A Gift from who?

I bought this chair for myself and dressed it up as a gift from Derek so that I wouldn't feel so bad about it. But for $35 who really feels bad? Derek came home, read the tag and asked who gave me a rocking chair because it certainly wasn't him. Luke particularly likes the fact that you can see through the back, and played peek a boo all afternoon. I'm rocking to my heart's content.

A year ago today

THEN

NOW

I took one of many pictures of Luke's foot in my hand. So a few days ago I took another one and here you can see them side by side. He's grown so incredibly and these tiny feet that were so narrow and sweet smelling have flattened out and get sweaty carrying this little man through mud and thorns and rocks. If these feet could talk they'd have stories to tell!

Zebras are reactionaries

As you can see, Luke loved his trip to the zoo. Although they don't allow most animals to run around wild, Luke got away with it. I think it's because he's so darn cute, and harmless - for the most part.
His favorite animal by far was the buffalo-which he fondly named, "Cow!"

Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages

It's all happenin' at the zoo

Pre-tty

Yesterday I was getting Luke out of the van, and with these new automatic doors you can open the door before you get to that side of the van. So Luke's door was open and he was looking out the garage window. When I got up to him he started signing, "Bird". I turned around to see the "bird" and came face to face with a large moth dangling from a cobweb in the window (yes, I should clean my garage window - I can take a hint). I said in an oh-so-sarcastic voice, "Yeeeeaaah, that's pretty", and continued to unbuckle him. Luke pointed again at the "bird" and said in an awestruck voice, "Pre-tty".

For Sale

2000 Chevy Prism
asking $3,000.
(comparable to Toyota Corolla, with a Toyota engine)
146,911 miles
4 cylinder
A/C, cruise control, power locks, CD player, equipped with a trailer hitch, gets excellent fuel mileage.

Fall's Welcome

This year we welcomed Fall with a skinny-dipping trip to the lake. We thought we'd better get our fill of the beach while it's still warm. Turns out we were the ONLY ones to have this idea. The beach was all ours, and Luke splashed and threw mud to his heart's content...until we had to leave, of course. And then nobody's heart was content within a square mile of this screaming boy. sigh. All I can hope is that the memories we're creating at the beach will stick better than the trauma of leaving the beach.


To continue our celebration of Summer we are going to pick raspberries at Helene's this evening, and I'm spending the afternoon reading on the deck during Luke's nap (even though I have a counter full of produce that's begging to be canned). I am embracing Summer perhaps a little to strongly now that it's gone. If only Summer could last all year! I'd settle for maybe eight months...or ten.

will it ever end?

I am at my wits end with this little guy. The screaming, which you may have laughed at during the video last week, has escalated to the point that if I caught you laughing at it I might just throw you in a lake of hungry crocodiles.

I am forever exhausted and "Patience" is a town I whizzed by 75 miles ago. What do you do? Do you give time outs? Do you spank or swat? Do you ignore it (Just try, I'd like to see you try)? Having a conversation with a one year old about being polite and not driving your mother up the wall is as ridiculous as trying to teach a horse to sing opera.

If you have advice, book recommendations, or prayers for a desperate mother please pass them my way.

Let Me Sit in Your Lap

"No, I'm readin' a story!"

"That's why I want to sit in your lap."

"You just get in the way. Go read your own book."

"You're reading my book. And you missed that part about George getting on the fire truck. That's crucial to the plot, you know."

Oopsie

Yesterday I missed a post! That's the first one I've ever missed. How did that happen? Well I'll tell you how. Yesterday morning I didn't get a new picture, so I left it until after Luke's afternoon nap. He's going to sleep around 12:30 these days and I figured he'd sleep a couple hours (2). He slept-count 'em- 1, 2, 3, 4 hours! I had to look in on him to make sure he was breathing. 4 hours is extremely unusual (unheard of! obscene). But he woke up an hour early, and I think he's finally getting the hang of this one-nap-a-day thing, so four hours was greatly appreciated by Luke's mother. I got lots of quiet things done because I was afraid of waking him up from such a gorgeous slumber.

I wanted to get a video of Luke jumping up and down for you because it's his newest and most adorable talent. But the truth about children, and Luke in particular, is that the majority of their time is spent defying your (the parent's) wishes. So instead you get his newest and most annoying talent: the latest in Luke's catalog of screeches. This one is particularly metal on metal if you know what I mean.

Best Ever Pizza

On Monday I was a mad scientist in the kitchen. I baked blueberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, homemade pizza sauce, foccacia bread (for pizza crust), pesto, and the Best Pizza You'll Ever Eat in Your Life pizza. Since it was so delicious that I even used the adjective, "Orgasmically delicious", I thought I should pass along my recipes. They are from the Simply in Season cookbook.

First I made the pesto (p.162) with some minor variations

In a blender I chopped:
1 C fresh basil leaves and tender stems
3 cloves of garlic
1/3 C walnuts
3-6 T parmesan cheese
1/2 t salt
2 sprigs of parsley
with a splash of red wine vinegar
and a dash of cumin

Then I made the foccacia bread (p.88)

combine in a large bowl, stirring until yeast dissolves
1C warm water
1T active dry yeast

Mix in, stirring until smooth:
1 C whole wheat bread flour (I did 3/4 wh wheat, 1/4 white)
2T olive oil
1T sugar (I used about 1 T of honey and a little less olive oil)
1 1/2t salt

Add enough additional flour (1 3/4-2 1/4C) to make a stiff dough. Knead 8-10 minutes until elastic. Place in greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled (about 45 minutes).

Fold a handful of fresh basil leaves into the dough (snipped fine). Knead only as much as needed to distribute the leaves evenly. Cover and let dough rest 10 minutes. Pat and stretch to fill a greased 10"x15" jelly roll pan (I used a cookie sheet). Lightly rub top with olive oil, cover with damp cloth and let rise 10 more minutes. Add your toppings and bake in preheated oven at 450F until the crust is lightly brown (12-20 minutes). If bottom gets brown before top is done, finish under the broiler. Serve immediately.

I did have to finish my pizzas under the broiler because the bottoms were brown after only 10 minutes! For one of the pizzas I did a traditional marinara sauce and mozzarella. For the other I did a pesto sauce, sliced tomatoes, mozzarella and crumbled feta cheese. The Pesto Pizza was the best pizza I've ever had. Hands down. You've got to try this.

Luke's New Ride

Over the weekend we bought a 2005 Chevy Uplander. Luke loves all the kicking space and I love not having to bend over to get him in his car seat. We tried a DVD in the player today (yes this thing is loaded), and he totally zoned out watching his Baby Einstein in the vehicle. I missed hearing his narration of the scenery outside his window...we will not be watching videos in the car on a regular basis. But it did come in handy when Luke was being grumpy and antsy during the Farmer's market this afternoon. I plopped him in his car seat in front of the DVD player and had twenty minutes of beautiful behavior!

The other "ride" Luke got this weekend was his first ride on a pony. "Hi!" was the usual greeting from Luke. From that moment this pony knew who was boss. Luke threw off his helmet in a matter of seconds and chattered away at the pony while enjoying a ride on a pony whose stirrups he couldn't even reach. Yep, he's going to be a cowboy...or a mechanic...or a librarian...or a graphic designer!

Eskimo Kisses

We had a long, enjoyable weekend which I will fill you in on slowly because I have far too many pictures for one day! For now you get this video I took on Friday. I would apologize for my unkempt hair and pajamas in this video, but I'm a homemaker and I am allowed to have unkempt hair and pajamas whenever I want, so I won't.

Lightning and Thunder

I haven't figured it out yet. There's some sort of flare on my lens that makes the squiggly little flash down below the big one. The lightning isn't actually striking my street or the neighbors house. Click on the photos to see them bigger!


Last night we had a big rocking thunder storm. It was awesome. We came out of the hockey game and there was no rain, but the clouds all around our heads were flickering like they were filled with strobes and there was some sort of disco party happening in the sky. I tried to get a video of the lightning because it was so constant, but my pictures turned out better. There wasn't a moment when its purple light wasn't flashing. During this video the neighbor's car alarm goes off due to the thunder. This happened at least five times last night. And if you listen towards the end you can hear the dishes in the kitchen cupboard clink together during some of the thunder. Wow. One of the most frightening and beautiful effects of living on the prairies.

Favorite Fabric and a Hockey Game

Luke in the shoes his mommy made.


This evening I will be that strange woman walking into the hockey arena carrying her bag of yarn. I got quite far on my basket project last night when I couldn't sleep and I'm feeling inspired to continue even at the hockey game. Yes, you heard right. Luke is going to his very first hockey game this evening. The first of the season and the first of his life. I would only attempt this kind of thing under these specific conditions: WBS has a box so the child is confined, and yet free to run around! How splendid. Now we're off to the game!

This fabric came in the mail yesterday. I ordered it online at Alewives Fabrics. It is even more beautiful in person than I imagined it. I am in love.

Just say no

Luke has added the word "no" to his repertoire. He will often walk up to something he's not allowed to touch, point at it and say "no". Then of course he touches it. Sigh. You know where he learned this word. From me. My life is following him around to make sure he doesn't fall on his head and taking things away from him. Needless to say I am not his favorite person these days. I'm not my favorite person either.

Updates

Today I spent some time updating my photography website. Go take a look! I put on some new music to match my mood, and added a gallery called "Note Cards" to show you exactly what I'm selling at the Farmer's Market. I'm very proud of these gorgeous photos (and so grateful to Celeste for teaching me what quality printing really is).

This afternoon we are heading to the Farmer's Market again with baby shoes and note cards, and we are hoping against hope that it will not rain ... especially since we're not exactly sure we are going to have a gazebo. Cross your fingers.

Luke is feeling a bit better. I'm almost certain now that he has a molar coming in which is giving him a lot of grief. He slept this morning until 9:30 and I had to wake him up because we had an appointment at the bank. I was grateful for the sleep, but a little unnerved! Thirteen hours of sleep is pretty unusual.

Long Weekend R&R

On this long weekend we had a birthday party for Luke's friend Jack. We headed out to the farm and Luke really enjoyed running around with the big boys (Jack's cousins), throwing dirt in his hair, and using his adorable face to scam treats from anyone who would fall for it. His newest thing is saying, "Ca-ca" (cracker) and pointing at chips.


Saturday we stayed home sitting on the deck, working on the house, and BBQ'd hamburgers for dinner. Sunday we went to the beach. Luke loves the water, but he actually preferred this dirty little puddle just beside the lake and spent a great deal of time trying to convince some women down the way to give him their beach ball.


Today we are once again hanging around the house. I have chopped several zucchini and prepared them for the freezer, and Luke is down for a nap. He had a really rough night last night and we're guessing he has an ear infection or else a really big sharp tooth bugging him. So we are giving him all the rest he asks for. This afternoon we will be sewing some more with Katie to prepare for another farmer's market tomorrow. I started crocheting a basket that I'm hoping to display shoes in at the market, or at least store them in at my sewing table. Take a look!

Making Good

I'm making good on my promise from MONTHS ago to show a video of Luke going on the stairs. He's really very trustworthy on them now. The other day at Helene's house I was working on the computer and I suddenly realized it was too quiet. I went looking for Luke and he was in the basement (13 stairs down!) sitting at a Little Tikes picnic table pouring himself an imaginary glass of lemonade.


After that cute story you might like to hear about my disastrous hour and a half yesterday afternoon. Luke woke up from his nap and was Grumpy. I just had about ten minutes left of sewing to do and he kept pulling my cord out of the wall or sitting on my sewing machine pedal, so I strapped him into his high chair with some fish crackers and let 'er rip. He gave me ten minutes of peace, but when I looked up I saw that instead of eating all his crackers he had smashed them into tiny bits and flung them all around the room. Every corner of the dining room and kitchen was filled with bits of cracker. I got out the vacuum and the broom and cleaned it up, then took Luke out of his high chair to clean HIM up. Turns out he had peed through his diaper and his pants were all wet. I stripped him down and went to get a clean diaper and by the time I returned he had peed on the floor and was splashing around in it. I dumped him in the sink, cleaned him off and then started to clean up the floor. While I was cleaning up the floor he spit up on the floor behind me and spread it all around, walking through it and then through the kitchen. I thought, "it can't get any worse" but you know you are always proven wrong when you say something like that.

While I was cleaning up the spit up Luke unrolled the entire roll of paper towels and began shredding them in the hallway.

Oisch. Kids.

Wishing for a cloud

Today I am down and feeling tired to go with it. I woke up achy and with my eyes all stuck together. I looked outside and saw the gorgeous late summer sun and for the first time in months I wished for a cloud. Some days it should just be grey to suit my mood. Thankfully we have very very little planned for today so I am going to stay in my flannel as long as possible and cater to my appetite for grey.

Last night we really enjoyed our deck. Derek put the finishing touches on while Luke tried to play with power tools and threw dirt on his head, and I pulled weeds in the vegetable garden. Then I turned the sprinkler on and we all sat on our beautiful finished deck and listened to the water on the pumpkin leaves. I noticed for the first time that many vegetable leaves are shaped like funnels and draw the water right down to the root. Seems obvious now, doesn't it? I don't take enough time to sit and watch my plants grow.

Lately when I wake Luke up in the morning his first word is "'Raffe!" Luke has a painting by the door in his room of a giraffe and while he's waiting for me to come rescue him from his cage he sympathizes with the giraffe - who is stuck in his frame.

Spaghetti's On

The farmer's market yesterday was a success! Katie sold nine loaves of bread (one to me - yum!). I sold three pairs of shoes, and eleven cards (mostly to family, but that still counts). We are planning on sewing together next Monday to make some bigger sizes of the shoes. Note to self: run by MCC to buy more t-shirts, because the shoes made out of t-shirt material were really popular. Here is our table (aka sawhorses with a plank across). Katie and I took turns holding the umbrella so that her bread wouldn't sweat in the sun. Hopefully next week we'll have an umbrella that holds itself up!

Today I'm brewing a vat of spaghetti sauce. I'm sorry I don't have an exact recipe, I am kind of just throwing things in the pot. But here's where I'm at so far:

I put the (roma)tomatoes in hot hot water for a few minutes and then peeled them and tossed them in the pot. It was about 25 medium tomatoes. I added garlic salt, some onion greens, green pepper, cinnamon, and italian spices (it's actually a bottle marked "italian spices", but I think there's basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary and the like), two cloves of garlic and two bay leaves. Next I grated in about two cups of zucchini (half of a massive one - yellow). If I had red wine I'd add that, but for now this will do. The pot is now simmering pleasantly on the stove top and I am debating whether to add ground beef or garlic sausage. For now I think I will leave it just as tomato sauce so that I can use it for pizza if I want.

Our newest addition to the red wall - Thank-you Aunt Deanna! And thanks to Dad for mailing it to us.

Farmer's Market

pumpkin vines


Today I am a farmer. Katie and I are going to have a booth at the farmer's market! We have sewn some baby shoes (these are just the ones I've done), I made these cards and she is making some bread to sell! I am very excited.

I thought today would be an appropriate day then to show you my vegetable garden. I am making a large pot of spaghetti sauce today so that Derek has an easy supper (the market goes until 7pm), from my very own tomatoes, zucchini and bell peppers. It's very rewarding to cook things from my own garden.