hairyshoefairy

For my August sewing project I was going to make Peanut a new jacket for fall.  I have a pattern and everything.  The other day I was reading a sewing book, though, and came across a pattern for a jacket in Wingnut’s size and got so excited about it I just had to make it right away.  So I think Peanut’s jacket will be my September project and Wingnut’s jacket is now August’s.  The patterns is from Handmade Beginnings and it went together in two nap-times (roughly 4 hours) and that included the cutting.  I’d traced the pattern from the book a few days before.  For the lining I used a flannel so it would be warmer inside than if I’d used regular, old cotton.  It’s still 80-90* outside, I know, but it will be fall before I know it and considering how hard it is to get any sewing done with my two kids I figured I’d better get it done while I have the chance.

I love that the sleeves are on the long side so I can fold them up and show off the polka dot lining.

I finished sewing on the buttons just as Wingnut’s nap ended and took him outside to try it on and take pictures.  He loves it.

Especially the hood.

He reaches up and touches it a lot to make sure it’s still there.

When he sees himself in the mirror wearing it he can’t stop grinning.

Honestly, neither can I.

During out last visit with ODD’s parents we took a little trip out to the pasture to see their new cow.  They still couldn’t get close enough to tell if it was a boy or girl and we couldn’t tell either.  We had fun wandering around, though.

Peanut held Grandpa’s hand most of the time and Wingnut ran around pointing at the cows.  I think ODD’s dad really loved showing off the cows to his grandkids.  They loved it, too.

The baby cow.  She kept running away when we got close.

While looking at the cows Peanut started talking to them a little.  At one point I actually snorted because I was trying so hard to keep from bursting out laughing when I overheard her very seriously saying to one, “Hi, cow!  Do you want to jump over the moon?”

After chasing the cows around a little we walked around the yard and Peanut pulled out her camera.  And used it to take pictures of some cow poop as we left the field.  This is only one of her pictures.  Apparently it was fascinating because she took quite a few pictures of different piles.

The next morning ODD and Wildman went out and got a good look at the cow.  It’s a girl!  Just what they wanted.  Then ODD pulled out his model airplane and flew it around the pasture.  The kids (including Wildgirl and Wildboy) and I went out as well and wandered around with him while Wildbound and ODD’s mom watched from the fence.  It was all fun and games until Wingnut face-planted into the cut down straw stubble.  His face, hands, and legs got pretty scraped up but after a few minutes he calmed down and started toddling around the field again.  Before I knew it he’d stepped both feet into a relatively fresh cow pie.  Much to his dismay I picked him up and carried him across the field so I could wash his shoes off at the pump.  He wanted to stay and dance in the yuck so he cried the whole way in protest.  Wildbound snapped this great photo of our little march.  Wingnut’s face cracks me up every time I look at it.

We were recently at a family reunion for ODD’s mom’s family.  The house it was held at had a great big sandbox with lots of sand toys.  Our kids loved it and we had to practically drag them out of the sand when it was time to go.  On the way home ODD began planning out where we could put a sandbox in our yard.  We decided to transplant a few of my herbs and set one up in a corner garden area.  I left ODD to do all the work and took off to the Cupcake Conference, which was awesome, by the way.

When I returned home ODD sent me outside to have a look at our brand new sandbox and told me how the kids had spent quite a while playing in it once it was finished.  Since then they have played in it for a little while almost every day and would probably play in it even more if it weren’t 90+* outside.

The other day ODD took the kids outside to play and as they made their way across the grass Peanut burst into song.  To the tune of “I Love to See the Temple” she sang, “I love to see the sandbox, I’m going there someday.”  She takes after her daddy in making up new word to songs.

Yeah, it’s on the small side but so is our yard and so are our kids.  The big piece of wood is a cover so the neighborhood cats don’t use the sandbox as a potty while we’re inside.  It is propped against the fence while the kids play.

Sometimes they play happily together, other times not so much.  This was a happy moment.

This wasn’t so much.  That’s Wingnut sitting himself down and having a little cry after I relieved him of a shovel he was using to whack Peanut in the head.

Ever since we bought our dining room table and chairs we’ve wanted to replace the denim that came with the chairs.  I would occasionally look around at fabric here and there, mulling over what I’d like to use.  One day while wandering around IKEA I found a fun polka dot laminate and bought a few yards.  It sat, folded, on my kitchen counter for a while until one night last week.  After putting the kids to bed I tipped all the chairs over, removed the seats, and began to recover them.  After a while ODD joined me and began screwing the seats back on the chairs as I finished recovering them.  I like the way the turned out and the polka dots make me smile.

As a reminder, here’s what they looked like with the denim.

Here’s what they look like now with the polka dots.

I’ve professed my love of pesto here before and despite ODD’s hatred of anything basil-related both my children love it, too.  Since good fresh basil can be hard to come by in Utah grocery stores I planted some this year to see if I could kick my brown thumb and actually make it grow.  To my great surprise I didn’t kill it and have quite a bit to use.  As the leaves have grown big I’ve picked them off the plant and made them into pesto.

I didn’t know what pesto was until I’d been married a couple of years.  I never had it growing up but I saw or heard about it someplace - probably The Food Network - and decided to give it a try.  Since it’s come to my attention not everyone knows what pesto is or how to make it I’ve made up a little tutorial for you to follow.

A few notes: I prefer a more oily pesto.  The kind you can buy in a jar at the store is usually more thick and basil-y.  All measurements in this recipe are approximate.  I don’t think I’ve ever made it exactly the same twice in a row and that’s okay.  This is cooking; not baking.  Measurements don’t have to be precise.  I just put in the amounts that look good to me so these measurements are rough guesses.  Consider this a jumping off point and make adjustments until it’s the way you want it.  Also, as opposed to regular pestos I don’t put parm in the sauce itself because I feel like it gets lost in all the other flavors and is a waste of a yummy but kind of expensive cheese.  Instead I wait until the pasta is plated, then I grate it over the individual servings.

Pesto

• Basil - if I buy it at a store I use all the leaves from one bunch but from my garden I use anywhere from 8-15 leaves.
• 2-3 Tbsp. Pine nuts, toasted - you can do this in a frying pan on the stove in just a few minutes.
• Garlic - I use a full small clove or cut a larger one down.  Remember it won’t be cooked so it will be strong.
• 3/4 C. Extra virgin olive oil - since it won’t be cooked you want the fruitiness of the extra virgin oil.  Regular or light olive oil just isn’t the same.
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesean
• Pasta - I prefer farfalle (bowtie) and use a full pound for the amount of sauce this recipe makes

Throw the cleaned basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor.

Blitz it all up until everything’s about the same size.

Add the olive oil and blitz some more.  You should add the oil while it’s running but my little processor doesn’t make that easy so I just add it all at once and it isn’t the end of the world.

Pour over hot pasta and toss.  When your ready to serve grate some parm over the top.  If your children are anything like mine they’ll scarf it down.  Peanut usually has two or three little bowls full before she’s done.

Last fall I saw in Jessica’s photostream that she had bottled some pesto sauce.  I looked around online to see if I could find some directions on how to do it myself but all I could find was info saying not to can it because of botulism.  So I emailed Jessica and asked how she’d done it.  She told me she hadn’t actually canned it but put it in jars and kept it in her freezer.  So now that I have a freezer of my own I used all the basil I’ve grown and made quite a few batches, threw it in bottles, and put them in my freezer to use for later.  My plants are now about ready to go to seed but I think I can get a couple more batches out before it isn’t good anymore.

As a little sidenote: When my basil first started coming up I was surprised by the way it looked.  I knew basil leaves didn’t look like this and wondered if I’d planted the wrong thing or was just growing weeds or something.  As it turns out, the first leaves that pop up don’t look anything like the real leaves that come later and the same thing happened with all the other herbs I’ve planted this year.

First leaves.

Real basil leaves.