Home made Pasta!!

Oooh baby, it's time to carb-load! We are having this again. Thanks to my auntie and uncle for the flour mill they got us when we got married. Thanks to my in-laws for growing organic spelt for us to grind into flour. Thanks to our egg man, John, and his perky lady hens for laying such nice eggs. Thanks to the girls for getting flour everywhere and enthusiastically cranking out the spelt-ghetti.
Eden thought she died and went to heaven. She HATES tomato sauce and was filled with joy when I presented a bowl of fresh pasta tossed with butter and freshly grated pecorino cheese. She even requested a sprinkling of parsley (she's so sophisticated).

The latest pins and hair clips

My stove cratered last week. I would set it at 250 and it would suddenly rocket up to 450. Not awesome. So we started to hunt around for a used stove. We found one. And how. We found a couple who were downsizing and moving to follow their grand-babies east. They had both a fridge and stove for sale. Since our fridge is of the same vintage as the newly deceased stove, we thought we should pick up both to be on the safe side.

Lets just say I made these hair clips because I need to go to the farmers market to make back some of the cash we dropped on the appliances. A fridge and stove are purchases I don't want to make very often. So the ones we found are only four years old and are pretty much 120 times fancier than the ones now resting in the garage. My fridge makes me feel unworthy. It is a beast. It is the clear focus of our diminutive kitchen. The stove has two separate ovens and, though it is certainly fancier than what I had in mind, I am rapidly rationalizing it's presence here by way of it's superior efficiency. I am an appliance slut it seems.

I'm Back

I have been a bad blogger, I know. And I didn't make this cup either. But, I'm sure you'll agree it is lovely (if you don't then maybe holding it in real life would change things). It was made by Cathi Jefferson. I bought it last weekend at Creative Chaos, apparently the largest craft show and sale in Western Canada. I have some issue with the name of the show implying that the art/craft just happens in a whirlwind of unstoppable creativity rather than by the blood and sweat of persons so inclined to work themselves ragged for nearly no money. Maybe it's just me, but I think the lousy name sets the tone for the whole show. And not a good tone generally.

How excited was I when I found Cathi Jefferson and her amazing pottery there? So excited I bought a whiskey cup! I spent last winter trying to cultivate a taste for whiskey in the cold evenings after the kids went to bed so, obviously, I needed a whiskey cup anyway. And what a lovely one this is. All covered with silver dollars. Mmm. Lovely. Almost makes me want to drag out my clay and reclaim my title as 'potter' but.....

yeah, it gets better. Dearest Boss Hog really came through for my birthday this year and organized a felting workshop for me here at my house with Postmodern Hausfrau. Jessica from Funk Shui is actually coming to my house for a whole weekend of wool. Pretty great. I am so looking forward to PH coming with wee Fritz and Liesl. Eden and Arlo are going to go bananas when they realize that we are having a whole week of sleepovers!!

As for my absence here recently. I agreed to do the concession for Susan Paisley's dance school recital two weeks ago. It was five shows of amazing dance, Eden is going to get signed up for ballet come fall, but it totally taxed the ability of me and my kitchen to mass produce cupcakes and caramel corn. As a result, I have been spending most of my time since then proving to my family that I still love them and am capable of producing delicious dinners, not just special treats that they are not allowed to taste. How cruel am I, making dozens of cupcakes and not giving the girls any? Just ask either of them and they will tell you. Not sharing is mean. I have taught them well.