Pepper Paints

Look How Much Weight I Lost!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And Creepy Faces II)

Gotch ya!! Not really me, but my closet. This is embarrassing but I am going to let you look in my closet, yesterday…..

It was bad I know! But after a few hours yesterday and about an hour today, I manged to purge ALOT!

Plus a hand me down bag to a friend. At this point I must tell you that I buy 90% of our clothes second hand-and not at upscale consignment stores either. I prefer thrift stores that are packed floor to ceiling with hidden treasures. I love the thrill of the hunt! I occasionally buy things new-sometimes I splurge on really expensive things, like on the two new pairs of shoes I recently purchased, or the winter coat I bought three years ago. And sometimes I buy at Old Navy and Target. But the packed garbage bags that are headed back to the thrift store as a donation are filled with the many treasures I buy at the VOA or Salvation Army or my favorite Village Discount. For some, the great thing about shopping second hand is the savings, and I am no exception but really in the long run, because I buy so much, I probably don’t save as much as most thrift store shoppers. I posted awhile back about how I am not a simple person-and my closet confirms that story! But with some trimming of the fat…it looks a whole lot better!

I parted with lots of treasures, but one pair of old favorites will probably never leave my closet. Not on my butt nor in a donation bag. They will sit on my upper shelf, buried by things that now fit my 40 something year old figure.

Oh, if these cut offs could talk! They may utter the name, written in marker, on the inside of the front pocket, that is crossed out, to become the property of a younger brother. That younger brother would be my husband. Not long after we met in college, I claimed this pair of Sears plain pocket jean shorts. I wore them through every season. With tan legs in the summer and tights and long johns underneath them along with slouchy boots in the winter. It has been a few years since these fit me (comfortably). But they are a reminder of my youth. What once was. Something I may never part with.

I found a few strays in the mess too. I thought the combinations of these lost and found items were really funny!

On day one, I found-a ballon, a dice, a ticket stub, broken jibbet, a doll shoe, 2 hair clips, my drivers liscense I had to replace, my matching slipper covered in dog fur, an acorn top, one of Gingers old slippers (yea-the match is in the basement).

On cleaning day two, I found a headless doll, Some Kodak movies (Need to find a projector) and a pair of magic magnet rocks (Yeah! A pair).

My goal is to not bring tons of stuff back into that closet. I am going to try to be a little more thrifty!

As far as the creepy faces-well those apples are still wet. They are beginning to mold too. So into the compost bin they shall go.

Art al Fresco

We live in a really active arts community.  With a OSU and CCAD in our city, along with  The Short North down, High St.,  there are many opportunities to not only enjoy art but participate in it also.  Last night The Short North introduced a new concept, Art al Fresco.  Most galleries stayed open late, hosting performances in their windows and on their sidewalks.  Artists, including my kids Grimaldi Circus, roamed the main drag.

This is just a small sampling of the fun!  Hopefully this will become a regularly scheduled event!

And on another hopeful note-I have fingers crossed that Ginger’s puking and high fever this morning at 5 AM will be quick to pass.  She has a very important Birthday to attend later this afternoon.  And I already made the potato salad dag nab  it!

Magic (Science)

Yesterday Ginger and I went for a walk and picked some Queen Annes Lace.  We brought it home and placed  4 separate bunches into 4 jars, each with a different color of food coloring added to the jars.  (You need to use a lot of food coloring)  We have also done this with celery and white carnations.

This morning we checked our white flowers and whalla…..

As if by magic, we have colored flowers!  Really just a good way to show how what we take in effects us.  And a good , “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute!” example too.

Shaving Cream

My sensory loving kids love the mess that shaving cream can become!  We started off with cookie trays turned upside down for trays and a squirt of shaving cream.  Then I added a bit of tempra for color.

Then we placed a piece of finger paint paper over the top to make a print.  Freezer paper works well too.

Then it the shaving cream started covering feet and legs..

At this point I went in to finish dinner and took the camera with me.  I could hear them squealing with delight through the kitchen window and when I came back out they were completely white!  All except for eye balls.  I didn’t get a final shot but I am sure you can imagine the sight.  A quick dip in the baby pool and it was all gone!  Before bed tonight Ginger told me next time she wants me to put grubby clothes on and have a shaving cream fight with them.

Tonight Joe and I attended the Opening Reception for the Fine Arts Exhibit of The Ohio State Fair.  One of my photographs was accepted in the show.  I felt so proud to be brushing elbows and guzzling all the free local wine we could with the other artists!  If you are local and are planning on attending the Fair-check out all the great art in the Fine Arts building.  My photo is on the back wall in the case.  You can even purchase it!

Calling all Moths

I am a bug lover, much to my son’s dismay!  Although I am pretty sure Ginger has my bug gene-just ask her friend Maya, she will attest to it! We recently checked a really cool moth book out of the library, NIGHT VISIONS THE SECRET DESIGN OF MOTHS by J. Scheer.  Really beautiful pictures.  I was hoping to attract some of these beauties to our yard!

Yesterday we made a concoction to entice moths to come and drink from our tree trunk pub. A  few years ago we tried this with the Moth Broth recipe from Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots, but I didn’t have a copy on hand.  So we used the Mother Earth News recipe.

3-6 over ripe bananas

1/2-1 c molasses, honey or corn syrup

1-2 cups orange juice or other fruit juice

1 or 2 bottles stale beer

1-2 oz rum (I had to skip this as my I was out out rum-go figure!)

mash bananas, stir in sugars, add rest a little at a time.  It should be as thick as house paint.  If too thin add another banana.  Cover and let ferment in the sun for a few hours.

Pick a tree near a clearing and paint at least an 8 inch square of said concoction onto tree bark a few hours before sunset.  Hint-use a bigger paint brush than us!  We used a tree near our outside light, I thought that might be like a double bait!

Go back at night and check to see who came a callin’!  The magazine suggests around 3 AM.

Now this is where I failed.  We checked around midnight and there were a couple of common moths catching a buzz but then we all fell asleep. There may be too much light pollution near our house to attract most of the moths in the book but I was hoping for something a little more impressive.   We are going to camp at a near by camp ground tonight.  I am bringing the left overs with us to try again.  I will update if there is good news!

Thursdays Quarter Recipe

I really enjoy cooking…when I have a clean kitchen, time, and  people who are actually going to eat what I make.  This is usually not the case these days so my dinners are usually easy  to make and easy to clean up.  But tonight I actually made a whole Indian meal.  It wasn’t too time consuming.  I used the crock pot and the rice cooker and got those started around 12:30pm and we ate around 5:30.

I made Chicken Curry, Rice, Curried cauliflower, Cucumbers and sour Cream and heated up some Naan.

The Sri Lankan Chicken Curry is really easy.  This recipe serves 4.  I always make more.

3 T oil

2 onions finely sliced

1 one inch long piece of ginger chopped

2 garlic cloves

1/2 t turmeric

1 t chili powder

2 t garam masala

14 oz boneless chix (today I used a bag of the flash frozen chix tenders)

3/4 cup plus 2 T unsweetended coconut milk

2 tomatoes quartered

1/2 t salt

heat oil in a medium saucepn.  Add onions cook till golden. add ginger, garlic and spices-mix well for one minute.  add chicken mix well cook stirring for 5 minutes.  (at this point I threw mine in the crock pot with all the rest of the ingredients!)

Pour in 1 cup plus 2 T water.  bring to a boil.  reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes

reduce heat to very low. add the coconut milk.  cook 10 minutes of until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  stir in tomatoes and salt.  cook 5 more minutes.  add fresh cilantro to taste-I add LOTS!

serve this over rice.  basmati is what we like best-I mix 1/2 brown and 1/2 white-cuz my family won’t just eat brown!  I added some olive oil, salt, frozen peas, a couple cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and some whole cloves in with the rice to cook.  It smells divine!

I also always serve this with cucumbers and sour cream-or you can make a riata.  I skin cucumbers and use the slicer part on my grater and grate into a bowl.  add salt-don’t be stingy with the salt here- and set aside so they make some juice.  add a few spoonfuls of sour cream and lots of black pepper.

Curried Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower cut up into pieces and put in a bowl with 1 t turmeric and 1 t salt.

Heat 6 T ghee (butter or oil will do) and saute cauliflower until tender. remove and set aside.  In same pan fry 1 t cumin, 1 t cayenne (use less this will be HOT), 1 t fresh ginger stirring constantly.  add 3 small chopped tomatoes and 1 t sugar and cook for 5 minutes.  add cauliflower back to pan stir, lower the heat, cover.  cook 8-10 minutes.  garnish with chopped coriander leaves (aka  whole lot of fresh cilantro).

We also always have Nan with this meal.  You can usually find it frozen if you can’t find it fresh.

Is it Soup or is it Pie

Ginger wanted to make a pie out of our blueberries.  I am not a big fan of cooked fruit pies but obliged her.

It was runny and SWEET!  But not really in a good way.

But if you eat it in the tree house, it certainly tastes better!

Not worthy of a quarter recipe- I will have to post again later!