work stuff.

work stuff.. ha! that sounds like such a droll boring statement. but really when i entitled this blog post i was writing those words with more than a glint of excitement. WORK STUFF! YAY!

i have work brewing. work for this wonderful local artist/entrepreneur designing and putting together a cookbook which is also a family history...i met with her today. hearing about her project today has gotten me so excited to do the work. and the idea of making my own money, money that is per hour and not per chance like selling artwork, well...the crescendo of this coming my way is simply stifling...i don't want to breathe until it is in the works.

but i am breathing. and happily i have run into another fortunate outlet for my artwork, at least for my jewelry. Beth Fowler is opening up an amazing little eclectic marketplace in connecticut called Loam and has asked me to put some of my work in her shop. it is perfect for this to happen right now. it takes a lot of energy to sell my work...and if she is doing it, well, i can concentrate on creating and working on this book.

and mostly, being able to work from home on both my own art and this book i get to concentrate on my kids and their schooling, which is going so well. i have learned that lots of kisses and eye gazing helps me to get them feeling focused and feel appreciated. i love my kids so much. they are amazing, try so hard and they love me.

i have to add that i love being an at-home mom. so much. i am so thankful to J for working so hard so that i can be there consistently for Boo, Bones and Baby D...but there is also something to be said for earning a bit of one's own money. 'nuff said on the subject.

xo

common ground

so...of all the autumn fairs in maine, i have to say i love common ground the best. Boo describes it best when he says, "it isn't all about getting our money." :) it is a fair that feels like old times, without rides or loud blaring pop music, though there are two stages with great live music and everything is based on organic farming and living harmoniously with the earth. tens of thousands of people come together to celebrate living simpler and i think it one of our favorite things to do all year.

the kids favorite part of the fair is such a simple pleasure, it is hard to really translate the oodles of fun they have...sliding down a dusty hill on waxed boxes. they do it every year and would spend hours upon hours doing it were they not given limits!

really it is a beautiful thing when kids, TONS OF THEM, are entertained without anyone having spent a cent...no Zipper, or Arctic Coaster that zooms through the air with loud rock music blasting...it is simple, pure, fun. and i guarantee it will be what they remember...not the rides at other fairs. :)

i love maine.

now, if only the stupid, graphic pro-lifers that stand with their nasty posters of dead babies outside the gate of common ground would realize they do more harm than any good for their cause then we would have the perfect fair. :)

corn corn corn.

took the honey babies to a corn maze in dayton or hollis or biddeford on friday...don't honestly know what town it was in, but it was directly next to skelton falls...a hydro-electric project. the maze was super wicked awesome fun...we were lost for so long...there were ten check points and it took us almost 45 minutes of circles to find out way to the third...we were happily lost and learned to work together and finally freed ourselves from the damn corn!!!

acres and acres and acres of corn. corn corn corn.

down with materialism and up with that material i packed away for a rainy day!

i am trying to be good, as in frugal, these days. down with materialism...at least with shopping. i love buying and trading with other artisans and all though...don't get me wrong.

tonight though, because i really felt that urge for something new and fun to wear on all of our outings this weekend (it is going to be quite the adventure filled weekend!)...so i grabbed a piece of leopard print jersey i was hanging onto to make something out of someday and i went to town on it.

and out of it came the perfect little fall skirt! raw edges, nothing fancy, longer in the back than in the front...it is stretchy and comfy and fits perfectly...my picture doesn't do it justice...perhaps i'll have a better one to post after the weekend is over!

i had no idea what i was doing honestly...but it came out perfectly. all i can say is yay! Yay! YAY!!

xo

sax class

saxophone lessons at the public school began for my oldest son...9 year old Boo, today.

for the first time in his life, Boo, who is a perpetually messy-haired kid, asked me for a comb. he wanted to comb his hair for his class. this shook me. i cannot explain how significant this event is. i'm not sure what it means, besides that he has become concerned with his appearance, but i can say with certainty that big things are afoot.

we got to band early to orient ourselves.

upon arrival we discovered that the band director is not a band director at all. nope. it is an alias, a front. he is an impostor, he told my kids. he does it for the pay and is actually a jazz saxophonist...but shhhhh....don't tell the principal.

he homeschools four of his children...or his wife does. he has a smashingly funny personality and Boo and Bones took to him right away. he is even going to help us find a used clarinet so we can teach Bones clarinet at home...he is so eager to learn a wind instrument seeing his brother take this new exciting challenge on. and i can play clarinet...so why not!?

all i can say is that we feel so lucky for Boo to be able to take band and sax with school. i can see in him a huge excitement and it sparks one in me, too.

curried lamb stew...perfect for an autumn eve out by a fire with friends

we are lucky to live near a farm called "ewe and I'...they raise sheep. and you can buy organic lamb there. though, unfortunately i can't afford that lamb at present, i had to put it out there for anyone who can. i love to support local businesses.

anyway...lamb stew. yummy, soul warming stew with a bit of a kick. and add a big dollop of israeli couscous and you have a masterpiece.

you'll need:
some oil...i like EV olive oil, although i am known to use toasted sesame oil every once in a while
some lamb...i use a piece of shoulder or shank cut into big hunks the size of two or three bites
a sweet onion
4 gloves of garlilc
some salt
1 Tbsp tumeric
1 tsp
ground ginger
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp
bragg's amino acid
3 Tbsp red wine
1 cup of black lentils (or any lentils...but black are petite, tender and pretty darn sexy)
salt and fresh ground pepper
pre-prepared israeli cous cous with some good freshly shredded aged cheese like parmesan reggiano tossed into it.

create:
put some oil in a big cast iron pot or the like and warm over medium heat...brown the lamb in the oil on all sides in batches and put to the side

peel the onion and garlic and chop into tiny bits. put some more oil in the pan you browned the lamb in and brown the onion and garlic, adding a little salt.

stir in the tumeric, ginger, cinnimon, pepper and nutmeg, with some freshly ground pepper.

stir in the honey, the Bragg's and wine. Put the lamb in the pan...pour in cold water until all of the ingredients are well covered...bring to a boil, then put lid on pan. reduce heat and simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender and falls apart with some forking.

add the lentils to the pot and cook another 20 or so minutes without the lid on until lentils are soft and all the liquid has thickened a bit.

put some couscous at the bottom of each bowl and spoon the stew over the top.

kick your feet up with some awesome people around a fire, dig in and enjoy.

and the devil on the other shoulder is screaming for...Those Chocolate Chip Cookies...aka: how i get my work-a-holic husbnad to pay attention to me.

best Chocolate chip cookies i've eaten or made (and i've made plenty...it's how i bribe my husband into doing things for me)...and believe it or not they're vegan!

1 cup earth balance(or butter for you non-vegans)
1 1/4 c sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract (real, of course)
2 1/2 c flour (i use unbleached white whole wheat and it is great...but regular flour will do.)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chips

set oven to 350
combine thoroughly each ingredient in order listed except chips...should be creamy and firm, but if it is dry add a touch of water. then add chips. lick the beaters. drop by teaspoon fulls on a cookie tray and bake 8-10 minutes...let cool on sheet 5 minutes before taking off...

pour yourself some milk, cow, rice, soy, goat or otherwise, dunk and enjoy!!!

the little angel on my shoulder calls for...the best kale salad ever

i love kale. period. simply one of the best foods on the planet. and i just got this amazing recipe for a kale salad which is sooo easy it's not even funny...of course i have bastardized it to my liking...

so here it is...(ingredients are rough estimates...)
kale. raw. lots of it. chopped up in tiny bite size pieces.
some bragg's amino acids (about 3 Tbs)
the juice of a citrus fruit...the original recipe called for a lemon, but i recently just subbed a clementine for it and it was fabulous. let the pulp fall right in, too.
some EV olive oil (a few tsps)
finely sliced shallot (one big fat one or so...)
apple cider vinegar (as much as needed depending on how much kale you've used)
chopped red cabbage
salt and pepper to taste

mix it all up and let sit for a little while...or not.it's also great right after you toss it, too.
and soooo bloody good for you. every time i have felt i wanted to shed some pounds kale became my best friend...for a good reason. mmmmm.

a cacophony of joyful noises...

Boo got his alto sax in the mail today...the day before lessons begin at the public school. i was so nervous...i thought it wouldn't get here in time. i thought i wouldn't be able to find one we could afford...but it all happened harmoniously and joyfully. luckily it WAS on the day before lessons begin. i don't think this excited boy could wait longer than 24 hours to start his learning!

i have never seen him so excited. he was abubble...kept saying..."i feel so good, mommy!" "i am just so excited!!!" it was so wonderful to witness. i knew he would love it. i imagine the band director handing him the diagram of how to play the notes...and i tell you he will learn them all in a matter of one day. he learned to read music in one half hour lesson...he will learn to play that sax in one evening alone with it and the information. i am so excited to watch it go down.

sigh.

i love my kids and their eagerness to learn and create. Boo played that sax as best as he could muster today and Bones played a bit of the songs he and Boo have been working out on the piano while Baby D wailed like a dying seal trying to mimic Boos' sax playing. Rontu (the dog) and i sat trying not to wince. it was horrifically beautiful and i am so excited for my children to know the gift of music.

i do have the endurance to last through their learning years. hell...i was teaching myself violin when i was J's neighbor...talk about aural pain. and he still fell in love with me. :) i owe it to me kids to meditate through this time period. :)

yay! music!!

Work.

i have had so much change in my life recently, with much more to come.

tubby time

autumnal goods

i finished ginging's fall sweater jacket today...i had to show it off...i just love it so much. well, him in it sooo much i should say. i made the pattern up...it was my first hood. i think the bumps are kind of charming. only problem is the two older, much larger brothers want them now, too. looks like handworks are in order for homeschooling! they can make their own. with all i have to do i'd be done in the summer!

and we're off!!!

yesterday marked the official start of our homeschooling year. we have yet to get our curriculums, so we are working on the outside-the-curriculum stuff for now.

we began with some math review, and reading. and the boys chose some independent research topics. we had to sign up for soccer, so we rode our bikes to the parks in rec office and then to the library to get books...J Boo chose sharks and Bones chose volcanos. should be fun topics and warrant a trip to the boston museum of science. yay!!! we biked over 8 miles yesterday with baby in tow!

J Boo began his archery workshop with our town yesterday...and he had a great time. and got a double bull's eye to boot. yay jetty.



today we began using the math books we got from the public schools...everyday math. they seem great and easy enough for me to understand. i am thinking they will be the math we use instead of calvert. saves us a couple hundred bucks.

we are also starting our first herbology unit....a new herb each month for a year!!!! we begin with elderberries! in the spirit of hogwarts we go! who knows, maybe one of them will be a naturopath...or a witch doctor.

bones starts his music class today and we are still hunting for a sax for j boo...his band starts next week and we haven't found one yet. :( eeee....time is ticking. sooo much to do so little time!

a Picnic with my son...and thousands of other people, too...IN THE RAIN!!!

i participated in Portland Maine's very own Picnic music and arts festival yesterday...and as a helper i brought my very willing 9 year old son Little J along. he would be in charge of the $$, making change and stuff...and he brought along his deck of tarot cards in case he got the gumption to do a little reading for people.

well...the day began quite swimmingly. sales galore, a totally positive and interested response to my work...but then the rain hit...
hard.

and paper and rain, despite manmade shields just don't mix...

Little J helped with protecting things...he was morally supportive and just sooo GOOD. he wound up hiding under the table for the last hour that we hung in there reading a book under a giant furry leopard print blanket to keep dry and warm.

my point here, is that he was amazing. helpful, enthusiastic, adaptable and entertained himself with raindrops when he had nothing else to do...i loved spending some alone time with him. it reminded me of the year and half when it was ust he and i, before the other two meatballs came. my children are all so unique to themselves...and i love them so much.

i got several compliments from neighboring sales people about how wonderful he is...

and they are right. great kid. great time. thanks J Boo for being my helper and sorry the by donation readings didn't pan out (dry space was quite limited)...maybe the december Picnic will be condusive!!

warm woolies...

when the cold weather starts to whistle in the distance i hunker down like a good mama hen and crochet or knit until my fingers bleed.

if you are like me and create WAY too many warm things consider donating them to "nest"...follow the link below for more info.
http://nestmaine.blogspot.com/

hooray for good eggs. i am all for risking being called a socialist and pitching in.

fingerprints

my mom keeps things. pretty much everything.

so it's no wonder that when i realized my oldest son would love an ancient typwriter for his very special birthday (he turns 9 on 9/9/09) that she would have one sitting in her basement. an old smith-corona that belonged to my beloved great aunt, Shash.

shash stood for francis, pronounced by a child. shash.

the typewriter is old...sticky and covered in muck and oily dirt. i took out a cloth tonight, some alcohol and a brush to begin the process to clelaning it.

but i am a bit freaked out.

i have a deep rooted love and adoration of things with history, a love and passion that i passed down to Little J. it is odd though, that shash's fingerprints bring back such vivid memories...she lived with my family during my high school years and i helped to care for her as she aged. she was obese and had arthritis and had a hard time moving about. she needed a lot of help to put it mildly. but she was grateful and pleasant...and so generous. it wasn't like she was a burden. not to me, at least. although there were some sites, scents and unpleasantries i'm sure she'd hope i would forget...but i haven't.

especially not with seeing her fingerprints all over this typewriter. her fingers were often coated with stuff...food, most of the time. when she woke up she would begin to prepare dinner if only in her mind. she was a single woman all of her life, rumor has it a virgin. a business woman, first woman to work at Western Connecticut State University in the business office even. she was the first feminist i ever knew...and i didn't even know the term for it back then. she traveled the world on her good state worker's pay. and what were her tales from her travels? they were about food. from french gourmet to hot dog carts the woman could recall practically every meal she had in her life. and she did. fondly. often.

she had a passion for eating. and it showed in her physique, which ultimately made her life sour. she had to give up her mobility, her freedom because she could no longer lift her heavy legs from gas to brake. she needed to ring a little bell that sat next to her auto-lift recliner so i would come in and help her to the bathroom, or change her clothing, help her bathe or pick up the imagined string she thought was all over the floor. she walked with a walker that bent and buckled underneath her great weight. eventually she wound up in a wheel chair. eventually my parents wound up wanting to leave connecticut for maine and she wound up giving it all up and choosing a nursing home for herself...where the food sucked.

i remember the night she died. i was my now husband's neighbor. it was the night i went to see that stupid war movie with matt damon in it...in the theatre with that stupid, idiot boyfriend i was dating back then. i came home, thinking about world war 2 and the era my aunt was from and i sadly discovered that she was gone. i was in maine. she was in connecticut. and she was just gone. i think she was 84. i was 25.

a month later i bought my little house. J came around four or five months after that and has been here ever since...and then the babies started making their entrances into the world. J, our three children and i all live in that little house still, although it looks much differnt than it did 11 years ago when i bought it. it makes me sad that she died right before these great transitions of mine. she didn't get to experience it. she never really got to know the woman i have become.

but her typewriter is sitting in this old 1790's cape of ours...that old heavy beast covered in her fingerprints...it will see my offspring and know them. hopefully it will click and clack it's way into the heart of Little J, my writer with a passion for the ancient, the used, things with a past...

i do need to clean off the fingerprints. though they do leave a lovely patina...i have to admit, i relate them to the smears on the bathroom wall next to the roll of toilet paper that i cleaned up for her while holding my breath...and the smudges all over the house from where she leaned on the walls or the furntiture to help her move around. at 16, for me, sometimes it was hard not to gag. but i am stronger and kinder and wiser from having loved her...and lived so closely with her.

Shash. i love you. thanks for the typewriter. and the many lessons. (and thanks mom, for having it still!)

xo

running our rat terrier's derrier off

every fall reminds me of cross country...the smell of leaves, the chill of early morning that opens to comfortable sunshine. perfect time of the year to run...

Little J and R ran track with our town this summer and they loved it. there is something so primal and raw and basic about running that it drew them in just like it drew me in years ago. it is a sport where you compete with others, against others, but ultimately it is about yourself and doing your personal best. my kids loved it more than any other sport they've participated in so far.

so, because our little rat terrier Rontu is getting a bit fat, we have begun taking him on jogs. 2 to 3 miles. at first the kids were riding their bikes as i ran with the baby in the jogging storller and Rontu on the leash...but today they decided to run the whole way.

and they did it!

Little J has the demeanor of a distance runner, stable, well-paced and not a word of complaint out of his mouth. he made it effortlessly the whole way and even claimed he could go further!

R, on the other hand is more of a sprinter. he whined and complained and tried to find every excuse to stop, though he managed to make it through the whole 2 1/2 miles...and he ran as fast as lightening for the last 1/4 mile of it even! sounds a lot like my style when i first moved from sprinting to distance running in high school!!!

it has become a habit, this daily jaunt. and a good one. we need to get that doggy of ours down to 19 pounds...from 23!!!! porker!