Crazyon crayon hearts

So I've never been big on Valentine's Day. Even when Elmer and I were dating and everything looked like love. It's just become another crazy consumer holiday to get sucked into. But the spirit of a seven year old can really make you feel different about love. It is really so great to be seven.

 

If more of the world could operate on the spirit of a seven year old, it would be a better place. Be happy, be nice, share, love. If you're not having fun, do something else. And love unconditionally, because you don't know understand about boyfriends and girlfriends and societies expectations.... or does that stop at 4? Anyway,...

 

We made homemade Valentine's for first and fourth graders last night.  We hadn't made class Valentine Cards since Tigo was in 1st grade, three years ago (and those were AMAZING, by the way). When we were in New Mexico the kids' school didn't celebrate Valentine's Day, so no one was obliged to receive our home made crafts from mid-winter craziness. So this week I was feeling crafty, therefore the kids had no choice to be crafty as well. In the usual style of waiting until the night before the party to prepare, I decided that we would try for the hip "make broken crayons into a heart shaped crayon" to show our love. It's totally easy, fast and lots of fun I was told...... Well not so easy, pretty messy, definitely not fast, and well, still pretty fun.

I felt like I was up to the wee hours of the morning helping put these together. You know, 9:30pm is the wee hours of the night when you want your kid in bed on a school night. But these were created with love and sent on their way this morning.

 



Remove any paper off the crayons and break them into little pieces in a bowl.

 So I'd like to say that we just had all these broken crayons around that we re-purposed into better crayons.... but truth is, that's not what happened. We needed a TON of crayons so we had to break into the stash of new crayons. Setting to make 50 some Valentines, you need a lot of crazyon. (Yes, I said CraZyon, because that's how I was feeling when this was all over, like a crazy crayon lady.)
Go get your crazy on.

 

Ice cube tray that you get from Michael's.

 Yeah, so it's an ice cube tray and I stuck it in the oven. I was a little worried, but it seemed to work up to 230 degrees. I got the cupcake shaped ones first, but they were humongous and there was no way we were making that big of a crayon for everyone. Even if it would have been total cool.

 

Crayons in the tray.

 You really need to pile them on, but not over the edges, they melt all over the place, and don't plan on actually using these trays for ice when this is over. Unless of course you like crayon in your iced drinks.

But this is how they look before you stick them in the oven at 230 degrees for what was supposed to be 15 minutes a batch, but really seemed like 30 minutes to get a good melt.

 

Chevron print card stock paper.

 We got this cute little card stock paper to fold and tape the crayon to inside, and make into "Valentine" Azalea worked really hard to make sure that each of her classmates got a color that she thought they would like best.

 

Example of our original message.

 The message was supposed to read

"Happy Valentine's Day, for Crayon out loud"

but Tigo was too embarrassed to write the joke,

and Azalea was too busy drawing hearts everywhere.

 

Out of the oven.

OK, these took forever to cool. I even stuck them in the freezer for a few minutes. I wouldn't recommend doing that though. I think it messed up the consistency of the melted gunk.

 

Close up of hot melted crayon.

 These really looked a lot cooler on this side of the crayon than the flipped side, which was shown on the card. Oh well.

 

Little crayon hearts layed out like a flower after they've cooled.

 

Finished product.

So this is what they looked like at the end, but for they got bagged up and sent away. I could have made the finished product look more "store bought", but then that would have been me making them (or buying them) and not the kids actually making them. So. The kids are gone now, probably sharing their cards. I hope none of the other kids think that it's candy and try to eat it... you never know. I am also really hoping that they come back with some other fun cards, but if nothing else, I'll steal some of their candy that I'm sure they will have from the day.

 

Happy Valentine's Day folks.

 

St. Augustine Beach

I knew I wanted to go to St. Augustine. In the game I sometimes play of "Where in the World Should We Move?" I've picked. St. Augustine a few times and played out scenarios in my head of how it would all work out. I like that game. It takes me away. Almost as good as a real vacation.

On days like today, I could totally play that game, and St. Augustine would come up high in the rankings.

But until our cross country venture this past summer, I had never been. But I knew that we should be going.

I knew that the beach wanted us there. But like a lot of things, we had to fight a little to get it.

After convincing Elmer it was a good idea. I did the math, and adding this stop to our road trip would only really add 7 hours. Seven hours is a lot you say. But not if you consider the fact that if we had to do it at a completely different time it would cost us an additional 4 days. How you like them apples?

When we got to the original house that we rented for the week.... it was occupied.

Total bummer. When you have been driving for 4 days with a family of 5 plus 2 dogs and all you want is to relax, watch the waves and swim in the ocean, and your house that you just paid a large sum of money for is ocupado by another family who got their first. Bummer, is kind of an understatement.

But it's only castles in the sand.

There was an even better house, empty and waiting for us and with a way less crowded beach.

As in no one, but us beach. With the tides calm, waters warm, dolphins swimming by, shells to be picked up.

It turned out to be worth the trouble. And Elmer even said that he'd go back.

Ch ch ch changes....

From riding the train to Santa Fe to lunch roundevous in Madrid, NM, to saying goodbye to friends in Albuquerque, to holding on tight to a house we weren't sure what it meant to us to spending three long and terribly short weeks traveling across the country, visiting 10 states before coming to our temporary - temporary home, to coming to our temporary home in Virginia, where we are now. And not even including the additional tours to Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. And of course revisiting some old local haunts in Virginia. DC... just wait, you'll see us plenty.

I am slightly overwhelmed right now with how I should proceed here with the information I've got on my hands. It's the last two months worth of crazy that I have stored up in visual form, either on my little camera or my little phone camera. There is so much that has occured, I'm not sure I can do it all chronologically. And since it's so "out of date" with regards to real time blogging... well, you'll just have to deal. Sorry. I'll put dates for when they fun or crazy occurred, but it won't be the dates of the blog post. So get ready to be jealous of all the fun we had. Or maybe you'll just say oh my stinkin' heck, I am so glad I am not that person. And maybe just for kicks I'll throw some real time info in, until I get back into the world slightly less angled than I am now.

1 husband, 2 dogs, 3 kids, and way too much stuff!!

This world is turning.

Goat Love

So this is not about us this time... Just marking some sweet happenings in our hood. My dear, old (not in age, but in time) friend and neighbor has been working her family towards independent sustainability. Last fall they got 2 new goats and on March 31 one of their ladies had two little baby boys.

This is not actually the mama, but the other adult goat trying to keep the little babes out of her triangle house.

The sweet little babes made it in though. How could they not. I mean really. Other goats can recognize ridiculous cuteness.

So after a short little stint, the babies moved onto another family and the milking began...

Coming out of the pen, she knows just where to go.

Mama goat has a nice big udder and doesn't mind getting milked. She gets a special nutrious treat, special for the milk production, while she gets straped to the the platform.

Nice thick, rich milk.

One pint. 2 cups. Everytime. (she topped it off after the pic to make it a full 2 cups) Consistancy in amount is important to get the white gold flowing.

Hecklers in the crowd.

So a shot from afar. I just love that the playset is right next to the chicken coop and the goat pen. It wasn't planned that way, but all the silly energy flows together.

So after the fact, the milk gets strained.

Poured through to get out dirt and particles.

And holy smokes! This picture is a sad representation of the delicious ricotta cheese that was made out of one the batches. Sweet yumminess and from right around the corner.

Pump Tracks

Note the balloon rising by the mountains. Yes, it's New Mexico.

Heck ya.

My little girl is a walking contradiction of the best possible kind. She is going to drive the world wild one day. I really know she will.

She tagged along with brother to the local dirt bike park, and she did pretty good representing her sex.

Wearing a mini skirt, flower tights, a purple bike with streamers and a basket in front. Not to mention a butterfly helmet. She took to the dirk bike park like it was her business and it made no difference that not only she was the youngest kid there, but the only girl.

She wanted to wear heels, but I made her change.

This dirtbike park has about 10 different tracks, or courses, ranging in difficulty level. Tigo and his friends went off to the more difficult levels after getting some good practice on the first run. But I kept Azalea closer in on the first track, mostly because I'm a nervous nelly.

So she goes out pretty slow at first. One of the things is that once you get going you are supposed to get enough momentum that you don't need to pedal, just "pump" the bike, to keep it moving. But she needed to pedal a little. So she would go around the first. And then stop.

Tigo going for a ride.

The second time around she totally wipes out. Bike on top of her. I tell her good job, you did great, let's get a breather. Meanwhile, I'm thinking to myself that she wants to high tail it out of there. But we move over to the bench to rest for a moment. Then I ask her what she wants to do now.

"Let's go."

"Lets go where?"

"Let's go do it again."

She totally rocks.

Yes, she does.

Oh and then, after many more falls and recoverys. Each time I tell her she did a great job. Finally she turns to me and says, "You keep telling me that I'm doing a good job falling down. Is the point to get hurt?"

Bring me my lucky dragon

I've fallen a bit behind on the interwebs of late. This portion at least. I've had BIG plans for the year of the Dragon. The last time the Year of the Dragon came around, my world was pretty much rock and altered and shocked into another world completely. And in all honestly, I thought my world had ended at first. But of course it just took me a little while to realize, it was just forever changed.

Of course that was the year that Lola was born. Yes that means that she'll be twelve this year. Crikey!

So I'm not sure my world could ever be rocked again like the birth of my first babe, but I'm totally looking for some good change right now. As our nice President might say, Change we can Believe in.  Yeah, but change that might happen a little quicker than ending wars and fixing the financial crisis.

So Elmer has started a new job, and I am starting my new sewing business. And our house is still for sale, (and I'm secretly, though not anymore) glad it hasn't sold yet. And we are starting down a new road in this year of the dragon. Trying to figure out what happens next.

But one thing, I'm not going to be as passive as I've been. I'm going to make these things happen. Or at least try.

But first thing. I've got to get all these stinking germs, viruses, bacteria, bugs, colds and stupid stuff out of our lives for now. So we can get moving for reals. For reals.

Not gonna kick the bucket any time soon...

Recently, a friend's mother in law passed away after a short (few months) battle with cancer. I asked how her husband was doing and she seemed to think he was fine. He processes things internally, goes through an inner dialogue and moves on and is fine. I hope he is, but almost 15 years after my mother's early death, I'm still not over it.  But I am glad I am not over.  I hope I'm never over the fact that my mom is gone and that her death has left me forever changed.

Partially checked off the bucket list. Still need to come back in 5 years to raft the Colorado with the kids!

There are a lot of things about my life and the way I act that I state as a product of her death. Somethings I'm working on, like courage to take opportunities and the ability to know when they are handed to me and when I have to create them on my own. Regardless of whether or not her death is the reason, I constantly use it as a reminder to myself that we are all mortal and I have to make the best of what's around. Some days are bettter than others.

If I am to pass along into the next life at the same timing, (which I'm not planning) that means that I have 10 years to go. And I have a bucket list of things that I want to accomplish before. This is always changing in priority, but mostly just growing as there is so much out there.

Of course there are on going goals, like raise my kids to be mindful, caring citizens of the planet. That will never be checked off the list. It will be ongoing until the end of time. Only their great great grand children and their actions will account for that. There are things though, that I can check off and completed and here are some of them....

Painted desert. Amazing.

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.

1. Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
2. Spend a year in El Salvador on Elmer's family's farm
3.Create and live in a completely sustainable, affordable, off the grid home in an urban area
4.Start my own sewing business
5.Learn to cook healthier meals that my kids will eat (should this really be a bucket list item? geez, I'm that bad!)
6.Write a book
7.Be at least tri-lingual enough to be able to communicate in both Spanish and French with native speakers that don't speak English.
8. Hike the Appalachian trail in one shot.
9. Travel to Tibet
10. Be a foster parent
11. Be able to grow 75% of my food (meat included)
12. Watch my grandchildren get married
13.Travel through India
14. Create art everyday
15.Learn to surf

I think I could go on. It's such a good motivator to put the ideas down. First steps in getting them accomplished!

So as I look back over this. I think about the "check".  I wanted to say that I checked the Painted Desert off my list. But, I didn't like the thought of that. Made me feel like I didn't need to go back. Kind of want to go back. But at least I've been. Totally worth it.