"shut up, i'm busy making my life perfect".... and other musings

posted by jennifer:

i have always saved..... not lives, or money (at least not much) but i have always saved clippings, quotes, notes, pictures, inspirations,  recipes. 

 i remember when my dad put in a wall size bulletin board in my bedroom growing up.  i loved it.  i loved having a place to tack all of my saved ephemera... all of those things that at that point in my life were so important to me. 

i thought it would be fun to share some of the things that are on my wall now.  these pictures were taken in my art room... in our basement garage.   my own little corner... at least mostly.

i don't think that this picture needs much explanation.  my now 11 year old daughter gave it to me when she was around 5.  i love it.

the title piece of this post.  i don't remember the context of when this was said.  i do know that i was on the phone with my sister april and said this.  i remember how we cracked up about it.  it really is so silly.  but come on.   it is awfully funny right?  oh, and by the way, that tack is one that graced my original wall size bulletin board when i was young.  yep.  still have it. 

so, i am a bit of a addict of bravo reality t.v.  and i have been slowly weaning myself off of the real housewives, but it still calls to me i must admit.  anyway.  back in the day, april and i were totally into it.  especially the real housewives of orange county.  i mean really. april is a real housewife of o.c.  and so is our mom. 
we were so excited about the season premiere that april sent me a pound of see's candy to have on hand for the occasion.  what a friend.  isn't it lucky that my two best friends just so happen to be my sister and my mom?....  i know right?

i love these two pictures.  side by side.  i love them because i think that the resemblance between my grandma taylor and myself is so clear.  i never did know my dad's mom as much as i did my mom's mom... but this picture makes me smile... and feel connected.  you know.

i love this quote.  i used it on the birthday card invitations for my 40th.  fun times.

this picture i took out of the san diego union tribune years ago.  i love it.  i think someday it will find a place in a mixed media piece.  that kid looks like one cool cat.

 thomas jefferson.  i really like so many quotes of his.  he seems like my kind of guy.  of all the founding fathers i think he is the one i would want to have dinner with.  simple bacon of course!

aren't these necklaces beautiful?  i don't really wear much jewelry. only my wedding ring, and my one ear piercing on my left ear.  i had the piercing done probably 12 years ago.  i have never taken it out.  i wonder if i ever will? 
but i really like these necklaces. i think i might need to try and make one.  

baby blues.  i loved this comic strip for many years.  we don't get the paper anymore... and i can't be bothered to read comics online... but these comics almost always hit home.

guess who is back.  my man t.j.  that is thomas jefferson. another great quote.

i love, love, love this picture.  i am talking to april on the phone here.  it is not uncommon for my babies to follow me around.  as they did before this picture was taken.  but what i like so much about this picture is how i look so calm.  even in the chaos surrounding me.  the eye of the storm is me.

and lastly. this is a quote from the book loving frank by nancy horan.  i really feel this way about my children. 
oh, and the writing looks so wonky because that wall is very rough, and bumpy.  but, i do not think i should be a professional wall writer.  i don't think i would have very happy clients.

well.  that is all for this round.  have a wonderful weekend.  cheers!

wine gift bag tutorial. diy.

posted by jennifer:

as promised.  and even on the day i promised.  well, well, well.  i have to say, i have been in a good groove as far as getting things done.  i don't know how long it will last, but i am going to go with it.  maybe it is from all the exercise i got when we were in ojai.  22 miles biking.  i have heard that exercise gives you more energy.  maybe i should try to do that more. hmm.

so, i have been making wine gift bags.  with cute tags and such.  fun and fairly easy.

here's how i did it.

i used both felt and cotton fabric.  the felt is nice because you don't have to sew the edges.  but it certainly wasn't difficult to turn the edges of the cotton down and hem it.  go with whatever pleases your eye... or with whatever you have on hand.

here's a hint.  do not try to iron non wool felt.  it will melt on your iron.  grrr.  just go with the creases.  it adds personality right?  methinks yes.

i cut a rectangular piece of fabric 14.5 inches long and 12 inches high.  and a circle 5 inches across.

if you want to add pieces of burlap/muslin/cotton fabric details, be sure to sew it on before you move onto the next step.  on some of the bags i did a small rectangle of burlap with a even smaller rectangle of muslin.  on the muslin i had stamped words/names.  i used a stamp pad intended for fabric.  i don't know how necessary that is, but i figured it would remove the chance the ink would bleed in the event it got wet.

if you are using cotton with a raw edge, turn under the edge along the 14.5 inch side.

for all my seams i used 5/8 inch seam allowance.

next, you fold the rectangle piece in half, right sides together. (the two 12 inch sides should meet up)  stitch them together.  you should now have a cylinder.

if you want to add an extra challenge have a preschooler next to you pretending she is a doctor operating on your upper arm using your sewing machine repair kit... and don't let her use the seam ripper on you.  it hurts!

the next step is the trickiest.  you need to sew the circle to the open bottom of the cylinder you created in the previous step.

to do this you will match up the edges of the cylinder with the edges of the circle.  when you are sewing it on, you just need to keep adjusting the circle so that it meets up with the edge of the cylinder.  it takes a bit of finessing and constant adjusting.  but it is only a 5 inch circle, so if you have to rip out the thread and start over, it isn't too bad.

turn the bag right side out and that's all.

the fun part is all of the embellishing and tags. 

i made:
 woodland tags.. cutouts of owls on cardstock and embellished with twigs from the oak tree and holly sprigs.

wooden tags... i stained business card size piece of wood, then added a hand stamped bird picture.

on the bags i stamped on i used the sentiments:
  -eat, drink & be merry
  -cheers
  -home sweet home
  -the name of friends for a christmas gift

you can make ornaments to add.  you can add embellishments to personalize it. 

if you want to check out each of the bags in more detail you can see them in my etsy shop.
www.strawberryoaks.etsy.com

have fun creating.  just add wine and you have a perfect hostess gift.  a gift for a friend. a gift for your coworkers. 

cheers!

November Tablescape

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving

for my friends,

the old and the new.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 These ceramic turkeys (salt and pepper shakers) were my Grandmother's.  I am a grandmother myself, so

you know they are old.  They were made in Japan. 

The velvet pumpkins behind the turkeys were made by my daughter, Jennifer.

This cornucopia was my mother's. She got tired of it and gave it to me years ago.

I got this odd shaped pumpkin at Trader Joe's.   

This is a vintage ice bucket.  It is silver plated copper.  Circa 1930.  It is glass-lined.

I have candles in it, which creates a beautiful soft glow.  

The gnarly gourds were bought at the Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Gratitude is the memory of the heart.

Italian Proverb

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol 

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.

A Twist of Language

A handful of riddles for you. 

*What comes once in a minute,

Twice in a moment,

But never in a thousand years?

*By night they come without being fetched,

By day they are lost without being stolen.

*Light as a feather with nothing in it,

A strong man can’t hold it

Much more than a minute.

*What has a bottom 
at the top?

*What has six legs,

Two heads,

One tail and four eyes?

                             XO,

                             April

(letter M, stars, a breath, a leg :), a person on horseback)

Pedaling forward for 22 miles

My daughters and I changed gears for a 30 hour girl's getaway this past weekend.

I was able to embrace things I love:

uninterrupted conversation and laughter with my daughters,

persnickety food choices (healthy, slow, organic)

live music,

down-to-earth people and lifestyles,

&

a bike ride.

I hadn't been on a bike for maybe 30 years until earlier this year when I was in Branson, Missouri, 

celebrating my sister's 60th birthday.  We spent a day at the Dogwood Canyon Nature Park,

where we had access to rental bikes and a beautiful Ozarks bike trail.

It was so much fun to be on a bike again.

I've wanted to recreate that riding experience since being back at home.

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.
John F. Kennedy

When planning this mother-daughter trip, the #1 activity I was drawn to was to rent bicycles, 

and ride from Ojai to the beach.  The Ojai Valley Trail, a converted rail line where trains once 

hauled oranges, links Ojai to Ventura.  It sounded ideal.

My biking venture started before we even got to the trail, however.

We rented bikes (The Mob Shop) and were "test" riding them in the parking lot of the bike shop.

And although the old saying, "Once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget." is probably

true, it should have an asterisk* adding something about the braking system.

I started off test driving "my" bike, but soon found myself heading down a drive way, heading 

toward the busy highway--Ojai Ave.  My feet applied the brakes.  There was no resistance.  I tried again,

and still gliding forward, I tried a third time.  (About this time I must have grazed a tree branch, as my older daughter told my younger daughter, "Mom, just ran into a tree."  I don't remember a tree encounter. I just heard about it.)

My mind finally put this all together and screamed, "This bike doesn't have any brakes...jump off!"

Which is what I did....jumped off the bike seat and got my feet onto the ground.

A bit shaken, I walked the bike back to the entrance of the store.

During this short 20 foot walk, the whole matter popped into focus....
this bike had hand brakes!
(I know. I should have noticed the levers and cables, but if I did, it just didn't sink in.)

Learn to ride a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live.
Mark Twain


I had never, ever, in my 66 years, ridden a bicycle with hand brakes.  (The Branson bikes had coaster brakes.)
Could this old dog learn this new trick and learn it fast?
Having broken my wrist years ago, I am cautious when it comes to any activity that might result in my
bones being pitched into the ground.
BUT,
it was very important to me to go bike riding and so I rode around the parking lot, gently squeezing those hand brakes.  I was definitely out of my comfort zone.  I was uncomfortable both confidence-wise and physically. (My small hands just barely reached the spread between the handle bar and the brake lever.)
After 10 minutes practice, we were off, heading down city streets to reach the trail.  I kept reminding myself,
"hands to stop, hands to stop".

It is downhill from Ojai with a steady climb return trip.
Downhill the wind whipped my hair and invigorated my spirit.
Uphill my legs muscles turned to jelly.
My heart pounded at each steep rise.
Push, push, push those pedals.  Just breathe, I reminded myself.

We had the aspiration to ride to the ocean, but we wisely turned around 11 miles down the trail at Foster Park.  The trail was good and I managed the brakes without incident--well, maybe just one tiny bump that resulted in a splinter in my hand.  We rode for 3 1/2 hours.  My legs were aching, but I didn't care.
I had gone on a fun ride.

Life is like a bicycle.
In order to keep your balance,
you must keep moving.
 Albert Einstein

the gateway holiday

posted by jennifer

i can't tell you how happy i am that it is november 1st.  we are past halloween.  i try to like it for the kids.  and my husband likes it...  but there are just not many draws for me.

i love creating, and have made a few, i must say, awesome costumes in my day.  i still am
impressed when i look at the giant red squid costume i made for ryan two years ago.  however, in general, halloween costumes are just such a creative let down for me. 

then there is carving pumpkins.  i love the ritual (i think i do.... or do i?) of heading to the lawn to carve the pumpkins  (that will be fuzzy with mold in our balmy southern California weather in 2 days.)  there is nothing like reaching into a pumpkin to scoop out it's innards and having orange goo stuck to your arm hairs.  i love the pull when it starts to dry.  as a side note:  once when i was about 12 or 13 i decided i should maybe shave my arms.  i didn't do the whole thing just a test patch... until i heard that the hair would grow back thicker and darker.  i am now at ease with my downy feathers on my wings.  but anyways, i don't do any carving now.   but i am responsible for gathering the pumpkin seeds to clean and roast.  but i did wear vinyl gloves, and i think i had the same face i do when removing the treasures inside a turkey before roasting it on thanksgiving.

then there is the whole concept of begging door to door for candy.  ugh?!? i don't know who came up with this idea.  a kid i guess.  and i know i loved it back in the day.  right mom?

and mom, did you love halloween then are much as i do now?   i can honestly say that i don't remember you carving a pumpkin once. hmmm.  

now we just have to get through the candy negotiations.  that will last for the next  couple of weeks.  and will start at sunrise.  and not end until sunset. 

you know..... them:  "mom.  can i have some candy?"
                        me: "after you eat something healthy."
                        them: "what can i have?"
                        me: "the regular.  fruit, a carrot, yogurt, cheese."
                        them: (after the healthy food) "how much can i have?"
                        me: (internal thoughts) i really want to say the whole damn bag so that i can
                                    be done with the incessant line of questioning. i hate halloween.
                        me: (what i actually say) "3 or 4 pieces depending on how big they are"
                        me: (internal thoughts) ugh!  why?  tell them one number so the discussion
                                      could be over
                         them: "would this (pointing to a small pile of candy) be alright?"

anyway, these candy naa-go-she-ations (said in the style of priceline negotiator... you know the commercials with will shatner)  go on longer than i want to think of right now.  because they have already begun.  and i am living it.  and i don't want to think about it.  even though i am writing it.  and i am getting more and more irritated as i do.

but.... on a positive note.   it is november!  thanksgiving (my second favorite holiday after christmas) is coming and right around the bend is my favorite holiday.  so, i can appreciate halloween if for nothing else.... that it is the gateway holiday.