Gifts for Ella...

Dear Family and Friends (who should happen to read this blog ;) ),

Greetings from up in the Northwest! We hope you and your families are well and looking forward to the coming Spring season.

Our family is doing well, enjoying much indoors activity as we await the warmth and growth the springtime promises here in Oregon. That includes Ella Rose's big second birthday!

We appreciate how much you love our daughter and we're sure that many of you will want to express your affection for Ella Rose through the buying of gifts for her birthday.

We took the liberty of putting together a quick clear gift registry of gifts we’d really appreciate:


"Dashiell Family Wishlist" on amazon.com


If you’d like to go a different route, however, here are some additional gift ideas!:

- Spend time together when you are in the area. And the activities don’t need to be exotic. A trip to the park, a performance, or the local swimming pool with you would be special.

- A box of scarves (from a secondhand store is best!) or mini photo album of your family would be great. These are surprisingly satisfying to children.

- Choose a toy you remember from your childhood--such as a hula hoop, wooden airplane, or red wagon. A story about you as a child using that toy would be a great thrill.

- Give something living! Plants would be a great gift to not only lighten up Ella’s playroom but also give her something to check on and watch its progress as it grows! We also appreciate seeds all year 'round.

We feel that it is our responsibility as parents to do what we can to ensure that Ella Rose has a brighter, cleaner, healthier world to live in. So, in the hopes of raising her in a way that is true to our environmental concerns and values, we are ever working toward a more zero-waste lifestyle. That means consuming less material possessions in general and seeking the good things in life in a way that has less of a damaging impact on this world we all share. Less (stuff) is definitely more (time), especially in the life of a child, that not only saves the environment but money too ;)

In general, our "no thanks" list is as follows:
No plastic
No battery-powered toys
No trademarked characters
No toys/clothes made through child/slave labor (China)
No stuffed animals

If you've already purchased something as a present for Ella Rose that falls under this category, don't worry about it! I know that Ella will love whatever you have thoughtfully picked out for her. This letter is just to let you know what our preferences are as her parents.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter and for making this occasion a celebration of what really matters to our family.
Take care and many happy wishes,

The Dashiells

Dried-Apricot Oatcakes

Long time no recipe, but I just did this one from a book my friend lent me, and it is very much worth posting about. :)

Taken from "Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, homemade, delicious foods for 6 to 18 months" by Lisa Barnes, I adapted the recipe as follows:

Dried-Apricot Oatcakes (makes 12 patties)

2 C old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

1 Tbsp honey

3 Tbsp finely chopped dried apricots

2 Tbsp finely shredded unsweetened coconut

1) Preheat oven to 400 F and grease cupcake sheet

2) Combine oats, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in mixing bowl

3) Make a well in the center and add the butter and honey.

4) Combine until all oats are coated

5) Mix in apricots and coconut

6) Heat 1 C of water to just short of boiling and add to oat mixture 2 Tbsp at a time until all is wet and sticky

7) Press into cupcake sheet compartments

8) Bake for 15 minutes or oatcakes look nice and golden brown.

9) Let cool as is, only removing once really down to room temperature

10)Store in airtight container at room temperature for 3 days :)

Ella Pretty

Just some cute (narcissistic?) behavior of Ella's caught on camera ;)

At a whopping 23 months old, she's got a pretty good vocabulary, though not much in the way of grammar. Ha!

2011 Resolutions

It's that time of year again when you look at the year behind you -- the fun times, the tough times, the changes, etc etc.
But most fun of all, is think about the year ahead.
As you already know, I just love New Year Resolutions. I love looking at where I am, and thinking of where I could be -- not only physically, but spiritually and mentally.
Below are the Resolutions I made for 2010 and how I fared with them:

[ ] stretch every morning
[ ] establish food garden
[ ] establish Corvallis Freecycle
[ ] take Tak'e to off-leash area once a week
[ ] explore the state of Oregon
[ ] do Wii Fit every day
[ ] give blood regularly
[ ] volunteer every month
[x] knit something every month (minimum)
[ ] eat less sugar
[x] potty train Ella

Uh-oh!
I didn't stick to my Resolutions very well at all. ;_;
But that's okay! Because this year...will be different!
Ha! Bet that's not the first time you've heard that one.

But really, I am feeling a kind of energy in me that I really think will last.
Maybe it's because Ella Rose is a smidge older and so just a smidge more independent. I can have her help in a few of my Resolutions this year, for sure!
And though I loved Oregon a bunch last year, I feel like I've figured out how to work with its wet weather more and not wuss out just because it's cold and whatnot.

So! Without further ado, here are my Resolutions for 2011:

[ ] jog every other day
[ ] raise chickens in the backyard
[ ] knit at least one thing a month
[ ] get involved in the local community more (volunteering, etc)
[ ] insulate the house
[ ] establish a thriving worm bin
[ ] reduce waste in our lives more
[ ] create a stained glass masterpiece
[ ] try a new recipe at least once a week
[ ] only eat dessert/drink alcohol for special occasions
[ ] get Ella to sleep in her own bed, on her own


Wish me luck, guys!
And until then, Happy Resolutions and a Happy New Year!!

The Mantel - Christmas/Winter ver.

A Belated Merry Christmas to all, and Happy New Year!!
I hope everybody had a warm and beautiful Christmas last weekend.
At our own Home, we had a lovely visit from my mom-in-law, June, as well as my twin sister, Kathy, and her significant other.

There were homemade donuts on Christmas morning (courtesy of Daddy) and most bustling exchange of gifts.
I think Kathy enjoyed the legwarmers I made her (photos coming soon!), and I hope Ella Rose gets a lot of use out of the child-size broom I scored her from Goodwill. Since she's absolutely smitten with Kiki's Delivery Service, she loves to hold the broom between her legs like a witch. Though, she'll also occasionally "help" Mama out with the sweeping chores. Heh!

Here are some snapshots Daddy took of our "Christmas Corner" where most of the celebrating took place:


There's a little cameo by our tree from last year too:


Nothing says Christmas, like Chili Lights, eh?


As for some gifts I received, I am most excited about the retro stained glass grinder Daddy got me. Hopefully, you'll start seeing some stained glass-related posts coming up in the new year.
Speaking of which, I gotta get on with those New Year's Resolutions and 2010 Reflection!

Until then, Happy New Year once again and much love to all my family and friends out there.
Ta-ta for now!!

DIY Christmas Card & Envelopes

Time for another DIY-oriented post. :)
In line with our make-or-own-Christmas-Tree tradition, it is becoming a tradition here to design our own Christmas Cards from the ground up too.

Some of you will be receiving this in its physical form already, but for those of you who don't, please enjoy the following and our sincerest Holiday Wishes!


Hurray for having a Graphic Artist for a hubby :)
Since Ella's favorite spot in the house is the bed, we figured we ought to incorporate it into the shot if we wanna get a smiling baby for the card. And tickling her feet off-screen helped too ;)

I was also happy that I was able to use some plain old envelopes we had hanging around and simply spice them up with a gentle hint of Christmas:


Everyone got a unique little design unique to them.
Well, with all the cards shipped off, all that's left is to receive some company, party down, and exchange gifts on Christmas Day!



Until then, take care and Happy Christmas Carding~!

Yarn Tree Reinvented

Hey, everybody!
Do you remember that Yarn Tree my lovely hubby made for me back in March?

Well, ever since we moved to our new Home, it's function as a yarn-storage device ceased (due to space issues) and it was relocated to our backyard as a plastic-bag dryer (for when we've washed plastic bags for reuse).

But I'm happy to say that our lovely little Yarn Tree will be filling an even greater purpose from now on.
Behold, the Yarn Tree Reinvented:


What my ever-so creative hubby decided to do was:
- stain the wood darker to look like a real trunk
- remove the dowel branches and insert real clusters of fir tree boughs into the holes
- festoon with old Chili lights and new popcorn garlands!

The whole thing cost us $0 and perfectly fits our space needs and our matches our newfound Christmas tradition of always creating our tree from scratch.
You can see 2009's tree in this post.

Definitely an upgrade, if I do say so myself. ;)


And it's so funny, how every year I insist "no gifts this year!" and yet look at all those packages under the tree already... Oy ve~!
Granted some are from other folks, but with a great used bookstore downtown, how can I resist??
Also, you'll be seeing some more knitted presents in posts after Christmas ;)

Until then, Happy Little Trees!!