Zen Gardening

This is the zen rock garden at the Portland Japanese Garden our family loves to visit. 

This is the spot we have had our pool.  Since we won't be setting it up for awhile we converted it into our own rock garden.

Raking in the garden is peaceful and calming.  We try to not leave a single foot print.

The placement of stones traditionally symbolizes Buddha or a tiger and her cubs.  The girls and I discussed this and since we worship Christ rather than Buddha, Grace chose to use the stones to represent the Nativity scene. 

Things That Make Me Smile

  My little Dorothy in her ruby keds and "dotty" socks.  I could look at her all day.

So Long Middle School!

Hula Hoops are fun!

Papa, little Dot in the back ground with Solanah, Sam and Josh

The Gazebo I love

Papa and a little cupcake

Ruth and her best friend Keziah

My sister Kendra and niece Amy

Dearer friends than I knew possible

These were all taken last night at my oldest daughter Ruth's 8th grade graduation party.  In our family there is never a shortage of photos and choosing which to share is tough!  To see more head on over to Vixen Vintage.

Mr. and Mrs.

Just a quick photo of Papa and me.  I especially like the tattoo placement for this shot.  Yes, I have his name, because marriage for us is just as permanent.  Plus, after 17 years of marriage and four children should something happen the name would be the least of my worries.

Okie Girl Eats: Bug Pie

Sour cream and raisin pie-which I grew up calling "bug pie"- is my favorite.  

Here is the recipe:

• 1 cup raisins
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 egg yolks
• baked pie crust 
• 
  
  MERINGUE:
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons sugar; I half this with brown sugar

Directions

• In a small saucepan, place raisins and enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; set aside.
• In a large saucepan, the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Stir in sour cream and milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks;(otherwise your eggs will cook in the filling) return all to the pan, stirring constantly.Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Drain raisins, reserving 1/2 cup liquid. Gently stir liquid into filling. Add raisins, and nuts if desired. Pour into pie shell.
• For meringue, in a small bowl, beat egg whites and salt on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Spread over hot filling, sealing edges to crust.
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour; refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. 

Epic Road Trip: Pit Stops

Our family has done a lot of road trips.  The most common drive is from Portland, Or. to San Jose, Ca. which takes a single day of driving 12 hours.  We were driving this before we had children, we were driving it when we had one child and here we are still road tripping with four children.  One of the best discoveries was to stop not at state rest stops (sorry- they just are creepy) not at a fast food joint with a play area, but at a playground.  Most cities have parks or schools with playgrounds available. I found this great website we will use to search for the nearest playground on our trip, http://playspacefinder.kaboom.org/ a mobile app is due out any day and I hope it is before we leave in July.
Something new we are going to experiment with on this trip is stopping for a swim. This web site will connect us with the nearest public pool- http://find.mapmuse.com/interest/public-pools.  It is going to be a hot this summer and a nice refreshing swim should be perfect.  I also have noticed how well my children rest after water play so we will try to swim before nap time or early evening if we are going to be driving late into the night.
A recent discovery of a stop we all enjoy are cemeteries.  It's peaceful, not a lot of people, and a great place to take a stroll.  We play a game and the girls look to find their first names.  (since they each have very old fashioned names this is pretty easy)  We can also look for shared birth days.  We like to figure out people's ages when they died, notice their family buried near and take notice of the art of the gravestone.  We have also done grave rubbings with a pencil and paper.  We will use Google maps to find local cemeteries.
We are going also armed with Yelp to assist in finding restaurants and most other things.  We hope to eat at a restaurant  only once a day, (cost and children really do not want to sit in a restaurant after being in the car for hours) taking advantage of the complimentary hotel breakfasts and picnicking in parks.  We will have a cooler and pop into grocery stores to keep it stocked. Think; fresh fruit and veggies, cheeses, bread/crackers, cold cuts, spreads etc...
Another invaluable app for pit stops is http://www.sitorsquat.com/sitorsquat/mobile/index.  Public bathroom review and finder.  Potty breaks will happen often and I hope to be able to lessen the possibility of going into somewhere disgusting.  It is so hard to keep small children from touching anything - I start gagging and freaking out to be honest.  Speaking of potty, our youngest is showing signs of toileting.  I am not sure I want this to happen before we leave in a few weeks, but should it we will bring along our small potty to keep in the trunk.  We also keep plastic bags for disposing of any wastes.  Tip- on the road clean up works best if you line the potty with a bag before the child uses it.

Thank goodness for smart phones!

Roll Your Own Dinner

While out to dinner at a favorite Vietnamese restaurant recently my salad rolls were served with a vase of hot water to dip the rice papers, fill with goodies and roll myself.  I knew the girls would love this so I duplicated the meal at home.  It was a lot of fun.  I also made a noodle soup and Vietnamese themed smoothies.  I love Thai and Vietnamese tea and coffees made with sweetened condensed milk.   I carried this over to smoothies using sweetened condensed milk, ice, and mangoes.  Delicious!

Dot's Shelves at 19 Months

Arcobaleno puzzle (actually too old for her at this time) All of our children have played with it and truthfully I like it more than they do.

Little wooden peg people bus, Fisher Price barn, books (Gyo Fujikowa), homemade vanilla playdough, small globe ball, chunky puzzle, shape sorter, pegs and ride on toy.

Her favorites pictured here are the pegs, books, barn and scooter.  She did go through a period of interest  where she loved the playdough so I have kept it out through several rotations but she's pretty much over it now.  I highly recommend the scooter.  It is on casters which makes steering fun and simple.  I also appreciate the clean simplicity of design which leaves lots of room for imagination.

Tattoo Shop Hijinx

  It's always a treat for the girls to get to visit Papa's shop.

This is a sure sign you are underage!

We step out of the backroom a moment and come back to Dot enjoying a can of Coke!

Life In A Small Pink House: Shelves

Knick knack kitchen shelves.  I believe this was originally a window before our mudroom was added on.

Above the fridge shelves

Papa's book shelves

Photo album shelves

Children/homeschool shelves

A most recent photo of the knick knack shelves.  Papa has added a board and made a safe place for me to store canisters.  Like I have said, in a small house one is continually discovering ways to create more space. Any shelves will do because once you fill them up you don't notice the beat up 80's bookcase.  My oldest has set that she decoupaged, a fun project and looks cute. 

We joke that eventually our entire 1100 square feet will be shelves.   Not pictured are the shelves in the girls bedrooms, the mudroom, hallway and our room.  They truly make it possible to live comfortably in a small home.  Of course one might suggest we cut down on the things going on the shelves.  We have!  I also regret all the books we have gotten rid of for the sake of space.  

9:11 a.m. In The Pink House

Breakfast dishes

The Asia bin we made for Dot-big girls love it too!

Papa!

Getting ready for school.

Almost couldn't bring myself to post this one.  Laundry after our morning run.

Joey

Epic Road Trip: Motels

We are planning an epic road trip this summer.  11 states (Wa., Or., Id., Ut., Wy., Co., Ks., Mo., Ne., SD., & Mt.) in 14+ days.  There will be 7 of us, me and Papa, our 4 girls and our niece Solanah.  So far we have our route mapped and hotels booked.  Because of our large group (and wanting the baby to have her own room) we will mainly be staying in large chain suites, but here are a couple of gems we squeezed in.

Rocket Motel

The Safari Inn (it's pink!)

I do worry how our 21 month old daughter will do.  Of course my major concern is sleep.  Will she sleep in a new place almost nightly?  We are driving long days, although not exceeding 12 hours, because I want to limit hotel stays for that reason.  We will be in one hotel 4 nights and another 3.  My hope is in these places she can settle in and feel rested.  We will take her (portable) crib, blankets and noise maker (we call it "the ocean") Even with such conveniences we have discovered she sleeps poorly away from home, which can make a mama want nothing more than to be home.  Cross your fingers!  

Montessori Ikea: The Kitchen

Hand towels with loops for hanging in place

This is now the children's silverware in the cafe.  They are not for sale in the store.  But I am still impressed they did away with the plastic and hope to see them sold soon.

This is a fun serving dish.  Children love serving themselves at the table.  It can also be used as a transferring exercise.  Fill with cotton balls and use the tongs to transfer cotton from one dish to the other.

I believe infants should skip the sippy and go straight to a cup.  They can begin this as early as 8 mos.  These shot sized drinking glasses are what we use.

Sold as coffee spoons these are just right for toddlers.

Theses are small pitchers.  Perfect for pouring their own drinks.

Hang this low and your child can use the hand towels to wipe up spills.

Small hand sweeper, perfect for around the table after meals.

Wanted: Vintage Families

I was cleaning up my blog roll and I began wondering who everyone else loves to read.  I would love to discover more family style vintage blogs.  Some of you I know have families and blogging is a little escape from being just a mama.  I get that, I can appreciate escapism as much as the next woman- (some days more than others!)   But the truth is who I am permeates everything I do.  I would love to discover more blogs that I can not only appreciate their sense of style but also hear about and appreaciate their homes and families, even if they are different than mine.  Any recommendations?