Monday, December 24, 2012

Dec.24


Merry Christmas to all of my friends, online or off.
We are bustling happily here, eating lots of cookies and candy, hot chocolate for the boy, and coffee for these tired and content parents.
We've been wining and dining with friends and, soon enough, family. Making forts and pillow landing-pads for the boy who wants to be a cannonball. We're sleeping in (sort of) and are in our pajama's until at least lunch time. We're enjoying ourselves.
I hope you are too. <3

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Dec. 15


1 and 2: I made a snowflake-curtain for the front window, which I think looks quite fetching.
3: waffle making
4: Darth Vader playing wise man. I wonder if that box has frankincense or myrrh?
5: gorgeous (and handmade) decorative plate I found at the thrift store

I'd like to note that doing these activities and documenting them is, for the moment, the only way of distracting myself and my loved ones from the horrific events yesterday. My husband and I found out around 1pm and went into utter disbelief. Then we held each other and sobbed. Neither of us understands how we're supposed to raise our son in this world. Neither of us can stop thinking about it.

I think we'll be making some nice cards to send to the school. It isn't much, but it's something. If you'd like to do the same, mail them to this address:

Sandy Hook Elementary School
12 Dickenson Drive
Sandy Hook, CT 06482


God bless you friends. xo

Thursday, December 13, 2012

the slowest days.


Useful tools for handling pain and boredom: amazing coffee, my favorite Pho soup, and a magical book.

Days around here are incredibly long and incredibly slow, mostly because I'm constantly uncomfortable, but also because I'm living in a haze of pain-killers and muscle-relaxers. I was musing yesterday, amazed that there are people who want to be on this stuff all the time. That's something I'll never understand. To me it feels...well, it feels like shit.

There is surgery on my horizon. (yay) It will probably be along the lines of this, if you want to read about it. But it won't be happening anytime very soon, due to all the appointments and test I'll have to have prior to the actual procedure. I'm scared, but oh well. I want to feel better. I'm sick of feeling like half a person.

In the meantime, there is much cutting of paper snowflakes. I recovered a lampshade with book paper and it looks mighty pretty. Oh, and I gave my mother a manicure today for her birthday. I'm managing a 30 minute walk each day. I'm getting better. Now the real work comes in: figuring out how to stay that way.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Dec. 10


It's amazing all a bed bears witness to. Love, pain, sorrow, lust, laughter, wrestling, grief, and rest.

Unfortunately, this is where I'll be for the rest of the week. The neck thing again--which I'll explain more about later. To make a long story very short, I'll be needing surgery at some point.

Pray for my family, if you're moved to do so. <3

Sunday, December 2, 2012

bedecking.


we did our best hermiting today, and stayed indoors, eating and decorating, lounging and reading. a good sunday.

Friday, November 30, 2012

new curtains.


New curtains for the studio, made of vintage sheets. In the late afternoon light, my studio looks like the inside of a rose.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

belated thankfulness.


Though my thoughts are swirling and sleepless, I can still manage a little belated thankfulness:

My husband, who sits up in bed with me watching television, looks at his ancient, graying socks and says, "What the hell am I wearing?!"

My son, that incredibly intelligent being, who knows more than I can guess, and needs my help only sparingly. Oh, and when he clarifies that "I didn't say 'shit' Momma, I said 'sit'." Good to know.

This house we live in, and the beautiful rooms we've created out of nothing but a little moxy and some recycling. I admittedly get a little bummed at the disheveled state of things, that our televisions aren't flat-screen's, that we can't afford Iphones and Ipads, etc., because we really are a bit on the poor side. But then I feel a sort of sweet relief when I look around and realize that or house looks like a home, not a Radio Shack, and that makes me happy.

Good food, always. God consistently gives us enough to eat. We've never gone hungry.

My Pinterest boards and the never-ending rotation of inspiration I find there.

I have a studio. It's a tiny room, and I keep it sparse so that I can spread out fabric and canvas on the floor. It has two windows that let in a huge amount of light. It's cold, placed right over the garage, but it's mine, just mine.

My family, a host of wonky characters, who always keep me laughing no matter how dismal conditions might seem. Our gatherings see me heading home with an aching belly, and not because of the food.

And as always, I'm thankful for the rows and rows of 99cent books at the thrift store, letting me zone out and hunt for treasure, all in one place.




Sunday, November 18, 2012

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

makings.


Top to bottom: a button cuff bracelet, inspired by something I saw on Pinterest. Repurposing an old binder of Hayden's, and making it my own with some painted feathers. Last is a "Love" watercolor I started over a month ago and finally finished last week.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Nov. 9



The past few weeks
are an odd blur
a hurricane
an election
and a lot of personal growth

Also
the golden light of fall
that evening wash of it
is disappearing
and I find myself adding
layers of hats and scarves and socks

I suppose steeling myself for
what I'm sure will be
a long winter

Saturday, November 3, 2012

carrot, ginger, and coconut soup.

Or, more accurately, carrot-ginger-coconut-pumpkin soup, but I feel like that's an awfully long name for such a simple recipe.


While this soup was definitely inspired by similar ones floating around on Pinterest, the end result is my own, tweaking it and adjusting the taste and adding dashes of this and that until I felt it was right. Feel free to adjust it to your own tastes--this is incredibly versatile, and you could make it sweeter or more savory, depending on what you add in. It's like (vegetarian) Thanksgiving in a bowl!

What You Need:

- one 13.5 oz can lite coconut milk
- roughly 1 cup pureed, canned pumpkin
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger root
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 6 whole medium-sized carrots, peeled and chopped
- sprigs of fresh rosemary
- olive oil, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, sea salt, black pepper, and honey

What You Do:

Start by drizzling a non-stick pan with olive oil. Heat the pan on medium/high, then add the onion. Let the onion sweat it out for a few minutes, then add the carrots. Keep a little cup of water on hand, and add just a tbsp. at a time when the pan gets too dry. Cover and let the onions and carrots sizzle away, stirring every few minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, pour in your can of coconut milk. Add a dash of cinnamon and a very tiny dash of cayenne pepper. Heat the milk on very low heat--you don't want it to bubble at all. Check your carrots. When you can pierce one with a fork, pour this mixture into the coconut milk. Add the pumpkin and ginger. Finely chop a little rosemary and throw that in as well. Remove the pot from heat and pour into a blender. Blend the soup, slowly at first. --->Make sure you vent the lid just a bit to let the heat out.<--- You may need to add just a little water to make it thinner. Once you have a smooth mixture with no chunks, pour it back into your saucepan. Heat again on low, and add a drizzle of honey, and salt and pepper. You may have to add what seems like quite a bit of salt, but just keep adding a pinch and tasting, until the savory quality of these vegetable comes out. Just go slowly--if you over-salt, you can't really undo it.

When satisfied with the taste of the soup, turn off the heat and cover it. I let it sit around for about 45 minutes or so while I baked a loaf of bread and made my husband a pizza. I, of course, don't really expect you to do those things. I would however recommend letting it sit for at least a half hour, so the flavors can deepen. Also, as is the case with most things, this soup really does taste better when closer to room temperature.

To serve, drizzle a bit of plain yogurt on top, then sprinkle with a bit of salt and add a sprig of rosemary. There you go! (By the way, I'd say you could serve at least four people this, especially if paired with some crusty bread, good, hard cheddar cheese, and some salty, oily olives, but that's up to you.)


Thursday, November 1, 2012

Nov. 1




Savoring the humble things
A pumpkin-chocolate chip loaf made for my brother's birthday
Long, chilly runs in the rain (made better by new sneakers)
and wonderful, handmade gifts from a dear friend

I'd be grateful for all this
even without the recent events on the east coast
But it's made all the more acute
with so much darkness nearby

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

post hurricane.

Sipping my coffee this morning, surveying the damage of hurricane Sandy, which is extensive in parts of the east coast.

We are very, very lucky. Amazingly enough, our power stayed on.

I'll provide a real update soon.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

loot.


Yesterday I went to the thrift store
one of my favorite places
I love running my fingers
over the shoulders and sleeves
of old jackets and sweaters
Love perusing the used books
with obscure titles and
little personal notes that
flutter to the floor
And I always take a moment
to look at the evening gowns
some hideous
some amazing
but always, always interesting

(found: mint green mohair sweater, Free People crochet-sleeved t-shirt, hardly-worn pair of green converse sneakers, The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, and a handbook of maternal and newborn nursing)

Thursday, October 18, 2012




I have been
making pitchers of tea
bringing rosemary, mint, chives, and basil indoors
reading poetry while I sip my coffee
even if it's a stolen moment
standing over a pot of simmering soup


Monday, October 15, 2012

all i can handle.




I feel like
the sharp edge
of something

It makes you
ravenous
for the hand of God

Saturday, October 13, 2012

1 a.m.


I worry
that I gave away
my beauty
too often

And now it runs from me

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

there is unfair.


there is a lot of unfair. there is a lot of disappointed. there is a lot of cry-while-you-brush-your-teeth. there is also a lot of stubborn. there is brush your hair and put on a pretty dress and bring the flowers inside to brighten the rooms. there is pumpkin cookies and cinnamon coffee and late-day yoga in the sunlight. there is happy, or the leaning in the direction of happy. there is the choice to smile anyway.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

gathered smock top.

So I feel really silly for even posting these pictures because, honestly, they suck. Especially if I stop to compare them with all the fabulous "DIY" and sewing pictures by other bloggers out there. But oh well. There is no sun to be had this week and I became really impatient waiting for perfect picture-taking conditions.

This is a simple, smock-style top, basically two long rectangles sewn together at center front and center back, leaving a 'V' for the head, and then stitched up the sides with enough space left to fit the arms through. I gathered the waistline with elastic and did the same with the sleeves. I also tea-dyed it, as I didn't really like this fabric's blindingly white background. I like the way it turned out. It looks great with jeans, cinched with a belt at the waist, or with boots and a little cardigan for cold weather.



On another sewing note, I printed this free pattern from the Colette blog. It's been all over the internet for a long time now, and I want to finally try my hand at making it. I'm thinking of lengthening it into a dress...because I really need to make another dress. Right.


Thursday, September 27, 2012

yesterday.

*please ignore the overflowing laundry*

*first tight-wearing day of the season*

*dance party!*

*what a stinker*

*oh, i've missed those fall sunsets*