Author: Clare at CatsEatDogs

We all Scream for handmade!

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I am a super proud jewellery designer  to have my jewels at http://www.screamingmimistl.com. The store is on Sutton Blvd in Maplewood and it is a positive trove of treasures! All hand made and local fabulousness. I mean, just look at this amazing window display ‘Creativity Hatching’. ‘Creativity Hatching’ by Screaming Mimi Brand new cocktail rings by catseatdogs at Screaming Mimi I can’t just drop off jewels at this place, I have to wander around the small but perfectly formed shop to see what is new and who is willing to pose for a photo, look who I found…. Unicorn  A birdy checking out vintage playing cards Gargoyle style heads by Hannah Montford

Field Day

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My first job today was to plant lots of these windmills all around the paths at school for field day.  I snapped this one before they got a good washing from the rain and storms which were coming. Windmill before the rain The day well and truly started with a bang,  a thunder clap actually!  Followed by another and another… We waited out the big black, party pooping storm and resumed in the afternoon.  By which time it was nice and steamy outside.  Ideal for running around a giant parachute with lots of small energetic children! Parachute fun  The kids ran races, threw baseballs for all they were worth, jumped long and high.  Ribbons were won and faces were red and everyone had a grand old time! ‘We are Family’  Probably the only shirt which is worn to be drawn and written on! Field day and all of it’s celebration, in a cardboard box

Wacky

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Happy May Day! Remember dancing round the Maypole, skipping along, avoiding the boys and trying not to tie anyone in a Maypole knot? May is my favourite month, usually warm but not evil and everything is growing and blooming. Counting down to the end of the school year, always seems like a fun thing until about 5 minutes into the first day of the summer! Another of my favourite things is iPhone photo apps and iPhonography. I have a page of photo apps on my phone and love them! From Halftone comic effects to the Snapseed filters. The ones I use most are Instagram because of the on the spot filters and Hipstamatic for its heady array of films and lens options to play with. I am a mite late as it is already May, but I stumbled across  ‘Hipstaday’ today.  It gives you a theme or a film/lens combo to create your ‘photo of the day’. Fun! So, here is today’s picture…. Wacky

Exploding plants and impressive hail

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Our whole street looks like the trees up and down it exploded. There are leaves everywhere, each grey roof has an even covering of downed leaves. Storms came racing through, tornado sirens yelled at us to head to the basement and we still got a pizza delivered! Poor guy looked horrified as it was pitch black and hailing when he arrived. It was only 6pm and should really have been daylight, even fading daylight would have been acceptable. Pizza was successfully delivered and he scuttled back to his car with the pizza bag for shelter! The hail sounded as if it was determined to break any windows in it’s path. No windows broken but it left lots of piles of icy pebbles. Hail is amazing stuff, takes ages to thaw and has wonderful patterns to each little vicious round piece. Some clear, opaque, translucent and some all of the above in one rock hard, ice stone. I wish I could make beads like the hail, each different but a collective brilliance. Wonderous Hail I want these …

Squeezing the Lego

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Bargains to be had at the Mid County Y this morning at their garage sale. We came away with a box of ‘house building’ Lego with a few random mini toy animals thrown in there! Lego is a rarity at yard or garage sales so I handed over my $5 and snaffled the goods. We now have a higgledy piggledy Lego house with garden and picket fence on the dining table. Onto the opening of ‘Five Below’ to get some ‘series 7’ Lego mini figures. Max has been eyeing them through the soon to be open store window for a week or so now. Today was the day to park ourselves in front of the shelf stuffed with all manner of ‘mystery’ bags of Lego, Playmobil and Squinkies to name but a few. All of which are waiting to disappoint and infuriate as your kid gets the one he absolutely doesn’t want! I am highly trained in the vague but essential art of feeling the itsy bitsy bags of bricks and accessories. Decide which figure …

I like to tidy…

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Firstly, stop snorting at my title!  I know, I am no neat freak, but I do like to tidy and stand back to admire my work for the 10 minutes that it lasts. Today was a ‘clear the floor to vacuum and swap the toys around’ day.  So, Playmobil went downstairs, car track came up. Lego and Megabloks Halo are the permanent fixtures of the moment, so they just need containing. Lots of close staring at each piece to see if it is Lego or MegaBloks is involved. A newly cleared surface was declared perfect for a Lego base by Max.  I love that my kids gaze at a recently cleared area as though it was never there before. Even though it did always exist under a tangled pile of Star Wars Lego dudes and their myriad of accessories.   Raspberry Dark Chocolate M&Ms On a very exciting note, I discovered Raspberry M&Ms today and yummy little devils they are. Positively crying out to be thrown into a cookie!

Gliding, sliding and planking

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I did my first ‘Gliding’ class today at the Y. Wondering if I was doing the right thing, sacrificing my spin class which is always a sure fire sweat fest. I like to get a damn good workout when I do a class or go for a run, so no pressure then! Gliding discs A step and two gliders needed and quite the workout it was. Lunges and planks on these things give the core and leg muscles a good burn. Lots of core and lots of leg which was a good combo. Arms got a turn with high planks and push ups all on an ice like surface provided by these 2 nylon discs. Sunbathing Box Turtle On the way home I spotting this little fella catching some rays in the woods!

Baking and Making – scones and a summer necklace

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After a trip to St Louis Children’s hospital for an x ray on Max’s hand (not broken), we Metro-linked home and made scones. I fancied them up with smoked sea salt from Trader Joes. This stuff works it’s magic on anything from fries, to caramel sauce! Trader Joe’s magical Smoked Sea Salt! I use the same basic scone recipe to make all sorts of flavours, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon for cinnamon scones. Mix some rosemary in with cheddar (don’t add the sugar for this one!). Use raisins and add the sugar for a traditional fruit scone. Blueberries and lemon zest for a non traditional fruit scone. Pear and candied ginger is one I haven’t tried, but I will soon! When peaches are falling at your feet in the summer, chop one up, add it to your sweet scone and make a summer peach delight. Tennis anyone?   Strawberry scones are sliced and eaten with fresh jam and cream. White chocolate chips and cinnamon is a winner!  What am I saying?  Chocolate is …

Pizza pizza pie

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This is the best pizza dough recipe I have found, it is from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s book called ‘River Cottage Veg Everyday’. I made 3 pizza’s out of it.  Our house is mainly vegetarian, so I suppose ‘eat-less-meat-arian’ is more accurate.  So I usually make a variety of choices at pizza time.  This one did a ‘BBQ chicken’, ‘cheese and olive’ and ‘caramelized onion, potato and rosemary’ menu. Caramelized Onion, Potato and Rosemary pizza Ready to go! Pizza Dough Recipe 325ml/1 1/2 cups warm water 500g/4 cups All Purpose Flour 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 teaspoon instant dried yeast 1 tablespoon olive oil I piled it all into the bread machine and set it to ‘dough’. When the dough is made, knead it on a floured surface, then cut it into as many pieces as you need. You can make bread sticks, dough balls (little tiny rounds of dough which bake into bread golfballs!), focaccia and pizzas.