wild goose chases, and the reasons for them.

On a Saturday.

What do we do?

Movie? Boring!

Park? Seen it!

Let's go:

Our favorite.
This time we were lucky and had a map handy, usually we don't.

Where will we end up?

It's raining, it's pouring, it's muddy and wet!

But, even those things:

We stop off at destinations:

Watch airplanes take off.

Hunt for:

What do we find?

A pot of gold?

Well, no... things like:

abandoned:

-and-

But, most important, reasons to:

We love Saturdays together, huddled under the roof of our car.

Chatting and exploring.

Twisting and turning. (down mysterious muddy pathways!)

Just being us.

And that is the greatest treasure of all.

Being together.

rock n' roll.

It's spring! (well, almost.)

Where will you find us?

The warm weather beckons.

Lets craft in the sunshine.

I pull the craft table outside under the pear trees and let our imaginations run free.

We paint.

Not paper, but:

What color?

All colors!

I love that boys can be comfortable with their masculinity so much that a little pink doesn't throw 'em.
Why rocks?

It's all in the name of:

I think my eldest was :

Same matching glasses, same familiar smirk....

Rocks will knock your socks off.

making rainbows.

It's been rainy and cloudy!

Wet and grey.

I need a little color.

I can't get these off of my mind!

As soon as the humidity goes down, I am going to whip out a batch of these!
They are great enjoyed outside. The perfect addition to a sunny day.


Emily's free-form rainbow lollies
2 cups of sugar
2/3 cup of corn syrup
2/3 cup of water
1/2 t orange extract
food coloring (red, yellow, and blue)
.
Lightly spray a cookie sheet with pam, or lightly oil. Place lollipop sticks in rows leaving 2 inches of space in between.Combine sugar, syrup, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Without stirring, cook until mixture reaches 305 degrees. Set up an ice bath in the sink. When the mixture is done, dip the bottom of the saucepan into the ice bath for 10 seconds to stop cooking process. Stir in extract. Divide sugar mixture into 3 separate bowls. Color one bowl with the red food coloring, one with the yellow, and one with the blue.Spoon the mixture over the lollipop sticks, creating free form designs by mixing colors. Let harden and enjoy.

surrounded by art.

Yesterday, even though it was wet and cold-- we:

I have been dying to see the King Tutankhamun exhibit since it came to the Dallas Museum of Art. I found a half price ticket special online, so my youngest and I packed a picnic and decided to go!

The tickets were timed, so we had 2 hours to kill before our entrance into the exhibit. With our paid admission to see King Tut, we were able to browse the art museum also. I was ecstatic!

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My favorite exhibits were titled "Take Your Time".

One was just a single room, engulfed in vibrant color that would gradually change.

We really enjoyed the:

And LOVED the:

I even found art that I have in my own house!

Cool!

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Sadly, I was not allowed to take pictures of the King Tut exhibit, but it was awesome too!

Getting to see tons of artifacts that were found in his tomb was amazing.

His small childhood throne, from when he became king at the early age of 9.

His cosmetics box.

Small games.

Oodles and oodles of jewelery. (They found hundreds of pieces on his mummy.)

And, the mini gold coffonette, which had his mummified liver inside of it.

Weird to some, AWESOME TO ME!

I can't wait to make it to Egypt someday to actually see him, in person.

Hopefully, someday soon!

put a sock in it.

We had a friend over today.
We celebrated, and made one of those nostalgic toys of yesteryear...

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Nothing like ransacking your husbands underwear drawer for a little good ol' fashioned fun and games.

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Every child should make a sock puppet in their lifetime.

We've made a few, it was time to add a new friend to our collection.

Easy as pie! Who doesn't have an old sock?

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Now, my youngest... I am so proud of this kid.

I love his sense of style.
Out of all the fuzzy yarn ropes, he chose the boldest and the brightest to make his puppet sport some mighty fine:

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In an instant (no more than 5 minutes!) we had our friends ready for a little playtime fun.

.

And, quickly-- our afternoon turned into a genuine:

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my own willy wonka.

When I discovered the little popcorn shop downtown, I knew I was in trouble. From the instant I walked inside and was hit by the buttery, sweet smell-- I was in love.

Flavors upon flavors, colors upon colors. The choices make me dizzy! Every time I venture in and press my nose up to the carnival of colorful cases, my mind has flashbacks to scenes from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The spinning colors, the tall glass jars spilling at the brim, the welcoming aroma found in every nook and cranny in that lovely little store.

Choices, choices, choices! Grape, watermelon, banana cream pie. Loaded potato, jalapeno, pizza!

I've found my favorite though. C o r n f e t t i.
This little concoction boasts all of the fruit flavors piled into one tidy spot. A little bag of happiness, all for just over $2.

I love it so much, I bought a 20 pound bag of it for my dad for Christmas and sacrificed the space in one whole suitcase on our flight out to AZ. I had to roll each and every article of clothing to make it fit just right, and even then my favorite shoes had to be left behind. Now, that's sacrifice. All in the name of cornfetti.

Now, I really know I am addicted.

I knew I still had half a bag left, but I could not find it!

I searched everywhere. High and low. Low and high!

And then I found it, in the most embarrassing of places.

Midnight snack, anyone?

mouthfull of crumbs.

The last of the blackberries sat in my freezer today, fresh on my mind from our summertime:

I wanted them to go out with a bang! I wanted the last of the berries to be used in a way that was worthy of their perfect fruit wonder.

.

cobbler?

.

pie?

.

Instead, I tried something new. It was a gamble, of course. I rolled the dice on the fact that it could turn out terrible--

...

You know that I've got my baking groove on if the kitchen is covered in:

I turned flour, sugar, shortening, and an egg into a simple sweet:
Then, I scavenged the last of the coveted berries from a secret spot in the back of my freezer.
Got it?

Dough.
Berries.

Crumb topping.

Oven.

Done!

The house smelled like tangy tart summer. We couldn't wait for a chance to taste a bit of warm sunshine and sugar.

It was divine.
Goodbye berries. I can't wait until July so I can see you again!

Blackberry Buckle

(Can be made with blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries too.)

2 C flour

2 1/2 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1/2 C shortening

3/4 C sugar

1 egg

1/2 C milk

2 C fresh or frozen berries

1/2 C flour

1/2 C sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 C butter

Grease a 9X9 pan. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a mixing bowl beat shortening, egg, and sugar. Add dry mixture and milk alternately to wet mixture. Beat until smooth. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Combine the 1/2 C flour, 1/2 t cinnamon, and 1/4 C butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I added a few tablespoons of brown sugar to the mixture too.) Top the berries with the mixture. Bake at 350 for 50 to 60 minutes.

when my hands work together.

I found a moments peace today, in between picking up toys, making lunch, and quiet time. So, I let my hands dig around in my craft stash. I let my mind run a little wild.

I am in love with these buttons.
I spent a good hour with a needle in hand.
And really, a pink zipper can work wonders for making your day happy. You can't look at a pink smile and not feel at least a little flitter of joy in your heart.

Before I knew it, I was done. My hands created something useful. Something beautiful.

And now, I am planning another wild rendezvous with the needle and thread soon.

Mmmmmmmmm, pink zipper! Wild floral vintage print! My hands are in love today.
Thanks nimble hands, you amaze me every time.