elliemoon

MOD PODGERY

based on their level of enthusiasm with mod podge, its safe to say the kids will grow up to surpass my own obsessive crafting tendencies. i'm not sure if i should be proud, or scared.....very, very scared::

clip, clip, clip. and now for the "painting"::

and the dried masterpieces::

it has been decided that these will be used for everyones personal pencils, which was an excellent idea and has temporarily ceased the previously incessant cries of "WHO TOOK MY PENCIL?" if only we could mod podge a solution to the more common "WHO DIDN'T FLUSH?" that would be nice.

YESTERDAY WAS THE DAY

little lu's day!::

we'll celebrate with a family party on sunday, but last night it was just us. and we sang, and ate treats, and collectively wondered how it could be that our littlest bean is now 2! happy birthday little lu! we love, love, love you.

PREPARATIONS

this years pulp::

and the lanterns::

and the yum::

hold on fillings!

BEST BEACH DAYS

yes, some of the best beach days on cape cod are in the fall. i love the beach in september and october. quiet, water still wadeable, no humidity, empty parking lots, did i mention the quiet?::

a trip to the harbor at low tide was the perfect idea for my little scavengers on saturday. and just what i needed to get going with this knit. its for halloween, so its more than a little time sensitive. it went with me everywhere over the weekend, and no, its not knitted peppers, the most popular guess with the beach bums::

a good and restful weekend, after a slew of busy ones! phew!!

 

MOLDY

this will be an unenthusiastic blog post. the chocolate molds and i did not have a good time yesterday. let me preface this by saying that, last time we went to new york to visit with big b's family, i had the chance to check out the chocolatier that his mom shops at. along with many other things, i picked up two bags of melting discs, thinking i'd find something to do with them. i was inspired by his mom, who whips up chocolate lollipops like its nothing::

a few weeks later i found spider molds. i thought i could handle it::

the plain spiders went smoothly enough, but the webs? forget it. granted, i was working the details with a toothpick, where a brush would have been much more helpful, but i think i finally found a craft that i lack the patience for::

that pop looks like it was made during a fit of violent hand spasms, its killing me. little do they know, they will never see these again. only when grandma makes them. and i have a whole new appreciation for her lollipops now!

CREEPY CROCHET....AND A BIT OF A TANGENT

remember last year, when i mentioned the halloween monsters i had crocheted for the boys? and remember i said that i was going to crochet a couple for the girls because bella noticed the inconsistency of the situation? well, i never actually got it done. so last week i printed out this ghost pattern (another freebie from the lion brand website) and got to it::

i knew these were going to be small, so i double stranded and used a larger crochet hook. i was a little put off when kai walked in, watched for a moment, then asked what i was working on. when i told him he said, very nonchalantly, "oh, it looks like a white pile of poop". thank you! now i'm having trouble seeing the ghost::

but the results were more than satisfactory and all faith was restored when bella and little lu fell instantly in love::

and yes, thats nail polish on my not quite two year old. little lu saw bella and i getting into the halloween spirit and wanted in. in a big way. what to do? this is the dynamic with younger siblings. kai is the one that we get to watch encounter things at his own pace. the rest wind up going along for the ride regardless of age or "readiness". and its an exponential phenomenon. meaning, bella could probably hack it in high school next year. if we were ever to have another one, he'd most likely come out with tattoos and car keys, prepping his umbilical cord for an art show in the city, while asking for the classifieds so he can look for his own place! you might think i'm exaggerating, but thats probably not far off the mark! 

 

 

 

 

JUICY!

and now its official, the pomegranates are in! fall is in full swing. dust off the blender, unless you've been using it for frozen cocktails, in which case, just plug it in::

so very good. and so very, very good for you. for the how to, check out last years post. happy juicing!!

THE FIRST AND THE SECOND

i "finished" my first necklace last week. the use of quotations there is to let you know i'm still working on the design. for now, a simple star with simple stars:

then i started in on one for my good friend meghann, who is pregnant with her first little one. and its a boy!!::

the pacifier and bottle charms hooked me, and so i went super cutesy with the main image on the heart. but really, what better time to wear something cutesy then when you are snuggling with your new little bundle? not to mention, when you're covered in spit up and diaper juice, and you haven't changed your shirt in three days, cutesy around the neck may help you feel better! she also has the option of slipping off the heart and just sporting the charms. always looking out!

BREAKING BREAD

our baking stone has resurfaced! much to everyones delight. especially mine, since even the pickiest of eaters will gobble up a warm slice with butter on top. i'm realizing now, that a couple of fresh loaves, some roasted garlic, and a salad, is a very acceptable dinner. i'm all for it::

my friend kate taught me that pulling technique with the dough. it makes for a nice texture on the top. i love it. (thanks kate!). while the garlic was roasting, i went out to the garden and hacked down the last of our rosemary. this is the simplest and most delicious thing in the world::

just extra virgin olive oil and fresh rosemary, as much as you can stuff in while keeping it submerged. i only had mine "steeping" for three hours and it was delicious. but the next day? oh. yes. pour some out on a plate, add some coarsely ground pepper and a sprinkle of salt. now, pretend you're in a mediterranean restaurant waiting for your tapas to arrive and dip, dip, dip::

yes and yes! happy weekend everyone!

 

ITS BEEN QUITE A WHILE

601 days to be exact! which is incredible. i'm speaking of how long its been since we last made play dough. meaning, that huge 9 batch bonanza lasted us almost two years. and what was left of it was still going strong. the only reason i decided to mix some up was to give the kids a little color boost. i'd say its been over five months of the same, everything mashed up, dull, grayish purple hue. it was time for a palette again::

bella hopped right in. and because we only had enough cream of tartar for two batches, and we couldn't all agree on the color choices, we tried something new. adding color after making the dough::

not bad. double the color, half the arm ache. i feel as though i get more vibrant colors doing it the old way though. but thats just me, the little people didn't notice a difference at all::

happy days are here again in play dough land!!