9flights

Gâteau au Yaourt à la Framboise 2010

This is the 3rd Annual Gâteau au Yaourt à la Framboise I have made with the small wild raspberries that grow at the edges of our woods.  The twins helped pour the ingredients into the bowls, stir, and also expertly sprinkle (smoosh) the raspberries into the layers of batter.

When we first moved here we were delighted to learn what the bramble of arching vines were once they bloomed and ripened. Today we picked the raspberries in the rain.  As I recall, we have picked them in the rain for the past three years, and I have never been able to get a really good sunlit shot of them on the vine, or us picking them.

Last year's cake was made for a neighborhood picnic (and it was a huge hit!) and I forgot how long it took to bake, so I didn't get a photo of it. This is a photo of the blueberry cake I made the next day with blueberries from our local orchard. I made this while watching "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg." It was a very rainy summer last year.

This was the first gâteau, that first summer, when the twins were just learning to walk and I didn't yet know I was pregnant with Zoe.

Ever since that first cake, I had been thinking on how to make one and send it to my friend David. But he passed away in February and this year's cake was baked with a bittersweet memory of sharing my wild homegrown triumph with him.

But this year I am getting to share it with Isaac, who has taken to it like a kid to cake. Tomorrow we will take a walk to the other side of the woods, by the big empty house that stands on the hill above us, and we'll pick raspberries for a second and maybe even a third Gâteau au Yaourt à la Framboise.

This recipe is from Chocolate & Zucchini and you can find it here. The only change I've made is not to put in the crushed almonds. I am always in a big hurry to make the cake, so I haven't taken the time to crush any almonds. And I wanted it to be very baby friendly, so leaving out the nuts seemed a good choice.  Wild raspberry seeds are enough texture for the wees.

The White Balloon

In the night the rain pulled the moon
from the sky,
a radiant white balloon
cradled gently in the branches.

How to make a 17" Laptop Sleeve

I made this laptop sleeve tonight, while watching "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" on Netflix streaming. Best thing is I made it from stuff I had laying around, so it didn't cost a thing.

All tucked in. It's a simple design, just a piece of craft grade felt sewn up on two sides. I added the little dark grey felt grip as a design element. I lined this up and sewed it freehand and once it was on I noticed it was a little crooked. Oops. Oh well.

The tuckable flap pulls out to become a mousepad when the laptop is in use. I found that I need one when working in my office, the local coffee house. I've been using my Kindle Sleeve and find the felt to be a great surface for the optical mouse.

I would like to find an 1/8 inch felt and make another sleeve with more padding, but until then, this will do.

30 minute Kindle Sleeve

A few weeks ago we went on a trip and I needed to find something quick to protect my kindle in my purse.  So I grabbed some craft felt I had laying around and threw it in my bag with some scissors, needle, and thread.

It took me about 30 minutes total to make because I sewed it by hand in the car while we drove.  Total elapsed time was more like 3 or 4 hours because I like to stop and talk to Mr. 9flights while he drives.  And then the kids were whining and crabby and I had to give them juice or a snack or pick the toys up off the floor and whatnot.

Despite all of that, I like the way it turned out.  I'm thinking of making another from a thicker grade of felt, for shock protection.  But this works for now.

Next up, a felt envelope for my laptop.  It's a 17 inch Samsung R780, and it doesn't fit in any of my old laptop bags.  It does slip nicely into my 'zine sized purse, but it pops up out of the top.  And I'm always worried I'll get pennies or detritus in the USB slots when I carry it that way.  This one will be machine sewn, for a sleeker, less wabi sabi look.

The Angry Bobbin

I should not wind a bobbin when angry.  This definitely falls under the category of NOT loving your thread.  I shall now perform the thread love ceremony.

Peaceful Cheese

 

I bought a lot of cheese today.  This isn't even all of it.  I'm not really sure why other than I know I'm going to need a lot of parmesan for lasagnas and gnocchi I'm planning to make.  There was also some fresh mozzarella for bbq chicken pizza tonight, some deli cheese for sandwiches, and 2 wheels of Laughing Cow.

A while back I read an article about how to make your day peaceful by starting it with a morning ritual.  Part of that ritual is a creative breakfast.  I attempted to do it this morning but I burned my eggs because I was distracted by rearranging the cans in my pantry.  I tried to save them adding some cheddar cheese and a spoonful of salsa, which I thought was pretty creative for a weekday morning, but then the kids wanted "JUICE, JUICE, JUICE, CRACKERS, NO, BALL CRACKERS, WANT TO COLOR WITH MARKERS, MARKERS, MARKERS..." and on and on, so I ended up shoveling the eggs in my face standing over the sink.

So much for peaceful beginnings.

When we were on our honeymoon in Santorini, we were served breakfast each morning on the terrace.  We'd hear a knock at the door and we'd wander out and find some Greek cats on the chairs, paws poised to dip into our food.  It was always Greek yogurt and honey with muesli and Ryvita with Laughing Cow wedges and fresh sliced tomatoes.  At first we thought the Ryvita and Laughing Cow were a little pedestrian, but then we'd put our little open-faced breakfast sandwiches together and sprinkle it with some salt, and wow! 

Maybe breakfast on vacation is always better, but wouldn't it be great to recreate that ritual every morning on my own terrace?  Even if it's not overlooking the Aegean Sea, it could still be a slice of heaven.

Hungry Princesses

Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella and Belle in a cup of Cheerios on a Thursday morning.  Man, those princesses are hungry.

Frolic Architecture

A tiny snow village had appeared in the front rock garden overnight.

Arrives the snow...
And when his hours are numbered, and the world
Is all his own, retiring, as he were not,
Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art
To mimic in slow structures, stone by stone,
Built in an age, the mad wind's night-work,
The frolic architecture of the snow.

- The Snowstorm, Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blocks Car

This was put together last week with a little work from the whole family.  The swivel casters are from Lowe's and the idea was gleened from a home design porn site, most likely Apartment Therapy, but I did not save the link.  Matthew came up with the idea to put the new wooden blocks in it.  I think I originally wanted to use it for mittens and hats by the entry.  Isaac put the casters on.  The wee ones cannot yet push it around while it's full of blocks, but they love to dig around in it and "make a house!"

Update:  The Box!  Somehow I left out the fact that this is a wine box. And not just any wine box. A Gundlach Bundschu Wine box circa 1986. It was given to me by www.zerotoboston.com in 1997, and in 1998 I visited Gundlach Bundschu with my friends Norman and Joan, returning home to South Carolina to realize what this box was. A fantastic winery! A fantastic box! 

Blocks by Childcraft.

Cold Heart

Ornament for a January branch.

I've hung the ornaments on the door with the snowflake greens.  Sad, they rather disappear on the window there.  Maybe a better photo is in order, when the sun is shining fully on it.  This turned out way cuter than I wanted it to.  Waiting now for a melt, when the subjects will become more tragic.