Brandi Graves

Sugar, Slime, and Bones... oh MY!

Can you guess what we're up to here???? - Yes, birthday time again, ... and for dear Henry, my oooh-so-big-5-year-old, - chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting (gluten-free, vegan... of course).  Much to-do was made of the cupcake-making-event, and upon our first taste a round of cheers went out in celebration of our new Babycakes cookbook (we love! we love!).

Henry's dream birthday was a "science party" - an obvious choice for one who fashions himself a great, up-and-coming scientist (though really, I believe the title 'naturalist' is much better suited to my young - bone and bug-obsessed explorer of the world).  After much talk - about brains, and bones, and stars and things... - we settled on topping the tiny cakes with dinosaur gummies, chocolate rocks, and little candy bones - oh goodness.

And, then, .... what would a true science birthday party be without a few big tubs of SLIME??!!  SO easy, so easy.. just borax, water, food coloring and glue.  But OOOOh, what fun.  And THEN...

...Best. Gift. Ever.  Needless-to-say, I was SOOOO pleased with myself. A few weeks prior, I found this coyote skull at our little Petaluma Antique Fair, and kept it stowed away, anxiously awaiting the big day.  SO worth it.

Now, then... What to give the mini-scientist-assembly???  Magnifying glasses, of course.  "REAL" magnifying glasses, to be precise (thank you Mammy and Nancy). Henry made sure to announce their very genuine-quality to each friend while handing them out ("Life-Size" and "Water-Proof" are my boy's most coveted-toy-essentials, - so you can imagine how proud this five year old was, handing out these REAL LIFE magnifiers.

Oh, good days... and big boys.

Campers Always Welcome...

Ok, so the lamps are a little unbalanced, and the pillows on the bed aren't quite what I wish for, - but look! - our very own guest cabin!  And all it took (ha!) was a gallon of ORANGE CONCENTRATE deck paint for the floor, the purchase of a queen bed, and a LOT of sorting.

As part of my big, big summer organization push, I wanted to re-purpose this little, random building into a guest room for all our out of town visitors.  Our house is teeny, AND we are lucky.... with lots of family and friends always skipping in and out of our home for short, and long periods.  Fortunately, we were able to function this great solution, to give everyone a little space and solitude.

Can you read that little sign by the bed?  Campers always Welcome.... it was, really, the inspiration for the whole room.  A couple weeks ago, we went camping at a little KOA nearby, where I picked up this postcard - the perfect starting point for converting this little building (a tiny, clunky wee space, randomly plunked next to our pump house - which Danny re-roofed, painted and sheet-rocked a couple years ago... only to sit as a sad, cluttered, storage space - no vision... no real purpose).

OOOOH, but not so sad anymore! - Yes, there are a few inconvenient little issues with the space (no bathroom, - and again, - those chompin' cattle just outside the window) - but it is cozy, and comfy, and there is a big flashlight sitting right by the door, - just in case.

So why, oh-why, do I feel these little, 'accomplished' rooms to be so... precious? ... Of a small outdoor space for my boys to be free of restriction - of one corner of an open shed that I will call my own, .... of, even, the spontaneous plan for a green wall in our little living space?.... it is the realization, really, that we already have exactly what we need.  It is maybe a small thought, or an obvious one I should have already fully accepted... but it is a revived understanding for me, - that it is all here.  In the tiny moments at home, ... slipping morning shadows on the wall, ... babies jumping into bed, ... a lesson from my 4 year old that you can make ANYTHING you could ever choose.... with just a little yarn and Scotch tape.

These new spaces of mine are not really new... the things inside of them are re-purposed and repainted... simply re-figured.  They are, really, then - a matter of renewed appreciation, and because of this, I think they are somehow more truly, and graciously subtle - reflections of ... US, - of us in our small steps, our missteps, ...  in each step.

Ooooooh, Progress!

Remember just a few weeks ago.... my charge to go and make an art nook, - yes, ... yes,... YES, - it is proving to be truly fantastic, - a HUGE hit with the man cubs...

Wellllllll, if you would just turn your heads a little to the right..... I am very, very happy to introduce: My VERY OWN art nook!!

With the leaky roof of this old out-building finally fixed, and a huge summer organization job underway, - I was determined to make a space for myself - next to my boys.  Before I knew it (maybe it was all the bouncing and begging) my sweet, sweet Danny offered to cover the exposed old boards of this little corner of the building for me (managing to squeeze it in just before leaving for 6 weeks of work away - thank-you-oooooh-so-much-my-love).

WELL, - inspired, - determined, - crazy, - call it what you will, - but at 2:30 in the afternoon, I finished pulling all my "STUFF" together, - and - oh my, oh my... - A room of MY own.

See... that's looking out of my little studio, just feet away from my babies.  

Now, before I get too carried away, let me be honest:  This space has no temperature control, lots-a-spiders still confused by all the ruckus, afternoon Angus chompin' on the grass outside my window, and - yes, - I did have to hide away a box or two of D-Con for those very unwelcome visitors (it IS in the middle of a field, with no foundation, truth be told).  But, all said, I think it is going to be GREAT... for my family, and for myself.

... and PLANS, - I've got big plans... Sunday afternoons with my boys and their paint brushes, their daddy close by at his work bench, ... and myself, humming peacefully, in my very organized creative space (well, a girl can dream, right?).

We've decided to name this old shed something truly terrific:  The Art Barn.  I can't wait to see what becomes of it all.  Until then, just getting organized is satisfaction enough :)

Birthdays, Beaches, Parades, and Grey Skies... A North Bay Summer.

Yes, that's July in the North Bay.  With family in town, a party in the works, and beaches nearby, it promised to be a lovely week of play.  But my dearest old friend, the summer sun, refused to attend. It was, in fact, frigid.  Well.... frigid - I'll admit, may be a stretch of the word, - but to this desert-valley-girl, frigid it seemed.

Still, - the gluten-free cake was a success, and dear friends and family brought warmth and laughter to the cold Sonoma air.  Happy Birthday, my little Joey.

... Oooh, the ocean.  The ocean, the beach, the dunes, the waves... these are the things that seem to stand alone.  I don't even need the sun to be here to love them, - yes, - I said it... I don't even need the sun here.  It reminds me of my daddy, - of camping, of early morning walks, and big night bonfires. And I'm pretty confident my boys feel the same, - there's no absence, - there's only Big 'Ol Life.

... And back to Penngrove.  The weather didn't even think about warming up for the parade, - so, still, - we bundled up and cheered on our townsfolk.  Nope, this summer is not bad at all. 

Go and make an art nook.

I've had this vague plan of late, - to set up a little station for the boys outside, - permanently installed and ready-made to paint, make, ... create.  

Our house is teeny-tiny, and our mud-room (art storage central) is usually just plain overwhelmed with all sorts of coats, and shoes, and projects-in-progress... hats, laundry... baseball bats, - while our dining room table (art project central) is usually being used for 10,000 other things - bills, or lunch, or sewing, sorting... stacking, - you know how it goes.

So - with just 3 cups of early morning coffee... and the hope of expanding our usable home space, I set about yesterday morning - carving out a little nook.  

You see, we have this outside 'shop', - just waiting to be cleaned up.  I'm not quite sure why we call it the 'shop' - it's an old out-building at the back of our property - not quite garage, not quite barn, - that stores all our home improvement junk - and is in a constant state of repair, clutter, cobwebs and dust.

The boys were thrilled with the idea, - even little Joe, - and were happy to pitch in sweeping and shoving, and inspecting loads of disrupted spiders.

Everything we assembled we already had around the house or yard - nothing too precious to risk paint splatter, gusts of wind, or a sometimes-leaky roof.  The project, as a whole, turned out to be practical, accessible, and entirely functional... and, as a reasonably small job my little ones could claim as their own - it was utterly satisfying, giving a great sense of accomplishment to my two little workers.

Within just a few hours, those boys, - lovely boys, - jammies, converse, aprons and all... were deep in process.

Ooooh, to hold on to these happy, perfect mornings.

Perfect travel backpacks...

In a flurry to get ready for a week long road trip down the central California coast, I pulled together these little backpacks the night before we left.  We were to be gone for a total of 7 days, and only staying 1 night in each place, so getting things organized before we left was essential (a packing lesson I am, surely, getting better at ... thank God).  

Keeping in mind our daily adventures,-the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Monterey Bay Aquarium to name just two, - I wanted the boys (Henry is 4 1/2 and Joe is almost 2) - to have something they could easily take with them, and small enough to stash in the stroller.

The pattern comes from Living Crafts Magazine (Summer '08), and is really very easy. The fabric was something I had on hand, as were the little initial iron-ons... the only thing I bought was the little bit of rope I used for the straps, and this I got just before closing at Orchard Supply Hardware, just minutes from my house.

I also made a small inside pouch for each of the bags... to hold the little things, or to be stashed individually in mama's big bag to occupy little hands while eating out.

Essentials for boys on the road:  

Henry:

water bottle

pencil roll

sketch pad

room for all the rocks and feathers and misc. collections found along the way

Joe:

water bottle

misc. riders (animals, little people, etc.)

... and objects to ride on (boat, horse, matchbox cars, etc.)

The backpacks? - they liked them, - of course, - and were truly useful along the way... but most exciting? - the little baggie of candy I stuck in each one, - a wink to my daddy, who very specifically, understood the word "vacation" to be also, synonymous, with - indulging your sweet tooth.  And oooooh, how I agree.

Back from vacation, back to mulling about...

That living room wall.  About a year and a half ago, I painted the wall against the fire place an eggshell blue color.  I never liked it.  I mulled, and I talked... I splashed on sample paint colors... yellow?... grey?... orange?... Nothing seemed right.  

So, fresh from a nice little California coast vacation (more on that later) - I returned energized, and woke up yesterday morning with one singular and seemingly obvious mission:  SHAMROCK GREEN.

Since my boys wake up at the crack of dawn, and home improvement stores are also early-bird-open, - I was able to select, purchase, and begin the initial green once-over all before the clock struck 9am.

Henry was inspired by the color - or maybe more by my bold and spontaneous action - sorting through his bins of crayons, and markers, and chalk, and paints, like my own little Picasso in the Barcelona sun, to find just the right palette for his latest project, - keeping him busy while I painted like a mad-woman.  Joe wasn't as easily distracted, - but I powered through, and am thrilled to report it was finished right before bedtime. 

So, - I pause now to reflect... is it crazy, - or just the thing we needed to add a little life to that room? Just what we needed, I think.  I think... I think?

Of clean curtains and camping pants...

Yes, - it IS a great success.  After almost 5 years, I finally pulled down all the curtains, washed... and even ironed them.  Are you so proud, now, mommy?!  Would you believe I even washed the windows?  A monumental task, - but oooooh so gratifying.

And, yes, too... I finished the little pants I began a couple of days ago.  All told: 10 pairs.  Now, if only I could get to that packing.... oh, dread.

Mom and boy in perfect harmony...

So I woke up yesterday morning with just a few days to plan and pack for a week long road trip down to Santa Barbara, - but rather than ... um.... say, ... packing, or laundry, or grocery shopping, - I was OVERCOME with the urge to make camping pants.  

I'd been stashing away some cute little fabrics for a couple months or so - and had collected a pretty good basket (which, I must say, was not necessarily easy considering how hard it is to find cute boy fabric, at my sale point - rarely more than $3/yard).

So, out comes the machine, out comes the fabric, and, needless-to-say, - Henry was swiftly, and also, OVERCOME - with the urge to create.  Within seconds he was working madly, concocting BIG plans to make an:

"Awesome Gear Pack".

After a flurry of fabric choices flying through the air, and a couple rough sketches of gear bag sizing (big enough for a water bottle, a knife and a flashlight), - the project was ON.  Fortunately Joe was busy filling up his pajama pants with matchbox cars, and didn't really care about all the exclusive attention his "bigbruuudaa" was receiving.

And, yes - Henry was thrilled to incorporate "machinery"  into his project,- captaining his maiden voyage on the sewing machine with quite the steady hand.  The wobbly cutting job and semi-miscalculated 4-year old pattern, however, did necessitate a few rounds with the seam-ripper, - but overall, the job evolved very smoothly.

I can't say I finished all the pants I had planned (maybe tomorrow?) - but Henry felt justifiably satisfied with his accomplishments... I mean, seriously, - check out this truly AWESOME gear bag.

Freedom

Who doesn't smile - even just a bit, - when seeing a crazy, wild, man-cub, growing all full of himself, and running around the yard barefoot and shirtless in the hot summer sun?  I can't even imagine.

Henry will be 5 at the end of the summer, - and his sweaty-head-turmoils have finally made way for: 

The Summer Buzz-Cut.  

OOOOOh, how I longed for this then-boy exclusive shear when I was a girl sitting at my Grammy's kitchen table... suffering... - not at all in silence - while she pulled, and tugged, and yanked on my long unruly waves, bending them to her will into two tighter-than-a-tightrope french braids.  

So, my boy - run, and climb, and jump, and holler.  Summer is here at last - be free.