Gardenias are blooming...

I remember going to my Japanese grandmother's house when I was little... rarely was she without gardenias in her home. She would cut the blossoms from her front yard, and float them in shallow black bowls of water. The following review is not exactly reminiscent of a trip to Grandma's house, but it left my nose detecting subtle hints of the delicious flower while reading this fan's take on a fragrance called Fracas:

"'Fracas' opens on a tart, fleshy gardenia note that has retained its buttery carnality, while having all sweetness removed. It's floral without the powder and deepens into something spicier as the fragrance unfurls. A slightly sweet, oily-rich jasmine enters, followed by a very naughty-smelling, rubbery tuberose. The tuberose is intense and hasn't been softened or powdered down by any gentle florals, so at times, 'Fracas' smells like exotic flower petals mashed onto hot flesh. It finally dries down into a velvety-smooth, subtle spiced and simmered fruit note, tempered by quiet woods. 'Fracas' has an over-ripe, very retro feel to it---but retro to a specific time and place: Late 40's - early 60's fashion. I can't imagine it existing before or being introduced after that time period. It reminds me of the kind of glamour that requires seeing a hairdresser once a week with no washings in-between or stockings, girdles and lipstick; chiffon house robes and negligee sets. It evokes worn-in makeup and undergarments--a very ripe, retro femininity--coiffed hair, cigarettes and scotch..."

Wow. Intense description... fragrances are fun to fantasize about.

Some more fragrances on my list to experience: Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Carnal Flower, Kai, Creed Tubereuse Indiana, and Voluspa Fleurs de Fete... all are gardenia scented fragrances


The List: celebrities and their fragrances... (I don't really care who's wearing what, but some people find it interesting)


Click here if you are cheap (like me) and would rather learn how to make your own gardenia fragrance from the garden

photo credit: Sephora

Refreshing Treats for the Kids

Coconut Mango Orange Juice

Yummy. Coconut juice supposedly has amazing re-hydrating qualities. Click here for online recipe, or try my variation:

Trader Joe's Orange Peach Mango juice (refrigerated section)

&

Coconut Juice with Lime (natural foods section near bottled juices in most grocery stores)

Chunky Monkey Pops

(chocolate or vanilla pudding and chopped bananas)

Click here for online recipe.

photo credits: Raleys

The Buzz (...on bees)

The latest Sunset magazine issue (August 2009) featured an article called "Hive Minds," and it's worth a trip to the grocery store if you aren't already a subscriber. The article isn't accessible online, but here's "the gist:"

The Great Sunflower Project

"As honeybees around the world vanish, one Bay Area biologist is enlisting an army of backyard gardeners to help figure out why...the concept is simple: free 'Lemon Queen' sunflower seeds [are distributed] for people to plant in their yards. In return, once the flowers bloom, the recipients report back any bee-related activity. 'Sunflowers are easy to grow and wildly attractive to bees...You're basically handing over a thermometer that allows people to measure how their garden is doing.' [The Sunflower project] recently partnered with Cornell University on the Birds & Bees Challenge, which helps young people between the ages of 7 and 17 rediscover nature in their own neighborhoods, becoming amateur scientists, photographers, and artists."

Click here for more info.

Also, for avid gardeners and wannabe farmers, here's a blog worth following (it even includes more info on bees):

Sunset's

One Block Diet

"We're writing about how we've used our garden expertise to grow just about everything we need, in a plot actually much smaller than a block—more like what most of us have at home: a suburban back yard. Then we're using our produce to cook a series of seasonal feasts. Last summer, we had our first dinner. Right now we're working on a winter garden, with feast to follow.
We're not just growing plants, though. To make our dinners more interesting (and tasty), we're raising chickens (for eggs). We've made beer, and wine, and vinegar. We're making cheese (from 'imported' milk, but who knows, maybe a cow is in our future) and olive oil and honey. We've even made salt (from ocean brine), because how can you cook without seasoning? If you're a DIY kind of person, someone who thinks that dinner starts with the earth, the sea, and a few animals, this blog (and our accompanying how-to guides) can you help you put together your own made-from-scratch meals.
To follow the adventures of Teams Garden, Kitchen, Bee, Chicken, Beer, Cheese, Wine, Vinegar, Salt, and Olive, see the links under 'Categories' ... We'll probably be adding more projects as we move into different seasons."

And, for die-hard nature lovers, a "bee books" link for "those charmed by bees" (click here).

Catch the sun in a mason jar!

At first when I came across this product, I thought it was charming idea, (though the reviews on Amazon.com were pretty disappointing). It's basically a genuine mason jar with an inner solar light. It holds a soft, sunny-colored glow at night (and charges in the sun during the day).

These would be great for outdoor summer evenings, so why not try and make them ourselves?

It's pretty easy--just purchase a mason jar with attached lid (ex: Ikea), some glass frosting spray, cheap solar garden light, and some Blue Tak. Click here for the tutorial.

Where's the Ladybug?

There's a ladybug in my broccoli... quick, take a picture!

Join the nationwide hunt for ladybugs... specifically, the elusive 9-spotted ladybug, which was once very common but has become extremely rare. In 2006, a 9-spotted ladybug was found in the North Eastern U.S--the first to be "spotted" in 14 years!

The National Science Foundation has granted Cornell University $2 million for the Lost Lady Bug Project, which encourages children and adults to go out and capture (or observe) ladybugs, photograph them, and then email the photos to Cornell University. Researchers will use these photos to help determine what species are still out there and how many are left. Quoting Cornell's Lost Ladybug Project website: "This is the ultimate summer science project for kids and adults! You can learn, have fun and help save these important species."

Homemade Ice Cream

This coconut avocado ice cream looked so yummy, I went out and bought a cheap ice cream maker after reading the "Avocados with Attitude" piece in this month's Sunset magazine (check out the avo fries). Tonight was our first impromptu ice cream making night, and wouldn't you know it? ...We forgot to stock up on avos. Oh well, the ice cream turned out great, anyway:

Since our family consumes about 2 gallons of fresh-squeezed OJ a week, we had enough in the 'fridge to accommodate this Orange Ice Cream recipe from Gourmet magazine... Except, we tweaked it just a bit by adding fresh chopped peaches and strawberries, vanilla extract, honey, double the OJ, half the sugar and substituted the milk for heavy whipping cream. Oh, and we didn't do all the extra-fancy "pour through fine mesh sieve... 175 degrees-and-don't-let-boil" stuff. When you've got two little ones for helpers, simple is delicious.

Addendum: Since originally writing this post, we've tried the coconut avo ice cream. Ummm, I feel compelled to ask anyone else who has attempted this recipe: Yum or Yuck?

Photo credits: Sreelus Tasty Travels & Sunset

Waldorf Salad (with chicken).

I've been whipping up my Waldorf (chicken) Salad concoction a lot lately--it is delicious on bread as a sandwich, stuffed into a pita pocket, served over baby greens as a salad, or even eaten straight out of the bowl all by itself. I served it at Rigel's birthday party with pita pockets and bread as part of a sandwich bar, and it got some good reviews. Best of all, it's quick and easy to make.

Waldorf Chicken Salad

2 C apples (gala, fugi, or pink lady are great), cored and chopped

1/2-1 tsp raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 C red seedless grapes, halved (or quartered if large)

1 celery stalk, chopped fine

2 12.5 oz cans Chicken Breast (Kirkland Signature brand preferred), drained and shredded

2 TB honey

1 C Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise

3/4 C walnut pieces

Place apples in large mixing bowl, toss with cider vinegar until coated (drain excess liquid). Mix in grapes, celery, and chicken breast. In separate bowl, combine vegenaise and honey (add honey to taste), mix well. Add vegenaise and honey mixture to large bowl of chicken and fruit, mix well, adding walnuts until completely combined. Refrigerate until served. Makes 4 servings (approximately).

photo credit: Distinctly Waldorf

Felt Owl

This was supposed to be an owlet, but it turned out looking a bit like a scrawny chick. No matter-- it's still a baby owl to Izzy, who loves that it's pink and purple. I purchased a rainbow of wool felt yesterday, and hand-stitched this little chicken owl by book-light last night while the kids fell asleep next to me. It took longer than I expected, but it was fun... ironically a lot less stressful than pulling out my sewing machine.

"Never enough thyme..."

I never would have thought that I'd be so passionate about gardening, yet here I am feeling like the sun goes down each day before I'm done fussing over our new vegetable garden. Except it's not strictly a vegetable garden, since we've got melons, strawberries, blueberries, artichokes, asparagus, herbs and spring bulbs mixed in with it all. Yesterday we added a nectarine tree to our "orchard." It'll be a couple years or more before we'll be harvesting any fruit from our trees, but when we do I'm planning on mastering nectarine pie (is there such a thing?). There's also something about growing most of the garden from seed--the nurturing and anticipation of it all explains how easily gardening can become more than just a hobby.

P.S. I love this soil (not because of the name, even though it's cool)...it's "super-dirt" for your plants. Earth-worm castings, bat guano, and a lot of other nitty gritty ingredients make this brand's soil my favorite. Their dry mix organic fertilizers are great, too.

Our first garden

This is our first attempt at a vegetable garden, and so far it has been a lot of fun. We've got a raised planter box built (with an upper and lower bed), a "flower teepee," and two new trees. So far, our seedlings are nestled in eight seed trays --that's 72 seedlings per tray! I don't even want to do the math. Just going to keep my fingers crossed that we'll have enough room for it all.

One of these days...

...I'd really love to learn how to make something like this.

(It would be just another excuse to check out Glass Beach in Fort Bragg.)

Photo credit: http://accentyourself.blogspot.com/

New Year's Resolution

For the year 2009, I will:

1. plant a garden

2. Maintain a budget

Giving Ideas

Soule Mama has developed an awesome new site called Mama to Mama, which "seeks to find ways to connect handcrafters with mothers, children and families in need of a little bit of handmade love." Isn't this brilliant? I know we don't always have a lot of time on our hands, but it seems that somehow this is something for which we can make time.

There are a lot of wonderful free patterns available all over the Internet (Check out Purlbee's project journals). Here is a free mitten pattern (from STC Craft).
Photo courtesy of STC Craft.

Sew Fine!

I was perusing the classifieds today (not routine, so perhaps it was meant to be), and I came across the above: a 1966 Singer sewing machine and cabinet/chair. The owner's mother had passed away some time ago, and no one else in the family sewed. No longer fated to collect dust, it is now sitting in my family/dining room awaiting its next assignment. First, I'll have to consult my grandmother on how to thread the needle (the last time I've used a sewing machine was when I quilted in high school). We'll see how it goes from there... good thing it came with the original operating manual.

P.S. The best part of this deal was what came inside the drawers: old patterns, boxes of bobbins, scraps of old fabric, lots of thread, a canister full of old buttons, and lots more sewing accessories. Even the seat cushion (which I may attempt to re-upholster) lifts to reveal more storage space! And, can you believe the sewing machine folds back up inside the cabinet? It's a set up similar to my grandmother's 1940's Singer sewing machine and cabinet, which is still getting use from its original owner.

Window Tree Feels Like Autumn

"Just before the death of flowers,

And before they are buried in snow,

There comes a festival season

When nature is all aglow."

- Author Unknown

“But I remember more dearly autumn afternoons in bottoms that lay intensely silent under old great trees”- C. S. Lewis

Even though autumn is here, it is difficult to describe what it means to Rigel and Izzy without any visual aides. For this reason alone, I miss the mountains. I love San Diego and its year-round mild weather, but I miss how in Mariposa County only one glance outside the window described the season... Dry, brown fields and brush in the summer, bare trees and chimney smoke in the winter, green meadows and wildflowers everywhere in the spring, and autumn leaves in the fall.

In San Diego this time of year, any large old maple, ash or oak tree is eye-catching, just as I bet we were a sight the other day when we pulled over to collect fallen red maple leaves while visiting the Navy submarine base. The kids helped search for the prettiest red leaves, then we took them home and made "stained glass" paper. After they had fallen asleep, I trimmed their stained glass paper into pieces for a "window tree" to decorate our front room. Now it feels like autumn!

Rigel loves collecting sticks whenever he is outside, though I'm not sure what has triggered his fascination with fallen twigs. I took his stick collection and made it into a simple wall hanging (complete with a store-bought owl). Now, whenever he has a handful of sticks, he says, "We have a bunch of sticks--let's make them into something pretty!"



Stained Glass Paper:
wax paper
crayons
leaves (flat, stems trimmed off)
iron
cheese grater

Use the grater to make crayon shavings. Place the leaves on waxed side of the wax paper, then sprinkle with crayon shavings. Place another sheet of wax paper (waxed side down) on top of the leaves and shavings, and then iron. The kids can help with grating the crayons and decorating the wax paper, but of course leave the ironing to the grown-ups. The crayon wax wipes off the grater easily with a scrub brush and hot water.

Creative Mom Project

Murals for the kids' rooms... made of their own recycled outfits...depicting their favorite stories... custom-made by Mom (from a kit soon to be available from Sugar City)...
Hhmmmm.... as great as this kit sounds, perhaps it can be accomplished from scratch? Believe it or not, I have a box full of all my favorite outgrown kiddo outfits, set aside to cut and stitch into a quilt one of these days. This mural idea is another alternative to recycling that fabric.