Sunday, June 3, 2007

whata pinata.

I love pinatas. I have such fond memories of being little and going to birthday parties with candy filled donkeys hanging from strings. I never had one of my own - I have only had one birthday party and nada pinata. But I love them. I had decided that I would get one , but I had to change my mind once I began to dream of all the little 3 year olds trying to bash it open and then becoming increasingly frustrated when nothing happens, because you know, they're only 3. Hmmm, so I decided that I would make one and make it not so hard to break open. I could only find instructions to make them in the shape of a balloon. boring. Eventually I decided to make mini individual pinatas for each child to destroy. I have got the first few layers done and as soon as they are fully dry, I will be able to fill them up with goodies. Hopefully they are not too fragile to hold all the loot I have to go inside. I will be so mad. These bad boys have taken up a lot of my time. I need to figure out a creative way to display them at the party. They are so colorful and will make nice decorations. I had thought that I would hang them from a tree or something, but they ended up being much bigger than I had planned. Any ideas?

Troy made some Miso soup with prawns for lunch and it was so pretty I just had to take a picture. Delish!

in true fashion.

Things I hate: Cartoon characters on clothing, tots dressed as if about to go man hunting in some sleazy dive bar, paying $45 for a dress for a toddler that will outgrow it within six months. I am not doing it anymore. I want to live simply and I want my children to do so also. Part of this, I believe, is to actually be a kid. You know, run, skip, play, be merry. I don't think kids get to do that too often anymore. Have you walked down a toy isle recently? The outfits on some of the dolls are outrageous! Once I dreamed of being glamorous like Barbie in all of her ball gowns and princess like outfits. Do girls still dream of being like her - only now wearing barely there outfits? I cannot even look at some of the other brands without blushing...

Anyway, I am not talking about this to merely complain. I have decided that I am not giving in and I am not going to allow my kids to be part of this hootchie kid culture. I will continue to make changes in our lifestyle to simplify and allow Marnie and Ethan to remain innocent for as long as possible.

I love the clothing styles for children from the 50's, 60's & 70's. Not all of them of course, but many. Over the past month or so (as Marnie is now outgrowing many of her outfits) I have been collecting vintage patterns in hopes of sewing most of Marnie's clothing from now on. I finally sat down to the machine to attempt my first, and I think it turned out pretty swell. I am not the greatest behind a sewing machine, but I did my best. I am sure I will improve as my clothing quest continues.


It is kind of hard to see in this picture. It is a jumpsuit from the seventies. She loves it. There is elastic at the waist and also at the top to hold it up. This was the first time I have ever done anything with elastic. The waist part did not turn out so picture perfect, so I decided to make a matching sash to tie around. It suited the jumper perfectly. I attached it on one side and then tied it on the other. It helps the garment stay up too. For my first project, I am pretty happy with it. I am going to attempt a dress from the 50's next. It seems a bit more difficult, so we will see... I also will need to learn to make button holes with my sewing machine. I wish I had been taught all of this when I was a girl. Why didn't I take home economics like my brother?

Our gardens are coming along so nicely. The plants are sprouting up all over. We are having some problems with rabbits already, but so far it is minimal. There is a huge rhubarb plant in one of the gardens that is so large and so beautiful that it was almost a shame to harvest it. But alas, it is one of my favorites, so chop, chop.
I made the most delicious Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake Cobbler. It turned out so well that I feel I need to post the recipe and spread the gluten free love.

Serves eight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 2/3 cup of Bob's Redmill Gluten Free all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut in halves
1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter melted
1/2 cup water

In a small sauce pan, combine rhubarb, 1/2 cup sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and allow mixture to reduce. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Add chilled butter and cut into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbles. Add the cream and stir until all ingredients are combined.

Arrange strawberries in baking dish. Pour rhubarb mixture over strawberries. With a spoon, drop large globs of dough throughout the baking dish. Brush exposed dough with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 35 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Serve with whipped cream. yummy.




I'm pretty sure it tastes better since the rhubarb is home grown... doesn't everything though?

I am thinking that I might attempt a no sugar added version for the party next Saturday. My mother-in-law is diabetic and I like to have a special something for her during events where there are many temptations. She gets in tomorrow, so we'll see if she even likes rhubarb.


Look at all of these geese. I kind of hate geese for all the poopin' and such, but how can you hang on to the hate when they stroll through your yard with a couple dozen goslings?This picture is not very good. There were tons of them though and they were all cute. Damn geese.