a simply great day...

yesterday we had a great day. it was one of my favorite people's 78th birthday. to celebrate we drove about an hour south to serpentine national park, one of her favorite places. it was my first time visiting the park and i know i will be back again and again. it was magical. tiny pink flowers lined the path, monarch butterflies flitted around in the sky, occasionally touching down for a slurp of cola, and kangaroos joined us on our picnic blanket for a cuddle and some fruit. seriously magical, people. the falls are wonderful too but nothing beats good food, perfect weather and a little kangaroo love. here are a few photos.












max is tired of my camera.

like i need another hobby...

this hobby is not going to stick. making jewelry is hard.



this one reminds me of pyrex and sea glass.



that's all i got tonight, folks. i am boring. tomorrow we head to the hills celebrate my step nana's birthday. she is an incredible lady. i can't wait to fill her sweet tooth with rice krispie treats and cupcakes on her special day.

i just have to share this...

how great is david byrne? love the song, love the video, even love dizzee's rap.



so good.

my family's age, in days...

teeny is 420 days old today.
munch is 995 days old today.
otis is 1528 days old today.
booza is 11172 days old today.
manner is 11186 days old today.

how many days old are you?

yummy monday number five...

after a couple weeks off yummy monday is back! try this one. i am not even going to be humble about it. this chicken kicks ass. no photos for now because my chicken is hanging out in the freezer but i'll add photos when we grill it up.

bunnybum's chicken marinade

2 lbs or so chicken pieces
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c veg oil
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
2 T honey
2 T sriracha chili sauce
1 T sesame oil
juice of one lime
3 cloves garlic, minced

put everything but the chicken in a big ziploc bag and squeeze to mix. add chicken pieces and squeeze out all the air. freeze it if you'd like or put it in the fridge for at least four hours.
reserve the liquid from the marinade.
grill the chicken like usual. bring the liquid to a boil. let it simmer for at least five minutes or so to reduce a bit.
serve chicken with grilled veggies and brown rice. drizzle the sauce all over for a spicy, savory and sweet meal. yum.


i am a dark meat gal so i like to use thighs but breast meat cut into strips works really well too. also, i tend to use much more sriracha than i listed above. we like it hot in my house but in the past my dinner guests have had a bit of trouble with the heat so i toned it down a bit for this recipe. if you like it hot like me try 3 or 4 tablespoons of sriracha. that's some spicy goodness right there.

as always, let me know if you give this recipe a try. enjoy!

this? is funny.

more cat pictures

just checking in...

hello there.

things have been pretty slow on this here bloggy blog because things have been not so slow in my life. lots of ups and downs for me personally but the boys are doing very well. we have been keeping busy with my dear cousin emily. she is here working an internship during her summer break. max is especially smitten. emmie, as he calls her, is his love.

crafting days have been few and far between. soon, very soon, emily and i are going to spend a full day sewing pj pants and headbands for her buddies back home in boston. that day is going to have to happen soon because our trip back home is sneaking up on us. three weeks! holy shit. i am NOT looking forward to that journey. damn. that is going to suck. once we get there i know we are going to have the best of times but, you know, getting there will suck. i keep reminding myself that mexican food, old friends and babysitting await us in denver. that helps alleviate my anxiety about the travel.

max and west are both sick. max had a slight fever and a bad attitude and now west has the sniffles and a little cough. they both rock on. that's just their style. no virus is going to slow these two little tornadoes of trouble down. in the words of the wise puff daddy, "i thought i told you that we won't stop, uh-huh huh-huh-huh." here's teeny's face. holy geez. he looks like he went a few rounds with joe frazier (the only boxer that i can think of at the moment). the kid can't be stopped. can't. be. stopped. not that i'd want to stop him. he is pretty entertaining.



in crafting news, i just can't delay it any longer. my dear cashmere, camel, red dot lined bag is the center of attention almost every time i go out. there has been too much interest. too many inquiries. so i had to invest. thirty five dollars, to be exact. thirty five dollars worth of vintage suit coats. wool, plaid, tweed, herringbone and a bit of polyester all waiting to be transformed into big old bags. let the lining removal begin!

last night i had the pleasure of hanging out with a crafting genius in her crafting lair. i am not one to name drop but let's just say her name starts with crafta and ends with palooza. she rocks. i also had the pleasure of meeting her gorgeous family and one of her gorgeous friends. oh, and i got to adopt one of these lovely ladies. i am a lucky gal.

tonight my mama is going to hang with the boys while we hit the town with emily and a couple of our favorite perth pals. it has been a while. i don't expect to be in top form tomorrow. maybe just with it enough to rip out a coat lining or two. at least i hope so.

sorry and thanks...

lots of people have asked me questions about my crafty stuff, my recipes and other things here, through email, etsy and flickr. i have done my best to answer those questions but i fear that i have not done a very good job. that really bothers me. like, just a little while ago while making coffee i remembered that i didn't answer someone's question about whether or not the passport sleeve tutorial fits a US passport. (it does.)
i like all the extra attention. really, i do. i like selling my goods on etsy and i realize that more attention on my blog equals more sales. that's great but i just hope that i am not ignoring anyone. it means a lot to me that my internet ladies like my craft. you guys rock. i don't do a lot of commenting on other blogs and i usually don't respond to comments here unless the person commenting asks a question. i just don't have time. be sure that if you comment here that i click through to your blog for a peek at your lives and craft. that's the best part.
thanks.