well-crafted

Catch up and some news

Hello, friends! Things have been so busy around here. We just returned from an idyllic spring break in southern California where we soaked up some sunshine and took the kids to Disneyland for the first time. I realized just before we left that it was our first real family vacation; one that did not include family or friends (as wonderful as those both are). It was different to be just the four of us. And good. It was very good for our little family to have this time together.

Will summed it up nicely when he said: “Disneyland. Where parents make friends with their kids.” Awww.

In other news, I have started working part-time at Bolt Fabric Boutique, the best little fabric store in Portland! Stop in to say hello if you are local. I will also be contributing to the Bolt Neighborhood blog if you care to check out what’s going on over there.

Happy April!

Ten years

Kirk and I went to Sayulita 10 years ago for our honeymoon, but were driven out of our rental in the hills by scorpions. When we couldn’t find another place to stay, we ended up in Puerto Vallarta and had a great time. But we always regretting having missed out on our original plan so for our tenth anniversary we went back to Sayulita. Just the two of us.

We spent long days on the beach. I read 4 books. Kirk surfed. We hiked through the jungle. We ate fantastic food. It was awesome and so very needed.

More photos here.

Next week I will show you what I bought. Have a great weekend!

Karen’s World

I took photos of my Mom’s studio and stuff too. More here.

 

Neil’s World

A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my parents. Just me. It was awesome. I spent one day at my Dad’s studio working on a special project and took some photos while I was there. More here.

Why we will likely never leave

I love Oregon!

I love it for camping with good friends and for the sheer gorgeousness of it.

What do you love about where you live?

Soft and shimmery

During our annual camping trip at the coast last month, some of us sneaked away for a little yarn shopping in nearby Manzanita. Of course I was only planning to browse and enjoy some girl time, but you know how it is… I found this darling yarn with which to make a nice fall sweater for Lauren. The beautifully variegated, soft pink combined with the thin strand of silvery sparkle is the ideal combination for my girl and me. She loves it and I will enjoy working with it—always good when great investments of time and effort are involved. Since taking these photos, I have made excellent progress toward a finished piece and hope to share photos of the final product soon!

The taste of summer

We thoroughly enjoyed our camping trip at the coast last weekend—our last of the summer. Despite some surprisingly cool evenings and a bit of rain, we managed to put in a respectable amount of time on the beach. This is the third Labor Day weekend we’ve spent with our friends in the yurts at Nehalem Bay State Park. It’s becoming one of my favorite traditions. Although the campground is big and crowded and the sites are not at all private or remote, I still love this place. It is right near my favorite stretch of beach on the Oregon coast. I love the approach to this beach. I love the cool sand on our bare feet as we walk up the path, through the grasses, to the top of the dunes where the most breathtaking view reveals itself. I love to see the kids racing, tumbling down the soft hills of sand toward the beach and the ocean. I love looking back on the dunes from the beach once we’ve settled into our playing and relaxing. It’s quite thrilling.

But I digress.

For me, the highlight of the weekend was not beach combing, sand-castle building, kite flying or marshmallow roasting. It was the meal I cooked on Saturday night: Sweet Corn Chowder with Tomatoes and Basil, from my new favorite cookbook, The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally, by Ivy Manning.

I’m not typically a big scratch cook while camping. Hot dogs over the fire, spaghetti noodles with (good) sauce from a jar or an assembled mezza platter are fine examples of my culinary offerings while in the great outdoors. But I’d been having such success with this book and the chowder recipe had been calling to me, so I decided to pack up all the ingredients and give it a try on the Coleman stove. The result was divine. It tasted exactly like summer in a bowl. All six of us practically licked the pot clean.

The funny thing about this soup is that it sort of takes you by surprise. The ingredient list isn’t particularly impressive, nor are the techniques—with the exception of simmering the naked cobs in the stock. It doesn’t look like anything special when served. But when you taste it, you realize it is special.

I made it again last night and although not as stunning, it was still very, very good. I think the difference was in the quality of the produce and the salt. Please do yourself and favor and get this book. Then make this recipe using the freshest, best quality ingredients you can get your hands on. You won’t be sorry.

Good to be back

Whew! What a month July was. We spent the middle two weeks visiting K’s family in Illinois and Missouri. The week before was spent preparing, the week after catching up and the last days of the month were spent hosting my parents here. Our trip to the Midwest was jam-packed with two family reunions, one high school reunion, two days of amusements parks and water parks, lots of driving and one birthday dinner. Mine.

I’ve got lots to share in the coming weeks but will ease back in with some of my favorite photos from our trip.

 

Scenes from the forest (and more K1000 goodness)

If I were a poet or songwriter I’d try to write something about my love for Oregon forests and being in them with children. Growing up in Utah, we did a lot of camping. One of my favorite memories involved scrambling to get dressed in the cold morning air to get outside where my Dad had hot cocoa waiting. My brothers and I would stay in our sleeping bags until he announced it was ready, then we’d all jump up, pull our long-johns off, shudder at the cold on our bare skin and get our jeans and sweaters on. Then out the door to warm ourselves up with a nice cup of hot cocoa by the early morning fire.

I still enjoyed camping as a single girl, especially after moving to Oregon and then when I was married and before children. But it’s since having children that it’s become important to me. I really feel cheated if we can’t get at least three trips in each summer. We’re off to a pretty good start this year.

I may not be handy with a verse, but I can take lots of pictures to share.

All good things…

Yes, I know they must come to an end, but why, oh why, must that end come so quickly? My wonderful girls’ weekend, planned for almost two months, just came and went and if it weren’t for the photos I’d wonder if it happened at all.

A bright beach house in one of the most beautiful places this state has to offer, three good friends and a collective supply of yarn, knitting needles, embroidery floss, beads, fabric and a sewing machine were important ingredients for such a treat. But the essential ingredient was: no kids (I’m not counting the delightful 10-year-old who quietly drew sunsets and practiced her embroidery technique and who was, most importantly, not mine).

Now, faithful readers of this blog (all three of you know who you are) will not doubt my love for my children when I say this: Almost 48 hours without hearing the word “mom” was delicious. The peace, the quiet, the ability to sew, read or even speak without interruption was truly heaven. Heaven, I tell you.

And as much as I do dearly love these little people, I felt near tears at having to return home (and was not the only one). That’s okay, right? I think he trip was just not long enough. It was a tiny little taste and left me wanting more. Maybe it’s a sign I need to take more time to myself on a daily or weekly basis. Something to work on, I guess. Something for everyone to work on.

Easter getaway

Oh how I wish we could have enjoyed another Easter with real Spring weather like we did last year. This time around we escaped, with friends, to one of our favorite places in Oregon: Sunriver. Here we had four days to indulge in time spent reading, knitting, cross-wording and eating. 

An egg hunt, snow play, bike rides and hot tub were also enjoyed—and a new discovery: cornstarch building blocks. These biodegradable nuggets are perfect for bringing on vacation: they’re cheap, easy to pack and create little to no mess, as they require only water to adhere to each other. Because of their Easter-y colors, the lazy Mom in me deemed this activity an acceptable alternative to dyeing eggs.

Our departure on Saturday was delayed because at the last minute I decided the Easter dress I’d started for Lauren the previous weekend had to be finished. The week had been so busy and stressful, I could not get back to it and was thus forced to accept the possibility that she would not get an Easter dress this year. “It’s too cold anyway”, I consoled myself. But seeing it sit on the cutting table that morning, half finished, I realized it had to be done. I was glad for this decision Easter morning when she rushed to put it on. I love how it turned out. There’s only one problem: it’s way too big. Maybe I’ll save it for next year, but I’ll likely want to make something new—especially after seeing what Katie made. So inspiring.

A visit to one of Bend’s knitting stores was also a highlight. I discovered this beautiful yarn made of 100% bamboo and instantly fell in love with its silky texture and unusual steel-blue color. I bought enough for a secret project I am now furiously trying to finish and promise a show-and-tell upon completion.