Inspirations

Did you notice the new Link Category over there in the side bar called Inspirations? It is an ever changing list of 6 random things I come across on the wonderful world wide web that inspire me, make me think, lighten my mood, and just plain old impress me. So to make my blog a little more interesting have a looks see at what I like.

Right now I’m head over heels for all 6 of the little links in there. Excuse me while I ramble a bit…

Wash Your Hands – It is hilarious come on admit it. Those little hands all served up on a plate has gotta make you smile and tickle your funny bone just a wee bit. This sort of creative little project is what makes me love Etsy.

Hello, little miracle – nothing like feasting your eyes on perfect little snowflake. Ahhh

Water – Gary and I know Lee from the Altafarian world. In fact Gary has been doing work on his website for him. He is well known for his ski photography and is extremely talented. This is my all time favorite Lee Cohen ski photo.  He captured a beautiful wave that is breathtaking. I love the greens and blues of the ocean.

Love Birds – I have a sweet spot for little handmade birds. Cute. Their eyes are smiling. Do you see that?

Winter – Some words to help you get through the remainder of the season.

Art – This one is my current favorite. There is so much I could say about it. The playfulness, the message, it’s brilliant. Just watch it.

Enjoy

Opening a Shop

So I took a step forward with the Sweater Pants and opened a little shop on Etsy. It’s kind of a big deal for me since one of my personality flaws is being overly self conscious. I’ve been threatening to do this ever since I first discovered Etsy well over a year ago. I love the idea of Etsy I love handmade stuff, I love the artistry, and I love that they have created avenues for people to buy and sell goods that are made straight from the heart wrapped with good intentions. So here I am taking a leap and trying it out. I think it’s a good thing to help nudge me to be more creative and make time for more creativity. I have definitely let myself fall into a bit of a slump up here in Timbucktoo. So, take a looks see at the wee shop of mine. I’m planning to add more inventory soon. I see sweater skirts, pillows, and hats in the near future. I just might try making wee pants out of men’s or women’s dress shirts as well. There are many possibilities…

www.peasandloveshop.etsy.com

Baby Plays the Blues

Ellie got a harmonica from her Dad over Christmas.

This week she figured it out a little better.

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/3272944297/[/flickrvideo]

Papa and Hanna should be proud maybe they could start a family blues band one day.

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/3273814615/[/flickrvideo]

New Neighbors

A new development is going in up here in “Timbucktoo”. It’s rumored that there is going to be a whole slew of them popping up. Ellie and I have decided to welcome them with open arms. I think Gary likes them too he’s just afraid to admit it. I must confess their little homes are quite adorable and have a cheerful sort of flair. You can’t help but smile when you see them. They definitely help rid those February blues.

Ellie was so excited to hear about the new friends in the neighborhood she decided to do a little dance and give away some kisses in celebration…

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/3260411151/[/flickrvideo]

Family Ski Day

We took Ellie out on the slopes today in the backpack. We had so much fun together. She did really well and seemed to enjoy herself. The lifty’s let us load on the chair as three so she could sit securely in the pack  right by Gary and I. She was quiet on the first chair ride up but by the last she was laughing and pointing at the trees and skiers. Gary took her down the first run. We did a groomer called “Main Street” off of the Collins lift nice and easy. She called out for me a few times until she could see where I was, not sure if it was anxiety driven or if she just wanted to keep tabs on me. I took Ellie down a couple of times on the last run it was just the two of us as Gary paid his dues to High Rustler. At the end of our run I took her down Lower Rustler, which is a little steep relative to the cat track we were on and she let out a big Whooooaaaa!. It was so funny she had me laughing all the way to the truck. At any rate I think she enjoyed the wind in her face, the swoosh of the snow, the bluebird sunny day, and all the great people in Alta who gave us nods and encouragement all day.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaU3ZTKxDCQ&feature=channel[/youtube] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoYlYC8vqQs&feature=channel[/youtube]

Dinner With Ellie

Ellie wasn’t going to eat her dinner last night until we let her feed her self. Once she got a hold of the “greens” she seemed as though she had an insatiable appetite.

Recycled Sweaters

So I’ve been meaning to make some new pillows for our couch since the day we brought it home 6 months ago.  I could never get motivated or decided on what exactly I wanted. A few months ago I sorted out our pile of sweaters in the closet for good will. There were two sweaters Gary and I never wear that my mom gave to us when we moved up here to Timbucktoo (aka Timberlakes) I couldn’t bring myself to give them away because they are beautiful but just a little too bulky to wear. So the light bulb went off and I figured I would find a way to use them as couch pillows and then I found a great sweater of Garys that matched pretty well and figured I’d use that as well. So today I broke out the needle and thread and here are the results…

Here’s the thing I’m proud of I didn’t even cut them up. The sweaters from my mom that is. I just turned in the arms and collars. Then tucked it to the size I wanted. Then I stitched the open ends with some crochet thread.

Gary’s sweater on the other hand, well I chopped that one up and used a blanket stitch with the crochet thread to stitch up the open ends and I stitched on a few buttons in necessary places as well like the neck.

I took the arms from that sweater and made the “Wee One” some pants. Sweater Pants. They actually turned out quiet well. I wouldn’t mind a pair myself if it were at all possible but I can’t really imagine fitting my legs into what is meant for arms. Anyway its great lounge wear for the babe. I found some instructions for making some sweater pants here.

Zen and the art of Chicken Soup

UPDATE

***********************************************************

Well I spoke too soon. The Wee One is sick. She had a temperature of 102.7 on Sunday evening so we  took her down to the “5’minute clinic” in Heber. Her temp registered 103.5 there yikes. We had a relatively good experience at the clinic the PA there was very helpful, understanding, and thorough. She was tested for strep, influenza, and urinary infection. Which all came out negative. So we loaded her up with some children’s Tylenol and some Motrin.  Yesterday and today the fever has been up and down. We took her to our regular Dr today to follow up. They did a chest x-ray and blood work. The x-ray was fine and we will get a call on the blood work later. We know she pretty much caught Gary’s virus but the MD’s wanted to run all those tests so they could rule out any other secondary issues. This is the first time Ellie has been really down and out sick. She’s had a little cold last year but never has had this high of a fever. Needless to say she is exhausted today after all the poking and proding. I’m not sure it was necessary to take her into the Dr today and put her through all that testing but it comes down to we are better off safe then sorry. So far today her fever has been more mild. So we will continue to direct our thoughts to healthy bodies and love…

***********************************************************

We had grand plans of going to Alta for a ski day today. Unfortunately Gary woke up with a very stuffy head ughh. It’s been around for a couple of days and he has put up a good fight but last night/this morning it has the upper hand. He caught this little cold while in Vegas last weekend. I was under the impression that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Humm….

So, Ellie and I took to the grocery store this morning to get some Chicken Noodle Love Soup essentials. You know like chicken, parsley, onions, Rootbeer (I can’t explain my RB obsession lately, weird), and a donut for good measure.

Here is my recipe:

Take a whole fryer chicken and put it in a big stew pot with 8 cups of chicken broth. Cook that up for about an hour. Meanwhile, chop all the veggies you have on hand like onions, carrots, celery, leeks, squash, and such. Think about how much you love your family while you chop. Chop up some parsley and dill while your at it. Reflect on the things that make you happy like a beautiful blue sky day, dogs, and laughter. When the chicken is done do what has to be done, and you know, separate the meat from the bones. This part is the worst but if it helps your sick one feel better it’s worth it. Put some more loving thoughts into what you are doing. Strain the chicken broth. Just smelling it is already making the sick one feel better. Add your veggies and chopped chicken to the broth and more water if you need it. Let these cook. Think some more about healing the sick one with some love and soup. When the veggies seem soft add some noodles. Again, pour some good healthy thoughts in there too and stir it up. Finally when the noodles are done serve it up. While enjoying your chicken noodle love soup think about how your not going to get sick.  Really,  your not and neither is the Wee One.

One more thing you can enjoy with your soup.

“Ginger Lemon I Feel Sorry for You Honey Tea”

Fill your teapot up with water, peel and slice some fresh ginger, add some lemon slices. Heat it up until nice and steamy. Spoon out a dollop of honey into your favorite mug. Poor the ginger-lemon water over the honey spoon. Sip and relax.