Mothering

Yesterday afternoon Cordelia was afflicted with a strange and mysterious allergic reaction to something as of yet unidentified. She had hives. She got sick (on me). She just needed her mother. I held my poor little sick girl in my arms (after I cleaned up), offering the only thing I could while we waited to hear back from the pediatrician. I kissed her sweet head and looked into those sick eyes and held her tightly as we snuggled together. She folded her little body into my arms and pressed herself into me for comfort.



Times like those are mothering moments. Sure, the daily life is where motherhood is really expressed, but those moments when my girl just needs her momma are so intense and so pure. I can't help but find myself completely overwhelmed by this gift of motherhood, of being the one who can offer the comfort that only a mother can offer. I held her tight and did all of the things that my mother had once done for me, as every loving mother does for her baby at some point or another.



Thankfully the crisis passed quickly and before the night was over she was dancing and playing, but even then she stuck close to me, just in case.

Vegan Gnocchi with Swiss Chard

It's been a bit since I've shared a vegan recipe, so let's get back to it. Since we are a vegan family we do a lot of vegan eating. Here is what we ate for dinner last night. The recipe is simple, but really satisfying. Enjoy!

• 1 package of vegan gnocchi, you could make your own if you have that kind of time ( I don't). I have no difficulty finding vegan gnocchi at the regular store.
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 small and thinly sliced onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of Swiss chard, cut away the stems and them chop the leaves into strips
  
• 1/4 c. Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
• salt and pepper to taste
  

1. Cook your gnocchi following the directions.
2. In a medium skillet, over medium high heat warm the oil and add the sliced onion. Cook until the onion becomes translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute more, stirring.
3. Add the chopped Swiss chard and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chars is wilted and soft.
4. Add the gnocchi, vegan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss it all together and enjoy with a big salad and some crusty bread.

How often do you eat vegan?

Project: Fabric Flower Headband

Cordelia has recently decided that she wants to wear headbands. So naturally I thought that it would be a good idea to make her a few rather than buy them at the store. I made this one for her, but the idea would really work for adults as well. I am thinking it could translate well into a holiday headband for those parties that seem to pop up all throughout the month.

If you want to try and make one yourself you will need:

• scrap fabric, 1/4 yard is more than enough, cut into long strips about 1 1/2 inches thick.
  
• Fabric glue, super glue, or your favorite adherent
• a headband blank, or re-purpose an old one that you have laying around
• Optional: I didn't feel like it, but you could add all kinds of embellishments like beads, sparkles, felt, etc.

Step One: I used this site to guide me in my quest to make rolled flowers. I also kind of made up my own technique as I went, because that's how I roll (pun intended).

Completed fabric flowers and headband blank

Step Two: I used strips of the same fabric, though you could use ribbon, yarn, paint or whatever you like to cover the headband. I used my glue to adhere it periodically so the thing wouldn't come undone in the hands of a toddler. I left the raw edges of the fabric exposed because I liked how it looked, but you could neatly fold the fabric if you wanted to try something different.

Wrapping the headband

Step Three: I adhered the flowers. This is also where you could add the optional embellishments.

With the flowers attached

There you have it, a simple project that could also be a quick and easy holiday gift idea!

In My Heart

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~Charles Dickens

Decorating For Christmas

The first year that Eric and I were married we were living in Montana. Our families were, at the time, living in New Mexico. We tried to decorate for Christmas, but we were poor and young. The effort was pretty sad. I remember feeling so lonely for my family tradition on that day. There was no John Denver and the Muppets record playing (something that I'd had since childhood), no familiar decorations, no family members. Our tree was small and sad, I think it cost $6 at Big Lots.

Over the years we got a little bit better, but not much. We held onto that little tree because renters have no place to store a fake tree and people who own compact cars have no business strapping trees to their roof. So, we moved forward with our own strange tradition, but it never really felt right. Last year I dreamed that by the next Christmas we would have a home of our own and we could do it up right, making a family tradition of our very own and a magical Christmas for our little girl.

So, now that we do own a home we finally did it right! We blasted John Denver and the Muppets and set up Christmas and started a new family tradition of our own.


Eric set up the tree and strung the lights.


Cordelia got to hang the less fragile ornaments.










Our tree was completed.

We turned down the lights and sat on the couch (tradition taken from my family) and admired our work.


Team W


Eric helped Cordelia decorate her own little Christmas tree, the one that once seem so sad got to shine as a toddler tree.


Cordelia had an interesting method for hanging her ornaments



Do you have a Christmas decorating tradition?

Thanksgving 2011

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the U.S., a holiday whose origins we collectively choose to ignore and instead focus on family time and gratitude. The day was super laid back. I didn't start cooking until early afternoon (tofurkey only takes 1 1/2 hrs to cook).


Bumblebee had to enjoy the view from within a cone, she just has a small wound not to worry.

My mother had to work a night shift at Hospice (she's a nurse) the night before and spent her morning catching up on sleep. So I made dinner and invited the family over for a feast.

On the menu: tofurkey, butternut squash stuffing, rolls, potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, corn, olives and pickles (family tradition), some roasted veggies, pinwheels. For dessert my mother had made a couple of pies the day before. It was a vegan feast with plenty left for today!


Cordelia smiling(?) for the camera


The dinner table.


Cordelia was a bit more interested in the candles and pumpkins on the table than in eating the food.


Little hands are so busy


My parents


Sam


Cordelia and I

I assure you that Eric was present as well, but he was behind the camera and I forgot to steal it to take a picture of him...so you'll just have to imagine that part.

We had a lovely day with family and now I am ready to start decorating for Christmas.


Hope you had a great day also!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from me to you.



I am going to enjoy the holiday with my family and I will report back tomorrow. Until then, have a lovely day.

Dog's Life

How it Went

Yesterday morning the sun was shining, but it was cold and snowy outside. So we resigned ourselves to a day of indoor entertainment. Cordelia decided to put some extra effort into her ensemble. She chose leggings with striped socks pulled up and over them, purple shoes, a pony shirt with jacket over the top. I thought that was enough and then she broke into the scarf box. She insisted on wearing one scarf on her head, one around her shoulders and one around her waist.



When I pulled out the camera to snap a picture I asked her to stand up and she said, "Nope, I'm just laying down." How could I argue with that?

Then it was snack time. I pulled out some sesame rice crackers, hummus (she is nuts about hummus), and juice. We went down to the basement for snack time.


Bumblebee really, really wanted some chips. This desperate longing went on for quite some time. She would inch her chin onto the table and just gaze.

Cordelia then decided to aggressively hug her best friend.

Things got out of hand with the hugging, becoming more akin to strangulation with kisses. I warned her that time out was imminent and yet the assault continued. So, I took the little gypsy girl upstairs and placed her into the time out chair, emphasizing the reason she was in time out and that she was not to put her feet on the floor for any reason.

So she did this...completely unremorseful, the shame.


Finally she hung off the front of the chair, feet hanging just above the ground, laughing hysterically and so proud of her clever little joke.

I broke the cardinal rule of successful discipline and began laughing too. I tried to turn away and hide it, but she knew. So, I gathered myself together and instructed her to go and apologize to Bumblebee. She did, squatting down at eye level she said, "Sorry for being crazy Bee." Then she gave her a peace offering, covering her with a scarf.



And that is how it went yesterday. How did it go for you?

Holiday Home Tour

We made it! Our weekend was insane, but getting through it all felt so good. Here are a few photos of the Holiday Home Tour (if you don't know what I am talking about read here) and the home that we decorated. I have kept the photos a bit limited as I don't want to have any identifying photos from another individual's home.










If you are wondering what is on the wall, it is a projected film, created by E.K.Wimmer aka my husband.





How was your weekend?

Sunday Quote: Fatigue

Fatigue is the best pillow.
~Benjamin Franklin

More than Halfway Done!

We survived yesterday! Eric and I decorated the home (not ours) for the holiday home tour event. Cordelia joined us and was perfectly well-behaved. She hung out and watched a few videos on the portable DVD player. Our friend Rachel also helped us to decorate it as well.


She did reach a point where boredom set in...then the Christmas tree was set up and she rallied.



Eric and I split our duties and worked together perfectly, as is our general practice.



We wrapped it up around lunch time (photos to come on Monday!) and were ready to hit the road.

Next it was onto the craft fair where my mother had lugged in everything and set it up by herself! I took over, sent her off to nap with Cordelia. Eric hunted down some food and had to duke it out (verbally) with the security guard for bringing in outside food. I was so thankful that he was able to get me the food as I was near my starvation point.

For the rest of the afternoon I tried my best to be a saleswoman, but when Cordelia arrived and started wearing the merchandise she proved to be the most adorable saleswoman and boy oh boy did she deliver a cute show! When we walked the circuit people would stop to ask where she'd gotten the poncho she was wearing and I'd happily direct them to our booth!





Finally we all re-grouped at the craft fair. My mom stayed to finish off the last bit of the fair for the day. My crew went in search of food and then headed to the Holiday Home Tour event as the snow began to accumulate. We did the walking tour of the open houses and then headed home for a the night. I was exhausted, but so happy that all had gone according to plan.

Now we have one more day of craft fair and we need to break down the set-up this afternoon when the Holiday Home Tour is taken down.