Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Our celebration of the Lunar New Year took place one week late (but still within the two week celebration allowed for this occasion).

I didn't do too much in terms of decor --just used items I had on hand. I wouldn't be surprised if the dragon cut out below was procured during the last Year of the Dragon 12 years ago, as I was very into Asian ephemera at the time -- and Ebay.

For dinner we had homemade spring rolls and hot & sour soup, and store bought dumplings. We just had ice cream for dessert to celebrate an accomplishment with our backyard -- fully enclosed after 2 years - woot!

I found the fortune puzzles at Dollar Tree, and had to buy one for each of us. Here is Hank's put together. He was very excited to find money in his red envelope!

Hoping for a productive year, and new beginnings :)

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Favorite of the day: Pinterest find when looking for something totally unrelated

Working on: Am I the slowest knitter in the world or what?

Gourmet s'mores cooked in a trashy way

One of our favorite things right now are s'mores

Since many parts of the country are also experiencing an unexpected heat wave, I don't feel too bad mentioning that right now we are having 80 degree days that stay warm into the evening. We have been making s'mores over a rather unconditional heat source

This is a old washer drum. It doesn't season very attractively (it was bright silver when we got it), but man can this thing put out heat. It's like a jet engine when you light it up, and even damp wood flames up as soon as you light it.

Tonight's version used heart-shaped marshmallows (the pink ones are strawberry flavored!) and gourmet dark chocolate. I thought I was all done taking pics for the evening to sit back and enjoy our white trash fire when I noticed the kid had nibbled his s'more into a heart shape.

<3

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Favorite of the day: Sweetest baby shower ever. bhldn promptly added to shopping resources!

Working on: The scarf

All aboard the crazy train!

My bestie's daughter turns three this week. In thinking of a gift for Natasha, I recalled how popular a set of Melissa and Doug cookies were for a group of girls her age at a recent party we attended, and thought I would make a felt version for young Natasha.

In December, there were some great small baking items at Dollar Tree, including a quarter size baking sheet. In January, however, it was back to disposable aluminum pans. I headed to the Ross next door and used a handy dandy store credit coupon to buy a mini muffin tin.

Here's where we board crazy train -- woo woo! Making felt cookies is bad enough, but somehow the work load seemed to double when flat cookies turned into round cupcakes. Luckily I found a tutorial, and was on my way to Crazy Town.

12 mini cupcakes later, I determined that maybe being crazy isn't so bad after all. They came out so cute! The gift was completed with a dollar store rubber spatula, some gift boxes bought using the rest of the Ross store credit, a hot pad and mitt from the Target dollar section, plus some paper baking cups I've had just about forever.

But wait -- something was missing. An apron! The train chugs away from the station once again as I make my way to JoAnn to find cupcake fabric. All told, however, this simple apron design took 20 minutes to make -- the express route.

Next stop: a scarf

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Favorite of the day: Strange confession. Despite my home town (San Diego) and my water sign (Pisces), I typically am not inspired by beach weddings and events. A blonde in a mermaid style dress + navy blue and white decor + a starfish motif = yawn. This wedding changed my tune.

Working on: A scarf. Actually not as crazy as it sounds.

Desert Rats

We were toying with the idea of going desert camping this month. Instead, BT booked a weekend for us at a fabulous vacation rental just outside Joshua Tree National Park.

The rental was so cool. It is just a bungalow (meaning everything - living room, dining area, kitchen and sleeping area - is all in one room), but what the place lacked in square footage it more than made up for in style.

(listening to U2's Joshua Tree)

Almost every feature of the house -- down to the silverware -- was vintage. There were some modern conveniences, like a margarita machine and Keurig style coffee maker, but by and large it looked like a retro consignment store booth was transported to this spot. And that was just the inside.

Outside -- the owner's love for all things old and rusty shows everywhere. One, he built his own bottle house

The bottles are not vintage, but looking at them makes you appreciate how beautiful wine and alcohol bottle are to this day. The tiny bottle house would actually be a place for 2 guests to stay.

There are also tons of old neon signs. Most are not working, but two are functional. Signs you take for granted driving down the highway become novelty when you get to turn them on and off yourself. There are rusty old cars, signs, and dozens of things for old and young alike to explore on the property.

I personally loved the patio table and chairs

Another cool thing was being instructed to feed "the animals" in the morning and at night. The animals consisted of rabbits, quail, and a few other different types of desert birds. At night, kangaroo rats, which are unique little guys that are too cute to be called rats, came to visit.

I have never been to a vacation rental that took care of so many details (like a fully stocked booze cabinet and beer in the fridge!)

Despite the harsh surroundings, you felt pampered and taken care of. It was also a free weekend to visit National Parks, so great time to visit Joshua Tree.

We'll definitely be back, and left a note saying so in the bottle house's "message in a bottle" note center.

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Favorite of the day: I think I'll be able to steer the kid away from character parties during his Cars loving years, but just in case -- will refer to this party for back up.

Working on: Cupcakes

Stitched

Several months ago, Hank was doing his regular form of artwork -- making a giant scribble on a piece of paper, taking another sheet of paper and making another giant scribble, etc. I asked him to draw me some sea creatures, and this is what he drew

It reminded me of a page from one of our favorite books, Wonder Bear

I labelled the picture and put it on our fridge. With time and exposure to moisture, it became crumpled. I was afraid of losing this picture, as it was the first time he drew something purposefully. I knew I had to do something to make it permanent, so I stitched it

I copied the shapes onto linen and outlined them with a running stitch. I even included the blurb I had written at the bottom of the original. The piece was framed and hung above my sewing table. Hopefully this version will stand the test of time!

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Favorite of the day: Treehaus toys at JCPenney (cheaper in store if you can find them! Look for after Christmas clearance stuff.)

Working on: Birthday present

Thanks, Eyeball

Eyeball ended up being a more popular guest than I anticipated. I usually had to remind Hank to look for him in the morning, but, once he started looking, was overcome with joy when he found Eyeball hanging from a ceiling fan or caught in some funny activity.

Eyeball was there Christmas morning, and was actually hiding (in plain sight) with the gift Hank asked Santa for.  After that, he disappeared. For several days, Hank would say randomly that his missed Eyeball. Little did he know he was packed away in a storage bin mere feet from his bedroom.

To ease his separation anxiety, Eyeball wrote him a very little letter from the North Pole thanking Hank for letting him spend Christmas with our family. This seemed to satisfy the wee one, and he is off pondering new things, like WHY, mama, why does the clock say 5:26. I've been looking forward to the why stage :)

Funny elves
Inappropriate elves

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Favorite of the day: Cute Valentine ideas can be found in this wedding post

Working on: I guess I am still getting my ideas in order and getting back on track from last month. So nothing.

Today I...

...hovered instead of using a toilet seat cover

...carried a hand towel with me to the bathroom at work instead of using paper ones

...opted not to get a coffee at Starbucks only because I didn't have my reusable mug with me (I've got $40 worth of gift cards burning a hole in my pocket!)

...used a rag to clean something I normally would have used a paper towel for

...used reusable produce bags and shopping bags at the grocery store

Here's to an even less wasteful 2012! My biggest goal is to only allow myself one disposable cup per month. I met somebody at a conference who has a goal to use far fewer disposable cups per year than that even, and I was inspired. Will be adding a collapsible cup from BT's hiking gear (I only get water anyway at fast casual restaurants) to my stash. May sound crazy, but really thinking a lot lately about resource use justified because we are too busy/have other priorities/make enough money that we feel we can afford to throw something away after only one use. I have some more traditional goals as well for 2012, but really want to put some effort into being an even earthier "Earth Muffin" this year :)

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Recent fave: So simple, but chic

Working on: Uhhh...