Recipe for a garden

Photo by Monkey & The Whale

I have this wonderful old recipe box from my mom, but I don't have any recipe cards that fit in it. So, what to do? I realized it is perfect for holding all of my open seed packets from my recent garden adventures. That is what I call a recipe for a beautiful garden!

Container Garden Update

Photo by Monkey & The Whale

We now have arugula, chives, cilantro, and a baby lettuce mixture growing in our wine crates. I got the idea here. I decided to be lazy and not weatherproof the boxes as advised, so this will be a temporary container for the little guys. I hope that I develop a green thumb soon so I don't kill the poor plants. I am getting excited to actually eat what we grow! I know M will get a kick out of it too. M's original seed project included sweet peas and basil. Both have weathered some major trials and tribulations, namely our cat who continues to eat them. Ruckus, who is aptly named, is a plant destroyer. I finally got the sweet pea to recover and the basil is chugging along. Now the trick is keeping the cat away from the chives....

Photo by Monkey & The Whale

Pin It!

"Yellow" Pinterest Board by Monkey & The Whale

So maybe you have noticed a few references in recent posts to "my pinterest" page. Well, I simply cannot hold it in any longer. Those of you who haven't heard of this site need to go there now! This site must be talked about. Maybe I am a bit behind in the conversation since I am only discovering it now. My designer self loves to collect imagery all the time, I have folders of the stuff on my computer. Pinterest is a wonderful place to curate and organize your imagery. Anything you love can be "pinned" and it gets passed around and enjoyed by the Pinterest community. It is an awesome idea and completely fun and addicting too. So, go. Now. And enjoy!

Oh, and you have to be invited so if it looks like something you want in on, let me know....

Container Garden

Photo by Monkey & The Whale

M's gardening project is getting an upgrade. After seeing this idea from another blog. see here, I have decided to give it a go myself. Wine crates as containers. I am going to do herbs and lettuces I think. Stay tuned for progress. Next step? A few coats of danish oil and then M and I can plant!

Wanderlust

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

I love that Dr. Seuss poem. I want to go places. I have been bitten by the travel bug and it is starting to fester and fester and fester. I am suffering from wanderlust. I am not a traveler, but I dream of being one. I missed the boat in college when you are supposed to go with a backpack and trek for a year. I was busy with school and didn’t have the money for airfare. Now I am busy with kids and still don’t have money for airfare, let alone travel expenses. Now I am too old to “backpack” and forget staying in a hostel, can someone get me a nice comfy clean bed in a hotel please? Plus, that torture movie entitled “Hostel” pretty much ruined that idea for me. But I have been really thinking about this a lot lately and the fact is I will never get to go anywhere unless I make it a priority. Isn’t that true of everything in life, you won’t do it unless you make it a priority. Excuses are just that, excuses. You have to take what you want from life and write your own story. I heard that once, that “you are the author of your life, “ and I love that. I truly believe it too. I have to remind myself that I am steering the boat of this life and it is time to take a travel detour.

Waiting for the fish to bite or 

waiting for wind to fly a kite or 

waiting around for Friday night or 

waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or 

a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, 

or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, 

or Another Chance. 

Everyone is just waiting.

Not this lady Dr. Seuss. Not anymore. I am planning for the future. Save a little money here and there for say 5 years and then I can go somewhere. No kids, just me and the husband on an adventure somewhere in the world. 

Now I am faced with deciding where on earth (literally) to go? I am so overwhelmed because I want to see so much, so how do I choose what comes first? Of course Europe is on the top of my list. My artistic sensibilities would be in heaven in Europe. But is that cliche? That would be a more “comfortable” destination for me. Maybe an easier cultural transition, than say, India. India is on my list of course, but I think I need to be a more seasoned traveller before doing India.

Italy has been a long dream of mine. I would love to spend a whole two weeks in Italy alone, go to the Amalfi Coast, Florence, Rome. Oh, I can just imagine how wonderful it would be.

But then I think that maybe I need more adventure. Maybe Peru and the Galapagos? Rio? 

Maybe Indonesia...

I can't decide. But that is an exciting place to be. I have the next five years to save and research all these wonderful destinations. How exciting! Until then I have my "Oh the Place You'll Go," board on Pinterest to keep me inspired. Take a look and see if any places call your name.

Any suggestions?


(excerpts taken from Dr. Seuss's "Oh the Places You'll Go")

Knit-tastic!

Whenever you are feeling glum, all you need are some needles and yarn and you can knit your self from sad to happy in a few minutes. The cathartic, repetitive movements of the knit and purl stitches give you a sense of calm in a chaotic world. The yarn wrapped around your fingers, I found myself in glum place the other day and picked up my old friends and began knitting. Within minutes I was in better spirits. Thing were looking up. I had possibilities to think about. Scarf? Coasters? No! A cat bed perhaps. Poor Sprite needs a good little bed. 

What was I saying?

Don't forget about the dog

Photo by Monkey & the Whale

Now that we have the kids our poor four legged friends have lost a bit of the sweet life that they were once used to. Poor Cooper has lost most of his reason to live, but I figure it can only go up from here for the poor guy! I just need to remember to devote a little more time to him and remind him that they he is still part of the family. Here is a wonderful way to pamper your pooch and let them know that they are still top dog. 

In honor of our big hulking pit bull mix, I found these adorable bow tie collars (by Silly Buddy) on Etsy. They have tons of wonderful doggy wear and it comes in wonderful packaging as well. I found this to be so much more inspiring and inventive than a typical doggy "outfit." Now, I know a few French Bulldogs that would look divine in this, but maybe the bow tie could give people a nicer impression of our supposedly scary looking pit bull. In a city where pit bull ignorance abounds I propose that all pit bulls be required to wear one....

Photo from Silly Buddy's Etsy Shop

Sketching

Doodles & Photo by Monkey & the Whale

A friend of mine (you know who you are) sent me the most wonderful link to a group of "urban sketchers." Please go to the site, www.urbansketchers.org, and admire the amazing sketch books on display. I love the ink and the watercolor together. Watercolor is becoming my new favorite medium as it can be very forgiving.

 This is how I always wish I could sketch. I often imagine that I could go and sit somewhere and just take my pen to the paper and effortlessly draw this way. I am very good at the people watching/observing part. That I can do. When it comes to the drawing, the truth is I am more of doodler, a wannabe sketcher. I know I have the ability somewhere in there. I did take several drawing classes in my day after all. I did it then, I could somehow remember. Like riding a bicycle right? I am always wanting some time to just escape with my sketchbook, and yet I never actually give myself that time. Whenever I do I am always surprised at how quickly I feel alive again. Creative. Active. Inspired. Teaming with ideas. I am doing something, creating something new. This is how my ideas are best formed, during sketch time. It isn't a matter of just wanting to do it, I need to do it more often.

For another inspiring artist, check out Paul Madonna. He creates the most beautiful pen and ink drawings. They have amazing composition and mood. They really give the impression of being in the picture itself, very powerful. He has a new book out that showcases all of his amazing work.

I am going to challenge myself to do more sketching. I don't even have to go anywhere, I have two crazy subjects that would provide plenty of material after all. Even better I have my imagination, where else would I come up with characters like a monkey and a whale?

Doodles & Photo by Monkey & the Whale

Projects: Family Tree

Photo by Monkey & The Whale

I have been working on a little project. This one has been in my head for over a year, but it has taken me that long to collect the pieces and put them all together. I seriously need to work on my time management with personal projects. My own interests and ideas always get put off and this is something I need to change. Once in a while I need to give myself permission to do something creative just for me, not for anyone else.

This little project was for me, sort of. I made a family tree, something that was important for me but that my family can enjoy I hope. Something to show that we are all a part of each other, something more than just a family photo--a tree with each of our names. I wanted to be literal with the tree because I like what a tree represents. Trees have roots and growth and strength and so much history. This is what I want for our family and our story. W and I have now created our own story, our own family. This little family tree is something to mark this in our lives. Maybe we will add to it someday, maybe not, but for now it marks the beginning.

How did I do it? I found this beautiful Manzanita branch and gave it a home in one of my flower pots. I printed out flags with each of our names on it and added origami paper to each one. I thought the patterns on the origami paper were so unique and gave the flags some character. I may add pictures at some point, I am still designing this one in my head. For now I am very happy with it and look forward to telling M and E about it.