lady cordelia

my mama said one day

Have I ever told you that when I met The Brad I had very little furniture in my house or food in my fridge?  I just was vacant in a bunch of ways.  Even though I had a good family and friends, I was lost. Real lost.  I cooked up a mean meal of toast and beer and dated stinky men.  (I mean "stinky" in a figurative sense.  But, maybe also literal.) Ya.  It happens.  I had no sense of style back then.  

Check out my style now.  Ya.  That's right.   Two daughters on a Craigslist couch under vintage wool blankets.  

That.  Freaking. Rocks. Hard. 

Hey, did I ever tell you I didn't know how to cook?  I didn't even know how an oven worked.  I had lost too much weight.  I didn't think I'd meet a nice man.  I thought I'd never have an opportunity to have my own children.  All alone and lonely. I listened to sad songs.  I dreamed.  My mama promised me: One day.  

Right now my house is a mess, my kids are screaming.   My desk looks like a bomb went off and organizing it will take several hours.  I think there may be a cat poo in the litter box.   I forgot to run the dishwasher. The chicken coop needs deep cleaning.  What? Is that a pair of kids undies in the toilet?  And you know laundry is my weak point, so please... oh please...let's not even go there.   Let's go here instead:

readers: enjoy all you have today.  and prolly just skip the laundry.

the doggie.

Oh gosh guys.  I'm going to try and keep these real brief cause I could go on and on.
I went to the animal shelter.  Saw a dog.  Or she saw me.  We locked hearts.  And that was that.  She was found on the roadside with her sister, still puppies. She had never had a home and her sister had been adopted.

I bought The Brad to meet her and he fell in love with her.  I brought the kids to meet her and they fell in love with her.  Then I brought our dogs to meet her.  And they thought she was tolerable.  She got along with everyone.  She loved everyone.  We loved her.  The shelter staff came to check my yard.  They saw the cat, saw the chickens and ducks in my yard.   Said it was a perfect place for such a sweet dog. We brought her home. Cute as all get out.  Smart as a whip.  Sharp as a tack.  Sweet as Cherry Pie with extra Whipped Cream. 

Then. She saw the cat. Her energy totally changed and she took off after the cat like a bat out of hell. 

Our older Lab dogs never minded the cat at all when we brought her home from the shelter last Summer.  They might give her a slurpy kiss her now and then, but that's it.  Everyone, including the shelter staff, thought this new dog would act the same way.  So, for the next few days, I  worked with the dog (on a leash) and the cat to see if maybe something could be worked out between them.  Even to just get a tail wag out of the dog when she looked at the cat would have been a sign of hope.   But when I finally got the cat out from under the bed, the dog charged her again as if she was lunch.  A few hours later my new pup charged the chicken coop.   The chickens screamed and squaked and ran all over the place like a bomb had dropped.  I searched on the internet for tips, The Dog Whisperer, all the rest of it.  It wasn't looking promising.

Then, The Brad said: Gosh Darnit. She has terrier in her.  I don't care what the shelter said her mix is. (The shelter had said she was a shepard mix.) We studied dog breed photos online for an hour at least. And The Brad said: This dog has Jack Russel Terrier in her!  And I'm sorry honey but you can't train a prey-drive instinct out of a dog.

Of course we'll really never know for sure about her mix of breeds, that's how it is with a mutt.  But the fact was, our peaceful little farm was out of balance. Nevertheless, I tried to work with the dog and cat a little more. That is, until the cat couldn't be found at all.

The chickens and ducks wanted to come out of the coop, but we knew that wasn't a safe idea.
Our house became separated and stressful.
In the end, we had to take the new dog back to the shelter.
I cried a lot. I cried until I got a headcold. The cat came out of hiding and ate for the first time in several days.

I wasn't crying because I was afraid for the dog to go back to the shelter. I know someone will scoop her up in a heartbeat.  She had lots of people interested.  I cried because I fell in love with the dog. I smiled at her and she smiled at me.

Sometimes you do the very best thing you think is possible.  And it doesn't turn out how you thought it should.  You give the very best part of yourself, your heart, and it doesn't go the way you hope it will.  Still, that's how I live.  From the heart.  With the best of intentions.  I may get let down more than I would if I didn't reach out- but I also get to experience a lot of love this way.  I simply don't know any other way to live. For better or worse. 

And I'll never forget her.

XO

Firsts for 2012

 

Daily Veggie Juice. Pulled out the Champion Juicer and not planning on putting it back into the cupboard means: fresh veggie juice almost everyday for this family in 2012.  A year ago the juicing "clean-up" used to bother me so I put the juicer back into hiding.  Now the clean up is like nothing and the everydayness of doing it is, so far, just a simple ritual. THAT, my friends, is progress in the kitchen.  See.  I am not saying we will do it every. single. day.  But the juicer is not going back.  He's part of the family.  The son I never had.  I'll call him Bruno.

Her first piano lesson. Sigh. Smile. So happy. Makes mama proud.  

 

(Pinterest photo. I'm a little lazy today.  The rest of the photos are mine.)

Zippers. Who knew I would be so excited to find zippers (for sewing projects) at a new local thrift!  Really, Cory?  Zippers make you smile?  Zippers?  Yes.  Zippers.  Now zip it. 

Little Guy.  A first sewing project for my five-year-old from this book.  She fully rocked the whipstich.  Way cleaner than my messy stitches.  Really.  I mean it.

These are just some of the wonders and wonderfuls around here since the beginning of 2012.
I'm still kind of tired from the holidays actually and looking forward to a day with the family at the beach tomorrow.
So.  Well.  Ciao!

 

Following my heart into the New Year

In 2010 and 2011 I learned to knit, cook, bake, raise my own chickens and ducks.  I bought a used sewing machine.  I started to thrift shop more and retail shop a whole lot less.  I fell in love with vintage. I planted more food grown in my own little garden, I became more clearly committed to helping the environment by simple, conscious everyday choices with food and general consumption. I began to truly enjoy the movement of the seasons, AND I found a "style" for my home that I liked after almost 40 years of not having any heart-directed sense of home style.  (The style of my home?  A little to the tune of bohemian flea market, of course.)  All this, of course, in root was inspired by my kids and the desire to be a "rad homemaker."

Because I'm an songwriter by career, I have always been open to the creative.  I always made things, quilts, gardens... But....it was almost as if I needed an affirmation saying TO me: you CAN do more.  You can go deeper.  If you want to, just dive in and DO IT.  Amanda Soule's blog certianly helped.  And many other bloggers out there.  Also: inspiring books, rad local thrift stores, supportive parents, appreciative kids, a patient husband.

And so...  I am slowly getting better at all of it.  When I started my blog about 400 posts ago, I was crying over knitting and throwing my needles.  Burning food.  Making bread that looked and tasted like bricks.  Bringing home a lot of things from the thrift store to The Brad's disapproving look, then a few months later taking them right back to the thrift store (I've found having an eye for interior home design isn't a natural born quality, but getting in tune with the heart is.)  

I've made progress.  I've continued to follow my heart.  And into 2012 I go, following it all the more.  Going deeper.   What lies waiting?

::::::

We have a chicken who was very sick for a long time.  She never was a good layer, her pretty blue eggs broke inside her.  We tried everything to no avail and figured her sickly.   As you may or may not know, in late Fall and Winter, when daylight is more scarce, chickens don't lay much if at all (they need a certain amount of light to lay an egg!).  This is exactly the time, when all our other chickens stopped laying and our gal, named Lily, began laying perfect pale blue eggs almost everyday.  

This is why I have chosen this path.  The path of a little more hard work and a lot more gratification.   Because one day when you least expect it, on the exact day you never should, you start getting beautiful perfect blue eggs.  

Yes.  A little more work, and a lot more gratifcation.  I'm glad I made it past the starting gates, because learning new things is never easy.  But the thing is, you get better at it.  And there is always further to go.

I have other visions too for the New Year- ones that are career based.  But somehow they seem secondary to what I do in my home and with family.  Perhaps these career dreams are not secondary, and the misconception that they are  prevents them from fruition. Rather, I choose to now think: all if it is part of it.   (Hint: I would love for 2012 to prove that to me.)

Much Love to you and I will be seeing you in the New Year.

(By the way- I just found out several of my albums are available on Spotify.  I can't figure out how to send you the direct link to my music..but if you go to Spotify and search "Cory Sipper" you should get access.)

goodnight christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas break full of family, friends, thoughtful gifts, holiday recitals & homemade baked yummies.  (And a little champagne too.  Why not?!)
I'm not sure if I'm ready yet to come back to the world of the computer even though Christmas is officially over.
Hmmm.
Nope.
Not quite yet.
I really went  all out with my knitting, baking and general festivity-making.
(I was still knitting at 6 a.m. on xmas morning finishing up a shawl for my mama..a bit of a funny story actually to be shared later.  Where knitting and I are concerned, you can be sure there is a funny story.)
I'm still recovering from it all.
(I fell alseep at 7 p.m. last night.)
But I wanted to check in and say I hope your holiday is still dancing along as well.

See you in a day or two.

XO

 

this is it.

Two girls have the flu
One mom is tired and headachy and generally rough around the edges
Way too much laundry has stacked up in the corners
Way too many xmas knitting projects stacked up in the corners
And why the hell did my husband feed the dog spaghetti last night?
Gross.
Let's leave it at that.

For me, being perfectly honest
is the only way to keep up a blog.
This is it today.
Not bright and cheery
No baking
No inspired nothing nada zip.

I didn't even
couldn't even
take the darn photo.

Source: tumblr.com via Sofia on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

Our Christmas Card

Dear All:

I have decided to make an online Christmas card via my blog.  Why? Mainly because it saves paper.  Also because the cards I wanted cost $60 (WTF??)

If you were invited to see this card via email, welcome to my blog.  (You might want to visit more regularly now because it pokes a lot of fun at Brad, always a good pastime.)

Briefly: it's been a wonderful year.  I've deepened many areas of my life.  Knitting, cooking and baking have all received a lot of attention from me in 2011 (and I, from them.)  I'm a lot easier to live with now that I am no longer a "beginning knitter."  During the process of learning to knit (and bake) my kids learned a decent amount of fancy and useful swear words.    Also, for the first time in several years I've recorded some new songs down in LA.  (I look forward to giving a sneak peak here in early 2012.)

Brad is kicking butt.   He is not only continuing to perfect his photography, but is constantly expanding his creativity.  This year he beautifully re-purposed many old torn down fences into frames for some of his large canvas pieces.  (Fully "eco" of him, no?)  He has also gotten into HDR photography and has some stunning peices to show for it.

The girls are doing great.  (They are the light of our lives, of course.) Chloe started school in September and loves it dearly.  Her school is tiny & public with big mountain views.  It located in an otherwise rural area between several orange groves. Olivia is in love with her ballet class and is most usually dressed in her ballet attire. She also loves our newest family member: the cat.  Sometimes three-year-old people don't know the difference between torture and love.  Let's leave it at that. 

Both girs are hilariously funny, creative and intelligent.  (Brad and I often quibble over who gets most credit for this.)  

We are so thankful for our lives together: the four of us humans, 2 dogs, 1 cat (with dislocated shoulders), 6 chickens and 2 ducks.  (Ok, we are not always so thankful for the dogs as they often do gross things.  Like eat the other animals poo and such.) 

And nooo, the cats shoulders are not really dislocated from Olivia making her "dance a pretty kitty dance."  Ok?  Or.  If they are dislocated, maybe that is why she is meowing so much.  I just keep filling up her food bowl.

Happy Holidays (and general happiness) to all of you, from all of us.

xoxox

C

reindeer card from sugarcubepress

heritage.

What a wonderful Thanksgiving.
After the  meal, my aunt bestowed on me a handful of treasures.
She knew of my beginnings in baking (and by and large cooking) and understood my new-found passion. A fine baker and cook herself, she learned a lot about being in the kitchen from my grandmother (her mother in law) and has always treasured the recipes that were passed to her.  But, until I piped up earlier this year about my new-found passions, she thought those recipes may only slip away with time. 

My Aunt honored and stunned me last night with a beautiful scrapbook she made comprised of recipes from my grandmother and great-grandmother.  This one, handwritten by my great-grandmother over 100 years ago. Now, it is here, in my hands and in my heart.

Also, several cookbooks used by my great-grandmother. This is a page from one of them.  Funny stuff.  No? (Look at the antidote for arsenic.)

My grandmother was not always a healthy woman, but she was a wonderful cook and baker and one of the sweetest ladies you could want to know.  She passed away when I was a young girl but I remember her cozied up in her rocking chair, crocheting away.

My Aunt also gave me a small stack of photos- many of myself as a baby, ones I had never seen.

I love knowing that when I do the dishes, or cook a meal, or bake fresh goodies, or knit something, or garden, that I am right in line with my grandmother, and her mother, and her mother.  And, as I look through the recipes and the photos of my grandmother, I can't help but wonder if my heritage is a living entity.  The very one that called me out of the blue in the last few years to the baking tins and knitting needles.  

My Aunt recognized me as the torch carrier.  Wow.  It's something no one would have ever guessed.  (Myself most strongly included.) But here I am with my two little girls, in this fast-paced technological world and I can't help but see an old generational recipe for molasses cookies as a lifeboat in the blur.  Something of substance, something to soothe us and bring us back down to what is really essential.  It's hard to explain, but I know many of you understand.  It's a wonderful thing. 

see me and my mama on upper right & my maternal grandmother knitting (or crocheting) in her favorite chair.

 

 

 

you never know

You never know when you will find Supergirl sleeping on your couch with chocolate all over her mouth and a smile on her face.

You never know when you will actually consider dressing yourself up in costume next year, just to make it all a little more exciting.

You never know when you will really and truly wonder hmmm....what house is the very most haunted? Because for years and years on Halloween the thought never crossed your mind. No. Not even once. Because there were no little Supergirls or Ladybugs to remind you that every moment matters in every season.  And the moments pass so quickly...

soak 'em up.

finding.

For some reason, like I've told you, I'm late bloomer.  It's taken me time to find that which I really love.  For instance, the interior "style"  of my home never meant much to me until I fell in love with the bohemian/antique/flea market look.  I still have a long way to go in creating my second-hand interior, but at least I know what I like. 

So, as far as cooking goes, I fell in love with Heidi Swanson's new cookbook.  (Jeez.  You so know about this and are so tired of hearing about it.  Luckily for you, my story goes past Swanson today!) Then a blog friend, the very gal, Amanda, I tag on with for weekending, told me about another cookbook (really?  there's another one?) called Feeding the Whole Family.  I got it and realized immediately that this was an essential book in my kitchen because it focused on a kids palate. (Swanson has no kids, I guess her recipes do seem to, kinda, accentuate that fact.)

What I am coming to, is that I found our perfect soup today.  This was so exciting. I made a basic chicken broth from my new book (and also consulted the Alice Waters broth recipe ) and let it really cook for a long time.  About three hours.  I know you are thinking: Duh.  That is normal for cooking broth.  But, you are talking to me: an impatient beginner in the kitchen.  Not today though.  Nope!

When the girls got hungry, I scooped some broth into a smaller pot, added soba noodles and, when the noodles were almost ready, some finely diced chard from the garden.  Topped it with a dusting of  dried dulse (and hot sauce on mine.) Wow.  Sooooo good.  The girls flipped over it because it had noodles, and I loved that they were soba noodles and not white pasta noodles, which I really am not big on.  Not real big on meat either, but I feel that a home-cooked organic chicken broth seems wonderful for growing bodies, especially when those bodies have little colds.

I know it's simple.  Chicken broth.  Soba noodles.  Trimmings.  But, when you've been searching for the perfect family soup for a while, it is really an amazing victory.  I love this idea of child-friendly (whole food) cooking/preparing.  I am very much wanting to make sesame rice balls for the girls, but I guess I need a pressure-cooker.  This is a whole new world to me.  A pressure-cooker!? I am thinking someone might want to pass on their old pressure cooker to me because they don't need it anymore.  Otherwise.  Well. Christmas is coming up.  (Brad.  Hi.)

Kay.

This weekend we did some resting cause my big girl got a lil' cold.  Along with the soup making, I cleaned house (sort of, but not really) and baked bread from this book and knitted.  Spent a little time outside because I cleaned the chicken and duck coop yesterday which always makes me so happy when I go outside.   Within a few more days, I'll have to tidy it again.  Then I will be slightly irritable.  And then I will clean it again and be happy again. 

I don't know if you have noticed but the "little things" in life make me very joyous.  People often tell me I am easy to please.   A pressure cooker would please me greatly.   Rice balls.  Hmmm.  La de da. Hummdy hum.  Just saying.  Brad.

Also: a little art with the women in my life.  We have about 1000 stamps that look somehow handmade that someone gave to us some time ago.  Really, if you can think it, we have a stamp for it.  Yes: bunny ears.  Yes: a cereal box.  Yes:  a toilet.  I was really into the sailboat.  The toilet was mildly amusing.  But. I really am way above and beyond potty humor.  (And if you believe that, I have a great used car you might be interested in.)

Anyhoo, I hope your weekend has been fabulous.
Bye for now.