2.7.12 ... favorite cookbook filled with favorite recipes

i recently reconnected with one of my best friends.  she gave me this cookbook binder  many years ago and it quickly became indispensable.  all of our found recipes are gathered here in this one giant, overstuffed hunk of happiness.  after years of mayhem between the covers, as it were, i organized my recipes by categories and replaced the worn out manila paper dividers with these fabulous and colorful plastic pockets.

i've taped little tidbits all over the inside covers but always left this salvaged piece in its prominent place...

as many of you know we recently moved out of our hotel home and into our lovely apartment.  the long wait and search were worth it.  we're slowly but surely settling in and evan built a cook book shelf for us yesterday.  so here is the story of what happened next ...

see the book.  see scout.

see the new shelf in the closet without any books.

see the first cook book placed tidily on the shelf.  and we're in business.

hi susan!  look!  do you remember this now?  

happy today and sweet dreams, everyone.  thanks for stopping by. until next time. happiness to you. from me. with heart. ox joon

Posted via email from just joon

THiNKiNG

Surprises Always In Store For Us All

As the shortest day

of the year approaches,

I seem to be spending most

of each day endlessly thinking.

It is a reflective time of year.

Isn't it interesting how that works?

I mean how the various times and

environments affect us and bring

about innate behaviors?

This has been an exceptional

year in many ways.

Four months later,

I am still basking in the glow of

our New York City Adventure.

So.  That happened.

Scout's had a greatly succesful year.

We started volunteering at the

thrift shop. 

Made new friends.

Began attending the 

homeschool Monday group.

Made new friends.

Started dance.

Made new friends.

After almost two years

here in Austin we are

beginning to feel like it might be home.

Ironically more so since what we

believed to be our sense 

of security dissolved and,

because of that,

we are now at yet another new address.

Lucky for us, we've

got a ridiculous amount of

experience at this particular 

transitional experience.

Even though the settling in process

is slow going - as always -

and despite the unknown landscape

ahead, we seem to find the 

positive much more often than

the negatives realistically allow.

So much for reality.

Which, lately, seems more 

and more unreal.

But that's another topic entirely.

No idea where any day leads, 

but I have a flood of potential

options {or dreams} 

swirling through my head.

Forever, or so it seems,

I have been wanting to pursue too many

creative avenues to list.

I feel like some of them

are about to happen.

Scout is such an inspiration.

I have no idea how many

incredible illustrations she has

completed this year.

She started back at dance

and theater after a three year hiatus.

Applied for two summer programs and

attended the Acting Conservatory in NYC.

Began her American Sign Language Course.

Joined in the Holiday Workshop Show.

Started making dinner one night a week.

And always a thoughtful and 

creative plan researching and

making a new recipe.  

She completed her NaNoWriMo

50,000 word novel.

She did this in the same month we moved!

Now she's about one third of the way

through her next challenge -

the SketchBook Project.

These are just off the top of my head 

with only a spot of morning coffee in my system.

I feel like I have not

accomplished much at all.

But I know I have.

That blog post will

be along soon.

For now, I want to keep thinking ahead.

About which one of my dream*thinks

I will begin pursuing today.

And make it happen.

What thinks are you dreaming of fulfilling?

ox

joon

NoVeMBeR NeWS: MoViNG. FLaNNeL DaY ReMiNDeR. ReCYCLeD ART.

How have you all been?

November is almost gone and

I haven't had a chance to blog

as I wished I would.  Sigh.

It's been a bit nutty here.

After a ridiculously extended search

we finally found a new place

to live.  We move on Sunday.

We're looking forward to

the new adventures.

We'll be in another Austin

neighborhood so it

will seem like a bit of 

a new world.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch,

Scout is enjoying dance and

her holiday show rehearsals.

And guess what?

She had her first ever test.

In her life.

In her ASL class.

She earned a 97% and

a certificate.  She will

begin 201 in January.

And she is participating

in NaNoWriMo

{National Novel Writing Month}

and she's on task!  

Yes, ladies and gents,

I am telling you that

Scout has written 

40,000 WORDS.

She's well on her way to 

the monthly goal of 50,000.

Quite an achievement

for a 16 year old.

I need to remind you all

that even though we will

be moving on Sunday,

it is the third annual

FLANNEL DAY!

Be sure to celebrate.

Never heard of Flannel Day?

Well now, my friends ...

You can read all about it here:

I invent flannel day

and please spread the flannel love.

I have been creating

a number of recycled

bookmarks ~ some

corner bookmarks like

the one featured in this post.

To see more please

take a stroll through

my joonwalk shop

which you can access on the right

side of my blog.  --->

I have also made a new

batch of Peanuts Gang

themed pinbacks and magnets.

They're such fun and

seem to be popular with

my joonbeam etsy shoppers.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

Thank you for stopping by

and sharing a bit of this

life across the internet

universe.

I will write from our

new house next time.

Until then,

here's to pumpkin pie.

{Mine just arrived.}

ox

joon

How To: Moving IN Austin: First Things First

Blue Bell Ice Cream and T Bone Steaks ($ 3.49 lb.). Let's get serious, shall we? I always have my priorities straight. This is how it is done, my friends. Everything else is just details.

The rewards are high stakes.
One Scuppernut & Besos. Love.

ciao 'til next time...

Unless you are a Man WARNING! ... Revealed

Well, here we have a sample of my silverware collection. These beauties and funky vintage airline spoons, forks and knives are what we use every day. I'm hard pressed to choose a favorite and love having an eclectic array to choose from depending on my meal and my mood. There are many more and I am constantly on the lookout. Below is a close up. You can see the lovely and groovy design elements that attract me to this table setting style.




And now ~~~ The story revealed. What was in the: WARNING! Do not open unless you are a man' Pottery Barn box? Here it is: Evan's silverware! Kristoffer recalled hearing Evan joke about the lightweight feminine silverware he dines with each day and surprised us all on Christmas morning a few years ago with this gift for Evan only ...the ultimate 'MAN' cutlery. Steak and potatoes anyone? :)




Please give three rousing cheers for Scout, who so kindly polished every piece you see in these photos (go Crest toothpaste) for her dear old MoM. Thank you, Scout! Hope you all enjoyed the guessing game. We certainly did. Thanks so much for all your fine submissions. I'd love to know your favorite piece(s) here. So please feel free to post a comment. I'll be back soon with more groovy things I've found while packing for the great Austin Road Trip! Countdown is almost here! We should be leaving on August 15th! Tempus Fugit. ciao for now.

PS. More photos uploaded to my FLICKR page. If you are a silverware lover like me, come take a peek.

PPS. My flying housewife shop is on hiatus for August but joonbeam remains open with a Cricket Meow SALE section from now until ??? Mention 'MAN FORK' in the message to seller space and I will take an addition 10% off your order ~ this includes the entire shop; excludes shipping. I will stay open as long as I can until we leave. Watch my shop announcement for hiatus date at which point this sale has ended. Thank you friends!

Finding Neverland

This week I came across another small treasure. I love this vintage souvenir bracelet from the Mohawk Trail. I love the Mohawk Trail. We took a small detour so we could chance upon it once a few years ago. We haven't been on the entire route and I wish we would have had that opportunity. It was so beautiful. At the time, the last Howard Johnson's Restaurant was at a point on the Trail. I found this treasure a few years later, in the $1 BOX at a booth in Brimfield. The ladies who own this booth were always so sweet to Scout and would insist on her choosing something for free from that box. So, while she was rooting through for her treasure, I passed the time looking, too, and spied this. It's one of my favorite things. And for $1. There you have it.



I would love to know more about this little bracelet. How old is it? Who made it and how? How much did it sell for when it was new? Who has owned it?



I used another favorite find of mine as a backdrop for this piece. Well, not counting the Scrabble Board, which is, of course, indispensable. The part you can see here is a house roof and tree top. It's a peg board with a happy papa gnome toting his little scuppernut gnome in a wagon to his gingerbreadish house. It has red pegs. The teeny gold paper label is still on the back and reads Made in Romania. That's not something I see everyday. In fact, I think that may be the only time I've ever seen that. I was about to give it up but then I thought of a wonderful use for it ~ as part of my display when I start Holiday Arts & Craft Fairing in the Fall. Whew! That was a close one!

Next Sunday I show & tell the answer to last Sunday's guessing game. Guess if you haven't, and stay tuned. If you have ever been on the Mohawk Trail or know anything about the bracelet please leave your comment. Be sure to stop by my joonbeam shop to see what other treasures I've come upon this week. Thanks, friends. From below my towering stacks of Rubbermaid Tubs, I bid you adieu for now... I'll be back with more treasures soon.

Kay, Theo & Scout ~ Best Friends Forever

Scout is on her way through the driving snowstorm to spend the night with the MacPhail family. We met them, serendipitously, through a home school connection. We had just moved to Belmont. What can I say? It was love at first sight. What a great family and wonderful friends. Alas, this September, we moved three miles away. Our Wednesday afternoon walk to their house came to an end. That was sad. But hark! They recently sold their house! They were on a mission to find a home quickly. According to legend, the house search was somewhat predicated on its distance to 3 Plymouth Street, Arlington, MA. Or, more specifically, the locale of one Scout Wilkinson. How sweet is that? No greater compliment I say. As you can see by the photographic evidence above, this friendship is officially documented in the Mutual Admiration Society.

Aren't we the lucky ones, though? Stay warm, friends. ox