Obama Mama

I don't know if my neighbor Sara minds being called Obama Mama but that is who she is to me. On the day our moving van rolled down our street back in 2006 I spotted a house with an Obama '08 sign in the window. I said to myself, I'm going to have to get to know that family, and lucky for me I did. Today I would like to share with you a wonderful post on Sara's blog about how she came to know of Obama and why she believes in him.

Silly Celery

Don't you just love the color of celery? So green and fresh. This was the start of a veggie soup I made. All I want to eat is soup now that it is cold outside.

One way to get kids to eat celery is to use a peeler to take the strings off the back. Makes it much more tender and easier to eat.

Comfort food

Amy's Pasta Basil Asparagus

2 big very ripe tomatoes (at room temperature)
1 bunch asparagus
2 cloves garlic minced
6 or more leaves of basil chopped
4-6 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Fresh parmesan
Black pepper
Sea salt
1 box penne

Combine tomato, garlic, basil, olive oil, juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Let sit while pasta is cooking. When pasta has 6 minutes left to cook add the asparagus to the pot of cooking pasta. When done, drain and return to pot and toss in tomato mixture. Serve hot with fresh parmesan.

Levon

Grief is gripping our hearts right now because our dear friends unexpectedly lost their beloved dog Levon to cancer yesterday. Levon was our dog too. She was our dog because we loved her like she was our own. We were neighbors and our dogs were puppies together, little soul mates, always loving to each other. I can't believe we are never going to be able to see her or touch her again, her beautiful gentleness. We were so incredibly lucky to have know you pup-pup. We love you and we just want you back here with us so much.

Ghostly Construction

This is our annual haunted ginger bread house. I get these kits from my mom who gets them from someone at work so I can't source them. It would be pretty easy to make one using any mould for a Christmas gingerbread house. I use ready made brown frosting as the glue and Halloween candy as decor. One year we made a nice little graveyard to go around it. It looks really cute on a mantle or as a centerpiece. The best bit is how much fun it is for the kids and how much gets eaten before it's glued! c.

Doggone smart

This picture just about sums up our days. Little g. is always hugging our dog, or laying on her, chasing her and even speaking for her. Have I every shared with you what a toy ripper-upper our dog was? Well she was, and still is, but only with her own toys. She won't even touch little g's toys and I find that totally amazing. Dogs are just so smart.

Then there's Kbaba, the crazy pink-haired doll that's been coming with us every where we go lately.

Monsieur Mustache

We went to the pumpkin patch over the weekend. These little trips never quite live up to the storybook idea I get in my head. For one it was really crowded. Second, every little activity required a ticket from the mile long ticket line. Third, little g. started asking to go home the second we got there. So as not to risk being a freaky mom forcing a moment we just left.

I once witnessed one of those crazy mom moments. I was visiting San Francisco and a mom was trying to capture a happy family photo in front of the Golden Gate but all she was really doing was manically screaming out to her uncooperative kids "I'm trying to make our memories here." That just struck me as so funny. The thing about those lovely memories is you can't really force them.

Just ask Monsieur Mustache, he's full of lovely Summertime memories. c.

Cake or cake

It was a beautiful Fall weekend here. Little g. had pancakes with her little friends to celebrate her birthday. What would be the best thing to follow up pancakes with? Cupcakes of course. After all that cake eating we needed a little running around in the park. Our favorite game is to chase our dog. She always wins but we still keep trying. c.

Daddy's sister

Little g's Auntie Helen help carve some more stamps for the pancake party. It's really, really addictive. I'm almost positive I've hooked Auntie Helen on this stuff. There are some instructions in an earlier post here.

We had such a wonderful visit with our relatives. We wish we lived closer and started missing them the second they left. c.

It's the magic number

Little g. is now three. What a totally amazing three years it has been.

This weekend we will have a pancake breakfast birthday party to celebrate! c.

Abstract tendencies

Some more weekend goodness was a trip to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. I love this museum because it's not that big so you can easily see all of it. There is also a nice restaurant by Wolfgang Puck and a great little store that features some local talent.

I'm not so sure I would recommend bringing your three-year-old though. Way too many exhibits on the ground for curious hands. c.

Run Lola Run

I bet there was at least one person named Lola at the Chicago Marathon this weekend. What a fun time we had cheering on the runners.

In Chicago the marathon route goes through Boystown where you were likely to be cheered on by these guys. What a great way to get re-energized at the 8 mile mark.

Did you see the film Run Lola Run in the late 90's? I so wanted to have her bright red hair. c.

Focus

I find that when I've got a lot going on that it helps me to make something. Does not matter what it is just so long as it becomes the only thing I can focus on. Today I picked up a scarf I started last year. It's a nice big chunky warm alpaca scarf. Someone out there, you know who you are, has the matching hat.

I got this lovely yarn at Nina. c.

Mirror image

Well our neighbors got a puppy. I don't know how or why but this puppy could be our dog's mirror image. He's a Dudley just like ours which probably has a lot to do with it. Today when we got home from our errands he was outside and little g. had a blast with him. He is making my heart ache though because we are a little concerned about the health of our dog right now. The time we spent playing with the puppy was a nice reminder of just how wonderful it is share your life with a dog. Oh, and just how much work they are! He wouldn't sit still for a second and these are the best shots I could get. c.

Crisp

It's totally gray outside today. Feeling a bit overwhelmed right now because our dog is still not well.

Today we are eating our apples. Tomorrow we will be baking some.

An apple inspired card. c.

A bushel and a peck

We had a relaxing Sunday morning at the Apple Fest. Oh my gosh, the smell of cooked apples and fresh donuts wafting through the air was amazing. Looks like some apple baking is in our future. I've got to figure out how we want to use them; sauce, jam, pie, crisp, so many options. c.

Up and down

We've got these swarming birds that come every fall. I have no idea what there are but they are amazing and a little creepy. You can hear them all land on the roof. I have no way to describe this sound. Lots of little feet than a woosh as they all fly off at once.

Apparently Loser lost his/her name tag today. c.

Tasking

I've been tasking a lot lately because so many things need attention. Finally hanging curtains. Feels so good to get that done.

Today little g. gave our dog lots of attention. She laid like that for a long time, must have been comfy. We're going to try getting her in for that operation again this Friday. c.