ducks on ice

right now, it's a balmy 31°.

last week, however,

it was near zero at night

{with afternoon highs around 20°}

i worried about pip & patito

& the rest of their duck mob.

but, it seems that these are superducks.

you can see that the pond is mostly frozen.

after keeping our ducklings toasty warm {95°}

it amazes me that they can stay warm

out there on the ice.

{watch them drop out of the sky}

{can you see the snow?}

♥

book review :: 1000 ideas for creative reuse

the librarian at our local library

is our dear friend.

this book literally fell into my hands

because she is a sweetheart

and she knew i would love it.

there are so many amazing ideas

{well, 1000 of them}

that the photos almost make me dizzy.

you can find it here

or at YOUR local library.

{thank you, miss ruby!}

♥

☼ winter wonderland ☼

sn☼w is my favorite kind of weather.

lately, we've had lots.

{below is a big frozen pond}

♥

handmade holiday :: week one

this was our first day of

making special holiday presents.

we have 9 kids total, including my 3.

it was so much fun,

and it even snowed to make everything

feel very holiday-ish.

we made collages

that we will turn into cards next week.

we made beautiful beaded necklaces for moms,

but i can't show you because they are a secret.

we made

pinecone / peanut butter / birdseed

ornaments for the wild birds.

next week we'll do some sewing!

♥



handmade holiday :: craft workshop for kids

for then next 3 saturdays,

i'm hosting art classes at my house

for kids to make special gifts

to give for christmas.

here's a list of what we'll be making:

come see what we make tomorrow!

♥

it's not just thanksgiving, it's ned's birthday!!!

happy birthday, neddy!

  ::: ::: ::: ::: ::: :::

six years ago...

::: ::: ::: ::: :::

happy thanksgiving!

♥

oh, lordy...

i'm forty.

: : : : : : : : : :

today, i celebrated with...
a raspberry brioche & a pumpkin spice latte,

a trip to the thrift store,

a chilly visit to feed the ducks,

{it barely reached 20° today & will get down near 0° tonight}
{please think warm thoughts for my sweet duckas}

{patito : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : pippa}

and my sweet darlings.

♥

mr. cute

♥

cozy

ned & rudy in front of the fire.

we are in for a big snowstorm tonight.

♥

blog wonders

we have had such a great weekend.

it even snowed for us.

can you believe that we met

in the blog-o-sphere

almost 2 years ago?

♥

thrifting

dawn & i hit my favorite thrift store today!

♥

♥good company♥

my friend dawn is here!

♥

kindergarten thanksgiving feast

♥

paper crown

oh, the excitement...

his actual birthday is still a week away,

but today was his at-school birthday celebration.

never before has a paper crown or a goodie bag

been so eagerly anticipated.

♥

the best nest

i love nests.

i am so amazed

at the industriousness of birds

who custom build them with no hands.

late last night,

i opened a little package from jan

{of jan's mac&cheese fame}.

she reads my blog, daily.

{love you, jan!}

she sent me the sweetest of nests

found along her beautiful driveway.

mossy, grassy,

lots of redwood needles...

it is an organized bit of the forest floor.

unlike any nests in my neck of the woods,

it is a little snippet of humboldt county.

i can't get over that moss edging.

maybe fairies helped to decorate it.

it is a treasure.

~ thank you, jan. ~

♥

lifesaver

do you have one of these in your wallet?

{or billfold if you are my dad}

i regularly lock my keys inside my car.

but because of this little card-key,

it is no big deal.

this little thingy is the most useful

thing about my AAA membership.

perhaps you will find it funny that today i

1. decided not to renew my AAA membership

and

2. locked my keys in my car at the grocery store.

thank goodness for this little thingy.

please go get one to keep in your billfold.

♥

circus duck

patito has begun some

new and astonishing duck behavior.

she flies right at me.

at first, i just thought she was

just impatiently trying to get my attention.

but she now actually eats from my hand MID-AIR.

you've got to see it to believe it:

♥

some really nice mentions of my etsy book stacks

i just opened a little note

letting me know that this

was included in the etsy storque article,

the collectors: collection-a-day with lisa congdon.

the article is about a very cool blog project

{and you will see my book stack there at the bottom}.

and i got another note

letting me know that this

was included in the treasury

if i only had a fireplace.

and i got another note

letting me know that this

was included in a collection

of 9 snazzy favorites at johnny&stacie

yay!

{and thank you so much!}

♥

show & tell {& rosemary cashews}

it's friday!

ned brought his yoyo ball

for show & tell.

{this was one of his first-day-of-school presents from grandma.}

{he LOVES this thing.}

and tonight,

i made some rosemary cashews.

you will want to try these.

{last year, i gave them as christmas gifts.}

rosemary cashews

1 lb. salted cashews

heat in oven at 350° for 8 - 10 minutes.

watch them closely so they do not burn.

pour hot cashews in a bowl, and add:

a little melted butter,

1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

a little cayenne pepper {up to 1 teaspoon}

i always add more rosemary

and very little cayenne otherwise they are too spicy for my kids.

♥

kindergarten art :: m.c. escher

art mom : : take three

: : escher-inspired tessellations : :

we learned about this

then we made these

♥