Today's Recipe

"Rocksidian" Cupcakes

Ingredients:

about 1 1/4 inches of rain (just enough to make everything shiny)

1 nearby extinct volcano

1 40 lb. girl

a pinch of boredom

a digging stick

obsidian

**Mix ingredients outside. Works best if the child is really into volcanoes. Obsidian must be thoroughly washed and dried before presenting. And whatever you do, don't let any little sisters touch it.**

Big Small Deal

The Winter '08 issue of Small Magazine is out, and guess which warm fuzzy winter hat is in its pages!

hmmmm...

That's right, one of our very own Cabbage Rose Caps got shipped all the way to New York, slapped on a little girl named Audrey and circulated to all Small subscribers! You should be one, too. It's free.

The magazine, I mean, not the hats. The hats are available in white and blue in our shop. They come in two sizes, small fits little kids from 1 to 3, large fits big girls ages 4 to about 6 or 7. (though you could put a big hat on a small kid and it still looks pretty damn cute.)

They're super yummy soft and warm for the winter, with spiral roses on each ear. Our customers rave about them, and once you see your kid in one, you'll know why.

I am WOMAN hear me ROAR!

We had a little adventure the other day. Instead of sitting in our cozy houses sewing we got to get out and do some real grunt work, like hiking into the forest to cut down a tree. Why? you ask; Well to make a long story short we need a creative way to display our clothes at Bazaar Bizarre and we decided to just bring a tree to hang our clothes on.

Disclaimer: We did not cut down a WHOLE tree, only one branch. We love trees and are not in the practice of wasting them uselessly.

We found the perfect branch. The only problem was that we could barely reach it and OF COURSE we did not think to bring a ladder with us. No problem, we could reach well enough from one side (the side that the branch would fall on). Again, no problem, we'll just catch it when it falls. See how I am poised in the photo above. "Don't worry Jaime, I got it, I'll catch it, I won't let it fall on your head. All under control."

There's me feeling like a bad ass. And looking the part with my bandana and muscle tee. Somehow the tree did not fall on our heads. We sawed the branch almost all the way and then used our brute strength to pull it down the rest of the way.

Dragging it (uphill) out of the forest. It was a lot heavier than it looks. I would have helped her but I had photography obligations to tend to.

Then we had to taper the bottom enough to fit in this urn thing we are using as the base. We used a Drawknife and it was hard work yet satisfying. I don't have any photos because we were so engrossed in what we were doing. There was quite a bit of sweating and grunting.

All that hard work really worked up an appetite and we were both STARVING. So we decided to reward ourselves for all of our hard work and the fact that we did not have to rely on our husbands to do it for us. I grabbed the girls and Jaime strapped the tree on her car and we all went out for pizza.

And Beer! Aaaaahhhh! Nothing like a bucket of Coronitas at the end of a good days work

It's days like this that make me love my "job". And my partner. GO TEAM!!

Stay tuned for pictures of the final product.

Misty Morning

I am loving the morning drive to school. The girls gab away in the back while I drink my coffee in the front and this is when some of our best conversations happen. This morning was super foggy, so the coffee was extra special, and Mazzy insisted on having the windows down so the fog could come in the car.

A good idea, I thought. Plus, if the windows hadn't been down, she may not have spotted this guy hanging out watching the cars go by.
Everybody loves a little surprise.

How Bizarre

I feel like one of Santa's elves right now. With a really cute boy elf sitting next to me. We are working our fingers to the bone making nice things for all the good little boys and girls of the world. Actually we are working so hard to get ready for our next big show...Bazaar Bizarre.

For the last few nights we have had work marathons. Lots of cutting, stitching, beer and of course... Flight of the Conchords. If you haven't seen this show it is hilarious, you must check it out. And if you are going to be in the San Francisco area on November 3oth come CHECK US OUT. Not in the leering "hey baby" kind of way, but in a friendly "hey damestarbaby" kind of way.

Bazaar Bizarre is a really great event featuring over 110 Independent Artists, Craftspeople and Designers. 50% of their profits are going to the Out of Site Center for Arts Education. We are proud to be included. So come out and support our community and small businesses.

Nothing Short of Thankful

Since every dark cloud has a silver lining, and since I am in need of an attitude adjustment after losing two and a half hours of sleep last night to my youngest child's whiny wakefulness (night weaning, night two!), today I'm going to accentuate the positive and focus on my firstborn.

Aahh, my Mazlyn. I try not to take for granted how often she makes me laugh, with her ad-lib songs and made-up names for everything, and her running commentary.

This morning on the way to school, for example:

Maz: "Mom, have you ever tasted Jell-o Juice?"

Me: "Um, no."

Maz: "You would really like it. It has mango and cucumber, and it's really sweet."

Me: "MMmmmm."

Maz: "Do you know where it comes from?"

Me: "Where?"

Maz: "From a Chicago juice store, so we might not be able to drive there, we'll have to fly."

Me: "Bummer."

Mazlyn, who at four has gotten so good at "the Matching Game" that last night she legitimately won against her dad. Twice.

Mazlyn, who spent an hour at the park collecting leaves to make her "leaf name" and this leaf family.Note the family dynamics.
Mazzy, who last night said, unsolicited, "Thanks for making this delicious dinner, mom." (the turkey burgers were a hit!)

After I snapped at her this morning (see above) and then apologized for my foul mood, she said, "Let's just try to be really patient with each other today, okay?"

Okay.

Tonight Is......

the Full Beaver Moon. Be sure to take a few minutes to go outside and enjoy it.

Our First Official Endorsement

We've become pretty attached to our sewing machines. We spend quality time with them every day, and they've always done everything we've asked them to do. We deeply appreciate all their features, the fancy stitch options, the self-threading needles, the sensitive pedals, the reliability. All three of DamestarBaby's machines are the same brand, from the same country of origin. It is this country that we'd like to honor with our Official Stamp of Awesomeness.

It is the same country that brought us yodeling and Ricola, fine chocolate and cheese, watches and knives, and it is the only country that actually checked and stamped Amy's passport on her high school romp through Europe:

Switzerland. The Official Honorary Country of DamestarBaby.

Let's imagine for a moment what it would be like to live in a country that hasn't been at war for 193 years, whose two largest cities are ranked as having the first and second highest quality of life in the world (you had me at "chocolate"). A country where the citizens vote almost monthly on local issues and can easily overturn any law that gets passed that they don't agree with. A country with protected but permeable borders, and a pristine and dramatic landscape. One of the richest countries in the world in per capita GDP, where the median family income is the equivalent of 81,000 US dollars, with a highly regulated and super secure banking system (surely you've heard of those Swiss Bank Accounts). A country whose national motto is "One for All, All for One." (as opposed to our uber-lame "In God We Trust"!)

Seems like we could take a humble tip or two from this tiny landlocked Alpine nation. But for now, we'll just keep on reaping the rewards of their world-class machinery.

Ever since Laura Ingalls earned her teaching certificate at age 15 in Little Town on the Prairie Scarlett has had a great affection for teachers. She is even keeping teaching as a back up occupation choice just in case "Coloring Artist" doesn't pan out.

Needless to say we play school alot at our house, with her being the teacher (oooh, she does love to boss). The other night she was teaching papa how to finger knit. He was being especially naughty so that she could get lots of bossing time in.

Important step: Don't forget to lick the yarn.

Good work papa. Who says real men don't finger knit?

Yes We Did

We all came together to witness history in the making.

And we made a little something ourselves.

We tried to convey the importance of this moment to our children.


We tried not to get too excited too soon as we watched victory slide so easily into our laps.

(We gave ourselves a small bit of credit for the cold calls we made to Floridians;)

We felt a little bit sorry for the loser, but all the day's anxiety, joys and fears turned to tearful pride when we heard our new President share his victory with all of us.

Truly, we did "put our hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day."

You can say what you want about actions over words, but I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to hearing this man speak to us for the next 8 (yes we can!) years.

I might finally be proud to be an American, and that's a great new feeling.