As a new parent, I’ve reached a new part of the holidays I haven’t really had to deal with in the past. And that’s the part where you give a gift to the people who care for your child all day. Yes, the parents at the big girls’ school organize to give gifts to the teachers there, […]
DIY
DIY/Recipe – How to Make a Galaxy Cake
Back in the summer when we were planning H’s birthday party, I offered to make her cake like I have done in the past. She said yes, and we talked about what kind she wanted, and the first thing she said was “Galaxy”. Sure, I could do that. So we sat down and watched some […]
DIY – Distilled Rose Water
I love having fresh flowers in the house – it makes everything feel a little more cheerful and clean, even when things aren’t as tidy as they could be. Never underestimate the power of a posy to distract the eye from a cat-fur dust bunny. So when I was preparing for H’s birthday party a […]
Knitting Project – Garter Squish Blanket
Last year I went to visit my friend H at her new place, and when we got back from lunch, we sat down to chat, and she pulled out the most amazing blanket that she was knitting. It wasn’t a difficult one, and she seemed to be having the easiest time of it. It was […]
(Semi) DIY – Advent Calendar
I’m not sure what’s gotten into me lately, but I’ve had this deep desire to be crafty and to create things for my home and decor for the holidays that is both unique to our family, and that will last. At least for a while. Things that will be traditions for us and the kids, […]
DIY – Lip Balm (first attempt)
In the past few years, it seems like a certain corner of the internet (and society) has gone crazy for essential oils. Combine this with some straight up pyramid-scheme stuff, and you’ve got a recipe for madness. People buying oils just because a blogger they admire is a distributor. Lots of posts about what to […]
DIY – Painting the Dining Room
Have you ever watched one of those HGTV shows where someone is buying a house and they walk into a place and it’s painted a hideous color, and they say, “Ugh, no.” Those kinds of reactions piss me off. Mainly because people are willing to let themselves think that painting is either difficult or expensive. […]
DIY – Game Shelves
You may have noticed that we like to play board games in our house. We had a lot before we moved, but ever since getting a larger space, the number of board games in our possession seems to have skyrocketed. Theoretically that’s ok, because we’ve got this enormous cabinet in our living room. In practice, […]
DIY – Brewing Mead
One of my favorite things about the Renaissance Festival (apart from dressing up), is that you are given the opportunity to drink during the day. It’s like a walking brunch with fair food. Grab yourself a glass of wine or beer or something when you walk in the gates, and enjoy yourself. And one of […]
DIY – Removing Water Stains from Wood
I am nothing if not a tinkerer. I’m also more of a perfectionist than I have any right to be as someone who is lazy and doesn’t have a tendency to follow through. I suppose all of this is to warn you that I had an idea, and it failed to work, and now I’m […]