work tunes...

  I'm pretty convinced that Ryan Gosling is a magical wizard.

for sure...
  back to the factory, my factory, which right now is a chop shop of cotton jersey, old t-shirts, braided fabrics. pics soon. workin on the handmades and listening to dead mans bones. sigh...

sunny spring!

    We've been lucky enough to enjoy some good sunny days here. It seems that the sunny ones have began to outnumber the rainy ones. Everyday, the chicks roam the yard and they've been (for the most part) sweethearts about staying out of the garden beds, I think they're learning...

   My guy dressed as Jesse James for his historical biography project. My dad, whom I haven't spoken to in years, claims we are related. hmmm.

   Happy chickens make lots of eggs. We've been eating so so many.

   Here's  a blurry picture of a recent thrift score. I love the purple and orange color combination, so simple and perfect! It was a good day at the thrift.

 crumble... mmm.. so good! from that book. Heidi Swanson is a food wizard for sure!! Get the book if you need a little more magic in your kitchen.

 rhubarb season...

   Is it cheating to use my iphone to take pictures? My digital camera is my work camera and I have more fun with the iphone, plus, then I can leave the camera at home... what do u think?
  Hope the weekend was lovely. I'm fighting a cold or something.I went to bed at 8pm last night! I had hoped the colds were behind me now. sniff sniff... xo m

blue valentine

Oh my.... so so good. Really wonderful, just run out and get this movie, like right this minute! Ok,  I'm off to practice my ukulele now. xo m

love & beauty

  I feel so grateful and surrounded in love when I look at the sweet faces around me. Tonight there is a full moon and it's streaming in the windows so bright. The air is electric and there are so many possibilities and choices ahead. I feel... excited!
  Happy Spring, it seems it's finally here! xo m

spring flings...

Guess who finally got an iphone?? yep, big girl time. instagram is crazy fun! loving it big time!

 brother and sister love!

 cousin love!

 kimmy & e.

 Senor Moose has the most amazing Mexican food. I always end up getting the same thing which is kind of savory potato pancakes with green chiles... so wonderful!

  The light outside it flickering and the day is trying to decide what it will be. I need to plant so many beans so hopefully it will be a sunny day. So many gardening projects to get done. This is the coldest spring here EVER. I'm going to think SUN and radiate that it will be warm and hopefully the weather will just cooperate. happy weekending to you! xo m

with the spring comes a world of choices...

  My little gal was so excited on Friday (her birthday party was Saturday). She kept saying "OH, it's so hard to wait!!" all day and then it was extremely difficult to get to sleep Friday night. I remember feeling that way, really knowing and understanding and showing how important growing older is.  It's real magical and should be celebrated with friends, food and cake.

   I whipped up some amazing gluten free caramel cupcakes thanks to the Blackbird Bakery Gluten Free cookbook. Oh my, the recipes are dangerously delicious!

   We also went to a wonderful may day gathering. So sweet and calm and just all around lovely.

  The trees are whispering to me that change is in the air. All around. More and more I feel so smothered by the city, and we live in one of the most relaxed parts of it. I just envision a bit more space, more room to grow food and have animal friends, a studio space, and bedroom for the little one would be real nice. Working and saving and dreaming of the farm to be... xo m

sowing seeds...

  We are immersed in our version of spring. Rumored to be the most frigid in ages. I refuse to accept that. I will just keep thinking spring spring spring and sooner or later it will warm up and stop raining. Right? It can't stay cold forever....

 Our neighbor, Katherine, gave us a bunch of rhubarb roots and they are starting to grow (no thanks to the chickens!!). I guess you aren't supposed to cut the stalks the first year, they need to work on getting established. But Katherine's Rhubarbs are out of control and she said I can have some whenever I want. I made rhubarb apple sauce.

 Domino is laying in the potato patch. It's a good warm spot when the sun is out. Our raised beds are pretty much full already and I haven't even planted half of what I wanted. I planted a lot of herbs and flowers, that are coming back, last year. This week we'll be building at least 2 more raised bed. I want to do one all herbs and greens and another for squash and beets... I need to order a truckload of soil too.  Next week is gonna be busy... Grandma get's in tonight too. My little lady's birthday is on Sunday and Grandma rides the train up every year.

 The beans and peas are finally starting to climb up and grow. We didn't have much luck with them last year but I put them in a different spot and I think the soil is better.

 This was a few days ago and already they're twice as high!  The herb beds were/are such a mess. Weeds and grass growing everywhere. I spent so much time on my knees weeding. See that board? I have to put boards and upside down pots where we planted carrots, otherwise the cats use the fresh little patch of soil for their litterbox. As soon as they start coming up I can mulch around them with old chicken straw to hopefully discourage more weeds.

 ooooh. Baked Oatmeal!! Soooo delicious! From Super Natural Every Day. Wow. This kids did not like it as they are oatmeal haters in general. The grown ups ate it all up...

  Now we are off in search of a few party hats and some last minute ingredients we need for the gluten free caramel cupcakes we're making tomorrow morning. Happy Friday! xo m

clothes, clothes, clothes... shop update.

Sunshine days... along with spring and it's lovliness and it's business (so much to do outside) comes to many bills. always bills, and a broken phone (gasp). So, I've been a busy bee and listed a few extra special items. Take a peek in my shop and see if something strikes your fancy...

So many pretty dresses and delights made their way home from Chicago with me. It was a thrifitng dream come true! xo m

in the moment...

  Adjusting to life at home was a little hard after 5 solid days of intense friend (do whatever I want all day and night long with no one to take care of) time. The first couple of days of any vacation I spend mentally comparing the new city to Seattle and kind of missing Seattle and then a shift happens and I start to feel the energy of the new city and it feels good and fun and new.  Chicago was a whole new place for me. I've never been to the Midwest and was at first surprised by the flat, sort of barren landscape. In some ways it reminded me of LA and NY. Very urban and lacking in greenery. But beautiful in a burnt out industrial way. People were friendly and real. I had such a great trip and it was wonderful to get to spend time with my friends thrifting and eating and staying up way too late.

  Back in my own reality now. Trying to concentrate on simplifying and doing one thing at a time. Planting seeds, getting the garden going, cleaning up the yard, getting rid of the "things" that are cluttering up a house that is really too small for 4 people and 2 cats. Getting things in order and being in the moment.  Also, stashing away spare change in the vacation fund, summers coming and these kids (and mama and papa) need a little desert trip! xo m