39

Dear 39,

Well, we're off to a pretty amazing start. Don't fuck it up.

Love,
Liz

(Paradise Cove in Malibu)

Eight Years

Eight years ago today.

Eight years later. A little older. A little puffier. A lot more tired. Exponentially happier. Thanks for a better life than I ever could have imagined for myself, honey. I love you more than crafts.

July 5th

Woke up late, cleaned up the house (the number of spent sparklers & piles of confetti boggled the mind, honestly), bleached the shit out of the Deathwish Couch and ate hot dogs and Otter Pops for breakfast.

Then, a long, long family bike ride (I fell over once, but didn't actually fall off the bike so I'm calling it a win) followed by home made bottle rockets (instructions courtesy of Handy Dad).

Some days it just feels like Dandelion Wine up in here.

America! Fuck Yeah!

I know you'll never believe this, but we threw a party for the 4th of July! I know!

Our first order of business was to get some bunting done. I cut up some burlap I had taking up space in my fabric basket & asked the fellas to stamp it with some homemade stars (cut up kitchen sponges--resourceful, yo).


Then we got all kooky with the red paper lanterns.


See?


I don't even know what to say about these. Once I had the vision of the kids wearing them, I was physically unable to resist making them. I made these from little wooden discs from the craft store, some funny sayings on a red & white background I made in Word (high-tech!) and printed onto typing paper, and a grosgrain ribbon glued onto the back.


I also just glued on the pinbacks, and then covered the ugly splotch of glue with a piece of adhesive-backed felt. Because 4-year-olds are totes hung up on those kinds of details.


I enjoy my own sense of humor.


Probably more than is justified.


Yup. Sparkly wands (Wooden stars glued onto dowels, decorated with foam stickers & red, white & blue ribbons. Also, bells. I should just stop talking now.)


Except I can't. Because: TUTUS! COME ON! Each little girl got one to wear at the party & take home.


Let's take a minute to stop thinking about how nuts I am and just admire this child. Isn't he pretty? Yes, yes he is.


Here is Captain America, striking a reassuring pose.


Here he is with Undersecretary America. Don't you just feel safer knowing they're out there, protecting our great nation?


Dance break.


Here's the table before all the food came & ruined my table scape. See that jar with the peaches floating in it? That is white peach sangria in there. White peach sangria tastes like heaven but that shit will Fuck. You. Up. Here's how to make it:

4 bottles white wine
1/2 bottle vodka
1 container concentrated lemonade
1/2 c. sugar
6 peaches, pitted & sliced.

Combine everything, let sit in the fridge overnight, drink slowly and with lots of food. Seriously. Don't leave out the part about the food or they'll have to scrape you off the floor.


Slip 'n Slide!


Children! Eating Otter Pops! On the Deathwish Couch! The Sangria helped me deal!


We ended the night plopped down in the driveway, watching fireworks that were happening somewhere far away but close enough to be exciting for the littles.


It was a beautiful way to spend the 4th of July. Surrounded by old friends and new, kids and grandparents. Burgers and dogs. Counting our blessings until we ran out of fingers & toes.


God Bless America, friends. And you & yours, too.

Decor

We got a new slipcover for our couch! It's white! Because I'm insane! I call it the Deathwish Couch!

Anywayzz, as any nutbag homemaker knows, a new couch requires new cushions because what kind of animal would leave grimy old cushions on a sparkling new couch? Not the kind that lives in my house (well, probably every other being who lives in my house would have been perfectly content with the old cushions, but because I am the keeper of the sewing machine I get to decide. I'm the decider.) Is this post starting to sound a little manic?

Oh! Hello you little bit of gorgeous softness and light! I crocheted you from wool and you are my very first granny square pillow. I think you might be my very favorite thing.


Although I may have to have a little torrid affair with you. I'm drawn to your morbid humor and sense of color. I mean, it probably won't last, but we could have a fun Summer, couldn't we?


Pirate face!

Fin

(Okay, not total fin. I want to note here that we have an Ikea Ekeskog couch that has been discontinued. I didn't want to pay to have a custom slipcover made, so we rolled the dice on a Hovas cover. It's a wee bit loose, but I'm 99% sure it'll shrink up a bit in the wash. I like it looking kinda rumply, anyway. So if you are in our same Ekeskog boat, give the Hovas cover a try. Servicy, yo!)

Okay, now:

Fin

Wizard

Josh & Dash had a little adventure in wizardry yesterday (oh those boys do have fun, don't they?)

Take one Wizard-in-Training


Add one volcano filled with magic (and baking soda)


Cast a spell (also: add vinegar)


And viola!


Fucking Voldemort

Ma Kettle

Ma's been puttin' up her pickles & jam. Also baking bread. I concede all of my former hipster cred.

The bread & butter pickle recipe is (very slightly) adapted from Smitten Kitchen. The coriander lends them a remarkable freshness. They're also much less sweet than every other bread & butter pickle I've ever tasted. I find them incredibly delicious (if I may say so myself).

1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

2 lbs. Persian cucumbers, sliced 1/4"
1 sweet onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup Kosher salt
mix together & cover with ice for 2 hours at room temperature

combine spices with 1 cup distilled white vinegar & bring to a boil
drain cucumbers & onion mixture & add to the pot
return nearly to a boil
remove from heat & allow to cool
jar 'em up & store in fridge up to 3 weeks

The jam is from the batch we made when we went picking & the bread is the Dutch oven method from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. (Preheat the dutch oven for 20 mins at 500. Then add the shaped, rested, floured & slashed dough on parchment to the pot. Bake with lid on at 500 for 15 minutes. Then remove the lid, lower temp to 450 and bake for about another 15-20 minutes).