Nest

What would you do with the luxurious soft undercoat hair of a German Shepherd dog? Since she is shedding, we have been brushing her outside. It seems her hair has been re-purposed! This is recycling at its best!



What a soft new world these babies will be hatched into.

I have never been so close to this nest, but this morning when I walked outside with coffee in hand, I noticed the parent birds weren't around. I zipped in to the house to grab the camera while I had a rare photo opportunity!

The birds must have gone off for a romantic breakfast together. I know better than to get too close to the nest when the parents are around, after all it would be terrible if they abandoned their eggs, so I got a quick shot and left. Through the window I can see at least one parent bird has returned to the nest. Sweet!

Happy Spring!

Half Hour

What is the value of half an hour?

In half an hour I can shower, apply make-up and fix my hair.

In half an hour I can catch up on a mountain of laundry.

In half an hour I can catch up on emails.

I can get the breakfast dishes all caught up.

I can whip out a post for the dear lil' blog.

I can go blog-hopping, leaving enthusiastic comments all over the www.

I can (if I am extremely lucky and haven't fueled myself too much with coffee) take a nap with the baby for half an hour.

And on some days, when everything in the universe aligns itself just right, I can ignore the guilt for all the things I should do with a half hour of un-claimed time, and apply that time instead to one of my passions: Art.

This is what I did in an half hour of free time last week.






(sorry for the glare, but by using the flash you can really see the interesting texture of the tile in this photo)

I bought a large tile, 18 inches by 18 inches, and applied the kind of paint you can use on porcelain projects and that is easily baked on in your oven! I used my crock-pot lid to stencil out the oval shape- how is that for creativity? And wishing on the coming summer flowers, and my love of Tuscany and farm-land... well I was inspired to combine it all into something useful. I now have a trivet for my table, big enough to easily accomodate my largest spaghetti pot. All I have to do is glue on the back side of the tile some felt, so I don't scratch up the kitchen table.

If you have an extra half hour, what do you like to do with it?

For Kids: A Fun Easter Project! A Mini Tutorial

I first saw this idea on the cover of a recent women's magazine. I thought it was cute, but never entertained the idea of creating it myself. Then while searching for a fun Easter project for kids, I thought of this, and voila! Absolutely adorable cuteness overload- just for kids! Well, ok. There is no reason grown-ups can't get in on the fun, but this is a guaranteed kid pleasing project. My kids are all boys, so the pretty little flower idea had to make way for some male pleasing macho cactus plants- but I am sure you'll agree, the cuteness is not lost at all!





The first step is to break the eggs. Try to crack them gently on the pointed end of the egg, turning slightly and tapping again until it is easy to remove the "cap."





Take some soil and with a small spoon put some soil in the bottom of the egg shell.





Add the plant and gently push more soil around the roots and gently and firmly press down until the plant is well supported by soil.



When all your eggs are planted, spritz water on the plants.






Don't you think this will make a very creative table centerpiece that will make your kids, (or you) proud?

How To Make Pesto

It is green gold, and I love it! It is one of Bella Italia's greatest culinary treasures. Pesto. This recipe was given to me by my dear mother in law, la mia cara suocera. It is good. It is so good that even though it is very green, my wild things will happily eat it. And today I share this wealth with you.

First you gather your ingredients.

We have:

Basil,

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (first pressing and cold pressed is best),

Pine Nuts and

Parmigiano Reggiano.

You may add fresh garilic cloves and salt if you wish.

The next step is to mix the ingredients. If you are using a blender or food processor you can throw everything together and just mix, adding oil if needed.

If you will be using a mortar and pestle, you will want to start with the garlic, and the basil, salt, pine nuts, oil, and cheese. If it becomes too thick in either case, simply add more oil.

Ta da! It is done and ready to dress up your pasta oh so pretty! Or if you are like me and you can't wait to try it with pasta, it is a lovely snack spread upon some crusty bread. Feel free to garnish it with thinly sliced parmigiano and a basil leaf or two. Bello e buono!

The flavors of this pesto are so good, I dare you to stop after just one bite!

Come closer! Closer!

Mmmmm yummy!

Now my dear friends, for your viewing pleasure, let's see how a Genovese woman prepares her pesto! Enjoy!

I have just one little question for you. Have you ever made pesto before, and if so what kind? If you never have made it before, now do you think you will give it a try?