kismet art

The Best of Halloween, 2009

    
 

 

Read, Little One, Read

"Go, Dog, Go" is a favorite around here right now.  I think Dave read it to Ben so many times that he doesn't even have to look at the words when he reads it to Emma.  It is her go to book of choice.  It is the book that can calm her down in the rush right before dinner.  I love to see her picking it up and looking through it on her own.  Pointing to the dogs and panting.  Jabbering to the pictures on the pages. Every once in a while letting loose an enthusiastic and loud "go, dah, go!"  I love that she is reaching a point where she will sit through a couple of books at a time.  I love that reading before bedtime is now becoming part of her routine.  I love that she loves books as much as the rest of us.  And most of all I love that books and reading are just another joy that our family can all share.

Gather

Three years ago, when Dave added on this family room, I don't think we realized how much time our family would spend out here.  Originally we were going to put the television, stereo, a couch, and a couple of chairs out there- there is a sliding glass door separating it from the rest of the house and this makes it fairly soundproof.  Then we threw a holiday party for Dave's family, the numbers of which kept growing, until we had to move our dining room table out there just so we would all have a place to sit that night.  And we realized how much we liked being out there.  And because it is a room with 2 large windows, a sliding glass door, and skylights that make it cheery all year round, and because it looks out over the garden we left the table there and it has become our everything room.  Besides our table this room now houses craft materials, 3 large book shelves, a stereo, a desk, a couch.  It is the only room that when we repainted during the remodel that I felt sick after the first coat went on (in the winter light it looked as unappetizing as a jar of baby food).  Instead, after 3 coats of paint, the color glows in all sorts of light.  Our Christmas tree, covered in red, and blue, and a rainbow of other colors doesn't clash with the earthy tones.  And the walls look especially pretty when the room is filled with fall decor like pumpkins, trees, and acorns.  The table in the middle of the room is where we eat, play games, do homework, create, read, talk.  This room is where we escape in the evenings, after the kids are in bed, to talk or hang out, or just slow down. This room is our most used room in our home.  This room houses a little bit of something for each member of the family.  This room is where we gather.

Glow

Remembering the way that lighting candles at dinnertime slows everyone down a bit.  How it creates a calmer atmosphere.  Love this candle, made by our neighbor using a vintage glass Halloween candy container.  Love the vanilla scent.  Love the glow.

Jones Family Campout

We spent part of last week at my family's annual camp out/reunion up in Eastern Washington (near Yakima).  For any of you parents out there it was an 8 HOUR DRIVE- ONE WAY...  and we all survived- no one got car sick (Ben and I were close a couple of times)- no one fought- people napped in the car- the snacks held out- we didn't get lost- we saw beautiful scenery through the Columbia River Gorge and through the fruit tree groves in Washington- read a lot of books- listened to, ok sang along at the top of our lungs to, a lot of 70's music (we love you Little River Band) -and thanks to one of Ben's friends, we had the emergency back up of a portable DVD player (it only worked for 30 minutes on the way up and we only used it for a movie and a half on the way home) but still it was nice to have. Emma was so sick of the car by the end of the trip that she went stiff as a board when we tried to put her in the car to go to the library this week- by today she's fine about getting into the car again, thank goodness.

My family rents out the whole camp ground for 4 days and nights, people come and go as they please, and the few die-hards that can go that long without a shower have the best time because they don't miss one minute of the action.

We all laugh that our family camp out is just an excuse to eat (and visiting comes second.)  My mom's family live in the fertile farm lands of the Yakima Valley and grow some delicious produce.  Here are the shirts they wear on the farm:Boxes of peaches and nectarines were around all weekend for a sweet treat- note the large knife sticking out of the box so you could cut yourself off a slice or two:

Every year our family makes homemade items (cookies, birdhouses, art, quilts, etc.) or puts together gift baskets that we auction off to pay for the campsite and food.  Here is an oil painting by my great-aunt Mavis:

Ben spent 3 days throwing rocks in the creek, exploring, reading, playing in the dirt and throwing rocks in the creek (I know I already said this but seriously, every morning he would look at me and I would say "yes, go throw rocks")  I have never seen him get so dirty- it's hard to see in this photo but he was covered in dust from head to toe, he wore the same shirt for 3 days, I loved it!!!

Our lovely bathrooms, love that this outhouse has a woman spray painted on it, because it was such a privilege to use a "girls only" outhouse, we all know they smell so much better than the boy's- ha, ha.

One of my cousin's 9 year old friends, Natalie, spent 2 days catching and releasing frogs- I think she was a little sad that her parents wouldn't let her take one home:

Emma spent her time coloring, running off down the road, playing with toys in the dirt, playing with dirt, avoiding naps, running off down the road, trying to go to the creek, trying to eat chips for every meal, throwing rocks, petting dogs, and running off down the road.

Here she is running off down the road with a metal cow watering can.

Here she is with Dave, at the end of the road, pumping water.  And trying to figure out how she is going to play in the puddle.

WARNING, GRAPHIC PHOTO AHEAD!!!

So the past few years the food preparation has become very competitive.  

Deep fat fried turkey, twinkies, tofu, chicken wings, onion rings, corn on the cob, pickles- if you can dip it in batter my family has fried it.

3 years ago my cousin Tom brought a 5 level smoker and smoked duck, chicken, and turkey.

People make their own jerky and sausage, canned jams and fruits fill the tables.

Here is a typical breakfast of sausage, steak, ham, fried SPAM, potatoes, and eggs, oh, and did I mention this was all cooked on a professional grade grill that was brought up in a flatbed truck?:

Someone always makes a run into "town" for Krispy Kreme donuts.

Lots of food cooked in cast iron skillets, this year there was Paella in a cast iron skillet.  Meatloaf in a cast iron pan over a fire.  Pot roast cooked over an open flame.  Coffee  brewed in pots all day, percolated by camp fire.

My mom and I brought fresh veggies and salads- they only "green" food there, needless to say they were not finished off.

This year my cousin Jamie and her boyfriend Ron bought a whole pig roaster- they put the pig in, covered it with hot coals, and it roasted for about 5 hours.  I would have to say it was the best tasting pork I have ever had (even if it was a little graphic- as Ben put it "bad day for that pig").

We ended our trip by driving through the town of Toppenish ,Washington, where my Great-Aunt, Mavis Willson, has been part of a mural painting project.  There are dozens of murals painted all over town, untouched by graffiti, and just amazing to look at.  Aunt Mavis had even participated in a few of their mural in a day projects.  I loved that we finally had a chance to drive through Toppenish and get a chance to see these murals.

I love that my family can all come together once a year to eat, drink, laugh, dream under the stars, hear stories of our past, take photos, sing around the campfire, and for the most part, survive technology free for four days.  I can't wait to do it again.  Just as soon as I get the smell of campfire smoke out of my hair and the dirt off the bottoms of my feet...

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there (hope you are getting a chance to relax and enjoy some time with your kids!)  Here is a recent layout I made to document Dave and Ben's sweet father-son relationship:

Dave's card:

A card for my dad:

And an ATC with my dad's baby picture:

And a card for my father-in-law:

We are getting ready to enjoy an early dinner of Salmon Wraps, cucumber/onion salad, Asian-Inspired Coleslaw and Peach/Blueberry Cobbler with local homemade vanilla ice cream.  And then a nap.

GUMBY AND POKEY- A LOVE STORY

     Once upon a time there was a little boy (let's call him David) who had a dad who drove a car with holes in the floorboard.  And David's favorite toys were his Gumby and Pokey bendable figures.  David loved to play with Gumby and Pokey, he took them everywhere.  One day David had Gumby and Pokey in his dad's car and Gumby fell through the hole in the floorboard onto the open road and was lost forever.

     When David grew up he told his son (let's call him Ben) all about his beloved lost Gumby.  In fact, he would tell that story a lot. Then one day Ben was at a toy store with his mom (let's call her Kim) and he spied Gumby and Pokey up on a shelf.  Ben asked in his sweet way if we could buy them for his dad.  And we did.  And David was so very happy that the package sat, unopened, next to his bed for many, many, many, months.

     Then one day (let's call it last week) a toddler (let's call her Emma) found that she could reach the package holding Gumby and Pokey and carried it to her dad.  And smiled at him with a mouth full of chewed cardboard.  And her dad opened the package so that a new little boy (Ben) and his little sister (Emma) could fall in love with Gumby and Pokey, just like their dad did so many years ago.

Happy Birthday to Me...Valentine's Day Cards

The amazing cake baking duo of Dave and Ben- with a little help from our good friend Betty Crocker.

This years cake- Ben said that it is his favorite cake of the year- but next year he thinks I should just get a bowl of frosting with some candles (boy does he ever know his mom...)

Last years cake, so good I made a layout about it.

I am rarely in the photos so I (reluctantly) handed over the camera and asked Dave to take photos of me on my birthday (this one is my favorite.)

Dave brought home red carnations, Emma approved.
 

Beautiful birthday tulips sent by my friend Kathryn- I love them (and they still look this good today, K)!

A card for my parents:

 

Dave's card:

Cards for Ben and Emma:

My Grandma's 80th birthday card:

 

A card for my friend Tasha:

 

It was a fun weekend filled with laughs, cake, candles, presents, and time to spend with family and friends, what more could a girl ask for?

Inspired By...

Here are a couple of projects I've been working on in anticipation of Valentine's Day (it is soooo unlike me to be this far ahead but I am inspired by a week of sunshine and the fact that I have decorated my house with hearts).

LOVE- inspired by this blog:  http://homegrownhospitality.typepad.com/homegrown_hospitality/2009/01/make-it-mondaytake-two.html , make sure you check out Stephanie's free abc download on this page- I used her pattern to make the felt letters that I sewed onto the paper heart.

Inspired by: Christmas die-cuts.  I was putting away all my Christmas paper and came across these 2 die cuts, they have a holly pattern but they really looked "Valen-tiney" to me.  I adhered 12x12 paper from the Dollar Tree to cardboard that came out of this year's calendars, then attatched the die cuts, added photos, a hand torn heart, some ribbon, Heidi Swapp chipboard hearts, paper ribbon from Karen Russell (around the heart shaped photos), my so-overused threading water punch from Fiskars, a little ink, and quotes from the song "My Funny Valentine".  I have them hanging on a wall in our front room. 

Love is in the air...  Love is all you need.

Snow Days, part 2

Someone else had fun in the snow too- she must have stood by the window for hours looking at the snow and watching the birds come in to feed on the seed we put out on plates.  It's raining here now so most of the snow is gone, but it was fun while it lasted.