Egg time

Last year I got the best book in the bargain bin at a local used book shop, The Egg Tree. E+E love the story and I love the illustrations. This year we got a bunch of Easter-themed books out the of the library and have fallen for The Birds Gift: A Ukrainian Easter Story.  I picked up a Ukrainian egg kit a while back and brought it out today remembering we won't be here next week and this may be our last chance to decorate eggs. Before reading the directions I had Eli blow out an egg only to realize we'd decorate raw eggs but it was worth seeing a mini-Dizzy in action, don't you agree? He wanted nothing to do with the long involved process but Eva stuck right with it for almost three hours. I still need to get an image of the final egg but the process is almost as interesting.

Shu Shu's late birthday gift

I was inspired by this gift idea on inchmark and thought it perfect for the grandma who's entire house is covered with photos of her grandchildren. I thought about it months ago but of course by the time I got around to ordering the photos and sleeve, I'm was over a week late for the actual day, alas. Two days ago, I filled the sleeves with photos of the children from over the last year and had e+e make the numbers. The last minute, Eva wanted to fill in the five little squares. In 15 minutes she designed the quickest and most meticulous Easter images I've ever seen. The idea of this gift is to provide a count-down for Shu Shu's visit to us on April 11th, the thought being on March 29th Shu Shu will remove two numbers per day until she depart to see us in person. I'm going to two-day mail it tomorrow before we head on our road trip to Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Tucson and Palm Springs. Nothing like pressure to make me perform.

Pallea for eleven

Twice a month I do not have to answer the question, "what's for dinner tonight?" thanks to my new dinner co-op. For years now, Naomi and I have said why don't we double our recipes once a week and share. I look fondly back on those hazy daze we would eat at either our house or theirs once a week and the rule was that the guest did not touch a dish nor pick up a toy that our wild ones spread across the house. I remember sitting at their table in a stooper of sleep deprivation, not moving an inch for a couple of hours while being fed amazing pasta dishes, chicken paprika, chopped radish salads...but we never did follow-up on our plan to cook/share. I was on a walk with a new kindergarten parent in Eli's class that lives five blocks away and she mentioned wanting to start a food co-op with me and Naomi. What do you know, a few days later Nina shows up with an amazing green soup that we paired with a salad and some bread. It was so tasty, served with lemon and olive oil for the parents and heavy cream for the children. Last night I made paella from this month's Savour Magazine. As I was prepping the dinner I lamented the loss of dinner with the Goldner/Katzs since starting this co-op. Moments later Naomi called and gladly accepted our invitation to dine at our house instead of picking up the goods, it was a quick meal with friends. Over Spring break we'll have a pot luck with Nina/Chris/Ella, bringing a social element to our co-op and to meet my goal of HAVING MORE POT LUCKS in 2010. Last night I also pulled out my leftover raw beet salad doctored with feta and pinenuts and a yummy new cold lentil salad I made for two nights with left-over Japanese sweet potatoes, parsley, red peppers with a vinegrette...yummy.

has it really been that long?

I love my fans - all three of you. It was great hearing from all of you that you missed my blog this week. So here I am with promise to back-blog what I've been up to in my absence. I can partly blame this hiatus on two things #1 -Robert, my acupuncturist extraordinaire. He stripped me a bit of my hyper-state that I've lived with for most of my adult life and placed me in a new truly mellow state. The first few visits had me taking a break from a lot and done so with a nonchalance that I'm not used to. The first three days after an appointment all my obsessive behaviors are gone, I walk past the dirty kitchen riddled with dishes, napkins and crusty silverware, step over the socks and clothes strewn along the hallway, crawl in to my unmade bed at night, all this as happy as a clam. Usually this state of my house would haunt me, make me wonder if I can indeed fall asleep with such disarray and wake up crabby at the mere site of this unrest. Well I'm just as happy to report I'm even more balanced after two months of Robert, my house is back in order but done without a frenetic frenziness and I'm getting things done around here so you just wait and see what I've been up to!

#2 a new guilty pleasure. B.R.  (before Robert) I have been suffering insomnia off and on, more on than off, over the last 7 years, since my darling bebes entered my life. I never recovered from the sleep deprivation I suffered after two consecutive years of infants in the house and Eli not sleeping through the night until he was 4. Look back on my early entries and they were all about sleep.  A few months ago in the middle of the night I found a show on Netflix: Watch Instantly (since we do not have T.V. anymore) that could help me fall asleep because it was so bad, McLeods Daughters. After a few weeks of this sleep-inducing boredom, my heart-rate would no longer slow-down but on the contrary, speed-up when I would hear the theme music. All my evenings have been filled with watching these Australian jilleroos run their farm Drovers Run next door to their beefy male neighbors. I've been obsessed with these new friends of mine, sometime I catch myself and my thoughts have an Australian accent. I've only confessed this to a few people until now. At moments watching the show I'd think I'd want to shout my love for this show from a mountain-top, tell all my friends about the great discovery and then an episode would take a turn for the embarrassing and I could not dare confess the time I waste on this show. A few weeks ago I had an epiphany that put this in to perspective for me, I think it's the alternate life I'd like to live, no not in the Australian outback, but in Virginia, on a farm, with good friends. I love my life here in San Francisco, so many days I need to pinch myself to realize I'm not dreaming this good life in this beautiful city but at night I need to escape to the cows escaping the paddock, mucking the stalls, sitting around a farmhouse table with great girlfriends that I've known for a long time.

Pumpkin photo shoot

At the request of my college friends back East, Sydney + Kara, I got some photos of pumpkin + me, not in action but you'll get the gist. Today, I was riding down Valencia Street on the way to school, the first of the 5 miles, and I heard, " JAN!" and who did I see but my honey waiting for a friend outside of Big Mouth Burger, though I had to remind him we're having hamburgers tonight for dinner. Lucky meeting, as I'd just had a thought as the blue sky was drifting away behind the clouds that I had no rain gear for Eli who is already skeptical of our rides. Art gallantly offered his coat, sweet guy huh? I had him snap the first photo. Later when I got to school I naively offered for Eli to ride with Leon/Naomi thinking he'd not want to but he did, and yes my feelings were hurt. After some back and forth we decided he'd ride part-way to Duboce Street Cafe, we'd meet, have a steamed milk/biscotti treat and then I'd scoop up the little guy. I beat the car by a good 6 minutes probably on the parking curve. Anyway, while enjoying our treat, we thought it'd be fun in the future for Naomi meet me at 15th/Valencia for me to take both boys home on the bike path while she has a student, something to work up to. p.s. the sky was blue the entire ride home though it is storming right now! These photos bring a smile to my face just looking at them, they're a bit ridiculous but boy is it fun! I just had to include the final photo for contrast of my and Eli's face.

A wee space of ones own.

I declared it and got it (see posting for my space, under categories.) Eli wanted one too. Last week he pulled down all his toys from the corner of the dining room, after the little table which he promptly set it up next to the original art table, declaring his own space. Now we all have our own space.

What I learned observing their spaces today:

Eli is learning to whittle, he uses the pencil case, still loves birds, adding beetles and bugs to the list of interest, has a rubber band collection and has quite an eye for finding them all around the city where papers are delivered to homes, he loves his picture drawn for him by the after-school teacher Katherine.

Eva's space is more, of everything. She loves making those little paper hand contraptions that you choose a number or color and lift the flap for a secret, is engaged in her new Charlie Harper coloring book, storing my postcards of the Blue Ridge Mountains, also loves her bug from Pat, decorates her table with a table cloth, of course.

Eli's Viewmaster

There is secret behind this Viewmaster that I'm not willing to divulge but you may look at Neema's blog to guess on your own. I finally gave Eli his belated birthday gift yesterday, as I had the VM but just got discs this week from ebay. As well, I'm hoping that these dips in to popular culture will not make him such a nerd as he's blocked from viewing the moving images for a few more years, Art rolled his eyes and laughed at me at the thought of THIS having any help in that department. Saturday our friend Leon was telling him about Donald Duck and Toy story, well here you go Eli, you now have visuals to go along with the stories.

ps - Love you Neema! It was worth it just so I can think of you every time I see him with it.

first signs of flowers

 

It's been such a treat to watch as our bulbs bloom. We've seen some casualties of some of the shoots but what a rewarding process. I'm addicted, more bulbs next for us.

busy times around here

Our dining room has been the central dumping ground + major hub of creative energy  = mess, mess on top of mess. I've been avoiding this room for weeks. Today was the day, with me on coffee to boot (Art calls me Jan-squared in this state.) In the four hours I was home I was all over the place, one minute weeding the toy corner, next researching felt to make baskets, photographing the chidren's art tables, sewing kercheifs, making and installing new hangings for Eva's bedroom wall (inspired by Amanda Soule), cleaning off my desk, sewing a holder for Eli's View-master reels, gazing at the snowflake shadows that were visiblein our kitchen on our first day of sunshine, setting up a mushroom still-life with Eva's new beeswax sculpture, sweeping and all while having bursts of new ideas filling my head. It felt good. I'm a little shakey from the coffee this evening but I just love a day like this, and anyone who knows me knows I need these adrenolin rushes to keep me going.

I'm in the mood for Valentine's Day

I pulled out the box of Valentine's decorations today. I love setting up on the mantle the old Valentines cards my maternal grandmother Edna left me, she knew I was the sentimental one in the family. I could not find two post cards from my grandfather Edward Elias to my grandmother. He had to leave Maryland during the Depression and went to work in Idaho on a farm. He sent her a Valentine's card and then posted one the next day, one was not enough. I placed the beautiful cards we made at Susan and Stella's last year below on the hearth, I love seeing the new and old together. Over Christmas, there was yet another opportunity to go through the stuff at my parents house. Each time I go home, I think this it, I'm willing to part with the garage full of items that filled my home as a child. However, each time there is a new opportunity to review the items, and of course one previously overlooked will stand out. This time I could not live without an old vase that used to be stored under the counter of the laundry room where I used to hide and play. It must have come from a Valentine's bouquet sent to my parents long before I was born. It looked so inviting to me on the garage shelf, I just had to stow it in my suitcase.

new game

Eli invented a new game with the pulley. I'm not privy to the rules but he tied it to the trapeze and he stands down the all and launches it back to home base. Eva came home and he was able to fit in to the sequence. Over the course the afernoon there were rules, a system of scoring and loads of laughs.

beef stew weather

I've never craved beef stew but this weather, week after week of rain-drops dripping down our windows and the back of our necks, has me thinking of nothing else. I picked up some grass-fed beef from Bi-Rite and made the most delicious and new variety of beef stew. I tried the recipe from the The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook , I think I've only made it once and it was a traditional stew made with carrots, beef, potatoes, braised with flour for thickner, you get the picture, like mom made. This particular recipe is beef stew with carrots based on a french version called boeuf aux carrottes, and I chose to serve it over boiled potatoes.

With the oven preheated to 325 degrees, I seasoned the beef with salt and pepper, braised each piece until browned on each side, set it aside. Once the beef is set aside nicely browned, I added a cup of red wine and cooked over medium heat. Now the recipe later asked to add one more cup and reduced to half, I think next time I will reduce the 2 cups of wine at once as we all felt a little drunk after this dinner (the alcohol in the second cup was trapped with the lid on), the children were asleep at 7:15 on the dot! I added 2 bunches of carrots, a quart of homemade chicken broth, a nice strip of orange rind peeled with a peeler, onions, a bouquet of garni (what I had from our C.S.A. - rosemary and sage), put lid on the enameled pot and let cook for an hour and half. It was delicious.

follow-up note: So I started this posting two weeks ago and a note: I asked the chidren last night if they wanted beef stew and they both said NO! maybe not a hit with the under 5 feet set, although their bowls were mighty empty. No wonder I never ask them what they want - they just get what I make.

just like my 5th birthday....NOT

We were fortunate to attend a fabulous birthday party for a litte friend in Eli's class, Nithan. Nat and Jib, his parents own Corriander, a Thai restaurant in the Bloomingsdale mall. Their business partners and best friends own a chain of amazing restaurants called Osha Thai, where they hosted the party. Let's just say we all went hungary as instructed and were greeted with an endless buffet of the most scrumptious dishes including my favorite pumpkin curry, the best children's magic show I've ever seen and the favorite parents. This was one cozy event on a chilly SF day. Both my children want their next birthday to be at Osha.

Permaculture looming...

I went to a lecture tonight given by a local organization called Kitchen Table Talk on Urban Homesteading. There were some very inspirational speakers that have 3,000 foot gardens in their yard, have lived in a tent in San Francisco for years, capture rainwater, have greywater solutions, or own 2 goats and 6 chicken in the Excelcior District. Alas, it was inspiring but a little overwhelming to imagine taking any of this on. It did get my wheels spinning, allowing myself to dream just exiting the space I thought I want 1) bees 2) a worm bin, not in that order and 3) a nice container garden 4) make yogurt, cheese, and kombucha and finally 5) host more pot-lucks.  I'm frustrated with the limitations the condo situation poses on us but I've been challenged to not be shunned from moving on my own path. What will happen next?

Bike + Byrne

I've always loved the Talking Heads and was so pleased to get up-close-and-personal with David Byrne's Journal. He is so cool, taking his collapsible bike around the world with him on his year-long tour. I think I'm going to have to get his book Bicycle Diaries out of the library, keeps me motivated to get on Pumpkin as much as possible.

Last week I was able to ride her to Golden Gate Park, meet a friend for a walk, spend an hour at the Amish Quilt Exhibit at the de Young Museum, ride to school and home with Eva on the back. I was a bit neurotic taking Pumpkin to the Park as our friends had two bike stollen there on Saturday at the Sciene Museum bike rack. The guard tole them that someone walks up, sprays liquid nitrogen on the lock and ride away minutes later. I took both my locks that came with the bike, one weighing at least 7 lbs. With the locks and 56 lb girl in tow, I got plenty of a workout. Not realizing how exhausted I was when I got home, I promptly fell asleep on the sofa and was in bed for the night at 8:30 p.m.

carefree clothes for Eva

As soon as I'd read about Carefree Clothes for Girls, I put it on my Amazon Wishlist. When I made the big Christmas gift order, I left it on the order as a gift to myself. I love this book translated from Japanese pattern designer, Junko Okawa. Even though the patterns do not go up to Eva's size, I figured, in my naivety that  I could just add a few inches here and there. My hubris served me well for the first attempt, making the adorable apron that is shown on the cover. I used a Japanese fabric I purchased at the Senior Center yard sale. Good thing I got to much of it as I made several mistakes cutting out the pieces but soon enough Eva was sporting the apron that matches the kerchief I made her months ago, from this book also, just in time for lice to hit first grade. Eva is never without her kerchief.