the perfect bite size cookie

Is it one of those strange pregnancy cravings? Everything in the Mexican food aisle looks absolutely yummy to me lately. And these tasty little morsels live up to their box appeal. Can't stop popping them into my mouth. I'm imagining them stacked upon a scoop of vanilla ice cream. (that thought didn't occur to me until I got home - and I was too pooped to go back to the store, so that thought will have to wait) Or how about with a dollop of icing smooshed between two wafers - what a sweet sandwich that would be?!? Sweet tooth! I have a sweet tooth like you can't believe. I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship with these cookies. These wonderful galletas con grageas...muy bueno!

creative clutter

Talking to my aunt on the phone the other day, she mentioned how she admires my organization and my habit of working on projects without creating a huge mess in my path. Ah...smoke and mirrors, smoke and mirrors. Here is my work space after finishing up a wholesale order over the weekend:

Such a mess!

Shelves filled with supplies I don't use - time to go through it all! Ironing board got in the way of a bottle of paint - oops! Hardly a clear work surface anywhere to be found. Sure, some things are organized - but then there are little pockets like this old hat box filled with lace and trim that hardly closes because it's so full. Stuff everywhere! And what you don't see: little bits of paper and felt all over the floor after I'd stopped trying to hit the waste basket, an over flowing waste basket, cups of mucky paint water and a computer station with an inaccessible computer (thank god for the laptop in the kitchen!).

But you know what? I couldn't work in one of Martha's sterile work rooms. Where's the creativity in that? Looks pretty, but hardly serves as a work space if you're constantly worrying about putting things back in their assigned places the very second you're done using them. There's a limit to the level of anal behavior that is allowed in a creative space - I believe. I'm even proud of the paint splatters on the floor in the garage. If we ever leave this place, the folks who move in will know someone had some fun here. (I think my dad tries to scrub that paint off every time he comes over - it drives him nuts, the drop cloth king)

But even I must admit it's time to clean up. My next big project to tackle: sew a slip cover for our sadly stained sofa that WILL not slip. I'm sick of adjusting that thing! All upholstery fabric is 50% off - no time like the present!

i've got sunshine

It's my lucky day. An afternoon to silk screen and a Cary Grant movie marathon on TV. And to top it all off, it's date night tonight! Going out to see "Little Miss Sunshine" - the trailers look hilarious. Looking foward to it.

time to go pee pee?

I've been absorbed in the hell that is potty training. If I'm not washing underpants after accidents, I'm helping him go on the potty chair (about 20 times a day) or pulling my hair out because he didn't tell me he had to go (even though he just went 5 minutes ago). Argggggggg!

On the off chance that someone (other than my husband) actually checks this here little blog, thought I'd post something resembling anything that I've actually managed to work on this week. I revised the bottom of my felt booties to include this little window for a Buzzing Bog critter. Yeah - it's taken me all week to do this. 3 minutes here, 4 minutes there...I swear, the day he actually is potty trained will be pure bliss.

sushi for those who like their fish fried

Awhile back, I purchased this felted sushi kit from misshawklet.



I FINALLY got around to making my sushi. They made a wonderful addition to my beach hat for Hawaii! I certainly got a lot of comments and smiles. My sushi roll made quite a few slices - now I'll have to come up with some more creative uses.

memory books

Trying to catch up with my posts! Here are some photos of the finished memory books I made for the family. Top left photo shows the inside cover with the swatch of fabric cut from one of my Grandma's skirt. I included a little letter explaining the process of putting these books together, some Hawiian history and stories and photos of my Grandma through the years on all of her returns to the islands. I'm really glad I did these - I think everyone loved them. There were so many emotions that day - I know we all felt good about taking my Grandma back home, but in another sense - I don't think any of us really wanted to let go.

a little aloha - click box to play

a land called Hanalei

I've been keeping a long list of the things I've been meaning to post over the last couple weeks...and now it's a bit overwhelming. Well - let's start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start.

:: Kaua'i ::



Wonderful - but how could it not be? I had a couple days of overwhelming moodiness - sure I can blame it on the human being growing inside of me - but mostly I just regret feeling sad while being in my favorite place in the whole entire world...ah...beautiful Hanalei. To me, there is just no other perfect place. Sure it gets a lot of rain - but in Hanalei style, who cares? Where you gotta be anyways, eh? That beautiful bay surrounded by lush green cliffs and a sleepy little town surrounded by taro patches. Maybe someday after the kids are grown and I'm retired, once the grandkids are off to school, maybe then we'll buy a little house in Hanalei for the winter of our lives.

Since I am too lazy to go rummaging around for the camera, I'll have to post pictures of the memory books I completed for the family later. Yeah, they're still in the cam. Lazy lazy lazy! Still unpacking, still catching up on the household routine, still a little behind on everything because my mind just cannot grasp the fact that we're not still in Hawaii. Taking my Grandma's ashes back to her hometown was very bittersweet. In her last days, she kept asking to go home (to Kauai). So she's there now. I hope she's blooming into a beautiful ginger or plumeria blossom, dancing in the waves on a white sandy beach and raining down on those magnificently wind-carved cliffs. The island has a completely new meaning for me now - and I have an entirely new reason for going back. She's there.

More pics and chatter about everything else later!

hunk of meat

I'm finally getting my energy back! Hello second tri-mester - I LOVE ya!

We have a friend we've known since high school - he comes over every Sunday night for dinner and to watch whatever's in-season on HBO (Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Entourage, Lucky Louie...). His birthday was over the weekend, so we had ourselves a little celebration ~

Whenever there's cause for a special dinner, I'm always jealous of everyone's love for steak. It's so easy for them..."oh? promotion at work? we're eating steak tonight!" I HATE steak. If I eat red meat at all, it has to be ground and covered with ketchup, taco sauce or cheese. I'll have a hamburger maybe 6 times a year. But it has to be In-N-Out. They've gotta be THIN. If I weren't so lazy, I'd be a vegetarian. I generally don't like the taste of any meat. A sandwich must have one thin slice of deli meat and a ton of cheese. Chicken is best to me when it's been marinating in teriyaki for hours. But steak, unlike chicken and pork, just tastes too bloody for me to enjoy at all. So - when everyone else is drooling over their thick steak on the grill, I stand there with my boring chicken breast - same as any other night. But this time I splurged. I've discovered my steak equivalent! And it ain't cheap. Lobster! Ah! I broiled my $15 lobster tail marinated in olive oil, salt+pepper and garlic, then drizzled melted butter over the top - now that's a celebration!

As my days before our trip come to a close, so does my preparation for the Carlsbad Art In the Village which happens the day after we get back, August 13th in downtown Carlsbad, CA (North San Diego County). Here are some of the soft blocks and diaper pouches I've been working on:

Aloha!