cookie carnival :: have your say for JULY!

hey carnivalers (present and future),

i can't decide which cookie to go with. i have 3 ideas. what sounds best to you?

you have until 10PM JULY 5th EST to vote. i'll post the recipe for the winning cookie on July 6th.

let the fireworks begin!

rainy days & granola

here in the northeast (and maybe everywhere) we're experiencing a lot of rain. a LOT. every day we check the weather in hopes of some sun. but the sunbursts have been few and far between.

today after bb came home from camp we looked up at the cloudy sky and decided to go in and make something yummy. we decided on granola. it's a great way to involve them both. lots of dumping and mixing.....and tasting!

we mixed together:

2 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup of slivered almonds

a handful of almonds

1 tbs. sesame seeds

1 tbs. cinnamon (we love our cinnamon!)

then we stirred 1/4 cup of honey into half a stick of melted butter, poured that into the bowl of oats and nuts and stirred!

oven at 300 and bake for about 25 mins. after it cooled we added some dried cranberries, raisins and juuuuuuust a few chocolate chips for the extra yum-factor.

as we made our granola it got darker and darker outside. and soon.....

downpoor.

thunder.

lightening.

the works.

nothing to do but open the window and watch.

rocket and roll!

this june has been so wet and rainy and dreary. . . but we've managed to make some fun stuff! in fact i've been so busy at the sewing machine, that i haven't had time in the kitchen or at the computer to post much. but, that's a good thing, right!?


here's mommy's latest. rocket shirt! he proudly wore it to camp today. it was the only solace when he learned it would rain. again. and not go swimming in the lake. he had, instead, the happiness of "rocket shirt!" it is imperfect. as you can see. as most of my sewing projects are.

the template can be found on this awesome blog. isn't it good? i added the lightening/flames. he HAD to have some fire on there. who can blame him?

rainy days

June has been so strange. so chilly. so full of rainy days.

today was one of those "what is going on here?" kind of days. sunny, then rainy, sunny, then rainy. while we do still venture outside everyday, we have been spending more time inside than we have in past Junes. to be sure. this is a challenge after such a long New England winter. but, we're making it work. lots of cushion time on the floor, jumping and rolling. lots of ball play. and reading. mommy's been sewing a lot. i have several projects in the works! i seem unable lately to sit and focus on one thing. i have to flit from this to that. i guess it's more fun that way!


lately bb is fascinated with rockets (yes--some of the new sewing projects feature rockets). and so, we broke out our window crayons and started to draw some.


and then we got into drawing some people (or "dudes") to ride along.


and of flowers like the ones we hope to see bloom in our garden. if they every get any sunshine! i'm sure they will and our sunflower house will be all we hoped for.

until then, we ride the wave of rain and clouds until it passes and something new arrives. . .

a sweet giveaway

do you know about gardenmama? her blog is one of my new faves. immediately on the top of the (way too long) list of blogs i read.

she's doing a giveaway! 2 vintage aprons. mother and child. go see and you will know why i love her blog.

the giveaway post is here.

enjoy!

summer lovin' :: strawberries!!!

well, after a lot of looking forward to it, we finally defied the incessant rain and went picking!!! it could not have been more lovely or enjoyable.

the first creation (begun the minute we arrived home) was COBBLER. DE-lish.

these little beauties (above) have now become jam. 4 jars in the freezer already!


i love that we have accessible to us an pick-your-own ORGANIC strawberry farm. what could be better? i try to show my children the joys of the season thru celebration of whatever nature offers us in that given season. and strawberries are a true gem. they don't last long, so we must get while the getting is good!


i admit to being a little greedy and speedy out there in the fields. it was to much to behold. i kept pulling back the leaves to discover little clusters of red, sweet, goodness and i felt a bit like Gollem...."mine! mine! my precious...." though i did not say this aloud, it's how i felt! and i picked quickly!

seriously, though, wouldn't you??

sshhh, don't tell hubby. . . here's one of our FACES! this is my and bb's album cover shot.
don't we look sorta bad-ass? i'm not sure why. . .maybe it was all the strawberry hoarding we were doing. . .


a boy having his own basket is key.


and a girl her own bucket.

today we have begun strawberry ice cream! i will never forget the first time i made my own ice cream. it's such a different being from what you get in the market. i don't care how gourmet or organic it is, it's nothing next to homemade. which is why strawberry is the perfect flavor. what we picked yesterday is like a whole different thing than what you get in the market. it's pure joy and sweet sunshine.

enjoy!

the latest project

i'm working on a new embroidery project. after finishing (and loving) the bread bags, i decided to do something for the children.

i looked around my son's room and remembered that i wanted to make curtains that actually matched the room. isn't it so easy to stop really seeing what is around you? i think i tuned them out for a long time. and his walls need. . .something. and the clutter needs downsizing. bigtime. so, i thought this summer was the perfect time to focus on the "bedroom beautification project." both my children's rooms need it and i love putting my creative energy to use in making our home more. . . homey! so, the first thing on the list is some hoops. embroidery in some and just lovely fabrics in some others. simple, beautiful, natural. these are my 3 guiding thoughts.


the first of the hoops. . . a blueberry muffin! my son's favorite thing to eat. besides icecream. it's sort of a little joke for him. a blueberry muffin on his wall! so far, i've gotten started on teh yellow cupcake paper (bottom left). . . stay tuned for the finished product. . . .