n o d d y b o o m

look at the moon

taken december 1st (gosh, has that much time passed already?)

isn't it pretty?  that was a crazy beautiful moon, that night.  it always is, but it was particularly breath-taking at that moment.  i snapped many photos of it through my car window at every stop light.  did anyone else see it?  it was hu-normous.  so big, it looked like another planet floating around out there.  like... crazy big.  abnormally big.  it kept the kids quiet in the back seat, big.  it made me not mind the traffic, big.  it was pretty darn spectacular.  i love the moon.  it is a good means to find my way to stillness, just taking the time to gaze at it.

things i am doing:

looking up

laying low

trying new things

weathering storms

wearing flip flops again (the weather always warms up around here at christmas)

creating space

eating chocolate

eating peppermint cake

eating vanilla ice cream with sea salt caramel

thinking about making bagels

wondering where to get a good fudge recipe

wondering where to get a good caramel corn recipe

hosting a potluck

singing carols

wishing there was something good on t.v.

gearing up to start making things for my shoppe again (after the holidays)

enjoying slippers

hitting the library

dreaming of snow

dreaming of naps

so, the giveaway!  thank you all for the lovely, lovely comments.  i can't tell you how much it pleases me to know you and to be a part of this cyber-space community.  thank you for visiting.  thank you for being you.  thank you for creating this place.  this creative, sharing place.

the random number generator has selected zoe as the lucky recipient of the camera.  congratulations zoe!  thank you so much for participating.  please shoot me an email, when you get a chance, with your address and i'll happily ship the camera right on over to you as quickly as i can.

everyone have a lovely evening.  solstice is quickly approaching!  monday, i believe.  what will you be doing to celebrate?  we will be playing cello, baking, visiting with friends, thanking the sun and the night for all they give us.  for all their lessons. we will be howling at the moon, ringing our bells and snuggling by the fire.

be well, you. 

making

coupon ::gifts:: for time well spent.  there really is nothing better than spending time with each other.

don't forget to leave a comment on my last post if you want to be in on the draw for the toy camera.  i'll randomly select someone by saturday so i can mail the camera out next week.  

thanks so much for stopping by.

take care!  *

for you, a giveaway

 

hi all.

hope you are having a lovely weekend.

a gift for you.  it's a demekin pop eyed fish lens 110 camera with a tripod hole.  brand new in the box.  just leave a comment in this post and i'll select someone by week's end and send it out.  i truly appreciate all your visits here and the whole blogging community in general with their inspiring creativity. 

meanwhile, the spirit of the holiday season has descended upon us around here.  lights have been strung.  presents are being made and wrapped.  one more week of school and then the kids will be home with us, baking for neighbors and friends and those in need.  so exciting.

i hope you're having a wonderful, relaxing weekend, filled with moments of peace, laughter and beautiful skies. 

we are off for a quick walk before the rest of our day begins, to enjoy the after effects of a good hard rain.  the air is clear and crisp and the sun is out.  it's a gorgeous day.

take care.  *

what we did last sunday

fed rescued monkeys in malibu

visited a house filled with treasures

played

gathered

waltzed

stayed up late

dined with friends

held hands

gazed at the sea

watched the sun set

bundled in scarves

today i am enjoying the wet day we are having here.  there is a pumpkin pie cooling on the stove.  a pot of tea steeping.  presents to be wrapped.  embroidery to be re-done.  last night the kids brought in handfuls of carrots from the garden, dirt sprinkling on the floor, twinkles in their eyes and laughter on their lips.  this morning, marley chopped the carrots to bring to school for "soup day".  i wander around the house admiring their handmade treasures.  finger crocheted ropes that dangle from the christmas tree branches.  small sewn pillows with three different colors of thread.  pompom snowmen ornaments and hand knitted chicks.   precious, all of them.

i am gearing up for a give-away.  i will post something tomorrow or the next day.  keep a lookout.  i hope some of you will stop by.  i can't tell you how much i appreciate that you are here.  that this blogging community exists.  all of these wonderful creative people.  it's pretty amazing, isn't it?

have a lovely day.

 

a word of caution...

 

make sure that when you go to all the trouble spend all that time  painstakingly embroider that pillowcase for that special someone this holiday season, you don't accidentally embroider through the front AND the back of the entire case, thereby rendering it inoperable and regrettably putting yourself in a position where you have to undo the whole thing and start over, all the while feeling like a dolt.  sigh.  everybody got that?  ok good.  lesson learned.

pleasant crafting, everyone.

i heart mondays

some photos for your monday.

feeling the pull of the holidays over here.  the shortness of the days.  the busy-ness of the season.

enjoying:

friends

food

stolen quiet moments

conversations with neighbors

long walks

this book with the kids

potlucks

monkeys

a tour through a house of treasures

less time on the computer

scarves

rain

cozy fires

hot soup

music

have a beautiful monday everyone

a mini jam for you (click on the photo - it's really a video)

marley:  "i don't know what to make for griffin for christmas".

griffin:  "oh, you could just paint something.  or you could, like,  make a chair.  or build a little fence".

the kids didn't really go for the tea cake.  i think it was too spicy/flavorful for them, but then, they're not real gingerbread fans either, so go figure.  oh well.  more for me.  they devoured the whipped cream, though.

thankful for:

high pitched giggles

people who like doing dishes

mounds of whipped cream

also, can't stop listening to this at the moment.

also, check out the list of handmade gift tutorials...  neat.

for those of you who have persimmons trees nearby...

 

try this:

:: persimmon tea cake (adapted from local flavors) ::

  ingredients:

  2 large ripe hachiya persimmons (enough for 1 cup puree)

  2 teaspoons baking soda

  1 1/4 cups organic white or whole wheat pastry flour (or half and half)

  1/2 teaspoon sea salt

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

  1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

  1/2 cup (1 stick) good quality organic butter at room temperature

  1 cup light brown sugar, packed

  1 organic egg

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  grated zest of 1 lemon

instructions:

  preheat oven to 350°.  butter and flour a bread (loaf) pan.

  open the persimmons lengthwise, pick out an seeds, then scrape the pulp into a measuring cup, puree, measure out 1 cup and stir in the baking soda.  combine the flour, salt and spices in a bowl.

  cream the butter and sugar until smooth, then beat in the egg, followed by the vanilla and the persimmon puree.  add the flour mixture and the lemon zest.

  scrape the batter into the loaf pan and put it in the middle of the oven.  reduce heat to 325° and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before digging in (if you can wait that long.  i didn't.  the bread was still steaming when i scooped it onto my plate.  mmm.)

  i'm serving this to the kids later with whipped cream for dessert.  it has a gingerbread sort of a taste.  very light and fluffy and yummm.  you can't really taste the persimmon.  it's sort of hidden in there with the spices.  give it a whirl and see what you think.

p.s. look at these wonderful things.  i want them all.

p.p.s the persimmons for this recipe came from our neighbors next door which is extra cool in my book for so many reasons.  she has so many persimmons on her tree she doesn't know what to do with them and she was bringing them over in exchange for the baskets of cherry tomatoes we gave her last summer.  i told her i'd figure out a recipe and that we'd do something with all those persimmons and here it is!  later i will bring over the recipe and have a chat with her about making tea cakes for the neighbors or teachers at our schools, etc.  tis the spirit.

have a peaceful day!

thank you for:

converse

handshakes

the kindness of strangers

(per gillian's gratitude project).

have you seen this?

read "and the pursuit of happiness".  be inspired.  go out and do something about it (thank you addie for showing me this).

thank you for

sneakers

dandelions

eskimo kisses

per gillian

oh those kids + a favorite noodle recipe

they sang at the top of their lungs and then stopped completely when i opened the car door to put my purse on the front seat and then started up again after i had closed the door and was walking around to the other side and get in to drive.  it reminded me of a game show i saw long ago starring ronald reagan when he was young, maybe in his thirties, where the guest celebrity participant had to do something and not tell the players what it was he was doing.  the player who figured it out, won the game.  so what he did is he entered the stage to applause from the audience and sat down to start the show and to be asked questions by the players who were trying to figure out what he was doing and the moment the player would say "um" or something like that, reagan would exit the stage and start all over again.  it took a few rounds before someone finally figured out that he was starting over every time someone said "uh" or "um", which people do a lot, actually.  and the whole audience was in on it, so it was pretty clever and hilarious.

anyway, that's what the kids made me think of this morning and we were all in a state of giggles all the way to school.

this is a favorite for quick dinners and lunches around here.  enjoy! 

:: soba noodle salad adapted from feeding the whole family ::

salad: 

  1 8 oz. package soba noodles

  handful of chopped basil

  handful of sliced scallions

  roasted sesame seeds

dressing:

  2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

  3 tablespoons tamari or shoyu (soy sauce)

  3 tablespoons basalmic vinegar

  1 tablespoon maple syrup

  1 teaspoon hot pepper oil (or increase to 1 tablespoon for adults or take it out altogether if your kids don't like things too spicy)

optional additions:

  grated carrot

  shredded red cabbage

  finely sliced radishes

  lightly steamed broccoli

  grilled tofu cubes

  etc.

directions:

  cook soba noodles according to package directions and rinse in cold water.

  toss with dressing and salad ingredients

  serve!