Easter Baskets

Since all things old are new again I am happy to show off this years Easter baskets. Made from durable rattan Nantucket Bike Basket Company bike baskets are adorable and rugged. Cannot wait to see the boys rolling around town with these.

CDC and Feeding Infants Solids

Infants Are Fed Solid Food Too Soon, C.D.C. Finds http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/25/health/many-babies-fed-solid-food-too-soon-cdc-finds.html

The above is a nice synopses of a recent journal article about the way we have been introducing solid foods in America. It even points a finger at physicians who are not properly supporting breastfeeding as also being more likely to suggest solids too soon.

The actual paper is tidy but this New York Times article does a really excellent job of making the findings palatable for the average parent.

I wish that there were a website that only linked parents to information from articles like this which accurately paraphrase the findings of properly published and critiqued medical journals. Really websites like babycenter.com should be ashamed for placing too much out of date information with the reach of parents who really are looking for information with the intention of doing right by their children. Via the internet you can find a plethora of information which will support any decision you make. This is not really helping us to raise healthier human beings it only makes it easier to feel better about making decisions based on what makes us feel better not what is actually best for our babies.  That said you know your baby best. You have the best chance of knowing what your baby needs... as long as you are provided the right information. So somone get out there and make a website free of forums and Yahoo boards with terrible advice and put up something with modern and relevant science. Keep it up to date and don't sugar coat anything. Empower parents to do right by their kids over what is convient for themselves.  Empower them to do what modern medical studies have been able to proove is right rather then to continue poor practices from the past. I feel thankful and humbled to live in a time where modern medical information is available to treat us. Let's not take it for granted.

Let Me Tell You a Story About a Girl and Her Garden

Once upon a time I built a garden. It was perfect for me. Six nine square foot raised beds, organic soil and compost, a simple gated fence, one long row for asparagus, stone pads for potted plants and a lush layer of mulch to keep weeds from growing between the beds. I produced three good years worth of veg before the great decline.

The forth year was the coming of the child, and in his infancy I did not make arrangements to care for my garden as I should have. Some veg suffered from neglect some from blight. There was a decline in production from the northern sector which I attributed to a lack of sunlight from the encroaching trees.

The following year I took proper care of the garden but the issue in the northern most sector had now spread across the entire back row of the garden. Low and behold it was maple tree roots. I threw my fists in the air, used a spade to cut out all the roots at years end and cursed that Acer saccarum to to the fires of Hades.

Last year the roots resurrected themselves and I left the garden fallow knowing I would likely be neglectful of it anyway due to the birth of the second son.

And that brings us the present and my newest problem. I NEED to garden so I must relocate and rebuild. Now I need some inspiration to draw on. That's where you come in. Link me into some dream garden photos from the web. Once I see something that inspires me I am sure this huge job will become a huge joy. For now it is just disheartening to have to start over.

Grandmothers Buttons

Now that I am commiting myself to living with less stuff I am looking for small productive ways to store memories that I have long associated with needing to hold onto physical media. DVDs are gone, sold to Amazon, we can rent or purchase digital copies if we ever want to rewatch them. I am scanning paperwork and saving it to pdf so I can print it off if I actually ever need it. Photos are simple as I converted completly to digital by 2004 and never got around to having prints made. The few prints I do possess fit neatly in a single drawer. Going through all the gifts I have been given over the years was sentimental and harder to purge but I am still able to let it go by simply getting rid of anything that was broken, and hugging or photographing anything I liked but had no use for one last time before donating it.

I haven't really gotten the cahonnes up to go through heirlooms but I've got a plan for that too. If I do find I have anything I do not really want or need I will find a family member who can greater appreciate the item as it should be. I am a sucker for the chance to own a little piece of family history. I really feel a connection of spirit to these items. I feel that our ancestors must have loved and protected these items because they cherished them and it would honor their memory for me to do that too. Now I think oh my god maybe they didn't love that soup laddle. It probebly just sat in so and so's utensil drawer for 40 years because she rarely had a use for it too. Further it is probably only in great shape because it was stuffed in the back and forgotten not cared about at all not because it was cherished. That gets perfectly to my point. It is unlikely that my ancestors cared more about their clutter then I care for mine. My clutter does not represent a thing about me. Why in the world do I think it is any different for them. In the future I will honor my family by cherishing lessons, beliefs, and stories that really do preserve a bit of their spirits. No longer their clutter.

Today I started a button box in honor of the one my Grandmother keeps in her home. As a child I loved to look through her tin and imagine the story of how each little piece was once lost and then found. My Grandmother often tells me about how her Auntie never left anything to waste. I remeber hearing that she even kept loose strings to use for mending torn fabric.  I see making my own little box as a way to honor that lesson and to remind me just how lucky I am to not need to save stray threads for mending my old socks. One small useful item holding a priceless bit of spirit don't you think?

It takes a decade to make a good pizza

I've been making pizza at home for nearly a decade but its not always been good. Yes my pizza on the grill is amazing (if i do say so myself) but the secret to make a good old fashion oven pie has been eluded me. I tried stones, oiled up pans, non stick pans, more oil different shapes and thickness of dough and still pizza at home was no good.

Turns out that all it takes to make a good pie at home is a generously flour dusted pan baked on the bottom rack. No snazzy pans no techie gadget. Why, oh why, did this take a decade of pizza making to learn? I can throw dough for cripes sakes what can be harder than that? Apparently teaching this old dog new tricks.

The Break Up

Dear stuff,

This has been a long time coming. Don't pretend you haven't known. I just can't hold back any longer. Your suffocating me.  I need space. It's over.

You know, I should have realized long ago how you isolated me. Your presence in my home keeps me from opening my door freely to people. It is so embarrassing how you lurk in the corner trying to look inconspicuous even though you don't belong there. You know if you could have kept yourself up I wouldn't feel so bad about having you stay but your nothing but a freeloader who expects me to clean, maintain, and fix all your wrongs.  You do not bring the joy to my life you promised you would when we first met and I agreed to bring you home.  It has become all about you and your needs.

I really believed that I did not have the time I needed to do the things I wanted. Turns out that it was you all along convincing me that you needed me more then I needed the experiences I crave. How many times there were that I just wanted to go to the park with the kids but instead I had to stay home to clean up because of you. I keep thinking of all those classes I never took, or all those places I wanted to visit but felt I couldn't because I was so overwhelmed with responsibilities, I can't get back that lost time. 

And don't ever say I never loved you, for you know I did. I protected you for so long thinking you would learn to hold your own in this crazy world but instead you sat back and did nothing. I will no longer be an enabler for you. Its a hard knock life stuff. You are going to have to make it on your own. Don't try to say I didn't try to make it work. I put you on a pedestal, and treated you with care. I spent countless dollars trying to make life better for you to make you safe or comfortable. I brought in more stuff like you thinking we would be happy if you fit in better. Oh just think of all the money I spent to renovate my new home to accommodate you and your need for space. Still you wanted more. I have nothing more to give!

I know of an organization that may be able to help you relocate. I will drop you off there.  I truly hope you'll be appreciated wherever it is you go. I loved you once. Now I love me more.

Goodbye stuff. I never want to see you here again!

Love, D

Snack of the Week

Sometimes I think modern technology makes everything better but I never ever think this about food. I picked this snack for the kids this week because the label really speaks to the way I believe food should exist. Nothing in here but food! I do not want my kids eating chips every day but when they do I feel better knowing I've been mindful of what they really are putting into thier bodies so in the future they will be mindful too. Snack time!

Mommy can I have a Jetpack?

Yesterday my son asked me in all sincerity if we had a Jetpack. He's 3. I love that he thinks we might just have one stuffed away in a closet like an extra jacket. I am going to wallow this bit of affection for a moment. I suspect there will be a time in his life when his geeky old parents will seem a source of humiliation but for now I am cool enough to own a freakin' Jetpack!

His question of course spurred a conversation about jetpacks, who has them, and what they are for, that culminated in a very quiet yet ardent "Mommy can you get me a Jetpack?"
Oh, child How I wish I could.

We agreed that building our own pretend Jetpack would be acceptable for now.

Now I know that the reality of Jetpack technology is not was he believes it to be. He has been watching some Transformers as of late so he expects they are able to fly large robots long distances. I have always spoken with him as an intelligent being capable of understanding complex ideas. And he always understands the basic concept of what I say.  For example I taught him about chloroplasts and chlorophyll when he asked why plants are green. This is the first time I really don't want to tell him how it is. If he sees that jetpacks only run slowly and a measly fifteen minutes the magic of possibility will be lost for him and truly I want him to believe in exceptional things. I think I am doing right by him here in providing balance between imagination and reality but I can also see it construed as inconsistent. Bahh it is so hard to know what is right!  Dear Milo please know I intend always to do my best for you and I hope I've done right here.

Fixing the Uggs.

It is a myth that Uggs cannot be cleaned.  Here is how I do it.

1. Remove the footbeds. Just replace them. This alone will make your Uggs feel like new.

2. Throw your boots in your washing machine. Set you cycle to be tge most gentle on your machine. We had the privlege of replacing our clunky old washer dryer combo this year when it stopped drying our clothing. We purchashed a set of stackables by LG. It has a setting called handwash/wool which is ideal for this purpose. Add just a quarter of the soap you normally do. Set the water temperature to cold.

3. When the cycle is done stuff each boot loosely with newspaper and use your hands to shape the wet leather to the shape you want. The newspaper will work to maintain a nice shape and hold the boot open for ventilation. So use enough to hold the shape but no more.

4. Place them in a warm spot to dry. It might take a couple days but the results will be awesome.

Bento Lunch

Feeling as of I fit the part of the hypocritical Momma as of late due to the four Happy Meals I've fed my kids in the last month and a half. Once in a while I am going to bring a smile to my sons faces and feed them junk but I made a purchase today that should save me cash and the inconvenience of finding Healthy lunches on the go. We are now full blown bento box lunchers. I can get excessively creative in filling them or just throw some turkey, cheese, and fruit in there and call it a day.The boxes we chose are made by Green Sprouts. I like these products because they are earth friendly but I don't always find them to be very durable. I recomend seeing the products made by this company in person before buying because the level of quality differs significantly. In this case they really fit the bill at under ten bucks a piece. I found most of the other brands to be too large for small children. Hopefully these will last us a reasonable amount of time. We also purchased sandwich boxes made by Crocodile Creek. They seem quite durable and I can easily use them as bento boxes by adding silicon cupcake cups to create customized dividers. The one thing to note here is that they are not airtight so do take that into account when packing these up.Also Parenting Magazine has a nifty slideshow with good bento ideas. See it here. http://www.parenting.com/gallery/bento-lunch-boxes?pnid=114082

The Little Things

Rose, a beautiful old glass, and I am reminded of the beauty I used to see in this old table.

Amazon Trade In

I am still on a huge purging high and my newest tool is Amazon Trade In. My first sacrificial lamb is a huge tub of never watched dvd's. The low estimate is about 25 bucks in Amazon gift card cash. It was about an hour of work just checking the condition and typing them into the website. Now I print a label and drop it off at UPS and Amazon picks up the tab. I get a credit to my account and an entire two cubic feet of my house back. Win win.

Cool Kids

Milo, my three year old, told me I needed a pair of aviator sunglasses this week. Instead I got him this tee.

Metro Shelving Under Cover

I dressed up a simple wire shelf by sewing a custom fit cover for it. It only cost me about 5 bucks for the two yards of decorative fabric. I upcycled a flat sheet for the main body of the cover. Actually I made two of these. One still resides in the office and one has a new lease on life containing toys in my sons room.

He says we need to keep this

I've been on a purging rampage this week and among the items I wanted to ditch was this bag. Obviously made in the 90's, this puppy weighs a ton compared to its modern decendents. My vote was time for an upgrade. His vote... we need to keep it in case we need to "bug out". Apparently the zombies are coming and we, like this bag, will be survivors.

He says it wasn't intentional.

A surprise for me from the Mr. I like it. Laugh at me all you like. I am finally at a place in my life I can honestly say that it won't bug me one bit. You might not be able to appreciate my affection for Twilight but I am sure you can appreciate that.

A Fort Kit

I threw together this fun kit for Milo's 3rd birthday. It includes anything you might need to build numerous types of forts. I sewed the tipi cover to fit 48 inch wooden dowles. I found a wild looking toggle button that looks like a bear tooth. It's perfect in form as well as function as the large opening is easy for small hands to manipulate. The "pelt" rug is actually a square of fun fur fabric which I sewed onto a down comforter for a little added padding. All of this fits into a laundry bag with a variety of clips, clothespins, funky duct tape, suction cup hooks, ropes, clip on lights and a couple of tapestries from my bygone hippy past. So its as good for tipi building as it is for making the most out of a big old cardboard box.

Book Ledges

I'm totally digging the new photo ledges I installed in Logan's room. From the Ikea Ribba line they work perfectly for books. Safe, accessible and they look great too. I converted myself to a hardcore kindle owner a few years ago and I have not purchased myself a physical book since. Honestly I read more than ever because I can now do it with one hand and mother with the other. While I am a huge proponent of digital media for my own consumption I find that I can't bring myself to force my children into this life choice. They are no strangers to books and media served up by digital device and I fully support allowing them to explore that option. However, there is something so wholesome about childrens books in traditional form that makes sharing a physical book with them is still pure joy. Furthermore, the availability of good quality children's literature in digital format is just not where it needs to be to encourage me to change over. For now the best I can do in continuing my quest to own less stuff while still developing a literary appreciation in my childrens hearts is to give them high quality books and to display them artfully.

Ginger Butterscotch Cookies

This makes a soft cookie with a mild ginger flavor. If like me you get overwhelmed by too much butterscotch flavor I would cut back to half a bag of butterscotch chips or replace them all together with white chocolate. I find that white chocolate takes on a mildly butterscotch flavor in cookies as the chips on top caramelize.

3/4 cup butter melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon.
1/8 tsp ginger
1 egg
2/3 bag butterscotch chips
2 cup flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt


Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter Cream together with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract ginger and cinnamonThen incorporate the egg, followed by chips and baking powder and pinch of salt. Add flour Mix gently. For a drop cookie just scoop dough straight to baking sheet. Remember to space them out, they will not spread but will cook nicely when spaced.

Bake for 16 minutes. They should be light golden brown all around.

About that blank wall...

Originally I planned this wall as a screen for our projector and when we first moved in we used it as such. Issues with ambient light and bulbs and controller boards lead us back to a traditional set. So there this blank wall stood waiting for a piece of art large enough to fill this space in proper proportion to its size. I considered gallery photo walls but found them too busy for my more modern minimalist preferences. I tried placing the couch there under a long bold mirror but still it was not right. So long it lived a blank reminder of my inability to create a well decorated home.
And then it was time to really focus on learning our ABCs and the arrival of these smart geeky and thought provoking flash cards by NerdyBaby. Laid out and affixed to the wall with reusable wall mounting squares by Scotch they have become a joy to look at, a fantastic teaching tool and a jumping point for many a good academic conversations.

Yup That's One Trendy Backsplash

My new chevron backsplash is testimony to me jumping on a trend late in the game. I put it up despite the fact that my interest in the fad is alreading fading. I have always planned to install a backsplash in my kitchen but never could commit to a material or spare the resources on such a permanent addition. Then I came across this gorgeous white marble tile set in a chevron design. It took my breath away and I thought I think this is it. Then I became afraid of commitment. Then I saw chevron contact paper and tah dah a six dollar non permanent way to get a feel for life in zig zag.
Does it get to stay?

Grandpops Give Good Advice

Somtimes snail mail still delivers something worth reading.

Old English

My sister gave me an old singer machine recently which had belonged to my great grandma. It was rough but now it's fine. So this one goes out to Great Grandma for the hand me down singer and to Old English furiture polish which renewed this piece in about 5 minutes.

Chicken Noodle

So the last time I was under the weather my husband whipped up this amazing chicken noodle soup. The presentation is worthy of a post. No recipe here. I just like remebering the beauty of this simple gesture. Love.

Little Honey Babies

I am not one who believes in giving party favors which I don't know to be useful. For a recent baby shower I co-hosted I made simple tags which read Little Honey Baby and attached them to tiny jars of sweet french honey.  I can't be the only person who still calls babies honey baby. Am I?

Good Night Kisses Hedgehog.

Sweet dreams to Logan on his first birthday. Love those Kickee Pants jammies. They are made from a bamboo viscose blend that's super silky and the printed kissing hedgehogs could not be cuter.

Zoom! Airplanes! Candy airplanes!

Smarties, Life Savers, a stick of gum and a rubberband, you'll be soaring on a sugar high in no time flat.

Brown paper packages tied up in string.

Here's the simplest thing I've done recently that made a big impression. I wrapped toll house cookie bars in parchment paper and tied them off with bakers twine. Presented in a paper bag these little packages looked really special but required so little effort. Lets face it, little details like this don't really effect the quality of the food but I firmly believe they make people feel good.

Tie Dyed Cakes

For my son Logans first birthday I made this cake which was inspired by something I ran across on pinterest. Easy peasy. Just use an ordinary box of cake mix, preparing the batter as instructed on the box.  Split it six ways and color with gel food coloring. Use about 3/4 of the a bowl for the first color into the cake pan, then add the rest about a half a cup at a time right on top. Use a knife to swirl lightly and bake. Frosting it simply in white made the colors pop. I served it on a holographic poster board for an over the top visual effect.

Pork Belly with herbes de provence

Found a great source for local meat this week and slow roasted this lovely little number. The best of connecting and old fashioned roasting session with a modern kitchen gadget. I used my Cuisineart panini press to really take this cut to a new level. After roasting and cooling I sliced it thickly and served it as a panini with a dijon vinegrette over a watercress and radish slaw... To die for...

A Quilt for Little Kukla.

So I made this little cuddle for a friend who's baby is due next month. I used a selection from a set of fabrics named Little Kukla. The bold patterns looked funky in any sort or traditional or complex quilt block so I changed gears and went with modern bold stripes. Win-win as I was able to finish the whole thing in about 4 hours. Obviously I am a machine quilter. I just cannot wilfully pass up using a gadget or machine to accomplish what can be a really tedious task. I still have great appreciation for the real deal but I choose to feel lucky that I live it a time where technology is available to me.

Blueberry Cookies

I came up with this one while trying to make something tasty with the plethora of blueberries we picked last August. I brought them to my in-laws annual Labor Day Wienie Roast and they were gone before anything else. This might be the best recipe I have ever invented, and I hate baking!

Blueberry Cookies
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 bag white chocolate chips
2 cup flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup blueberries
Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter Cream together with sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Then incorporate the egg, followed by white chocolate chips and baking powder and pinch of salt. Add flour and blueberries. Mix gently. For a neat cookie, take about 2 tablespoon of dough and form into a ball with your hand (will make about 20). Or you can do a drop cookie and just scoop dough straight to baking sheet. Remember to space them out, they will spread but not alot. Bake for 15 minutes. They should be light golden brown all around.

Rustic Apple and Raspberry Tart

The best use for my favorite Bennington Potters baking dish thus far is this rustic tart. The crust is never fail as I use vodka in place of water. Vodka evaporates as it bakes to leave a crisp crust. I'll post the recipe at a later date... Where did I right down that recipe?

Mustachio the Great.

Why must my kid have a dirty face every time he does something cute?