Happy Campers

Camping. I like it. These little ones, though, they love it, and seem born to a life in the wilderness.  The dirt, the sunshine, the grub, the sleeping bags, the trees, the critters, the sounds.  It's only natural they love it at this point: they need only show up and have a grand time in great outdoors whilst all the prepping and planning duties rest on the shoulders of the grow ups.  Nevertheless, we bid a happy adieu to summertime with a quick family camp out in Swan Valley.

Tin foil dinners, check.

Tent, check.

S'mores, check.

Big stick, check.

Dirty little boys, check.

Midnight visit from a moose, check.

Happiness, check.

maybe next year

wish I'd noticed this  before now. it might have made it's way under the Christmas tree for a little athlete I know. it's very cool.  although I'm not sure Lacrosse has much of a following in Idaho.

super cool for boys. or maybe me.

I saw these over at Pioneer Woman during some holiday weekend tryptophane-induced blog-hopping.
Totally. Cool. Way beyond my little guys' current Lego skills, but just so cool.

  

sending a wire

There is something romantic and charming and marvelously old fashioned about telegrams.  What fun to learn (via my magazine) of TelegramStop, a service that will deliver a traditional telegram anywhere in the world for under $6.  Just the kind of thing the lucky recipient might tuck into a scrapbook, for nieces or grandmas or a far away special someone.

step ball change down memory lane

dancers in pink

degas

I took ballet lessons and tap dance lessons when I was a little girl. I loved them both. Eventually I was forced to choose between dancing and piano, though I  did well at both, and have sometimes regretted my choice [moderately manipulated by my parents] to keep the piano. I still have tap shoes, ballet shoes and my hot pink tu-tu. I can remember my recital, my first sequined white tu-tu, the tedious chore of letting my mother work my long slippery tresses into an immaculate bun, locked down like Fort Knox. I can still hear my teacher: "point. flex! point. flex!" I remember longing to be Clara in the Nutcracker, but never being quite old enough or tall enough.

One of my teachers, Miss Arlene, also owned the Ballet Les Jeunes studio. The basement housed the locker room: rows of slipper-pink cubes for stowing our shoes and leotards, thick lavender paint on the walls. Tap studio in the front, ballet studio at the rear. Miss Arlene seemed old to me then. A trim figure and a swath of short, bushy, pewter colored hair crowning her head. A black leotard and tights. She was brilliant and abrupt. She meant business in her high heeled mary jane tap shoes. And I loved it. And wished I could have high heeled tap shoes, too.

Next to the studio sat a darling, old, grey shake house that had been converted into a boutique. Filled with Nutcrackers, called the Nussnacker Haus. Miss Arlene owned this, too, and had curated a massive collection of all kinds of Nutcrackers into a cozy little shop. Sometimes my mother would take us into the shop to look--but never touch--after our lessons. So many pretty things.

Miss Arlene retired her dance shoes many years ago and moved away. But she took her Nutcracker obsession with her. Tonightt, Conan O'Brien welcomes Miss Arlene and her Nutcrackers to his show. I think it's totally cool, even if it's probably some kind of gimmick. I can say knew the nutcracker lady when...

for bibliophiles

so graphic t-shirts aren't exactly my favorite wardrobe item, but I think the tees from this shop are kinda cool, especially for those who want to express their bibliophilia on their chest. Many of them reference novels I don't care for, but these two, of course, caught my eye:

a nod to my childhood devotion to Nancy Drew books. 

an homage to beloved Miss Bennett and Mr. Darcy. 

halloween party

our fancy friends planned a sure-to-be-great halloween party for couples only, but a family tragedy meant canceling. thought i'd share the fabulous invitation with you nonetheless, as it is both clever and classy. great idea to require guests to bring the sack full of their favorite candy as their ticket into the party.

coby and ashlynn: we are thinking of you and sending good thoughts.

disneyland, more pictures

upper right: after splash mountain, totally sopping wet and drenched and rearin' to go again!
nanuk: wide-eyed bewilderment at every turn, in this case, during Monsters, Inc. but never any fear.

already they are asking to go back. me, too.

disneyland, in pics

a smattering of the fun times, including a meet-n-greet with a first sweetheart, shoulder-napping at Pirates of the Caribbean and meltdowns in the stroller. totally worth it, i say.  warning: many pictures to follow.

totally and absolutely certain he's going to get that sword out of that stone. the veins in his stubborn little neck were bulging.  I'm so happy we did this trip now, when everything is still magical to my little guys. 

m-i-c-k-e-y

we took a little trip this weekend. betcha can't guess where:

we had a grand time of it, hobnobbing with mickey and the gang, getting our kicks with pirates and princesses and a runaway railroad or two. and those fireworks? they get me every time. pineapple floats, ice cream cones, and a fantastic parade were just some of the highlights for me and for my three guys.

a bushel and a peck

a friend told me about a little apple orchard not far down the road, and we happily discovered it just in time for picking. a perfect way to spend a gloriously bright and warm october afternoon. trees so full of apples the branches touched the grass below, making it easy for my little ones to get in on the fun. notice the half-eaten apple in the little green bucket. now I've got a bushel or two (how many in a bushel anyway?) ready for applesauce-ing and pie filling. 

have your cake

I quite like these cake paintings by Paul Ferney and really wish my budget could accommodate one.

If I were in london

any time in the near future (sigh) I'd definitely make a stop at the Victoria and Albert Museum to enjoy the Grace Kelly exhibit. She's one of my favorites, and an inspiration.

in a pickle

extra happy to discover the latest issue in my mailbox upon my return. I have a little pickle fan in my family  so today we made our own batch of "quick pickles" per the magazine. just the right activity for this afternoon, and easy for Piglet to participate. Tomorrow we'll know if they are tasty or just pretty to look at.

***update: very tasty. and pretty to look at.

look! a big jet!

the blue angels are in town this week. I wasn't convinced the hype was credible until we stood in the backyard and watched them do practice runs over the neighborhood. wow. Mr. J drove Piglet out to the airfield for a closer look, Piglet jumping up and down and shrieking with glee all the while. The best part: his quest for excitement and jets has been satisfied without spending $40 for tickets, stiff necks and sunburns. And I learned something new about Mr. J: when he was twelve years old he wanted more than anything to become a naval aviator. Pretty sure Maverick had something to do with it.

tuning up

we are prepping for a lengthy road trip soon. that means a big fat checklist on the fridge. and on the checklist: gather favorite summer road tunes.  Seems like old and familiar songs are ideal for a long trip, but I'm taking recommendations for anything new and hip to shake things up a little. Good thing our little travelers like to be-bop in the back seat to just about anything. Some of our standbys:

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Indigo Girls

Beach Boys

Van Morrison

Glee

Country: Garth,  Dixie Chicks, Chris Ledoux, Lady Antebellum, Alison Kraus

Abba

Jack Johnson 

life in the fast lane

the weather has been dreary, and the natives have become restless. So despite the torrential rains, we trekked up the highway for an afternoon of bowling, complete with neon lights but without cigarette smoke. Suffice it to say, Piglet beat us all but we had a great time. It took me a bit to get mentally past the idea of sharing sweaty shoes and nasty bowling balls, but I did get past it. Nanuk was content to squeal "ball! ball!" and stuff his little face with snacks while his big brother dominated the bumpers.

back yard dreaming

Mr. J showed me this website the other day, following our discussion of "to get a swing set or not" for the boys. Wow.  The lack of pricing on the website is a sure sign that these are way, way,  way  beyond my budget. Fun to dream a little, anyway.

they sang as they walked and walked...

I don't tweet, and I don't have much pioneer ancestry, but I think this idea is absolutely cool:
 tweeting pioneer journal entries from 1847.

[image found here]

wee kitchens

I've been considering a play kitchen for my wee ones. It doesn't matter to me that they are boys; Piglet loves to help in the real kitchen. Not just any play kitchen will do though. I'm fond of this one at the moment. Pricier than I would like, but the looks and features are just right. Plus all those cool accessories that come with it are  none too girly.