and now, the rest of the story

For a few more meandering thoughts after five years of pondering, you can always visit me here.

elf on the shelf 2014 - days seven through twelve

Day 7 - Dashing through the snow, in a three dog open sleigh?

Day 8 - You got pretzels in my Nutella!  You got Nutella in my pretzels!

Day 9 - Social Studies test and a late night cramming session!

Day 10 - Powdered sugar doughnut-hole snowmen.  They never melt!

Day 11 - Things lookin' good at the O-K Corral, pardner.

Day 12 - Holly added a little festivity to Kat's bathroom.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!

elf on the shelf - 2014 - days one through six

Ok, so I'm still here, but only because of this guy.  Holly the Elf has returned for Christmas 2014!!

Day 1 - he's baaaack!

Day 2 - of course she made the "nice list."

Day 3 - he can already fly...but I guess he wanted to try a different method!

Day 4 - makin' copies.

Day 4 (bonus points) - Kat left Holly a note asking if he knew Peef, a friend's elf.  As it turns out, he did.  And they posed for a pic together to prove it!

Day 5 - Holly left a printed copy of himself with Peef!

Day 6 - a game of Battleship.  The Americans are winning!

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!

so long, fair well

I'm shuttering Marble and Mud after nearly 8 years.  It's been fun...but other projects call.

So long, fair well, best wishes.

With love from The Valley of the Sun.

fall snacking

One of my favorite oatmeal cookie recipes is right on the inside of the quick-cooking oat container.  It's fast, easy, maybe a bit on the sweet side, but always a hit in our house.

Before I went to Michigan last week, I wanted to make sure Kat had some sweeties for her lunchbox, so I whipped up a batch in a rush before I headed to the bus stop.  I didn't have raisins in the house that weren't solid as a rock; the perils of desert living, so I threw in some Ocean Spray Craisins, instead.

Stellar alternative!

I think everyone actually likes them better with the Craisins because they gave the cookie a little complimentary tart with the sweetness.  This is a great recipe.  I won't reprint it here, but I blogged it previously at my cooking/baking blog, Zoup to Nuts!  You can click over and find it there if you'd like.

Bon Appetit from The Valley of the Sun.

lavender bouquets

This was such a fun day.  We went to Yvonne and David's after lunch and finished an art project Yvonne and Kat had been working on the day I went to Suttons Bay to do some birthday shopping. 

After the last coat of Annie Sloan wax had been polished off Kat's moon and stars mirrors, We gathered some fresh lavender from Miss Yvonne's garden and went to the porch at the red house to make bouquets. 

I think we ended up with five bouquets.  We took them home and put them in different places around the cottage...and it smelled so pretty.  I wish we'd ended up buying some sachets to preserve the lavender after it had really dried and started to fall off the stems.  I could have tucked them in closets or drawers to keep things smelling summery til next season. 

Next year I'll think ahead so we have some lavender preserved.  And I'll also be working on adding more lavender to the garden so we have our own continual supply. 

back-to-school

Time is truly flying.  I wish Mom was here to see her.  She'd be so proud.