My youtube Debut

I made this sad short of our trailer at The Shady Dell. I had grander plans but I forgot to do anything until our last morning. Please ignore my mouth breathing. It was early and I get snurfle-y and well, I'm a ham. Enjoy!

Photobooth Friday: Starting them young

What can I add to make this strip better? Babies in a booth...sigh...there's nothing better! Happy Friday folks!

An Ode to Flannel bedding

toasty brown flannel
sheets on the bed. snowflakes blue
too warm to wake up

Oh baby, it is cold here in the tiny casa. For your information, yes, we do live in Los Angeles and I know...sunshine and blue skis and all that jazz, it's still cold to me. I'm a native and my personal thermostat is set for warm so when it gets to be around fifty-five degrees, I get cold. The tiny casa was built in the early 1900's and there is no insulation. Summertime is hellishly HOT and well, winter is pretty chilly. We have a small wall heater that only heats the living room so we use it sparingly and generally scuffle to and fro in layers, hats and scarves. If one of us is sick and living on the sofa, we shut the bedroom door, turn on the heat and bundle up on the sofa with Pee-Wee's Playhouse and oodles of hot tea. Then when we have to pee we dread getting up from our nest because we have to go into the cold, cold, bedroom to get to the bathroom. I would probably keel over if I encountered snow. I never really have. I want to...someday.
Anywhoo. I have never owned a pair of flannel sheets. I scoffed at their ugliness, I'm not a fan of plaid on the bed, but more and more I have been thinking about them for our tiny winters. I didn't want to wear socks to bed, I hate wearing socks in my sleep. They get all twisty and you kick them off, forget you did and wonder why you only have one rainbow striped knee sock covered in dust bunnies under the bed. I finally picked up a set, from Target, of course. They are brown with blue snowflakes so they kinda fit in with the room and the quilt. They were a bit stiff even after the wash but I decided to give them a chance and last night when I crawled into bed (sans socks) I do believe I sighed with their smoothness. I kept waking up and thinking "Gosh these are soft!" and when I woke up this morning to kiss the mister goodbye I thought I would camp out in bed all day. I have a new lurve! I dragged myself out, wrapped a scarf around my neck, put on stripey socks (orange & navy) and brewed a pot of green tea. I ate a loverly tangerine and a pumpkin bar for breakfast and now I need to finish what I started yesterday (putting the many piles of fabric away). Today I get to play with an old friend and new baby and I can't wait! Whoo-hoo for Thursdays!

Wonky is as Wonky Does

I've added the wonky scarves to ny etsy shop so if ya really, really need one head on over. There are five available. I love, love, love the combo I used for this batch.

I still need to make scarves for my five things swap but first I need to do some cleaning up. Everything is a disaster here at the tiny casa. I managed to put my clothes away yesterday. See, I am a sloppy, messy, rattled lobster-girl. I have good intentions, I do. It's just that I get so easily distracted. I know I do this so I try to nip it in the bud but that doesn't always work. The living room is still full of fabric piles. I had dreams for each pile but methinks it is time to throw in the towel. I need to keep out only what I know I will use and put the rest away. Once I get this done, my head, hopefully will be clearer and I can work on writing and other stuff. After I tackle the fabric, I will need to tackle the books. It seems my children's book collection has been reproducing and I have nowhere, absolutely nowhere to put these books. And in case you are wondering, yes, I DO need them. I love my picture books so much they make me dance!

So, after the fabric and books are dealt with I will need to hit every surface that should be clean and artfully decorated. Right now everything is just piled. There are piles of piles. I need to do that magic job of sifting through things that should probably be tossed but I am keeping for "just in case". I'm only in my thirties and already I have crazy pack-rat tendencies. Yikes! What am I talking about? I was born with pack-rat tendencies. I'm in for the long haul. Okay, thinking to myself. Fabric, books, kitchen table, computer desk & ironing board. That's a good start. Then I will artfully fix all the prettiness that should be so that I won't feel all bedraggled when I make my cookie list. December is just a few days away and I need to make some cookies!

Oh drats, laundry! I need to get the laundry and then I'm gonna bake something with pumpkin in it and then I will do something with all the fabric. I will. Yes, I will.

Happy Wednesday Folks!

Good Morning

Oh if you could see me now! Wardrobe remix I am certainly doing but I'm not sure I am in an outfit suitable for public view. If it were a little lighter outside or maybe if I didn't detest flash so much, I would snap a picture. I'm actually in pajamas of a sort and it is cold this morning in the tiny casa. Our casa was built in 1918 and is insulated like an origami box. So now I sit here enjoying my morning oatmeal with tangerines, honey and pecans while wrapped up in too many layers and colors that clash. Really clash, not artfully clash. On my head I have a most fabulous made for me rusty orange knit cap with fabulously fun navy blue poms dangling over the top. A hand knit for me scarf in shades of red, bergundy and pink is doubly wrapped around my neck and a black long sleeve sweater is covering the charcoal gray trapeze dress/shirt that I have been sleeping in. On my nether region is a pair of taupe yoga pants with a hole above the left knee and to top it all off I am wearing coloriffic gifted lavender and turquoise socks with frogs hopping all over them. Am I stylish or what? I am warm so I guess that's a go.

I did manage to hit the fabric store yesterday along with a delicious tea shop where I spent too much money on all sorts of yummy smelling goodness. I need to go back to the fabric store to pick up more linen as the store I hit didn't have any. I am also going to pick up a specific children's book. scrumdilly-do needs some new fun and I had a great idea around three in the morning. Must. Follow. Through. Other than that I am not doing any BIG TIME holiday shopping but I am doing enough where I don't feel I can take the Handmade Pledge. I will be making oodles of gifts but I will also be picking up a few small stocking stuffers and such. I have purchased a bit from etsy so I don't feel bad or guilty. If you took the pledge but are feeling the itch, hop on over to Keri Smith's blog for a list of 10 things to do instead of shop. She's one nifty lady and I will be doing a good part of this list myself!

The Week in Review: November 19-25

The Week in Review

Mostly we ate. A lot. And I cooked. A lot. Then we hiked, just a little and squeezed in a bike ride. It was a swell week with one day of my cold reappearing. Thank goodness for the tangerine trees and for naps. I love naps. We had Thanksgiving lunch with granny and she was in super spirits. She looks good, healthy and laughed oodles. I wish I was magically wealthy so we could all live together. The lady is a hoot and I love her.

I have oh, so, slowly updated the shop. There are wee buggie sachets, bright ideas and pop memory games available. I am doing a post office run tomorrow so if anyone gets their order in today it will be mailed tomorrow. I promise!


I'm off to visit the mama craze and her two boys and then it's off to the valley for a visit with the leetz and of course a wee pinch o fabric shopping. there's always room for fabric shopping. Happy almost December folks!