i hope we can still be friends

i am making a little move over to blogspot guys. wordpress and i had a good run, but i think blogspot and i suit each other a little better.

i am still figuring out how to bring all my old content over, but for all the latest and greatest you can now click here and update your (whatever you use) to whitecrowblog.blogspot.com, and I really truly do hope that we can still be friends!

THC

I recently wrapped up a little project with ThinkHouse Collective. ThinkHouse, first of all is an idea born of some beautiful people that have a heart for creativity, the local community, and empowering (pretty much every) individual they know. They are the first I heard about co-working from and what they currently have in the works I think is pretty great. Even if you aren’t self employed/work from home this place is worth checking out just for how awesome the space is! Eva has said that she likes to go there after school to color but if not work from there I would at least like to live there one day thanks.

Got some sewing in and reupholstered a couple of chairs for them. It was a lot of fun and got me all antsy about changing it up at our own place. I am sitting in our rearranged living room now. I love rearranging furniture, redecorating on a budged (haha).
Watching bad tv. Adding a few more items to ol’ etsy. Feeling a little like a sell out, or something don’t know need some constructive criticism maybe… anywho, learning process. Shop till you drop.

spiced

Wasn’t a huge pumpkin flavor fan of much of anything until a few years back and now it seems that with each fall I like it more and more! This year its been pumpkin soy lattes (recipe via deliciousnoise) and baking up batches of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies around the clock. I love this recipe because its very simple and I can make it gluten free by substituting spelt flour. Trader Joe’s carries canned Organic Pumpkin for the season, so I make ours pretty much completely organic too! And it yields a lot of batter so-you too can have an extra bowl of it in the freezer at all times!

pumpkin spiced and iced cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (or organic spelt flour)
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup soft butter or margarine (I use canola oil)
1 cup of organic sugar
1 3/4 cups (15 or 16 oz can) solid pack organic pumpkin
2 organic eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy. Mix in pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix to form batter. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop rounded tablespoons onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven.

While the cookies are cooling mix up the glaze:
vanilla glaze
1 cup organic powdered sugar
1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk (I use soy)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Add all ingredients and mix well. With a teaspoon drizzle over cooled cookies. My girls love helping with this part.

Modified from this original recipe.

hold the phone

I am experimenting with expanding my vintage children clothing etsy shop to including items for cool moms! Kidding, not just moms, whoever. A few things made it in to the shop already. Take a little looksie.

feather wreath

The next time I am feeling crafty I think I will like to try re-creating this little beauty.

anthropologie
surprisingly its reasonably priced so maybe just buy one?

merrily picking

I look forward to visiting Apple Hill every fall and I love how this is becoming a family tradition for us (because we have very few).

Tessa took this pony ride very seriously, it was hard to tell if she was enjoying it or not, she had such a stern expression the entire time. Riding a pony when I myself was little was always such a fond memory for me that Tessa didn’t really have much choice she was going to RIDE IT.

Eva on the other hand, a natural.

I like to say that we are doing all these things for the kids, but truthfully I enjoy them just as much as (I hope) they do. We absolutely had to go and feed some farm animals. I am still not quite sure why llamas are kept on farms, but I think they are very interesting animals, with their huge eyes and camel like faces.

Hence, I channelled llama’s hair for the day.

Many of the farm owners we chatted with complained that the frost earlier in the season killed most of their crops. So there wasn’t a huge variety to choose from but we got to pick some Granny Smiths. We have a good size bag, I think we’ll make some caramel apples later in the week.

I like going to the smaller less popular farms and buy produce, you know THAT’S the way to buy produce; going to the actual farm and getting it from the hands that grew it, not from Target.

We ended the day with catching the last few rays of sun by the lake.

It was so peaceful. Just how we like it.

a few things to keep your chil’en warm

Just added a few really cute items to the etsy shop.

Click to SHOP.

I fought the very non fall bright warm sunshine yesterday by wearing a hat and pulling on a fake cardigan. Its fake because its lace and provides no warmth at all. I miss layering so much and this thing is perfect for it even on the warmest of days.

And I have been craving pumpkin everything ever since the first drizzle of rain. So last night I made some pumpkin cookie batter! I didn’t have all the ingredients to make the glaze that goes on top so the batter is in the freezer, but I did bake a sample batch and have already sampled one to many, I know I know! They are just so good, melt right in your mouth.

I have the best little family, have I mentioned that? Lately we have had a little quality time overload since we have all been sick and then sick some more, but you know as hard as it is in all of our crankiest moments, I really really really like being around them.

Tessa has been ridiculously amusing since she has started talking. Her vocabulary seems to multiply by the minute and between her and Eva they are a force to be reckoned with.

Here is the latest inside family joke:

Alex and I were surprised to find out that what we thought Tessa was saying “Chuck Norris” is actually “tag you’re it!” Wow. Thanks Eva for decoding that one! Now when the girls want us to chase them around the house Eva says, “lets play Chuck Norris!” even though she has no idea what/who the heck that is.

Speaking of “what the heck” that’s another phrase Tessa picked up, we thought it was funny when Eva says it, but it is HILARIOUS when Tessa says it! I tried to record it but instead caught them singing. This is a very rare occasion as they DO NOT like to be recorded singing for God knows I’ve tried, and here what do you know, Tessa and Eva busting Castledoor‘s Shouting At Mountains. Notice how Tessa leads Eva into the “dream, dream, dream.” Haha!

P.S. It is hard work to upload a video to the blog! (or is it just me?!)

Every step and every ingredient of a recipe in a single frame? Pretty clever. And I have to say makes me want to bake something right now.

Marina Aurora.

where no cars go

2 weeks ago we went and saw Arcade Fire at the Greek in Berkeley. Amazing! I would totally pay to see the same exact show again in a heart beat.

I really do need to get into the habit of taking along our camera (as lame as it is) and taking more pictures, I never remember to at the moment I should, ya know?

So, I like looking at this picture and tell myself my roots aren’t THAT bad. Haha. I did buy a similar hat the other day (with the same intentions). Not to worry guys, the problem should be fixed next week. And then I am promised a fake perm! Actually I have been searching for tiny foam curlers to try and just do it myself for a look similar to this:

Any idea where I could find some? I tried Target and Ulta with no luck. I did come across some at a thrift store but something in me just couldn’t let myself buy used foam curlers from a thrift store, and besides there wasn’t even enough for me to do the whole head…(that I think was probably the real reason I didn’t buy them).

It’s going onto week two for us of taking care of little sicklings, Tassa just started her turn with the cold a couple of days ago, so I forsee at least a few more days of being anchored at home. So sad to see the little ones sick! Although Tessa’s raspy voice is also really really cute!

Its just the worse to spend a weekend like this when the weather is nice for picnics outside or trips to apple hill. Hoping to knock out some projects over the weekend, I’d typically wouldn’t have a chance to get around to…

Came across this and I really want to DIY this sweatshirt:

Seems simple enough right?

photo: style.com & Vanessa Jackman