A Closer Look at Ottoman

Loud, Quiet, Loud

Boo and I made butter again (well, he mainly watched) from some leftover cream I had about. When you start to shake a jar with cream in it, it's loud. Then, after a few minutes, the contents become absolutely silent. If you open the jar, you have whipped cream. We decided to take a bit out as we had some strawberries on hand.

Then, I put the lid back on and shook the jar more until the solids formed a ball and the rest was buttermilk (since it isn't cultured, the buttermilk tastes like milk with bits of butter in it). The contents become loud again...a ball of butter and buttermilk shaking about.

We had a nice little snack.

1. a wee bit of buttermilk for two

2. strawberries with vanilla whipped cream (no sugar...the vanilla and sweet strawberries are perfect alone)

3. salted butter (I mixed a bit of salt with the butter) on crusty/seeded french bread.

It was a great way to spend some time together and I think kids should know where their food comes from (now I suppose we should visit a farm and Boo can watch a cow being milked). And, I was declared a genius! (Well, we do love Wile E. Coyote...what can I say?)

Chives from the Garden

I must admit that I'm abandoning my garden. Until I can devote the time to dealing with a compost bin and getting the soil more prepared (it's all clay/rocks now), I'm going to garden in containers inside. The other day, I was inspecting what was left in the fenced in space that was the garden, and noticed that a lemon balm plant was overtaking a chive plant. So, I decided to dig up the chive (and since it was so large, divide it) and pot it in a terracotta pot I had kicking around...then brought it inside.

(Yeah, the reason I haven't posted about house improvements in forever is because it's been slow-going...busy, busy. Case-in-point...the unfinished drywall.)

I often buy green onions at the store for quesadillas, nachos, and the like. I'm thinking that these chives might make a good substitution. Bringing this plant inside will allow me to actually use it. Mmmm...yogurt chive dip!

So, it seems that I have enough chives for all kinds of recipes...do you have a favorite?

 

Tomato Sandwiches

With spring comes the farmers' market. Right now, there's mainly root vegetables and greens. However, I recently picked up some hot house tomatoes. I usually pass by these tomatoes at the market because they are spendy and more often then not, they're sold out. But, that day started out rainy and the market was a bit slow...so there were some left and I just had to get a couple.

They may be hothouse tomatoes, but they're local and ripe. It's still spring, but I'm really looking forward to the loads of produce that will be in the market soon...and more of these:

* 100% whole wheat bread

* all-natural mayo

* yellow mustard (yeah, it's not grainy, but it's organic and I prefer the more mellow mustard)

* Tillamook cheddar cheese

* farmers' market tomatoes

* salt and fresh cracked pepper

For me, the perfect tomato sandwich...not too much on there to mess with the ripe tomato.

What's your favorite thing to do with local tomatoes?

Oh! be sure to check out this lovely feature by the rikrak studio on chartreuse (with yours truly included)

Just Listed

I just listed a few handmade items in the shop:

2D Paper Wasp Nest

It's a 3 inch version of the one I made for myself...and I might list the large 9 inch one, I think I prefer the small one where I want to hang it. I have enough of the paper nest to make several of these small ones. If I list the big one, there will only be one that size, so keep an eye out.

One BIG Pompom 2

Another festive pompom...really, these have fun written all over them.

Moss Jar 10

Moss Jar 10 is a re-work of this jar because I just haven't kept up with the seasonal curation. So, I decided to pare it down to a simple jar.

So there you have it...some more handmade goodness for the shop!

 

Day Trip to the Coast (part 2)

After our drive through the redwoods, we arrived at the coast...to a beach I don't believe we've been to before (we seem to try different ones each time).

Most every time I'm at a beach, there's a bit or quite a bit of one thing to be found. I remember as a child once going to a beach and there were ladybugs everywhere....Sometimes, it's jellyfish, or I find a lot of beach glass. This time, there were sand dollars in abundance. Most of the sand dollars were broken, as though they were pecked at by the sea gulls. However, some were buried (I only kept the sand dollars that were not alive, live animals stay where they are or are put back where they have a chance at survival):

I carefully moved the sand away from the sand dollars so as to not break them. I collected five (and a piece of sea glass which I've lost because it was clear)...

Some have small holes in them, but they're still so beautiful.

Many of the sand dollars were in a creek that led to the ocean (you can see it in the background of the above photo) which was puzzling...then we realized that the tide probably brought them up the creek and then left them when it receded.

I suppose it's also possible that the sand dollars get buried in the sand and then fall into the water when the creek changes course or widens (note: those doggy prints are from someone else's family).

Such a beautiful day.

Today is beautiful as well...and my favorite weather...65-75 degrees and overcast. Lovely.

Well, mommies...have a happy Mother's Day on Sunday! And for everyone else, enjoy your weekend as well!

Day Trip to the Coast (part 1)

My wee family and I decided that we needed to get out of town this weekend and took a day trip to the Oregon coast (the weather was finally sunny for it). In order to get there, we first needed to drive through the redwoods (I know, terrible isn't it?). We took a new route this time which was mostly a dirt road, but it was worth it for the beauty.

The trillium were blooming. White ones and purple ones like this one above growing out of a redwood stump.

These bog plants (if you will) were also blooming...here's a close-up of the yellow flower:

The above plant looks to be some sort of berry, if you look closely at the leaves. I wouldn't have guessed from the pink-purple flower.

The above fern is so incredibly delicate and has a beautiful form..and the black stems!

And this little flower, which looks like a yellow version of a violet.

I suppose I was looking at the small things on this trip through the big trees. The flowers are only a fleeting moment in the spring, and I thought I would pay attention to the details.

Next time we meet, I'll have some pictures of the sand and sea....Until then, enjoy your week!