The Urban Farm Handbook

Here's my new favorite read. It came highly recommended by NW Edible, and I remember hearing quite the buzz about it over at the Seattle Farm Co-Op message boards as the co-author's are both quite involved over at the Co-Op. I borrowed it from the library, and admittedly returned it overdue only after I purchased my own personal copy.

It's a narrative with recipe's of 2 families slowly finding ways to feed their family and cutting out the middle man. And can you guess? I'm in process now of pricing out my own grain mill now...

The Other Molly

I've been in a bit of a foodie-mood lately. And I can't say whether it has informed my decision to finally read Molly Weizenberg's, A Homemade Life or the other way around. It's been sitting in my mental 'read soon' list since Eileen and I went to her book signing 2 years back (has it really been that long?). Something made me grab it as I was shoving things into my bag for our yearly camping trip to Eastern Washington last weekend, and I tucked a few chapters away each night after wrapping the kids up in their sleeping bags or in the late afternoons down at the beach. At any rate, I'm now full of fresh inspiration. I want to try new recipe's, I want to start making the things I grew up eating (just made a pan of brownie cake this afternoon, Mom) I want to grow the food my family can and will eat and I've even been thinking about food movies that I want to see; Ratatouille, Julie and Julia, Tampopo, Babette’s Feast, Like Water for Chocolate, Big Night and Eat Drink Man Woman have all just have made their way to the top of my Netflix queue.

Her book is a memoir with recipe's and most sound fabulous. In fact, we tried her french toast at the campsite. Good. I've read/enjoyed her blog for years now and I, likely along with many others around here identify with this Seattle based witter (and come on, she was a fan of Fugazi, and The Longshoreman's Daughter restaurant in Fremont, both a substantial part of my dating history with D). I was also tickled pink to sit down with a book that uses just about as many comma's as I tend to do. It's been a pleasure to get a bit more of her back story, and hear about the food has been present throughout her life.

She says it best:

"I write about food and cooking, and in that sense, I aim to be informative, but I write about my life some, too, since it intersects with food roughly three times a day. I don't think many of us are terribly interested in recipes that have no stories or real-life context. For me the two are inseparable. One is pale and boring without the other."

Potty

N has been pretty steadfast against using the potty...I know it's usually harder with boys and I really haven't been stressing about it. But I figured I'd at least give the potty chair route a go. I am totally grossed out by them, but he's deathly afraid of the potty ring on the big pot, so I think I'll at least try it for a while. I did a bit of research and Baby Bjorn has never disappointed me before so we went with the blue throne for his birthday and threw in a little reading...so far so good. He's delighted to throw off his diaper and sit when his big sis is.

Highly recommended items:

Mrs. Jan Brett

E and I got to meet and hear a small lecture from our favorite children's book author and illustrator, Jan Brett this evening!  She drew an illustration during her talk and used it to encourage those aspiring artist's in the audience.  She is wonderful.  I've read so much about her, watched a handful of video clips about her and visit her website repeatedly.  And, she's a chicken enthusiast as well, in fact quite a successful poultry shower!

Free Printable Bookmarks

How awesome are these?

We printed this "Nose in a Book" one for our Ramona series.

The Backyard Homestead

Got it from the Library and really enjoying it!

Go Dog. Go!

N is so into cars, planes, trucks boats and trains!  His top favorite books to have read aloud are: Go Dog. Go! & Cars! Cars! Cars!  Not surprisingly comprised of the two winning elements (dogs and autos).  His top fave look-on-his-own books are: Planes & Trucks by Byron Barton and the stacks and stacks of lift-the-flap books he has.  But really the kid loves flipping through just about anything, he'll carefully skim through any of E's chapter books without tearing a page.

* Here's a fun version of Go Dog. Go! I found on YouTube!




* Here is a small example of what we would do ceaselessly while in his little floaty on the water on vacation...little motor boat.

Ramona

E and I are slowly making our way through Beverly Cleary's long lived and loved Ramona Quimby series.  We just finished up the 2nd book, Ramona the Pest from the library.  I love, love, love the illustrator of the particular copy we checked out; Louis Darling.  The penned illustrations are done so beautifully, he captures the feeling of those stories so well.

His Favorite Books, In No Particular Order

Aside from "Mama, Dada, and Eh-nuh (for his sister) "Buh," is by far his favorite/reoccurring word.  Some of these "buh's" are the very same that E would pick before bedtime and naps at this age, and some are new.  Either way you cut it both of them love books and we couldn't be happier.

Colors

Trucks

Dear Zoo

Maisy's Train

Happy Baby's Words

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

ABC's

Moo, Baa, La La La

Time For Bed

Eat & Read

Someday maybe he'll combine these 2 loves of food & books and take after me; finding total contentment in reading through recipe's or attending book signings for cookbooks...but for now here's a few snapshots of my day:

Pulling out the cereal boxes from their cabinet and dumping their contents on the floor and shoving as much as he could manage down before I scooped up the handfuls from the carpet.

::::::::::

And reading!  This kid  l-o-v-e-s  books.  This is a relatively new phase, last month he would wiggle and writhe in my lap, and now he's totally engrossed.  He especially gravitates toward the 'real picture' books of babies, animals and such.

Books Before Bed

I caught E reading to N before bed this evening.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Roald Dahl is my favorite children's author. I was delighted another of his brilliant stories was coming to the theatres. But, first we must read! E's thoroughly enjoying this one (and so are her dad and I), can't wait to take her for popcorn and the flick! And with Wes Anderson at the helm, it cannot miss.

Jan Brett Fan Club

This woman is a bit of a super hero; creative story lines and clever twists on classics with some of the most beautiful illustrations you'll come across. If you love her books as much as we do, you'll love her website! There are free coloring pages, activities, videos, and and a lot of fun Christmas-y crafts!

Danish Christmas Hearts

I am so intrigued by these sometimes extremely intricate traditional paper woven hearts. I think they'd make an excellent Christmas card some year.

Christmas hearts is a unique Danish papercut tradition invented by the well-know Danish fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen around 150 years ago. Basically, a Christmas heart consists of two pieces of folded glossy paper of different colours which are cut in a certain way and then woven together so that they form the shape of a heart. There are boundless numbers of possibilities for designs of these hearts, and I think that is part of what fascinates me about making them.

- Sune Nielsen (author of the book Hjerter til jul, or 'Hearts for Christmas')

Bent Objects Book

Vaccinations

I never thought too much about it when we had E, but while we've been waiting for baby #2, I decided to check out this book. Not preachy for either side of the debate, just strait forward facts to help me make an informed decision. I've really enjoyed familiarizing myself with this part of parenting.

*Here's an online article that some of you may find interesting

Shel Silverstein

(from Something Missing from A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein)

D "Y'know that Shel Silverstein poem that has that illustration of a man with his belly out to here (gestures way out in front of himself)? And he's forgotten to put on his pants?"

me "I don't know."

D "Well, you're reminding me of that poem these days."

October 16th

Where the Wild Things Are movie (currently unrated) will be coming out this October...watch the trailer here.

(thanks Anna)

Reading with Rover

Last month after soccer practice we stumbled onto a great reading program at our local library; Reading with Rover. The premise is that therapy dogs are brought into the library to encourage learning and or struggling readers to read aloud to a non-judgmental audience. Lately E's been into this phonics series, and is doing so well! She's mastered 3 of the books, and reads them over and over to us, and today to her doggie friends.

Book Signing

Anyone interested in attending Molly Wizenberg's (Orangette) book signing next month (March 3rd, it's realease date) with me? Mark your calendar's and shoot me an e-mail and we'll get our little evening figured out.