Boreal Witch

I've become a bit more sensitive about the way my front yard looks. It looks like we have kids. I looks like we haven't spent time weeding. It looks like a mess. It's been neglected for five years and it's high time it was beautified. (Honestly, the back yard isn't much better, but because most of it is behind the house, you can't tell.)

So, for Mother's Day I did something a bit out of the ordinary for me. I bought some flowers to place on my porch as a kickoff to "Project Yard." Robinson and I made some flower stands out of some old wood that once were stairs. (We think they were anyway.  It seems that the people who owned the house before us had the nasty habit of buying wood, pounding nails in it, then chucking it in a big pile behind the house. We inherited a large wood pile that we used to make some patio chairs and a small table out of. Now that the 2x4s are gone, there are lots of little scrap pieces and lots of 2x6s.)


I even found a thing - wire shelf? quilt holder? display something? - at the Transfer Station that I wrapped plastic around and placed the tomatoes in as a pseudo-greenhouse. They are looking lovely indeed!

Added proof of how resourceful I actually am - see the door mat in the pictures? I made that out of an old carpet square and duct tape. 

Next year I'd like to get some juniper bushes for the front of the house. I've seen some lovely ferns around town that I would love to have in my yard, but I believe they are shade loving, so I probably won't be able to put them in the front yard. It's much too sunny, which is great for the greenhouse, but not so nice for shade-loving plants. Maybe they'll be happier behind the house or the garage...

Next year I also plan on growing my own flowers so that I won't have to buy any. I have a lot of annual seeds I brought back after my grandmother's funeral a couple years ago. I really should start using them. Maybe I'll grow some extra for my other mom friends (and my own mom!) for Mother's Day 2013. 

The side deck is getting some love, too. After several years of not having a place to sit on our patio, we finally finished two chairs* this summer (one we started on late last summer). We need to sand and paint or stain them, but considering they were made out of scrap 2x4s that we found all over the yard, they don't look bad indeed! We're still working on a table and a bench. Both need some 1x4s which we don't have in our yard so we'll have to buy them. All in all, I estimate that all of our patio furniture (2 chairs, 2 tables, and a bench) will cost us less than $50. Not bad and a great use for old wood!

Blessed be. 

* The chairs and little table were made using a book called 2x4 Furniture: Simple, Inexpensive, and Great-Looking Projects You Can Make by Stevie Henderson. It has lots of indoor and outdoor furniture. It has lots of pictures and the instructions are very clear and easy to follow. Robinson and I bought the book for $0.50 at a Goodwill down in Washington before we got married. It's been extremely helpful in making our home look beautiful!

It's about time to set up the greenhouses, get some seedlings, and watch everything grow, grow, grow!

We planted some seeds well before our trip to Anchorage. Even though we haven't done well with tomatoes or hot peppers in the past, we're going to try again. We also started a pumpkin and zucchini plant...which, come to think of it, we also haven't had much success with but - what the heck - we gave it another go!

When we got home, Arthur pointed at the pumpkin plant in the window and shouted, "MOMMY! Look at that pumpkin plant!"

It was HUGE! It was about a foot tall and already had some buds on it. Arthur has been taking very good care of it. He waters it every few days and examines the leaves and stalk. He counts the buds and watches for changes that take place. He's not very interested in any of the other plants, but he certainly loves that pumpkin plant.

I love that he's so interested in botany. Sometimes he reminds me of the days we need to water the plants.

Blessed be.

For the last year, my dad has been saying that he really wants to clean house, which is good because my parents' house is filled with all kinds of "treasures." It's gotten so bad in some areas that you have to carefully walk around piles of stuff in order to get from one place to another, with the fear that one of those piles will snatch you up and swallow you whole.

He constantly talked of having an auction, kind of like my grandmother and grandfather did in the 1980's, where my sisters and I would bid on items. In my dad's mind it was perfect because he would get rid of all these items he had collected and we would get things that we really wanted (be they family items or just garage sale junk).

Robinson, who loves to tease my dad about all kinds of things, made Sampsonbucks for him last Christmas, picking certain family members to go on various bills. Josh was on the one, Molly was on the five, Balin was on the 10, Dad was on the 20, and Grandma Sampson was on the 50. Dad was thrilled and told everyone that the next time we were all together, we must have an auction.

My sisters and I were less certain of an action, but we all agreed on one thing: everything must be bid on whether we wanted it or not. If we wanted it, we'd fight to the death to claim it, but if not it would come home with us anyway and we'd get rid of it later. We made sure that if someone really wanted an item, we'd let them take it, but if there was indeed something of value (which happened a few times), then we'd bid like there was no tomorrow.

Almost everything in the auction was picked up by my father during the height of his garage sale visits, though there were a few items from our time in Barrow. The Barrow items were the most coveted. Becky bought a whale cup for 50 Sampsonbucks and Blythe (who had about 250 Sampsonbucks leftover after the first auction) got to take home a beautiful pair of beaded mukluks. The only other item to rival that one was the carved duck I bought for 180 Sampsonbucks and a lovely German wine pitcher Blythe bought for about 200 Sampsonbucks. (Robinson thought I was crazy and threatened to release the duck in the middle of Denali Park on his way back.) My dad, generous as he is, also gave us some old Barrow bus tokens.

Family memories are something like leftovers: you don't always know what to expect. As skeptical as my sisters and I were of the Sampsonbucks auction, we all had a blast. Dad commented that it was the most fun we've had as a family in about 20 years.

Most of my winnings have been given away or marked for an upcoming garage sale. A few other items I've set aside as gifts for friends. (The gorgeous brown pitcher in the last photo was a birthday present for my friend Amanda. I won it for a Sampsonbuck.) Only a few of my items are on display in my home, which is how it should be.

Blessed be.

Desserts need butter and eggs. They just do.

Vegans may claim that they can make a cookie, cake, pie, etc. without animal products, but I say "NO!" No matter how many times you eat it, applesauce and oil do not have the creaminess and texture that butter and eggs do. I have made numerous vegan desserts and while they all came out fine, they always tasted as though they were missing something. Something important.

One morning while Arthur was at gymnastics, I flipped through one of the many magazines up on the balcony. An old issue of Delicious Living boasted that it had gluten-free and vegan recipes to die for. Hmph, I thought, we'll see about that. As I sat, carefully looking at the different recipes, one entitled "Vegan Trail Mix Cookies" caught my eye. I ripped it out of the magazine and brought it home.

I now own a vegan cookie recipe that is to die for. Seriously. It is one of the most delicious cookie recipes I have ever made. Granted, it isn't truly vegan unless you use vegan-approved chocolate chips, which I never have in the house, but even without the cookies were perfectly soft, crumbly, and yummy. (I ate about 5 as soon as they came out of the oven.)

I did modify the original recipe to try and make it healthier. I halved the amount of oil and substituted applesauce and pureed pumpkin for the water and oil. Robinson is not a big fan of pecans, so I used toasted almonds instead. I was a little concerned about the dried cherries because I am not a big cherry fan, but they proved their worth in this recipe. I don't think I would use anything else for this recipe. Except maybe dried apricots. I also used bittersweet chocolate in place of the semi-sweet. It's a bit healthier because of the higher cocoa content.

For the most part, the family loved these cookies. Robinson claimed that the first night they were more like granola bars, but the next day they had miraculously become a cookie. Arthur ate one and said he didn't like them, but Balin ate one and immediately wanted more. I absolutely love them and will continue to make them.

On the Menu: Trail Mix Cookies
Makes about 36 cookies
You can find the original recipe here.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 
1 cup carrot (finely shredded ) 
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut (shredded) 
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 
1 1/2 cups rolled oats 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin 
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce  
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 
1 cup slivered almonds (lightly toasted) 
1 cup dried cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix together flours, carrot, coconut, sugar, oats, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together water, oil, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry. Mix to combine. Fold in chocolate chips, pecans, and cherries.

2. Scoop batter by 2 tablespoons each onto a baking sheet, pushing in any stray pieces. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool for 2 minutes, and then remove to a rack to cool completely.


Blessed be.

Dear Arthur,

Today you turn four. I don't know if you'll remember this day as you get older, but two weeks earlier we had a swim party for you and your friends at Mary Siah. You chose to have lemon curd with lemon-lavender cupcakes (again) and I also made chocolate zucchini cupcakes. While the cupcakes were delicious, the lemon curd was a bit runny. Next time I promise I'll cook it longer.

You received some lovely gifts from your friends which included a movie ticket, a picture frame, a pottery set, clay and an appliqued shirt, and some water guns. You took the water guns into the pool and your friend Cedar liked them so much that you got him a few for his birthday a few days later.

It was a fun party.

We also had a family birthday party for you on your actual birthday. You loved ripping open your presents and getting to play with them for a bit before moving on to the next one. You even shared some of your gifts with Balin.

You asked for grilled pineapple and hot dogs for dinner and Mi-lemon-ian Falcon ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Uncle Paul came over to eat and watch you open your presents.

If I had one wish for you this next year it is to enjoy your curiosity. I realize I don't always appreciate that you are still young and still learning about the world, but I am working to become more patient. I am also planning on just enjoying you for the rest of the spring and summer because this fall you will be going to preschool.

Love, Mommy

Blessed be. 

Yesterday my baby turned one. We didn't have a party because I had to rush to a board meeting, but since he was only turning one, I felt that he'd understand. (Though he did throw a fit as I was leaving and I think that was because I was leaving, not because we weren't having a party.)

I was a little worried about how Arthur would react to see Balin getting all the attention, gifts, and special cake. Apparently, Jade, Arthur's first and probably best friend, did not do so well at her younger brother's first birthday back in January. Amanda captured it all in one photograph: Jade reaching for the cake and frowning, the beginning of tears in her eyes. Poor girl. It was hard not to laugh.

Arthur, however, did fine. He helped Balin unwrap his gifts, ate cake, sang "Happy Birthday", and wore his newspaper hat the whole time (and this boy hates to dress up). Balin loved the cake and played with some of his new toys. It was very peaceful compared to Arthur's first birthday. I could tell that Arthur is more than ready for his birthday, which is less than a month.

Happy birthday, my dear, sweet baby. You bring such joy to my life. Your laugh is infectious and your personality is so bright. You will become such a loving and caring individual. I can't hug you enough.

Love, Mom

Blessed be.

Perhaps you think that I saw my twin today or that I met someone whose personality was that of an "evil Bobbi." That's what the title would suggest, but in actuality, this is a story about my new passport.

I went to the post office several weeks ago to get a new passport. My old one had expired in 2010 and since I was going to be going through Canada this summer, it was one of those "had to be done" items on my agenda.

The picture the clerk at the post office took was okay; suitable for any ID. No worse or better than any other picture I've had to get taken for state or government documents. Whatever.

When my passport arrived, I eagerly ripped open the envelope, opened my passport, and check out my picture. My initial reaction was, "What the hell?!"

After a while, I peeked at my passport picture again and just laughed. I was very, very sorry that my old passport was in Philadelphia being shredded because I thought this entire situation would make a very amusing blog entry. I was also kicking myself because I didn't bother scanning my Israeli or Greek customs stamps.

I showed my new passport picture to Robinson and he had a hard time hiding his disgust.

Yes, folks, it's that bad.

Imagine my surprise when I received my old passport in the mail just today, whole, but with two holes punched into the front. I knew then that the whole world had to meet "Bizaro Bobbi."

Here's my picture from my old passport:

Awww! Look how cute! I'm so cute that no one really notices that I have a cold sore on my bottom lip! Look how impressionable! I'm young, inexperienced. I'm super happy because I'm going some place other than Canada! I'm off to Israel on an Indiana Jones-esque dig!

Doesn't this photo just scream "CUTE?"

Here's the picture that was taken at the post office:

Okay, not bad. You can tell I now have kids and that they've certainly done a number on me (note the very attractive bags under my eyes and the baby weight I still haven't lost). This is a suitable picture for a driver's license (hmm...though now that I think about it, this is probably better than my driver's license photo). It certainly isn't a Paris Hilton or Nicole Richie prison booking photo, but not too bad.

Cue the picture from the new passport:

OH MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FACE???

Is it just me or does my hair look flatter? My skin looks sallow and - what the heck - do I even have eyes?!

I look like I'm a raging alcoholic at a wedding party ready to toast the bride and groom.

It's a good thing that I can laugh about this. Maybe I should put off any major trips until 2022 when I have to get a new passport.

Blessed be.