cute-as-a-heart button

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Dear readers, I just had to share another cute-as-a-(green heart)button outfit that Wren received for her birthday. This time, a handmade dress from SweetPea and Co. So a-door-bell, right? The colors, the fabric, the thoughtful details. Love!

I especially love the detail on the chest. Isn’t that beautifully done and yet whimsical and fun?

In other (somewhat related) news, I am in desperate need of a new digital camera as you may have noticed… I’m looking for a new or used DSLR, which would be compatible with my Minolta lenses from my old manual camera. Sounds like a Sony Alpha series from my research. Any advice you’d like to share, lovelies? Do you have a DSLR that you love?

Invites. Check!

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So I’m a bit behind in Wren’s birthday party planning. I JUST got the invites out and the party’s on the 30th… Did I mention that I was a bit behind? But I’m really happy with the design. Just wish I had gotten it done last week. Alas…

  • Invites. Check!
  • Birthday banner. Check! Although I had a ridiculous (?) thought yesterday that I would make a new one in fuchsia and tangerine to match the other party elements…
  • Cups and napkins. Check!
  • Cupcake ingredients. Check!
  • Candle in the shape of a number one. Check!
  • Menu of sugary goodness. Check!
  • Thumbelina zinnia plants growing well for the favors. Check!
  • Party dress. Check!
  • Beautiful weather…. ?
  • Thinking of making some of these wheatgrass centerpieces for the dessert table. Have you ever done this? I like these. How springy!

Now I’m pondering a fun activity for the older kids – other than eating sugar. Any ideas, dear readers?

Grapefruit pits?

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I am no hippy. But (you could see that coming, right?) I have been trying to go a deeper shade of green in our nest and this weekend, I admit to experiencing what I will coin a “happy hippy moment.” Our nest used up all the homemade laundry soap that I posted about last month so I decided to make a double batch this time.

While Chris mowed the lawn with Wren on his back…

I decided to make a batch of homemade deodorant (not anti-perspirant) that I read about a while back on How About Orange’s blog. It appealed to me because I’ve tried just about every “natural” deodorant out there with mixed results and I cringe when I think of all the sticks I’ve thrown away (err, recycled, but still) over the years. For the last few months I had been using Tom’s and of course, like most of the crunchy ones, it smells pretty good (lavender), but the smell doesn’t last and by the end of the day, I’m smelling a bit too ripe. God forbid if I run or practice yoga then smell my pits. Alright, enough personal blah blah blah about my arm pits. Moving on.

Furthermore, the crunchy stuff is pretty darn expensive so this DIY deodorant was sounding more and more desirable. But was it going to actually work? I often have that gut-reaction to a DIY crunchy solution to life’s battles. Probably because the marketing wizards and all the fancy pants packaging has convinced me that there’s no way a “home remedy” was going to work…

But I’m here to tell you that after a weekend of wearing it, I’m thrilled with the results. Really! I wish again for a scratch-and-sniff blog feature so you could’ve smelled my pits after a kick-a** ashtanga yoga practice this morning, but alas, no such luck. You’ll just have to take my word for it.

I guess you’ll just have to have a “happy hippy moment” of your own and make some. You will not be sorry.

Grapefruit Pits Deodorant

Ingredients:
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
4 tablespoons coconut oil
10 drops/shakes grapefruit essential oil
A tin or jar with lid

This amount will probably last about 4-5 months. Wow!

How to:

In a bowl, stir together your dry ingredients, then add the oils gradually until you like the consistency, mixing together with a fork. Note: Mine got a bit too thick to stir together at one point so I zapped it in the microwave to increase the viscosity and made it oh-so-easy to stir. Scoop into your container of choice and store the closed container at room temperature.

To apply, scoop up a bit with your finger, hold it against your skin for a couple seconds so it melts a little, then rub around.

Absolutely lovely! Thanks, How About Orange, for the great tutorial. I’ll be forever thankful.

How was your weekend, dear readers? Any progress on your gardens? Did you kick back and read a good book? Eat anything good? I’d love to hear about it.

Best!

rhubarb-lovers only!

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Don’t get me wrong. I love the juxtaposition of rhubarb and strawberry, I really do. But I love the occasional sour treat and rhubarb delivers. If you’re a rhubarb purist too, you will likely enjoy these muffins. Heck, go ahead, throw in a few strawberries too… if you have to.

Rhubarb-lover’s Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour   (I like to mix white and whole wheat or spelt flours and a small handful of flax, but that’s just me)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup yogurt
I stick (8 T) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups 1/4-inch-diced rhubarb (7-1/4 oz.)

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups or spray with oil. I like to spray the top of the tin too so when the muffins bulge over, they can easily be removed.

Make the muffin batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and whisk to blend.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Lightly stir the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until the batter just comes together. Gently stir in the diced rhubarb. The batter will be thick.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, using the back of a spoon or a small spatula to settle the batter into the cups. The batter should mound a bit higher than the tops of the cups.

Bake the muffins until they’re golden brown, spring back most of the way when gently pressed, and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift the muffins out of the pan—if necessary, loosen them with the tip of a paring knife—and let them cool somewhat. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Note: As with all fresh-baked goods, these are best eaten right away. If you’re not going to eat them right away, freeze them and then toss them in an oven to reheat when needed.

This recipe has been adapted from this one, found at Fine Cooking.

Asparagus & Bacon Wonders

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Yum.

I think I could eat these every day. What a tasty combination of fresh local asparagus and its good friend, bacon. Further proof that simple is better (and easier!) Bonus: you can eat these with your hands.

  • A bunch of fresh asparagus (This is usually about 1 1/2 pounds asparagus with the woody ends trimmed, if needed)
  • Olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 slices bacon (pancetta or prosciutto are great too, but bacon is cheaper and usually already in the fridge)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush or spray asparagus spears in olive oil. Season the coated spears with black pepper. Take a quick count of the spears. Divide the total number by four. Gather that number of spears and use a slice of bacon to wrap the bundle and secure the spears together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Place bundles on slotted broiler pan in the center of your oven. Bake about 12-15 minutes.

Have you had any asparagus this week, dear readers?  This time of year, I could easily eat it every day and not tire of it. Thanks, local asparagus farmers!

revisiting the pear

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Thank you, dear readers, for all your great ideas and encouragement regarding my pear pillow conundrum last week. I finished it today while the little birdie took a long snooze after baby swim class this morning. I decided to skip teaching myself the slip stitch for now and do something a bit more creative. I’ve had an itch to embroider something almost as much as my desire to felt or pickle something this year. So I decided to take the stuffing out and cut a new hole in the piece and then machine sew the top. Then I stuffed the pear again and embroidered a little orange (duh!) detail on the bottom. It needed something… What do you think? I think it adds a little funk. You?

budgeting for organics

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I don’t know about you, dear readers, but our family’s quest to eat more organic produce sometimes leaves my wallet feeling a bit too empty. This is one reason I’ve been planning a big garden this summer, but this IS northern Michigan and we can only grow so much of our own. We still find ourselves reaching for a banana or orange every day no matter how far it’s traveled. Sigh.

Soooo… when I stumbled upon this handy wallet chart from My Paper Crane, which depicts the organic produce that *always* should be chosen and the low-pesticide foods, which we could skip over if we needed to save a few bucks that week, I cheered. Plus, it’s cute as a button, right?


You can download a copy of it here for your very own wallet. Thank you, My Paper Crane, for such a lovely, clever idea (and nice photos). I already know that next week’s shopping trip will be a helluva lot more fun. Who doesn’t love vegetables and fruits with googlie eyes?