cars and trucks

a grainy little portrait for today. i took this prior to his new haircut. im good at getting the back right but i still cant quite get the bangs to cooperate. i ended up to short again so he looks like a little friar.

eliot doesnt latch onto the stuffed animals as much as he used to anymore. he has moved onto trucks and cars pretty much full time. yesterday he took everything he owned with wheels and lined them all up on his bookcase. he kept exclaiming 'look a mall!" translation-look at them all! i now have to nurse jeeps and trains instead of cuddly lions and bears.

i tried my first recipe from the bread book i bought. i made crackers. they came out nicely although i could have rolled them thinner and cooked them a tad longer. armed with that knowledge the next batch will be spectacular. i want to get some interesting spices and maybe try them with whole wheat or a mix of other flours. i ordered a kitchen aid mixer, i cant wait for it to come! i have been having a good time in the kitchen lately and i keep thinking that someday when i have more than 3 feet of counter space and a stove that functions properly i will be able to put together some good dinner parties.

the fair

there are two big fairs going on in maine this weekend, the cumberland fair and the common ground fair. they both are quite different although i think ultimately have the same goals in mind. at the cumberland fair you will find tractor pulls, 4h clubs and fried dough. at the common ground fair you will find drum circles, composting toilets and and amazing array of information about sustainable and organic farming. we chose the cumberland fair this year because of its close proximity to town and i like how accessible the animals are there. i grew up in cumberland too so it is a little bit sentimental for me. i do wish we could make it to both.

many beautiful cows, sheep, goats you name it. eliot was particularly enamored with the angora rabbits and, of course, the tractors. by the time we were ready to leave the tractor area was wall to wall with little toddling boys, they are boy magnets.

the draft horses are so gigantic. despite their size they seem much more mellow than the smaller varieties. watching them work is really impressive. we also saw the canadian mounted police line up for their demonstration with at least 30 riders in full gear.

kevin has a way with pigs. they were all taking a nap until he went in and started oinking. this one was very curious.
and the chickens. the varieties are endless and all fascinating. i just love being around all of these animals it really makes me happy. i think im in the wrong profession! i should have been a farmer. if i can think of a way to be a farmer in portland i will gladly share it here.

with a bang

i was going to title this post 'poop' but i decided against it since i have been away for a while. i will go into that in a moment. i have had a nice hiatus from doing anything majorly electronic outside of work. unfortunately, we haven't been on a honeymoon..i would like to report about palm trees and long naps but it has pretty much been wedding recovery/same ol.

i think i will do a recap in a bulleted list of lots of topics i have been thinking about blogging but haven't so i can clear my mind:

• eliot pooped on the potty for the first time today! he sat on it to pee yesterday twice and seems to be pretty open to suggestion about it. im sure that will be an ongoing post subject.
• watching the giant cruise ships go in and out of the harbor.
• finished animal vegetable mineral and loved every sentence of it. i have since bought 3 more books about various whole food endeavors including home cheese making, bread making and preserving food.
• the weather and cooking has changed. lots of soups (butternut squash was a hit), porridge and apple based deserts.
  
• speaking of the weather it's COLD out! first frost last night inland and somewhere in the neighborhood of the low 60's all day today. I've pulled out the scarfs at least.
  
• and more weather related news my dad, who lives in houston, is still without power and safe drinking water! he is camping in his house, not much fun.
• doing a lot of dreaming about farms or houses with enough land for a garden and maybe a chicken coop.
• going to the cumberland fair this sunday.
• married life is good : )
• i am up to letter F on my quilt... the baby was born so i need to hurry up!
  
• glasses...that has been ongoing too. i received my new pair of long range glasses, had them tweak them and they broke at the dr's office.. at least that wasn't my fault. then.. they got another pair and broke them too
  
• im sure i am missing something...but, whatever it is im sure it will be fodder for another post.
  

the dress

this is about the best picture showing the dress that i have so far. tea length with the puffy skirt peeping out the bottom. there is a bow on the back that you cant see here. i had my hair in braids tied up on the sides with big clips. it stood up nicely while running around after kids and eating a lobster dinner.

one cute story i havent told yet.. my little 2nd cousin zach, who is eight, was looking for a job to do at the wedding. he was trying to decide if he should be the game coordinator or the ring barrier. my cousin asked him what he felt the responsibilities of a ring barrier might be and he replied 'well, i guess i'll have to bury some rings'. very sweet.

i sucked it up and bought some glasses yesterday. my first pair of prescription sunglasses will be arriving in about a week along with the new regular pair. i havent yet been able to stomach clip ons or bifocals.

my creative energy is coming back now, too. i think im going to improve the sidebar with my creative to do lists and things i want to learn so that if anyone wanders by and has any thoughts they can add them. im also up to the letter E in my quilt.. ill post about that soon too.