changing those doorknobs modernizes the house and says to buyers, "Here's one thing you don't have to spend money on yourselves." I need to do something about the cheesy mauve floral tile backsplash in the kitchen so that buyers won't have to spend money on that and so that I don't commit hari kari from having to live with it for another day.<br /><br />Well, there's a peek into how my crazy mind races! Oh, there's more! But I'll spare you.<br /><br />Here's a blog recommendation. <a href="http://megduerksen.typepad.com/">Meg Duerksen</a>. She's cute and funny and witty, and if her latest giveaway is any indication, she has like 8 bajillion readers. Or something like that. I wonder what it's like to have 8 bajillion readers? Would I want 8 bajillion readers? I don't know. I wish I could make some kind of living off this little bloggie and maybe have some giveaways for my faithful readers (yes, I am speaking to you, one little person who reads my blog, you in your parents' basement). I guess I have to blog more regularly for that kind of thing. We'll see. I do have laundry to fold and ridiculous "maybes" to fret about, ya know!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-37205072357152702362010-06-14T18:47:00.000-07:002010-06-14T19:26:49.739-07:00Something-I-Made MondayTo keep me to some sort of regular posting schedule (ha!), I am instituting "Something-I-Made Monday." Please feel free to participate by leaving a link to something you made in the comments section. Here is my contribution.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITcGhrMuXJ0R-LbDGakfcuCaC7U0GN73a7nOKyivXVx82UfhKYkNh9xlACxtmiEtJjRp4iIfzqxGK-7TC_R_txKQ_0QzMIu9xlXo0PrQDCmmVZvIDC-uQChxMXLZyFfDZNNfIdYi9UGo/s1600/garden.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITcGhrMuXJ0R-LbDGakfcuCaC7U0GN73a7nOKyivXVx82UfhKYkNh9xlACxtmiEtJjRp4iIfzqxGK-7TC_R_txKQ_0QzMIu9xlXo0PrQDCmmVZvIDC-uQChxMXLZyFfDZNNfIdYi9UGo/s320/garden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482811737303225202" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I know it doesn't look like much, but these straw bales are going to be my garden! I was all prepared to do a <a href="http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnagarden.htm">lasagna garden</a> where you layer newspaper on top of your grass, then compost, grass clippings, etc., until you have a nice mix of things to plant in. But then I started reading about <a href="http://www.outdoorblogging.com/the-hay-bale-gardening-experiment-is-a-success/">straw bale gardening</a> where you plant directly into bales that you have helped along in the decomposition process with lots of water, then nitrogen, and then fertilizer.<br /><br />I found an ad on Craig's List for some very inexpensive bales. We went out last weekend to pick them up, and we had a great time. The guy works for the state, but lives on his family farm where his dad used to grow, pickle, and sell his own horseradish! He still grows some, so we are definitely going back for some of that! He also had the most beautiful rooster I had ever seen! I mean, like right out of central "I-need-a-rooster-for-a-movie" casting. He also had the most fabulous collection of old tractors and farm equipment along with a great old barn. We mentioned what great photos we could take out there, and he said he would love to have us come back and do that!<br /><br />Today I potted my tomato seedlings and my baby basil plants. I also am going to grow potatoes in a hay mound, so I went to Agway to buy some. The Green Mountain potatoes were only 75 cents a pound, but I only needed 4 potatoes so that weighed, like, nothing. The guy very kindly just waved me away without charging me! So I bought one of their straw bales to make up for it.<br /><br />Just the other day I discovered some foxgloves growing in the back of the yard that I didn't even know were there. We have lived in the house for two years now, but they must have been hiding!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLC3XlZICRcmGRLZswoISv0064LX9A3CBcLsNm1agumt-hkZoWVtKH9uJcR7HGEcpS9Pq4ASXPeDaG8-Wsh-gbhv9f5y04LZGJh1JA1M8Urm5kGSzDLp7_EPfyaqOahsEqmiSYmvMq0Ak/s1600/white.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLC3XlZICRcmGRLZswoISv0064LX9A3CBcLsNm1agumt-hkZoWVtKH9uJcR7HGEcpS9Pq4ASXPeDaG8-Wsh-gbhv9f5y04LZGJh1JA1M8Urm5kGSzDLp7_EPfyaqOahsEqmiSYmvMq0Ak/s320/white.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482820220959784898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaUlHnxTsxiR6d5apQrrK3yN3D_Ts5sBBuZMgzFbTjV1QDkAp36TE4Z-mBqfUlIMb3A9INOI0uRYJOHejjLXjuF559-l_Q9vcHAj91v61GiODkkjLmgiDhwWW6EBmrApeDikxDY0RC48/s1600/pink.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaUlHnxTsxiR6d5apQrrK3yN3D_Ts5sBBuZMgzFbTjV1QDkAp36TE4Z-mBqfUlIMb3A9INOI0uRYJOHejjLXjuF559-l_Q9vcHAj91v61GiODkkjLmgiDhwWW6EBmrApeDikxDY0RC48/s320/pink.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482820411528776146" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-10505708247659582302010-05-19T18:32:00.000-07:002010-05-19T18:51:32.560-07:00Wandering Hipstamatic Morning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDyarqHAklUiWJOIAQegQbch1cwlnpMFO3xHbNyleRk4_VG3EjKy4U_wobC-G4TcT4JVAi6gMrXSRs34UbLWAZV4Ayqog0KUEzznBxsjcGxvsE4G1OYplCQ3B_8PCFcT4_GKZH0PSCEU/s1600/chickens.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDyarqHAklUiWJOIAQegQbch1cwlnpMFO3xHbNyleRk4_VG3EjKy4U_wobC-G4TcT4JVAi6gMrXSRs34UbLWAZV4Ayqog0KUEzznBxsjcGxvsE4G1OYplCQ3B_8PCFcT4_GKZH0PSCEU/s320/chickens.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473159490336415794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUqtteiBMY2KLnYfxw5nRfYWYZ7ejZMhEJdebNoP24jqrTsT20wHqyiB_gLcEb4WnQ3PvDCJxku1FM9f3WIfZn9oeFO5ye5lZsouXGIRM5fMvlUrBjcao5Gawg_P2uGRbICXEx6EasWU/s1600/stream.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUqtteiBMY2KLnYfxw5nRfYWYZ7ejZMhEJdebNoP24jqrTsT20wHqyiB_gLcEb4WnQ3PvDCJxku1FM9f3WIfZn9oeFO5ye5lZsouXGIRM5fMvlUrBjcao5Gawg_P2uGRbICXEx6EasWU/s320/stream.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473159478575348098" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDDHDJx2xowW_g265CLpVK_dRqjoDDf-Sal9N1kGKQVivqi-1JVSKlkRoEgqIo9ECr4vJa7asMg7NAGXnVk-9gV_ewhZk_H_2ENQrRL_92qQ9v8eAfsviJjfSeP-adtwIWliw2vkGMqg/s1600/cows.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDDHDJx2xowW_g265CLpVK_dRqjoDDf-Sal9N1kGKQVivqi-1JVSKlkRoEgqIo9ECr4vJa7asMg7NAGXnVk-9gV_ewhZk_H_2ENQrRL_92qQ9v8eAfsviJjfSeP-adtwIWliw2vkGMqg/s320/cows.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473159471020532626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKNrvZtBvyURxw5o74vTk-zbGvMfHKbmn4eIMl3n0q2iB1NkpIu8xUOKN4qcozxZ1I8U06fh1icT17smvMYp0kax85AOVoOyHEYjhem74T8HzKfFHpDUbkJ3t_M9R-bElEqDi6KeEdR4/s1600/calf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKNrvZtBvyURxw5o74vTk-zbGvMfHKbmn4eIMl3n0q2iB1NkpIu8xUOKN4qcozxZ1I8U06fh1icT17smvMYp0kax85AOVoOyHEYjhem74T8HzKfFHpDUbkJ3t_M9R-bElEqDi6KeEdR4/s320/calf.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473159460617034546" /></a><br /><br />I have been inspired by <a href="http://soulemama.typepad.com/">SouleMama</a>'s "<a href="http://www.google.com/cse?cx=006234113138941512198%3Ae6iwwa5waiw&ie=UTF-8&q=wandering&sa=Search&siteurl=soulemama.typepad.com%2F">wandering</a>" posts. Wandering certainly does restore peace of heart and peace of mind, as she says. There are places I have longed to wander and to record in photographs, and now I am taking a little time to do so. <br /><br />There is one road about 10 minutes from my house that I like to take a detour on whenever I can. There is an adorable Cape on this road with a beautiful garden, right across the road from this field of Black Angus. I hope that the lady who lives there doesn't pay much attention to how often I drive by her house or how I slow down to see what's blooming. I have thought about leaving a note in her mailbox just to tell her how much I enjoy seeing what she's growing and what projects she's working on. Would that be too stalkerish? Or would she be flattered? Fittingly, today's topic on "<a href="http://www.onpointradio.org">On Point</a>" was <a href="http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/05/gardening-gurus">gardening</a>, and that's what was on while I was driving down this particular road and taking pics with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone, which I am totally in love with (the app and the phone).Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377374898672231199.post-60285811929713563322010-05-15T06:45:00.000-07:002010-05-15T06:57:09.712-07:00I blinked<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDOV7LYLIGrBP_tStjYu23yXl3MtBUpqlBdpaXPbbJEuf4_TbW2zxRQcrLE00f80_2dgi6is_7lPZDb5_R63HxkN7ibIZq4LBU1TJZsOGFmDTaWN9C6jSgyvy0pvTzrgSPu-piMQDdow/s1600/easter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDOV7LYLIGrBP_tStjYu23yXl3MtBUpqlBdpaXPbbJEuf4_TbW2zxRQcrLE00f80_2dgi6is_7lPZDb5_R63HxkN7ibIZq4LBU1TJZsOGFmDTaWN9C6jSgyvy0pvTzrgSPu-piMQDdow/s320/easter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471495378512426194" /></a><br /><br />When C was a baby, people would say to me, "Enjoy it, it goes so fast." Yeah, of course, I will! How could I not?<br /><br />Well, my baby is 10 now, will be 11 at the end of the summer. I realized the other day that I blinked and missed it. I didn't miss it all, of course. I'm a stay-a-home mom, so I was always here. But things get in the way. Moving from a place we hated, struggling here, everything that happened with P, K's unemployment. While I was busy making my way through life and motherhood, I must have missed something because How the Hell Did He Get to Be Ten?!<br /><br />My boy is truly the most wonderful son anyone could ever ask for. I know you think yours is great, and he is. All of yours are. But mine? Oh, he's beautiful, smart, SMART, funny, VERY FUNNY, generous, kind, devoted to his family, and loves his sister like crazy.<br /><br />If you're a mother-to-be or a mama with little ones, listen closely. It goes so fast. Enjoy it. And don't blink.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13859351396404278330noreply@blogger.com1