art-paper-scissors :: homemade play-dough

we've had a very rainy week.

and it was spring break, no less.

so i decided that it was time for a batch of

:: homemade play-dough ::

over at everythingeagle.com

ned played with this play-dough

for hours on end yesterday.

this is the same recipe i posted

a couple years ago.

see the original post here.

make your own batch

☼right here☼

♥

:: long ago and far away ::

a camping field trip to emandal

{we also visited frey vineyards and real goods}
with melanie williams' class,

the politics of appropriate technology,

at humboldt state university.

spring 1992 or 1993, i think

lots of old friends & lots of stories in this photo.

and in the center,

there's missy & me

i love you, sweet friend.

♥

:: green bean quesadillas ::

remember green bean tacos from this summer?

this was a simplified version.

they were easy & delicious.

i boiled the green beans for a few minutes,

then sauteed them with some green onion,

salt & pepper,

and lots of cumin.

{note: cumin is the magic ingredient}

then added them to our regular

flour tortillas + jack cheese quesadillas.

we had a giant salad

to go with them.

♥

:: easy vegetarian dinner ::

i found this recipe years ago

on stephanie nielson's food blog, cuisinenie.

:: sauteed mushrooms and onions

with wilted spinach on whole wheat toast ::

the organic mushrooms, baby spinach, and onion

in my fridge made me think of it today.

it is so delicious, and couldn't be easier to make.

i love that her recipe

starts with the unassuming question,

"do you have bread?"

when i made this tonight,

i just made it from memory.

i sauteed the onion,

then the mushrooms,

then the spinach,

adding salt & pepper after each addition.

i melted grated jarlsberg cheese

into the sauteed mixture,

and served it on buttered toast

with just a little balsamic vinegar.

yum.

♥

in a pinch

these are really good

{they're good even when you're not in a pinch}

♥

art-paper-scissors :: flower & fur magnets

i am willing to bet

that the front of your fridge

is not nearly as fresh, nor as furry, as it could be.

let's fix that.

head on over to everythingeagle.com

to make your very own

:: fabric flower & faux fur magnets ::

you will feel like a superhero once you have

rescued some plastic caps from your recycle bin,

and rescued your magnetic surfaces

from looking boring.

what are you waiting for?

get going

☼right here☼

♥

:: baseball and tadpoles ::

today was ned's

first baseball practice.

he's happy to be on a team with

two of his good friends, max & ty.

and there are 20 tiny tadpoles in his classroom.

♥

:: better together ::

i made a new treasury

come see it

☼here☼

and here is the song that goes with it

♥

this boy

went to school today

just for the afternoon,

and he is wiped out.

when he walked into his classroom,

after being gone an entire week,

everyone said, "yay, ned!"

then, one sweet boy {ty} gave him a hug.

then, the entire class came up

and surrounded ned in the sweetest

and most orderly group hug

that i have ever witnessed.

{thank you, mrs. morgan, for letting this happen right in the middle of class}

and boy, do i wish i had my camera.

kind of reminded me of this song

♥

spring

Snow / Windy 

34°F 

Feels Like: 22° 

Wind: From SE at 21mph gusting to 28mph 

SEVERE

Locations nearby are reporting heavy snow. 

the first day of spring is one thing, 

and the first spring day is another.

the difference between them

is sometimes as great as a month.

~henry van dyke

first day of spring?  check.

blowing snow?  check.

christmas lights all aglow?  check.

♥

a story about marian

i had to write a little story about marian

for a really cool project

that she's been working on for weeks.

i wrote about the time that she cut

her long braids for locks of love.

she was in first grade.

such a wonderful way to help,

don't you think?

♥

~ u n f u r l ~

nevermind that it snowed at my house today,

it's almost spring.

time to

~ u n f u r l ~

come see it

☼here☼

♥

art-paper-scissors :: folded paper diamond

today at everythingeagle.com,

you can make your own

:: folded paper diamond ::

i have been so inspired by these

{source}            {source}            {source}
that i decided to make my own.


come check it out
☼here☼


here is a sample of the folded paper
to help you make your folds

♥

s n u g

snug as a bug

in my new etsy treasury

come see it

☼here☼

♥

p.s.

ned is doing pretty well.

today was a little harder than yesterday,

which is what we had been told to expect.

he is accepting food, water, and medicine,

however reluctantly.

thank you, nicki & sabrina, 

for sending ned a super cool spinning top.

it's just enough to get him off the couch

& get his mind off his misery.

guest post: ned

Today, I rested on the couch with Bunny

and watched Curious George and Garfield.

I am feeling a lot better,

but my throat still hurts a little bit.  

The best thing for my throat is cold milk.

My grandma and grandpa

sent me a get-well box

with lots of money

and some lemonheads
and a baseball shirt

and bubbles

and books. 

It made me feel lots better.

J Love, Ned

:: my little guy ::

he's doing better than expected tonight

bunny? check.

popsicle? check.

almost a smile? check.

some pictures from this morning

{before surgery}

{before surgery}

{recovery} 

♥

:: feeling vote-y & a fifty dollar lollipop ::

for those of us in joint school district no. 2,

today is voting day.

the district has proposed a two-year levy 

to raise revenue for two things: 

1. to restore 9 instructional school days

{9 days/year from K-12th grade = 117 days - 70% of a school year}

2. to replace "one-time" sources of revenue

learn more here.

i voted YES.

it will mean higher property tax,

but our school district really needs the money.

since i was feeling so vote-y,

i wore my new o'bama 2012 shamrock t-shirt.

it's from here.

also today, i bought a lollipop.

a fifty dollar lollipop.

thankfully, insurance paid $30,

making it a $20 out-of-pocket lollipop.

it is a post-op lollipop that contains tetracaine,

to numb ned's throat so he can take his REAL pain medication.

ned's tonsillectomy & adenoidectomy

{and possible ear tube placement}

is tomorrow {wednesday}.

please keep him in your thoughts.

♥

being elmo :: a puppeteer's journey

wow.

this movie is amazing.

i have always loved sesame street,

the muppets, and jim henson.

now, i also love kevin clash.

i knew {from reading the credits of everything i watch}

that kevin clash was the human behind elmo, 

but i had no idea who he was

or how he got there.

his story is so inspirational.

i do remember trying to step through

our tv screen right onto sesame street.

and, this man did it.

you might be intersted to know that

princess diana

AND

captian kangaroo

AND

oprah

are in this movie.

♥

:: weekend deliciousness, with thanks ::

sweet friends sent us this

yum!  and SO much fun.

{thank you, mary, matt, & molly}

i made this

~ raspberry clafoutis ~ 

find the recipe here.

i'm guessing that i have made 75 of these.

always amazing.

{thank you, tracy, for this recipe}

jessica's chickens made these

then i turned them into

the very best egg sandwiches.

{thank you, jessica.  thank you, beautiful hens}

{do you remember her chickens?}

{wait until you see her backyard chicken coop ~ coming soon}

♥

art-paper-scissors :: monoprints

head over to everythingeagle.com

and give printmaking a try.

i read about monoprints here,

and decided to give it a go.

now, you can, too

:: simple printmaking: monoprints ::

{ned made a monster}

come check it out

☼here☼

♥

:: breakfast of champions ::

eagle hills elementary teaches and celebrates

positive character traits, like honesty and sharing.

ned was recognized today

at the breakfast of champions for showing

empathy

don't you love all the teacher high-fives?

this is ned with his wonderful teacher,

mrs. morgan.

{we absolutely adore her}

in other ned news,

the surgery center called to say

that his surgery {tonsils & adenoids} 

has been moved up to next wednesday.

he is pumped {for popsicles & ice cream}.

i am nervous {because it's surgery}.

please keep my sweet boy in your

thoughts & prayers.

♥

:: sleepytime vanilla ::

all day long, i drink strong black tea,

but at bedtime, i drink this.

here's how celestial seasonings describes it:

With its comforting aroma and perfectly balanced flavor, 

Sleepytime Vanilla is an exquisitely soothing new way

for you to wind down your day.

this post by my dear friend, gretchen, confirms

that my bedtime tea routine is a good thing.
she has several other do-able suggestions
to help you get the sleep you need.
it's national sleep awareness week, after all.

{gretchen & me in the fall}

read more of gretchen's spot-on
professional advice at her blog.
{you cans also find her in my blog roll, over on the right}


♥

sick of sickness

ned's appointment with the

ear, nose, & throat specialist yesterday

determined that his tonsils & adenoids need to go.

pronto.

he might need ear tubes, as well.

so, that's what we'll be doing in three weeks.

for spring break.

awesome.

in the meantime, 

his antibiotics are making him ill.

it's not fun or pleasant and he can't go to school.

we are in that exhausting pattern

where we solve one problem

just as a new one arises.

it's called whack-a-mole.

i'm realizing that there is no such thing

as a "normal week" anymore.

whack-a-mole is the new normal.

i wish there was a prize at the end.

but on the bright side,

i have a brand new baby orchid.

the little teapot is from my sweet pal, mary ann,

and it used to be in a kindergarten classroom.

♥