Manicure Style

Emily wore her new sweater to school.  Not the warmest thing but sure is cute.  Style seems to be what it's all about these days.  Yesterday she went with her friend and got her first manicure.  I said, "Your first.....and I wasn't there for it.  Are you sure that was your first?"  I thought she had had one before.  She agreed to let me go with her to get her first pedicure.  I guess I'll take that. Then after being at the climbing gym she discovered the new tights I bought her and had to try them on with the whole outfit.   After her shower, we had a talk about whether she could go to Disneyland or not.  By the look on her face you can tell the answer.  But what you can't see is her jumping up and down like she used to do when she was eight.  Also, you can't hear little brother.   He didn't say that wasn't fair but his tears sure said it all.   We'll have to think about this and how to make it seem fair.
   

At Nine

 

Here is what Eli has been up to lately.  He likes to copy pictures from the computer and color them.  Pictures of archers and dragons and such.  Then, him and his friends  cut them out and put them on their walls.  He found a seed that somebody left at our house a while ago and planted it in this juice jar.  He waters it dutifully and, sure enough, it has sprouted.  I can't wait to see what blooms.  It was a big seed from the house of an avid seed saver.   Someone who also grows all kind of lovely flowers.  His piano playing is moving along.  He's reading music really well and has memorized about eight songs.  He played a small recital for Grandma and Grandpa.  They even sang along to Heigh Ho and Camptown Races.  We watched Dolphin Tale the other day and Eli was quite moved by it.  Today he came home from school and wrote a small report about dolphins.   He wants to start some kind of fundraiser for dolphins.  As he was falling asleep he was yelling, "How 'bout dimes for dolphins?  Better yet dollars for dolphins!"      

Semester Break

Here's my girl.  I love this picture of her and our 6 year old friend.  We drove up to get Emily and she said, "I love her outfit."  I took a whole photo shoot of them in their 6 year old and thirteen year old outfits.  So cute.  Girls at their own levels.  The princess remains but changes form.

Emily had a day off of school and spent the morning curling her hair.  Now she wants a perm.  Funny, before she wanted it straightened.  She spent the night at a friends where they did their nails and topped it off with this cool pen.  Now she's at Grandma and Grandpa's and I told her she would be bringing in a ray of sunshine to their house.  

Back Again

We made our early morning trek to the airport this week to get Nate back east to college.  It's bittersweet.  Good for him but so far for us.  Or I mean from us.  We miss him so.   He had a nice long break and I must admit I was getting used to having him here.  Before he left we had a yummy sushi dinner.  He left us with some delicious homemade bread and granola.  Homemade bread is such a treat to have around.   What we sent him off with was some homemade cookies and these warm fingerless gloves that I knitted.  They are called Knucks and are from Knitty.com.  Something to keep him warm back there on the cold east coast.   Don't ask me how long it took to make or how many tries to get them right.  

Waffles Walk

Waffles and a walk in the woods.  Not ordinary waffles.  The kind with eggs and milk.  My kids are pushing me to new endeavors in cooking.  So these are vegan waffles.  We substituted eggs with flaxseed and water and milk with coconut milk.  They were good and better with a good helping of syrup and applesauce on top.  Eli didn't think so.  He thought they tasted like warmed up cardboard.  He's going vegetarian not vegan.  I'll have to make a different batch for him.  That was our first jar of canned applesauce that we had opened.  Yummy.  So, we have a vegan, a newly proclaimed vegetarian, a girl whose not eating sugar and then the old omnivores.  We're doing some experimenting lets say.  Emily also made peanut butter cookies sweetened with bananas.  I deemed them Breakfast Cookies.  I wonder whose going to eat all these sweet sugary sweets we have around? 



  

Paint Post

Emily had some thank you cards to make and she sat down to make them.  Well, not exactly.  First she said, "I have to get some thank you cards," and I said, "No, you don't.  You can make them."  So she did.   She experimented with different colored acrylic paints.  Then she tried using stamps with acrylic paints but that didn't work as they looked just like blobs of paint.   But  what worked was painting over a mesh like stamp with blues and greens then letting it dry.  When it was dry she put the "thanks" stamp on an ink pad and stamped it on top.  I must say the effect was lovely.  With all the paints and paintbrushes out I got inspired to collect rocks at the beach to paint.  And until then, I think they are lovely in their own right.

More Seaside

I was looking at Heather's blog Beauty That Moves the other day and Eli was reading over my shoulder.  He said, "'Unplugged Sunday.'  What's that?" in the sweetest voice  I told him and he said, "Huh, we could do that.  It's like an unplugged night."  So this we kind of had one.  Not so completely that I would write an essay about it but it was nice,  No computer during the day.  In the afternoon we went down to the beach and did some climbing around.  Then we came back and everybody helped make dinner.  Homemade pizza and salad.  Delicious.  Eli was so excited about the face on his salad that he covered it up with the colander until dinner.  

Seaside Exploring

This warm weather has found us making frequent jaunts down to the ocean.  I had never seen snail trails this distinct.  Slowly, slowly making their way across the tidepool.  We got to jump from pool to pool exclaiming at all the creatures in each of them trying not to step on the carpets of mussels.  I've seen them a lot and am still amazed by the varieties and survival tactics the different creatures have acquired.  From the ethereal sea anenomes to the craggy jewel star we oohed and awed.  Stopping for a climb on the way home.   

Warm Welcome

Here's to a new year celebrated at midnight with a jump in the Pacific Ocean.  Oh so very refreshing.

Here's to lots of hot tea brewed in this cheery yellow teapot.  For all ages and herbal teas only.

Here's to new growth from old bulbs you thought you had discarded.

Here's to lots of adventures on Emily's  new cruiser refrubished by a friend.  So delightful and such a beautiful yellow.

We have been ringing in this new year with unseasonably warm weather and enjoying lots of time outside.  I don't have a lot of  resolutions but am thinking about them.  I helped moved a friend on New Years day to a lovely new house all her own and that was inspiring.  It is fresh and clean and full of bright colors.  That is setting the tone for me.  Freshness and bright colors.  Her word is entitlement.  That doesn't quite fit me but it is energizing to watch her open
her oyster.