iN THE MOMENT

MERRiMENT

" The mother is the one supreme asset of national life; she is more important by far than the successful statesman, or businessman, or artist, or scientist."

~Theodore Roosevelt

Mama and I has a spontaneous wine and cheese party for two the other night.  It was quite a lot of fun.  I am so lucky to have a Mama that I can also call a friend. 

Our party included...

Pink Truck Wine:. I had never tried this before but I gravitated towards it because Mama loves pink.  It was really yummy~

Fresh Mozzarella Balls:.I picked up a container of these in the specialty cheese department.  I drained off the brine liquid,  sliced them, and sprinkled them with salt and Herbs de Provence (oh how I love to eat anything with lavender!!).  Then I drizzled a bit of extra virgin olive oil over the top and tossed the mixture together. Delich!!

and Ferro Rocher Hazelnut Chocolate.

This week I am on my own with out Kalin or Violet.  The adjustment has been a bit difficult. It is very hard to change gears from Mama duties.  What do you want to eat?  Have you brushed your teeth? Flossed? Mouth-washed?   It is time for bed.

The rewards of motherhood and having family far surpass the daily grind of it all.  But, a little peace and quiet has been nice.

My  little one-on-one visit with my Mama was such a rare and special visit that I will always treasure.

HAPPY THiNGS

Romaine growing in my garden.

Productive Chickens.

Harvesting spring radishes

Wildflowers growing on the trail to our house:

Cranesbill Geranium

and Wild Violets.

Spring Peepers. (aka tree frogs)

Packages from the Black Apple!!!

Progress.

TACOS AND PHOTOS

spon·ta·ne·ous 

coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency;without effort or                 premeditation; natural and unconstrained;unplanned                
One of our FAVORITE eateries we have discovered in all of our travels is Dos Amigos in Waxahachie, TX.  We always frequent it when we are in town.  The dining area is very small so we usually get our orders to go.     YUM!!  Our favorite are the soft tacos that are wrapped in delicious tortillas crafted on the spot.

What is one to do while waiting on an order of fabulous tacos?  Well, take some pictures with your new camera of course.  Downtown Waxahachie has some really cool spaces.


Violet and I loved this railing.............

This wall..........

And these wings....................

Well, famished after our spontaneous photo shoot, we dug into our tacos without taking any pictures.  But I can assure you they were.....FANTASTIC!

SURPRiSE TEA

"Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the  pleasures of company." 

 ~Author Unknown

Violet and I decided that a surprise tea party was in order while we were staying with Mimi.  We picked up some delicious sandwiches at the Black Rooter Bakery.  The sandwiches are served on their homemade baguettes and come wrapped in the cutest packaging.  We also picked up a couple of brown butter lemon bars. My favorite thing was the goat cheese, kalamata olive tapenade, and sun-dried tomato sandwich. YUM!

When we arrived back at Mimi's house we set the table with items found her her extensive collection of things for entertaining.  I could not find place mats that fit the color scheme so I used some brown wrapping paper I knew was hiding in the closet.  

We had so much fun putting this together as a surprise for Mimi on her lunch break.  It was a lovely time.

HAPPY THiNGS

:. Beans.  I love the way they sparkle when you wash them.  They are so satisfying to watch evolve from dry to delicious.  I recently had a bean making lesson with my Grandmother who taught me the way her Mama made them.  It is magic.

:. This cool soda bottle idea.  I saw this on a site that my sister found.  What a fun idea for a eco friendly project.    This will be great for Earth Day

:. The Cowtown Farmers Market.  If you live in Fort Worth you have to check out this market.  You will find friendly faces and great grub.  I am especially in love with the goat cheese made by Latte Da Dairy.  It is truly spectacular and comes from very happy goats.

:. Family Gatherings.  Over the weekend the family gathered together packing loads of food for a feast.  Good Times were had by all!

:.Home.  This song is one of my favorites even though I can never remember the title of the band.  This makes me feel a bit old.  Anyway they are called Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.  I had to look this up.  Thank you to my sister for introducing me to them.
While trying to find a link to these crazy cats   I found this totally precious cover.  You have to check it out!!!!

:. Tiny pullet eggs. These are eggs that are the first eggs that are laid by young chickens.  They are so cute and Violet looooooveeees them.  This one was produced by an Araucana Hen.

:.Family Garden Journal.  I found this tutorial on the Rhythm of the Home site.  We will definitely be doing this project this year.  I love this site.  So many wonderful ideas.

This aromatic Joseph's Coat Rose growing beside our booth at Scarborough Faire.

:.These pecan trees also growing around our booth.  They are just starting to leaf out but in a month or so they will provide a lovely canopy to find refuge.  They are especially wonderful for sitting under while enjoying a pcinic with you daughter and Grandmother.

ARTiST TRADiNG CARDS

"Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once he grows up."

~ Pablo Picasso

I spent the weekend at my Grandmother and Aunt's house playing the part of Nanny Mc Carrie.   We had a lovely time.  The girls and I made artist trading cards.  We totally geeked out on these for several hours and produced quite a stack.

What are artist trading cards you say?  Well they are tiny 2.5 x 3.5 pieces of art.  They are meant to be created and then traded with another artist with the intention of building a wonderful collection!


The Artist Trading Card movement was started back in 2007 by a Swiss artist named M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who hand-crafted 1200 of these miniature cards for his art exhibition.  On the last day of his show, he encouraged people to create cards of their own to trade with him.  

To make your own you will need a 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 card of watercolor, acrylic, or card stock.  You can also by them precut at most craft stores.

Then  create your work of art using any media.

When completed, write your name, address and/or email, title of your piece

Then trade!!  There are a bunch of sites totally devoted to ATC Swaps.  Some of them are geared towards children.  I have been searching the Internet for swaps that I can get the girls involved in.  I ran across a couple that we missed the deadline, but I am sure more will crop up.

For more information on Artist Trading Cards check out the Art Junction site.  It has lots of ideas and details. Art Trader Magazine has some cool stuff on trading cards as well.

   

iN THE MOMENT

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Happy Weekending Everybody

HAPPY THiNGS

sussie: a small gift chosen because it has relevance to the intended recipent.

:. This window.  A happy little thing at my sisters house.

:. This sussie from my Mama.  I really love this magazine!  The term sussie has been used by my Mama as long as I can remember.  Recently, there was some debate as to rather or not this was a real word.  Mama's friend looked it up in the dictionary, and lo and behold there it was!

:. My new health regimen recommended by my Uncle.  He is my health guru and one of the healthiest people that I know.

:.This picture taken 7 years ago on my honeymoon.  It is hanging on my sister's fridge. (Who I am staying with by the way)

:. Couch Tents ala Uncle Fee

:. Climbing Mossy Trees

:. This plant.  Violet and I picked it out at Walmart.  It is an African Desert Plant called Baby Toes.  The tip of each leaf has a little window for the sunlight to shine through

       

:.Clouds.  I am taking an online workshop called the Art of Living Cheerfully.  I absolutely adore it.  Taking cloud pictures was one of our challenges this week.   This activity was inspired by this Cloud Wall.  Pretty Cool.

....Also check out this  video on YouGrowGirl.com.from the 60's.  Originally aired on PBS,  Thalassa Cruso's Making Things Grow  is really amusing.  She apparently is the "Julia Childs of Horticulture."