Crafty Katie

What is one to do when one is in possession of a dingy, old frame but is short on moo-la?
One breaks out the glue.

I tore up some newspaper and just set to it with some Mod Podge. Glossy, of course.

I let it dry overnight.

Then set to it with some acrylics.
I was going to do it in black, but Zach convinced me to go with something bolder. And what, I ask you, is bolder than red? Hmm... maybe orange.

And now don't those Parisian women look happy? Of course they do! Not as happy as if they were in a custom Givenchy frame with french mat frame, maybe. But, if they had wanted that, they should have been bought at that yard sale by someone with more money.

Fous parisiens!

The Problem with Potlucks...

Carrot Salad
(I added too much garlic)

We were invited to two different potlucks this weekend. It was loads of fun, but they were both a little spur of the moment. So, I had to scrape together some recipes and make sure that we still had ingredients for this weeks meals.

It occurred to me, while cutting two pounds of potatoes and slathering them with layers of shallots and leeks, that there are some distinct problems with potlucks. First of all, how much food do you make? This isn't always a problem if know how many people will be there, but you don't always, and this was my case. So, I decided to make two smallish dishes for the first potluck.

Potatoes Lyonesse
(Mutali said she really liked these, but I forgot to season each layer)

The second problem is that you are basically putting your culinary reputation on the line by showing up with anything at a potluck. If the dish is awful, you will be forced to make The Walk of Shame; when one has to pick up there dish and admit to the world that, "yes, I made this casserole/salad/dessert and no one ate it because it was awful." Then you pack it up and take it home, to sit in the fridge until you finally are brave enough to peak under the lid. If you are smart you'll just dump it in the bushes on your way out, because, ya know, it really was awful.

Fiesta Tomatoes + Carrots
(These went over pretty well. I mean, I liked 'em)

Another distinct problem is when your food is really, really good. Doesn't sound like a problem? Well, it isn't unless you have someone praising your food to the skies (note: this is not something I am too familiar with) while another person's food, who is sitting right there of course, goes completely unnoticed (note: I am much more familiar with this). Of course, this is one of those happy problems when it happens, but it is still a little awkward.

But, even with these potential problems, we had a fun time at both of them. We met several people from our neighborhood and ward and had lots of delicious food and good conversation, which is what it's really about. Not about the social and culinary insecurities one might be presented with.

And anyway, my food did well, so I'm not worried.

The Cool Bookshelf

We needed a place to put all the new books I got for school. Katie thinks I buy too many, but 23 books is not too many. Bringing about three times that number home from the library, yeah, that was a lot. (I still stand by the idea that there is no such thing as too many books. That's like having too much sugar--no such thing.) Anyway, after filling the little shelf space we had, I decided to build a new book shelf.


Ben watched, and then they decided to help Daddy. Let me tell you, they were more help than you could imagine. I mean, without them I never would have known that so many used nails could fit in one mouth.

As you see, I finished. I call it the cool bookshelf. If you want one, they are only $1000 each. But I could give you a family rate if you mention this blog. (In case it is illegal to sell things on the blog, I'm not. It was just a joke. I don't think anyone would pay that much anyway. (If you really want to pay that much, we'll call it a donation ;) ))

Dumpster Diving for Geraniums

Growing up, everywhere but California, geraniums were the nice little flowers with that funny smell that Mom planted. I believe this is the case for most gardens. Not here, baby! Geraniums are crazy-mega-monster plants! Taking over feet and feet of ground with their tubular reaching selves! There are several of these massive, more scary than pretty style geraniums around our house.

Of course, as Tai said once, "You just have to look at things there to make them grow." And apparently, with geraniums, you don't even have to be looking.

And yet it was still quite surprising when we found our local dumpster full of geranium cuttings the other day. I guess they decided a certain geranium needed to be cut back, probably to serve as a warning for neighboring plants, and consequently: Free Geraniums!

When I first saw the little flower peeking out of the dumpster I was hoping some over-stressed student had decided that they couldn't handle the responsibility of a plant and threw it out, some magnificent pot and all. Alas. But I did do some research and found out how to work with geranium cuttings. Though there was some conflicting advice. Some said to cut them long, others to cut them short. I went with my gut and cut several of each to see which turn out better. It isn't a very specific gut.

So, now I have four tiny pots of hot geraniums.
They look quite nice don't they? Of course, they are basically just stuck in the dirt. But maybe they put out some lil' roots.

I'll close my eyes for a second.

Scholars in Training

I noticed a silence one day (silence is not a good thing, believe you me) and was following a trail of toys, socks and shoes up the stairs. Upon the landing, what should I find, but this...



Ben is reading a the Vox Spanish Micro-Dictionary (or as he would probably told you, Diccionario Micro Lengua Espanola), while Sam, slightly more conservative, is brushing up his vocabulary with the Oxford English Minidictionary.

Readers! In our family! How could this have happened?

My Lil' Herb Garden

I bought these the other day from our local garden commune (of course we have a local garden commune, silly.) I haven't repotted them as yet, because I need to get some pots for them. English Lavender
I was looking around online and I realized that the reason the lavender seeds I planted never successfully grew is because lavender doesn't grow well from seeds, they do better from cuttings. Seems like a bit of a lazy plant to me.

Greek Oregano
This smells so very, very good!

Italian Parsley
Apparently this is harder to grow than the curly lettuce, but I really don't garnish, so we'll stick with this.

So, I'm going to plant them sometime this week after I get some pots and soil. I'll keep you posted. I'm also thinking about getting some Saffron Crocus to grow our own saffron. Hurrah for paella!

This is the life...

I believe Ben wanted more of Sam's noodles and that is why he is pulling his shirt like that. But I could be wrong. Both of these bowls have broken since this picture by the way. What? We were feeding the boys out of glass bowls? Yes. And now aren't our faces red. They just seemed so sturdy!

On a side note, these actually are two pictures. I didn't just go edit crazy or thought they would look artistic that way. Ben was tugging on Sam long enough for me to get shots of both of them. Hmmm... I probably should have intervened. Hm.