Owl Softie

Inspired by my friend over at the Frabjous Versipel I set out to make a monster.  Specifically a monster for my nieces to whom I owe a Christmas present.   Yes.  I'm a bit behind.  Though with a little luck we might celebrate Christmas at Valentine's.  

Anyway my monster has morphed into an owl.  These creatures have a mind of their own.  I'm rather enamored and may not be able to give this one away.  If that's the case I'm likely to spend the weekend sewing softies.  I can think of worse ways to spend my time.  

The colors are a bit hard to see but it is a lovely chartreuse with an orange head, yellow feet and red heart.  I'll take a better picture once it's complete.  

The materials are fleece and felt.  All fabric I bought for other projects and never completed.  This project is therefore a stash buster.  Another good thing.  

I have a feeling softies are going to be part of my permanent gifting rotation.  Homemade gifts are best (even if they are two months late).  

xo.  

Today

xo.

Super Bowl Sunday and Teriyaki Meatballs

We had a mellow Sunday.  Working, napping, knitting and watching the Super Bowl.  Our family was not particularly invested in the outcome of the game and thus it was enjoyable.  Truth-be-told I watched mostly for the commercials.  The remainder of my time was spent knitting (well knitting and frogging and knitting again).

And though it was just our family I wanted to cook something special.  Something Super Bowlish.  During half time I tried out a new recipe -- Teriyaki Meatballs.  And let me tell you they were a hit.  The Boy, after biting into his first meatball, suggested that Mama become a contestant on Chopped.  Middle facebooked that dinner was delicious.  Everyone ate their fair share and then some.

I made a few small changes to the recipe -- first I doubled it.  This made enough to feed our family of five and have a few meatballs leftover.

I used only half the recommended amount of ginger; this mostly due to laziness.  Grating fresh ginger can be a bit of a chore.  But oh how good it smells!  Actually I had the boys grate the ginger for me.  It's nice to have prep cooks by my side.

Additionally I left out the sesame seeds.  I simply didn't feel like buying an additional ingredient.

And finally I used regular sesame oil instead of toasted sesame oil.  It was what we had on hand.

Yes -this recipe will be added to our regular repertoire.  It was great over rice and made a nice meal but it would also make a great party appetizer (just add toothpicks).

Thank you Budget Bytes for your ingenuity!

xo.

Things I'm Loving Today

Mug from the fabulous Illuminary

It's been a weekend of night shifts.  One more night to go then I'll have some precious time off.  I've taken to drinking tea at work.  Too much coffee makes me nauseous.  My mug was made by the fabulous Illuminary.  It contains a quote from Salvador Dali "Take me. I am the drug."  Seems fitting as I'm drinking my nightly elixer.

Things I'm loving today:

• Peppermint tea
• My bed and comforter
• A labrador with which to sleep the day away
• Hearing in my left ear (a temporary respite I'm sure but a welcome one nonetheless)
• Balance that is spot on (again temporary but welcome)
• Super bowl knitting (I'm working on this)
• Precious time off
• Sales in the shop
• Family travel fantasies (that might, just might, come true)
• Downton Abbey (what gorgeous setting and light.  Makes me want an Edwardian hair style.)

Okay now off to bed.  Have a wonderful day!

xo. 

Frugal Friday: A Paper Bag Floor Update and Tutorial

Well we've ripped out the carpet in two rooms and replaced them with paper bag floors.  And I have to tell you I couldn't be happier.

• They are durable (thus far they've stood up to two dogs, three cats and three children).  
• They are easy to repair.  Under the piano bench I just noticed a few small nicks.  Someone must have been particularly rough there. It'll be a quick fix to lay down another layer of paper and polyurethane over it. 
• They are easy to clean -- a simple swipe with the vacuum or a quick wipe down if something has spilled.  
• They are attractive (so much more than our smelly old carpet)

We like these floors so much we will be replacing the remaining carpeted areas in our house (our bedrooms and the stairs).  I might get creative on the stair risers and use some sort of decorative paper.  I really like the flooring pattern here.  I wonder if I could find a similar paper pattern to use on the risers?

This is such an easy project.  There are tutorials all over the web.   But the process hardly needs a full tutorial.  Here's what we did:

1. Rip up the carpet and remove any staples or nails (our subfloor is OSB board).
2. Fill in any cracks with wood filler, sand even as needed.
3. Rip up brown paper into various sizes and crinkle it. 
4. Dip paper in polyurethane and lay it down on the subfloor.  Smooth to the best of your ability.  There will be wrinkles and bubbles.  The bubbles will eventually get squished into wrinkles.  This is part of the charm of the floor.  Relax and go with it.  The more you dip the paper the darker the color will be.  To add light and dark contrasts lay some paper down without dipping it.  Instead paint a layer of urethane on the subfloor, lay down the paper and paint over the top.  As you are laying the paper be sure to overlap the edges so no subfloor shows through.  
5. Allow to dry.
6. Coat with five additional layers of polyurethane allowing to dry for 2-4 hours in between layers (read the label on your urethane container)

In Progress

And a hint -- splurge on low odor polyurethane.  It's a bit more expensive but well worth it.  Trust me. 

Total cost:  $200.00 per room (~ 13 x 14 feet); this includes the polyurethane (3.5 gallons per room) @ $50.00 per gallon and bulk brown paper from the hardware store.  One roll was plenty for each room.  This could also be done with actual brown paper bags thus saving additional money.  

What do you think?  Are you willing to give it a go?  

xo.  

On Defeat

My son is taking ceramics in school.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this.  He has an opportunity to be creative and play with an unfamiliar medium (why is it that mama always gets most excited about the arts -- cooking, sewing, ceramics, creative writing?).


His final project was a tea pot.  A gorgeous tea pot.  There was only one eensy problem.  The handle broke.  He thought he could glue it but then another student came by and broke it even further.  Beyond repair.


He brought the pot home today and I have to admit -- I'm enamored.  I especially love the lid with its brown patina and hint of green where it meets the yellow knob (I'm struggling to get a good photo here in my winter dark kitchen but trust me -- it's charming).


This broken tea pot is a thing of beauty and it will have a forever home on my windowsill.  What makes me sad is that this pot must receive a grade.   Grading this creative effort seems so silly.  Is it perfect?  Of course not.  But there is no shame in making mistakes.  There is no shame in failure.  How else is one to learn?  And who are we to place judgment?  And to what end?


Certainly I understand a grade for participation.  Did you show up?  Did you try?  Did you learn?  A resounding yes?  Then A++.   

And this makes me wonder.  What is the point of grading at all.  Why are we labeling our children and shaming them for the very thing from which they learn?   Mistakes are a glorious teaching tool.  The point is to recognize them, rethink and try again.  There is no disgrace in error.  And, at least in my mind,  all defeat is temporary.  The shame lies in not dusting off your hands to try and try again.

"There is no such thing as failure. There are only results".

~Tony Robbins

Of course we need to know where the errors lie.  Sometimes they are obvious like a broken tea pot handle.  Other mistakes are more covert like a missed decimal point.  So perhaps I'm not so much against the grading as the labeling.


Mistakes are simply an opportunity to learn.  To be bigger and better than before.

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."

~Theodore Roosevelt

So to all of you who have tried something, reached for that star and met defeat -- know this:  I am proud of you.  So proud and happy that you were willing to put yourself out there.  Proud that you were willing to try.  Take a moment.  Soak in the experience.  Process it and learn.  Then get up and try again. 

xo.   

Today

The kids are at school.  The laundry is humming.  Dishes are washed and the kitchen is clean.  The dogs and cats are contentedly napping.  I am still in my pjs and contemplating what's for dinner.  Perhaps eggs on toast now that the chickens are laying.  I might, even, retrieve my sewing machine from the closet.  So much for a *relatively* clean table.

I hope you, too, are having a contented day.

xo.