oliver jeffers

Oliver Jeffers Author Film 2013 from Oliver Jeffers on Vimeo.

I am a big fan of Oliver Jeffers- he is responsible for a large percentage of the nighttime reading giggles around here. My favorite book of his is probably The Incredible Book Eating Boy, but my kids would most likely choose This Moose Belongs to Me. Lost and Found  is a sweet and funny way to end any day, so that is favorite as well. 

I found this little film to be as charming as his picture books.

Film courtesy of vimeo

arnold palmers

My favorite warm weather drink is an Arnold Palmer, or Half and Half as some call it, and I think this weekend hitting 70 degrees calls for the first batch of the season. The drink is simply a mixture of iced tea and lemonade and you can alter the sweetness to your liking.

This recipe from the Food Network is a good one:

Ingredients

4 English breakfast tea bags
1 tea kettle filled with boiling water
1 cup Simple Syrup*
1 cup lemon juice
1 lemon, zest
2 cups ice cubes

Directions

Tie the tea bags together attach to the handle of a large pitcher. Pour the hot water over the tea bags and into the pitcher. Set aside to steep for 5 minutes.

Lemonade:

To a blender, add the Simple Syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest and ice cubes and pulse to puree. Place the mixture into the freezer until the tea has finished steeping.

Add ice cubes to a large glass and top with the tea. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the "lemonade" into the glass.
 

*Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Add the sugar and water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.

Image: eatdrinklove

powder blue

Powder blue is calming, but still has a vibrancy. It is regal and comfortable somehow. I have it absolutely nowhere in my home, but I definitely wish I did... 

 Images: houzz, homeinteriordesign, indulgy, thelovelymrs, 

thedesignfairy, casahaus

mother's day lunch

I am having a Mother's Day lunch for my mum. That is all I know- the menu, the decorations, indoors or outside....still a mystery. I am getting too many good ideas for a single luncheon from the blogging/ pinning world.... I guess I know that, too.

 

Images: Pinterest , HGTV,  strandedincleveland , Pinterest, Pinterest, lover.ly, inspiredbycharm

Earth Day 2013

 

Happy Earth Day! 

If you are like me, then you feel guilty when Earth Day rolls around, wondering if there is anything more you could do -beyond efforts in household recycling and conservation- to mark the now 43 year old celebration of our planet...

 I have found a project for next year. I am thinking the Earth Day Groceries Project might be the perfect thing for our elementary school to get involved in- it would be a great way to get the kids talking about Earth Day and an easy way to spread awareness throughout the community!

Images: foodem

daffodil + hyacinth

They are perfect together, aren't they? An undisputed ideal couple. I am seeing them everywhere now and it is like sun and blue skies growing at our feet.

 Images: Pinterest, hdwallpapers, vwgarden nestandsparkle, Pinterest

2013 Children's Book Week

In just under a month, May 13th-19th, it will be the celebration of the 94th Annual Children's Book Week. If you visit the official site you will be able to find event listings, the digital toolkit, a chance to vote in the Children's Book Choice Awards and how to order a poster or print the bookmark featured above.

In other words, click on over and check it all out!

Image: bookweekonline

turning art

Described as the Netflix of the art world, TurningArt is really an opportunity to enjoy all sorts of artwork in your home. As we all know,  art for the home is not only personal...it is darn expensive in most cases. Plus, how often do you look at the painting/drawing/photography on your walls and wonder how something else might work in that space?

TurningArt has created a way for folks to obtain art for their home, changing it up as frequently as their taste changes, for a monthly fee. It sounds odd, but when you think about it- how fun to change the feel of a room whenever it pleases you. They send a frame and when you locate a piece of art you are interested in - you request it. It hangs in your home for as long as you like -and then you can request another to switch it out. Genius!

Image:  thepaintbar

a really good white pizza

For some time now I have been a fan of the recipes in Real Simple and this one for a White Pizza with Artichokes, Rosemary, and Olives is delicious and so simple. Try it- you will see sauceless pizza in a whole new light!

Recipe and image courtesy of Real Simple.

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons  olive oil
• all-purpose flour, for the work surface
• 1  pound  pizza dough, at room temperature
• 8  ounces  ricotta
• 8  ounces  marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1/3  cup  pitted green olives, halved
• 1/2  small  red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
• 1  tablespoon  fresh rosemary leaves
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4  cups  mixed greens (about 3 ounces)
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425° F. Brush 2 large baking sheets with 2 tablespoons of the oil. On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into four 8-inch rounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets.
2. Dividing evenly, top the dough rounds with the ricotta, artichokes, olives, onion, Parmesan, rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
3. Bake the pizzas, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the crust is golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the greens with the lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve the pizzas with the salad.

makerspaces

Libraries are community hubs, a place for gathering as much as they are a space for housing books. In just the past couple of years it seems the idea of libraries being home to spaces set aside specifically for creating is catching on and speedily spreading. It is the development of the "makerspace". Whether it be craftsmen/women of similar artistic endeavors, children armed with their Legos and imaginations or tech enthusiasts engineering their latest projects- these groups have a space to gather and utilize to create.

Sometimes the spaces are called labs and contain equipment and tools otherwise unavailable to patrons, but often they are rooms dedicated to hosting a writing group or knitting circle. The important aspects of a makerspace in the library is that it is a place of creativity and collaboration. Check your local library's newsletter or website and see if they are part of the trend toward makerspaces. Also, this post on The Unquiet Librarian blog has links to much more information about makerspaces and their creation and some generally fantastic ideas about how they tie into participatory learning.

Image: danwoog via google

apricot

 

Apricot is spring. I love the color (even if seasonal color analysis dictates I can not wear it) and if I had to think of a hue for April- this would be it. It is fresh and soft and just awfully pretty.....

 

 Images: kimriddlephotography, etsy, jennyroebuck, wychcross, etsy, jardins-sans-secret

season 6

 

Season 6 of AMC's Mad Men premieres tomorrow - I feel as though the viewing masses are atwitter and I count myself among them. This past week in The Boston Globe, critic Matthew Gilbert was already singing the praises of a previewed season opener: 

"The writing of the episode, by show creator Matthew Weiner, is among the very best to be found on TV. Weiner writes like an accomplished stage dramatist, with faceted dialogue that is simultaneously simple, profound, allusive, and revelatory of character. There are countless lines that resonate in the premiere, including tossed-off comments such as when a portrait photographer tells Don “I want you to be yourself.” As if TV’s most identity-confused character could easily do that. And there are canny symbols all over the episode — a cigarette lighter, given to Don by the soldier, an ad for a Hawaiian resort, a violin — whose meanings subtly creep up on you, even after the credits roll." -Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe April 4, 2013

Can. not. wait.

Image: The Week

.

early spring

 

Image: Grandma's Dreams



Makers: Women Who Make America

Watch MAKERS: Women Who Make America on PBS. See more from Makers: Women Who Make America.



 

The other night I came across the second half of this three-hour documentary. It was really quite amazing. I feel as though everyone should watch it. In trying to find out more about it, I went to the site on pbs.org and found there was even more of value there- including an incredibly detailed page for educators. I was so happy to see the lesson plans and activities because it is the type of program that brings forth information, history, questions and reflection- an ideal educational tool.

 

video courtesy of pbs.org