Nani Kora Web blog

keeping busy

2011-08-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

Kombucha

2010-01-27T09:10:00.001-08:00

Not sure I wanted to go the route of ordering a Kombucha "mother" online, I decided to try and grow my own scoby from a store bought Kombucha drink.

I used 1/3 of a bottle, simply poured the contents into a clean glass jar and kept it covered in a dark cabinet. About a week later I had a lovely round scoby formed in the jar.

I brewed a half gallon batch of sweetened green tea yesterday to which I added the little scoby disk.

Covered it back up and will see what happens in another week!

July garden

2009-07-18T08:08:00.000-07:00

Outdoor pantry

2009-06-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

We started with leftover lumber and reclaimed windows , a sunny corner in the backyard and lots of digging. The greenhouse ( or perhaps Conservatory?) is almost complete, just needs the roof tiles, door handle and a few shelves put in place. The gates still need to be made as well as one more planter but everything is growing up and out.

Having the area fenced in creates a nice space in itself. Since Berkeley is a great chewer , we found it best to keep the area dog free as well as chemical free.

Most of the plants were started from seed with a couple purchased as starts. We have been having out coffee out there every morning, seeing what new leaves have come up.

New Bunny

2009-04-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

Claire Robertson made and sent me this adorable Marshmallow Bunny for a swap. I think she is just perfect and arrived just in time for Easter.

Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-03-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!
Yay, check it out. So cute!

Powells Books

2009-03-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

This photo of a looking back glance was all I could capture of Hanna as she rushed off to peruse the aisles of this wonderland of bookstores this afternoon.

And she just can't wait to go back !

Bon voyage

2009-03-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

Packed and mailed off on Monday.

Coraline Mystery Box swap

2009-03-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

When I read Myrna was hosting a swap similar to this one I knew I would be there.

This is a "peek" photo of one of the projects I am working on for my ( shh, its a secret ) partner.

This morning

2009-02-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

we woke up to this.

The dang Groundhog was right.

Our dog

2009-02-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

Berkeley ( now 9 months).

Current Swap(s)

2009-02-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Hanna and I are both participating in online swaps this month. She has already completed and mailed out her five ATC's for the Kids ATC Swap last week.

I am working on a Coraline themed box with handmade accessories swap hosted by My Little Mochi. Its really fun and I am very tempted to call up or stop by Laika Studios for some advice : ) ...

In the meanwhile I have seen the movie Coraline ( loved it!) and am drawing off inspiration from the website.

Check this out...

too frightening for words ( though I am sure I look like this after shopping at Fabric Depot during a sale).

And the Oscar goes to...

2009-02-22T21:44:00.001-08:00

The Academy Awards just held its 81st televised show and it was a good one. I think my favorite aspect of this production was when five previous catagory winners were gathered on stage, standing behind a giant photo of themselves. It was an elegant way to honor the nominees, having each actor give a personal introduction.
My daughter Stephanie loved watching movies and the Oscars were always something she looked forward to each year. Several few years ago we drove to Disneyland but had trouble with our Volkswagon van on the notorious "grapevine", a hilly and windy part of the freeway outside of Los Angeles. We ended up haing to call for a tow truck ( using those tiny emergency phone along the highway) which practically cost us an arm and a leg ( and that it was "cash only" ). As we drove into the city I noticed helicopters hoving around one area and realized this was the Sunday the Academy Awards were being held.
If werent being towed to Anaheim, we would have so stopped to check things out.

Quick takes on Winter

2008-12-31T15:11:00.000-08:00

No, this is not a photo taken from an airplane overlooking tropical waters... its the ice on our windows.
The kind of ice that does this to bamboo.

And makes pets cozy up together to stay warm ( especially when the electricity goes out).

These are some of my favorite kind of snowmen. :)

It was a beautiful snowfall for Christmas!

The Furinator

2008-05-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

I think I spelled it correctly. Anyway, I have been hearing good things about this pet grooming aid and decided to look for one. Our cat Monty sheds terribly, and we have little drifts of fluffy hair collecting in corners even with the most diligent sweeping and vacuuming on my part.

Two words: It works.

I love salad rolls

2008-05-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

On the path to finding the one that is "just right". Going to try these next:

Salad Rolls
Recipe courtesy Kathleen Daelemans
Show:
Cooking Thin
Episode:
Diet's Aren't Funny

1/4 pound rice stick noodles 1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp 2 cups shredded carrots 2 cups shredded Napa cabbage 1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped basil leaves 1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped cilantro leaves 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated 1 package Vietnamese rice sheets Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
Place rice noodles in a large pot of boiling water, stir. Add shrimp. Cook until noodles are al dente and shrimp is just cooked, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Lift out the shrimp, set aside to cool. Drain and rinse noodles.
When shrimp is cool enough to handle, cut into small pieces. Place in a non-reactive salad bowl with noodles, carrots, cabbage, basil and cilantro. Toss to combine.
To prepare rice paper wrappers: Fill a large pan or bowl with hot tap water. Dip 1 rice paper wrapper into water, lift out, and drain briefly. Set on a flat surface.
To assemble salad rolls: Place 1/2 cup filling in the center of each wrapper. To roll salad rolls, think diapering a baby the old fashioned way - with cloth diapers minus the diaper pins! Pressing down on filling, fold the bottom of each wrapper over filling, then fold in sides; roll tightly. Press edges to seal; if rice paper is too dry to form a proper seal, moisten unsealed edges with a little water. Set rolls on a platter and cover with a damp towel.
To serve, cut rolls crosswise in 1/2; stand pieces upright. Dip in Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce.
Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce: 1/2 cup fish sauce 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons light brown sugar 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese chili paste 1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped cilantro leaves 1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped basil leaves 1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped mint leaves
Whisk together all ingredients in small non-reactive bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per serving
Calories 56
Fat 0.31 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Carbohydrates 10.06 g
Fiber 0.86 g
Protein 3.3 g

Meh

2008-05-13T16:17:00.001-07:00

I got a tetanus booster yesterday and for some reaon am feeling a bit...meh.. today.
Typically getting shots and having blood work do not bother me. I find it interesting that while the injection site is a bit sore ( as expected ) it actually feels sort of like having mastitus on that side...must be the lymph nodes are powered up.

Hannas Hands

2008-05-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

I found this little reminder the other day... of how much I love having an eight year old again in the house.

Hanna had pressed her hands on the chair and being it has a "nap" ( meaning: the textural direction of how the material of the fabric is made and lies) she left an imprint.
I love it.

Fingerpainting drips and food smudges were common around here, but I did not complain. Easy to wipe them all away. Reminders of a house being lived in.
I like a clean and orderly house but am not a fanatic about it. Making things and memories in the process are more important to me.

Hanna, like her sisters, like to make things.
Her hands are busy and creative.

And very musical too.

We Love you Koko

2008-04-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

1998- April 23, 2008

Laid back excitement

2008-04-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Enjoying some crisp Fuji apples and Mt. Tam cheese from the Cowgirl Creamery ( spot the advancing horde in the background? ) Yay, the post delivered some lovely soft goods ala Wiksten-made ( which hopefully should still fit after much-cheese-gouging ).

Monty practicing the hula in his sleep.

Wiksten-made

2008-03-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to finally get this dress made by Jenny of wiksten-made. It should be just perfect for the crazy Spring break weather we are now having. Today we were in Portland to take Hanna ice skating and it hailed, rained, was sunny warm, and then snowed! This was in a matter of minutes and went on all afternoon.
Anyway, I am so looking forward to wearing this gorgeous dress!

indie-pendence: March Swag-a-Licious

2008-03-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Pop on over to this site and find some fabulicious doings!

indie-pendence: March Swag-a-Licious

I am intrigued with this morsel in the offering.

http://www.pecanst.com/index.php?action=page_display&PageID=1

Springtime on the Capitol Mall

2008-03-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

St Patricks Day

2008-03-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Being I am half Irish we love celebrating St. Patricks Day. Instead of the traditional Irish stew/ corned beef and cabbage dinner this year I decided to make lasagne but with some festive side dishes: baby asparagus spears and little lemon gelatin cubed into lime shells ( as pots of gold ). The pulp of the limes went into making a tangy limeade with fresh mint sprigs added.

Not Snow

2008-01-28T21:23:00.000-08:00

We went to the beach on Saturday. Hanna wanted to search for glass floats ( local artisans make them for the purpose of their being found and collected).
We located lots of foam.And sadly, quite a bit of garbage.

This was just a glimpse of a long line of water worn plastic bits and trash. The waves washed it up and it made a long squiggly line of junk where the water line receded. We saw two dead sea birds near by. I expect that they had ingested some of this stuff.

I recall a display we had seen at the Oregon Coast Museum of a dead bird whose belly was opened to show just how much pollution had contributed to its demise.

It was as if someone had just stuffed it full with trash.

Snowy Day

2008-01-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

School was canceled due to snow today. The roads did not look too bad by mid- morning so Hanna and I went out to visit Oba. She lives further south and on the top of a hill.
Halfway there I considered turning back for home. The pick up truck tangled up in the fence sort of reminded me to watch those country road curves.

Ally called to tell us she was on the news. She was heading downtown to go to work and had stopped to remove her tire chains. The Channel 8 news van had seen her and stopped to interview her.

Luckily, KGW has a website with the days televised clips:

Late night Love fest

2008-01-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

Stayed up way too late last night watching the second dvd in the set.
Fascinating and fun storylines.

Am not even going to try and explain this show if you havent heard about or seen this series on HBO ( we have basic cable so I viewed the entire first season on DVD rentals ).

Okay, I admit I was so waiting for the second season dvd set to be released.

And yes, this set is mine!

So very very Surprised...

2008-01-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

...to find this boxed away under the tree this Christmas....

Reflections

2008-01-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

There are quite a few photos of family and friends stored away in the camera so I was surprised to find this one. Hanna took this of me, head propped and engrossed in a conversation between my brothers.There has been alot of memories shared and laughs recalling "how it was back when we were growing up".
Now, with our own kids in the blend it all seems to have gone by so very fast.
Jims daughter was born six months before Mikes twin boys. They are in their mid teens now and at the age Stephanie was when she died. It was seven years ago this December 7th that we lost her and truthfully the first week of December is incredibly draining on my soul.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2007-12-25T00:32:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a very happy day filled with love, peace and contentment.

School play: The Nutcracker

2007-12-17T21:44:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the last day of school before winter break. Last week was filled with music and hairpins and itchy tights. We lucked out finding this vintage two piece Gunne Sax dress for Hanna. She auditioned and got the role of the Mother . Here she is with "Fritz" and "Clara" fellow second graders.

Side view on the second day of the performance. It was quite a production.

Behind the scenes; interview with the Statesman- Journal newspaper reporter.

All the kids rehearsed for weeks to get ready and it showed.

It was really a treat to see.

Great job everybody!

Today

2007-12-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

This is what greeted me bright and early this morning.Monty can get comfortable anywhere. But we had places to go and people to see...

Hanna was receiving an award for her calendar artwork this morning. We of course went to the wrong Courthouse.

I was getting worried, security was having people take off their shoes and all outerwear ... ( why did I grab the socks with Raggedy Ann on them?)
Luckily before I had to take off my boots we were directed across the street to the Courthouse Square ( phew!)

Here she is meeting the Commissioners and accepting a nice fat savings bond...:)

Yay, there it is! January 2008!

Good job everybody!!

G-bread part II

2007-12-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

Hey, and we're baaacckk. I made sure we had lots of actual food ( well, sandwich fixin's ) on hand to avoid any potential sugar comas. Maia here is enjoying a bit of turkey ( no, not leftovers from Thanksgiving!)

I love this house with its sparkling roof ( Mari obviously is very talented ).

Heres Hannas creation...the camera was in focus...just the sugar buzz is showing ;)

James and his take on the cake.

I hear James's mom has been happily deconstructing the house he brought home.:)

I hope everyone actually gets to enjoy theirs too ( I know the frosting was pretty tasty!)

Sugar, sugar

2007-12-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had some family and friend over for our annual gingerbread sugarfest. I decided to forgo baking all the house parts this year ( I recommend the Wilton kits. Get them on sale...its a good deal all around!)

My niece Maia ( wearing a stylish- but- gads- has- to- be- getting- warm- wearing- it- indoors vestie ) is going to high school here in Salem for the year. She invited a classmate, Mari (sitting to her left) who is an exchange student from Japan. Maia is technically not an exchange student being her dad ( my brother) and mom are here too and they are renting a place not far from here. Allys boyfriend tried his hand at it and seemed to enjoy the process too.

Hanna and Ally are seasoned pros at all this and everyone was busy working on their creations.

Apparently there is a problem with loading the pics on the Blogger end so I am cutting this short..will post again soon.

Goodwill Hunting

2007-12-03T23:57:00.001-08:00

My mom wanted to go to our local Goodwill Outlet so I of course happily obliged ( items are sold in bulk, by the pound ) .
That place is almost always full of interesting goods, new and used.
Something for everybody. I think I went once and didnt buy anything which is rare given the scope and variety to be found.
Here are a few random pics of what I found today:

~Unopened package of vintage Valentines and a treetop angel. ~Dresser for Hannas dollhouse.
~Vintage Christmas apron in excellent condition. ~New ribboned headband.

~Polly Pocket Hacienda ( I pick these up to add to her Polly Pocket collection her sister started years ago).

~ Pocket sized comics not shown, Archie.

~Handcrafted Doll kit in package.

~ Sun design bag that I had also used to hold stuff gathered while shopping
One thing you can readily find at he outlet is fabric. Lots of it. All kinds. It seems to be the place where seamstresses unload their stash:
I decided I needed Tulle and netting..and who can resist the colors?

Which reminded me...our cat loves to chew on this stuff...( hides in bag ).

Stores often call Goodwill to unload stock as I have seen them pick up at some pretty nice boutiques around town ( Lily Pulitzer, anyone?)

Heres a neat belt from REI ( hey, how did that doll get in there? )

Must have been in the bag of 2 1/2 inch quilt squares.

This was fun, a purse made from recycling a billboard sign ( in new condition). Sorry for the crummy pics..must find that tripod..or stop drinking coffee!

Love this old electric clock.

More found stuff.

Still more...

Rubber stamp for a friend.

Crazy wild eyed kitty Made in Japan.

And its "cheeky" mate.

Some cotton fiber or mache heads...

And mini picks of Christmas holly made in Hong Kong

Oh yeah and books. They have Boo-koo of them ( anybody hear that word anymore?) Thought I would pick up some literature for the young one.

And another cookbook for me.

Hmmm. Most of the recipes looked good when I flipped through it.

Bound to be a few doozies ( book was printed in 1962 ).

This book also has some Oregon history with B&W photos along with some witty sayings.

The first one given here:

Everything in the modern home seems to be controlled by switches, except the children.

Okay, Childrens Services anyone?

Better end off with this instead:

Life itself can't give you joy,

Unless you really will it;

Life just gives you time and space

Its up to you to fill it.

Oh man, and I just put away the bats

2007-11-27T23:46:00.000-08:00

No, actually I had sorted all our lovely Halloween into those handy dandy black and orange storage tubs the day after ( tubs bought at Target for cheap cheap) .

But seriously, what happened? Its almost Christmas! Carols abound, bells ringing. I have more than once jumped out of the path of crazed shoppers already ( act they they are let "out" once a year to hunt).

I do recall hosting Thanksgiving, having cooked for two days straight in preparation for the occasion. We had a house full this year. Except for a few key folks. My brother Jim and his family are in Oregon now, renting a house for the year. He is a English prof at a University in Tokyo and I think he is currently working over at Oregon State , I mean, he has an office set up there and all . Jim was actually at a conference in New Zealand over Thanksgiving. Takes a 15 hour flight, attends the conference and then heads on back to Oregon.
Okay, thats just nuts. I would be like bungee jumping and stuff ( and I am enough of a dork there would hobbit hunts, scouting for the created dwellings though now they are just grassy bumps in the Kiwi landscape.)
Jim would kick ass if he ever went on the show,"The Amazing Race".
Dang, 15 hours...

But its time to think Winterfest and of those seasonal traditions and events. I am going to try and post more often as it is fun to look back on the previous months. Photos too , with a focus on finding the tripod for no more fuzzy shots!

Hallows eve

2007-11-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

Was able to capture a glimpse of this dragon albeit a blurry photo ( he was moving after all ).

I think he was preparing to take flight along with these...

wild and ferocious bats!

I was so scared, I dropped my camera ( eek, ala Blair Witch sideways view).

Outside, the sun was still shining and the front door fish had donned their festive pumpkin and ghost costumes ;)

Oh no, I've been spotted!
Phew, just my darlin girl child getting ready for school ( costumes worn that day had to be a book character).
Makes a lovely Miss Granger, don't you think?

Its worst than I thought

2007-10-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Remember my recent post titled "Smitten"? Oh yeah, I have it bad.

The long awaited parcel arrived today and its contents are too cute for words.

And I know what the connection is...this doll is the exact image of our daughter Holly when she was a toddler. Plus, she also resembles Isabel, Hollys first daughter.

Oregon Gardens

2007-10-28T19:43:00.001-07:00

We spent a beautiful Fall day at the Oregon Gardens in Silverton. Here, Mark and Hanna are heading into the "Haunted Forest". Look, do you see it? In the center, in black. Ghosty white face.

eeks.

chubba eek

Hanna is hands on .

Trying on some new squashwear.

Cute breakfast face.

Not so cute face.

Not-so-cute- faces brudder

Theres a bug in the garden!

Smitten

2007-10-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

See this little gal? I stuck my neck out and ordered one.

She is called Cookie and is from the "yellow" line made by Lati , a new ( 2 years old ) doll company out of Korea. The dolls are made from resin and have ball joints to allow for posing . They are not inexpensive and do take *awhile to receive as Lati only opens shop briefly for orders on specific dolls/items and then won't accept more till the all previous orders placed have been completed and shipped.
Its an interesting experience, ordering from the site as you need to understand the process before you begin to avoid any potential disappointment.
First off, its surprising to find that the price of each doll is a base price only for a naked and unpainted doll. To have "makeup" applied it costs extra ( btw, unless you are a doll artist I would recommend you have them do this!) The dolls also do not come wigged, they are bald and you can choose to purchase one of the many wigs Lati offers or buy one elsewhere . This way, the dolls are truly personal, no two will be exactly alike.
Now, I am not sure how this all happened ( uh-huh, Debby ) but I have become infatuated with the beauty and details I have seen given to these creations. People are very creative in custom styling their dolls and photographing them. Its definitely a fun and creative outlet.

Anyway, info is my order is currently at LAX, soon to be delivered . I expect it will be here in a couple of days.
I can't wait!

* In my case this order will have taken 7 weeks .

N.Y.Concert

2007-10-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

We saw Neil Young in concert last night.
He was fantastic and in amazing form. It was a real treat on a Monday night!

Speaking of treat... I recommend this place for a pre- concert dinner...mmm good, people!

Pumpkin lighting

2007-10-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

A.C. Gilbert was an inventor and he created the Erector set. His childhood home here in Salem was turned into a Childrens Museum (A.C.Gilberts Discovery Village). The giant play structure is built like an Erector set toy. It has three slides and lots of winding spaces ( pic above shows just the middle sector).

Tonight Gilbert House hosted a Harvest festival. Free admiitance to all bringing a carved pumpkin and a 4 inch votive candle for the festivities. Hanna had a great time bobbing for apples, making cider, leaf prints and cornhusk dolls.

It was fun and amazingly enough it didnt rain the whole time we were there.

2007-10-18T23:01:00.000-07:00

My friends daughter called today to tell me that her mother had died.

Beautiful Herta.

You will be greatly missed.

Another Rosebud in our family garden

2007-10-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

We have a new granddaughter. Genevieve was born on October 13th.

The pink rose was planted for our first grandchild, Isabel. I took a photo of it just moments ago and it is still blooming.

This rose bush was planted after Liliann, our second granddaughter was born. It too is blooming still, even with the chilly autumn rains in full force.

Any suggestions on what color of rose we should plant for Genevieve?

fluff and stuff

2007-09-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

We decided to have insulation blown into the attic. This is what I saw when I poked my head up into the attic space. It looks alot like fluffy snow.

Speaking of snow, I've been hearing that it is supposed we will have an especially frosty cold winter this year.

But, it is still September and school picture day is coming up. Just in time for a little trim.
View from the back after the trim ( the stylist is finishing up on her bangs ).

It was a fun outing and experience but we'll go back to "Moms Salon" from now on ( you couldnt tell she had a haircut when she was done but we were charged for a full cut and style.)

Caught a Cold blues

2007-09-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

So, what better way to while away the sniffles than peruse the assorted goods on Etsy or just play games like these ?
I love the one with the pigs on balloons, especially enjoyable with the music.

Glimpses

2007-08-22T16:10:00.001-07:00

Doodling around with the camera again and taking random shots around
the house. This loverly piece of art is by a local artist, Jackie Hoyt. I love her style! We bought this up in Portland at the
Monticello Antique Mall.

Super speedy quick to make pillow covers. Shamefully simple to make. Basically I took a length of fabric wide enough for the sides (seam)

and centered the pillow. Take one end and fold over twice and do the same on the other end. It essentially will look like the pic below ( except the ends are open ). Pin in place so the folds stay straight and turn wrong side out watching out for those pins!

Stitch both ends and remove pins. Turn right side out and thats it. Stuff your old pillow in there. I mean really, no actual measuring or fussy cutwork, just two straight side seams needed. E-Z!

The back foldover flappage area.

Hanna painted this yesterday. Pippi Longstocking is very Blythe-like here.

Mark and his Cruiser logo. Its interesting to hear all the different variations and nicknames for our last name :Cruzen

And finally, Monty seeing us out the door. The entry floor is done!

Minto-Brown Island

2007-08-20T11:42:00.001-07:00

I do not know if you can see it but there is a large crane flying low over the water in this photo.

We often come to this woodsy and peaceful park located in south Salem. It is full of wildlife ( uh, not the party kind ). It is patrolled by park volunteers which is nice as the place is huge and secluded.
This photo shows a peek of downtown Salem just at the point where the river narrows and looks like the trees come together.

Last time we were at this spot we came upon a family of deer that had paused for a drink.

I love my bike. I love my handy dandy coffee cup holder too ;) currently holding my green camera case ( the water bottle is for Hanna ).

Lots of berries equals frequent stops for sampling.

Go speed racer!

Heading around the bend along the Willamette River. Hanna likes to lead and Mark often goes off path ( his is a mountain bike with fatty fat tires).

Almost at the end of this ride and the ducks and geese are busy ignoring everyone. I am really glad that people don't feed them as they would be begging up and down the bike path.

Fresh Figs

2007-08-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor dropped off some fresh figs from her mothers farm yesterday and I decided to use some of them in a cake.

Its a simple and tasty recipe , perfect to serve at a summers eve picnic.

Fresh Fig Cake

ingredients-

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. vanilla nonfat yogurt

2 large eggs

1 c. unsifted all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

8-12 large fresh figs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 inch spring from pan ( I used one of my Demarle pans and skipped this step).

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and butter . Beat in yogurt and eggs till blended. Reduce speed to low and add flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

Spread batter in prepared pan. Cut stems off each fig and cut each one lengthwise in half. Arrange figs, alternating cut surface and skin side up around rim of pan on top of batter. Arrange remaining figs in center of cake batter.

Bake 40 minutes or till center comes out clean with the "toothpick test". Cool in pan and serve warm.

Pepe Le Pew

2007-08-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Note to self:

Remove and relocate Montys litter box ...far far away... from computer work area.

Random Abstract

2007-08-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

It started because we needed to get some mulberry paper to repair a screen.

On the way back home from the Paper Zone yesterday, I stopped "for a sec" to take a peek around Greenbaums fabric store. There was a cute table runner made up and on display. It looked like a patchwork pond with fish. I didnt buy anything there but wound up sewing this today from memory.

But first, I need to back up a bit:

See the kitty? She's not ours but she came running across our kitchen deck like her tail was on fire. She was chasing a squirrel and almost caught it.

You can see the squirrel is still pretty hyped up. Our kitty, Monty, is an indoor cat. He is not allowed outdoors to fraternize with squirrels or terrorize birds. He gets to practice his hunting skills by tracking down anything made of tulle ( to eat then puke ) and by attacking window coverings

like the shoji screen Mark made ( and had already fixed once ).

The screen, oh yeah...back to the screen .

I thought it would look nice ( ie. be quicker than replacing the whole shebang) to apply leaf shapes over the holes and tears this time using the translucent mulberry paper - a nice big sheet, with extra to have on hand .

But dang, playing with fabric can be sooo distracting... just stitching and playing around with different ideas on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

The work- in-progress... hmm, relax or

or stress?

(doll made by an artist off Etsy...I forgot her name but she is from S. Cal)

Heres a handy tool for non fabric stress relief ... a vibrating head tingler thingie.

Cake is always good ( everyone knows but I will say it again: Stressed spelled backwards is desserts!) :)

Not that kind of mold

2007-08-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

I fell under the spell of "the Blog" universe over a year ago and found that all too often I was drawn to tap my computer keyboard into another world. A place of all things interesting , like crafting and cooking. Recipes and patterns. Stuff I used to wait for monthly in magazine form.
I recently read comments about baking and the problem of food sticking to the pans and I noted no one mentioned using silicone bakeware. Okay, maybe this is why. This red casserole was basically bought on a dare. It was on sale and cheap plus I needed to compare it to this.

I have quite a bit of the Demarle Bakeware. Its made in France and is professional grade.

I wanted to try a recipe I saw to demonstrate the pans in use ( the recipe itself was "meh" and I would definately make revisions to it, like reduce the number of eggs, increase the amount of the extract, use brown sugar and fresh lemons with peel, etc.) It tasted like a basic boring muffin so that is why I am not passing along the recipe here.

I took the pan out of the oven ( ahem ) maybe a tad to late..but better to illustrate my point, eh?

Feels a little "burlesque show" here...

Tah dah dah dahhh

Okay...borrriiing..enough about the bakeware ( but ooo, notice the lovely sheen? You don't need frosting to hide any cracks on this bundt cake.Which works out great because the little baker in the house just loves the stuff.

Chocolate, Coffee and the UPS truck

2007-08-04T01:11:00.000-07:00

I took this little quickie quiz and no surprise given my love of the above.

What color is your soul painted?

Brown

Your soul is painted the color brown, which embodies the characteristics of calmness, depth, nature, stability, tradition, poverty, roughness, down-to-earth, uncertainty, and neutrality. Brown is the color of the element Earth, and represents soil and, to a lesser degree, fertility of the Earth.

Try it yourself:

http://www.quiztron.com/tests/color_is_soul_painte_quiz_23687.htm

Kitchen Kitsch

2007-07-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

I found these Texasware bowls on two separate outings at the same place, that treasure trove called: The Goodwill Outlet. Really, it is an amazing place. I have found incredible goodies there including a Viking Husquavarna (sp?) sewing machine (in its case with all original accessories) for five dollars. The machine is in perfect working order ( and I love sewing with it .)

Speaking of sewing, one of the local craft stores hosts several free clubs throughout the month, most recently: The Clothesline Club. I took my mom with me and she really enjoyed it , especially when they announced that one of the door prizes was a $100.00 gift card to the store ( they gave away one last month at the meeting too). She was perfectly happy though as her door prize ticket won her a set of dish towels and a packet of really cute embroidery patterns to iron on them.

Last month we were given a pattern for a patchwork fan and instructions in making a tea cozy. Well, I like a good cuppa as well as anyone but my teapot is a teensy thing plus I have a neat crocheted cover for it already so...

I made a cover for my Kitchenaid mixer instead. I decided to leave the patchwork "fan" alone as the idea was to cut away the sides ( which I thought was kind of wasteful ) to the size and shape the tea cozy pattern. It is patched the same on both sides of the cover.

The cover is fully lined and I used arough woven onasburg muslin fabric for the body. I am thinking this would be the perfect place for some embroidering... uh hey Mom? Can I take a look your prize again? :)

Little eggheads...dang collections just seem to sprout up around here....

Love the expressions on the two in the middle...

maybe they should heed the advice of the older, more experienced couple below.

See the small floral and banded burgandy box above their heads? Thats a bento box I sometimes use for Hannas take to school lunches.

This little guy cracks me up. I once made a trapunto wall hanging based on this dog design while in college. I wonder what ever happened to it?

Rock On...

2007-07-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

and "rock off" too...grr, the little guys seem to pop off here and there so we have had to push the grouting process back to a slow crawl ( literally, we have been on our hands and knees, gluing the loose rocks down as needed... see cats expression above; that of a "guilty , rock battin' " cat) .

We decided to install a river rock surface for our front door entry, both indoor and out. Why? Because its different and I like it ( do I sound like a broken record on that subject?) plus I can't envision anything else that would work for that space, now that its pictured in my head.

I do not like to wear shoes in the house and honestly, this bumpy surface feels wonderful as you walk over it. Problem being just that for the moment, all of us trying not to walk on it when coming and going out the door. Doing so at the setting stage is what is causing some rocks to wiggle loose ( well, that and the cat doing his best to scratch and sniff under everything) .

You may have seen or heard of using rock like this in bathrooms for floors or applied to vertical surfaces. Depending on how and where river rock is used it can lend itself to many styles and tastes, for example; Modern, Campy Rustic, Italian Villa or Oriental . And Eclectic too . And my noting these labels referring to styles is just an easy way to acknowledge that people have preferences about what kind of stuff they like to keep around them, which environments makes them feel at home . Personally when it comes to assigning labels to anything other than on grocery items it gets a bit too sorority rush and I start to feel icky.

Getting back to the subject, we prepped the existing wood floor by nailing it down every few inches so it would not have any "bounce" or flex as this is what will be the supporting base for the rocks. Then we smoothed on a layer ( making it thicker yet after experimenting ) of a polymer fortified thinset. The majority of the rocks we purchased ended up being from the Dollar Tree. The same size bag were for sale at Craft stores for seven times the price. Still, alot cheaper compared to the tile dealers which have 12x12 squares of the same rock tiles for over $15.00 apiece. Yeah Okay, the space we are working on is really not all that large and we could have saved alot of time by not chasing out the cat every two minutes and by just buying the squares.

But wheres the challenge in that? ;)

PIF

2007-07-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

“PAY IT FORWARD. The first three people who leave a comment and pledge to pay it forward to three others on their blogs will receive a handmade gift from me within one year (July 20, 2008) of this posting. I will read your blog and get the essence of who you are to come up with an idea.”

I read about this PIF activity going around via Mary Anns blog ( from which I copied and pasted the above info ) and joined in the mix via Sarah P.Dots blog. Soooo, if anyone is so inclined, just let me know in the comments section below and I will get busy!

Chillin' in July

2007-07-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

With the temperatures climbing in the valley we decided to head for the hills...well the Cascade Range, actually.

We booked a room up at Timberline Lodge which is located at the base of Mount Hood, about an hours drive east of Portland.

There are clusters of Alpine flowers dotted everywhere.I was glad to see there was still snow around to play in and ski lifts are in operation toting lots of snowboarders and snowskiiers heading further up the slopes. I recommend kite flying :) great breezes!

Heres the view from the smaller dining room. Prices for food are a bit steep here considering whats available on the menu. Simple sandwiches average around $15.00 each and come with a few chips , carrot sticks and grapes. Understandable perhaps given the location but I think the waitstaff and other Lodge employees are working just to stay close to the snow and another run down the mountain ( meaning, unprofessional or "unpolished" service) .

Our room was comfortable with cozy light weight down comforters and pillows. This door was outside our room. I felt like the place could have been designed by Hobbits (Timberline was used as a setting in the movie The Shining ).

No scary movies for us that night. Instead we opted to watch the documentary footage about the building of Timberline and the jobs that were created to help during the Depression of the 30's.

Our room was on this end, top floor. You can see it there, where we left a couple windows open. Later that day I read (in the Lodge info folder) about the wild, large ferret- like animals that like to come in through open windows , looking for food... Oh yeah, I checked under beds (after shutting the windows.)

Hmm, but notice how the nice sloping roof almost looks like it could make a great slide to the pool.

You are what you eat

2007-07-09T19:22:00.001-07:00

Oh man, have you seen whats in the treats kids have to bring to *school nowadays?

No thanks!

We just picked up an order of these dried goodies. Have you tried them?

Dried veggies and fruits.... Hanna loves them!

Papaya,banana,kiwi,mango and pineapple, nothing else added!

Just Veggie = carrots,corn,peas,bellpeppers,and tomatoes..eat 'em like popcorn!
Heres a pic of the Just Fruit snacks which contains apples, pears,persimmons and raisins. So good!

I'm looking forward to trying these in some recipes.

*By law here in Oregon (and perhaps in your area too), you cannot send your child to school with homemade foods to share ( unless you have a permit or licensed kitchen). Birthday treats for example are usually the store bought versions as pictured above.)

Blythe

2007-07-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Back in the late 60's and early 70's you could find lots of pictures of big eyed waifs or animals usually signed Eden or with the signature of ( Margaret ) Keane .
When I came across these recent paintings
by a young artist in Spain , I was struck by how luminous she made their eyes appear ( sorry this doesnt show well as I took these photos in a hurry and in poor light ). The coloration here looks really yellowed.
I love the redhead, she is dressed in Gothic fashion and is painted walking along side a riverbank. This artist also included handdrawn anime style original drawings of the same design theme with each of the paintings.

Hanna was pretty happy to have her own doll which was a Christmas gift. We met Junko Wong, president of CWC (who are responsible for the revival of the Blythe doll and culture) at a reception in Portland . Junko was very sweet and generously gifted Hanna with several boxed miniatures ( two seen below).

Both these dolls were gifts from Mark , the one on the right being an original purchased from the original owner.

Its pretty fun having daughters as they ( ahem) often enjoy the same interests as their moms .

My lovely and talented friend Debby lives up North in Canada and she shares an etsy shop with her daughter Melody ..go check it out for fabulous handmade Blythe and BJD necessities! Hi Debby!

Worldly travels

2007-06-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Another lovely visit to the Far East ( of Beaverton )

to the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon.

Been Berry Berry Busy

2007-06-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Picking , Shortcakingbaking , Freezer bagging , Jammin' and Juicing.And plain ol' eating off the stem.

Back in the Saddle Again

2007-06-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

The guys got back and were practically glowing with fresh tans.

Mark took quite a few tame pictures , very pretty but nothing scandalous...

I was interested to see that the locations were so different from what I had imagined ; that of a shady forested stream off a hidden lake with a hide-y hole of a hot springs ( see the little brown thing in the middle of the second photo? Its a jackrabbit, posed like a chocolate Easter Bunny.)

This is the Hot Springs, completely contained...

like a cup of hot soup in a Thermos jug.

Handy reminders

to stay away from those boaters who carry paddles. ;)

And then there was fishing.

Along with other points of interest.

Ye Big Olde Hole in the Ground

and a wee modern version.

The summer fun has begun

2007-06-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I am now without a camera until Sunday afternoon. Just took my last shot a moment ago of three grinning guys standing in front of a truck with its engine running. A big ol' truck hauling a bigger fifth wheel camping haus behind it.
Roughing it? Bah. These guys will be in 4- star hotel like comfort.

Dang, that thing is fancy. Seriously. Buba pulled down the trailer steps so I could take a look inside while Mark was busy loading up his gear. It has a flipping kitchen island in the middle of it. Probably has a bidet in the can too .
Ya, okay, I am jealous of the guys now.

This has been a much anticipated trip. Four childhood friends on a five day fly fishing excursion. I sewed up some surprise "goody bags" for the guys weekend of shared memories and icy cold IPA. And lots and lots of fishing.

I found this nifty fish and reel print at Jo-Ann Fabrics to use for the bags and lined it with a dark brown cotton. Using camel colored twill tape, I printed each of their names; Ryan ( "Buba" ) , Mark C. , Mark D., and Mike then stitched it like a label on the fronts of a kids summer camp gear. For the drawstring I used a red or green hiking bootlace ( saving the other lace in their bag in case they needed it ). Also included in the bags : First- Aid kits , candy, tissues and a personalized beverage cozy. Since I heard the guys might indulge in a rustic hot springs , I included handcrafted Oak and Maple leaf cutouts from wool felt for their spa attire. ;) hehe

C is for Curtains , Cushions and Chile Mangos

2007-06-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

I made some new curtains this morning for the breakfast nook ( at the moment folded neatly on the chair ).

Hancock Fabrics had an assortment of designer decorator fabric on sale for $1.99 per yard.

I told myself that I really do not need to buy any more material.

I have no will power regarding textiles.

And coffee.

I bought these yesterday; the "Anemone" design for the aforementioned window covering and another, called "Mosaic" for making cushion tops for the wooden stools.

The idea on how to construct them is simple , I made it up as I went along. They still needs upholstery tacks which I will attach under the seat bottom.

No wiggly bottoms will make them move out of place! They should be easy to remove for cleaning too, I reinforced all inside edges with bias tape, even if ya can't see it. ( I was thinking of using elastic in a casing for the tops but..I like this much better ).

And look at the spicy colors, just like the Chile Mangos we brought home from Trader Joes. These things are good and so addicting but ya gotta like the hot stuff.

Its sweetly good with a kick.

Weekend Wedding

2007-06-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Brian and Melissa are getting married this weekend.

Must get out my dancing shoes...

which have apparently changed color from a silvery gray to a hair dye shade of lavendar ( but only in the photo ).

And now to quick! make a dress suitable for the occasion.

Complete with a little jacket because the *weather has changed , again.

* Folks, we had flippin' hail and the news reported seeing funnel clouds yesterday.

Good thing my sewing room is now downstairs. Maybe I should watch The Wizard of Oz while I hem.

Thank you Maryann

2007-06-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

Look at the goodies that arrived in the mail from Maryann. I was a lucky winner of one of her prize drawings.

This draw prize was a pretty floral apron , accessorized with a crocheted corsage and trimmed with eyelet at the hem. Maryann had generously included some other surprises in the parcel: a sweet cotton print, a package of neat beads and assorted vintage papers ( now how did she know which crafts I enjoy doing ?) :)

*Revision- I forgot to mention I had also received a generous cutting of a wooly blanket , from JAL ( Japan Airlines). Its so amazing being it has the JAL emblem woven into the fabric plus this piece has a label. I remember flying to Japan on that airline and having a blanket wrapped around my shoulders ( maybe it was similar to this one).

Thank you so much Maryann... these will definately be put to good use!

If you want to join in on the fun, go take a look at Maryanns blog. She is offering several prize drawings at the moment.

Keep your fingers crossed!

At The Beach

2007-06-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

The tide was out and so were we...

checking out tide pools between"barnacley" rocks.

Nooks and crannies

all filled with surprises
Even seaweed that looks like a hairy chest.

We can't wait to go back.

Sweet Endings

2007-06-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

The entire First grade class from Wright Elementary School took a field trip to the Oregon Zoo yesterday. This venture involved taking three of the "long" school buses plus several parent chaperones. I have been happy to volunteer to go along on these trips as it is always an adventure and a treat getting to know Hannas classmates throughout the year.

In May alone her class went out of town three times; down to Eugene for the Science Factory, over to the Oregon Gardens in Silverton and then yesterdays trip to the Zoo up in Portland. Given the school day schedule it was quite a feat to arrive to these destinations on time for the planned activity in addition to incorporating in lunch and restroom breaks.

No zoo pictures as I figured we had plenty plus I didnt want to have to carry more than necessary on this outing.

I was assigned to and in charge of several more children than usual but was informed that another parent chaperone was meeting us there with her student ( she was bringing her baby and legally would not be able to go on the bus with us). Each group was to be "on their own" for the day and we were to pack all the kids lunches, water and gear to take with us. Imagine my surprise when the young mother who met us at the zoo entrance had no plan to stay and help at all with our group, she wanted her free pass and also one for her daughter. Her lack of consideration was surprising but then I figure it was for the best. Her bringing a stroller would only slow down the pace and these kids were ready to get moving.

We had a great time. There was only one section of the zoo left that we didnt have time to see but it wasnt too popular with the kids anyway ( probably due to the strong smell ). Each child had a favorite animal that they wanted to see and we were able to spend time at those exhibits.

I think my most favorite time there was during our lunch break. I located a bench in a shady spot beside a path and told the kids we would eat there rather than out in the flat grassy crowded common area . I believe it was Izabella who first dropped a grape and it rolled out onto the path. As people walked by this grape was always almost smooshed which brought out squeaky exclamations and giggles from these kids, happily munching their lunches, their eyes glued to its fate. Then Justin contributed to the scene with a Cheeto ( oops!) and then there were a Goldfish cracker or two on the ground in front of Kaytlyn. By then the kids were roaring in laughter as each little tidbit was crushed or kicked by the unknowing zoo guests walking by. I think everyone was smiling and wondering what these kids were watching as they were so entertained. It was so sweet when a little toddler slowly walked by with his mother and her friends then turned on his heels and came running over to where I was sitting on a low rock. He laid his head on my shoulder and just stayed there. Adorable. I was so lucky to have received such a hug. That just made my day.

Well, that and this.

Mark Hanna and I went down to Albany that evening for dinner at Novaks Hungarian Restaurant.

Look at what I brought home.

Meringue with chocolate, perfection. It weighs practically next to nothing but tastes so good!

2007-05-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

This beautiful dogwood stands in our front yard and was presented to us several years ago by friends in loving memory of Stephanie.

Around the side yard we will be using some of the leftover rocks and making a cozy shaded seating area.

I like having lots of nooks with places to sit and visit or just reflect and meditate .

This rosebush was planted in honor of Isabels birth. She celebrated her 4th birthday on the 17th of May.

More rock talk

2007-05-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Mission accomplished ~phew, that was a dang heavy rock!. The board you see is gone now and was placed there to protect the siding . We used a friends tractor with a fork attachment to move it across the lawn.

Next up to check if the water wall will work properly...

waiting..waiting... YAY!

And now for the goldfish ( apparently all 15 are shy as none are to be seen here). And they were only 12 cents each, what a bargain!

Pond-a-Rama and a Space to Sew

2007-05-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

So, since we have carpet scheduled for delivery and installation this coming Tuesday what do we do...?

well hey, lets all make a pond!
Actually, this has been on our "to-do" list for awhile.

These rock slabs are just stacked one atop another. You are looking at one ton of rock there. Its real stable but we plan to set the top section later on with some grout or something like it.

No little fishes just yet .

The black rubber membrane l(lining) is semi-attached at the moment so that we can still allow for some adjusting as the water fills out the pond.

We also picked up one of these while at the rock and gravel place...
a big ass rock.

Oreo the cat isnt quite sure what we dragged back this time.

It took us a half hour to get it off the trailer and onto this dolly.

It still sitting where we left it.

Which is A-Okay.. time to relax and enjoy the flowers. The big ass rock can wait.
But the Sewing Room can't as the carpet countdown has begun ; repaint, get and install work lights, remove old carpet and green padding(below)...

This is to be my future sewing room, previously the home theater where we kept our giganto TV and movies and stuff....

like this lifesized Yoda ( geez louise Mark...what were ya thinkin'?) ;)
Yoda's behind glass at the moment and uh....I think he needs to now go find Master Luke ( list: remove Yoda).

and sort tapes and DVDs.

You can see a bit of giganto TV moved out of the room and now clogging up the ol' den here .

And here ( with more toyz).

But hey, don't you like this oil painting of our girls?

Heres a closer view of it over and around the boxes that are everywhere ( we're still in a hurry mode, remember? Carpets a- coming in the a.m.)

Its a large painting but not quite life size ( unlike the Yoda ( iiieee ) in the next room).

We had commissioned a local artist to complete this work for us. We may have to contact him about painting a portrait of Hanna someday.

Little Hanna, who was "waiting in the wings" for her entrance 7 years after this painting was finished.
Stephanie, standing on the left, was nine years old at that time. Holly our oldest is seated and she was 12. Ally is shown on the floor with a toy dog and she was painted when she was 5. The dog seen here is Nikka our beautiful Malamute wolf mix.
Lucy the cat looks alot like Monty, a luscious metro kitty that now lives with us.

The last remenant of the chocolate colored paint that was previously on the walls.

Vanilla Bean was chosen shade for my sewing room ( actually, I think it looks like the color of white chocolate.)

Update: The painting is now all done and I think we are almost ready. Mark just hooked up the water unit that will form the trickling "water wall" behind the pond.

Yea!

Feels great whittling down that list of Things to Do.

May 5 2007

2007-05-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Dad,
We miss you.

John E. Duggan
May 5, 1926 - May 3, 1992

May 3, 1992

2007-05-03T12:54:00.000-07:00

This photo of my Dad is in my living room. He was a CPO ( Chief Petty Officer ) when he retired from the Navy and I was in Kindergarten.
We had recently moved back to the states from Japan, my mothers homeland and my Dad went to work for Raytheon Missles . I've looked at this picture many times and just realized how much my brother Jim looks like him now ( except my Dads eyes were blue and he had red hair and freckles, lots of freckles).
Jim was appointed to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. after graduating from High School and my Dad was very pleased. I recall he had hoped I would follow, now that the restrictions against women were lifted to apply to West Point and the others.
ummmm, well..uh, let me think about that...

Our family moved alot while we were growing up and I loved it. It must have been harder for my older brother Mike, with changing schools and friendships but Jim and I both were at the ages were it was fun. I remember my dad coaching Mikes baseball team at Port Hueneme ( actually, I remember the kinds of candy I bought at the concession stands while at the games). My Dad was sent over to Viet Nam around that time. He was in the Korean War before that, when he was still a kid and helped support his mom and two sisters ( she was a single parent divorcee ). Even after Dad and Mom were married he still helped financially support them so his sisters could go to college.

Needless to say, my mom was and still is very economically minded ( but not cheap ) having grown up during a war. She grows most of her fruits and vegetables and keeps chickens for their eggs and manure ( for the garden). She loves this and even with all our travels this is what she was looking forward to most. We always ate healthfully and well. When we would go places my Dad would always order the very best foods for us to experience; paella in Spain, 11 course Indonisian dinners in Holland, smoked beers in Germany. We took a speedy ferry ride over to Sweden just so I could order them tasty meatballs on my birthday. We went to museums and at his suggestion ( he provided the materials ) looked over the information about the places were were going. The museum in Berlin where the bust of Queen Nefertiti resides, Napoleons Tomb where his horse is seen stuffed along with his dog, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pompeii ruins, Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, The Rock of Gibralter, Kukenhoff Gardens in Holland,Paris and bread and potato soup , Gondola rides in Venice, overcast beaches at Normandy, The Eagles Nest high in the Alps ,and Hitlers bunker,wearing baggy pants and slides at the Salt Mines in Saltzberg, bumpy Hovercraft ride to Dover, driving on the wrong side in London, peeking into the shops on Carnaby Street. So much more. Its all there Dad, I havent forgotten any of it. Even if we looked put out for having to pose in front of the statue of David. Or Big Ben. Or on the Rhine. Yep, ungrateful punks we be though we travelled it all in an awesome VW camper ( Oh and yes, there was lots of camping! C- Rations anyone?).

By the time our orders arrived to transfer back to the US my Dad had already set up our return agenda. We were picking up a new caddi in New York and were driving cross country to the West Coast, California first to drop off Mike and up to Oregon. Hmm-mm, hamburgers and milkshakes and American TV.

Stuckeys restaurants all along the way were like a little oasis to gather pecan logs and trinkets.

After setting roots in Oregon (literally my mom wanted her garden!) my dad did a stint in Alaska and Korea. He was working with the National Guard and by the time he retired ( again) I was married with 3 kids and I try hard to be as good a parent to them as he was to us.

My Dad died 15 years ago today. I was with him and held his hand and head and after he died I called the hospice worker. I helped to dress him as my mother was in the bathroom during all this and my brothers were in shock I think. Jim had flown in the day before and Mike and his wife and newborn twins drove all night to be there. John Nikolai and John Mikhail, Nik and Khail, twin grandbabies with their grandpas first and last name. I am glad my dad got to see them as they were born on Valentines Day two months before.

My 13 year old daughter Stephanie was in Portland in the hospital during this time. I would spend a few days with her and then Mark and I would switch so I could come and help care for my Dad. I couldnt tell him she was sick then. Their care was so similar except Stephanie was getting better and my dad would not. Dads funeral was in Portland at the Willamette National Cemetary. He was given full military honors.

I salute you Dad.

Love.

Ann

Smells good around here

2007-04-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

The Lilacs are just starting to bloom. We planted these by the garden gate and beside our window.

Wisteria growing along the fence.

Around the House

2007-04-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a peek at one of the house projects on our "To Do" list this summer, to finish up the water wall by the front entrance. You may have seen something like these before, they are something like a fountain and a waterfall combined but not as splashy , just the calm movement of water going over the slate tiles. You can see by where the yellow waterboard is set at the bottom of the tiles edge that is where the actual basin will be. This tiled wall is actually the outside of our little addition we built a few years ago. Mark and I had added on His and Her* walk-in closets ( love !) to our bedroom. The previous homeowner had enlarged the attached bath which took away alot of the bedroom so this was a fun solution.

I really enjoy being a homeowner because you can work on your own house and experiment with uncommon ideas and concepts . Recently we installed a concrete island countertop in our kitchen and it turned out really nice (first try lucky?) We added color during the mixing and ( happily) it dried to match the grout color we used with the (recycled) green glass tiles on the backsplash.. okay that was a bit of luck there. :)

Since Mark is a custom builder he hauls away perfectly reusable material all the time. The homeowners are often encouraged to reuse what they have but given the scope of the work involved his clients always opt for new. I on the otherhand, enjoy the challenge of other options. The shingles on the wall by our front door were reused from a house Mark had refurbished. We took each shingle and sanded them down, recut to fit, then individually dipped them in oil stain then let them dry. They are perfect for what we wanted and I like knowing that they didnt get discarded to the dump.

*Regarding the closets, I like open spaces with los of light but also enjoy those cozy corners like reading nooks and such. The idea of having a walk in closet, well its actually like a dressing room was on my wish list for years. Mark took out an old vanity from a house he worked on which is across the street from the Governors mansion here in Salem. It now sits in my dressing room and I love how old Hollywood it all feels in there.

Spring Flings

2007-04-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

We bought this cute chocolate Easter countdown calendar at our favorite
German deli, Edelweiss. Behind each numbered day was a decorated chocolate egg. Colored pencils are included to color in the drawing on the back of the box.

This is the dessert I made to serve after dinner . Its a carrot bundt style cake baked in a Demarle Flexipan mold and iced with just a touch of cream cheese frosting ( given all the sweets available we really didnt need much else to satisfy that day). The nest material on top is "Candy grass" from Target and the fuzzy jumbo peepers were from World Market. I removed the chicks and put some malted milk eggs in their place once the cake was cut.

( In this case, the chicken did come before the egg).

Mark surprised me with a cute little mohair Schuco bear to add to my collection.

This little guy is quite a character. ( its head turns aound to a googly face and itsticks out its tongue).

Shocking. ;)

Mini apron swap

2007-04-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Last December I participated in a fun and crafty online apron and recipe swap. We all had made and received ( from our "secret Santa" ) a customized holiday themed apron along with several favorite recipes. It was fun coming up with ideas for my partner based on her interests and I looked forward to what the theme would be for the next apron go-round.

When I read that it was to be an apron swap geared for kids I joined right up. I knew Hanna would have alot of fun "helping" me with this swap and I was glad that she had something fun to look forward to coming in the mail.

Heres a pic of Hanna in her lovely apron made for her by Nancy. Thank you again Nancy, she loves it!

Here a photo of the apron I made for little miss Phiona P. ( she loves Thomas the Tank Engine from what I've read). Note the "train tracks on one of the apron ties? :)

The apron has three pockets; two blue ones on the sides and a red one, like a kangaroo pocket in the bottom front. I hope she likes it and her matching tote bag and goodies.

Worth the Limp

2007-04-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

I had an appointment today in Portland so we decided to leave a little early and enjoy a morning trip through the zoo. I took that literally, having stumbled on some loose rock soon after arrival. Hannas class had studied all about penguins recently ( she sure knew alot about them!)

The hippos are enjoyingthe pleasant weather. See how the one is smiling?

Romance is in the air at the giraffe headandneckquarters.

Being we were in the area we just had to make a stop at this place. DElish!

How Dry I Am

2007-04-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Just sitting around, watching the concrete dry.....

and trying to figure out what's up with this penguin - kitty - 0wl.

What time is it

2007-04-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Its hammer time!

Ack, for blurry photos...

I really like this clock by Oregon local Chris Griffin.

Yep, time does fly.

April 1st

2007-04-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

We worked on forming our kitchen countertop all day. We decided on using tinted concrete so it was messy but not bad.

I looked up and saw the moonrising in the east from our deck off the kitchen.

A glimpse of our concrete countertop curing...it sorta looks a bit like a big pan of fudge. Tomorrow we will remove the wood and metal strips on the side edges.

Officially Spring Break

2007-03-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

Its here!

Actually, Spring vacation began a couple of days early for Hanna. She's been home sick with a fever the last two days, feeling okay but icky enough to stay home and rest up. Thankfully we were all able to still attend this tonight .

The whole deal lasted only an hour and afterwards we headed out for a later than usual supper at Sharis ( I always refer to this restaurant as Shar- ees, as in far- e's rather than Sherrys) . This drives my kids nuts and I am always "corrected" . Nope. No deal there. We know this guy with the last name of Hari, like Mata Hari the spy though there is no relation I hope. Names usually come easy for me to pronounce and a customer once pointed this out to me when I was in high school He was so surprised that I knew just how to say their atypical surname. One rule people forget is to separate at the double constanant; for example my maiden name is Duggan. How many times have I heard it said as Doo -gan. Thats how Dugan is pronounced.
Its Dug-gan ( my mom still says it as "Doo"-gan but I think its more of a carry over from her being Japanese and unable to form certain sounds, like the letter "V" for example.)
We once lived on Vanetta street in Oxnard , CA.) and I remember her frustration trying to give our street address over the phone to the Sears deliveryman, who was Hispanic. She ended up going through the entire alphabet and paused by the time she got to the letter U to emphasize the next letter which was V as in Vanetta. Actually, alot of her stories are pretty funny and she has always found humor in these situations. I think my mom has perfect English and her handwriting is gorgeous.

Today the city newspaper, The Statesman Journal, ran a four part series covering car thefts in Salem. The reporter had requested people write in if they had ever experienced this in the last few years while in Salem. Ally, our 19 year old submitted her story and it was in the paper along with her photo. Her Honda was stolen out of her driveway the first day she moved out on her own. We did get it back a few days later. The car thief was in the car when the police found it. He was obviously a tweaker.
The day the reporter had contacted her we also received a letter informing us that the thief had been arrested and was going to serve 6 months in jail with a years probation afterwards. Most all the stories people shared were the same. Sad.

Chinese Garden in Portland

2007-03-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day!
We decided to drive up to Portland and just enjoy the good weather.
What better place to celebrate the day than at the Chinese Gardens? ;)
I can imagine what a serene view the people in the buildings must enjoy, looking down on all this.

One happy guy

2007-03-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

Heres Mark with two of the six finished Tele's..both him and Jim are pretty happy with the way the project has turned out. Its pretty impressive given this was the first guitars either of them ever made. They have already started playing on them too.

guys version of a quilting bee

2007-03-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Heres what Mark and his friends are doing lately, building a Fender Telecaster guitar, from scratch. He took apart one of his older Telecasters and used it as a pattern to cut out the wood shapes. Its amazing how the guitars are coming together.

Mark is holding one of the bodies and necks that have been primered.

Brian is setting little pegs and John is smoothing out the base coat of his guitar body.

I have found a neat site online and have ordered a special surprise for Mark for his birthday gift . I will be sure to share it here in about a week or two.

The 23rd Birthday

2007-02-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

Remembering you on your leapyear birthday today and always.

We love you Stephanie.

Mom and Dad

Mini Swap meme

2007-02-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hanna and I are participating in a new online apron swap for kids. We are being asked a few questions (called a "meme") and here are our responses:

1. What is your first food memory? Eating rice balls in our backyard tent with my brother Mike. I was three and we lived in Japan at the time.
2. What was your favorite dish/food as a child? Probably was peanut butter sandwiches.
3. Name one of your mini's favorite foods: crab,egg roll or tuna fish sushi.
4. What was your mini's first solid food? Rice cereal ( haha, see a theme here?)Did they love it or hate it? Hanna has always been a good eater.
5. What was something you were excited to make for your mini for the first time? I designed and sewed her nursery room bedding set including the crib sheets and curtains.
6. What is your favorite food memory? My daughter Stephanie getting her blue ribbons for her baking at the Oregon State Fair the first time she entered.
7. Your mini's birthday party : All out theme with perfect kid food ala Martha? or Quiet family home party with scrumptious cupcakes? Something in-between? Uh, yea, I tend to channel Martha ( go all out) when it comes to parties
8. Name one thing you absolutely love to make and eat when you are feeling like a kid again: Japanese food, namely rice balls or mochi.
9. Name something you ate as a kid that you now look back on and wonder "what were my childhood taste buds thinking??" We had a beautiful collie named Tiho and I had the job of feeding him so I expect I may have sampled his DRY dog food, out of the bag as it was so colorful .
10. Name 3 things your mini loves (doesn't have to be food related): her family, playing with friends and her classes ( karate and tap..not at the same time ;) )

Chocolate covered mixables

2007-01-29T18:55:00.000-08:00

If you want to try giving your sweetheart something sweet and different, go check out this site
http://www.thecocoaroom.com

Good stuff!

Hearts and Cupids

2007-01-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day is just around the corner!

These little cupids were fun to make. The little clothespins in front are meant to hold love notes or maybe even gift certificates? I have them listed on my Etsy site.

wintery white

2007-01-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

Made some little fluffy feathered friends the other day during our recent snowstorm. These little Owlets are needlefelted and I perched them on handmade pencils ( made from trimmed tree branches). I like how it looks like a "birdie bouquet" here.

Koko has been enjoying the weather. His fur is so much like wool fleece that I am tempted to try spinning it into yarn.

More little folk

2007-01-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

I just love these dolls by Catherine Muniere. Heres what I did with my most recent "adoption" ( birthday gift from Mark ).

This little guy is so sweet. I decided he needed a toy to hold so I found this in my collection

a nutcracker miniature Hallmark.

Kind of funny given I made the little house out of an actual walnut!

Mini bears, oh my!

2007-01-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

I enjoy making ( and yes, collecting ) miniatures and after seeing some adorable little amigurumi called "Chibi Dango" by My Little Mochi, I thought I would share some photos ( the coins are my attempt to show sizes rather than measuring each one).

The first three are all plush bears and they are hand sewn, turned right sides out and then stuffed. They are also 5 way jointed which means that the four limbs and head move.

The next four ( yes, the photo is blurry, the bears themselves are not fuzzy). ;0)

These were crocheted by two different artists.

I love the next three made from facile, a thin ultrasuede. These bears are also 5 way jointed as the first three ( and can you see the teeniest of pawpads sewn in there?)

Shades of gray

2007-01-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

No photos with this post as I am still wondering how in the world I can ever make my pictures show up in colors other than gray; gray red, gray orange, gray blues...
I recently read blog discussions about lack of available natural lighting followed by apologies for the lackluster images. People, they look great. I expect the cheeriness of those picture bright colors and glowing tints draw many of us back to their blogs for more. I know I enjoy looking at them.
I am tempted to line our ceilings with tin foil ( just kidding)..and there still wouldnt be enough light reflected partly because .. get this, our house does not have any southern facing windows ! Actually, do I enjoy the privacy from the front street this gives and we have done what we can to "open things up" by taking out walls, adding a skylight in the bathroom, plus three glass panelled interior doors and and some glass block.
We used to own an amazing house high on a hill, on Acorn Lane ( loved that name!) here in Salem. Its modern design was very familiar to Frank Lloyd Wrights idea of bringing the outdoors in , using window walls throughout and an indoor/outdoor pond. I loved that the floors that were painted concrete with set in radiant heat coils, especially nice when you do not wear shoes in the house as we do.
Natural light filled the place and I was a bit sad when we decided to sell.
The house is gone now. Our neighbor who bought the property had always planned to tear it down as his house needed space for parking.
Such a waste. :(

Happy Little cupcake heads

2007-01-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Little mini cupcakes with frosting "Do's".

Hanna added the M&M accessories.

We made a fun little display this year on the mantle using my retro collection of little deer. We placed ( temporarily) a few Christmas presents in the mix: two Wee Forest Folk mice figurines and also a pair of Quail egg earrings ( in the box with little trees inside). I don't plan on wearing these, I imagine they are somewhat fragile plus they are the screw back kind anyway...

Last of 2006

2006-12-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

Its the eve of a New Year and we started in with a traditional Japanese mini feast at my moms house. It was all really good and we all came back home full and ready for the rest of the day. I was tempted to do a bit of yard work as the sky was bright blue and it felt good being outside...for a few minutes..till I started getting cold . So after a quick run through with the Pooper Scooper, we headed back indoors. We have a small Pomeranian who is an indoor dog. Our backyard is completely fenced and Koko usually "does his business" out back there. The frequent doggie deposits out front are from the neighborhood pets put out to roam at night. We are pet lovers but should not be cleaning up after others on our lawn where our kids play. Plus I worry that the dogs that are out loose will get hurt.

Christmas Eve 2006

2006-12-24T23:20:00.000-08:00

Me and my girls

No Lights, a camera and lots of Action!

2006-12-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday was stormy and we were left without electricity. Luckily, we had made plans to stay at the coast for the weekend.
I was a bit concerned as I heard that the place we usually stay had some weather related problems but all was up and functioning by the time we arrived on Friday. Heat and light, so wonderful when its freezing cold outside!
We read about a holiday event taking place that weekend at the Heceta Head lighthouse and decided to go on Saturday. It was a surprising long drive on a very windy road and we almost turned back thinking we had missed our turn off. When we did get there other cars had arrived and were waiting in the lower parking lot but there was no sign of anything special going on. The sign noted that the lighthouse was a 1/2 mile uphill walk . Not sure what else to expect we went ahead and decided to check things out.
The lighthouse was locked and there werent any signs posted about the holiday event so we went back to the van and drove down the road a bit to watch the sealions play in the surf .

Bread Braid for St. Lucia day

2006-12-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

The recipe for this Saint Lucia's Braided Bread is from the FamilyFun.com website.

I wanted to have it done in time to serve for breakfast on the 13th ( St. Lucia day) so I prepared the dough and then baked it in the early morning hours.

Shopping sidetrips

2006-12-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

Mark wanted to buy some Christmas gifts for his friends so we headed up to Portland late in the day on Saturday for some shopping and sushi.

First though was a "quick" stop SCRAP and luckily we came on the day of their holiday bazaar. Its always a surprise what one finds at Scrap. That day we scored some shiny new TAZO tea canisters with latched tops that flip to contain the loose tea leaves for brewing in addition to a variety of cotton prints from France.

I mentioned it would be fun to check out the Monticello Antique Mall while we were in the PDX area being Alicia P. had highly recommended it.

Oh my. Eye candy and inspiration in every aisle.

And we did some major shopping, there, yes siree bob, that place has some awesome goodies galore.

We then headed westward to Beaverton to pick up a few Japanese miniatures at Uwajimaya and then over to the Mole Hole. The clock in the plaza center was like a huge circus tent, festooned with long stringed lights.

I found over the years we have been steering away from the big department stores and malls , shopping there less and less. While its still fun to go downtown for the lights and bustle of the holiday, I have always preferred the homeiness of handmade.

Trees, continued

2006-12-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is how the "tree" looks when it fits together.

Its hard to tell from the photo but we had added a loop for hanging and written in glitter gel on the sides. These trees would also be cute as is on a tabletop or mantel instead of hanging them up as tree ornaments. I actually used the ones I made as gift tags for the dolls ( shown in an earlier post).