Fall Poetry: Silhouette Portrait Wall

I had a little nut-tree, 

Nothing would it bear. 

I searched in all its branches, 

But not a nut was there. 

'Oh, little tree,' I begged, 

'Give me just a few.' 

The little tree looked down at me 

And whispered, 'Nuts to you.' 

~ Roald Dahl

I have noticed a strange phenomenon in my children.  As soon as they enter third grade, they are completely incapable of taking a natural-looking school picture.  

In their second grade portraits they grin like the little gappy-toothed angels that I know and love.  But then something horrible happens over summer break.  It is almost as if some sort of latent squirrel DNA manifests itself in their bloodstream as soon as they sit down for that 3rd grade photo, because all of a sudden they feel the need to pull their lips back across their teeth so tightly that their cheeks puddle into poochy mounds as if they are hording nuts for the winter.  

30 dollars later, I have a permanent record of what my children might have looked like had they been sired by Chip or Dale.

So I'm skipping the photo order this week.

Instead, I decided to capture my children as they truly are with no expectation of natural smiles or combed hair or matching clothes.  And I have to say, it was the best photo session we've ever had.  I channeled my inner Jane Austen (not hard to do) and turned all of their photos into silhouettes.

Here's what I did.

I started by taking pictures of my children's profiles.  When I uploaded the photos to my computer, I changed the photos to black and white for better contrast.  I then sized the photos for my picture frames and printed them off on plain-old white printer paper and cut out the profiles with scissors.

Then I flipped the cutouts over and coated them with some black acrylic paint.

When the black paint was dry, I mounted the silhouettes with a glue stick to some 5x7 sheets of white paper and popped them in the frames.

I decided to hang my children's portraits vertically to pack a visual punch.

It has been delightful to see the kids analyze their features and determine who looks like who.   And the best part---not one squirrel-ish similarity in the bunch.

I'd easily trade thirty minutes of work for lovely keepsakes of my children rather than hand over hundreds of dollars to the school photographer and his rubber chicken.

Besides, that school photographer seems to do better with animals anyway.  

Especially the nut-loving variety.

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Fall Poetry: A Necklace for the Teacher

Around the eaves are fringes
  Of icicles that seem
To mock the summer rainbows
  With many-colored gleam. 

Along the walk, the pebbles
  Are each a precious stone;
The grass is tasseled hoarfrost,
  The clover jewel-sown. 

~ From "November Morning" 

by Evaleen Stein

A few weeks ago, we had "Back to School Night" at the elementary school.  I normally visit each of my children's teachers and get the lay of the classroom land, and then I leave.  

But not this time.  

This time, I happened to glance at the "Classroom Helper Sign Up Sheet" before exiting Mrs. Taylor's room.  There were oodles of volunteers for reading time and math time and field trips, but no one had signed up to be the room mother.  

As I looked at the blank space, I got the same twinge in my stomach that I get when I go into the pet store and see all those homeless eyes staring at me through wire cages.  

I'm not even an animal person, but my instinct is to pile each and every hamster and guinea pig and cat and puppy into my van and hope that the creatures are all potty-trained and willing to help around the house.  

I guess it is part of being a mother:  You can't help but want everyone to have one, whether they are in aisle 9 of Petsmart, or sitting in a desk in Mrs. Taylor's class.

So I did it.  I signed up.  My mothering instincts took over, and in one sympathetic flourish of a ballpoint pen, I adopted 28 students, one teacher, and a class pet bunny named Shadow.

I walked out of the school feeling quite satisfied with my self for saving room 231 from "orphandom".

And then I realized what I had done.  

I had just signed my life away to become a cruise director, except my boat didn't come with a snappy uniform or a clipboard or a lido deck or a catchy theme song.

My cruise came with a passel of eight-year-olds who needed email lists and parent volunteer spreadsheets and parties and treats and crafts and games and lots and lots of helpers.  

It also came with Mrs. Taylor's birthday and the expectation that I would gather my motley crew and celebrate her appropriately.  I wasn't too concerned about this fact until I realized that Mrs. Taylor's birthday two days away.

I knew 3 things at this point.  1. There wasn't a lot of time to involve parents, so this birthday celebration was up to me and the kids.  2.  Mrs. Taylor loves Hawaii.  She has an island theme throughout her classroom, including a big ALOHA! sign on the door.  3.  I didn't have the time or money to do anything extravagant.  I had to pack a punch on minimal resources.

So I went the sentimental-homemade-Christmas-kind-of-route.

I grabbed a pencil and notebook and raced down to the school.  After asking Mrs. Taylor for a few minutes alone with the class, I asked each of the students the following questions:

What do you love about Mrs. Taylor?

Some of my favorite answers:  

"Because she loves me."

"Because she is patient."

"Because she is good at math."

"Because she doesn't yell."

"Because she gives us second chances."

What would you give Mrs. Taylor for her birthday if you could give her anything in the world?

Some of my favorite answers:

"A unicorn."

"A skateboard."

"A Ferrari."

"A new couch."

I quickly jotted down the students' answers and told Mrs. Taylor that I would be back the following day for a little "presentation".

At home, I typed up the answers and printed them off on white paper.  I then gathered up some ribbon, cellophane, tape, and mini chocolate bars.

I cut each of the comments into strips and then wrapped them around the candy bars.  I laid them on a 6 inch wide strip of cellophane, rolled the cellophane around the candy bar, and then used a small piece of wired ribbon to separate the candy bars and create a "flower" effect.

When the lei was finished, it was over 5 feet long, so I doubled it up and secured the two layers with a big ribbon "flower".

The next day, I went to Mrs. Taylor's class, and while she was out of the room, I taught the kids how to sing "Happy Birthday" in Hawaiian (or at least as close as I could come after a 3 minute tutorial on YouTube).  When she came back, the class surprised her with a spirited rendition of "Hau`oli La Hanau" (Happy Birthday), and one of the little girls approached Mrs. Taylor and hung the lei around her neck.

Mrs. Taylor wore her lei proudly and seemed genuinely happy with our little celebration.  She told me that her birthday usually gets overlooked since it is so close to the beginning of the school year.  

It wasn't, perhaps, the most exciting gift, but I guess a candy lei is better than nothing.

I'm sure Mrs. Taylor would have preferred to take a cruise, but to be honest, this cruise director's boat is plumb full.

Perhaps Captain Stubing has an opening . . .

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Fall Poetry: To Autumn-John Keats

I have a delicious post that I am not done photographing tonight, so I thought I would share some autumnal inspiration from John Keats: To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

via

Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells 

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor, 

via

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

via

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

 

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day, 

via

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; 

via

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

via

Have a lovely day!

Fall Poetry: An Autumn Tea

Autumn Tea Time

The late light falls across the floor,
Turned amber from a yellow tree,
And there are yellow cups for four,
And lemon for the tea.

The maples, with a million flames,
Have lit the golden afternoon,
An ambient radiance that shames
The ineffective moon....

Till dull and smoky greys return,
Quenching the street with chills and damps--
Leaving these asters where they burn,
Mellow like evening lamps.

~ David Morton (1886-1957)

Asking for permission has never been my strong suit.  For example, when I was 12 I decided I was fully capable of trimming my 5-year-old sister Katie's "bowl cut".  I mean, how hard could a "bowl" haircut be?  I simply grabbed a bowl from the kitchen, plunked it on her head, and began cutting around it.  The biggest problem was that I chose the wrong size of bowl.  

What I SHOULD have put on her head was a large mixing bowl.  

I used was a smallish cereal-sized bowl.  

Instead of looking like Dorothy Hamill, my poor little sister emerged from under the bowl looking more like Friar Tuck.

My ambition is my greatest strength and my greatest weakness, which is why I breathe a sigh a relief when September comes around. 

September is full permission---whether I need it or not---to move sweaters to the front of the closet, to make pumpkin cupcakes with maple frosting, and fill the house with the smells of harvest time.  September is when my wound-up soul finally catches its breath from summer and takes a moment to relax.

I couldn't think of a more fitting way to welcome September than to take a leisurely trip downtown with my sister and sister-in-law to the 1930s-inspired Beehive Tearoom.

Welcome.

The tea room has a fun and vibrant cafe area at the front of the shop for passersby looking for a quick snack, and more comfy, secluded spots in the back for those looking to enjoy an afternoon tea.  The mural on the wall coupled with these vintage lamps makes my heart swoon.

Even the tea settings were a unique blend of English tradition, Asian color, and vintage Hollywood elegance.

We began our afternoon with an assortment of tea sandwiches . . .

 followed by scones with jam and clotted cream . . .

 

and we finished the day with a dessert of marzipan petit-fours and fresh raspberries with cream.

And of course, we helped ourselves to cup after cup of hazelnut hot chocolate, Ginger-Lime Rooibos, and Very Berry tisanes. 

Come to think of it, I should have invited my now-all-grown-up-sister Katie to fly into town for a cuppa.

After all, I probably owe her at least a scone or two considering what I did to her hair all those years ago.  

Then again, maybe I'll channel the beautician in me and sit her down for a "hairdo do-over" for old time's sake . . .

With her permission this time, of course.

Fall Poetry: An Autumnal Face

I have an Autumn birthday. Unfortunately, these years seem to be a little less joyous than the birthdays of the past. Why does getting older do that? I am smarter (some days), more skilled (in diaper changing), more cuddly (thanks to the pie), and prettier (If you look really hard). I found an old picture of me the other day, and I called the Hubby over and said, "No wonder you married me! I was hot!" I was tan and skinny and I had perfect highlights. But I didn't feel as beautiful then as I do now. I hadn't held my three children in that tight stomach. The muscle tone in those arms came from weights at the gym, instead of pushing strollers. And that tan? It came from laying around. Now I have the healthy glow of "I haven't showered in days because the baby is sick and any minute I get free will be spent sleeping instead."  Traditional beauty? No. Perfection? Hahahaha, no. But this is Autumnal beauty, and it beats Spring any day of the week.

Leaf graphic courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Fall Poetry: Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.

~ Emily Dickinson

Perfect pairs are hard to find.  Just ask Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.  I mean, if two vampires can't make a relationship last in this world, then who can?  

(Can you tell that the reading pickings were slim at the grocery store checkout today?  Not a "home" magazine in sight.  People, however, turned out to be a wealth of information.  Did you know Will and Kate may or may not have talked about possibly, potentially, hypothetically having a baby . . . someday? Ugh.)

Luckily, there are pairings in this world that I can still rely on, like . . .

little boys and mysterious piles of sand on my wood stairs even when I've made them remove their shoes . . .

or my toddler and the dog's food when he fancies a mid-afternoon snack . . .

or Annie Sloan chalk paint and the blogosphere.  

(Confession:  I believe I am the ONLY woman in blogland that has yet to cover something in ASCP.  One of these days I just may join the ranks of the rest of you cool kids on the home decor playground.)

But when I need a perfect pairing---like warm pumpkin and sweet maple---that captures everything wonderful about fall in one bite, this is the recipe I go to.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

(adapted from Ina Garten and House Beautiful) (Makes 24 cupcakes)

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

  4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

160z canned pumpkin

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 cup vegetable oil

Maple Frosting (recipe follows)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped Heath bars, for serving (2 1.4-ounce bars)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.  Spread the cupcakes with the Maple Frosting and sprinkle with the chopped toffee bits.

Maple Frosting 

  8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

  4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon maple extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

  
  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and butter on low speed until smooth. Stir in the maple extract and vanilla extract. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

 When you serve these delicious cupcakes, I guarantee the requests for more will come in "pairs".  

Happy September from Be Book Bound!

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Fall Poetry: A Pie-fect Makeover

Lemon Pie

The world is full of gladness,
    There are joys of many kinds,
There's a cure for every sadness,
    That each troubled mortal finds.
And my little cares grow lighter
    And I cease to fret and sigh,
And my eyes with joy grow brighter
    When she makes a lemon pie . . .

Edgar Albert Guest 1881-1959 (English-born American Poet)

This month's inspiration is poetry, particularly Autumnal poetry. And I can't think of anything more fall-like than pie! Desserts seem to be a big part of any well balanced meal in my world. So you can imagine how pleased I was when my in-laws told us they'd decided to open a pie shop! It officially opened this week, and it's been so exciting to see their vision come to life. They were sweet enough to include me in a ton of their plans. I got to help plan the interior design, logo, business cards, etc. I will say that almost every day has surprised me with how many things go into a business. Luckily, my mother in law is up for pretty much any challenge. I want to share with you the transformation of this space:

 She wanted it to look like a version of a french Patisserie, so after a few modifications here and there, this is the plan we came up with:

I made the plan in photoshop, and one of these days I will have to do a tutorial on it because it is so easy to do, and can really help you decide what you want to do in a space before you take the plunge! Well, here is the finished product:

 

I think it's even cuter than the plan!

Here's a close-up of the stripes. I will also do a tutorial on those. Painting stripes is simple enough, but I have a couple of tricks that make it a bit easier.

Now who wants some pie?!

That's my adorable Mother In Law. If you happen to live in the Mesa, AZ area, you should go get a pie from her! (Power and Brown rds) It's a good thing I don't live close to Piefection, because I would be roughly 900 pounds if I did.

Linking to . . .
Between Naps on the Porch
Homestories A to Z
Savvy Southern Style
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Cedar Hill Ranch
StoneGable  
From My Front Porch to Yours
Common Ground
French Country Cottage
Stuff and Nonsense
At the Picket Fence