and so it begins.

as we pulled into the driveway yesterday, cosmo says to me,

"it's all yours mama."

"what?" i ask, bewildered.

"yours. it's all yours." he says, matter of factly

"what's all mine?"

"fault. it's all your fault, mama."

game day

if ya wanna see something funny...look at these videos shawna took of cosmo playing his first basketball game at the banneker center. it is a bloomington parks and recreation league, and cosmo is at the younger end of the three and four year olds. it is so damn comical, i can't stop laughing.

collective craft

my friends, lara and tammy, have a tradition of making handmade gifts for the holidays. they get together as many evenings as they can manage, starting in late october, through most of december. they've made soap, marbled paper, glass mosaics, sand-dollar ornaments, painted tiles...you name it, they've probably tried it. last year i was lucky enough to be invited to participate. i made a few gifts with stained glass, but the best part was hanging out, working, talking, sharing ideas and cheering each other on. they both have large families, and long lists of people to give too. a stressful chore becomes a time for bonding with friends.

this year we decided to try an idea for some beautiful humming bird feeders that shawna invented. we also wanted to attempt marbling on fabric, to make sets of cloth napkins. it took most of a day just to gather the materials and get set up. we couldn't find carrageenan at any of the craft stores or specialty food shops, and we thought agar agar might work just as well, since they are both powdered seaweed, and are both coagulating agents. we found out the hard way that they are not interchangeable. the agar agar we found had sugar in it, and is used to make a jell-o like dessert.

you cannot float paint on top of hardened jell-o, and make marbled prints from it. we tried. can't be done. by the end of the night, we were referring to it as agarfuckingagar. luckily, on day two, carl checked at pygmalion's art supplies, and found some carrageenan and another marbling medium called methocel. they also had special marbling paints in an inexpensive set.

this stuff worked much better. we got a nice bath, of high viscosity liquid, that floated paint beautifully. we took over the entire workshop/art studio/former garage a.k.a. the space, or as we have been calling it this week, the methlab. we strung lines of string, for hanging the cloth, all across the room.

we cluttered our work table with the homemade tray/bath (made from cardboard lined with plastic), paints of all colors and weights, squirt bottles, distilled water, combs, rakes (boards with nails in them), skewers, and stacks of news paper. we had a huge rinse bucket on the floor and a couple of ironing boards set up (there are many steps for getting the fabric ready for printing, and heat setting afterwards. you end up ironing each napkin at least twice).

another complication: the fabric needs to be treated with alum before you print on it, but alum is corrosive, so only have about 2 days to work with your fabric before you need to rinse the alum out. since we had already processed all of the napkins in alum, and dried them. and ironed them, we wanted to get them all printed in that two-day window.

one of the rules i learned in architecture school is that most things take 6 times longer to make than you think they will. that rule holds true for marbling fabric. however, once we got the bath right, and marbled our first piece, we let out a whoop and a shout, and ooohed and ahhhed over the resulting napkin, printed with the intricate pattern. it truly was magical. when you drop the paint on the surface, then you get to swirl it around into trippy patterns, and it is almost impossible to mess it up. i'd been inspired by julie at craftknife, to incorporate cosmo into my projects more than i do. this was the perfect opportunity. he loved twirling the paint around, and rinsing out the cloth. he made some of my favorite designs.

was it worth the effort? i am not sure. i'm happy to have tried it, but i doubt i'll do it again. 3 days of paint, jelly goo and ironing are enough for me. you'll have to ask tammy and lara how they feel about it, and, how many names they got to cross off their lists. and, i will say, despite all the discouraging set backs, we had a great time together, and isn't that what the holiday spirit is all about?


check out the video.

cozysoap

did you ever have something you want to blog about so badly, that you can't even wait until daylight (when your camera takes nicer pictures) to get it online? that happened to me today. i know that soap felting is already out there, in the crafting community, the etsy crowd etc., but i just found out about it, tried it, and fell in love.



for those of you not in the know, it's a bar of soap, wrapped in felted wool (some call it "soap in a sweater"). you wash your skin with it. a built-in washcloth, if you will. they are beautiful to look at, nice to hold, scrubby, yet soft when sudzed up, and oh-so-easy to make. i made 12 of them in the span of 2 hours---hours during which i was distracted by the needs and desires of one-not-yet-capable-of-fully-caring-for-himself. i found locally made/handmade soap, for cheap, in the 'seconds' bin at the co-op. making one's own soap would be even better (though you wouldn't be able to see the soap itself). did i say how much i love this yet? i really do. they are so quick, and so wonderful, i want to make one for everyone i know.

crafting projects that are more involved, difficult and time consuming can be great too. i' tell a story about one of those next time. in the meantime, if you want to know how to felt a bar of soap, here is a step-by-step guide. it's not the instructions i used, but it looks about right to me.

keep yer forks...there's pie!

one of cosmo's familiar favorite songs is "turkey in the straw." he once wrote his own version punkin' in the pie, which basically goes:
"punkin' in the pie...do do do doooo,"
i consider it his first song, and, of course, i love it.



i sing it to myself whenever i make pumpkin pie. like today. one of the best things about november (other than barak obama being elected president of the united states), is pumpkin pie. this one turned out as yummy as i remember from last year. i bake the pumpkins beforehand (or, carl sweetly bakes them for me), and then puree them. the crust gets pre-baked, with pie weights (i have a jar of dry chickpeas that i keep for just this purpose) so it doesn't get soggy.



today we were talking about stocking up on pumpkins while we can still find them at the farmer's market, and storing them in our garage-turned-workshop/studio-space. it's insulated. carl loves to bake pumpkin bread, and i do like me some pie!

update: the recipe
my notes:
i bake the pumpkin ahead of time. i simply cut a pumpkin in half, place it face down on a cookie sheet, and bake it at 350F, for an hour and 15 minutes, to an hour and a half. once it has cooled a bit, the peel comes off easily. then i puree it in the food processor, but you could also use a potato masher.
i sometimes make the crust the night before, stick it in the fridge, and make the pie in the morning.
this crust rocks. i use it for all sweet pies now. the little bit of sugar gives a lot of flavor, and helps with browning.

Flaky Crust
for any single curst pie, 8 to 10 inches in diameter. double the recipe for a two-crust pie.


Ingredients

	1⅛	cups (about 5 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting work surface
	½	tsp. salt
	1	tsp. sugar
	8	Tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces
	~	About 3 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed

Steps

1. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the container of a food processor; pulse once or twice. Add the butter and turn on the machine; process until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal, about 10 seconds.
2. Place the mixture in a bowl and sprinkle 3 tablespoons of water over it. Use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to gradually gather the mixture into a ball; if the mixture seems dry, add another ½ tablespoon ice water. When you can make the mixture into a ball with your hands, do so. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a small disk, and freeze the dough for 10 minutes (or refrigerate for 30 minutes); this will ease rolling. (You can also refrigerate the dough for a day or two, or freeze it almost indefinitely.)
3. You can roll the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, usually quite successfully; sprinkle both sides of it with a little more flour, then proceed. Or sprinkle a countertop or large board with flour. Unwrap the dough and place it on the work surface; sprinkle its top with flour. If the dough is hard, let it rest for a few minutes; it should give a little when you press your fingers into it.
4. Roll with light pressure, from the center out. (If the dough seems very sticky at first, add flour liberally; but if it becomes sticky only after you roll it for a few minutes, return it to the refrigerator for 10 minutes before proceeding.) Continue to roll, adding small amounts of flour as necessary, rotating the dough occasionally, and turning it over once or twice during the process. (Use ragged edges of dough to repair any tears, adding a drop of water while you press the patch into place.) When the dough is about 10 inches in diameter (it will be less than ¼-inch thick), place your pie plate upside down over it to check the size.
5. Move the dough into the pie plate by draping it over the rolling pin or by folding it into quarters, then moving it into the plate and unfolding it. When the dough is in the plate, press it firmly into the bottom, sides, and junction of bottom and sides. Trim the excess dough to about ½ inch all around, then tuck it under itself around the edge of the plate. Decorate the edges with a fork or your fingers. Freeze the dough for 10 minutes (or refrigerate it for 30 minutes).
6. When you’re ready to bake, prick it all over with a fork.
   

To pre-bake the crust

preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
tear off a piece of foil large enough to fit over the entire crust when folded in half. smear butter on one side of the foil, then press it into the crust. weight the foil with a pile of dried beans or pie weights or a tight fitting skillet or sauce pan--anything that will sit flat on the surface.
bake 12 minutes. remove from the oven, reduce the heat to 350 F, and carefully remove the weight and foil.
bake another 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is a beautiful shade of brown.

start the filling while the crust is baking

when crust is done, turn the oven to 375 F

filling:

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch ground cloves
pinch salt
2 cups pureed pumpkin (can use canned, if you wish)
2 cups half-and-half, light cream or whole milk

Beat eggs with the sugar, then add the spices and salt. Stir in the pumpkin puree and the the half-and-half. While the curst is baking, warm this mixture in a medium saucepan over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is hot to the touch; do not boil.
Place the pie plate on a baking sheet. Pour this mixture into the still-hot crust and bake 30-40 minutes, until the mixture shakes like jell-o but is still quite moist. cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

from the book How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

discovery

the day after obama won the election, we went out to play in the valhalla memory gardens. cosmo found this cicada carcass in the leaves. he wondered, at first, if it was an "old moth."




oh, and i decided to participate in photo friday (see below), since i was photoblogging anyway...


Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

never thought i'd see the day...

on the way to our polling site (couldn't have asked for a prettier day)


"why that sign says 'NO'?"


we vote in a house of worship (but it's better than the knights of columbus building, where i once voted in houston)



finally, casting my ballot.



i am, for once, proud of my country. feels weird.

you know what to do...

image by nikki mcclure (get her calender for yourself and a friend this year)

happy halloween!

we've been doing a halloween countdown with a lift-the-flap calendar i made for cosmo. i thought it would be good way to begin to get a sense time passing (how long is it between days?), if cosmo could count off each day leading up to something he's looking forward to. it is sort of like an advent calendar, no chocolate though, just a sticker. i could not have predicted how much he would love this activity. he gets so excited every day when he realizes, "i didn't do my calendar today!" He delights in lifting the flap, and is thrilled with whatever picture is underneath. i plan to do one for november (his birthday month) and december.



he decided on being a bumble bee this year. some of you may recall that cosmo's interest in bees goes way back. i was looking forward to making a costume, but we found this bee at a thrift store, so, why bother? i did add a stinger (at his request), and ended up putting hook fasteners on it when the zipper broke. it fits, it is warm, and comfortable enough to wear all day, which is what he did yesterday, for the party at school. he put on in the morning and did not take it off until bedtime! he got a lot of smiles at kroger. these are some shots from a halloween party on sunday.



cosmo also helped out with pumpkin carving. he kept saying "ewww! disgusting!" when he was pulling out the pumpkin guts, but he had a smile on his face most of the time.



he also drew the nose and mouth, which turned out better than any of my designs for the past few years.

heteronormative plush toys

cosmo's uncles, ch & h, gave him toast for his birthday, when they visited last year. cosmo is very fond of toast, probably because he came from them, but he's also pretty damn cute, if you ask me. i started felting a plush toy for some friends' new baby, but when i finished it, i knew that it could not go to the new baby. i had obviously made grape jelly, toast's girlfriend. or...er...uh...friend! buddy. pal. sister?



in any case, cosmo likes them both, and he likes for them to "talk" to one another.



i still need to make something for the baby.

soup's on

with a chill in the air, soup is on the stove. i've got a ton of favorites, but here is a new one i just tried last night: carrot and red pepper soup. this comes from deborah madison's vegetarian cooking for everyone. this cookbook was a gift from carl's parents last year, and we have crafted some incredible meals from it. some of the recipes are too elaborate and time consuming for everyday cooking, but each recipe we have tried has a very distinctive taste. she knows how to pull the rich flavors out of fresh vegetables and herbs.



when i am craving a carrot soup, i usually just whip up a simple carrot ginger soup. this one is more complex and layered than that, though still quite easy to prepare. since you puree it all at the end, you don't have to be very elegant with your chopping. i was happy to find many of the ingredients still available at the farmer's market, and in my garden. i also managed to make some stock in the early afternoon, from what i could find in the crisper.

here's the recipe. if anyone tries it, i'd like to hear about it.

Carrot and Red Pepper Soup

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups diced onion
1 pound carrots, thinly sliced (i peeled mine)
2 tablespoons white rice
salt and freshly milled pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 and a half tablespoons dried)
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
6 cups water or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
Finely chopped dill or chopped parsley (for garnish)

Melt the butter in a soup pot and add the pepper, onion, carrots, rice and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, covered, until the onion has softened completely, about 10 minutes, stirring several times. Add a grind of pepper, the parsley, dill, orange zest, juice, and water or stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, until the rice is cooked, about 25 minutes. Cool briefly, then puree (in a blender, food processor or food mill)* and return it to the pot. Taste for salt, season with pepper, garnish and serve.

* you will need to do this in stages, as it won't all fit in a blender or food processor bowl.

from: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison, (with slight modification and notes by cake).

worth it

we've made it through most of the "terrible twos" without much of the terrible part. carl and i have often remarked on the fact that cosmo does not throw tantrums. well, tonight, he did.

(self portrait)

it had to do with climbing on me during dinner, batting at my salad bowl etc. and developed into crying and screaming in his room, which is something that cosmo does very little of (screaming, in particular). i can look back on the day, and see what kinds of things might have led to this: lack of one-on-one attention from each of us, lack of adequate exercise, not eating enough "real food," any number of things. add to that, mixed messages about what constitutes proper behavior at the dinner table. the fact that we don't have a dinner table might have something to do with it. when it's nice out, we eat on the back porch, and we have a proper table and chairs. when it is too cold for that, we eat inside, sitting on the living room floor, at the pew, which is a long coffee-table sort of thing that i made from what was once a church pew. we just recently started eating at the pew again, and haven't really established the ground rules, i guess. it is also possible that these incidents can't entirely be avoided. sometimes he's just got some pent up energy, and it needs to be released, somehow.

i started by making a big effort to communicate with him, getting him to slow down, look at me, speak to me, and listen. that sort of worked at first, and i was quite pleased. then, it stopped working, and he melted into the fitful mess that is a full blown tantrum, and communication of any kind was impossible. i never got angry, i remained steady, gentle, but firm in my approach, and recognized that he just needed to find a way to calm down. eventually, he did. and we hugged, and managed to move on with the evening. he asked for some water, and then, to listen to a BBC radio program CD that we borrowed from a friend, which seemed like the right thing to do. as he was drinking the water, he looked at me and said, "you're a good mama for me." at first, i wasn't sure what he'd said, so i asked him to repeat it. that is what he said. i can't imagine he knows exactly what that means, but it sure was just what i needed to hear at that moment. what a sweetheart.

[and to that, cosmo would say, "i'm not sweetheart, i'm COSMO!"]

holy cow

we've been getting unpasteurized cow's milk from a local dairy farmer lately. i don't know how much sense it makes, ultimately, to drink the milk of another species, but we do. i believe that the raw milk contains a lot of good stuff which makes it easier for our bodies to process, and contributes to overall health. there's a lot of info out there about it. one (probably biased) source is this. in any case, i feel better about giving cosmo dairy that has come from a healthy, grass fed cow, nearby, than i do giving him the stuff that has been shipped from far away, and has lost some of its nutritional value. plus, it is cheaper than getting the organic milk in the store, and the milk is stored in glass jars, which get re-used.

since it is illegal to sell raw milk, we purchase a share of a cow, pay a monthly care-and-feeding fee, and the farmer "gives" us some milk every week. we receive more milk that we are used to consuming (none of us are big milk drinkers), so we have been finding other things to do with it. so far we have made yogurt, cream cheese, and mozzarella.


(cream cheese, hanging over a bowl, and fresh out of the cheese cloth)

all of them have been very easy, with the yogurt being the easiest of all. you just heat it a little, add some starter (existing yogurt) and then pour it into a thermos and let it sit undisturbed for 6-8 hours. the cream cheese was made from a batch of yogurt, and all you do there is pour it into a few layers of cheese cloth and hang it overnight. the mozzarella is a bit more involved, but still, pretty quick and doable. and for each of these products, the taste can't be beat.


(home made mozzarella, and insalata caprese with our own tomatoes, basil and cheese)

---------------------------

in other news, cosmo will turn THREE in exactly one month. aaaccckkk! how can this be?

boo!

it is not halloween yet, but autumn is in full swing around here. probably the most photogenic time of year. i made cosmo this witch hand puppet, and while it may look like the felted wool head was the hardest part, it was not. my first two attempts at the body (the part where the hand goes), failed miserably. i'd made it out of prefab craft-felt sheets, with some cute hand stitching. the first one was just too tiny for my hand, and cosmo couldn't get it to work either. so, i made another just like it, only bigger, and it was incredibly awkward (almost painful) to get it to move in a remotely life-like way. after looking around online for some images of puppets, i decided to scrap the felt-hand-stitched style altogether, and pattern the body off of my hand, in "puppet position." the shape is funny, but it works great. i think i want to replace the cape material with some black toule, but i didn't have any on hand. most importantly, cosmo enjoys visiting with her.



we took cosmo to this bizarre place on the edge of town called the haunted train. we didn't want to take him to a haunted house because his relationship to "scary" is quite unpredictable these days. but we'd driven by this place, and it looked like something we had to check out. turns out, it is a train museum, open year round, and they have a haunted house on weekend nights in october. so we just drove out there on a sunday afternoon, met the owner, and wondered around. one could imagine how terrifying this place would be at night, with a sound track and some black lights, but in broad day light, it was just strange.



it felt like being backstage at the magic show, with all the secrets revealed. cosmo would walk by a "zombie" in a coffin and he'd say "oh, that's SCARY, too" but was clearly not scared. and he'd ask questions like "why all those babies in that water? why that water's red?" reasonable questions, if you ask me.



our next door neighbors have a rope swing, made all the more fun with a pile of leaves to fall into:





lastly, i got the bright idea to make cosmo a mudhole to play in before it gets too cold. the morning i went out to dig it, he was so excited, he got into it in his pajamas!