Camp Whimsy

Sure Signs of Spring

Spring has arrived. We have had several weeks of cool, rainy, cloudy days. Enough already! Here are some pictures from my life last week that let me know spring is really here. First off, huge tasty California strawberries are flooding the grocery market. They are my favorite fruit and I love this time of year when you can get good berries inexpensively.

I made a spring...

...carrot cake. I give this one a double B for could have Been Better. I REALLY did not like the raisins. I may try this again without them.

Things are leafing and blooming in the garden. We planted some patches of bulbs to use for cutting this year.

Here is my husband's garlic bed. 

The hostas are making their comeback.

And then there is little Cutie Pie, the surest sign that spring is here! Dear little Fern is not doing so well, and I am really hoping she makes it. I never thought I would pray to God to heal a chicken, but now I have. I hope she pulls through.

(Cutie Pie was a good subject, she stayed in one spot while I took her pictures. I had the help of my assistant Audrey to make sure Cutie Pie didn't try any jumping stunts off of the table. She did poop though, and that was the end of our photo shoot.) Happy Spring!

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing Mom's New Frenchie, Coco Chanel...

Meet my mom's new baby, Coco. Coco Chanel. She arrived Saturday and we couldn't wait to see her.We made a trip to the farm to meet her. On Sunday she paid us a visit at our home and I was able to do a little photo shoot with her.

She was a very good model.

Coco can do tricks! See how she can touch her tongue to her nose! Pretty tricky!

Audrey just adores Coco and is sure she is ready for a Frenchie of her own.

Strauss was delighted to have a visit from Coco. I think she may have been his favorite visitor yet.

Coco settled right down for a nap. 

Actually, Coco takes lots of naps. Here I am holding her on Saturday after we first met. Just like holding a baby, and there's quite possibly nothing sweeter than holding a baby.

After Coco naps she likes to play.

Everything she does is cute!

See, what I mean? Cute, right? Uh-oh....

...time for another nap! The other wonderful news is that my sister adopted Coco's brother, who she named Franco. So we are hoping to meet Franco this week and might even be able to puppy-sit him for my sister! This means there will be another photo shoot with Franco as my model. I can't wait!!!

Out with the old, in with the new...

Happy New Year to you. This post is a bit of a rambler, so don't say I didn't warn you....how is your new year going? Mine is going well. Here is what I have been up to this week...

Time to change out the slipcover on the sofa for a clean one. I have had several people tell me I was crazy for having a white sofa with small children. Hello people, have you heard of bleach and slipcovers? Really though, these slipcovers cost only 50 bucks, so I have two sets, one that is on the couch getting dirty and one that is clean and ready to go. About every 3 or 4 months I just remove the old dirty covers and replace with the clean covers. I vacuum out the sofa when I change the covers. The big cover is too big for my washer (I soak it in the tub) so I don't change it every time. I soak the cushion covers in the washing machine for a good long time and haven't had a problem with stains. 

When I am done I have a nice clean, somewhat wrinkled sofa. The wrinkles fade in a few days.

January is a good time to tackle some projects you have been putting off. I bought the paint to paint our coffee table last April. Since the weather has been unusually warm and spring-like I thought it was a good time to paint...

...voila! Now it matches the other vintage tables I have in my living area. My house is full of greys, whites, and soft blues. The paint in my house is the same paint that we painted when we built five years ago. Over time I am adding more to the home as I find new (old) furniture.  Here is a look at my very grey living room. I used to think of grey as a rather gloomy color, but having lived with this look for some time I find it quite cozy and calming.

(click on the above picture to enlarge) I am slow to add things to my home. I would rather wait to find the piece I have in mind than to put just any old thing in my home...

...and with that said, I am giving you one last look at this sweet cupboard which holds my oriental collection. I have had this cupboard since we lived in our first home. I bought it at an estate sale about seven years ago. I am thinking I will move it to my husband's study (for his ever expanding book collection). We have 11 foot ceilings in our living room and I have always wanted a hutch here that would look a bit more substantial, (plus my once little oriental collection is not so little now and I need more cupboard space!). I have waited five years to find the piece I wanted. I was looking for something with glass cabinets on the top and storage on the bottom...

...so here is the new cupboard I found. It was a built in from a local home that I found from an antique dealer. The paint is fairly ratty, so we gave it a light sanding. I am going to try the cupboard in our home without painting it to start with and see how I like it. I did have to paint the inside of the shelves, which were orange. This picture shows them primed and ready for (grey) paint. I finished the painting yesterday and will be wall papering a panel for the back of the cabinet. I found a vintage wall paper, grey with white oriental scenes, on ebay. I am excited to finish this project this weekend and can't wait to show you! The cupboard is slightly taller than the existing cupboard I have and is about twice as wide as the existing cupboard. 

The bottoms of the new (old) cabinet drawers were warped and needed to be replaced. No problem for a handy husband. This guy can fix anything. Mostly that is a positive thing. Except in the current case of my broken washing machine. Which has been broken for 8 days, waiting on a part to come in the mail. Sometimes I wish my husband wasn't so handy, like in this case.  I would have liked a new washing machine, delivered the same day the old one broke. However it is nice to spend 20 bucks on a part rather than have to replace the whole machine. But come on Fed Ex, let's go. I've got a mountain of laundry to do. Seriously. A mountain.

I am glad for a fresh new year. I am glad for a slower routine following the busy holiday season. I am glad for my two children who bring me great joy each day and I am also glad for a can of grey paint and a new cupboard. Out with the old. In with the new. Happy New Year.  

 

Christmas

Christmas eve morning we had a special breakfast of waffles. 

Yum. I think I would eat these every day if I could.

Christmas eve night we went to my sister's house. Her house was warm,cozy and beautifully decorated for Christmas.

She made a delicious spread of food for us to indulge in.

Yum again.

Then we opened presents. My Mom had a fun surprise this year for our family. Every year she gives very nice thoughtful gifts, but it is the stockings she fills that we like best. This year Mom made GIGANTIC stockings. She made the pattern herself and sewed everyone a beautiful stocking embellished with vintage ribbon, lace, buttons and so on. They were just darling. My Mom is the coolest lady. When I went to my in-laws the next day they asked if my new Ugg boots were a Christmas gift, without thinking I said that they were in my stocking from my mom. They weren't sure what to make of that, and then I realized I needed to explain that the stockings were HUGE so that is how the boots fit in a stocking! I think that gigantic stockings are the way to go, no more wrapping presents for hours and hours, just put them right in the stocking!

And then we had Christmas morning. The kids were very happy to open presents and play with their new gifts. Here is Strauss, quite excited about his new puppy from Grandpa and Grandma. That afternoon we went to my in-laws for more Christmas celebrating. The kids loved playing with their cousins and Strauss even got a ride with his dad on his cousin's dirt bike (very slowly across the lawn), which he thought was AWESOME. I wish I'd had my camera with me to show you his expression! We had a very nice Christmas with our family and I am very thankful for a good weekend. Although I have been pretty sick the past few weeks I am so glad that Christmas was nice and even though I didn't feel so great at least I was able to go to the family gatherings and see the joy my kids expressed throughout the weekend. Today I am feeling better than I have in a while so maybe all of those get well wishes and prayers are working. Since I missed baking for Christmas this year I may have to make something special this week. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family or friends and are looking forward to a great new year. 

 

Birthday, New Job and Finding God's Purpose In Everything

This week was a busy one. Had a birthday in there somewhere. (Aren't these flowers from my mom and dad lovely?) This fall I started working part time with a company and that has been good, but tiring. Missing the days of kids and home being the only things to do on my to do list. But I am learing new lessons and being blessed along the way. Because of this job I met a family last Saturday that has a daughter sick with leukemia and has had a hard year. They live in a small home with their four children and paternal grandparents. I wanted to help them but felt that I couldn't do enough for them on my own. So I prayed and God gave me an answer, I asked for help for this family and it came. God is good. Life is not always easy, and sometimes we don't know why we are in the situations we find ourselves in. But this year, more than ever before, God has been teaching me that there really is a purpose in everything. And he is always working. If I take the time to seek him out I always find him. He never fails. 

Elf is back!

This is our third year with Elf On The Shelf. Each night he flys to the north pole to report if the kids have been naughty or nice. And each morning the kids wake up and look to find the new place he has chosen to hide. This is such a fun tradition with the kids and when they start being naughty all I have to do is remind them that Elf is watching! Elf on the Shelf used to be a bit of a novelty, but now he is everywhere and you can even find him at Target! 

The Birds Are Coming!!

 
This weekend we had a wonderful family day on Saturday. We took the kids out for a special lunch at a local restaraunt and afterwards we stopped by the refuge to check on the birds. We saw (and heard) the first geese of the season flying overhead this week so we wanted to get a closer look.

 

 

 
My husband likes to pose silly in pictures. Here he was fake pointing at birds.
 
The sky was like a painting on Saturday.

 
The refuge has an auto route that you can follow to see the birds. We recommend doing this while listening to classical music.

 
 
 
The coolest thing we saw on Saturday: pelicans! These birds are jumbo big, they look like giants standing next to the ducks! And they don't fly away like ducks, they just sit there being cool like pelicans. It was a great day for our family, we ended the day with a trip to the movies to see Dolphin Tale. We liked the movie and the bonus: I've had a crush on Harry Connick Jr. since I was in about seventh grade so I was happy to see Harry!

 

Nine Years

 
Today is our ninth wedding anniversary. We are celebrating with a yummy home made dinner and raspberry cheesecake with chocolate glaze. I mowed the lawn as a surprise. Happy anniversary to my husband! You are the best!

 

Camera Time

 
Strauss got a hold of my camera and had a blast taking pictures. It is funny to see the world through the eyes of a child...

 

 
These are his hippos in their "cages"

 
Our pet fish Shoosh.

 
 
A picture of pictures he has taped to his wall. Yes, he is still confiscating tape and decorating his wall. Remember his obsession with taping things to walls? When my sister babysat him a few weeks ago he told her he would go to bed if she would tape up his pictures. So she did. And he woke me up the next morning telling me to "come see my pictures, I hanged them up!" He took a ton of pictures with my camera. Pictures of his feet, his sister, himself, doors, Thomas Train and the ceiling in the bathroom. He tried swiping my camera again this morning. A new obsession!

Pie and Fireworks

 
To celebrate our nation's independence I made apple pie and we lit explosives on fire. Awesome.

 
I gussied up the front porch in patriotic fashion.

 
 
 
 
Strauss is smiling so big his eyes are closed! He was delighted with the fireworks and ran around yelling, "kaboom! kaboom! kaboom!" Hope you had a happy fourth!~Kim

 

Happy Independence Day!

 
Hope you have a great Independence day! God bless America! Here is a peek at my patriotic display...

 
 
This is my latest addition to my patriotic display, a firecracker from Magpie Ethel. He is fantastic!

 
BOOM! He is joining my other Magpie Ethel originals...

 
...grand old flag girl...

 

...and Uncle Sam.

 

Cute vintage ribbon flags and great old paper star ribbon courtesy of the Magpie herself.
 

Have a great Independence day! ~Kim

Thank You Laurie

 
Thank you Laurie for the treat you sent me from Farm Chicks. I missed being there with you. You are the best!

A Great Weekend

 
This past weekend was wonderful. My husband had Friday off work and we managed to make the most of it! I made blueberry muffins for the weekend, some for us and some to share with friends.

 
Saturday we set up our tent in the back yard and had a full day of "camping".

 
We enjoyed a picnic lunch in our tent. We may as well have been staying at the Ritz. The kids were in heaven.

 

The afternoon was refreshing, watching the kids play...

 
...in the "water slide" their daddy rigged up. This went on for hours.

 
We ended the day with a meal of homemade biscuits topped with grilled chicken and homemade bbq sauce and cole slaw. Yummy! We also managed to squeeze in:

*four trips to our county fair; one to watch the hog show, one as a family, one for my girlfriend and I to look at the exhibits, and one for my husband to enjoy the destruction derby

*Strauss went to a lake with his dad and was thrilled to return home to report he had seen "the wild" and had witnessed a huge turtle crossing their path, an eagle eating a snake and rabbits

*family lunch at our local burger joint

*a canoe fishing trip for my husband

*and a day of junking with my mom for me.

 I wish every day was the weekend!

Posies

 
Audrey brings me posies.

 
They used to be mostly dandelions and weeds.

 
However recently she brings me geranium blooms from the pots on our back patio. This little posy lasted over a week and made me smile each time it caught my eye. Posies are sweet. Posies from your little girl are even sweeter!

A Head Start on Summer

 
The official start of summer is still a month away, however the arrival of warm weather last week enabled us to get a head start. Summer is my favorite of all the seasons and so much fun with small children who love to spend time outdoors playing in the water. This year I have yet to water my flower beds since the kids are very helpful in that department. Bring on the sun shine!

Good News

 
I have good news, I received word from Kanako about Keiko, Keiko wrote and said she is well and survived the earthquake and tsunami, running from her apartment to an evacuation area. Her family and husband's family survived. Her husband's family's home was damaged and they still have no electricity or gas. Thank you for thinking of Keiko with me, I am so relieved to hear she is well and I continue to pray for her country following this disaster.

The Bird Watchers

 
We live along the pacific flyway which makes for great bird watching. The kids are great bird watchers.

 

Best Band Ever: CAKE

Hey there bloggy readers. You may have noticed I put some songs by Cake at the top of my playlist this week. (My apologies if you are not a fan of Cake, just hit the pause button on the playlist or choose another song). When it comes to Cake you either get them or you just don't. This St. Valentines day was the best one ever for me, we went to San Francisco to see our favorite band Cake. I've been listening to Cake since the release of their first album in 1996. I was in high school. The first song I ever played in my own first car (a Ford Mustang!) was "Going the Distance." When my future husband and I were dating I was thrilled to find out he liked the band as much as I did. It's been a while since Cake released a new album. Their new album, Showroom of Compassion is fantastic. Classic Cake. For me the best thing about Cake is their funky, syncopated satirical lyrics, companied with their use of the trumpet, great riffs and the vibraslap. The show was AWESOME!! Best band ever. Hands down the best. Pause my playlist (in the lower left hand sidebar) for a moment and check out the new single "Sick of You" below, or to see the full screen check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi9MLL8QOY0:

Week 2 of 52, Edison's Light Bulb & Make Do

 
We've almost made it through week 2 of the 52 weeks this year. Here are my thoughts on the year so far:

1. New Years is a fine reason to share a meal and drink too much champagne.

2. I like champagne. More than I realized. I think I'll make this the year of champagne.

3. 2011 will be the last year we can buy incandescent bulbs, so I am going to start stocking up on them now and by the end of the year I hope to have enough bulbs to light my home for decades to come. (I could go on and on about how I feel about being prohibited from buying Mr. Edison's great invention, but that would get rather boring for you and this is hardly a political blog so I'll just move on now to item number four).

4. It seems many of you bloggy folks dedicated a word to your hopes/dreams/aspirations for the year. I really enjoyed all of the inspiring words and posts. You gals aim high and soar higher.

5. I tried to write a post on my word but couldn't seem to settle on one word for my self. Every time I tried I came up with a whole list of words and themes. So I've given it more thought and the word(s) I chose are hardly inspiring or hopeful: Make do. Yep, this is the year of make do for me. Gonna have to make do with what I have. For instance, I had high hopes of one day returning to a ridiculously small jean size (and I really did think my tummy would deflate, but there is nothing flat about it). Nope, gonna make do. At the start of the new year I really wanted a few new things for decorating in my home. But so far I've been a good girl, just re-arranging things and I've stuck to the make do. (ok, that's a lie, I did buy one vintage cup on Etsy, but really, doesn't everyone need an old silver cup inscribed "Sam and Elaine"?) It will be tricky to make do in the champagne department however, because real champagne only comes from a region in France called Champagne. Therefore I can't exactly make my own. Champagne is therefore excluded from the make do.

6. My little general store will turn three next month. Each year gets better and I have a great customer base considering the population of Maxwell is 900. (And they are a wonderful 900- I heart Maxwell!) I have all sorts of things in the works for Maxwell General in 2011 and I am thankful to have this little business in my life.

7. Every year I try really hard to overcome the post-holiday January blues. And this year I think I've done pretty darn well. But I am going to go ahead and decorate for Valentines day next week. That's right, I'm moving on to February and you can't stop me. So there.

8. Weeks 1 &2 brought a new phase in our home, which I will explain as "mommy, spell _____." I have spelled, Lion ("L-I-O-N, Lion"), Giraffe ("G-I-R-A-F-F-E, Giraffe"), Zebra ("Z-E-B-R-A, Zebra") etc., etc., over and over.  The kids delight in this spelling game and instruct me on which word to spell. They repeat each letter I say, followed by the word. And for some reason Strauss is stuck on safari animals, (which he is highly fond of). So if I never have to spell out words again I will be quite happy, but for the time being I am quite sure this is my purpose in life. That and make do.

 

How have weeks 1 and 2 been for you?

Year in Review, Highlights From My Journal

Before the new year has come and we move on from 2010, I'm going to take a look back at some of my favorite posts from this past year; one, possibly two from each month. Join me if you would like...

Because it reminds me of New Orleans, the place I keep in my heart and will always return to, this January post on making a muffuletta sandwich.

 

Because if you can't be there for a celebration you can make one of your own, this February post on our Fat Tuesday Party.

 

Because it was an honor, this February post on my Country Living Reader Profile.

 

Because some things we are destined to find, especially if they are old and the perfect shade of blue, this March post on the pie cupboard I found for my kitchen.

 

Because Audrey kissing Mud Hen was beyond sweet, this April post on my little farm girl.

 

Because I love starting each day in my favorite room, this May post on my improved kitchen.

Because this little guy amazes us with everything he does, this June post on my sweet boy and his daily animal parade.

 

Because the memories of our cabin times are so very dear, this July post on our trip to the Camp Whimsy Cabin.

 

Because this project was yummy, both in taste and appearance, this July post on apricot jam.

 

Because this reminds me of summer, this August post on pico de gallo.

 

Because a home made quilt is lovely, this September post on my baby quilts.

 

Because it was beautiful and wonderful in every way, this October post on my sister's wedding in Kauai...

... and because it was also beautiful and wonderful in every way, this post on our trip to Kauai.

 

Because I manage to enjoy every little bit of my favorite time of year I can, even if it means I put my Christmas tree up Thanksgiving night, this November post on being settled in for a cozy Christmas.

 

Because I loved this sweet display, this December post on my tinsel tree display.

So there you have it, higlights from my year. My blog is my journal, a record of my home life and I am so glad you are here to share this journey with me. I wish you a very blessed and bright new year. ~Kim