Lot's-a-dough

It's been rainy here today, so Gus & I decided (by Momma-majority vote) to embark on making playdough.
We're hosting a play date this afternoon and are looking for something fun to do indoors.

Now, I'm aware that most Mommas can rattle off a playdough recipe without much thinking, but since I'm not one of them and had to look it up - gasp - in a book, I thought it might come in handy for someone else if I snap away and take notes, while I concoct away.

The reipe I found recommended to use 3 cups of flour per color, but that seemed excessive (unless you're aiming to give your kid enough to cast and coat the entire living room) so I scaled it down and added more color. This makes about a cup and one half of playdough per color (more than enough to make two sets of colors). The entire undertaking took me a little under 30 minutes including washing up.
All in all I spent about $5 on all the ingredients.

Playdough:

- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of salt
- 2 Tablespoons of Cream of Tartar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 Tablespoon of oil
- 10 drops of food coloring (or leave it a natural beige)

Mix the first three ingredients in a small sauce pan, turn on the stove to medium heat, and add the next four ingredients and stir until mixture pulls away from side of pan (about 3-5 minutes) cool the clump and knead it, once it has cooled. Portion off into air-tight containers. Will dry hard (and fade a bit) if left out.

Gus does quality control after the kneading...

Voila! The finished product. Could be a nice party favor or thank-you gift for a little, creative soul. Or package it with a colorful placemat and a couple of cookie cutters as a birthday present.

OK, gotta go. Gus wants a "copter" (Helicopter) made out of playdough...wish me luck

Babies, babies...

Just when knitting time is increasingly trickier to come by, friends and family conspire against me and continue to make adorable new babes to populate this world - I'm kidding, of course, continue on with whatever you are doing my friends and family, somehow I will keep up more or less. This latest creation was especially fun to make, because it is an unusual, not-so-pastelly color (my yarn shop lady has been nothing but receptive to my cries for more "edgy" baby wool). I hope the baby girl it is meant for will feel edgy in a good way.

Knitting is still sanity in its repetitiveness to me. One stitch at a time, no shortcuts, no cheating, every mistake shows but also adds character. Wonderfully brainless yet highly kinestetic, it keeps me from feeling too idle, yet doesn't make me feel overwhelmed ever.

Well, just thought I'd get you all to think of fall and winter, now back to watering my tomato plants.

Questionable judgement

Oh, Look! It's the Moto Guzzi coming up our street...I wonder who is out riding on this beautiful, sunny Sunday?

I haven't had time to research the legalities (Jacob couldn't wait for that), but look Gus is wearing a (badly-fitting) helmet...so what if we're not the most responsible parents around, we are definitely fun...if you ask a nearly two-year-old...not sure what our excuse is if we get stopped by a police officer...

Yup there they go and part of my belly flutters after them, just breathe...they are not going far...

Beach & babes

Every Friday this summer an ever-growing group of Mommas with young children get together and hike to a great spot in Dupont State Forest. There we lay out a tot-friendly all-you-can-eat buffet, strip down to our pregnancy-stretch marks-whatever swimsuits and bikinis, slather our kids in sunscreen and laugh and splash and give thanks for living in such a stunning natural environment...

Friday mornings are a highlight of my (now work-free) week...(and yes, I need to work on my Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition pose...but Gus couldn't be interrupted swimming...so I stood there with two arms dangling...thanks, Heather for bringing your camera and perfectly capturing the moment...

A few of my favorite things ...

Not only did we play, rest, eat and laugh to our hearts' desires, we also got loaded down - as always - to bring some of the farm's finest home to Brevard. Today I got busy with all the bags of tomatos, blueberries, green beans, squash, peaches etc.

We'll be eating good here for a while...

Look, Cindy, I planted the two blueberry bushes with all your suggestions in mind ... I'll take good care of them, I can't wait for my own handful of harvest next year!

Thank you for a memorable time on the farm, you are simply wonderful to us!

Glorious days...

By Friday, as Momma lolligagged on the couch, watching bad TV, or ankered herself down firmly on the lawn furniture to finish her third novel for the week (what a luxury!) Gus and Pap entertained guests, such as Charlie, who at 3, is Gus' idol, because he can ride a tricycle and do many other things...they had a great time goofing off with Pap in the barn...

Granna and Pap also welcomed a new addition to the farm...the calf staggered up to the barn on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon was in close pursuit behind its Momma...aren't they both just so adorable?

On Sunday, we broke down and gave RD his birthday present (Pap's birthday is really Tuesday) He seemed to appreciate our handiwork with contact paper and stickers on his new fishing rod case ...

It goes without saying that we will miss Granna and Pap very much - or as much as a two-year-old is capable - I for one, for sure will miss Pap's creative book readings brought on by small print and inaccessible reading glasses). I adored the version of Jonah with the French Baguette and the girlfriend, the whale never saw it coming!

Laying low

I have caught a summer cold and am sneezing and wheezing in the beautiful Alabama sun, appreciating the A/C and just generally trying to stay low. Gus continues to fully enjoy his stay here on the farm and has been working up quite an appetite every day, so much so that even my haphazard snack was much cause for smacking and chowing noisily Friday afternoon.

Easy rider ...

No words necessary ... round and round he goes... until we run out of gas ...

Not too cool for the pool ...

Wednesday afternoon, we got to use the neighbor's beautiful backyard pool and Gus made the most of all the pool toys Pap purchased the day before ...

This, no doubt, will make Gus' Daddy proud ... Gus did go off the slide twice, but then decided he didn't like it ... so he moved on to the diving board ... where he briefly posed to make fun of Pap's headgear ...

He didn't hesistate nor try to minimize the distance into the water ... he just walked to the end and jumped as far as he could ... then repeated it over and over ... needless to say we all slept good last night ...

On the farm ... Day Two

My future beef supply looks me straight in the eye ... as I fiddle with my camera ... isn't she beautiful in her stoic curiosity?

Gus makes a quick friend in Princess, the resident donkey and protector of the cows. She was unusually friendly, partly because Gus doesn't mind her nibbling on the bill of his hat ...

Tatahhh! Paps's tractor! Finally! The reason we made this trip! Gus was so excited he stuttered and shrieked the words "tractor, tractor" over and over ... we're going to spend a lot of quality time at the barn ... I already have me reading chair staked out ...

We also had lunch with Meme, Gus' great-grandmother, and his Great-Uncle, Tim, who took Gus for a ride on the lawnmower ("Tractor, Tractor") Gus was so delighted, he would have stayed on to mow all of Meme's lawn ...

To the farm...

Monday, Gus and I spent 7.5 hours making the journey from Brevard, North Carolina, to Locust Fork, Alabama, where we'll spend a week frolicking on the farm ... along the way we spotted this backhoe sitting at a new subdivision right off the highway near Atlanta, and we couldn't resist ... instead of eating our lunch at a scenic rest stop or an air-conditioned Cracker Barrel, I lunched at the curb, while Gus climbed all over this yellow beast ...

He finally deigned to take a few bites of a PB&J and a handful of grapes ... in between sitting on the tire and lovingly running his hands all over the greasy stick shifters ...

He hollered at every car and truck driving by and broke into shrieks when an airplane flew overhead ... I don't think McDonald's playground could have made him this happy ... the supervisor from the grading crew stopped by and I feared a talking-to, instead he offered to take Gus for a ride, but I declined (I know, I'm no fun) fearing that we'd have to buy a lot there and live out our natural lives at Jefferson Centre Pointe, if it got any better for Gus ... he was surprisingly docile when I strapped him back into the seat, although he waved his little heart out as the backhoe got smaller in the rearview mirror ...

Red, white & blue

In celebration of my - still new - home country, we spent the weekend in color-coordinated revery...

We all had fun...

I saw this girl and thought she and Gus looked like a photo spread for Baby Crocs together...

"Bye, bye Miss American Pie..."