wilson silverleaf family

summer roadtrip

2010-08-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Nina and I left Princeton on Thursday to start a road trip. On Thursday we drove from New Jerset to spend the night in Madison, Connecticut and had a fabulous time there with some friends. Then on Friday we drove to Harrison, ME to spend two nights at Vacationland Campground with some friends I had in College. There were almost 20 families and it was so fun to see everyone. It's amazing how people look exactly the same.

During the day Saturday we had spent most of our time on the sandy beach by the lake that the campground is on. It is a truly gorgeous spot and the beach is very shallow so I didn't worry about Nina being in the water--she had a great time and probably was in there splashing around with her friends for at least 3 hours. The water was warm and my skin and hair felt amazing, as they always do after swimming in lake water. It had been too long.

Saturday evening one of the husbands cooked up a whole bunch of chicken and ribs with his own special barbecue sauce and everyone else brought side dishes and desserts. It was a fantastic feast!

On Saturday night there was a DJ'd toga party and of course everyone (except a few of us) dressed up in a toga and completely embarrassed their children. One of the highlights of the evening was when one of my friends did the hammer dance to "can't touch this." AMAZING. The other was when Nina got taken in by a couple of tween girls who danced with her all night and taught her how to do some of the dances. It was so sweet that my cheeks hurt from smiling. I finally took Nina to bed at 10 and it was clear that it was one of the best nights of her life, well worth keeping her up way past her bedtime.

Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast, and packed up--I hadn't slept well for the two nights that we camped. It was much colder than I had thought it would be and we hadn't brought enough blankets. Nina was warm enough but I was super cold all night both nights. Add that to my general dislike of camping and I was ready to move on.(Nina wanted to stay, however).
Our destination was our friend Shyla's new house with her lovely man Nik; they live in Belfast. After a lovely afternoon (some other old friends who live in Seattle dropped in for a visit) and delicious dinner of caldo verde cooked by Nik, I slept like a baby. Nina and I walked around Belfast all day and got back to the house in time to rest before dinner.

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be serious...

2010-07-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

Not sure what the context was, but I just overheard this conversation:
Larry: That can't be true.
Nina: It's totally true, Larry, don't goof around.

convergence

2010-07-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

When we were at the top of the Empire State Building last weekend I saw this building and was entranced by it. It's right on the edge of Bryant Park and nobody seemed to know what it was. I resolved to find out but was too tired when we got home. The next night Larry and I went to see The Sorcerer's Apprentice and...there is was again, one of the characters lives in the very same building. Now I had to get the story! It turns out that it's the Radiator Building, also known as the American Standard Building and now The Bryant Park Hotel, I believe. I would post a link to the hotel website, but it's super loud and flash driven and says absolutely nothing about the history of the building...stupid. Anyway, it's interesting how little things in life come together like that.

olives

2010-07-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

I love them, the two other people I live with don't. I really love them on pizza, so when I was making pizza tonight Nina asked me if I was putting Olivers on my personal pizza. It took me a minute to figure out what she meant.

ya-yas

2010-07-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

I was woken the other morning by a stark naked little girl with wild child bed head hair. Said child was jumping on my bed singing "all my ya-yas are coming out" over and over again. It was so funny that I didn't mind being woken up.

the newest blogger

2010-07-12T14:59:00.001-07:00

Nina is composing her very first blog post with her own picture and text as I'm writing this. It's also the first time she's ever used a computer. You can see her first post here.

princeton, nj

2010-06-29T15:36:00.000-07:00

Larry is working in Princeton for the summer, so Nina and I came along. We usually stay in an apartment for these longer stays, typically Residence Inn if there is one available. But we have stayed at the Residence Inn in Princeton, and it's on a busy highway with nothing around to walk to. So we asked for a house this time. And boy, did we get one! It's a Craftsman style, three story house right in the middle of Princeton. The top floor is the master bedroom/office, second floor has three bedrooms and two baths, and the first floor has kitchen, bathroom, informal eating area, living room, formal dining room, front parlor, and entryway. The basement is finished and has workout equipment, couches, another bathroom, and tons of storage (also an air hockey table). It has the pillared, expansive porch that this architectural style is famous for...if only it wasn't sooo hot here! It has been in the 90s and humid both days I've been here so far.

In short, we have a lovely house, come visit us!

nina's room...finally!

2010-06-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

Nina loves to do arts & crafts, and I love for her to have all the supplies and tools she needs. Unfortunately, arts & crafts can be super messy and neither Nina nor I are the tidiest people around. So once I gave her free access to all her supplies her room started to be perpetually knee deep in paper, crayons, etc. I was at my wits' end because it's not fun or good for the floor to have people skidding across said floor on a piece of a crayon. Something needed to give but I couldn't figure out a way to make her room bigger. And then I looked up. She's a very short person and that means that the space that's 4 feet from the floor to the ceiling was fair game. I hunted up a bunk bed on Craig's List, put a sheet of plywood on the top (twin size) and moved all of the craft stuff up there (after a quick trip to IKEA for organizational furniture). Her room has stayed much neater since. Though not completely neat, which is why it has taken me so long to write about it. I wanted to wait until the whole thing looked good, which required me to have some free time where she wasn't there to interfere.

Oh, and don't forget to oooh and aaaah over the stairs/bookshelf that Larry made in his woodworking class (the bunk bed didn't come with a ladder).

Also? I think I could open a bead shop with all the beads I vacuumed up off of her floor.

two milestones

2010-06-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Nina can read! When we play Eloise Monopoly she can read her own "chance" cards.
Nina has a loose tooth! It's super wiggly! We did a happy dance and everything.

hiatus

2010-06-11T18:25:00.001-07:00

It's been a long time, I know...so much has happened and changed. But the really important stuff stays the same. Larry loves his job, Nina is as amazing as ever, and I struggle to stay ahead of mundane tasks that seem to come easily to others. Sigh.

Lots has changed too--Nina is just about to finish kindergarten and I have a part time job that I love.

I hope to give more details soon...

an informal race

2010-04-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of laundry today, so I took the opportunity to monitor an informal race between Mother Nature and my faithful clothes dryer. I hung a load of laundry out and came right in and put another in the dryer. And the winner is...of course, Mother Nature. The load that was outside was damp but wearable and the load in the dryer wasn't even close. Now, it is an atypically windy day here (though warm) but I've found similar results on warmer but not as windy days. Hooray for free laundry drying!

p.s.

2010-03-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

I just had another one of these. Still loving them? Yep. Hit the afternoon chocolate crave spot? Yep. Going to order some this month from Frontier? Hell to the yeah.

awesome stuff from expo west #3

2010-03-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Mmmm, cassava crisps (also known as chips on this side of the pond). I got a 30gram bag of Hale & Hearty cassava crisps, Beautifully Barbecued flavor, from this company. I had a yen for something crispy and slightly naughty to eat the other night so I busted this bag open. All I can say is, I'm glad I was alone because I would not have wanted to share. They were not greasy, they were very crispy, and the barbecue flavor was light but still smokey and, well, barbecue enough that I didn't mourn the lack of red weird barbecue coating that other flavorings leave. No weird ingredients, no gluten, lots of wonderful flavor. I'm hopeful that some big company at Expo West picked these up for distribution in the US...if for no other reason than that I want to try this bread mix.

awesome stuff from expo west #2

2010-03-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

New from Eco Lips: Dagoba™ Chocolate Lip Balms in three yummy flavors based on popular Dagoba Chocolate bars: Roseberry (chocolate raspberry rosehips), Mint (a delicate blend of chocolate and mint) and Lavender (chocolate lavender blueberry). The one I was given was the lavender. It smells and feels lovely, thanks to Eco Lips for the freebie! The guy who was giving them out clipped it to my purse with the super handy carabiner that it came with. I don't think it's available for sale yet so I couldn't find a stock photo, instead here's one of it clipped to my purse.

natural products expo west

2010-03-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

I had meant to attend this last year but let it slip by--this year I was determined to go. Though it was exhausting, I am glad I went, I got to see and try some really cool products and talk to some interesting people. I'll tell you about the people first, since it's a much shorter list. The first was a rep from Host Defense, which is a line of mushroom-based supplements. It's a product line I'd like to be able to offer the co-op I facilitate, and the rep gave me a book and a whole jar of agarikon.

I also got to meet, chat with, (and get kissed on the cheek by) Jason Graham-Nye, whose company, gdiapers, I have been following almost since the beginning. Though their product came out after we had really become very committed to and proficient at using cloth diapers, I have always loved the idea of the company and supported it in any way I can. My interest in Graham-Nye began with the product, continued with his blog, and has continued on facebook, where we both spend much more time than on our blogs. We had a laugh and shared some shame about that. He's much taller than I thought he would be, and he was very gracious and funny. Great experience. And if you don't swoon over the new ruffled little g-pants, you might have yourself checked for a pulse. They are also now making cloth inserts for the little g-pants and are working on training pants.

When Nina, mom, and I drove across country this summer we perched in Denver for a couple of days and in the process discovered udi's gluten free bread. Let me just say that my first reaction was "are you sure this is gluten free?" It's that good and has that much of a bread mouth feel. I had decided to order some online when I walked into Whole Foods one day and there it was. I had been making my own from time to time and it was fine, but obviously gluten free and I had spotty rising and falling results. udi's hits the spot. And when I found their spot yesterday, I couldn't held but gush about the product, which was appropriately appreciated by (Heather?...I think?) the woman who was working it. We talked and laughed for a few minutes, it was nice. I talked to other lovely people too (the lady from Frontier was so nice and hugged and kissed me, so sweet!) but those are the ones who stand out...

And now on to products. I think my most surprising find was also the one I was encouraged to take the most of, what a blessing! Healthy Indulgence dark chocolate calcium supplements (from Hero) are delicious! Every chocolate supplement I have ever tried has been chalky and not chocolatey enough. Not this one, it's richly dark in chocolate and has fantastic mouth feel. Highly recommend. My only complaint is that the chocolate isn't organic, but I'm going to settle. They're that tasty. And available from Frontier...

More later (cross fingers).

The economy of paperbackswap.com

2009-12-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

I just joined paperbackswap.com. You post books you own that you're willing to send out and can have other people send you their books. I wanted to do it to get some use out of some old books we've had sitting around the house.

The economy of the web page is interesting. When you join and post 10 books, you are given two credits. For every book swap, the requester is charged 1 credit and the sender receives 1 credit. So, the economy activity of the web site generates no wealth; all transactions are even. The only way wealth is created is when a new person joins. I never took even one economics course, but that sounds like trouble to me.

The obvious first fear is hoarders. It would be simple for lots of the credits to pile up with people who aren't requesting books, maybe because they just don't use the site anymore. That drains the money supply. A tight money supply makes people less willing to spend money (here, request books). So, you'd see very little swapping.

I'm planning to check out the forums and see if people are discussing the economy and if there are any signs that the tight monetary policy is having a negative effect.

By the way, I posted 16 pretty random books and I've already had 6 requests. So, my anecdotal evidence is that the economy hasn't stagnated. My current fear is that there is some reason to make a bunch of requests of newcomers.

CBDC in the news again...

2009-10-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

That's Chicago Barn Dance Company, where I used to be a very regular dancer. It's hands down the best dance community I've ever belonged to (and has spawned more than a few couples).

mostly dead (it just feels that way)

2009-09-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Blog friends, if I still have any out there after I have ignored you so badly:
I have been sickitty sick. Like the kind of sick where sitting in a chair and staring at the walls takes too much effort. Sleeping for long parts of the day sick. Taking one step forward on the list and 5 steps back (which is especially frustrating because I was starting to win, and even though my head feels like it's stuffed with spaghetti, I'm still with it enough to know I've now got further to go than when I started). But not with it enough to type a coherent sentence, apparently.

Anyway, I coincidentally have a dr's appointment tomorrow anyway, so I will have him listen to my lungs (though I'm not sure they're there anymore, as I have been working hard to cough them up all day). And much to my mother's dismay said doctor will not likely want to test me for H1N1.

Also, a big shoutout to my sister, who cleaned the kitchen today--I've been managing to do some of the cooking still, and driving Nina to school, but not much else unless you count moving laundry to and from the washer and dryer but not actually folding any of it. The mere thought is exhausting. Now excuse me while I go pass out, I didn't manage to have a nap today and my head weighs approximately 800lbs. That's a lot of spaghetti.

realization about the list

2009-09-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

I really need to get the house neat before I tackle any of the other projects. This is going to be a monumental task because of the aforementioned clutter, but so be it.

blindside

2009-09-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

It's nothing I'm ready to talk about (and I may never be) but I received some news tonight. It was news I have been expecting for a very long time but was still surprised by. I don't know how I feel yet or what I'll do. I feel very blessed to have friends and family to help me figure it out.

the list

2009-09-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, now that Nina is in school full time* (and I got laid off by the CSA I was working for) I can really focus on some projects that have been put on the back burner for far too long.

So here's the list (it will probably grow some before it gets smaller)

get rid of all clutter rallying points in the house (and by get rid of I don't mean move to another spot)--this may require a trip to the container store
clean and organize the garage (maybe enough to fit a car in there?)
make the back yard pretty
put together Nina's doll house
finish the kitchen (backsplash, painting, window dressing
baseboards and transitions in rooms with cork
sewing projects galore (hmmm, maybe I need to come up with specifics and list them)

*I will blog about Nina's first day of school, my mom has all the pics on her camera.

clean coal--as seen by the coen brothers

2009-09-10T09:14:00.001-07:00

I really love these guys. And now they're weighing in on clean coal--as a rebuttal to the "clean coal" ads that have been airing on tv.

Also? Even if it burns "cleanly" there is still the environmental impact of getting it out of the earth--flattened mountains and buried streams.

iron in my soul

2009-09-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

This blog post about the transformation most people experience when they become parents for the first time really hit a nerve--I hope you enjoy it too. As you know if you have a child, there is a mother bear lurking inside who comes out when we need her to protect our dearest ones.

what we don't tell you about parenting

2009-09-08T14:30:00.001-07:00

Because we often talk about how hard it is. But more often than not it's also unbelievably funny. Overheard in the car with a friend:

"Ok, I'm a hat pirate and you're a lady with lots of hats."

speaking of om...

2009-08-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Look what I found on top of my espresso yesterday morning...

I think it looks like an om...and I'm taking it as a sign from the universe that I should continue to drink coffee.

making it happen

2009-08-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

I love it when people talk about starting a business that can make the world better--and then actually do it. Which is why I really couldn't be happier to tell you about Om Goods, which is a San Diego based business selling a wonderful variety of stainless steel goods. They have 2, 3, and 4 tier tiffins, gorgeous carry bags and matching napkins for the tiffins, childrens' dinner sets, and more.

So, here's the situation: I like to feed Nina three meals a day, but if you know kids, and especially my kid, you know that they are always asking for food, all times of the day. I did set up a snack cabinet for Nina but it's in one of the kitchen cabinets so the variety of foods is restricted to non-refrigerated foods. And then I saw this on the Om Goods site. It's made for spices, but from the first time I laid eyes on it, I knew it would be perfect for little snacks that a child could help themselves to, without being waited on hand and foot.

Here's what I came up with the first time I filled it: beef salami, mixed nuts, cheese, almonds, grapes, dried bananas, and in the middle, raisins and dried mango. I keep it in the fridge, and when I hear "I'm hungry" any time of the day, I feel comfortable telling Nina to go and help herself. And she loves having a little more independence.

It went over pretty well, I think. I'm really glad to have it and I'm even more glad this company is out there.

If you're local you can check them out every other Sunday at the Hillcrest farmer's market.

happiness is a warm (hot, actually) iron

2009-08-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

If you're my friend on Facebook, you know that I really enjoy ironing. This was not always the case, however. What tipped the scales for me was getting an easy to use ironing board. I have one that goes over the door of my office and only comes down from the back of the door when I'm using it. No hauling it out of a closet and trying to find a place for it--it's just always there and easy to use. However, I have used it so much that I wore a hole in the cover, which means that I had to buy a new one. I know, I know, boring subject for a blog post--why would you even bother reading it? Well, all I know is that I'm really enjoying my new ironing board cover with its cheerful blue circles.

6 loads of laundry folded today, everything that needed to be ironed has been--now to put it all away, my least favorite part.

why I love my job

2009-07-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

I love CSAs. Have loved them ever since I heard about the idea for the first time over 10 years ago.

So, how thrilled was I that the lovely Elaine suggested me for a job with the one she works for--Garden of Eden.

Sometimes I pack boxes, sometimes I work at the pickups. Either way, I love it.

What could be better than being surrounded by lovely organic produce?

It gets hot sometimes, but it's worth it.

wherein the little one chooses her own bed

2009-07-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

Nina didn't sleep well last night, which of course meant that we didn't either. And she has been going to school until 3 on her two days a week there. Apparently the combo makes a little girl tired.

After I picked her up I decided to do some gardening, which she opted out of to play in a box I left in the kitchen. I have to admit I was skeptical when she asked if she could get some blankets and pillows from her room to take a nap in the box. When I came in a half an hour later, though, there she was still and silent in the box. Even then I was still suspicious, being familiar as I have become to her possum-like ways when it comes to sleep. Then I saw the drool and realized that possum sleep had turned into real sleep.

So,what did I do? Grabbed the camera, of course! I absolutely had to preserve for posterity and share these adorable pics of her stuffed into a little box asleep.

Larry came home eventually and we decided to let her sleep and delay dinner.

Then half an hour before bedtime I decided to try to move her to bed.

That was an hour and a half ago, she seems to be out. She smiled when I kissed her goodnight and told her that I love her, but we haven't heard from her yet.

what have I gotten myself into?

2009-07-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Nina has been wanting a dollhouse for a while--my mom got her a nice one but it wasn't realistic enough for her--it was a lot like this, really nice. So we gave it to a friend and I recently bought a kit for a real victorian dollhouse on Craig's List. And now I have to figure out how to make this:

look like this:

Only I'll make some more interesting choices with the colors (this is one someone is selling online for 400$).

The one problem (besides the fact that I'm pretty scared to screw it up or that I won't get it done in time for her 5th birthday in November) is that I don't really have a place to work on it where she won't see it. Oh, and I'll be asking for advice on colors to paint the trim soon.

the second, longer leg

2009-06-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a map so far, which I will keep updating as internet connection allows.

View Larger Map

the first leg of our trip...

2009-06-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a complete accounting of the northeastern portion of our trip:

View Larger Map
I have many pictures to post and stories to tell, but haven't had enough time with a good internet connection--maybe this evening.

Father's Day Hike

2009-06-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

I took a guided hike this morning at the Sycamore Canyon County Open Space Preserve. Somehow, when I offer Nina a hike as the thing we'll do for the morning, she doesn't pick that option, so it was nice to go. A photographer for the local paper was there at the beginning of the hike; it's actually the second time in a week I had my picture taken to possibly be in a newspaper. On Wednesday, I went to the Princeton contra dance and there was a photographer there too. I don't think it was because a handful of graduating high school seniors are regular dancers, but that's what I would write about.

Here's hoping the budget problems don't cause all of the state and county parks to be closed!

mommy in training

2009-06-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

I made a strawberry pie last night--super simple, I took some organic smoothie mix I had bought a long time ago (strawberry, kiwi, and banana), heated and pureed it, then added a little cornstarch. Then I sliced a bunch of strawberries into a cooked pie crust and covered them with the puree. Super simple, no sugar added. I then whipped some cream and added vanilla and granulated maple syrup, and ate a slice of pie with whipped cream. It was heavenly. So much so that I had some for breakfast and put the remaining whipped cream into my coffee.

When I packed lunch for Nina today for school, I decided that a slice of pie would be fine since it had no added sugar. When I picked her up I asked her if she had liked the pie. Imagine my surprise when she told me she hadn't eaten it. And when I asked her why, she told me that they had ice cream at school and if she had eaten the pie it would have been too much sugar.

Can someone explain this to me?

organization...oh the joy

2009-06-01T21:09:00.000-07:00

Though my home is not always well organized and tidy, I am happiest when it is. I really love when everything has a place and is in it. Really good organizational tools are invaluable, so when I saw this at a local discount store I ogled and lingered over it but didn't buy it. Then I found myself obsessing about it and made a special trip to get it, hoping all the time it was still there.

It was...

It's a charging station for our phones, mp3 player, bluetooth, and camera. And a cork board. And slot for incoming mail. And finally, something I had been looking for--a whiteboard for keeping track of food in the fridge. I made three columns, one for produce, one for leftovers, and one for a grocery list. When anything is put in the fridge, it's written on the board, when it's used, it's erased. And when I've entered the grocery list into my Palm, it gets erased as well.

It's the little things, truly.

how to take a rest

2009-05-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

When your mom works at the farmer's market--carefully remove your shoes, find a blanket and a makeshift pillow, and curl up in the car.

Unfortunately, a fewminutes after I took this picture, Theo arrived to play with her and she didn't actually nap, but the scene was just so sweet.

pomegranate

2009-05-31T21:35:00.001-07:00

The first year after I planted our pomegranate it made amazing flowers but no fruit. Last year lots of flowers again and just two fruit. This year lots of flowers and already at least 4 fruit coming. But inevitably there will still be some flowers that just fall off; I decided to cut one open to see what they look like on the inside. You can see the seeds forming on the inside.

Of course, right after I bought it, I discovered that eating pomegranate hurts my mouth. But last year our first two fruit were ripening I waited impatiently and mailed them off to some friends who were having trouble conceiving. And recently they welcomed a fantastically cute set of twins. Pomegranates are amazing.

the bounty of the backyard

2009-05-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

I don't love where I live. The neighborhood is fine, but it's not as walkable as I'd like. And it's far away from almost everyone I really like spending time with and everything I like to do. We have talked about moving but one big thing holds me back--I have fallen in love with my back yard. It's nice and big, my flower bed is finally established, and a friend gave me the cutest Japanese maple. Oh, and it gives me fruit every so often.

We also love to eat dinner out there (and I often drink my coffee there). It was lovely to have my mother over for a delicious dinner and then pick blueberries for dinner (we also had cherries from the farmer's market, which you can see in the background).

These were all picked yesterday evening.

So beautiful and delicious.

enchanted afternoon

2009-05-21T20:57:00.001-07:00

Nina and I had a date for lunch this afternoon with some friends who live at the beach. We had a nice, leisurely lunch of quesadillas and salad, then it was beach time!

What I love about taking Nina to the beach is that she just plays in the sand contentedly. Little did I know that having Theo along would mean that they would run down to the water together to fill up buckets and play so well together. We're talking about Nina here--to her, the water is way too cold and the waves way too scary. Yet with Theo there the waves were fun, something to run away from giggling instead of shrieking in fright. And she got all her clothes wet but never complained of the cold. Score!

I wish I had gotten pics of them running to the water together with buckets, wearing only their droopy underwear and sodden t-shirts. It was soooo precious. I'll have to settle for the memory and the pictures I took after we got them hosed off and dry.

He is a fantastically gorgeous child.

I feel like this pic is so representative of how much these two enjoy each other.

kookaburra song

2009-05-20T19:11:00.001-07:00

kookaburra song, originally uploaded by loriensilverleaf.

I love the Kookaburra* song--I have been singing it to Nina all her life. So of course I bought her a little stuffed kookaburra in Australia, which is what she's holding while she is singing.

*a kookaburra is an Australian bird that looks and acts quite a bit like a kingfisher, but is a bit larger.

ideas wanted

2009-05-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Nina, mom, and I will be driving cross country at the end of June--any must see places between Florida and Southern California? We think we will try to avoid Texas, even though it may take us out of the way. Since we have no set plans, that's not really a problem.

budding multimedia artist

2009-05-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

Nina often disappears for long periods of time and when I come looking for her I discover that she's been busy making masterpieces. I never knew why, but I have been saving back copies of National Geographic for years. I finally decided to give them to Nina and tell her she could cut and rip them up for her art.

One day she brought me this--I couldn't believe how great it is. Little pieces of yarn curled up and glued to the paper, two separate images from a magazine, glued thoughtfully onto construction paper and then accented with crayon.

fabulous mother's day gift!

2009-05-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Larry and Nina got me this gorgeous ring for Mother's day. I wanted something with stones all around and no diamonds--very hard to find but they did a fantastic job, I think!

Here's another view of it.

The stones are topaz, which just happens to be my birthstone. Bonus; I would have loved it anyway.

nina & theo playing

2009-05-19T10:58:00.001-07:00

nina & theo playing, originally uploaded by loriensilverleaf.

I have been working farmer's markets for a few months now--selling walnuts grown in Northern California. The woman who knows the farmer and acts as a middleperson between the farmer and me has three children, one of whom Nina has formed a wonderful friendship with. The two of them just really love hanging out together. The Tuesday market I do is in the afternoon, so I take Nina with me. Here's a short video of Nina and her friend playing together. They are so cute! Oh, and the Tuesday market is in Coronado, right on the ocean, so the noise you hear is a ship going by.

bliss

2009-05-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

Nina told me that today is the most special day ever because it's Mother's Day. That would make her the most special person ever. I am so blessed that she made me a mother.

a little bragging is to be expected, right?

2009-05-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

I have had this rayon yarn for years, and have started several projects, first a strappy little tank for me (which I abandoned because I gained some weight and decided it wouldn't look good on me. Then I started a dress for Nina but had to modify the pattern and didn't write down what I had done and forgot after putting it down for a while. Then as soon as I started this pattern, I worked on it nearly nonstop until it was done.

She put it on immediately and has worn it several times since. Good thing because it's super frustrating when you make something for a kid and they won't wear it!

almost famous...

2009-04-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

I am blessed to have the creator of The Shape of a Mother in my life, she is funny, creative, snarky, beautiful, just all around fabulous. So when she asked for people to be part of a documentary that featured The Shape of a Mother, I said yes...with trepidation. You see, the catch is that we were to do it in our swimsuits, and if that were not bad enough, it was set to film in January. Yes, this is Southern California, but January is still a bit chilly. It ended up being an amazing day, with amazing women talking honestly about body image.
The very first bit is a surgery, which is pretty gory. If you want to skip it, just fast forward the first 2 minutes.

Louise Redknapp was so lovely, nice, and cute as a button. Funny and honest, too, as you can see in the clip above.
Here are a couple of pics from the filming

I was really really sick that day, so didn't feel like taking many pics.

The wonderful folks who make Tomberlies were generous enough to host and provide their delicious ice cream for us to gorge on. RDF, who made the film, provided us with a fabulous spread from Organic to Go.

miscellaneous cuteness

2009-04-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

On Earth Day we did a lot of gardening, mostly with purchases from the nursery, this little parlor maple was in the super sad but cheap area, so we decided to give it a good home. Then Nina decided that the fenced in area we gave it to protect it from the dogs would be a great spot for her garden.

Which to her means that she picks flowers and arranges them artfully. She loves it and adds new ones periodically.

I love that she is learning to do so many interesting things in circus class--here she is on the tightwire.

We went roller skating with some friends; I wish I had gotten video of Nina scooting along carefully. She was so pleased with herself to get all the way around the rink on the rug that she even got adventurous and did it on the wooden floor (mostly holding a hand but some by herself). I was able to rent roller blades so felt pretty comfortable. It was super fun.

new specs

2009-04-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Arwyn helped me pick them out at Costco before she left town, then I had to wait for an exam appointment and then for them to come in. I think they were worth the wait.

I have been calling them "the last glasses" like in A Little Princess when Sara Crewe calls the doll her father buys her "the last doll." Barring something unforeseen, Larry will include the cost of laser surgery in next year's flexible spending account.

I have no idea why my eyes are pointing in different directions in the pic--are they always like that?

we were right

2009-04-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

The wedding gift ended up being as lovely as we thought it would be--here's a pic taken by the recipients:

awesome wedding gift

2009-04-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

Because we went to Australia we had to miss Larry's cousin's wedding, which we were a bit bummed about. They had a registry but we decided to see if we could find them something special in Australia. I think we succeeded, I really love these tea light holders.

They're made from banksia cones, which I have taken lots of pics of, since they're so interesting looking.

It was hard to part with them--I really liked them.

passover cake

2009-04-11T11:44:00.000-07:00

Mom and Rochelle had a non-traditional Passover seder with lots of friends; I brought my favorite grain-free cake, recipe here.

I went a little nuts with the flower decorations.

All of it's edible, though...

Mint leaves on a chocolate cake are fab, though.

I love ganache...

spotty internet

2009-03-30T03:45:00.000-07:00

I have lots to tell...but no wifi or internet connection in either place we have stayed. I will finish the tale of the fantastic Australia trip when I get home (probably Wednesday).

cockatoos

2009-03-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

On the way to hear the carillon, we passed a flock of cockatoos, which I took too many pictures of. But I couldn't help myself, they are both beautiful and comical.

kangaroo hunting

2009-03-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

There are a bunch of kangaroos living on the hill behind the war memorial in Canberra, which the boys all went to see the night before I arrived. We decided to go to the top of the hill and hike down on the paved path down. It was gorgeous, beautiful sunset and views. And we got to see some 'roos at the bottom. Most of my pics didn't come out very well, but if you want to see all of them click here.

The last pic is of my dinner from Banana Leaf restaurant, which had fabulous food, with all the meals that could be made gluten free noted on the menu. Everyone's food was really delicious and visually appealing.

glassworks video...finally

2009-03-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I uploaded the wrong one...here's the right one.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

glassworks

2009-03-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

Today we hit up the Canberra Glassworks, where we got to see some fantastic glass artwork. We also got to see a team of glassworkers, one of whom was obviously an assistant or apprentice. They were making gorgeous bottles; we watched them make three, pretty much from start to finish, one right after the other. I took a few videos, which I will post at some other time, as they will take way too long to upload. Then my camera battery died. We poked around some shops, then caught the bus back. We parted ways so P could skype her kids and I shopped at a health food store and a grocery store.

I decided to then take the afternoon to rest, as I've been passing out at around 9 and I really want to be awake to try to see the kangaroos tonight. Wish me luck!

national gallery of australia

2009-03-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

After we got back from the botanical gardens, we decided to head out to the National Gallery of Australia, which has a fabulous collection, especially of impressionists, which are some of my favorites. It also has an amazing Aboriginal Memorial, which you can read about here, but it seems like it is verboten to make images of it. There were amazing paintings and 200 painted tree trunks representing log coffins and different aboriginal groups. You can see a small picture of it here. The building itself is also very visually interesting on the inside, with twists and turns, windows in unexpected places, and views like alleys through the building. The gift shop was disappointing, though...

After a thoroughly enjoyable time, we went to the cafe at the National Portrait Gallery and I got an iced coffee. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had no ice in it, rather it had a layer of ice cream frozen into the bottom of the glass and a generous serving of whipped cream on top. Refreshing!

Just a few steps towards Lake Burley Griffin we found a part of Reconciliation Place, pictures of which you can see in this slide show:

I think P and I were both really moved by it (you can read more about it here). We then proceeded through a sandstone tunnel to the lake, which is part of Commonwealth Place, in addition to the constellation paving in the slideshow above. It was, apparently, a gift from Canada.

We then proceeded to the Australians of the Year walk, which was actually very interesting. We had heard of a few of them, but most of them were unknown to us.

After a little rest, we all (there are six of us from San Diego here right now, two wives and four mathematicians) decided to go out for dinner and ended up at Gus's. We had no idea it was of any historical significance, just that it was good.

botanic gardens

2009-03-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to the Australian National Botanic Gardens on Wednesday, which was fantastic. It was free, as was the guided tour we took. Unfortunately, the abundant orchids were not in bloom, but it was very rewarding for a plant geek.

And you may notice, if you decide to subject yourself to the full slide show, that I took pictures of the pastry case in the cafe. They had many gluten free options, which I felt obligated to record for posterity. And I had a chocolate mud cookie--delicious.

tuckered

2009-03-25T02:56:00.001-07:00

By the time we got back to the hotel we were both tired an sweaty (and my legs were sore from wearing my FitFlops for the first time in months). I took a shower and waited for Larry to get back, then we went to Three Mothers Thai restaurant, which was very good.

national museum of australia

2009-03-25T02:37:00.000-07:00

It was really nice, with lots of history, and really a perfect afternoon. I like the name of the cafe

And both P and I were enamored of this couch

The outside of this museum is really amazing too--here is this loop thingy--it seems like you should be able to walk all the way around it.

More of the outside. P said she had read that all the braille on the outside is words in the Aboriginal language.

And we both really liked these big wooden benches (I don't really know why).

a travel buddy

2009-03-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

One of Larry's co-workers' wife decided to come along sans kids as well, and she was set to arrive on Tuesday. We weren't sure if she would arrive on the same bus that I had taken, or an earlier one, so I planned to go to the bus station at both arrival times just in case. When I didn't see her get off of the first, I hung around the area where the bus station is, poking around shops, and also a "Supa" IGA (supa because it had liquor, I think). It had a decent amount of both gluten free and organic stuff. I also decided to check out a convenience store to see if I could find a drink. As I was almost done perusing the aisles, the man behind the counter asked me if he could help me. I said no, and he said that I had to leave, that he didn't have time for me to just be looking in his store. I don't think I've ever been kicked out of a store before, but it makes me want to go browse many times a day and never buy anything.

Anyway, I went back at the later time and still no P. When I got back to the hotel I found that she had somehow gotten by me at the earlier time and she had showered and was ready to go out. We agreed that the National Museum of Australia would be a perfect afternoon jaunt and headed out.

It turned out to be a bit more of a walk than we had bargained on, but nice and mostly by the lake, where we ran into some lovely swans.

no roos

2009-03-24T01:59:00.001-07:00

After a lovely dinner at Sammy's, we decided to trek up to where Larry had seen kangaroos the night before. It was about a half hour walk to the Australian War Memorial, passing the basket handles and many war memorials (Korean, Boer, etc) on the way.

We waited and waited, but I was too tired to wait until full night time (about 9pm) for the kangaroos to come out. We did see lots of suphur crested cockatoos, and one or two more varieties of parrots (probably lorikeets and something else).

They were really everywhere.

looong flight

2009-03-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, Larry has been planning to attend a conference in Australia for some time now. I hadn't planned to tag along, for various reasons, but in the last month I changed my mind and also decided not to bring Nina (too long a flight, too expensive). Which worked out great because Arwyn has been staying with us and agreed to take care of Nina (with help from friends and Mima). I booked a comparatively inexpensive flight with Qantas out of Los Angeles, which is a little inconvenient, but the tickets to LA were upwards of 500$...

When I got to LA, just for kicks, I asked how much it would be to upgrade (I meant business class, but I think the agent thought I meant first) and when he told me, I almost fainted--8 thousand american dollars. Seriously. Coach it was, then. And it was fine, I ended up having three seats to myself and slept some of the time. I also started (but couldn't continue past the first half hour) the movie Australia. I did watch, in its entirety, Changeling with Angelina Jolie. She gave a good performance, I thought, and though the movie was super sad, I enjoyed it. All in all, I had a great experience with Qantas (especially the Cadbury's hot chocolate).

When I got to Sydney at 8:20 am, I just had time to clear immigration and customs, use the bathroom, and hit an ATM. Then it was off to catch my 9:30 Greyhound to Canberra, and it was good that I bought the ticket ahead, because the seats are assigned. I tried to stay awake, camera at the ready, but I kept waking up, which means I had fallen asleep, sometimes for big chunks of the 3 hour ride. The bus station was about a 15 minute, easy walk from the hotel, where I took a shower, busted open some nuts from the mini-bar, and set out again in search of coffee. The hotel is at one end of a pedestrian shopping area, so that wasn't hard. I hit Target and some grocery stores (I love to go to grocery stores in other countries). Then I went back to the hotel and waited for Larry to be done with work.

new hairs

2009-03-23T20:39:00.001-07:00

We had Arwyn's (and now my) friend Ryan staying with us for about a week. In addition to being a lovely person and a delightful house guest, she is also a talented hair dresser. Of course we all had her do our hair (even Nina, I will post about her first haircut later).

She did a fantastic job.

And we were all really, super sad to see her go.

Canberra and Kangaroos

2009-03-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

We spent Sunday driving to Canberra (CAN-bra). We ate dinner at the Wagamama and the very friendly waitress filled us in on places to see kangaroos. One was the Australian War Memorial; it is close to where we had been to scout out our trip to work, so we went there. She told us they would be littering the ground; while that wasn't quite true, we did find them after just a bit of searching. It was totally amazing to see them hopping around. Definitely worth a 14 hour plane ride.

One day in Sydney

2009-03-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

When I was first planning this trip, I was anticipating having just one day in Sydney and hoping we'd see enough to have some sense of the city. I think we've done that and now I even get to spend another couple of days here next week with Lorien.

I believe I left off with us about to walk across the Harbour Bridge. We did that and over on the other side were thinking of taking the train back across. The lady who worked in the train station encouraged us to buy a 24-hour pass; I imagine that for most tourists that would have been the right choice. Our next planned stop was to go to the Botanic Gardens, and we were discussing whether to take the train to Circular Quay (Key) and walk into the Gardens or go to King's Cross and walk back (through Wooloomooloo, which had it's appeal) to the Gardens. The lady came back and said:

Go to Circular Quay in the daytime, go to King's Cross at night. At King's Cross, you find good pubs, strip clubs; everybody needs to go to good strip clubs.

We ended up taking a ferry back across instead. Since we timed it wrong, we took the ferry to Darling Harbour instead of Circular Quay and so we learned that our hotel was incredibly close to Darling Harbour. The guide book I have from the library had a lot more restaurants listed in Darling Harbour and we had dinner at Zaaffran, an Indian restaurant where we sat on the balcony looking over the harbour. The appetizers were excellent; we had the palak patta chana aur aloo ka chaat and the makkai pakora. The dinner wasn't as notable; maybe because we were getting to be really tired, maybe because people started smoking around us.

Before dinner, we did make it to the Royal Botanic Gardens. I'm sure the plants were cool, but we were mostly interested in the birds. We saw a couple of ibises, a magpie (and one of the guys says that one of our co-workers was at Australian National University in Canberra and was regularly attacked by the magpies during mating season), some lorikeets, and huge numbers of big bats (technically flying foxes). We were there before dusk, but we still saw some of the them flying around.

Larry made it to Australia

2009-03-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

It was definitely a long flight, but I had a row of three impossibly uncomfortable seats to myself and I even managed to sleep a little. I traveled with three colleagues from work and we're spending the day walking around Sydney. We made it to see the Opera House and we're planning to walk across the Harbor Bridge next. We walked past the hotel where Lorien and I will stay later next weekend and it is in a pretty darn good hotel; I'm sure we'll post about that then.

We were very lucky to be able to check in when we got to the hotel this morning; I've rarely been so happy to take a shower. Work is putting us up at the Grace Hotel; if you click on Rooms, I'm staying in the Deluxe Room. It's almost too bad the weather is beautiful and we want to spend the day walking around a brand new city.

get low get low get low

2009-02-28T16:48:00.001-08:00

Also known as "holy crap my kid is cute"

lizard visitor

2009-02-26T19:17:00.000-08:00

This little (actually kinda big) guy has been hanging out by this window for a few months now.

Though it used to be much smaller

and the first time I saw it I thought it was a snake and uttered a silly girly shriek.

Nina and I like to watch it though...and we're both glad it stays on the outside of the window.

This particular time it showed up, with both of us watching and pointing and taking pictures, I think it got a little freaked out. I love how it started moving reaaaallly slowwwwwly like that way we couldn't see it.

a cautionary tale

2009-02-16T10:16:00.001-08:00

Know your place, women.

lazy gluten free pizza

2009-02-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

As long as Fresh & Easy sends me coupons I'll keep shopping there--they have an ok organic section and one of the items they have is organic polenta in a tube. I'm not so keen on the stuff, but I discovered a quick, easy, and disappearing dinner to make with it. Just slice it as thinly as you can, top it, and then bake it in the oven til the cheese melts. Mini pizzas!

Here we have, from left to right, spinach and shitake for Larry, olive and shitake for me, and plain for Nina. We then topped them with shredded Dubliner cheddar and a slice each of beef thuringer from Whole Foods (it's not as photogenic at that point).

This is actually so easy that Nina made it for dinner for her and Larry tonight. I sliced up the polenta and greased the pan for her, and she put on the sauce, cheese, and thuringer all by herself (it was just for her and Larry so no fancy flavors).

laundry update

2009-02-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

Two things:
I do about a load of laundry a day. I love doing laundry but putting it away is a horrible, horrible chore.
Though my socks will continue to be placed with their mates and bundled together that way, I will no longer be doing that with Nina's. See, I wear them together. She...does not. Just saying.

poncho-palooza preview

2009-02-12T18:19:00.000-08:00

I was looking at Nina's poncho the other day and got inspired to make a whole bunch of them. So I did, and still am (working on one for Arwyn right now). Most of them will go to my Etsy shop, but I got inspired by a friend's almost one year old and made him this one.

The neck and hem are Katia Viena and the body is Noro Cotton Iroha. It was super fun to knit and even more fun to see on this now-mobile little guy.

aryan hairdo

2009-02-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

Nina's hair has gotten very long, and as an added bonus she will usually let me do really pretty things to it. She even asks me to sometimes.

I did two braids the other day

and then clipped them to the top of her head.

Of course she asked me to take pictures and them hammed it up.

This one is my favorite:

more circus fun

2009-02-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

I love this class.

Nina does too

Even though it doesn't look like it in this pic...

little girls

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

I love them. I love that they do each others' hair. This masterpiece is all Anya.

birthday card

2009-01-30T10:51:00.000-08:00

Nina wrote this all by herself (I helped her with the spelling)

Actually, I think it's possible that her handwriting is actually better than Larry's.

zero-waste lunch

2009-01-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

Take the zero-waste lunch pledge--pack only (or as much as possible) items that don't need to be thrown away. Check out Nina's zero-waste lunch here. Then go shop here for some supplies (or visit them at the Hillcrest Farmer's market on Sundays from 9-1).

Maybe if I convert some other people I won't have to feel guilty about Nina's plastic wrapped fruit leathers that I sometimes give her.

the boots...

2009-01-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, I love them, and I wear them every opportunity I get. I am very happy with my choice.

I got the shoes!

2009-01-24T20:19:00.001-08:00

I thought I had to wait much longer, the tracking said they wouldn't be here until the middle of the week. They're super comfortable and warm, very cute with my smartwool socks! I think I chose well.

Now I'm eagerly awaiting the boots...the ebay seller said they went into the mail yesterday but they don't have a location in their profile so I don't know how long they will take to get to me.

visitors from Chicago

2009-01-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

We had the honor of seeing Meg, Jonathan, and Jamie for couple of hours on Monday; they had a layover in San Diego on the way to Hawaii so I picked them up and we went to Spanish Landing playground and had some takout from Blue Water (best fish & chips in San Diego, in my opinion, the fish isn't deep fried and the chips are waffle cut).

It was wonderful to meet Jamie for the first time, he is a very calm and cheerful baby. I dipped his toes in the Pacific, which he didn't really enjoy, it's super cold, especially this time of the year.

asian fish chowder

2009-01-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

This dish isn't very photogenic so I'm just going to give you the recipe:
onion/garlic, chopped (either/both, depending on your preference)
ginger, chopped (about a thumb's worth)
curry powder (tbs? tsp?)
keffir lime
lemongrass
wild rice (half a cup?)
coconut oil (a few tablespoons?)
tilapia (I used two filets)
shitakes (about a cup, chopped, I use the organic frozen ones from Whole Foods)
red lentils (maybe about a cup or so?)
coconut cream/milk (about a half a cup/a can)
tatsoi/other green
corn

Sautee onion/garlic, ginger, curry powder, and wild rice with shitakes. Add water, red lentils, keffir lime, lemongrass, fish. Simmer for a while, then add coconut cream/milk (enough to make it as coconut-ey as you like, then add tatsoi, corn, and whatever else you have in the fridge that might taste good. Simmer until wild rice is cooked (until you can see the inside of the rice, not just the black outside). Sorry I can't be more specific on quantities, this is a seat of the pants operation.

I use lemongrass and keffir lime in a jar, they don't need t0 be chopped up this way (purchased at Whole Foods).

boots continued

2009-01-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

So, I went shopping today with a friend who had a mandate from her husband to buy some cute new clothes--the rules were that the clothes had to be more than 20$ and preferably not on sale. We found a fab sweater that is comfy enough for home but cute enough to dress up and wear out (Anthropologie). Ditto for jeans (Banana Republic) and a shirt. And a super cute pair of shoes (in red).

I was, of course, on the lookout for boots. I was surprised that I really didn't find anything to buy today. I tried on these and they were comfy but the folded down top doesn't roll up to easily fit under pants, and they were a little too ugg-ly. And I found the Borns from the previous post on sale for 70$...one size too big and in pink. They had these at REI but only in large size. And I found these...but only in a size 9. I really like them though, so I am going to try and find them locally. If I can't I will order them online. The toe is a little pointier than I'm looking for but otherwise they are perfect--classic and a little updated and warm, perfect for skirts.

Update:

I forgot about these. I tried them on in a 5 today and they fit but barely and they were hard to get on.

Here's what I'm thinking: I will get the Born Gabi (from the previous post) in chocolate and work on getting the Ugg Swell in Brunswick on ebay for a reasonable price.

boots

2009-01-09T18:04:00.000-08:00

It has been quiet around here...I haven't been feeling well enough to keep my physical house in order, let alone my cyber house. But I went for acupuncture the other day and my practitioner said I shouldn't let me feet get cold. And they are, much of the year, despite my diligence in wearing shearling slippers at home and wool socks a lot of the time. Soo...I am on the hunt for cute boots that will keep my feet warm.

Here's the Sugar Hopstop Flat Boot--it comes in chocolate brown, which is what I would pick. It's faux suede, not sure how I feel about that--would it be warm enough? But definitely cute enough to wear with skirts.

This one is the Bear Traps Esha Suede. The suede upper is not faux, but the shearling is. It looks comfy, no? Is the faux suede too much, though? I like the two little frog things on the sides. Too fussy for skirts? I don't know.

The Born Shilo...I'm really leaning toward these because of the warmth of an Ugg without all of the Ugg ugly (Sugar ate one of my Uggs, the bad dog). The folded down top rolls up for a few more inches of warmth. I know that Borns are comfy, too, it's a good, solid boot that will probably last me a long time. And of course that means they cost more than the previous two combined. I'm not nuts about the exposed shearling, though.

Here's the Merrell Zurich--I'm not sure about it, but I know Merrells are durable and comfortable. These seem classic but also a little sassy. About the same price as the Borns.

I'm also looking at the Born Atkinson (like that slight western styling) and the Simple Toemale. And if I wasn't looking for something I can wear with skirts I would think about just getting the Born Gabi...doesn't it look super warm?

Any input? Ideas?

And of course it is supposed to be super warm this weekend. Figures.

chenille...

2009-01-05T17:01:00.001-08:00

If you knit, you probably know what I'm going to say. If not, read on.

I knit a lovely poncho for Nina and when Franki was here the last time she told me that she loves ponchos too. So I offered to knit her one, which I did right away and had it finished within a week or two. But then I decided I didn't like it and unraveled the whole thing. I've been trying to get rid of or knit up all the yarn I have so that I only have/buy yarn that has a specific project as its destiny, and in the process of taking stock I found the perfect yarn in my stash, red chenille that I plied with a lace weight red rayon boucle. It's gorgeous, as you can see.

Buuuuut...chenille has the tendency to "worm" which is when the yarn forms loops and "worms" after you knit it. So while it was completely perfect as I was knitting it, it looks like this now:

So, Franki: the question is really whether or not you can live with it like that. If not, I'll find another yarn. If you don't mind it, then I'll pop it right in the mail for you. Not to put you on the spot or anything.

before & after

2008-12-30T16:40:00.001-08:00

If you know me at all you will know that while I sometimes exist in the midst of chaos and disorganization I really really dislike being in that state. I love to organize and I love when everything is organized. Parts of Nina's room have been bothering me for a while, so I spent some time and money at IKEA yesterday.

Here's what was bothering me so much (the other two people I live with consider this to be tidied).

And here's what it looks like now:

I found a super cute cotton rug that goes with the other stuff in the room so I got that too.

And while that cardboard box in between the chair and drawers isn't super nice looking, it is holding artwork that was all over the room and taking up all three drawers. I will ask Nina to go through all the artwork in the box (I didn't throw any away) and pick some to keep.

And yes, the balloons in the "before" pictures are from Nina's birthday party almost two months ago. I got rid of them, it was just time.

meanwhile, back at the hall of justice

2008-12-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

Also known as South Florida...

Here is a window into what Nina and Larry were up to while they were gone.
Nina and her cousin Wil.

Uncle Joe, Milt, Nanny Eve, Granki, Nina, and Wil.

Larry, Gina, Wil, and Nina.

hair fully let down

2008-12-26T19:38:00.000-08:00

So, with Larry and Nina far, far away, I decided to have my second annual party. I spent the day prepping, and I thought I'd share with you what the table looked like in the afternoon. I had to string up another garland to hang cards from, we were blessed with a bounty of them this year.

Bottles are so pretty...

What happens at the party stays at the party, but here's a lovely pic for you (taken by the lovely and talented Karen).

I asked everyone to bring old yearbooks and boy did we have a great time reading what people wrote and seeing what we all looked like. Of course there was the obligatory karaoke; if you haven't had the Sara karaoke experience, all I'm going to say is that you are missing out. Seriously. We also did a secret gift swap--the gift giver had to write a limerick about themselves rather than just tell who the gift was from, which was super fun. Here's mine (I drew Natalie, who was very hard to get a present for, but also very fun):
There once was a girl from Peru
Who thought she had so much to do
She drove herself crazy
And called herself lazy
But really she was just a Jew.

who knew?

2008-12-25T20:16:00.001-08:00

The other day, Nina said "The day after Chanukah is Eid." To which I replied "HUH?" "Eid," she said, pointing to the calendar she brought home from school. It took me a minute to figure out that she was pointing to the crescent symbol arbitrarily on the calendar on the last week of school with some other representative symbols (a reindeer, a menorah, the crescent and star, and Buddha). Now, to be completely fair in the telling of this story, Eid ul Fitr was in October this year, but they had obviously been talking about religions and and Nina had recognized the crescent next to the menorah on the calendar. I am glad to hear that they are talking about religions (emphasis on the plural), as I get especially christianed out this time of the year.

white christmas...

2008-12-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

It was a nice clear, dry day here. Not very cold, either. But as this picture illustrates, I can often see snow from where I live. In fact, people who live here often drive their kids to play in the snow.

a funny story...

2008-12-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

So, I had all the holiday cards stamped and ready to go. I put them in the car to take to the post office, even. And in case I got thirsty I threw a bottle of water into the bag. Imagine my surprise when I went to drink from that bottle and found it empty. So I spent hours last night drying out the envelopes that could be salvaged and re-addressing and stamping the ones that couldn't. The cards themselves were fine after a little drying, thank goodness, and they will all be at the post office ready to go later today. Ah well, I had good intentions of getting them out a few days earlier but at least I did them.

alone again, naturally

2008-12-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

Last November Larry and Nina went to Florida without me, leaving me alone for a week to be blissfully alone, which is one of my favorite things ever. This year Larry decided to go in December, which worked out just fine, since last year they went away for my birthday and that was a bit sad for me.

It was hard to drop them off at the airport, though. I lingered with them and took pictures, including the obligatory self portrait. Sometimes we don't get all the way in the frame.

A typical Nina face.

Such an amazing little girl.

so sweet

2008-12-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

Nina used to fall asleep in my arms in the glider all the time. Both Larry and I have spent nights in it reclined with a fussy baby. But that was years ago now and I have to admit I miss it. She has a bit of a cold right now and is willing to let me cuddle her more than when she is well. So when she started to look sleepy I started rocking away, her coltish legs folded up all around me, and soon enough sleep overtook her while I whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Amazing.

I love science

2008-12-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

First, it was a validation of my love of cashmere, now dark chocolate. What's next?

Dark Chocolate Is More Filling Than Milk Chocolate And Lessens Cravings

ScienceDaily (Dec. 23, 2008) — New research at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) at the University of Copenhagen – shows that dark chocolate is far more filling than milk chocolate, lessening our craving for sweet, salty and fatty foods. In other words, eating dark chocolate may be an efficient way to keep your weight down over the holidays.
Full text here.

bowling

2008-12-22T18:59:00.000-08:00

My friend Michelle and her family come to visit her in-laws in the San Diego area once a year, which means I get to see them! Unfortunately, they usually come in December, which is one of the only months we actually get a lot of rain. I inevitably apologize for the weather and say "it never rains here." Ah well.

So this year we decided to go bowling, even though I can count the number of times I have been bowling on both of my hands. It was Nina's first time, and was super fun, even though one time she didn't give the ball enough of a push and it stopped, then came back!

my famous non-vaxing friend

2008-12-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

My friend Sybil's kid goes to the school that originated the measles "outbreak" in San Diego last year and has become a bit of a spokesperson for us non-vaccinating parents. She was on This American Life this week, you can listen to it here.

a little holiday cheer

2008-12-21T09:50:00.001-08:00

So much holiday merry making going on these days, with many holidays intersecting in one week! Here is a pic of what our friends are getting this year. The out of town people get the cards on the left and the people we see often get the hot fudge sauce and shrubbery ornament. If you want a holiday card let me know, I may not have your address.

I love shrubberies with ornaments all over them and presents underneath. But since I wasn't born into that particular tradition, I decided to have my own similar setup. I put a string of glass ornaments in our window and hung more from that. Since the hanging ones are plain glass I asked Nina to decorate them with permanent markers. I think she did a fantastic job.

And it also provides a wonderful place to display holiday cards.

Here is the holiday still life. You can see the bulging basket of gifts (mostly for Nina, she is making out like a bandit this year). The flowers are a hostess gift for the solstice party we are going to today.

why we do what we do

2008-12-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

And why I believe children raised with love will change the world.

I would love to know if this child was Attachment Parented.

cute overload

2008-12-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

Nina had her holiday concert for preschool tonight, and I almost perished from the cuteness all around. It was her first performance of any kind and I think she did really well.

Sorry for the initial shakiness, I was getting comfortable.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We borrowed the outfit that she has on and it looks like the waistband wasn't comfortable, which is why she keeps adjusting it.