Monkeyporkbun

Crafty Tunes

So. And sew. We have been crazy creative and having fun here. And my camera. It's sick. I am cycling through favorite photos. This is a picture of Jason, B and myself in NYC in Central Park during Christo's "The Gates."

So what can I give you? The gift of sound is a gift indeed. Recently, I decided it was time for a new burn. I honestly do not remember the last time I listened to the radio other than NPR or bought vinyl, cassettes or CDs at the store. And Jason, he keeps us in sounds here. Our library is chock full of tasty tunes. So in our library, I ran a filter for all songs containing the words "dream" and "into" and then I dutifully listened to every song and this is the compilation of the 20 I chose among the many many many tunes. This CD is for me and Miss B and for all the other crafty folks who need a fun playlist, complete with mood and energy shifts to listen to while making merry in their craft rooms. Leave a comment, post this on your blog linking back to this post, and I will pick a random 5 bloggers to mail CDs for crafty listening into the New Year. I decided to share because the look on Jason's face when he heard it all and how it flowed told me it was really good. (Mr. Pickypants about music and film.) And please, let me know what you're listening to!

We've been developing our ideas here and haven't had a moment to spare for photos. That will happen when we're pressed for B's tutorial which a local boutique is pining after. More info later. Here's the playlist.

1. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

2. Gold Into Straw - Brendan Benson

3. Step Into My Office, Baby - Belle & Sebastian 

4. Into the Ocean - Blue October

5. Step Into the Light - The Clientele 

6. I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Death Cab for Cutie 

7. Come Into My Life – Jimmy Cliff

8. Into the Woods – My Morning Jacket 

9. Erroneous Escape Into Eric Eckles – Of Montreal

10.Marching the Hate Machines Into the Sun – Thievery Corporation 

11.Into the Great Wide Open – Tom Petty 

12.Into the Mystic – Van Morrison 

13.A Journey Into Ambient Groove 

14.The Dreaming – Kate Bush

15.Another Woman’s Dream – Edie Brickell 

16.Sleep to Dream – Fiona Apple 

17.California Dreaming – The Mamas & the Papas 

18.Dream a Little Dream of Me – The Mamas & the Papas 

19.Sweet Dreams (About You) – Patsy Cline

20.Underground Dream – Son Volt 

This big space is "hi" from E, who has currently climbed up onto the piano stool and is channeling Mozart. No, wait. She's climbing on top of the piano to chew the bromeliad. Are those poison? Have a great day.

ttfn,

Gena

Fat Friday

I had a list of things to do today and they're finished! It's barely noon. Okay, I could stand to clear off some surfaces that have collected things that were intended to be put away before Mommybrain took over. Still, my mail is in the post, my calendaring is finished, my credit card statement reviewed, my finances for the month planned, my brisket is in the crock and we have guests coming btwn 4 and 5. And that candy that I ate, that wasn't even on my to do list and it got done anyway! And I'm knocking out a post too. That serves Nabolopomo. Am I crazy for signing up for this?

Yesterday morning, I escaped to the evil empire for a cuppa with my trusty ole laptop at about 5:30. And I began writing this:

My Intentions for the month of November:

Post at least once a day. Even a pic.

Call Nicole at MGF to see what they’re up to for the holiday season.

Attend one of her regular classes, or many, in order to get ahead of the season.

Stock five items per week (gotta get crackin’) in the store.

Finish Sonya's quilt  because she won the Halika Dito contest and get it in the mail.

Make holiday cards

Make gift tags

Wild Swans for Emma, Veronica, Alexa, Leia, and Kat. - DONE!

Decide what else to put in the post with those books above. - DONE! Cute stationery sets.

Write a card to Jennifer Hagen.

Write a card to Stephanie Paige.

Write a card to Sandra Whitson.

Write three thank yous every Thursday. - DONE for this week.

See who’s having a birthday this month.

Ask Jason how many gift “packages” we should create for the folks at work - DONE!

Decide what to bake for the holidays - Have started browsing and thinking.

Create a timeline for teacher’s end of year gift - EEK! Let's not get behind on this one!

Create a baking schedule - Yesterday I baked Kale crisps, Parmesan crisps, and tofu to top soba noodles! But this really doesn't count now, does it?

Create a playdate schedule - Every Friday, Fat Friday for sure, we'll have brisket, invite folks over to potluck and play Old Witch, What Time Is It? out on the lawn.

Make holiday reservations - San Diego, LA, Tahoe? Nutcracker in SF with a hotel stayover for B and a coupla girlfriends?

Exercise a minimum of twice weekly - Does it count that I vacuum four times a day and chase a baby all day?

Figure out Lisa and Joseph time - This is huge. My best friend is going back to school and I fear I shall never see her again.

Book reservations for Nutcracker - see above. Am I a nag? Even to myself.

Book an overnight in SF - ditto.

Wrap up my mother's watch for my amazing and talented sister who is finishing her teaching credentials very shortly. She's really smart, seriously. Her nickname when we used to work together was "rocket scientist." I know that is usually reserved for ditzes, but this was real. Steph had one of the highest GPAs in her senior class.

List of intentions for November. Done. Recently our house has been having serious discussions, well funny serious, but serious enough to have discussions, about leading lives of intention. And so there you have it. It's in writing now so it'd better happen.

J . . .

   
Could only be for Jason.

I have the most fun I have ever had with Jason. When people ask why I married him, my response has always been "because I knew I would die laughing." IT is he who possesses the strength to hold me and always bring out the best in me. He's an amazing father, an even better friend, a devoted and loyal son, brother, grandson, and husband. Jason stands for all things good in life and in humanity. That's a strong statement, but it's true for us here at Chez Perdue. Cheers to you Jason. I will love you always.

This picture was from this wonderful day.

G is for . . .

Gena. But mostly for Gratitude because my life has been Graciously blessed with the Goodness of a Generous and Gentle Husband and Gorgeous, Gregarious, Giggling Goofy Girls. Now for some Gratuitous shots of those Giggling Girls.

This was when Little E was maybe a week old. Syrupy sweet!

Miss B doing her best impression of Darla, the bratty girl who nabbed the clownfish in Finding Nemo.

This was Christmas morning. There were some special things from Magic Cabin aka Santa Claus, aka Grandma and Granddaddy that required ridiculously large packaging materials. These were baffled air sacks and darling B wanted to see if she could mock the profile of Santa Claus. Perhaps that's my adult translation and really she wasn't interested in that at all, but interested in the silliness of such an idea. After all, before the age of ten the reason that we all tend to do things is really "just because" - right? Why break down the reasons for good old fashioned holiday morning silliness? That just kind of ruins everything.

Good grief. Visiting my mother, for whom I have the most gratitude for, on Mother's Day. I loved this day sad as it was. It's interesting to be there with a picnic basket now and then and people come up to us and talk and appreciate that we're having a picnic with my mother. This is also a gratuitous shot of Miss B in her most loved cowboy - ahem- cowGirl boots.

D is for . . .

Darlings, Dichroic glass, DIY , gold plated Dilemmas, Daughters, my mother's Deviled eggs, Daredevil, Dvořák, Darning needles, David (Sedaris),and last but not least - DELICIOUS birthDay DINNER at Zazu with meal selections by Duskie. Delectable, divine, de-lovely!

Squeaking in before August

Whee! This month flew by so quickly it almost went undetected. We have been busy with

a. details and fact checking for an article that will be published sometime in the fall at Redbook (I guess I should start talking about it. I never really talked about it because I think I felt weird that people might read it. And maybe I wasn't taking it seriously. Or maybe I was just seriously stressed, either way for a long time I just pretended it wasn't happening.)
b. is for birthdays (Mine, Maria's, both of my grandmothers, Carole's, Tina's, Lisa's, Anne-Marie's, Claudia's - eesh! and this is just the women or at least the ones I can remember!)
c. is for children, socializing the girls - they both have playgroups
d. is for designing
e. weddings
f. is for film - the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival (the first one ever. Jason is on the project, but if there are films to be watched, well there are two of us then aren't there?)is for fun and being so busy I often forget to eat
g. is for good times with friends, playing softball, bocce, pulling pork, hosting surprise birthday gatherings, and girlfriends, and let us not forget gakkai activities.
h. hip hip hooray, Happy Birthday to me, for soon I will not a youngster be
i. is for I am recognizing this post as somewhat of a laundry list of things past and will quit now because it feels like an excuse for not posting great pictures of my recent work, soon soon I will have pictures to post.

Another post gone wild

This is Perry Austin, a local crafter at Alchemy. He makes really amazing t-shirts using American Apparel stock that he hand dyes, hand paints and details with embroidery. Stunning work that delighted Annette as a graduation present. I didn't get pics (bad, bad blogger) before I gave all the crafty goodness from Alchemy Craft away.

Thursday June 7

Today I am stuffed up and thound thilly. Today I will drink tea and avoid bread and sugar which are certain culprits that tend to flare up my allergies. And they don't need help, not in the least.

Today I am also packing for B and Jason to camp with the kindergartners and their families tomorrow night. I just can't help myself. I had to make a giant batch of tuna salad, marshmallows that I found here with lovely Heather Bailey, and pesto which is a recipe that is so old I don't know where it came from other than my amazing mother in law, Rosemary. (So you all know that makes Jason <insert drum roll> Rosemary's baby, right? We do love Roman Polanski here, btw.)
Today my big goal is to hit the ball hard over the outfielders' heads. Or hit it hard and on the ground. Or right smack up the middle without hurting the pitcher. What's a game without a good pitcher?

Friday June 15

Updating, because since then . . .the campout was a success. The kindergartners had a great time, Little E and I left just before dark, and Duskie showed up with coffee the next morning. How sweet is that?

Ffwding a bit since so much has happened since then that it's hard to catch up. Not too many important bits, but I did get to see Once with Eliza. It was sweet, but predictable. Certain parts lacked buyability. I can't believe how much Eliza and I can talk. I met Eliza through Bekah.

I came to grips with my burning desire to go back to work and decided that my evergrowing WIP pile must be finished at stocked in my etsy shop. I also called Gale and signed up for work again. And I packed up the playpen, bib and diapers and did some office work for my inlaws. At some point, I panicked and realized that in my ten years of being self employed I have not contributed to my retirement. That and I would really like to pay for B's tuition. I have another crazy business idea in the works as well. Basically the rule is that I get to mostly be an at home Mom, so work has to be superflex. Now that I'm not overwhelmed by hormonal adjustments, I can at least organize my way out of a paperbag to do some work.

We planted a garden of mostly succulents out front. Miss B mirrored my choices with a container garden of her own exclusively of succulents, for the back. Things like this tell me I'm still winning as a parent. Will I worry when she stops copying me? Hopefully not too much.

Miss B and I broke the tiles out of a tiled table whose tiles have stood the tests of time and weather until recently. We have decided that we will create a design with Heath tiles from our last visit to the studio. We chose summery beach tones. We decided that we must go back for some red. We just need it. A small bit. Red is everything.

A redwood was being cut down nearby and I asked the cutters what they were doing with it. Eureka! They were giving it away as firewood. They were cutting it down because it was too close to someone's house. I suppose if it fell there would just be trouble. Anyway, it was my benefit. I asked them if I might have a couple pieces. I took two big slices. The two pieces I have in the back now are 2.5' wide and 1.5' thick.  My plan? Busy hands = happy hands. The kids can rasp it into a shape during the summer, perhaps into two seats. We'll see, we'll see. I was convinced my husband would think I'd gone completely out of my mind. He didn't. I underestimated his patience with me once again.

God Save the Queen

Once upon a time I met Rebekah. We both lived in San Francisco and we have a great friend in common, Alex who then lived two doors away from me. The three of us were new mothers together - a lasting bond. In getting to know Rebekah, I can expect that every time we meet I'll learn something new and interesting about her. From this picture you can see clearly that Rebekah rocks. But this I knew because we had talked about music and she had a band in college. (I hope you don't mind me blogging about you, Bekah.) This past Saturday night was a congratulatory party for Rebekah in a lofty office space South of Market in San Francisco. Rebekah and some other Mom friends formed a band two weeks prior and  put on a two song set from the Sex Pistols. And they were fantastic! During the past six years while our children were busy learning how to walk, talk, eat, draw, and play, Rebekah has been keeping her nose to the grindstone at SF State. Awhile ago, I learned that she received a Truman scholarship in IR. Saturday, I learned that only two Trumans were given to Californians this year and some number under twenty nationwide. Now I knew Rebekah was a good study, smart, and nothing short of exceptional, but this is just outstanding! Oh, and her husband, Andrew tipped me off that she really wants a motorcycle. One more thing Rebekah and I have in common. I guess in all these years, the subject of motorcycles has never come up. Anyway, Iam happy and sad because Rebekah is a good friend and in July she will be moving to Sydney, Australia. Safe travelling and I love you, Rebekah.

mise en place

Once upon a time I enrolled in an epicurean class in the Laurel Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. During this class I learned mise en place, and amazingly nearly fifteen years later, this organizational effort in the preparation of food, lovely food is still intact. It also really helps when my mind is mise en place first thing in the morning too. So one of the things I've cleared from the counters and cupboards of my mind is coffee. It's a tough thing to let go, something so large in a small and sometimes to-go or take away container. The smell of coffee makes my knees weak. The lavishing ritual of "having coffee" on the weekends, the sweet accompaniment with dessert after a late dinner, iced over a business discussion in the afternoon, all of it sparks memories of days past before parenthood. Anyway, I digress. So, out with the coffee and in with being able to accomplish more (like having patience)in the mornings with small children. Coffee actually is a great installer of cobwebs on my brain and creates a certain craziness.

 
This is what happened in my kitchen this morning. Bolognese. It's what's for dinner with modest helpings of Parmigiano Reggiano and this pictured below, which I found at Trader Joe's for $1.59 per canister! I couldn't buy just one. I began my love affair with DeCecco also about fifteen years ago, when I worked at Cafe for All Seasons in the West Portal neighborhood of San Francisco. DeCecco and 6 in 1. Geez, I remember living at  West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Streets and my rent then was a meager $200, the total rent being $400. Times change.

And later, this too . . fruit from the farmer's market.

Mmmm, certified organic strawberries, peaches and blueberries.
Now if I could just train myself to write a little more mise en place. Buon appetito!

Eight years and counting

Tomorrow Jason and I are spending the day in Berkeley. Sans les enfants. I've been excited about this day since I set it up the date with Rosemary, Jason's lovely and amazing Mom. This morning after gongyo I remembered that I needed to make milk. So while I pumped and wondered how my prolactin levels are because I'm not producing enough milk, I realized it's time for me to do less. I started to think that it would be better if I gave up my table at the craft fair so that my milk production would continue to exist. I was a little bit sad and started to think of my Mom. What would my mother do? I miss her. And just when the thought began to pass, Maki, my black cat with one white whisker, hopped up and began loving me. It was so unusual. Tears started. And then the milk bottle was half full. And that was everything. I can relax. My baby will have the milk she needs just as her big sister did. I may have to let my table go and the housekeeping and some socializing and just be Mom. It's amazing how that seems like a no brainer and a simple thing to do, right? It's a bit more of an ego adjustment than I had expected. I don't remember going through this with the first.
Anyway, back to Berkeley. This will be the first longer trip without kids. Eight hours maybe.Note to self: Wear a dress I'm unable to nurse in because I can. The plan is to leave Forestville around 1:30 - 2:00 and leave Berkeley for home again around 9. What will we do with all that time in between? See a film. Go to bookstores. Lounge in cafes. Browse fabric stores. See friends.  Eat at Chez Panisse Cafe. Or maybe Bette's Oceanview Diner. Walk. Smell the roses at Berkeley Rose Garden. Be alone. Hold hands. And maybe even kiss. Because it is our anniversary and this will be our day.