ducky house | the quacks of Tamara : November 2009

11.26.2009

saturday's sale

Here is the information for those locals that have emailed me and commented.

If you are in the area, come on out and support the local artisans. Proceeds go to a worthy cause and it would be a great to get a jump on your Christmas shopping. Hope to see you there!

11.23.2009

I'm busy like a bee in my studio sewing up piles of handmade goodness for a local artisan sale coming this Saturday. And since I am only half way through the list of things I want ready for the sale, not to mention planning the birthday party that follows the next day for our resident 12 year old (...yes, I said 12 year old!!!), I'll continue in the photoblogging manner. In the meantime enjoy some sneak peeks of what is on the cutting/sewing table. Happy Monday!

11.17.2009

bountiful gratefulness

Shh, let me share a secret with you. I don't want to say it too loud just in case mother nature hears and decides to stir things up a bit. I am loving the extended fall weather that we are having, mid-November and still no snow on the ground. It's crazy wonderful.

You know what else is great? Squash. Every week the hubby comes home with a couple of them for cooking and so I've cubed, mashed, baked and souped them and still I am not tired of them. How can that be? Yesterday I baked an acorn squash for my lunch. And since I'm in the sharing mood, it's quite simple really:

Acorn squash

Wash one acorn squash. Cut the ends so the squash will be able to stand up like a bowl in the oven. Next cut it in half (cross section). Pull out the seeds and gunk and set aside. There will be a few stringy stragglers but don't sweat it, they all go down the same way. Place in baking dish

Next drizzle a bit of olive oil - 1 TBSP; maple syrup - 2 TBSP; ginger - 1 TBSP over the two squash halves. Bake for 50 minutes at 400, adjusting cooking time and temp for your oven. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add some nuts (walnuts or pecans) if so desired.

At this point you could roast up the seeds (separate them from the gunk) for a little after-dinner snack. A sprinkle of sea salt in a shallow dish and you are all set.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that my kids don't really care for their squash this way. They prefer it pureed in soup so don't be too surprised if your squash delight gets snubbed by the younger pallets. But really as long as they are eating it, it really doesn't matter what format. Enjoy!

11.16.2009

bench monday

Fall, leaves, fall

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

by Emily Jane Brontë

11.11.2009

toys

Let's hear it for new toys!

I finally broke down and did the grown up thing and purchased an external flash and remote for my camera.

I'll be back when the novelty wears off, xxx.

11.06.2009

taking time back

I recently hired my son to do some babysitting for me twice a week in the afternoon. It's a mother's helper situation, where I am still home but it gives me time to myself to do a block of sewing for a few hours in the afternoon without apology. He takes care of the needs of the littlest ones and I pay him oodles of cash to do so, what a deal!

Yesterday as I sat down in my make-shift studio, and after a hour passed, I noticed a pattern that keeps eating up my creative time. administrative clutter - ick! Somehow, most likely unconsciously, I've been using this precious time to organize papers and such, pay bills and generally deal with the clutter that surrounds me...twitch, twitch. Paper really is my nemesis these days, I'm sure many of you can relate. And while I've switched the majority of the household bills over to the eco emails somehow by the end of the week you would never know, paper is still making it's way into our home. In an ideal world I wouldn't even allow paper work into my art zone but right now while we renovate, there is a limited amount of space.

Once I realized what I was doing, I shuffled everything aside and turned my attention to the fabric, pictured above. I turned the administrator off and instead worked on a new design that's been floating around in my cerebral hemisphere for a few months now. There are still kinks to work out but I made some real progress on it's direction and I am happy with where things are going.

I realize more and more that I need my creative time, it fuels my right-brain and rejuvenates my energy. I feel much more centered during my day and that helps me in so many unspoken ways. I dare say it even makes me a better mumma...or at least a more creative one. Confirmation came from the hubby when he said "everyone seems to have had a good day"...oh yes...a good day indeed.