Kitchen Ranch

Microwave Popcorn and Duct Tape Shoes

Um.... I feel a bit behind the times here about popcorn. Up until a month ago we have been buying microwavable popcorn. Recently, I read about simply putting corn kernels in a brown paper bag and microwaving that. 

Voila.....

Really?! That easy...

Additionally, my good friend's family chose not to exchange gifts this holiday season but rather partake in a creative project together (Right?! Just love this idea). They sat round a table that offered about 20 rolls of duct tape and the challenge was to make a gift out of duct tape. the results were amazing... including this pair of sandals:

Decoupage Journal for his Sister

Thanks again to Design Mom for her gifting suggestions.... She has 6 kids so she is pretty expert in this department. Like most 9 year old girls the daughter adores journals, paper and pens. So this decoupaged notebook is a superb gift for a four year old to handle in the gift giving rhelm. 

Anything involving cutting and glue is fun for Robert and so this gift was a delightful project to sit and do together. I am pretty sure she'll love it.

Christmas Gifting...

Avatar, The Last Airbender has been a very popular series around here (I must admit it is a great cartoon and it is on Netflix watch instantly). Pixel has become so inspired by the show that these drawings she did are hung above her bed. When I saw these Bleached Out Tees I knew that working them into the Christmas gift scheme was required. Pixel had the idea of printing the elements of choice onto her brother and father's shirts. 

Although I smelled bleach for hours after this project it was so fun and easy. the end result is very satisfying.

Vow of Silence (follow up)

(Photo taken right before a haircut)

Thinking about how we communicate around our home has been a hot topic as of late. As I mentioned in a previous post (the vow of silence) it has become all to easy too shout and mindlessly subscribe to reactionary speech. 

Additionally, we are in constant discussion about "what ifs" and "we coulds" as we are standing at a fork in the road (sorry for the cliche-more on that soon). These 'what if' and 'we could' discussions are fun and required but sometimes feel like verbal clutter. 

My day off from speaking aimed at a bit of calm and insight.

• The day was playful. The kids were amused and interested in the idea of a vow of silence and the elements of communication  
• I forgot about the vow a couple times and started to speak -there is that mindless speaking again
• I missed reading books to the littlests...words can be so useful
• I took the 3 littles to the grocery store (I didn't say a word the entire time). When the kids said, "Can I have this? We need this..." etc. I could only shake my head yes or no... not using words felt so much easier
• Rather than shout across the house I was forced to stop what I was doing and enter the room in which the person I needed was. Communication involved making eye contact and charading the situation

Calm and insight achieved.

Peppermint Lip Balm

I appreciate the blog Soulemama and its many offerings of inspiration. For a gift making idea, that is where we turned. The recipe of peppermint lip balm is great fun, delicious and makes a perfect side gift to cookies... or hazelnut liquor (recipe coming soon). 

I do also plan to make the peppermint barek in the post mentioned above... I am waiting on my peppermint extract.

Also, will be posting results tomorrow of the vow of silence and how that worked out in my not so silent home...

Vow of Silence

A vow of silence for 1 day is something I have thought about doing for a long time. I have always been intrigued by verbal and non verbal communication and especially where children are concerned. Most days I find myself speaking a lot (more than I would like). In any given minute I might say, "Keep your hands to yourself", "Go Brush your teeth", "Sit on your buns", "No"...etc. At then end of the day, I am pretty tired of hearing myself speak. 

I believe that mindful communication is very important. With 3 littles running about, busy life, decisions on deck... it has become easy for me to mindlessly communicate to my family and the world around me.

I am guilty of not choosing words carefully as well as allowing negative words to pollute my speech. It has become too easy to shout across the house... 

Silence has, in the past, offered solace and listening has offered insight. I can definitely use a little calm and insight these days. 

That Conversation Again...

That conversation has crept into the house once again (see here -that conversation that was shelved months ago) about moving back to center of town which offers a more energetic air and plenty of opportunities to walk and cycle from point A to B. 

Although we adore our home and the surrounding land with the chickens and garden.... we feel- well, isolated out here.  I find myself in a car too much these days and it bums me out. Additionally, the lack of pedestrian life in this part of town offers little sense of community... I mean, I barely see my neighbors and that is just no bueno. 

So, we are turning over every stone and researching every option available to us. More soon... I really hope to arrive at an official decision soon because such intense decison making is exciting but I know I will feel relief when a decision is made.

In the meantime, check out my good friend Kirstin Green's mosaic site.... she is amazing! Be sure to see the Universe mosaic she did with a group of students at a local high school: HERE

Happy Birthday to the 9 year old in the house!!!

(the daughter is mid-sentence in explaining to her father that it is unlikely that there would be someone (ever) that would NOT like the book Charlotte's Web by E.B. White)

Power Outage

A mishap yesterday left 5 million of us in Southern California with no electricity for about 7 hours. The lunch guests stayed for dinner and more BFs joined us for night time grilling, salad prepping by candle light, home brew drinking and a late night swim in the pool beneath a gorgeous moon.

What an amazingly fun afternoon and night.....

 

 

Going Away Party....

Last week the daughter (8) asked if she couldn't put something together in the form of an after school  party to say farewell to her pal that is changing schools.

My response: Great, tell me how I can help.

Saying a proper good bye is so important.....