What Lou and I did Yesterday

you: Hey if you're so busy, why are you blogging?
me: (adding to list "blog so I can empty the pictures off of my camera before trip")

Yesterday, I finally decided to do this plaster handprint thing. I know I should have done it four months ago. But I did it yesterday.

I thought, ah, she's falling asleep. This is a perfect time.

Something about having your hand stuck in cold mud must be stimulating.

Fall Blessings, pt. 3

I am feeling very blessed this fall.

We have a great locust tree right outside our back door. Recently most of the leaves fell off, sort of all at once. And now we have a polka-dot porch and picnic table.



And I made this yummy loaf of blue cheese bread on Saturday. There is nothing particularly fall-ish about this, except that I was trying to find a way to use the blue cheese we got for John's birthday (I used a recipe for Asiago bread, and just substituted the blue cheese - wow, it's something!).

Fall Blessings, pt. 2

I love my tiny, hot, gas-powered kitchen. With the cold weather, the windows get all fogged up when I cook. It reminds me of Nanny's dish closet with frosted glass windows, all white and glowy.

When I was a little girl mom would make us wash the pots and pans by hand in the sink. I used to always say, "When I have my own kitchen I'm going to put the pots in the dishwasher!" And now that I'm all grown-up, I do. Except John's good omelet pan. And the really big soup pot.

Fall Blessings

The seasons are changing again, and I am excited about the fall. I was thinking about how much has changed since we first moved into this house.

The walls have changed color a few times, and the furniture has been moved around a lot. We've acquired some new art, a new rug, and a dining table. Then, we had to rearrange the whole house to get the baby's things to fit in neatly. We've lost 2 hens and 2 dogs, and gained 1 cat and 3 chicks. Several appliance have been replaced, and some old things have been fixed.

The first year we lived in this house, I was a baby about the cold. We don't have much storage space, and, to be honest, I was a little afraid of the gas stove.

But today, I brought in some of our plants from the porch for the cooler months, and I was admiring all of the greenery in the house. I suddenly realized what a cozy place this is, and what a fine home it has become. We have learned in the house to adapt to the weather, to take care of our lawn and garden, to weigh what things are really necessary, and to enjoy many of life's simpler pleasures. I feel really blessed by the years our family gets to spend here.

Simplicity

Tara called me out on my top ten list. I tried for several days to decide if I would try to defend my list, or if I would add a couple new things. But the fact is, there aren't too many things I regularly spend a lot on. Not that I don't spend money; there will always be something on my christmas list like really expensive raw pigments or a video camera. And from time to time we'll buy these things.

But as a general rule, John and I try to live without a lot of unnecessary things, not for money sake, but to simplify our lives. When I think about it, it's funny that I even tried to come up with that list now.

John and I have both been reading A Plain Life, by Scott Savage, and as a result we are asking ourselves how we can simplify even more. It certainly isn't just about giving things up, or being ascetic, but it is really about weighing convenience against community. It is about filling our lives with people instead of things; having a sense of place rather than always going somewhere.

Post-Nap

Fur Sale

I’m a big fan of supporting local businesses, so this week John and I were so bummed to hear that the local movie theater shut down. I guess they weren’t making enough money. We loved it, though. Granted, we’ve only been once since L was born, but we always bought popcorn. Sigh.

And then, Sunday, we decided to go to the new H. Allen’s restaurant that opened in the shop where Louie’s and Rose’s had been before. You might see where this is going. The sign in front said, "Thank ou for our support," and on the back, "fur sale." We’d only gotten to go there once!

It may seem less exciting than the more commercial Olive Garden, or have fewer options than the Hollywood 16 – but go, support your local favorite whatever. Or you may not have a local anything left!

Garden, part III

I wanted to let you know how our garden turned out. I didn't help very much this summer, but I am very proud of all that John did. And I certainly enjoyed the produce. Despite the incredible heat this summer, this was our best garden yet.

We are still getting a few tomatoes, though they are beginning to wane. The zucchini plant produced a whole lot really fast, finally died a few weeks ago, and I'm trying to use up the last of it before it goes bad. I made 9 batches of zucchini muffins this summer!

John's hanging tomato experiment went really well. He constantly had to get tomato worms off the plants in the raised bed, but there were none on the hanging tomatoes. He had one large tomato plant that got blossom rot, but all of the small ones produced really beautifully. Some of the herbs in the top of the buckets did well, also - especially the basil (although the lavender never came up... hmmm).

We still have some carrots that are growing that we plan to get sometime soon. We've pulled a couple early to check and see how they were doing, and they seem to be coming along. John's spinach didn't do well, but he got a lot of mescaline, and he is thinking about planting a little more for the end of the season.



Like I said, I didn't help much. But john kept watering my flowers, and eventually my vines did grow up the swing set. I have morning glory, red cypress, and passion flower vines. The first two only flowered a little, but we're still enjoying them.



Also, my clearance rack Lantana and begonias are still holding strong. I especially enjoyed the Lantana this year, and think I will try it again in the future.



And our little top hat hen, moved up to the big chicken coop, and the two new little chicks finished out the summer here in the garden. John treated the chicks in the garden coop to the tomato worms regularly. We are still waiting to see if they are hens or roosters. Cross your fingers for hens!

John worked diligently on the garden this year, making sure the soil was just right, making sure everything was watered properly, and keeping pests off his plants. I am proud of him and how quickly he is learning. He's already got bigger plans for next years garden. Won't that be fun.

New Diapers

I recently finished another batch of diapers in the next size. These are the best I've made so far, and I'm just a little proud of them. I wasn't sure how well the cloth diapers would work out - but now that we've been using them for 3.5 months, I have to say I 'm pretty pleased with them. The washing has been pretty simple, and they always come clean easily. They work well (at least the ones I made right...), and they're pretty cute, too!

Oh! And I made...

Tiramisu! Yum. I'm going to try it again, though with a few improvements.