Tuesday, October 21, 2008

October news flash..



It's October and more than half done...?? Just as Summer ends and school begins, there are so many celebrations keeping us far too busy. The Festival of Courage, where the brave knight comes to visit all the kindergarteners and presents them with a sword and hand dyed silk cape. Rosh Hashannah was spent with 'the other jewish lady' and we remembered to cast off our troubles and look to sweeter new year, a fast at Yom Kippur failed but we lit a memorial candle for Mum. Sukkot was presented into the grades building a shelter project at school and coming up this friday is the Cubs annual Halloween party..we don't even have pumpkins yet!!

I've already started presents for Christmas (handmade of course) and the children have some ideas too for what they would like to make this year. I think Little Gandalf wants to learn how to cook on his own...mmmm... We've been learning cursive writing skills and I get to teach that in Donovan Boy's 3rd grade which is lovely and most rewarding. The boys have agreed to design their own version of trading cards with various made up monsters/creatures and such. Maybe a set will be coming to you this season for a game!

We miss the Admiral very much and wanted to say HELLO!! Also the lovely cousins spread far and wide, we would love for you to come and visit us for Christmas too.


Here is a picture of a recently finished (rushed) wool painting sent to the Rotary annual 'do'. Not sure if anyone even bid on it, so we may see it hanging somewhere around here soon...tee hee.


A lovely lady from the Taos Wool festival I attended ( business trip..) in early October does these lovely characters, she has invited me to present my work and teach a workshop there next year. that should be fun!

We are also looking at houses in many areas including Topanga and more locally too - time for change possibly and parking without tickets!
The hairy one started a new job so more on that to come..it's early days yet, but we are thankful to be back on the 'getting paid to work' plan. Vote often and early!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Week in View

What a busy week we've had, the LA County Fair is in town and Donovan Boys' class took a field trip there to see the prize winning animals, sheep shearing and some old-timey crafts. The wool they saw sheared there, will be washed, carded, dyed and spun into yarn by the 3rd graders too as part of the fiber arts section of this years' curriculum!

"Can we get one Mum?"
I managed to get some bread baking in this week on top of sowing some carrot seed and watching the broccalli plants get very confused next to the still flowering and fruiting tomatoes while the weather flip flops between 70-80 degrees!
Here's the recipe for this lovely high rise oat bread - the kids loved taking the mini loaves to school for lunch...
3 cups unbleached flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons butter/margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
2 teaspoons yeast ( dissolve in warm milk first)
1 14 cups warm milk
3/4 cup rasins or currants ( optional)

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients, mixing into a shaggy dough. Knead dough by hand ( 10 mins) or by mixer ( 5 mins) until it's smooth. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and allow to proof/rest for about 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk. Shape as you wish into a loaf pan and allow to rise further until it's crested 1-2 inches over the rim. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 for 35-30 minutes. I spinkled some extra oats on top for fun. If it browns too quickly tent it with some foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Makes one delicious loaf or 8 mini loaves!


The Hairy One's birthday (25th) is on the horizon so we'll watch the post carefully for some freshly baked awesome cookies from The Mac Annie..yum!

Bye for now....Happy Autumn!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Last of the Summer Wine

As this Summer closes, the weather has turned even here in sunny California...some warm evenings still prevail, but the local trees are turning all the glorious colours of the coming season and the winds of change are upon us! As Cricket always reminds us - Summer is not over until my birthday!

Drippy castle
sculpture by Little Gandalf

Cricket checking the tidemessing around on the trampoline

woolly Indian summer picture sneaking in........

Harvest Moon is early this year (15th) and we will hopefully have a clear sky to view it, this season we'll look forward to trips to the Griffith Observatory with the children and roast beast!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hi de Hi Campers!

Still recovering from what turned into a lovely yet exhausting few days up the coast, the smaller boys and I were getting dirty in the woods while Cricket scuttled downtown to pick up new tips in grantwriting etiquette.

early morning day one -
ours is the enormous, impossible -for-one-person-to-put-up green monster with already snagged zipper, ho hum...

Ist breakfast....

ah...second breakfast!

Sharing the ice-cream maker, 20 mins of ball play was worth the wait for freshly made scoops!

dog?
The kids went mad about finding this relic and made up all sorts of stories about how it came to be hidden in the trees....lots of hand washing later...

It's nearly done..

Here are some recent memories from our trips to northern beaches in Malibu this Summer. Being stuck in Los Angeles wasn't so awful after all!!

Thanks Olorin.....
Blooms are nearly on their way Mac Annie!
Donovan Boy, knows his waves now and stayed out of the slosh...
Oh, that's where my hat went....LIttle Gandalf taking a break from jumping the wash..
Yep, there's good eating at a beach break camp site!


friend or foe?
another picture...aw MUM......

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Sharing a week...

Well, this week has been a blur of activity, yep I know - what's new? The boys very proudly dismantled the Admirals fine work to create original Legos so they can post them at Lego.com!
So it seemed only right to have the online debut here..
Little Gandalf's creation "The Forest Fighter" ...

....and Donovan Boy's build - "The Ultimate Mining Vehicle"

We also saw an excited Zoe the Wonderdog yesterday, when we shared Shabbos with Challah and her family and we made bread from scratch. Most of this batch below was scarfed with sea salt and Manischewitz last night, but my batch is home, dough is risen, frozen and waiting for next week....
Jamie found this beautiful leaf that reminds us that Autumn is coming soon and so for felting purposes I will begin the transformation on our nature table too...
Oh and my Tuscan melons are just hanging around!!
We said goodbye to some friends we met in la Leche Lague many years ago and have since played every week at our park playgroup for 8 years! They are leaving the States to return to Canada and so we wish them a fond farewell.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Mr Ben!


There was a great TV series in England called Mr Ben which has nothing to do with anything except that the same childhood memories were shared with my little brother, who we'll call 'Snip' and it's his special day today...so
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY"!
Many Happy Returns from all of us at the Chatter!


Yours in Scouting

That's how our pack leader signs off her emails...I think it's a little strange actually, but then I would! However, Little Gandalf has joined the ranks as a Tiger this Summer, walked in the July 4th Parade with Donovan Boy ( who is now a Bear). Cubscouts is excellent training; it trains them to be cubscouts.





Tuesday, July 29, 2008

6 Degrees...

...not of separation but of Little Gandalf!! Here are six things you may not have known about him before now...
1. He has exactly 1001 freckles and counting!
2. He likes sushi for lunch or 'crazy chicken' black bean burritos!
3. Likes to sing theme tunes (his own) whilst playing
4. Favourite colour is black!
5. Favourite movie (right now) is Spykids
6. Is now 6 years old!!

Here are some highlights....

Plenty O' birthday love from across the big water and land mass...
Happy as a lark in the Lego store spending birthday dosh and hard earned (singing) savings- Special thank you to Dr. John and Mac Annie!
no TV...no problem!
Humming playtime theme tunes whilst working on lego project...
Newest additions to the family...two dwarf hamsters...Cudby and Desparo ( both female!) in there sleeping right now.... Thanks Grumpy!

mmmmm.....(not a pressie) not his anyways...!

Friday, July 25, 2008

More Summer Daze

Yes, it's true our time in the hills are finally coming to a close, (wahh!) We are slowly moving the extraneous items back to the tree house and will make the final move southward on Aug 4th. in the meantime the Topangan fun is still brewing...


Making stuff for The Mac Annie...

Being neighbourly...
Having a read....
the smell of summer at your own hands...

Scallywags afoot...


The Hairy One as the renegade sea captain BlackBeard...


Arabella "Red Hand" Phoenix can't read the map....

Booty an' Plunder

Tired, but satisfied after finding the treasure...
The fire is lit and The Golden Pound delivers the chocolate...