House Diet

I didn't want to bore you with all of my nebulous/worthless worrying and emotional/spiritual excavating and general evaluating of this wacky little life, so, it's been quiet.
I am trying to lose about 500 pounds of stuff. If you are looking for some cute stuff, you can find me on craigslist.

The Plan for Christmas

Sewing. And lots of it.
(top photo by Kat)

WIP

Taking full advantage of Brady's time at home. I snuck in a few minutes of making this morning... after a little wire splicing, I can show you the final product!

Table Decor Update

The more I looked at the sad little "centerpiece" the more it bothered me. I have since been working on my centerpiece arranging skills. The key? Toilet paper tube bats. He really brought it all together. Also, fossils, acorns, cinnamon sticks and more gourds and pinecones.

Fall-ifying

arghhhhh....
I do not want to have one of those never posted to blogs. I am having a lot of trouble getting my layout+photos the way I want them. Blasted perfectionism. Nothing ever gets accomplished because it's not EXACTLY how I envision it.
blah, blah...
So, I think the secret to appreciating the changing of seasons is decorating. I've never been a knick-knacky kind of gal... but my collection(s) are getting completely out of control- time to put that junk (erm... treasure) to work. See above for first attempts at seasonal decor Hudkins-style. Thank you baby brother+mama for the Fall centerpiece kit. It's a little spare, but go easy- I'm a novice.

Back at Yellowhouse

So. I think I may have mentioned potty training a few months back. We took a bit of a break. But, we are back on the (potty) saddle again. This time armed with Jelly Bellies ("bluuuueones") and a sticker chart. We ran out of our freebie stickers, and I never made time to hit the dollar store, so I have (finally) found a use for the sticker making/laminating machine I found at the thrift store for $2 (!!!).

Before and After

I love Before+Afters. I love makeovers. I love major transformation. In someone else's world.
In my own. They are just embarrassing.
Take this corner of our studio/dining room for example.
Last spring my monstrous scrap collection was relegated to the basement. And in late July we stopped denying the unmistakable smell of mildew wafting up the steps.
Thankfully the piles of fabric were salvageable after a few trips through the washing machine. But they had to find a new home. And for 2 weeks they just sat in the corner, a giant pile of clutter that seemed to attract even more clutter.
Only a trip to Ikea (for storage boxes, we managed to score the actual shelf in the scratch+dent last year) would cure this disarray.
So it's not the Expedit of my dreams, but it is one step closer. And I might actually let someone besides Brady and Edward in the house now.
Sorry about the pictures- the lighting in that room is less than awesome.

And for a little Expedit inspiration:


from Yvestown


from Chez Larsson

Back at Yellowhouse

Edward, watering.


Butternut squash and wild strawberries.

HiHi

It followed me home


Watching the cucumbers grow


Sneakers in sun


Guac for dinner night

A Late Bloomer

We have three of these beasty Catawba trees on the property, and since we did not move in until late Summer, we were caught by surprise when they burst into big, fat white blossoms, and started raining flowers all over our yard- long after all the other flowering trees did their sexy Spring mating dance. And they smell so subtle and sweet.



Also, I made this hippie Quinoa Tabbouleh, and it was way good. I might have used a little extra lemon zest and parsley, and also I halved the recipe. But, if you like quinoa or tabbouleh (tabouli), then you should surely try it.

Mushrooms!
ps- I'm going to San Francisco. Today (!!!!)

HotFun

Sidewalk chalk- on the porch.



Mustaches.



Bubbles.

90+ degrees, Saturday night, trip to King Arthur's Court Toys in Oakley, walked through Fresh Market just to smell-remember Winston.