Happy Easter!

I have been absent for a while, but I thought I would pop in and wish all a Happy Easter.

Historical Crush

History is my part time lover. I love it of course, but I can usually put it aside for a couple of weeks at a time. Christmas is usually when I pick history back up again. To me there is nothing like a good historical story either true or fictional during the holidays. It keeps my mind off the ridiculous displays of holiday cheer. If the holidays were dialed down just a bit, it would be so much better for the world. That being said, the day before Christmas eve, my husband put in the new series Versailles for a bit of fun. Within 15 minutes I was hooked, not necessarily on the show, but on Philippe d'Orleans. Did this type of person really exist? I mean he seemed too good to be true. This man could rock a dress with lace gloves, say sweet nothings to his wife, have his bitch of a brother's back, be a devout homosexual and have glory on the battle field. What I mentioned above was just in the series. On Christmas eve and on Christmas day in my spare time, I researched Philippe. I think I went on every English website and a couple of French ones to find everything I could on this unique man. I learned that he was married twice and is considered the grandfather of Europe. Even though he had a long time boyfriend, he was decent husband to both of his wives. He doted on his daughters in an age when they were often seen as a nuisance. If I lived in 17th century France, I would want to be married to Philippe. Of course, I found myself developing this huge crush on a man who has been dead for 300 years. Although I have enjoyed reading what I could get my hands on about Philippe, I was again find myself walking away from this bit of history, or historical crush and am anxiously waiting for the next one.

Angels Among Us

I hate my name. Who would name their daughter Tiffany? I even read a joke about it in a David Sedaris essay. Apparently he has a sister named Tiffany. I have complained about my name so much to my parents that they even confessed to me on my 29th birthday that I was indeed given the wrong name. Of course they wouldn't tell me what they should have named me, but at least they agreed with me.
The Saturday before Thanksgiving I was at Starbucks in the fashionable neighborhood of Buckhead in Atlanta. I stood in line with for roughly 10 minutes before placing my order which was 2 grande iced coffees. The girl behind the counter asked for my name and I lowered my voice a bit and told her, "Tiffany." She smiled and told me that she always believed she should be a Tiffany. I quickly told her my disdain for the name. She told me that the name was great and that it is a part of me for a reason. "Be kind to yourself and learn to love yourself." she said. A calmness came over me, something I only feel when I am in prayer. I looked into her warm brown eyes and said, "Thank you, I think I was supposed to speak to you today." It is odd to think that since that time I have not thought of my name once. Perhaps she was an angel.

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Hot Weather in Fall

This past Monday I had this great idea of having a picnic at Kinsey Farms over the weekend.  I planned a menu for the three of us and got our picnic basket ready. I also planned on picking up at least one pumpkin for decoration.  As the week progressed, I started watching the weather. I must admit it felt like a cruel joke when the forecast stated that it was going to be in the 90s this weekend- the first fall weekend. I was bummed, but we still made it to Kinsey farms for about an hour to buy a pumpkin. Hopefully we can have that picnic soon.

School Year has Begun

School has started in Forsyth County, GA.  With my little one only being two, this technically doesn't affect me, but it has made me get into school mode. For starters, I am currently looking for a job. I feel that after having a two year break from work, I feel it is time to go back.  I am not saying being a full time mommy isn't real work because it definitely is one of the hardest jobs I will ever have. It's just that I miss going to a job where you can have conversations with  people. I have also started eating healthier.  Another back to school grind for me. Once again I was vacation from that as well.  Eating junk for breakfast is over. I need to start the day with protein. I also need to read and write more.  It's funny how the back to school air effects us all, even if we don't have to worry about school buses homework.  Getting back to the grind is just programmed into us.  At some point in time all of feel that we have been on vacation too long for this and that and we need to get back to order.

Ballerina Pout

I love lip gloss. It is the one product I cannot live without.  Being a long time lippee lover, I  have tried many a lip product. Last week while shopping for birthday presents, I entered the Cosmetic Market. My mission: find a lip gloss for my aching lips. My eyes scanned  counter to counter until they stopped at Sara Happ. At this small counter, I found beautiful little boxes of lip scrub tied with a bow and five lip glosses. The lip gloss or lip slip I picked up was Ballet slip. Ballet pink,  my favorite shade of pink. I had to have this shade if only for the name. Although I thought the shade was pretty,  I had no idea how this Sara Happ lip slip would perform. I am happy to announce that this beautiful shade of lip gloss kept my lips gorgeous and moisturized. Since I bought this lip gloss, it is the only shade I have been wearing. Next on my list to try is Sara Happ's lip scrub.

For all you local gals living on the north side of Atlanta, Sara Happ lip gloss is sold at the Cosmetic Market in Avalon and Nordstrom at Perimeter Mall for $24.00. Go out and try it, your lips will thank you.
 

Father's Day

Father's day was this past Sunday and I feel I should give a shout out to my awesome husband, Klaus. In church on Father's day we were reminded that God wants us to call Him, Abba which means daddy. A daddy is someone who comes down to a child's level and helps them with a task or simply let's them know they are loved. This is precisely what God our Father has done for us when  He sent His son to walk among us. I mention this because I see Klaus everyday hold our daughter in his arms, tell her he loves her, and gets down on her level when she is trying to speak. Klaus is a wonderful daddy  and it shows when you see our daughter's face light up when she sees him. I can only say, 
"thank you ", to God for making such an incredible man and to Klaus for consistently being a great daddy.

Church Picnic

I love church picnics. There is something so old fashioned about them that warms my heart. Last Saturday was our church picnic. We showed up rather early with a bowl of German meatballs to share, my husband's specialty ready to eat. While my husband found a spot for his meatballs, I found a table for the three of us near the kids section. For over two hours we sampled food from around the world, a great thing about being at a Catholic Church Picnic and watched our little daughter play. The highlight for my husband and I were the Vietnamese vermacelli bowls, while my daughter enjoyed cupcakes. If you've never been to a church picnic for your church or at all, I encourage you to go. It's an opportunity to eat great food, play games, listen to music and a chance to  get to know people you see every Sunday.

Gardening

I have a black thumb, really. Everything I attempt to grow fails to thrive. My mother -in-law used to buy me silk plants and flowers so that I could have some sort of vegetation in my house. Yet, with all of the above being true, I find myself yearning to do yard work around my house.  My husband and I live in a small bungalow with a rustic yard and up until about a month ago, we barely touched it. Maybe I 've been inspired by fairy tales to create a patch of land where my daughter can frolic in nature, maybe I want to invite the sprites for tea in my garden.  Whatever the real reason,  I go out into my yard every day for almost an hour weeding and pruning and it feels me with peace.

Leprechaun Turds

For St Patrick's Day, I made a lovely batch of almond cookies, or as I like to call them, Leprechaun turds. This recipe was give to me by the brownie that lives in our house. Brownies can be very helpful in the kitchen.

Ingredients :
-3/4 cup of powdered sugar
-1/4 cup of brown sugar
-6 tablespoons of butter
-1 1/2 cups of flour
-2 eggs
-1 teaspoon of almond extract
-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
-1/4 cup of shaved almonds
-10 drops of green food coloring
-orange sprinkles

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the sugars, butter, and both extracts using a mixer on medium speed. Gradually add the flour, eggs, and almond shavings. Once the dough is complete, have fun and add the food coloring.

Place the green cookie dough on a cookie sheet, using parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes. When the cookies are done, let them cool on parchment paper while adding the orange sprinkles.

Little Dacha

I wanted to share my Etsy shop with everyone who reads my blog. My shop is called Little Dacha and I have two items for sale, one is a collection of books all wrapped up with three clues on the cover and the other one is five hand stamped cards ready for Easter. I will have more items in the future.

Owls at Rucker Pet Supply

On Saturday, February 21st, our family went to see the owls, my daughter's favorite animal at Rucker Pet Supply.  This event was a meet and greet, not a flying exhibit. It was a wonderful to see the Owls up close. Carter definitely enjoyed herself. Mom and dad loved it, even though it was crowded. My only critique is that if Rucker Pet does this next year, they work on organization of the crowds. A part from that a good time was had by all. Thank you Rucker Pet for having such a great event. We will definitely be back.

Scottsdale Farms

Today, my husband took myself and our daughter on an adventure to Scottsdale Farms in Alpharetta. I was shocked that I did not know this gem of a place considering I grew up in Alpharetta and my parents still live there. Scottsdale Farms is a beautiful nusery and an enormous gift shop in a timber-framed barn. Since it is January and neither my husband nor myself have a green thumb we decided to look around the shop and try out the Bella Luna cafe. I thoroughly enjoyed my iced Americano and Carter loved her cookie. When we finished our treat we walked around a little bit and greeted the pig and the chickens there.

I highly recommend this beautiful place, even if nurseries and planting is not your thing. The gift shop and the grounds are absolutely beautiful. Take a friend and go there for lunch, it will have a better atmosphere than most cafes. I also learned that they have activities for kids. This might become a favorite place for me and Carter.

enjoying our treats

Winter Cranberries

For my daughter's 2nd birthday, I decided to make a real treat for my little
girl as well as Mama. In the Winter 2016 issue of Faerie magazine was a picture and a recipe of sugar and spice cranberries. They looked divine, in fact they looked like they came right out of the faerie relm and dropped on earth. Well I got inspired and decided to make these sugar and spice cranberries using ingredients I found in my own pantry.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon cloves
1 cup cranberries
1 cup sugar (for dusting)

I started with a simple syrup of water and sugar, once the sugar was melted I added the cinnamon and cloves and let it soak in a simmer for about 10 minutes.
Once the syrup was cooled to room temperature, I removed the cinnamon sticks and cloves and added the cranberries in batches.
I soaked the cranberries for roughly 2 minutes and then dried them on a wire rack for an hour.
In a bowl of sugar, I rolled the cranberries around until they were covered in sugar.
When they were covered with a sugar dusting, I moved them once again to the wire rack and let them sit for an hour. After that I placed them in a covered dish and moved them to the refigerator. I found they last refrigerated for a week.

New Year's Resolutions

Wake up with the intention of being good.
Help someone on a daily basis, or at least smile at someone.
Don't piss off the brownies that live in your house, or things will go missing.
Be a natural beauty;
If you have no natural beauty visit a beauty counter and seek expert advise.
Make friends with the animals.
Sing everyday, whether you are happy or sad;
It worked for Cinderella, Elsa, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, and Belle.
Dance like no one is watching.
Find the yellow brick road and follow it.
Whatever you do, DO NOT pour water on any woman with an aggressive attitude, that person may melt.

Yuletide Mayhem

By Klaus Buck

            War toys are popular Christmas gifts. The irony is obvious. After all, the holiday is the celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace. Nevertheless, tin soldiers and G. I. Joe action figures (with a kung fu grip) have both enjoyed places of honor under the Christmas tree.

            Always one to maintain a tradition, I’m giving my nieces and nephews catapults for Christmas this year. Not the full-sized variety, of course. I made miniature catapults out of craft (Popsicle) sticks, clothespins, rubber bands, masking tape, plastic spoons, and binder clips.

I found the instructions in the book Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction: Build Implements of Spitball Warfare by John Austin. It’s a commendable tome, particularly in era when the small adventures and innocent merriments have been stripped out of childhood.

I didn’t follow the instructions exactly, but they provided a useful starting point. I gave each catapult a custom paint job. For example, the one for my nephew who loves comic book superheroes is painted vivid blue and red (in honor of your friendly neighborhood Spiderman).

They’re powerful enough to fire one-inch diameter aluminum foil balls out to about six feet. While they are unlikely to cause injury, I bet they’ll start a few fights between siblings. It’s an uncle’s job to cause trouble…

The Arsenal

 

Ready to Fire

Backyard Stage

My wild child is a bundle of energy. Keeping up with her these days can be a real challenge.  While discussing this with my husband he came up with the idea of a platform,  a play deck if you will. I call it a stage because when Carter gets up there she dances her little heart out.

More than Turkey Day

(Guest Post by Klaus Buck)

When Thanksgiving Day comes around, the mind turns to the Pilgrims. They left England to escape religious persecution, landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, met the helpful Squanto, learned to grow corn, temporarily made friends with the Indians, and had turkey and eel at the first Thanksgiving feast. Fast forward to 1776...

But there’s a lot more to know about the Pilgrims. First, they were Calvinists and they believed in predestination: God chose some people to go to heaven. Everyone else went to hell. End of discussion. You could lead an exemplary life and love Jesus, but you were destined for damnation unless God chose you before you were even born. Predestination is a hard doctrine. It teaches that some receive the gift of faith; some don’t. It’s not about desire or effort; predestination is the will of God. It’s not pretty. It’s not sweet. The only reason why anyone would embrace predestination is because he or she honestly believed it to be true. A good pilgrim followed the will of God. The will of God as it was, not as one wanted it to be.

One the bright side, the Pilgrims believed that legitimate earthly government required the consent of the governed. Before they landed to establish a permanent settlement, (almost) all of the adult male colonists signed a self-government agreement, the Mayflower Compact. It’s a short document and well worth a read.

In signing the Mayflower Compact, the Pilgrims were walking a politically thin line. They began by declaring that they were the “Loyal Subjects” of King James I. Then they agreed to govern themselves. The colonists combined into a “civil Body Politick” for their “better Ordering and Preservation” and agreed to make “equal Laws” and appoint their own officers. They created a commonwealth. While they weren’t rebelling, the Pilgrims were beyond the day-to-day reach of the king and his ministers. Circumstances required that they take the business of government upon themselves. The colonists were effectively independent, with a minimalist do-it-yourself constitution, but the declaration had to wait until 1776.

On Thanksgiving Day, I encourage everyone to read the Mayflower Compact. Share it with your family and friends. It was one of the first American expressions of government by the consent of the governed, something we can all be thankful for.

The Mayflower Compact

In the name God Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620.

Storage Unit

My husband and I with our daughter live in a small two bedroom one bathroom house which we love by the way.  There are only two real problems with it, low storage and only one bathroom. Right now the biggest problem with our small bungalow is the low storage especially with a growing toddler. This Saturday in order for us to have more liveable space in our house we opened up a storage unit. This is something we both hated with a passion. Klaus and I are pretty good at getting rid of clutter, but we don't want to necessarily get rid of Carter's stuff. So for $40.00 a month opened up a storage unit to store our little girl's items that she has outgrown.When we buy a new house we will definately buy one with plenty of storage.

Kinsey Farms

For a bit of fall fun, our family went to beautiful Kinsey Farms in Forsyth County to check out the gourds and pumpkins. This year for Halloween, Carter is going to be a pumpkin, so I naturally thought that she would go crazy over the big pumpkins. She loves seeing them at Publix, but that was not the case. When we got there she ran to the bumpy gourds and wanted nothing to do wth the traditional pumpkins. She was a gourd lover. Of course we had to take home a goblin gourd. I wonder if we have a future horror lover in our midst?
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creepy snake gourds

Carter checking out the gourds

Carter with her goblin gourd