Great Pains

Great Pains

Our family is kind of hurting right now. I lost my sweet Grandma on Sunday morning. She was my only living grandparent, and I'd grown much closer to her in the last few years. She was very fond of my kids and they just loved to visit her at her Florida home. I learned of her passing while I was up in the mountains with my family, pretty sick with a cold. Things got worse when after only a few minutes of sleep on Sunday night, Adam woke up violently ill. He was so sick we had to head home early, exhausted and somber. I'm a firm believer in the healing power of food, and I needed to do something to put us on the mend, so yesterday I made a ginger infused chicken soup with rice. To me it's a cure-all. If your tummy hurts, the ginger will settle it. If you have a cold, or a broken heart, adding some thinly-sliced jalepeno will help you sweat it out. 

Read More

The Big One

The Big One

Every Wednesday Jasper and I have a study date for a few hours at our favorite coffee shop before picking up his brother from preschool.  We get our drinks, do our homework and talk about stuff. On our last date he really broke down the Star Wars saga for me, even borrowing some of my graph paper to illustrate parts of the story. It's funny to listen to him talk about something that he is passionate about, because the majority of the time I have to pry information from him. We're very close, but he's at an age, that being 6, where he rolls his eyes and groans when I ask annoying questions like "What did you do at school today?". Aren't I the worst? He shakes my hand away when we walk across the schoolyard to the car, and he objects to play dates with girls. It's kind of weird to see your child growing up and away from you, a little sad maybe.

Read More

Be Mine

Be Mine

Last week I did a tutorial and giveaway* for Jasper's mustache-on-a-stick valentines. This week before the big day, I'm sharing Wylie's.  When I was at Alt Summit I got a package of pretty striped paper straws as a party favor, which I gave to the boys when I got home, because they are nutso for straws.  Oddly enough their favorite use for them is to drink the broth from the bottom of their soup bowl (maybe that's a hot tip for someone).  Because Wylie's in preschool I thought his little buddies would probably also delight in a few straws of their own.  It's as simple as it looks. A heart punch, some glittery card stock, a box of 144 straws $8 from Paper Source, and a little twine to tie it all together!  

Read More

You Are My Homie

You Are My Homie

Hi there, just a quick message before I post this week's recipe. I somehow managed to charm the right people and this little blog is near the top of a list of nominees for an Apartment Therapy Homie Award for Best Family and Kids Blog.  Wow, just, wow.  If you're stopping by for the first time, I welcome you to join me for weekly recipes, projects, and adventures, and to all my loyal readers, please consider voting for Poppy Haus here. It would mean the world to me!  

Read More