A Very Martha Christmas and a Hulky New Year

For several years now we've gone the direction of less gifts, more quality time, and just in time for the economic downturn we cut down our stress and spending, leaving time and money for good food and handmade goodies. Of course, buying for the kiddies goes on, but that is soooo easy. One trip to Target usually does for Theron. And what couldn't be bought could apparently be made. I searched the entire internet world for Theron's requests: Hulk pants and a Ben 10 Alien Force jacket. When I struck out, I called forth all my mommy determination and hodge podge collection of skills to make them. Here is Theron wearing both on Christmas morning. Maybe Ash has a better picture I can upload later.Believe it or not, all those hours of reality t.v. really paid off in this case. In particular, Project Runway gave me the tips I needed to proceed. I learned how to approach drawing a pattern from an existing piece of clothing and how to sew knits. Then I just made 4 trips to 3 different fabric stores. I also used my own jacket for clarification.
Theron spent the week before Christmas with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Richard getting spoiled. We drove up Christmas Eve for our reunion. We were so happy to see his happy little face and for him it was like, meh. He even told me on the phone earlier that week that he didn't miss me. And it didn't hurt at all, it was good. Christmas morning we drove to Santa Maria to see Grandpa Flip and Grandma Rita, who is doing so much better by the way, and is home from the hospital finally.
On the way we saw RAINBOWS. LOTS of them. Full rainbows.

Rainbows along Route 166

We also saw lots of tumbleweeds and I think maybe I'm finally getting over my fear of them. When I lived in Texas many years ago tumbling tumbleweeds made fear bubble up inside of me because I thought - mistakenly I know - that if you run into a tumbleweed it a) becomes lodged under the car and b) catches fire which c) causes the car to explode into a fiery ball of flame. On this trip we saw one get hit by a truck and it just shattered. But don't get me wrong, I'm still going to avoid them when it is safe. And I'll probably scream a lot anyway.

We ate a lovely holiday dinner with a Martha Stewart roast turkey and all the trimmings. Ashley had to run to the store because I forgot a few crucial items and called to report that there was not even one single russet potato in the place. But he found others and they were fine. We also made Martha Stewart sugar cookies and frosting from the recipe on the powdered sugar bag. Grandpa rolled the dough and Theron punched them out. We all frosted. Grandpa had to dispose of the leftover frosting so I wouldn't eat it, and he did, after doing a taste test of which color was most delicious. He concluded they were equally delicious.

We wish you all the happiest of holidays.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I can't post pictures just in case Theron peeks at this site somehow, but somebody is getting some good stuff and some of the stuff is coming off of the sewing machine. It's kind of exciting. One thing he asked for was a Chia Pet. He loves that commercial and he picked out the Christmas tree. So I thought Hey, that sounds like a fun gift. Then I found out that Chia Pets are about $20. They're supposedly hand made and, they say, it takes all year to make enough for Christmas. Oh, Really? Well, that may be true, but I'm not paying $20 for a gift that will languish for a while before taking a one way trip to the Salvation Army. So we saved $20.

The Numbers

This last month I helped with the PTA Holiday Boutique.

They gave me some flannel and I made 16 pillowcases.

With my own stash I made 30 pocket tissue holders.

For our staff potluck on Monday I made 3 Martha Stewart meatloafs (one for home).


For our department lunch today I made 3 pans of Martha Stewart avocado enchiladas (one for home). I was able to do it by getting a deal on avocados at Superior Market - 14 for $2. That was $1 for 7, limit 21.

For the Secret Santa exchange I made one doll and one bag for the doll.
Ants I killed today - zero. I don't know what that's about.

Number of times Theron yelled out for us to come to his room last night because he was scared - I want to say 7 but I think it was more like 4 until Ashley gave him something else to be scared about. It was quiet until 5 a.m.

Count Down to Christmas

Wanna hear a joke? Underpants! Are you laughing? Cause that's good stuff.
How about, do you know where is the scariest place in the house? Behind the shower curtain. That's where we're going to hide all Theron's Christmas presents this year.
Grandparents, I mean, Santa, Theron is obsessed with Bakugan. It's okay to get duplicates because they trade them. He doesn't have any of the accessories, just the little balls.

Ash and I took sick days this week to actually be sick, which is no fun. The first day I was sick I didn't see even one ant all day. It was eerie. The next morning I turned on the kettle for tea and one happened to be walking right there so I burned his little ass. Good times.

Waahhhh!

The end of the holiday weekend - boo!
We spent the day with Grandpa Flip and Grandma Rita and gave thanks for family and Boston Market and really good pies from Ralph's. It was a very easy dinner that satisfied in the traditional way. Theron and Grandpa got in several pillow fights and even after a bloody nose Theron decided it was worth the risk to keep going, but no more blood was shed.
The drive up was so very beautiful. It rained the day before but Thursday was sunny and clear and all along the coast we saw flock after flock of magnificent pelicans in formation and when we were finally in the hills we saw the happy cows. Theron adapted the Richard Shindell song were were listening to (Are You Happy Now) to Are You a Happy Cow? and we sang it loud making the 'You' a moo.


Some of you are probably wondering who fed the ants while we were gone? Well, before Friday I would have said How sweet of you to worry, but our ants are full, thank you very much. They'll be fine for a day. Then we come back and find the greedy little bastards eating stuff they don't even like, such as sugar. Since when??!! Oh, well, Grandpa Flip told us about lemon-scented Raid and Ash says he would spray it even if we didn't have ants because it smells so good. So take that.

The Season Ends

Saturday was Theron's last soccer game of the season. Somehow this time it seemed sadder. It was such a great group of boys and they really played well. Last year was a little chaotic but fun. This year we could see they were learning real skills and making friends.
The night before at practice the coach surprised them with the announcement that they would be playing against the parents. They thought that was GREAT. Unfortunately in the first round Ash and Theron took a tumble, and Theron cut his lip. But he got back in. Then he was shouting things like WATCH OUT FOR MY DAD! HE DOES TRICKS! I had the ball and he came at me. I said, "Oh, no!" and he said, "we're against you, Mom!"
When we first got out there I just had two hopes: that I wouldn't slip in the mud and that I wouldn't get kicked in the shins. After about five minutes my only hope was that my lungs wouldn't pop.

Multi-tasking Crash

This was a VERY busy week.

Let's see, Monday Sophie helped me get on the road to making one hundred bean bags to give away at a workshop on art and artifact handling on Friday. I was going to do them on my own time, at home, but the whole thing spiraled out of control and by Thursday nearly everyone around me was put to work. But Monday was the craziest day. Sophie downed an eggnog latte before work that gave her a headache, then we stuffed ourselves at India Sweet and Spice for lunch. We had our own little sweat shop going, I didn't let her stop for a minute: cut that, fill those, iron those, go to my car, etc. By the end of the day I could barely lift my arms. "I'm so tired, are you tired?", I asked her.

"Yeah, and I think I'm gonna barf".

Polypropylene pellet bean bag ready to have the tag sewn in.

Labels we made using twill tape and iron-on transfer paper. My helpers and I cut and ironed down 100 sets, and they came out so nice. It was totally worth it.

We had researchers in to photograph petroglyphs, that was interesting.

Ozge greets the researchers.

Anyway, the workshop Friday went very well and both Ash and I were relieved it was over. He was having sympathy stress so we were both ready to skip away. Everyone loved the beanbags and oh, yes, the presentation was fine, too.


We filled the weekend with soccer, a trip to the Observatory, and the yearly shopping trip at Felt Club where we saw the Gem Sweater lady, Leslie Hall, in person, selling spandex pants and cds. I went up with the plan to touch her but then I decided not to act like a weirdo. I guess I'm a little sad about it now.

Theron with the Hollywood sign in the background

On the Observatory stairs

We're also sad because Theron and Alan were supposed to meet for a movie this weekend but the fires closed the roads between us. Safety first. Madagascar 2 will still be there another day.

He cracks himself up

Theron to Daddy: "How can I love a man who pinched my butt?

Mental Health Day

The ingredients for a successful mental health day include:

Good food

One of our favorite slow cooker recipes comes from Martha Stewart. Basically you just pour a can of Campbell's tomato soup over a roast and veggies with a dash of thyme. The hardest part is braising the meat first and keeping the ants off of everything.

Grooming

A bubble bath and a thermal pedicure from Olay. It REALLY works but they're not kidding about the thermal part - it gets HOT.

The boob tube

Roger Moore was on The View making all the ladies swoon. He was talking about how he learned to kiss and they went crazy. Then he leaned in close to Barbara and she pushed him away - very cute.

A celebrity sighting

At the Grove I saw Leslie Jordan from Will and Grace who played Karen's nemesis, Beverly Leslie.

No homework - for Theron (or us!) because it was Friday.

And I really do feel much better.

Afterglow

Of all the lessons to teach a little boy, one of the best is trying to explain why people cry when they're happy.

Halloween!

Here's our little pirate. Earlier in the day he had a beard and moustache. I carved five pumpkins. I really tried to make sure that black widow had eight legs, but it's still scary, eh? To the left is our little Obama-lantern.I hate that this is hard to see, I just couldn't get a good picture with the bats in the air.

Theron designed the cyclops.
We went out trick or treating right at dark, saw some amazing displays, but in the end we only probably hit about 10 houses. This is what I don't understand about this kid. In our day you got as much free candy as possible! After about 6 houses Theron wanted to look in the bag to see if he had enough. Enough? Can you still carry that bag with one hand? Then, no, you don't have enough. In our day we filled that bag and there was good stuff that parents would never allow now - pomegranates, home-made candy apples and popcorn balls. You had to get as much as possible because it faciliates a successful sort: there's the GOOD stuff, the stuff to trade, and then the pile for Dad, because just like earthworms on the forest floor, Dads are the mulchers of Candyland. They eat the boring candy, the black candy, and anything else disgusting, and they like it because they know, like everyone else except my son, that nothing tastes better than free candy. After the sort you ate candy everyday at a rationed rate so that you were still eating it when the Christmas tree went up. Ashley just thinks Theron's never been candy-deprived so he can't appreciate it. Another parenting failure.

Ashley went to the school costume parade. Theron appears at about 16 or 17 seconds into it.

It's War

The ants. It's all about the ants now. We are so tired of those little monsters. We must be on top of the largest ant hill in California. They're on the iron while I'm ironing. They're in the linen closet. They're on couch doing God knows what. Before we even moved in they were all over Theron's shag carpet and we assumed they'd move on, but no. Theron leaves towels and blankets all over the floor to walk on like pavers on a garden path. He thinks the ants can't climb them. This poor kid hates bugs so much it's like every nightmare come true. He could write his own Goosebumps stories - Episode One: Who Left That Juice Box In My Room???!!!!
Sometimes they go away and Theron thinks he's safe in the bathtub, pitting Shrek against Spiderman, when the ants come out of the grout. We're hoping this will really teach him a lesson about keeping his room clean but it's a slooooow process. Today, Episode Two: Who Left Those Wrappers On My Bed???!!!
My assistant, Sophie, is the sweetest girl ever and she loves all creatures. She will tell you heart breaking stories about giant African millipedes. Last week at lunch Ozge said she was trying to scare ants off without killing them. Sophie said, "Just kill them, they're awful!" In my opinion if Sophie says kill them, they have to die. Ashley has laid out every over the counter poison available and this week they tried to kill him back. Monday morning Ashley went to take a shower and found a paper plate with pizza remains in the bathroom trash can crawling with ants (Episode Three: Wha????) He rushed it to the backyard, naked, and while running back he sliced open his big toe on the cement. I thought he needed stitches but he heals well.
I'm sad about what this has done to me. When I wash dishes I enjoy pouring hot water on them. I like to smash them and watch as they run for their lives. I think I'm going to come back and find they were scared off by all the many dead, but they keep doing what they were doing, looking for baloney or eggs. And then I feel even LESS sorry for them and the killing continues.
Oh well.
Next, on the list, pantry moths.

Better Late Than Never?

Last week I went for escargot and Kir royales with Mike and Erik and I returned a book to Mike that I've had for 27 years. It is a hardback first edition of Hotel New Hampshire. I know at first I kept it because I liked it. Then I probably kept it because I moved around a lot and always forgot about it. Then I kept it because I wanted to and figured he forgot about it. Then we moved and I found it again and thought, oh well. I probably only read it once in the 80's anyway, then the movie ruined it for me. Many years ago Mike lost virtually everything he owned - the story is best told by him - he had more books, and records, and expensive clothes than anyone I knew. So he started over, and again his house is full of books. It was our goal to read EVERYTHING. At one time he had money and now he has so little but he and Erik have a motto: just buy the book. Giving someone back a book he thought was lost with everything else, giving it back to someone who loves books - I felt guilty for keeping it so long, but my heart hurt more to see the joy it brought. Then he opened the book, which I hadn't done, and pressed inside was a boutoniere from some long ago school dance.

Halloweens Past

Here are a couple of costumes back when I had time to make stuff and Theron had no opinion about what he was. This is him at 3 months. He is a bee. This costume was made by cutting up one of daddy's t-shirts. The stripe is a strip of one sleeve slipped over the top of a yellow onesie - no sewing. The hat is the other sleeve that I sewed across the top and twisted the corners with yarn. The wings are backer rod with trash-bag plastic.

This is the bee with his bottle

The next year he was a chia pet. The costume base is a long sleeve shirt and pajama pants from a discount store, that I dyed with Rit, to be the terracotta body. The hat and the body are simple rectangles that I knit in a garter stitch, using a Rowan wool tweed and green eyelash yarn. The eyelash yarn is knit with the wool every third row. The closure at the bottom was a snap closure I cut out of an old onesie.



This year he wants to be a pirate. In order to get an eyepatch I had to buy a moustache and beard. Of course he had to try it out and now I find the beard, or piece of it? everywhere - stuck to the chair, stuck to my car keys, stuck to the kitchen cabinets. If it gets stuck to the trash can that's it.

Done!

I finished the quilt this weekend and we presented it to Steven today. We all think it is the best one ever. More photos at Flickr.

Friday night I went on my own to see Michael's new play. I don't think I'll write the name because this is a family blog, but it was soooo funny. He wrote and starred in it, Erik did all the art and there were some of Erik's paintings in the lobby, too.

Last night were the Santa Ana winds that woke me up at 3. I laid there in fear as Ash slept. The winds were so loud I felt like we were on a ship in the eye of the storm. Theron got up at 4 and got in bed with us. He said, "It sounds like the ocean!". I agreed. Ash couldn't understand what I was afraid of.

A partial list includes:

- pinecones being flung at such high speeds they start breaking windows

- A tree falling on the car

- The house being wrenched from the foundation and landing on a witch

- The reason it sounds like we're in a storm on the ocean is because we are

I was hoping the wind would calm down by morning and if anything it was worse and I overheard the weatherman saying it has something to do with warm air and the wind rushing to the ocean. EEeeeiiii! I drove Theron to school and at the lot in the park, where we park everyday, he asked to sit on the cannon. (he loves to do that) I said, "What?! Look outside!" and we watched what looked like the result of several firehoses spraying dirt in every direction. Right next to an uprooted tree.

"Oh", he said.

p.s. Ashley says he can sleep through wind because he is from Oklahoma! He also says there is no way pine cones can become deadly projectiles.

Cute!

How 'bout some links today?

Skeleton tutorial: Small Object
Ghost Walkers Tutorial: Also Small Object
Entire Halloween House: Small Object
Little landscape pincushions in teacups from Mimikirchner.com

p.s. Mom or Dad, does anyone know what happened to my teacup collection???

Booty juggler game : By 4Mations

p.s. the 7th was our two year blog-a-versary. Time goes by so fast...

Apple Pudding

This is for Odile who has too many apples, from the book, Great British Cooking: A Well Kept Secret by Jane Garmey. I copied it from a library book 20 years ago and it never fails to satisfy. It looks good and tastes divine.

APPLE CINNAMON PUDDING

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup light cream
4 oz butter
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
4 med sized apples

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Beat eggs and 1 cup of sugar. Bring cream and butter to just below boiling point over a low heat. Remove and pour onto the egg and sugar. Fold in flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

Grease a square 9" x 9" baking pan. Pour in the mixture and arrange the apples on top. Cover with the remaining sugar and bake for about 20 minutes or until firm (I always seem to end up baking it for closer to 40 minutes).

Project Time

A few weeks ago Ashley saw me cutting fabric and asked what it was for.

"Your worst nightmare", I said.

"Which one?"

The baby quilt nightmare, of course! This one is for our head curator/interim director whose baby boy is due in less than 2 weeks. I've just started this Flickr group to show the various patches. There are only two in there right now but I'll be adding as they come in.

Popeye: Pros and Cons

Pros: He endorses a healthy, though limited, diet rich in iron, potassium, magnesium, and folic acid.
Cons: He mumbles and solves all his problems with his mutant fists.

Conclusion: Though neither are good about using their words, Popeye's still probably better than the Power Rangers whose powers are a mystery. Popeye does not require spandex or a secret identity, he am who he am. Also, the characters like to sing and dance and it's really cute.

Odds and Ends

today at the farmer's market in Montrose

Theron's team, the Golden Dragons, are doing great. Unfortunately Theron thinks because defense is "his thing" he hesitates to follow the ball down the field to the goal. Overall we really like the team because all the kids seem to get along so well.

This is a picture of lunch a week ago in Chinatown.

from left: Lalena, Kianga, Kerry, Vanessa, Me, Peg

I'm showing the picture because it was legendary. The food was DELICIOUS. We go to lunch as a group every week for Fun Friday and this was one for the books. For instance, everyone LOVED the eggplant and the majority of us say we usually hate eggplant.

Scott took the picture with his new IPhone. Kianga's making a face because her Blackberry could do that too. Scott showed gentlemanly restraint in not engaging in the Blackberry/Iphone debate but Kianga doesn't let up on him so easily.

Anyway the food was better than I bet it is at this place.

Speaking of food, this culprit (culprits?) found an old KFC chicken pot pie, ate it in the backyard, and left muddy footprints all over an air mattress.