Boreal Witch

Arthur has just noticed the moon and this attention has quickly turned into adoration. He has started looking for the moon at all hours of the day. Once he spots the moon in the window he shouts, "MOOM!" Then he laughs.

This morning he saw the moon setting behind the hills and became close to tears when I told him that the moon was leaving. Realizing my mistake, I quickly told him that the moon was going to take a nap and would be back later. He seemed to accept this explanation.

Sure enough, later this afternoon, the moon returned. Arthur and I "Moom Watched" until dinnertime.

Blessed be.

All I feel like all I've been doing this year is make quilts. Seriously. For pretty much all of 2009, I've done nothing but dig through my stash and sew, sew, sew! The last time I was in Anchorage, I even picked up one of my mom's old TV trays so now I can sew in any room I choose.

I've actually been trying really, really hard this year not to collect any new fabric until the old fabric leaves the house in the form of some sort of blanket or piece of clothing. It's been hard (especially since I've seen some really great fabrics that I would love to own someday), but since I've made so many quilts this summer, I'm down to one tub of fabric...and that's quite an accomplishment for me!

I've decided to make this entry a yearly one, complete with pictures and descriptions of the quilts I've made. Here's a review of all the quilts I've made in 2009:

Quilt 1: "Triangle Tessellation" - It started out as a kaleidoscope quilt for my mom, but after several infuriating attempts to make it work, I decided to scrap it (ha ha) and use an easier pattern, but with the triangles I had already cut (I can't waste good fabric!). I made this one for Arthur's friend, Cedar for his first birthday. It was actually finished well after his birthday. I was pretty sick of triangles when I finished, but as I reflect on it, I love the colors. They flow very well together. Cedar's mom also loves the quilt.

Quilt 2: "Strawberry Fields" - I made this one for a friend from the Boys and Girls Club. She was having a little boy and I thought the bright colors would be really fun for him. It was a bit difficult trying to fit all the colors in a pattern so that none of the same colors touched, but in the end, it worked out great. It's just a Roman square quilt, nothing fancy, and I had all of the fabric in my stash, so I didn't have to buy anything! I loved how easy this quilt was to put together and plan to put together more Roman square quilts.

Quilt 3: "Pinwheel Pizazz" - I made this quilt out of some leftover scraps from another project for some friends of my husband who were expecting their first baby. I had started it many, many months before, but never finished it. I ended up taking it apart and re-working it into the current pattern. I didn't like the way the original blocks were turning out. I had all of the fabric, so I didn't need to buy any more. If I do make this quilt again, it would look so much prettier with smaller pinwheels. The pattern gets kind of lost with the larger triangles. Still, I think it's a fun use of pinwheels.

Quilt 4: "Dots and Dashes" (from Quilt, April/May 2006) - Like most of my projects, I started this one so long ago and finally had enough time to finish it. I made this for a friend of mine who was expecting a baby (of unknown sex), so I needed a quilt that could be suitable for a little girl or a little boy. I used fabric with polka dots on it (no need to buy special stuff, I think the quilt turned out awesome without it). There were so many oohs and aahs at the baby shower over this blanket, but I was just happy I had been able to get rid of one more project!

Quilt 5: "Far East Fascination, Almost" (from Quilt, April/May 2006) - I saw this pattern in a magazine and decided to make it for a friend of mine who is expecting. At the time, I didn't know what she was having, but have since discovered she's having a boy. I'm hoping that she's fond of purple! I love the thin binding and have decided to use it in more of my future quilts. I also love the mix of the "Crossroads to California" block and the "square within a square" block. Beautiful!


Quilt 6: "Light Side vs Dark Side" - I collected Star Wars fabric for several years before piecing this quilt together. I made this lovely (I mean deadly) quilt for my son and plan to make another one for his dad as soon as I can get some of my other projects out of the way. This quilt is an original design and is similar to a crazy quilt in design. I decided to make the Light Side more prominent on Arthur's quilt and the Dark Side more visible on Robinson's. This was one of the few quilts this year that I got quilted by a local long-arm quilter. Arthur loves this quilt and plays with it constantly. I think he knows that I made it just for him. (And yes, Honey, your quilt will be made soon, I promise...really, no dirty looks! I mean it!)



Quilt 7: "Sunny Days Ahead" (from Quilt, June/July 2006) - I made this quilt for my mom, one of the only people in the family who I haven't yet made a quilt for. Mom is originally from Kansas, so I made her a sunflower quilt to remind her of home (in all the years in Alaska, I'm still not sure she considers it home). I got this quilted too, and it was my very first mitered-boarder quilt! I'm very proud of it.

Quilt 8: "Turtles Galore!" - My mother-in-law is quite fond of turtles and I've been hording some turtle hexagon blocks that I have been hording for five years, at least. She's currently battling cancer and when I found out that her condition is quite serious, I ripped apart the wall hanging and decided to make it into a lap quilt for her. My local quilter did a rush job for me, and the quilting was done in less than a week, right before I was leaving for Washington. I managed to get the binding done a couple of days after that, and it was hand-delivered soon after I got to Seattle.

Quilt 9: "Blueberry Fields" - I made this quilt for Arthur's friend Alek for his first birthday. I've been told that he has since pulled out most of the yarn I used to bind it. I love the blues and the greens - although you can't really see it, they match the blueberry fabric perfectly. I came up with the pattern myself. I wanted something really easy because I didn't have a lot of time.

I already have lots of quilting ideas for next year. My first quilt will be Robinson's Star Wars quilt because he's been grumbling about it ever since I finished Arthur's. I have a quilt in mind for my youngest sister - she's expecting again. I also have a bag of scraps just waiting to be sewn for a friend of mine. And, well, there's bound to be a few other patterns that I find in magazines or online that I instantly fall in love with.

I hope these quilts inspire you to finish your own projects!

Blessed be.

This year Christmas was pretty amazing. I felt like I was having a second childhood watching Arthur open his gifts. It's really surprising how responsive Arthur was by Christmas. He was a lot more interested in his gifts than last year and even though it will be several years before he figures out the significance of Christmas, I think he's beginning to realize that today was a special day. Robinson and I got him a play kitchen since he's so excited about cooking (both real and pretend) and he played with it the entire day.

Among his other favorite gifts were some play pasta from his Auntie Blythe, a pizza set from his friend Jade, and a wooden container set from his Grandma.

Of course, we did have an upset boy on our hands when he realized that not all of the presents under the tree were his...

My family completely outdid themselves, like usual. Of course, this year it was a little later than usual. My mom had ordered a variety of different things from Figi's (which have yet to arrive) and my sisters both promised that our gifts would be coming soon. It's been a busy year for all of us.

Johnny came over for Christmas dinner, a rather traditional meal - ham and potatoes. He stayed for the afternoon and most of the evening and before I knew it, I had promised him a quilt, too (of course, not before I finish Robinson's Star Wars quilt).

So, really, it was a great Christmas. A quiet, nice Christmas.

Blessed be.

Yule celebrates the rebirth of the sun. It is a time for reflecting on the year ahead and making what the rest of the world would call "New Year's Resolutions." It is a reminder that though there is still months of darkness, the light is returning, ever steadily.

I love the Winter Solstice. I love the smell of the sap as I carve the Yule log, I love the smoky smell of the bonfire, and most of all I love the magic in the air. It's a wonderful time to be with family. I also remember that the blessings of spring are just around the corner - even though it doesn't always seem like spring comes fast enough!

Dinner is always a special affair. I made chicken with apple-cranberry chutney, tabouli, garlic yams, and coriander rolls. For dessert there was apple pie with whipped cream. Robinson commented that the tabouli was more of a spring salad (to which I agreed), but I wanted to make something that would remind us of the upcoming spring. The apple pie was absolutely fantastic and I'm thinking about making another one very, very soon. True to form, Arthur asked for seconds...of the whipped cream.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, we also make our "Yule Resolutions" and carve them on a Yule log (better known as the bottom of our Christmas tree). As is tradition, Robinson and I ask for 2 things each. Arthur, being the newest member of the family and finally old enough to contribute a resolution, got to ask for 1 thing this year. I asked to be more environmentally aware and to make more time for being intimate with Robinson. Robinson asked to get in shape and to learn new things. Arthur asked to learn how to use the potty. I have successfully switched many of my household products to all-natural solutions and I intend to start recycling my boxes and paper products at the Rescue Mission's recycling program.

Even the weather warmed up considerably and we were able to burn the Yule log outside without getting too cold. Arthur wanted to help Robinson stoke the fire, but his boots were ill-fitting and he kept falling down. I think he'll enjoy the bonfires more when he can wander around the firepit without falling over all the time.

I hope you and your family enjoyed this blessed day.

Blessed be.

Another benefit of the holidays (although some might consider it more of an obligation and others a real pain in the ass) is the Christmas party. It's a great chance to be social and a good chance to fill up on delectables you should eat only once a year.

This weekend, I had the privilege and honor to attend three holiday parties. The first was a cookie exchange, which was the very first one I had ever gone to. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but all of the cookies were fabulous and it was so nice to hang out with the girls for a while. I even brought home enough cookies to give to Marcy and Andrew. They had promised to babysit Arthur so that Robinson and I could go out on a date to the Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living (or IAC for short) holiday party. I'm on the Board of Directors.

I knew that the Executive Director had joked about bringing her karaoke machine, but I didn't realize that she was actually planning on doing it! Most people, myself included, were pretty happy just letting the 2 or 3 people who were confident in their singing abilities to croon. Eventually, though, she insisted that other people get up and I acquiesced. I sang, "I Will Survive" (embarrassing Robinson while I was at it) and got quite the applause (maybe because everyone had gone deaf?). Okay, so I know I'm not that bad, but I really don't carry a tune very well. I let my charisma and natural showmanship get me out of that predicament. I'm not saying that I'll ever do it again, but it was a magnificent rush.

Then on Sunday, Arthur and I went to a party for his little friend Rudi. She was turning two. Her mom had a private party at Bonkers (gosh, I love that place! And to think I didn't know about it until this year!). Brandi had baked a huge cake in the shape of a "2". When someone asked her what the frosting was made out of she said, "Crisco and confectioner's sugar." I nearly gagged. I suppose I shouldn't have been so disgusted. I grew up in rural Alaska where everything is baked, fried, or mixed with Crisco. I guess it has something to do with living in civilization for so long.

It was nice to spend so much time with the people I care about. It's a wonderful feeling to see Arthur growing up around people who care about us, too.

Blessed be.

Arthur loves to cook. I suppose it's really no surprise, since both Robinson and I also love to cook. Lately, Arthur has been asking to cook and when I ask him what he wants to make, he says, "dessert" - which is really cute because he can't actually say "dessert" yet, so he signs it.

Today Arthur and I made some cookies for a cookie exchange party today and I snapped some pictures of him with the beaters. (I imagine someday there will someday be battles between Arthur and his father for the batter on those beaters.) Lately, he's been pretty anti-camera, and I think this picture more than made up for it.

I had to make six dozen cookies for the exchange. Six dozen??? I thought. That's a lot of cookies! In the end, six dozen cookies nestled neatly in a large cake pan - taking up far less space than I imagined. I even had cookies left over, which both Arthur and Robinson will be more than happy to eat.

No matter what religious beliefs you hold, December is a time for traditions. Robinson and I have worked very hard to incorporate both of our belief systems into one big holiday (think "Christmaka" from the O.C.). Thus, we have made a great effort to ensure that both Yule and Christmas are weighed equally in our house. We have a special dinner and ritual for each of them.

So even though I am a Wiccan, my family has a Christmas tree every year.

When Robinson and I told Arthur we'd be picking out a Christmas tree, I don't think he quite understood until we arrived at the fairgrounds. As we walked into the agricultural hall, Arthur stopped short, taking in the vision and smell of fir and pine. He looked so confused. What were all of those trees doing in this building anyway? We took our time looking around, trying to find the perfect tree. We found two we liked and after some discussion, we decided to go with the taller one. We figured that would work better with our Yule celebrations, since we would be cutting off a portion of the base for the Yule Log.

After dinner, we set up the tree, put on the lights, and got out all of our ornaments. Every year since we've been married, Robinson and I have each made an ornament celebrating an event that happened that year. As we take them out of the box, we tell the story behind each ornament and then hang it on the tree. Considering his age, Arthur did pretty well. He got through half the ornaments before he decided he was done. His favorite were Robinson's boat from 2006, Sly's ornament from 2003, and his hand sculpture from 2008.

Arthur was also pretty excited about the Yule Log, but I think that's only because he knows he gets to go outside and burn the log in a big bonfire!

Blessed be.

For nearly a week, we saw nary a tail feather of the Black-Capped Chickadees that come to our bird feeders. Maybe it was too cold or perhaps we just weren't looking out the window while they were eating (which is much more likely), but for whatever reason, they weren't around.

This morning, Arthur and I had quite the show. Our usual five chickadees were there and they brought some hungry, hungry friends! I counted about ten chickadees total. Arthur watched for a few minutes, then wanted down. I however, continued to watch them at the window. Chickadees are my favorite birds because they are so playful - even when they eat, they look as if they are food fighting.

I also discovered that the chickadees found Arthur's bird feeders we made at Creamer's - which probably explains why our little band of regulars brought their friends.

As I sat on the sofa watching the chickadees flit from branch to branch on the top of a tree, a sudden movement caught my eye: a raptor soared down from a neighboring tree and whizzed past the living room window. I didn't get a great look at it, but after doing some preliminary research, I'm fairly certain that I saw a juvenile Harlan's Hawk. It's still amazing to me how much wildlife I can see from my window.

Blessed be.

Arthur's been interested in his potty for a while now. When I first got it, he loved to take out the bucket and play with it. He'd put his toys in it or ask me to fill it with water. One day after he pooped in his diaper we stuck his poo-poo in his potty to show him what it was ACTUALLY for. He was not pleased and cried.

Now he's beginning to understand what exactly the potty is used for, especially after today because he PEE-PEED IN HIS POTTY!!!

He woke up from his nap and refused to let me change his diaper. I thought maybe he was still a bit groggy and needed a few more minutes to wake up. I gave him a snack and once he finished attempted to change his diaper again. He complained quite loudly and then it clicked: maybe...

"Do you want to use your potty, Arthur?"

He nodded.

We grabbed some of his book and went into the bathroom. I took off his diaper and he sat down on his potty. We read "Blueberries for Sal" and "Kitty Up" a few times. And then I heard a tinkle.

Arthur looked a bit surprised, too. When he finished peeing, he jumped off the seat and pointed at his penis. I made a big fuss to show him I was proud of him for using his potty.

Then I called Robinson (who was also thrilled and nicknamed Arthur "The Urinator"), my mom, and (at Robinson's urging), his mom.

So, we'll keep working at it. I'd love to have him potty-trained (more or less) by the time he's two...but, we'll see. All things happen in their own time, right?

Blessed be.

Robinson and I have been married for seven years, which, in this day and age, a fairly long time. We are in an inter-faith relationship; I'm Wiccan, he's a Latter-Day Saint. (At this point you may be saying, "How the hell did that happen?!" That doesn't matter at the moment, and perhaps I'll explain it someday). I feel we've done an excellent job of incorporating both of our faiths in our home without preaching to each other and I have no doubt that we'll be able to raise our son to be a kind, moral person even if he doesn't feel the need to have a specific religion.

That being said, I feel the problem is not with us. It's the way we're viewed by the people at his church.

It's very frustrating to be constantly labeled a "bad"/"ignorant" person just because I do not believe the same thing they do...and I take it ten steps further by not even being a Christian!

I guess this blog came about because Robinson is part of his ward's Elder's Quorum and they are supposed to have meetings every Wednesday. For a while, the leader was busy with work, so his wife would call and tell him the meeting was canceled. Then...nothing. No calls.

I suppose it didn't help that Robinson hadn't gone to church in a while, but he discovered upon attending this last Sunday that the Elder's Quorum had been meeting quite regularly for the last few months...they just didn't bother to tell him.

They assumed that I had a problem with him attending.

I have to remind myself that not all members are like this; our very first Home Teacher in Fairbanks got to know us quite well and later commented that we had a better relationship than many of the Mormon families he knew. Because he had taken the time to visit us often, he got to know us. He could speak from experience.

These people can't.

They may claim that they teach us regularly, but we're lucky if our current Home Teachers come by once every six months. (And it isn't as though we ignore their calls. They just don't call.) It's not a big deal to me whether or not they actually come over to teach us - remember, I don't believe.

But, for Goddess sake, DO NOT assume that I am not supportive of my husband. DO NOT assume that the fact he doesn't go to church or attend your meetings is because I don't want him to. DO NOT blame me for your inability to keep your flock together. And finally, DO NOT judge me for being different. If there's one thing I really dislike, it's a hypocrite.

Blessed be.

I decided not to go out on Black Friday. It wasn't a political statement; I just didn't feel like going out. Instead, I went out Saturday morning and I loved how quiet everything was. Sure, I may not have gotten the deals that everyone was after on Friday, but I still managed to save enough.

Arthur and I also went to a Friends of Creamer's Field activity this afternoon and made birdfeeders out of recycled materials. They had all kinds of materials to make feeders out of: plastic jugs, milk cartons, pretzel containers, T.P. and paper towel rolls, toast, pine cones...you name it, they probably had it.

We, however, stuck to the simplest bird feeder one can possibly make: the T.P. roll.

Step One: Remove bits of paper off roll, if necessary. Poke two holes in the top and tie ribbon in a loop over the top.

Step Two: Smear peanut butter all over T.P. roll.

Step Three: Roll in bird seed of choice.

Done.

Arthur loves watching all of the chickadees from the kitchen window and makes it a point to remind us whenever we sit down to eat to check on the birds. He'll also remind us to feed them if he thinks the birdseed looks low. I think it's great that he's fostering a love of Nature at such an early age.

Blessed be.

This year, Thanksgiving was simply marvelous. I spent most of Wednesday getting the house cleaned and making most of the food for the next day. Arthur, as usual, was a big help cleaning, cooking, eating, and then un-cleaning. I think Arthur was pretty fascinated by the turkey as he helped Robinson and I put it together. He certainly liked dropping the veggies in the cavity and I think he would have been more than happy to sprinkle even more salt and pepper inside and outside the bird.

Would you believe that I have never, ever had to cook a turkey? Robinson and I have certainly eaten turkey on Thanksgivings past, but a friend had always made one as his contribution to the Thanksgiving potluck. He wouldn't be coming this year (he disowned us last year - a long story I won't bore you with) , so I was responsible for the centerpiece of the meal. No pressure, right?

I went online and looked up some tips on how to cook a turkey. Defrost in refrigerator? Check. Allow at least 4 hours cooking time for a 15-lb. turkey? Check. Stuff with onions, celery, and carrots for extra flavor? Check. Entire bottle of wine for basting sauce? Check. Baste often? Check.

The surprising thing was...well...it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. Basting the turkey every half hour was a bit of a pain, but totally worth it. The turkey turned out super moist and simply delicious.

Dinner was relaxed. We had four friends (and a dog) over. Arthur loved the sparkling apple cider and looked around for unguarded glasses to sip from. We stuffed ourselves full and ate dessert while playing Killer Bunnies. Everything really was perfect.

I am thankful to have such a loving family. I am thankful to have such wonderful friends. I am thankful to have a caring family. I am thankful I am blessed with good health and a happy disposition. I am also thankful that I really do have everything I could ever want or need.

Blessed be.

I looked out the window today and saw a rather strange imprint in the snow. At first, I couldn't quite place it, but a quick moment later, I finally realized what it was:

It appears that an owl tried to catch something (most likely a snowshoe hare) in our yard. The way the wingtips appear on the snow is simply breathtaking. This picture does not do it justice.

Blessed be.

Every year at Yule, Robinson and I come up with two things we'd like to do over the course of the year and then carve very, very non-descript images into our Yule log before we burn it. Usually we choose things that we'd like to improve about ourselves or our relationship with each other. In the spirit of trying to get things done with plenty of time to spare, I've been thinking about what my "Yule Resolutions" will be.

I've come up with one so far. I try to be fairly environmentally-minded, but it's hard in Alaska when your opportunities for activities such as recycling are so limited. Along these lines, I've decided to think of three things to do over the next year to be more environmentally-friendly. So far, I've come up with two.

First, I'm going to start making my own cleaning solutions (I haven't decided if this is going to extend to laundry soap, but I'm considering it). I have sensitive skin (and in the winter it becomes dry, sensitive skin) so I find that the harsh chemicals that are put into a lot of cleaners just irritate my skin. I've already come up with a great laminate cleaner: two parts vinegar, two parts water, and one part lemon juice. Mix well.

Second, I'm going to make my own menstrual pads. I should have done this years ago (but better late than never, huh?). I bought a set of GladRags years and years ago and plan to make my own using a design similar to theirs.

If we all do a little, it will make a huge difference in the end.

Blessed be.

I missed the first real snowfall of the season. Not that that's a bad thing, but I often have fantasies about twirling in the snow as if I'm 10 again. I don't tend to twirl while it's snowing much anymore, mostly because I have poor circulation and get cold (and stay cold) fairly easily.

Arthur and I were in Washington visiting family for about a week and a half. It was nice to get out, but it was nice to come back to a world of white. One of the things I really do like about Fairbanks in the winter.

Blessed be.

It's nice having traditions for the holidays. When we were first married, Robinson and I had our Halloween tradition: watch a bad "scary" movie, carve a jack o' lantern or can pumpkin, and eat candy. Now that Arthur has joined our family, we generally carve a jack o' lantern on Samhain and then can it the next day. As for our "scary" movie...well, we haven't really done that for the last few years.

This Samhain was a little different than our usual celebrating. Oh, we did the traditional canning and candy eating, but because we were here and there (Fairbanks and Washington) it felt like Samhain lasted two weeks instead of a single day.

Robinson and I still managed to can 13 quarts of pumpkin (a rather fitting number considering the day). I canned 7 before I left and he canned 6 after I left. The pumpkin canning seemed easier than it did last year and I have yet to figure out why. We've been canning our pumpkins for a while now; maybe it's become automatic.

Arthur even got some trick or treating in while in Washington, though he didn't like the crowds. I think he was more than ready to go home after all that excitement.

Every Samhain I like to reflect on people I knew who've died. Halloween, after all, is the day of the dead. Remembering these people reminds me of the cyclical nature of life and that death is just another part of life. This year, my great-aunt Rosie passed away. On my grandmother's birthday, actually. I didn't really know her, and in fact, I'm not sure if I even met her. My grandmother often said that she was a drunk and didn't take care of herself, so it was inevitable, but sooner, rather than later. I almost wish I did know her so that I could say something about her here.

But, on this day I mostly remember the people who had such an impact on my life. People like my paternal grandfather, who always smelled like oil and machinery; my maternal grandmother, who I feel so much closer to in death than in life; my maternal grandfather, who I never really knew except for stories Mom tells me; my Uncle Tony, who had a quiet sweetness about him;
and my childhood friend Adeline, who my sisters and I would play outside with almost everyday after school.

It's hard to let go, but knowing how much these people have taught me makes it easier for me.

Blessed be.

Arthur's little friends got together today for a Halloween Party. I was a little nervous, considering the chaos from his birthday party (it was as rowdy as a frat house), but the party was awesome. All the kids were well-behaved and they played together so well. Their costumes were lots of fun and most of them managed to keep them on for the entire party. I was very impressed with Arthur. He went from hating his Max cap to tolerating it for a few hours this afternoon.

Here are some random pictures of the fun:

Cedar and Jade playing together in the ball pit. Cedar was a bee. Seneca found a great bee costume for $7 at Value Village. She made some wings for it and found some black tights. Cedar made her happy by wearing the hood for most of the party. Jade was a duck. She kept losing her feet and taking her duck hat off her head. I'm not sure where Amanda got Jade's costume, but my guess is she inherited it from somewhere.

Arthur trying to make Kaiya feel better (she was fussing because she wanted her Mommy). She was going to be a mouse, but the costume was a little too big, so she came as a duck instead. Her cousin Chloe got to wear the mouse costume. Her mommy, Amanda E., made the little webbed feet herself. Adorable!

Although she spent time in the playroom coloring with the markers, Chloe discovered that pulling the magnets off the refrigerator was at least five times more fascinating than scribbling. For a while, Arthur helped, but he wouldn't put the markers back when he and Chloe were done with them. Then Cedar came over to help put the magnets back, but quickly left when the others ran off without helping him. Needless to say, there were magnets all over the floor for the rest of the party. I got the awesome job of picking them all up after everyone left for home.

Beauty Queen Hannah reading to her sister Abby and Cedar (both bees!). She just plopped down on the steps with a book in hand and started to read to them. Abby and Cedar both sat there until the end of the story. It was pretty sweet.

Alek came as Charlie Brown. Sarah found a yellow shirt at Value Village and made the black zig-zag on the shirt. She was also going to make Harley, the family dog, some Snoopy-esqe ears, but in the end decided it was too much of a hassle. I can't imagine how she made the little squiggle on Alek's forehead. Arthur would have put up so much of a fuss, I would have had to wipe it off and then redraw it for at least 10 minutes, or until it was sort of distinguishable as the Charlie Brown hair.

I felt like such a successful hostess afterward! It was one of the most amazing parties I've ever thrown - for kids or adults. Maybe it was the Halloween magic in the air...whatever it was, it was great.

Blessed be.

Last year, Arthur was Harry Potter for Halloween. I really wanted him to be Max from "Where the Wild Things Are," but Robinson convinced me that he'd make a much cuter Max when he could walk. So, this year Arthur will be Max, along with every other child in America (although the cynic in me doubts that even half of the kids dressed up as Max have read the book).

I had to improvise some parts of his costume since none of the pattern companies make Max costumes. Many, many years ago, I bought a baby costume pattern (Robinson thought I was crazy because at the time we didn't have a baby) which served me pretty well during this little sewing adventure. A friend's mom had made her grandson a Max costume a few years ago, and she was a good source of information on some of the little details.

Until Arthur really gets some joy out of dressing up for Halloween, I'm not going to go all out for his costumes, so I tried really hard to keep the cost low. I had almost all of the notions already and I purchased all of the materials I didn't have for under $20 (granted, with coupons).

Here's Arthur in his completed costume. I think it turned out great! Since we're going to be wandering around during the Pumpkin Prowl at the Woodland Zoo in Seattle later this month, I opted not to put feet on the costume. The feet will just sit over his shoes. Sometimes he steps on his claws, but, whatever. His costume already has some orange Cheeto smears on it, but nothing a quick wash won't take care of!

I love Halloween. I can easily say that it's my favorite holiday. I have fond memories of going trick or treating when I was a kid. It's also a great time to reflect on the people who have died over the last year, to remember them, and to wish them well in the afterlife.

Blessed be.

For the last few weeks, I've been telling Arthur that we need to get bird food at the store so that we can feed the hungry, hungry birds. Whenever I go to the store, I always seem to forget. Today, Arthur and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a birthday present for a friend of his, and as we entered the store, Arthur reminded me to get some bird food. We grabbed a bag, finished the rest of our shopping, and made our purchases.

The clerk was pretty chatty and asked us what kind of birds we fed. I told him, "Chickadees." He said that his dad has a bird feeder that's shaped like a house. I laughed and told him that Arthur had reminded me when I walked in.

The clerk asked, "Oh, is he shy? He's not saying much right now."

"I'm teaching him sign language. He's not fluent or anything."

"He's learning sign? That's cool! So he told you to get bird seed?"

"Yeah," then I asked Arthur, "what did we buy today?"

And Arthur surprised even me by making the signs for "bird" and then "food." The clerk was absolutely floored and couldn't stop making various exclamations. It was pretty cool.

Blessed be.

Winter is finally here, with the first snow officially falling Wednesday and even more snow since then. The temperatures haven't been that cold during the day - warm enough to meet with our friends and take outdoor walks on some of the wooded trails around town - but it's getting darker and chillier at night.

Arthur is almost completely ready for winter. The only thing he's missing are some winter boots, which I hesitate to get until it really starts getting cold...but also because his shoe size is a 5 right now and will probably be a 6 by next week, at the rate this kid is growing. So, until it's the dead on winter, he probably won't have any boots to speak of. I did buy some snowpants a few weeks ago and I finally put them on him. He walked around the house (shick, shick, shick), and I think he and his dad are pretty excited to test them out once we get more snow.

Arthur has a love-hate relationship with his winter gear. All summer, it was so lovely that he was able to run around sans diaper most days, so I'm sure he finds these new turn of events not only restricting but down right confusing. I still leave him in only a diaper if we're not going anywhere - I don't really see the point in dirtying up a set of clothes while playing around the house. (Practicality is a mother's best friend.)

I find that I really love the beginning of winter. The fresh snow reminds me of all the childhood adventures my sisters and I had growing up and the smell of winter - Goddess, I can't even begin to adequately describe it. It remains powerfully embedded in my mind, though. I have fond memories of the empty lot across the street. I hope Arthur has just as many fun memories of being outside and playing as I do.

Blessed be.

Although Tuesday is the official date of the Equinox, our little family celebrated a little early this year. It was the first Fall Equinox that Robinson and I have celebrated in a long while (maybe ever?), and Arthur's first "official" Fall Equinox. Although it was a bit stressful trying to keep Baby Boy from slipping and accidentally falling in the fire (as well as managing the general chaos of cooking outdoors with a baby), it was pretty fun.



Arthur loved everything about the fire (which is no surprise - this kid loved watching the grill light up when we cooked outdoors this summer). I think his favorite part was fetching wood and then throwing it on the fire. He wouldn't even stick around to watch the piece of wood catch fire - he'd rush back to the wood pile to grab another log!



Dinner consisted of camp fare: hot dogs, chips, and S'mores. Arthur really got into cooking his hot dog, but only because he'd stick the skewer into the fire and laugh whenever the hot dog caught fire. Due to their high flammability, marshmallows were an instant favorite. He didn't want to let the skewer go, so the hot dog he was cooking was pretty darn disgusting by the time he had to go in for bed. It was eaten by Johnny's dogs a while later (and I do believe they were pretty grateful to Arthur for that little treat).

I was asked why the Equinox was important to me. The only answer I was really able to give was that it was the movement of the seasons, balance between summer and winter, and a reminder of the duality of Nature. It's the welcoming of change and the necessity to accept it.

Blessed be.

Winter is right around the corner and we're pretty much done with all of our autumn activities. The wood for the firepit is almost cut and stacked, the garden has been harvested and then picked over by the moose (luckily for us they only escaped with one cabbage this year), and the pipe running through the culvert should be covered in plastic by this weekend. We spent yesterday evening canning some beet relish for my father's Christmas present using the beets and the remaining red cabbage that we grew this summer. If he likes it, I might make it a summer tradition to grow cabbage, beets, and onions.

I've spent the last month slowly, but surely, cleaning out our mudroom. We had stuff piled on top of stuff and so much stuff that I had no idea what (exactly) was in there. It became a hassle going in there because I was terrified that someone was going to trip, knock over a huge pile of something, and get crushed. It was a pretty useless room, not much better than storage.

I decided to turn it into a playroom for Arthur and his friends so that they would have a fun place to play this winter. Below is the Smilebox that I sent family with pictures of the new mudroom. I wish I had some "before" pictures to show you (but do I really want people to see what the room used to look like?), but I like the "after" pictures. The room really does look so much better.




There's still the problem of what to do with my old sewing cabinet. It's just too big to fit anywhere in the house and when it was in the mudroom, I just piled stuff on top of it. What a waste of space. Now, almost all of my sewing projects are stacked neatly on a shelf and hidden behind a curtain, or taking up space upstairs in my bedroom (which, after I finish some miscellaneous projects, should be gone fairly quickly).

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be letting go of my stuff. As I sorted what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to give away, I figured if I hadn't thought about a project for at least a year, it was probably time to get rid of it. I had a half-finished blazer and a skirt piled on my sewing table. I got rid of the jacket and finished putting the elastic in the skirt and then gave it to one of my sisters as a birthday present. The fabric was so lovely, I couldn't bear the thought of the skirt sitting there at the transfer station, getting trampled by people digging through other peoples' junk.

What was the impetus for such a drastic cleaning? I'm actually chuckling to myself as I write this. Humans are built on denial. I thought I'd be able to get my projects done...someday. You know, when I didn't have a kid always pestering me or when my house was (magickally) cleaner. I didn't want to face all the stuff I had piled in the mudroom because I didn't want to remind myself of all the projects I had failed to finish.

It wasn't until my family visited in May and my sister's boyfriend made a comment about how everyone in our family had crap everywhere when it hit me: "Oh, my Goddess, he's talking about me!" I looked at my sewing table. I looked on the floor. The shelf next to the washer. Everywhere I looked was a disaster. (Now, of course, it's funny - then it wasn't.) That day, I became determined to get rid of all the junk in the mudroom and turn it into a useful room.

I suppose sometimes it takes another person to point something out to make you realize that you need to change.

Blessed be.

The moose have returned. They rummaged through the garden again this year; unlike last year, they did not eat everything in sight. They ran off with only one cabbage, significantly less than all of the rhubarb and 8 kohlrabi from last year's harvest. It's no wonder that we decided to harvest our garden, despite the lovely weather we've been having.

Baby Boy loved picking the carrots almost as much as crunching on them. He's got good taste - they were really yummy! We also picked the rest of the beets and kohlrabi. I think this year was the best gardening season we've had yet and I hope next year will be just as good.

Enjoy the fall holidays!

Blessed be.

Yesterday was a really great day. It was the first day in a long time that Arthur wasn't crabby and that I didn't feel tired of dealing with him. The weather was also beautiful, which probably had something to do with it.

We went to the park and met up with our friends. It was nice just being able to hang out with the girls and the kids and just catch up and chat. We also did a toy swap, and Arthur received Alek's toys. He's pretty pleased with the pretend lawn mower that he's been pushing around the house. (In fact, he's so fond of it tried to take it into the turtle ball pit last night.)

After meeting our friends, we went to Once Upon a Child and I found him some hard-soled shoes and some snowpants for less than $20. Since winter clothes and kid's shoes are so expensive, I consider that a deal!

Robinson had to work late, so Arthur and I went home and spent a really quiet night playing in his new playroom. It was pretty nice. When it was time to go to bed, he didn't make a big fuss and just pretty much went right to sleep. I did the dishes, cleaned up a little, and then worked on another quilt while watching The Prestige (which was not worth the hype, by the way).

It was just nice, just to be. I thanked the Goddess profusely that night for giving me a chance to collect my thoughts and relax.

Blessed be.

Wednesday was a pretty terrible day. We had to take Arthur to the hospital because he had gotten his upper lip frenulum stuck between his two front teeth. Apparently, this is a very common occurrence in children (particularly those younger than 2) because kids this age usually have such large gaps between their two front teeth. I've never heard of this happening before (and neither have any of the moms I hang out with, which makes me wonder if it really is as common as the mommy-forum people claim it is), and even the doctor had to leave the room for a good seven minutes while he surfed the internet trying to find out what to do with it.

In the end, we chose to leave it in the hopes of it just popping out again. Unfortunately, playing the waiting game has been pretty stressful for everyone. I've been praying non-stop, hoping that the Universe will finally have mercy on me and one morning I'll wake up and everything will be back to normal.

But, no. Not yet.

By Saturday, I had a feeling that the pain was growing progressively worse for Arthur because he was continuously crabby and wouldn't eat much.

So, Robinson and I took matters into our own hands and tried to pry his upper lip out from between his teeth. Long story short, by the time it was over, Arthur was hysterical, I was sobbing, and Robinson looked like he was ready to drive to the store to purchase fudgesicles in order to try and calm us down.

On Sunday, I bought Arthur some teething tablets that have helped tremendously. I just dissolved them in his water or juice. His gums look less inflamed and he seems to be eating more. I'm just hoping that things will continue to look up.

I'm beginning to understand why TEETHING SUCKS!

Blessed be.

Since my upholstery bags have been such a big hit with everyone (okay, all 3 of the people I've made them for), I decided to enter one in the fair this year under the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Division. I sewed it together in a few hours (under quite a bit of pressure - I had a baby quilt to finish) and turned it in the Saturday before the fair.

The last time I entered something in the fair was when I was 8. My mom helped me sew a little cross-stitch turtle. I won first prize.

This time, I won third prize for my upholstery bag, and when I went to pick it up Sunday after the fair, I was told to go to the Summer Fair Offices and collect my "premiums." I chuckled to myself: "Premiums?"

Maybe the guy should have said, "Pittance." I was awarded $1.00 for my upholstery bag! Now I know why I keep seeing the same names over and over again in fair exhibits. In order to win big, you really do have to enter every division possible, from cow breeding to photography.

Next year, I'm going to enter some of my quilts in the fair. I'll bet I could win at least $2.00 for a third place quilt next year! I've already decided I'll be entering Father and Son Star Wars quilts and, if I can manage, I'd like to enter Arthur's wall-hanging I finished this summer. I'm considering hand-quilting it...I've never hand-quilted anything before in my life (besides simple tie quilts), so I'm probably being a bit too ambitious. And, if I manage to make anything really great between now and next summer, I'll probably enter that, too.

Blessed be.

Today it snowed. Not actual snow, but little flecks of white ash. Everything is now covered in a white powder and the skies have been unnaturally gray the last couple of days. There's a fire close to Murphy Dome and several others around Fairbanks.

I'm just glad it isn't as smokey as it was a few weeks ago.

Blessed be.

Robinson and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary this weekend. Every year, we try to come up with some fun, creative ways to spend our anniversary. It's been a challenge coming up with family-friendly ideas because of Baby Boy. Still, we wanted to do something exciting, so scheduled a halibut-salmon fishing combo in Seward. It was close enough to Anchorage that my mom and sisters could watch Arthur for an evening or two, but far enough away to have some alone time.

Although it was horribly rainy and the waves were pretty choppy on the boat ride, I caught my limit and Robinson caught 3 fish - 2 of them were monster-sized fish. When they were filleted, we had 24 pounds of fish. Now, our freezer is completely full of fish!

Of course, our freezer was already full of pork roasts and whole chickens, so I needed to do some creative freezer packing in order to make everything fit. (If only I didn't shop at Sam's Club weekly!)

Arthur did really well with my family, though. Blythe was especially taken with him. She was a little nervous about putting him down for the night, but as it turned out, Arthur was a complete angel. Blythe said that he knew when it was time for him to go to sleep and that he didn't put up a fuss at all. She read him a story and sang him a song. Then she put him in his playpen and left the light on, unsure if he needed a night light. She went upstairs and asked Mom if she needed to leave a light on for Arthur. Mom said, "No," and when Blythe went back downstairs to turn off the light, she discovered Arthur was already asleep!

We also took Arthur and Josh to H2Oasis. Josh likes the River Walk. He loved getting the double floats and walking with myself or Robinson. Arthur loved the kid's area. The pool has a pirate ship in the middle of it and he especially liked going down the ship's slides and splashing in the water. The place is pretty amazing. I was impressed that the place, even though it was small, was packed with four slides, the River Walk, and a wave pool. It was the first time I'd ever been there and I think we'd go again.

Robinson and I also went to the Crow's Nest, an excellent restaurant on the top floor of the Captain Cook Hotel. The food was phenomenal and the service was incredible. We happened to get seats in a corner, so the view was pretty amazing, too.

It was nice to get away and visit family. I'm hoping to see everyone once more before the summer ends.

Blessed be.

I suppose I need to amend the "Arthur's Favorites" list to include fudgesicles. He used to be content just taking a lick or two off of our pops, but now he wants his own. Which, I'm only too happy to give him (even though in the back of my mind I wonder if it's a good thing to get him addicted to frozen novelties).

Arthur's three favorite things in life are airplanes, cars, and dogs. Although Robinson and I can't really get him an airplane or a car, we can, however, get him a dog. Or hundreds of dogs.


It was a beautiful day outside, but hot - way too hot for a few of the poor dogs. We saw several pups who badly needed some water. Unfortunately, my sandal broke early in the mile-long walk, and I had to finish barefoot. The hot pavement was pretty unpleasant, so by the time I reached Pioneer Park, my feet ached. I'm surprised I didn't have more blisters than I did.

Pizza, obviously, is a big no-no during South Beach Phase 1, but I have been craving pizza something fierce lately, so I was determined to find some kind of a crust that we could eat. After about a half hour on the Internet, I found a recipe for flax-seed meal crust. Perfect! I thought.

Unfortunately for me, our Fred Meyer's doesn't carry flax-seed meal (just the seeds) and the local health food store is closed all day Sundays. So what's a girl to do?

Improvise, improvise, improvise!

I went back to square one and found an online recipe for pizza using cauliflower as the crust. Wild! I thought, and totally South Beach approved! The original recipe called for more cheese than I had on hand, but I decided to wing it anyway using the ingredients I had in my refrigerator.

So, here's the version I came up with...although I think it will need to be tweaked some time in the future. The crust had the consistency of mashed potatoes and I didn't have enough soy flour to balance it out. I'm also thinking that a harder cheese like Parmesan might help the crust hold together better next time. The only other thing about this recipe I don't like is the long baking time. Due to the consistency of the "dough" it takes a while for the cauliflower crust to dry out well enough to emulate pizza crust.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Makes 1 12-inch pizza; about 6-8 servings

1/2 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1/4 cup soy flour (I would increase to 1/3 to 1/2 cup depending on the size of your cauliflower)
1/4 cup ricotta cheese (or Parmesan)
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. basil
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. marjoram

Boil or steam cauliflower florets until tender. Process with olive oil in a food processor until smooth (this may need to be done in two separate batches). Combine pureed cauliflower, soy flour, cheese, and spices in a medium mixing bowl and blend well. The batter will be thick, but spreadable. Grease a pizza pan well and spread mixture on the pan. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees, or until firm to the touch. Add whatever sauce or toppings you desire. Return to the oven for approximately another 10-15 minutes.

Blessed be!