Breaking out...

Here it is...

Kinder in a Kapla

Sabine wanted to be built into a Kapla creation...so here she is...





The breaking out was pretty cool!

More Kapla

Sabine rearranged the dining room after we came home last night...the everything in the room went into the living room, and the 1,000 Kapla blocks came out...Along with friend Scott, a tower was born...






And died...

What a difference...

...a year makes.

March 26, 2008.


March 22, 2009.

Happy Spring, everyone!

No Knead Bread

Click on the title of this post for the recipe. It really is amazingly easy. The only trick is mixing the water, flour and yeast the night before you want the bread so it can rest for 12-20 hours...the other trick is having a nice heavy pot with a lid to bake it in...I use my large Pampered Chef stoneware bowl, but you could also use cast iron, or enameled cast iron.

This was the loaf I made for dinner with our neighbors on Friday night...yummmm...

I still LOOOOOVE the bread from Little T (right up the street from us), but this less expensive option does not make me feel deprived at all!

Reading nook

I was making lunch the other day and heard Sabine running back and forth, up and down the stairs. She said she was creating a surprise. She used the pillows from the guest room (under the pink blanket...she said we'll put them back in the guest room when people come to stay, don't worry) the ever-popular Chix Rule blanket made by our friend Theresa, some throw pillows from the couch and a $5 end table from Goodwill.

The window is at the mid-level-landing of the stairs...


The older book on top is a Webster Consolidated Encyclopedic Dictionary from 1950. It belonged to my grandparents. It has several pages of full color animals, plants, etc. Sabine's been enjoying it. Bret bought The Knowledge Book on one of his solo-job-hunting trips to Portland last year. Dave took him to the National Geographic Society's huge warehouse sale that only happens every couple of years...I can't wait to go to the next one!

A few quotes

Found these quotes here -- tried to send a comment to the blogger, asking for permission to post them on my blog (and crediting them) but message never would go through...so I hope it's OK that they're here! She also has some great posts on control, and having an abundance of art supplies...they also have a vintage Airstream...we may jut be kindred spirits!

Unless warped by cruelty or neglect, children are by nature not only loving and kind but serious and purposeful. — John Holt

Just about everything [very little children] do, they do as well as they can. Except when tired or hungry, or in the grip of passion, pain, or fear, they are moved to act almost entirely by curiosity, desire for mastery and competence, and pride in work well done. But the schools, and many adults outside of school, hardly ever recognize or honor such motives, can hardly even imagine that they exist. — John Holt

Ask children. Hear them. Teach children to ask the questions they want answers to. Believe that what a seven-year-old has to say is important. Because it is. Just ask. — Ann Marie Corgill, Of Primary Importance: What’s Essential in Teaching Young Writers

Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. — Garrison Keillor

Some recent Sabine creations...

This is a dollar bill, with "that guy with the funny hair" on it...


We Netflixed Peter Pan this week. This is Tinkerbell. The wings are taped on giving her a nice 3-D look.


This was a pie pan of green jello we made...the drawing is after eating 1/2 of it.

Living Math

Just found this site, Living Math...looks interesting, and thought I'd put it here so I'd remember to look at it further.

From the site:

~ Insisting a child must be taught traditional, scope-and-sequence arithmetic to learn mathematics is like saying one must learn classical notes and scales before one can learn music. You might get there, but you miss out on the inspiration of beautiful music created by the masters along the way. We need not master all the "basics" before being able to experience the appreciation that carries us through the hard work of learning. Think of applying living math principles as developing a "mathematical ear" while working toward the mastery of basic theory. ~

As someone who thought I was always bad at math because I couldn't (or just didn't) memorize the times tables in 4th grade (but then went on to memorize whole songs/extensive lines in plays/etc...) then as an adult realized I LOVE spreadsheets (Excel) creating formulas, etc...I think I could have benefited from a non-traditional approach to math. Or maybe I already did.

What we're eating

I've been inspired by Annie over at Sensible Living who has been sharing what she cooks, what tools she uses in her kitchen, etc. I also took a great class called "Hello Pantry, So Long Supermaket" from Lost Arts Kitchen a few weeks ago, and while I'm not ready to buy 50 lbs of flour and other grains just yet, I do want to reduce my grocery bill and trips to the store...so with that in mind I planned a month of meals, did one BIG shop at the less expensive grocery store (WinCo) at the beginning of the month, and plan to do smaller trips for produce/meats/etc. at New Seasons/Trader Joes/Limbo to supplement during the month. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming BIG farmers markets...we'll see how this changes things.

Chris at Lost Arts talked about how she cooked one type of meat each week (here's her blog), and then makes a variation of things each week - roast night, taco night, pasta night, stir fry night, you get the picture (and I couldn't find the exact post where she wrote about this, so I don't claim I remembered it exactly right...). While I would like to do that, I just crave more variety...and one thing I really liked about Chris is she said to do what works for you and your family -- there's not just one answer.

We're still eating a little more meat than I would like...and I'd also like to incorporate more fish...but it's a start. I'm hoping to put all these recipes into Google Documents and link them to the calendar at some point, but only have a few in so far (if I have it, the link to the recipes is below the meal title, you might have to copy and paste it). Or you can scroll down on the blog and get the recipe there...if there's a recipe that looks really intriguing, let me know and I'll get it done first. I had to make the calendar narrow to fit in the blog, but you can click on a recipe and it will show the whole thing.

Oh, and there are some "blank" days to make up for times that we'll just eat leftovers, or have friends over and make special dinners, or...gasp...go out to eat. Gotta have some fun and spontaneity!

Paper shredders are fun...

These pretty much speak for themselves...please excuse the messy kitchen...it was Friday night.

Little Pocohontas

We finally succumbed to Netflix...I had so many friends in Jackson who said they loved it, but I never wanted to deal with going to the PO Box just to get a movie. And there's this really cool looking independent movie rental place right around the corner from us...which I really DO want to support, but my girls...they just don't like leaving the house very much...soooo...here we are.

We watched Pocohontas (both one and two, if you must ask) and Vivian wanted me to make her a Pocohontas dress. Now, I can sew...but from scratch, I figured she'd be over it by the time I finished it...so we modified a dress that was in the dress-up box...cut off one sleeve, and sewed one shut. Fortunatley it already had a stretchy neck in place...She's pretty pleased with it.


She's also going through this phase (please, it must be a phase...) of drawing on her face...with pens, markers, whatever...


And here she is making...soup. What else could it be?

Kids ATC Swap

Two lovely ladies organized this swap (click on title to see one blog). Apparently they had several hundred kids/parents respond...so Sabine made ATCs for 5 other kids who are also aged 6.75, living KY, OH (2), NC and Canada.

She had a great time making the cards -- started out with our colored masking tape, then moved on to these great pastels I'd gotten at the Knittn Kitten one of the first weeks we were in town. This project also gave us a great excuse to go to the discount art supply store, I've Been Framed which is only a few miles from our house.


These are the cards Sabine received (one child sent two, I think the one with the pink clouds is one Sabine made...we're still waiting for the one from Canada).


And these are a few she made just messing around.


It was fun to make them, and even more fun I think, for Sabine to receive mail!

It only takes one

I first saw this on Diana's blog, then on Ronnie's. Here's my take on it...seemed easier that the "25 things about you" note on Facebook that I've been avoiding doing.

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Your significant other? fantastic
3. Your hair? growing
4. Your mother? activist
5. Your father? remodeling
6. Your favorite thing? books
7. Your dream last night? gone
8. Your favorite drink? depends
9. Your dream/goal? live
10. What room you are in? sun
11. Your hobby? multiple
12. Your fear? stillness
13. Regrets? fear
14. Where were you last night? home
15. 15? (no question listed)
16. Muffins? lovely
17. Wish list item? camper
18. Where you grew up? camp
19. Last thing you did? cooked
20. What are you wearing? jeans
21. Your TV? secondhand
22. Your pets? three
23. Friends? rule
24. Your life? enchanted
25. Your mood? mellow
26. Missing someone? friends
27. Car? messy
28. Something you're not wearing? contacts
29. Your favorite store? goodwill
30. Your favorite color? green
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? movie
35. Who will resend this? n/a
36. One place that I go to over and over? bathroom

37. One person who emails me regularly? Dave
38. My favorite place to eat? home
39. Why you participated in this survey? fun
40. What are you doing tonight? eating