A Little Project

I've been itching to make something so decided to pull out some fabric and thread. Not sure what this will be yet...will let you know when I find out!

Ideas for Driftwood

I saw this little necklace holder in a shop last weekend and loved how simple and ingenious it was...four pieces of driftwood fit together to make a beautiful necklace holder. Mom?

Joy

Joy is found in obedience. You cannot manufacture joy. It must (break) into the routine experiences of (your) daily existence. Celebration comes when the common ventures of life are redeemed. 

 –Foster (Celebration of Discipline, p. 193)

Lots of Little Sketches

wildflowers

happy clouds

  

ideas for our porch in California...

 

 map of where we stayed for our honeymoon

 visiting the Idaho State museum last winter...funny to 

think we live in Lewis and Clark country now.

 I love the pink magnolias in L.A. and was delighted to rediscover

them here! What a nice treat. :)

a page of snowlake/ornament drawings. I like the three-dimensional one on the right.

We Went Back

The tide was so far out, we could walk almost all the way up to the rock. Families stood around looking for shells in the shallows. We thought there might be starfish but only saw tiny fish and sea grass. And a sand dollar. The weather was warm and we walked with the sun on our backs and smiles on our faces.

We stopped in to Icefire Glassworks and were treated to a show as the glassblower crafted a beautiful vase. What finesse and craftsmanship--I am looking forward to going back again.

A Good Weather Weekend

picture from gonorthwest.com

Well, it looks like we are supposed to have sunny AND warm weather this weekend, possibly hitting the 70s (!!!!) so we just might head over here for the day. Last weekend I had the great idea (in theory) to cook a bunch of meals for the week so we could eat at a decent hour during the weekdays. The thought was a good one and I've had great success with this in the past, but the small technicality was that I was a slave to the stove all day long while the sun shone and the birds sang outside. It about drove my crazy! We did get out to go on a walk but that was it. 

This weekend I'm planning to do some of the same but not as extreme. We'll see what happens. Well, a job came up for me so I'm back on full time until the end of July. Its nice to be back on a jobsite, with all the adventures that that entails. It's such a different environment from the office. I'm just thankful that I have a job--in the world we live in now, that is not a given anymore, no matter how much experience you have.

One of the benefits from last weekend's cook-a-thon was that I finally made homemade flour tortillas. As soon as I took a bite of the first one, I wondered why in the world I had not made these before. If you can make biscuits, you can make tortillas. The best thing is they freeze astonishingly well. We'll be eating these again this weekend, filled with a spicy blend of rice, beans and veggies. Yum. You really must try these...they are amazing.

Flour Tortillas
Adapted slightly from Orangette who adapted it from Saveur Cooks Authentic American
4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp salt
6 Tbs vegetable shortening
2 cup hot water

Measure water into a Pyrex and microwave for a couple of minutes until hot. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the flour and salt together with a whisk. Mix in the shortening with your fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in enough boiling water (about 1¼ to 1½ cups) that the dough holds together. Since the water is hot, begin by stirring mixture with a spoon, but finish by mixing with your hands.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth, 2-5 minutes. Do not overwork it. Form the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Set a well-seasoned 9" cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Or in place of that, use a nonstick skillet, which is what I did. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured surface, and cut it into 6 wedges. Cut each wedge into 3 smaller wedges, for a total of 18 wedges. Use a rolling pin to roll out a wedge into a very thin circle—as thin as you can make it, like a sheet of fabric—roughly 7½ to 8 inches in diameter. When the skillet is hot but not smoking, cook the tortilla until slightly puffed, about 20-30 seconds. Flip, then cook for 20-30 seconds more, or until flecked with golden or brown (whichever you prefer) spots. Place on a cooling rack. Repeat the process with the other 17 wedges. Allow each tortilla to cool completely before stacking them.

Yield: 18 tortillas

Pretty things

 

...the mosaics outside of the Long Beach aquarium. 

don't think I ever posted these so I'll post now. I love the colors...

This Made Me Smile

I was looking through old pictures today, and this one made me smile. I hope it has a caveat for people who are lost. ;)

Something I miss

 

billowing bougainvillea...

in the brightest pink imaginable...

::sigh::

More Lake Oswego

Easter Sunday was gorgeous here. Two good weather days in a row!!! (as I type this, it's pouring outside :)) We got up and went to church, then decided to head over to Lake Oswego for Thai food. Soo delicious. We wanted to try everything on the menu but held back. Afterwards, we went over to the lake and walked on the path that twists through neighborhoods and over bridges. Every once in a while, you get a pretty view of the lake--people were out in the canoes and floating by on boats. What a lovely day.

Finally

It's been months...way, way too long...

we needed to go. just get in the car already and drive and go

 to the beach.

 the weather cooperated and we arrived to find this...

 forest kissing the waves...

 beach houses, driftwood, wind-blown grasses...

 we photographed and sketched and sighed...

it was so good to be back at the ocean!

Weekend Drive

 

flowers from our wedding looking out the window

 mossy trees

 where we live...

 

 

went on weekend drive on the road by our house. 

drove past horse farms and vineyards

and saw baby lambs snuggled in the underbrush safe from the rain.  

Happy Birthday, Mom!

painted on canvas and watercolor for my mom

 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I love you!

 

This Little Bird...

This little bird sketch was the initial idea for a present I'll post later this week...When we first moved here, we had chickadees by the dozen in the trees off our porch. They were so tiny and precious! I have to admit, I really miss the phoebe birds we had in Glendale. :( I've been drawing lots of sketches of them lately and missing their song in the morning (and throughout the day since they were everywhere we went!)

Keep it Up

"The world cracks open for those willing to take a risk." 

(Francis Mayes in "A Year in the World")

Just a little encouragement to keep it up, whatever it is for you. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep trying new things and stretching yourself...