cat grass fever

scarlett is so proud of her cat grass (sprouted oats). She planted it herself, and filled the pot with soil, watered it...and waited for something to happen...meanwhile we learned all about seeds, pollination, spring, bees, cats with upset tummies, photosynthesis, etc and luckily cat grass grows so fast...we saw shoots in 3 days! what fun! now she checks it everyday, waters it and cuts it down occasionally. she loves gardening. we also planted some strawberries...i cant wait to see what happens with them.

hit the road, jack

we are gearing up for a little road trip up to Oregon next week. I am so excited, and a little nervous. I have not driven that far with the girls yet and India is so young she could just sleep the whole time (please please please) or wail and hollar...grrrr. Scarlett was a fine road tripper...so maybe she will follow in her big sisters footsteps? But, oh wait...there's more...we cant have any sugary snacks ("i'll give you a popsicle if you get into your carseat") because S needs to get her teeth cleaned, and she has the beginning of a cavity in her molar. We have been to the dentist twice in the last month, but she wont let them get into her mouth. Its really silly. She has them wrapped around her finger...if I were the dentist the whole thing would be over...but since we got Mr. Bubble and Miss Gas Huffer scooting around holding a water pic and a big scary stuffed animal asking S to open wide we got NOWHERE! duh! do these people even have kids? I swear the dental tech was talking 500 words per minute and the dentist was so over-the-top "nice" it was downright creepy. Im about to order my own set of instruments so i can pick her teeth clean for goodness sakes! Maybe we can just take a trip to Mexico and get her all fixed up..hahaha, you know i kid!

But, oh yeah...oregon...I am going to visit my mom...who has not met India yet (awww) and pick up my Dad's ashes. He has been camping at my moms house for a year now, and I really need some closure, so I am making a plan for his final resting place. Its fun to plan it out...i keep getting all kinds of goofy ideas about dispersing his ashes in the bay...scattering them from the golden gate while no one is looking...yeah right!!! I will know what to do when the time comes...Im taking him to SF in May and I will know what to do then. For now its fun to think of crazy ways to scatter his ashes.

I wonder how many hours it will take me to get to Corvallis? I might just leave at 2am, so that they sleep the whole way...then i can be a zombie the next day instead of having to stop every hour.

Road trip must-have's:

dvd player

cooler with lots of snacks ready to go!

baby bjorn potty

big mug for caffeinated bevies

driving slippers

fairy moon cd

toy cars and trains

Things you might think are great, but are really lame to bring:

coloring books and crayons: they spill and you have to keep reaching back to get them..also kids get irritated trying to color when bumps and car turbulence happen...also, S will hand the crayons to India who will cry if she cannot try to eat them.

peanut butter and jelly: such a huge mess! not worth it AT ALL! cucumber and cheese, or tofu and cheese, or even hummus and carrot sandwiches are way better!

water bottles: i think its way better to drink water when stopped, otherwise too much water means lots of potty stops, and this way they dont get squirted out from the backseat, yay! plus the caps are a choking hazard, and the baby will cry if she cant have it-so again, not worth it!

well, im sure it will all be great...and good thing we are in no hurry so we can take our time cruising on up to grandmas.

a new level of messy

yes...it gets messy around here.

yes...i stay up late to clean it up.

i dont waste my precious time trying to put toys away, fold clean clothes, mop floors, make beds, etc with these wild ones running around eagar to destroy my neat and tidy doings! have you ever tried to fold laundry with a toddler who thinks shes helping me by wadding up the clothes into tight little balls and a crawling infant who wants to play peek-a-boo with everything your folding??? yeah.

Some may think that im okay with the messy...(and thats sweet, but no...) for real- i like the ordered and clutter-free...i like it so much that i dont want anyone to mess it up, which is why i do it at midnight, so's i can enjoy it for a bit...till i finally put the thrilling book im reading down and cuddle up to sleep. and i especially love it first thing in the morning before the baskets get dumped, the third bowl of oatmeal or yogurt gets spilled, or smeared or so "helpfully" dropped into the sink, sometimes breaking...ya know the clean and spotless bathroom before the paper gets unravelled, trash dumped over, toothpaste over-squeezed, dinosaur marching band, stacked of towels used to reach the "kitty sparkles", etc etc...those of you who know...know what i mean. i keep thinking to set my alarm for five, way before the littles wake, so i can drink a cup of mate during one of the tiny slices of time that my home is neat and tiddy.

spring, teeth and reptiles

the boa


headband!!

oh sweet lovely spring...you are almost here and I welcome you with big open loving arms!
except that i will lose an hour of sleep, and i guess its worth it, but really i dont have an hour to spare, so cruel...so cruel.

T'was a beautiful sunlit day today...wind was a bit chilly, but sporting short sleeves in the warmth of the sun while in the car, complaining of the heat (unheard of, really!!) we rolled our windows down and set out for the natural history museum...reptile day...whoo hoo. I guess I was half expecting Scarlett to fear the cold blooded ones...in the past she would hide her face in my arm as we passed the snakes, etc while visiting aquariums and the zoo. But, oh no...she's not afraid anymore...she's thrilled! She held lizards, geckos (3 diff kinds), a boa, a skink...you name it. If a reptile was out of its "habitat", scarlett was right there, hands neatly opened to hole the creature. so gentle. so brave. Something comes over her when she is the self appointed guardian of the tiny gecko...her face changes...i can see glimpses of her older self...she talks quietly while holding them and feels so proud. It was as much fun for me to watch her as it was for her to hold them. I could have taken so many amazing photos, but alas...the batteries, darn!

and now for the teeth...so here is what has been happening around here...india got some teeth...the usually 12 hour fever, snotty nose, ear pulling, etc...then i got sick...headache, snotty, mild cough, then Scarlett got sick with the same...then India got it, while still teething...so loads more snot and more cough...plus tiny get it worse than us. Then I got better, Scarlett got better...India got worse...she was so miserable...and another fever...then i got snotty again, and achy...then Scarlett got really snotty and another croupy, yucky cough...what the?? and now im feeling great, Scarlett on the mend with a lingering cough, but india still with cough, and 4 more teeth trying to bust through her little tiny gums...poor babe...teething is serious business folks. Hopefully with this sunshine and resting, we will all be able to go out and play without toting handfuls of hankies and warm chicken broth. big sigh.

eye heart ira glass

seriously. i have loved for a long long long time, this american life. its my favorite show. yeah, i dont have a tv... so for me, radio is how i get my media fill. i listen to the radio as much as a teenager would watch tv if left unsupervised. a lot. talk radio. amy goodman. local radio, reggae fridays, prairie home companion, mountain stage, morning edition, car talk, wait wait dont tell me, calling all pets....oh yeah...im in the thick of it...i love radio, especially talk radio and i love ira glass the best! last night i listened to a show (from the archives) about the rubber room. Teachers that do something...questionable, like yelling at their students, or throwing a chair. They dont get fired but they get sent to the rubber room, to wait for their "hearing" sometimes they wait for years!!! It was a great show...here are some of my favorites:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=350
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=370
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=104
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1249
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1226

enjoy!!!

ps
last night i reestablished my love for nina simone by listening to her for 2 hours!!! I love pandora...i created a station under nina simone and after "eliminating" anyone but her...the station ONLY played nina...live, old, more recent,etc...it was great!

still here

yes...been thinking about so many different things...unable to post...too many ideas all at once..warp flood...but soon...this weekend, if it be a sun shining in that there sky...we will go to the beach or run in some grass, and ill finally upload some more photos...we had a sweet valentines day, breakfast with dear friends and grandma and grandpa sent the girls valentine cards! Scarlett was very excited...ripped it open while informing me she was not tearing it, just opening it. "is that a cat floating with a balloon in the sky? a heart balloon? is that me, floating in the sky with a balloon? to go see grandma and grandpa with a heart for my birthday?" sweetest 3 yr old dreams! meanwhile, india tasted her card, and bit off a little to chew with her new teeth...(all four of them). Scarlett has been singing her abc's everyday...especially while washing hands..but she enjoys changing the words, and now i think she has forgotten the original version. She prefers to sing her friends names into the abc song...like abcdefghi..caleb...lmnopqr etc etc....and with other songs too, like: you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skylars grey. its pretty funny. well we love you all...see ya soon...with more pics, too!

bikes to the beach

ohhhh beautiful sunny winter days. bike trails right next to the beach. we are grateful for beach picnics and beautiful trails and sandy discoveries. Scarlett is getting so fast on her bike, im about ready to pack india into a jogger so that i can catch up! Its perfect...lord knows i need a little jog here and there...ha! India is crawling crawling...faster and pulling herself up to standing on chairs, tables, her sister...you name it. More fun for scarlett who now loves to call her over to play, or run from her laughing, screaming and yelling..."aaaaah she loves me, look mommy, she tries to get me!" and she is teething, big time...poor girl...4 teeth at once, just like scarlett...couple of tops-couple of bottoms...soon im sure she will be trying out her new power:the bite! look out scarlett! and sweet india is getting bigger...now wearing mostly 12 month size...some of which scarlett just outgrew last spring...oh my! i have been using bits of my spanish and french with the girls...hey who knows, maybe they'll catch on? we are also loving the winter greens and veggies, thank you lovely friends and local market!!

crack attack

see the three birds?

joan miro?

sweet gesture...or pure evil?

well who knows why, but when i stood in the pantry gathering ingredients for "muffins" i had more cocoa and chocolate chips, less carrots and raisins.... um chocolate muffins? okay okay...they ARE cupcakes...not one bit healthy...just pure sugar crack. so flippin' addictive and good, that i sent them to a friends house...as a gesture...a 'thank you' if you will...but is that really very kind? Demented, maybe? I mean, they have kids...and this is just like a bomb waiting to go off...did I really deliver to their doorstep a recipe for kids screaming, running through the house yelling "NO!! I wont go to bed...more cupcakes!!!" bouncing off the walls, pushing, wrestling, crying, smiling, laughing...more screaming... ohhh dear...i think an apology is in order...but at least I warned them...and unlike their mail carrier who just left some candy...i put the plate of sugar crack in a boring paper grocery bag...was tempted to label it...but then i thought, well, do the kids read? Undoubtedly, i bet they can read the word 'chocolate'...i know i could at an early age...and 'coca cola' (another form of legal crack) was recognizable to me years before I could read...in fact, when i was tiny, I drank disgusting chemical infused water from a "coca cola" glass that held flowers at the floral section in a safeway cooler...just because I recognized the brand. gross. the floral departments used to keep flowers in glasses of water...with some kind of "do not eat" package of chemical poured in for "freshness" i wonder how many other kids drank that gritty water? Anyway...im sorry about the delivery of sugar crack to your house friends, it'll never happen again!

I had fun making the cupcakes...designed with chips for polka dots...and i drizzled batter on some parchment and baked for a few minutes, let it cool and made cool designs...that part was super fun...scarlett helped me make the birds...and she made a few faces, but before i could get a picture, tiny fingers had already smeared and dipped their way through the icing, o well.

rhythm, baby

rhythm...i kept looking at the typed word, thinking that it was misspelled. But thats it, I guess. We like rhythm...we thrive on it...if we skip a beat...we feel like square blocks in a round peg world, and nobody want to be that. Our day usually looks like this:
(or you can skip right to pictures of the week)

6:30-7:30 Scarlett wants breakfast...mommy blinks with heavy lids (because i was up too late reading, again!) and stumbles into kitchen, lights fire under kettle...first thing is first! i cook up some oatmeal with raisins or frozen mangos or chocolate chips...wait those looked like raisins, dang!! No wonder she's so excited for breakfast. Mama drinks yummy mate
8:00 baby wakes up. nurse. potty. crawling time...straight to the pile of wool or dollhouse, her favorite place in livingroom. mama washes dishes and gets dressed (maybe a shower if im lucky)
8:30-9 chase scarlett around to get dressed. bribes of visits to museums and beaches if she gets dressed. ill give you vitamins!! "ok mama, ill get dressed"
9-9:30 dress sweet baby who smiles and laughs at me while i wiggle her little body into whatever...maybe give her a little bite of rice cereal after nursing.
9:30-10 make pb&j's throw apple, orange, water bottle, crackers into bag with diapers, wipes, etc and head out! Park, hike, beach, appointment (drat!), friends house, playground, etc
play and run and enjoy outdoors...or if rainy: museum or library or grocery store or thrift store or zoo (which is actually great when rainy), or pet store (fun) or any other option that sounds fun. nurse..hand out snacks, etc
2:00 home, for resting! baby needs a nap in a bed, even if she has been sleeping at park or in car or in carrier...scarlett needs a book, snack and paint or playdoh or handwork (wool, water, sand)
3-4 depending on weather and energy...out again for 30-45 minutes, maybe just in grass...or on an errand...listen to music and dance...sing abc's read books
4:30-5:30 making dinner. nursing. scarlett helps measure and mix...makes a big mess while im in kitchen...India crawls around grabbing scarletts toys that she just made a mess with
5:30-6 light dinner candle...thank you...eat dinner, yum!
6:30-6:45 bath, brush teeth...baby in pj's and nurse...mama reads good book while nursing (yay!) scarlett plays quietly until she crawls in bed for a book (7:30)
baby out (yay)! Read Scarlett a book with no pictures...3 pages and shes out! Double yay!
8-midnight or longer (oh my!) mama reads, cleans, check email, blog, talk to a dear friend if lucky, make lists, put clean clothes away, toys away, great ideas for crafting, spin some yarn...or process some wool for spinning...read again then zzzzzzzzzzzzz
masterpiece...scarlett is drawing great spirals, eyes, mouths, noses, faces, polka dots, etc...this is her and her daddy...he has a beard.

yay! fun with wool!

yummy peace dove tartlett!

mercury direct

January is coming to an end. I will forever enjoy my cousin's birthday (31st) because it marks the end of one of the most difficult months for me. January is full of cold winter days, sagging desires...and saggy guts...all that holiday feasting just wears me out! January is my month to reflect and manifest greatness for the whole year to come...i dream about spring summer and fall more in january than any other time of year. Today, we hiked for 2 1/2 hours in the redwoods...it was amazing and supernatural. Surrounded by giants, mushrooms and sharpened senses. Trailing in and out of the shady fungus covered nitches and basking in the sunny, clover covered bends. While India slept, Scarlett and I shared unspoken gazes and giggles. I love it when i feel face to face with her soul...we stare at eachother and laugh. We celebrated mercury turning direct- in our own way...and blessed our year with grandure, grace and satisfaction!

orange you glad i love chocolate?

winter citrus...oh thank you! When its cold, and rainy, and you've got no place to go, or friends to call on...a beautiful ball of sunshine is at its peak of perfection and the market is overflowing with every variety of citrus right now...a sphere of bliss awaits us in these cold dark months. The satsuma, or seedless mandarin, is my favorite. Easy to peel fleshy, oily, beautiful smelling skin, with large aroma popping pores...mmmmm so perfect! I was inspired to eat the skin, loaded with bioflavonoids...to ward off that common cold, right? and truth be told, it was really tasty! So, to celebrate this bit of heaven in winter, i sliced up the peel and dipped it in melted dark chocolate, and ate it up...yum.

ode to joy

aaaaaahh sisters!

how sweet and cute they are together, playing. Now India is beginning to crawl (o dear me!) and what fun, thinks scarlett...who is enjoying her permanent playmate. some of you may already know...but in case you dont...scarlett has been at odds the past few months...wondering why this baby is hanging around for so long...she has finally accepted the fact that India is here to stay, and is ultimately happy about that.

meanwhile...mommy is frantically clearing lowland clutter and tossing "chokables" into shoeboxes and stuffing closets! mopping floors, carpet cleaning, rearranging pantry...mental note: shallow garbage pails and root baskets are no longer acceptable. shes roaming...brave and open mouthed, ready to "test" anything in hand...sigh

and also....thinking about starting another blog...just for yarns...so will have that update soon, until then i will post them here. only one more week until mercury corrects itself, lifting this invisible burden, and relaxing the flow of communication. hooray

new yarn: meloncolony...hand dyed and carded merino, polypay and hampshire lamb cross...some sparkle...55 yeards of peachypink, candystriped combos of pinks, blues, browns, greys, etc....greens with lavenders...some big poofy puffs, too.

crazy batt channel

love this batt...its merino, sparkle and this crazy kinky super gold wool that we got in the fall at the fiber festival in redway...some new sheep or something...but the kink is off the hook...and it looks like dolly hair, lovely!

we still love pizza...and the greatest thing is...scarlett eats more veggies now...i have been putting spinach, chard, squash, onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, even beans (yeah i know sounds weird, but twas good) and im still crazy about the pizza...the crust, really, its a charmer!
4 cups flour (unbleached white and wheat mixed is my fav)

1 1/2 cups warm water
yeast packet

pinch salt

2 TBS olive oil

throw the salt in with the flour, add yeast to water, when yeast bubbles add olive oil then add to flour and salt mixture....wooden spoon in bowl or food process...knead a bit on floured board...split in two...make pretty balls...place each ball into a Ziploc for 45 min or an hour...then roll as thin as possible...viola! (thank you ellie for recipe and tips)

AND....i have been washing, dying, drying, teasing, blending and carding a fleece of lovely merino and a polypay blend....oh boy it smells like sheep in here...but its been so fun, and scarlett has been helping me "tease, not break" (her words....my little spinner in training) the locks and crank the drum carder....such a great introduction to color theory! we have created every color of the rainbow and then some...about 20 batts down, 20 to go...then we'll dye some roving and get to spinning...cant wait! Scarlett also gets to help with the dying because i let her dye with kool-aid and vinegar...super fun.......and she agrees that kool-aid is pretty weird because it dyes fiber. she finally quit asking me for a taste.

India started eating food this week...avocados...yum! (thank you jessie for the yummiest avocados ever!)

we have also tripped to the beach with our friends...and have enjoyed all things sand and surf.

with mercury still in retrograde we are focusing on appreciation and fortune, of which both we seem to have in abundance....a photo montage for you:

digging a tunnel to china

the babies, dylan and india

india so happy to get that stick by herself

yummy avocado...exciting first food!

playing in scarletts kitchen...sushi and peaches!

eating plastic sushi

blending the perfect peachy pink...with sparkle!!!

helping to card wool...of course she is without any clothes!until its time to go outside she refuses to dress....and as soon as we come home, the clothes come off. "i love naked, mama"

grocery outlet...20 for a buck...really pretty!

dye pot...kool-aid colors