rainbow cat. meet blue.

posted by jennifer:


                                                               red and yellow
                                                                       and
                                                              pink and green

                                                           purple and orange
                                                                       and
 

                                      
                                                                    blue!

cheers!

practical beauty....or how to scatter joy

posted by:  jennifer


for the last, oh i don't know, year or two, i have been meaning to make a new curtain for our kitchen.  the one i had hanging was a temporary one, a rather sad piece of fabric with a quick pocket sewn into top that the bent tension rod went through... and due to the fact that the tension rod was bent, the whole thing was known to fall down here and there.  all very encouraging things when you feel like you are on top of very little in your life.

but a couple of weeks ago i decided to stop lamenting about this and do something.

i knew i wanted to make a window covering  that had some applique work, including a quote of some sort.  

and this is what i ended up with:

i am quite pleased with it.  how nice to smile when i look at the kitchen window... very refreshing after years of cringing when looking at the same window.

i love doing applique work.   i always use wonder under.  it is a iron on fusing.  (my grandma gave me a yard of it many moons ago, when she gave me a sewing basket for christmas.  i still have the scissors she gave me, and i have been an under wonder fan ever since.)  i tend to also sew around the edges of what ever i have ironed on.  i like the look of the stitching, and it also makes it all the more secure.

for this piece i used a vintage linen i found at an estate sale, hand cut felt letters, a few butterflies, a bird, some ribbon, and some vintage lace gifted to me by my husbands paternal grandma (she has let me at her fabric room....glad to know that her stash will be used.  lucky me!)

the quote i chose is by ralph waldo emerson.  scatter joy.    i like it.  it is simple, and i feel that this is what this curtain does to this corner of the house.   it scatters a little joy that makes me smile.

a smile that lasts until i look down at my nasty kitchen floor.  but between you and me, i have a new bee in my bonnet.   and let's just say, that i predict that in the next week or so the floor in my kitchen will be bringing a smile to my face as well.  wish me luck at home depot today!

cheers!

backyard walkabout...past a money tree and a cat sneeze grand finale

posted by:  jennifer


on a recent walk through the backyard this week, i brought my camera.  these are a few things that i wanted to share:

*our mandarin/tangerine tree.  after rough and not at all scientific calculations.... i figure that this tree has saved us in the neighborhood of $5963.00 over the course of the 15 years we have lived here.  you see, not only do we eat it's fruit, but it is the source of our go to gifts for the holidays.   when you package up a couple dozen tangos all cute like, it looks like a $25.00 gift.  and i must say, even when my husband hands off the fruit in a plastic grocery bag, it is still appreciated.  onward!

*one of our blooming aloe plants.   we now have approximately 29 aloe plants in our yard.  and they all started from one pup.  is that the right term mom? 
my family would sometimes take weekend getaway trips to laguna beach... well we still sometimes do.  but back on a fateful day in august of 1990, my now husbands family was also on a weekend getaway trip there.  our paths crossed, and even though he went back to san diego, and i went back to fullerton, the story was set into motion. 
umm... where was i... oh yeah.  aloe.  so anyway, about 11 years ago, my mom and dad gifted us with a family trip to laguna.  and on this trip, my husband snapped a piece of aloe from the property at the laguna riviera hotel.  this one piece of aloe, has morphed into many.  incredible.  and isn't it beautiful?

*a lovely surprise.... i am guessing placed there by my 5 year old.  it is always nice to find something beautiful in an unexpected place.  such as a nasturtium flower in the crook of the nectarine tree.

*my dryer is broken.... and i have decided i should force myself to line dry again.  i was all gung ho about it a year or so ago... and then i stopped.  i figure i should wait the repair out, so i don't have it as a crutch. 

*our chickens

*our lemon tree.  funny little story.  last spring (memorial day).. we returned from a trip to the colorado river.   on the answering machine was a message from our neighbor.  he wanted to know if he could borrow a few lemons from the tree. when i next saw him, i asked if he had gotten the lemons.  he said yes. but that they tasted awful.  he proceeded to let me know what the tree needed. and i pointed out that the lemons that were left on the tree come late may were old.... lets just say that we are in early january, and they are just coming in ripe.
isn't there a saying about this... but you know i just started to type "beggers can't be choosers" and i don't like it. 
hmmm.. i am going to work on a new saying.  any suggestions?

*our cat.  cali jane.  as i was taking this picture, she sneezed.  and as you can tell by the perspective, i am below her.   the cat sneeze spray rained down.  lovely! 
sorry to end on such nasty note.  but life is like that sometimes.
sometimes as you are walking through your yard feeling so good about your awesome tangerines... that everyone loves.... you get sneezed on...
the important thing is to just keep walking on... after that is you clean yourself off.

cheers!

hodgepodge potluck

posted by jennifer:

my brain has been a muddle lately.  or maybe not a muddle really.  maybe a more accurate description would be... hmm... a wacked out kaleidoscope.  full of lots of little bits and pieces that are colorful and pretty.. but it is really hard to make out what it is you are looking at.

that being said, i thought i would share a few things that have been floating around in my skull.

1. my flock of chickens is down to 5 and 3 of those ladies are not laying right now.  which means i bought eggs the other day.  every now and then... usually when we have a chicken death, or some other real world issue in the husbandry of animals, i think is this worth it?...
but after cracking an egg yesterday... store bought that is.. yes, yes it is.  pale yolk, small (even though it was graded large) and $4.49 for a dozen. 

2.  i made a new dessert last week.  pear frangipane.  i had some pears that were halfway to the compost pile.  i looked through my recipe file and found a recipe i have had for a few years.  i decided to give it a whirl.  it was delicious.  fairly easy, and fun to say. not as fun as worcestershire sauce... but a close second.  the two pronunciations i found were:
   FRAN-jup-payn
   FRAWN-zhee-pan
i prefer the second.  with a thick  italian accent.

to quote the relish magazine article i found the recipe in: "frangipane is a rich pastry cream laced with ground almonds. the almonds lend a nutty richness to the custardy cream, which pairs beautifully with the fragrant pears." 
that is a little dramatic for me.  but i do recommend looking up the recipe and trying it out.

by the way.  i read that the recipe is traced to a 16th century italian nobleman.  marquis
muzio frangipani.   he introduced almond scented gloves that were trendy at the time.
pastry chefs wanted to incorporate this scent into a dessert. 
almond scented gloves?   trends have always been on the edge i guess.

3.  i forgot to take my daughter to preschool thursday.  totally forgot.

4. i am totally going to break out the ricky martin cd this morning.  my house is in a serious need of some attention. maybe if i can shake my  bonbon, i can get some shine going on. oh, can i also recommend some other housecleaning music?
   *guero    by beck
   *rhythm of the saints   by paul simon
   *sleepless in seattle soundtrack

5. so i was going to do an entire post about this... but.  i participated in a nature exchange through another blog.  it was geared towards families who have children who are collectors,
of natural objects that is. mine are... as is their mother.   anyway, i haven't received my package from whom i was paired with.  not that i am judging.  as a mother of three, who this week forgot to take her child to school, there is no judging going on.   but, i did take these photos of the objects i sent back east... and here they are:

6. i made this ornament/art piece this week.  i love it.  i made it out of a rusty spam container i found in the desert.  a slightly broken ceramic figurine and some other bits and pieces.  i call it "a parakeet called angel".

when i was a teen i had two parakeets.  honey and stormy.  once, i had their cage in the backyard to give them fresh air.  a hawk swooped down and tried to get one.  it killed the bird. but because it was in a cage it couldn't eat it.  i decided to take the bird out of the cage and give it to the hawk.  i mean i figured he or she killed it.  it may as not go to waste.
man, sorry,  i didn't mean to go down this road.  and i can't even remember. was it stormy or honey that met it's death by hawks talons?  anyway.   whichever one of you it was.... this piece of art is for you.


7.  i am making these super cute  wine  bottle bags. 

i am planning a tutorial right here in the next week.  i am aiming for tuesday.   but then again, my brain is a hodgepodge potluck jumble, so, if you don't see it here then, don't judge.

p.s.  i just received a ups package.... well in all reality it probably arrived yesterday.  anyway, it was from the family we were paired up with for the nature exchange.  okay.  disregard random thought 5.

family friendly fondue

posted by jennifer

every friday night (for about the past 3 years) in our home is family night.  this means we take turns choosing what we eat for dinner and dessert, and what activity we do together.
the kids love it, and sometimes start planning for their next family night weeks in advance.

i figure not only is it fun, but it is a good tool for life skills.  meal planning and all. plus, i feel
it is a good boost to their confidence.

so every five weeks my family night rolls around.  and sometimes it is a bit of a challenge for
this mama to get super excited.  because really, don't i do this 5 nights out of the week already? 

but this week, i was inspired.  i decided i wanted to introduce the kids to fondue.  and it had been years since ken and i had broken out the fondue sticks.

as i thought about it though, i knew i had to make some changes to make this culinary adventure a bit more family friendly.   i decided the best way to do that was to have all of our vegetables and chicken cooked already.  that way, all we would have to do is to spear the dipper and cheese it up.

i roasted the veg, because that is my favorite way to cook vegetables.  easy and so, so good.
i used:  yellow potatoes
              asparagus
              mushrooms
              carrots
              cauliflower
all i do to roast vegetables is to cut them into bite size pieces.   put them into a roasting pan.
drizzle them with olive oil (which reminds me: "why does snoop dog carry an umbrella?  for the drizzle")  sprinkle with a bit of salt and gently toss.
i roasted the potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower at 425 for about 50 minutes.  the asparagus and mushrooms at 425 for about 30 minutes.

i also cut up a baguette and some green apples.

i made two types of cheese fondue.  a milder one  thinking of the young ones, and one i knew my husband and i would love. 

here's what i did for the first fondue:

  2 cups grated cheddar
  4 oz cream cheese
  1/4 c. white wine
  1/4 c. sliced green onions
   1 t. dry mustard
   1 t. garlic powder
  1/4 c. milk
  1/4 c. chopped spinach
  2 T. flour

mix all in the fondue pot.  simmer over low heat until melted. 

for the second:  swiss, garlic, and smoked porter fondue

   1 1/2 c. grated emmental swiss cheese
   1 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar
   about 10 oz. good beer  (i went dark with a smoked porter)
   2 heads roasted garlic *see below
   2 T. flour
   1/2 t. salt
   1/2 t. pepper
   4 oz cream cheese

mix all in the fondue pot. simmer over low heat until melted.

   *to roast garlic.  cut top off of the garlic head.  pour olive oil over top.  roast in oven at 425 
     for about 30 minutes.  once it cools a bit, you can squeeze the cloves right out of their
     paper skins.

for dessert, we had chocolate fondue of course. 
   to be dipped were: strawberries
                                      angel food cake cubes
                                      bananas
                                      green apples

for the fondue:
   2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
   1/2 c. half and half
   2 T. butter
   1 t. vanilla

mix all in a fondue pot.  simmer over low heat until melted.

my family night was a success.  everyone loved the experience.  the kids especially liked the chocolate fondue.  go figure.  

i did have to change plans on our activity.  i had planned on us doing a play together.  earlier in the day i had even planned out the parts.   but getting our dinner on the table took all of the remaining energy i had left.  so i decided to scrap it.  next time. 

 i took the easy route. a movie instead.

and let's face it. being flexible and ready to change plans is really the only way to have family friendly fondue fun.

                                          
                                                          vegetables ready to roast

                                                                garlic ready be roasted

                                                  the "good" fondue.  swiss and smoked porter

                                                     cheers for mommy's family night
       

                                                             ready to be speared

                                                  

apples for both the people and the parrots

posted by jennifer

sunday morning, my daughter maya ran into the kitchen from outside.  she wanted me to come and see the parrots in the apple tree.

we have a flock of wild parrots that frequent out neighborhood... they usually make their appearance in the fall.  it is quite an experience to wake up to the squawking from 5o green and red parrots...you can almost imagine you are in some tropical rainforest, not the san diego suburbs.

so as i followed maya outside, i wasn't expecting to see anything i hadn't seen before.  we have had the parrots in our trees many times, but never as close as these two were.  they we less than 10 feet from where we were standing.  not bothered by us in the least.  they were enjoying the fall abundance, and i don't mind sharing, as long as they don't get too greedy.

but i wasn't going to take any chances on their manners, and so i made sure to harvest a basketful then, just in case.

i made a rustic apple pie.  i have made many, many apple pies in my life, but this is my first time making on free form.  it was delicious.

and the good thing is, there are plenty more apples for both the people and the parrots.                      

a candid snapshot.... of the piano

posted by jennifer

we have a beautiful antique piano. it was my grandma taylor's... my dads mom. at one point, it was at my childhood home. ..my mom and i both took lessons on it in the early 80's.... and at this point i don't think i could play chopsticks on demand.

in a roundabout way, it ended up in close to my home, in the san diego area. years ago, it was offered to me, and i accepted.

it is most frequently played by my oldest child emma. not formally, but she picks things up by ear quite easily and often plays, and as i write this rough draft, which is now my final draft... my daughter maya is playing. so there. it is used as intended...at times.

but it can also be a handy flat surface. this is what you would see on my piano this week.

propped up where some people might put their sheet music, is a page i made for maya yesterday. she hasn't quite got the alphabet down yet, and i had seen a book where the alphabet was written out with each line ending where there is a pause when singing the abc's. simple and brilliant. so i gathered my alpha stickers and a piece of cardstock and there you go.

there are also five generous servings of homemade pudding... like real real homemade. i had milk that had to be used, and recipes to try. the chocolate pudding was super easy. i think it was a tyler florence recipe. i also made butterscotch pudding. it was a little more tricky than the chocolate. i almost burned the caramel when my sister april called... if i hadn't been trying to multi-multitask, there probably would have been zero hiccups.

a package to be returned to costco. i ordered some new "yoga" pants... the weather is cooling a bit, and i need to revamp my cool weather casual wardrobe. yoga pants/tee's/sweater. this is not to be confused with my cool weather fancy clothes. jeans/tee's/sweater. unfortunately, the pants had a strong off putting smell... which i was willing to deal with by airing them out, because they fit so well. but then i went to the full length mirror, and um, hello. major camel toe action. this i cannot deal with.

also, there are some random torn books and broken toys. i picked them up from the fix-it basket at maya's preschool. i'm a handy girl, so ya know.

lastly,a basket of fabrics and notions that will be brought to life in the form of tote bags. i hope to have this batch listed in my etsy shop in the next week. check them out at www.strawberryoaks.etsy.com.  i have been feeling so inspired lately with design and projects, that it's a wonder i made the time to make that pudding.... but later tonight, when i am getting the hunkering for something tasty, i am going to be glad i did. cheers!