Clare Davis Etheridge

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Kickboxing, zombie fighting, cookie baking ninja

This morning I did my kickboxing/ninja/zombie defense class at the Y and I have to say, it totally flew by. I can’t believe how fast the time went. No doubt sore arms and legs tomorrow, but I love that! Really, I do, I think it confirms I worked hard, I firmed up some wobbly bits and now I can make and eat some cookies!

Did someone say cookies? Look at what heavenly beast I found in Trader Joe’s this morning. I only wonder why I didn’t buy a cart full.

These should come with a stern warning along the lines of…

‘Do not open until you intend to bake with them.

Not even just to try them.

You will nibble and nibble and they will all be gone – forever.

No cookies.’

They are so good straight out of the packet, forget fancy Christmas M&M’s, just get bags of these for everyone who needs sweets! Job done. You’re welcome. Leave some for me though. I just used all mine in cookies….and nibbling…

I am going to need more, so if you are planning on buying the last bag as I am approaching, just remember that I am training hard at kickboxing and zombie defense…..I warned you. Back away from the Peppermint Bark nibbly stuff.

In other news, I have been making jewels for upcoming selling events and to stock up my Etsy shop which is about to be full and fancy.

I am learning every day about this lovely blog which I am enjoying so much, it will keep going and evolving and I hope you will come along with me!

Eat curry, hunt treasure.

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

This weekend was my birthday weekend as we wouldn’t all be here on my actual birthday to have cake and gasp at present opening!

We went to House of India for a curry buffet extravaganza lunch. Bodhi ate his body weight in chicken Tikka Masala and I just wanted to eat the rice pudding, but tried to be an adult and had some actual food first.

Onto Barnes and Noble to pick up a woefully old, Mollie Makes magazine, out of date because it is a UK publication and I assume it takes ages for it to flap those magaziney pages over here. Not to worry though, there are no horoscopes to go out of date, no celeb gossip to age, just lovely crafty stuff for me to look at and plan to make. When I can knit and crochet effectively…..I can use a sewing machine and a needle and thread, so all is not lost! I like the look of the itsy hedgehog on the cover, I can make him!

After Indian lunch, we went off to the Cherokee Street department of downtown St Louis to see what treasure hunting was to be had at Junque. I hate the name of this place, I mean, a fancy spelling of ‘Junk’? I don’t care much though as the place is a trove of, well, junk or junque.

I wanted a handful or two of these little carnival fishies! There was a box full of paper bags of wooden painted fish, only yellow and red though. The Peter Pan tambourine was pretty nifty too.

I even found a Birthday cake! How thoughtful… Makes you wonder though, what was this for? and why? and who? and and and.

I loved this rings, some were by themselves and some were hanging on rusty old screws. Apparently they are called ‘Awning Rings’ and were used as insulators. Either way, I see a pendant! They range in size from an inch across to about three inches across. I decided on the smaller ones. Washed them up and they are all shiny!

I think this lovely lady is carved from a coconut, she caught my eye straight away, so I had to get her photo. Don’t think I would want her staring down at me from the book shelf though!

Cranberries float

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

I spent the morning in my son’s second grade class doing experiments and explorations with cranberries. Thanksgiving is on it’s way and cranberries are a main foodstuff to go with the essential turkey! I was in charge of the ‘sink or float’ station. They float, in case you were wondering…even the smushy ones.
While they all loved the experiments, the clear highlight was when a local police officer visited with our principal! He came to each station (excuse the pun!) and chatted with the kids, well, they thought that was the coolest thing ever! I agree, I can’t imagine many schools where local law enforcement would show up for a quick chat to the kids.
When I got home it was my turn for cranberry experimenting. I am making cranberry sauce, but I have no orange or juice which the recipe on the back of the cranberry bag calls for. So, I am using lemon juice and zest with water to make up the quantity. I think I will throw in a couple of cinnamon sticks and let’s see!

Into the pan goes 2 bags of fresh cranberries, 2 cups of water /juice from 3 lemons, the zest of the lemons and 2 cups of sugar. I always try to use less sugar, but end up putting the full amount in, these are sour little berries. Oh, and I popped in a couple of cinnamon sticks, why not!

Heat and heat until the berries start to pop, keep an eye on it as the berries don’t sink – remember? So the whole lot rises up like a crazy science experiment about to come to life! Keep stirring it so it doesn’t bubble over and make a horrid mess. Yes, mine did that and I had to wipe up the horrid, sticky, pink mess. I heated them for about 10 minutes and then left them in the pan to cool a while. Squish them up with a potato masher a little bit if you like, or there are a few whole berries which you may like. I squished and mashed mine. The sauce thickens as it cools down to a jam like consistency.

I filled 6 little jars which I wash and save for occasions such as this. The cinnamon sticks went into two of the taller jars and they all went to live in the fridge until the turkey is cooked and leftovers are created!

Stamping and teepee building

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

We took a walk to ArtMart this morning after a brekkie of ‘Nate the Great’ (recipe from the books) pancakes and bacon.

I have an urge to make my own stamps so that I can stamp little catseatdogs logos wherever I please. I also want to make a star shaped stamp for making Christmas cards, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

Here is the kit I bought, I haven’t delved into it yet, but I have established that it is not a toy! So anyone who knows anything about using these, feel free to share tips!
I am looking forward to using my stamps, but I am doubting my ability to successfully manufacture one and keep all of my fingers intact. I will be sure to keep you updated!

While we were out, I spotted these Peppermint White Chocolate M&Ms. A couple of bags later, off home to try them. Do I want more or will they be too sweet? Munch munch munch munch munch munch munch munch…..munch munch munch….smell nice..taste…yyuummmm! I mean, they are horrid, don’t buy them. Leave them for me. Ha ha ha ha ha (Evil Edna laugh!)

Home to build a teepee out of uneven lengths of wood, a giant elastic band, some rope and a sheet. It worked! The sun is out and the teepee is up!

Inside, (the house, not the teepee) for a cup of Builders Tea (yes, that’s really what it is called!) and a Tunnocks Tea Cake. I love these, but they are not tea cakes…more like an English s’more. Biscuit/cookie, marshmallow and chocolate.

What’s in your bag?

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

‘In your bag‘ is the photo a day prompt for today. Confession-I thought this was a boring one. How can this be an interesting photo? Where’s the creativity. Well, it may not be an interesting statement of art, but I had a little giggle, or rather a crazy person talking to herself hearty laugh, as I emptied my bag to investigate!

What did I find then? Here goes, I will start with a list and then decide if I want to explain, defend and anything else in order to justify this hoard. You will also be pleased to know that I put it all, yes all of it, back into the bag!

E45 lip balm

Yes! carrots tinted lip balm

Neals Yard Lip gloss

Baby Baby lip balm

Good Clean Soap orange lip balm

Creme Brulee Vaseline lip balm tin

L’Occitane Green Tea perfume in a tin

L’Occitane Rose perfume in a tin

Pacific perfume Malibu Lemon Blossom solid perfume

A ladder

A plastic tortoise (not in the photo as I have only just found him in a pocket corner)

A card with a bike on it (from a matching game I think, Bodhi found it on the street!)

Five cards from Bear Nibbles fruit snacks

A Sagittarius horoscope ripped out of a magazine (don’t know the month or the magazine, so I would say it would be best not to take this one to heart too much….)

Two Winnie the Pooh’s in a backpack, one with a mystery key. These were from those balls you buy from machines for a pound in England. I bought two expecting different ones, disappointing.

String of vintage wooden beads.

iPhone case – a toddler’s mitten.

Moleskine diary.

Notebook. Note there is no pen or pencil in my bag!

Gloves.

Lolly from Trader Joe’s for finding the Elephant (do all Trader Joe’s give out lollies to kids for finding cuddly toys or is this a Brentwood thing?)

A blue plastic budgie

Lego Olympic archer.

Amy Pond and Rory figures from Dr Who.

Orange toy traffic cone.

Some change in British money.

A squashed US penny.

Well, in conclusion, I like lip balm, I think solid perfume is a good idea, but store them rather than wear them and I am a walking toy box! Good to know.

Woodland Tales – treasury on Etsy

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Acorns we found at Pere Marquette State Park, IL

Here are some fabulous creatures from the wonderful world of Etsy. Treasury created by me at catseatdogs, including some of my favourite Etsy artists.

‘Woodland Tales’ by catseatdogs

Wooden or woody lovelies. Perfect for walking in the woods, planning to walk in the woods or dreaming of walking in the woods.

Gingerbread Lip Balm – One T…

LongWinterSoap…

$4.00

Hand Knit Hat Womens Hat – T…

pixiebell

$50.00

pink mushroom

StephanieSersi…

$35.00

Hearts – Bamboo Wood Earring…

Cabin

$12.00

Wooden Boho Necklace / Brown…

BlueBirdLab

$24.00

Handmade Knotted Bracelet Bl…

yashmacreation…

$20.00

Tree Love slouchy eco crewne…

elSage

$53.00

Women’s Infinity Scarf i…

beautiefullthi…

$30.00

Quietude

LoreleiEurtoJe…

$79.00

Glass Leaves Necklace

villadesign

$48.00

Rings. Modern Contemporary S…

Epheriell

$68.00

the beer soap collection

goodcleansoaps

$18.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Ten on Saturday the tenth!

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

We are on the way to Pere Marquette state park. I have my real camera as well as my iPhone, and of course a Milky Way/Mars bar. I always remember the pure joy of a Mars bar on hikes when I was a kid!

Well, we went the wrong way to the park, but a potentially dangerous situation (wrong directions are never pretty, even when confidently spouted out of a phone which answers back) turned good when we stumbled upon Smartt Field where there is a aviation museum of tiny proportions. The Commemorative Air Force, Missouri Wing is a shambolic looking gathering of hangars with impressive planes, including the B25 Mitchell and the 1945 TBM 3, both WWII planes. Spectacularly exciting for the boys in my life! We toured the small airfield and the men who worked there couldn’t have been happier to answer all and any questions.

Saturday 11am, here we were. A happy wrong turn indeed!

I think Bodhi has this on his birthday list….

This however, is not on mine, but it made me smile!

On to the State park. It has been a fabulous weather day, sunny and warm, t shirts and shorts all round. November, bit wierd, but not complaining, it is supposed to rain and get cold again tomorrow.

A trail marked with red hearts must be a good one! Turned out to be mainly leafy like the rest, but downhill which was good.

Of course I had to find a bunch of funghi to photo! These little beauties were hiding by the path, so I hopped over to snap them.

Off to find the Piasa Bird on the way home (the correct route this time!). The Piasa bird being a petroglyph painted by the Illini native Americans. I think this is a replica image painted at a later date using descriptions of the original by early explorers like Father Jacques Marquette (yep, he of the park) in 1673. Legend has it that the Piasa bird is ‘the bird that devours men’. He is a little bit scary, but not real. Right?

The Mississippi looks like the sea! All blue and sunsetty.

Beady Heart

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

For the photo a day, today’s was ‘A Favourite Thing’. I took a picture of a beaded heart at its beginning.

I love to make jewelry and it is exciting when someone buys one of my pieces and then I see them wearing it! Today my making focus is all over the place. I am washing, putting pots away, making a coffee, checking Twitter… and on it goes.
I do like the whole social media merry-go-round, but boy, sometimes I wonder whether I need to duct tape myself on or just leap off and hope I hit some soft grass.
I don’t like to post the same darn thing on every site, because I think that is boring and apparently I like to make more work for myself. So I flit about on my little iPhone, posting a photo, writing a short sentence on a short sentence site, or messing about with photo finishes so that the aforementioned photo is an interesting one.
Then I feel that I really should be making something, because hey, that is why I am here n’est pas?
So, I am going to take a photo of my nearly finished heart, maybe put an enlightening finish on it, maybe not and then I will share!

Here is the nearly done little heart, I am loving it and can’t wait to see it done, so that I can show it off!

Now it is 2.35pm, time to go to get the boys from school via the library to collect some lovely story books.

I am having a quick listen to the new Bat for Lashes CD which is my latest love, now I am out the door…..

Happy on the Trail!

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Seven o clock on Sunday morning, first stop was to photo these frosty leaves – I just can’t walk about without spotting things to photograph, even in the freezing cold!
I was on my way to meet my friends to go and run at Castlewood State Park. I have hiked there before and admired the runners hopping about like mountain goats, but I have never run a trail with rocks, leaves, mud, a creek, 300 steps and a giant hill. This was going to be my mountain goat moment.

At the beginning of the chilly trail, I had my water, gloves and Stinger honey gel (yes, I was feeling that unsure of my legs that I equipped myself with energy gel). Ready to hop skip jump and run six lovely tree filled miles.

One of the best runs I have done. No pressure, stay upright, one foot in front of the other and keep going, my usual running rules. About those 300 steps, I walked them! Check out the view from the top.
Of course I had my phone, you never know when a misty view will come along and need photographing!

October 2012 Photo A Day

Published by Clare at CatsEatDogs

Day 1. Where You Stood. Chilly out, wet footprints on a skateboard ramp destined for the tri city yard sale on Saturday.

Day 2. Lunch. Miso soup with pot stickers. This is something I will often have for lunch, but I did plan a little bit around the daily photo for this one. Check the chopsticks! I ate the soup with a spoon….

Day3. This happened today. I went to Trader Joes for pumpkin bread ingredients and to Target for socks for Bodhi and parchment paper.

Day 4. What you read. I have either read these today, am reading them or am going to read them for bedtime stories. ‘Mary Poppins’ is our bedtime read. You ‘Wouldn’t Want to be a World War II Pilot’ was last nights read, it is quite informative!

Day 5. Shadow. Drink anyone? I took this on the iPhone 4 camera, added 1962 in Camera Bag, then into Camera+ to add clarity and color dodge. Love playing with photo apps!

Day 6. I’m thankful for. Amazing yard sale finds like this little guy. Twenty five cents, thanks very much! Vintage penguin toy with a weight in his base so he wobbles.

Day 7. Light. Pumpkin selecting at Thies farm pumpkin patch today. The boys spent the whole time in a hay bale maze! I took lots of blue and orange photos. Oh, and these pumpkins were not light!

Day 8. Angle. I was wondering about what to do for this one, when a piece of math project flew out of Bodhi’s bag! Red tri – angle.

Day 9. Red. A selection of red cars and trucks we own!

Day 10. Emotion. My friend’s skelly-bob looks fed up since he lost his arm!

Day 11. Close up. New necklace I just made. Silk cord and pearls and beads, pretty.

Day 12. On the table. Work in progress. Making and reading and learning. Always.

Day 13. Landscape. This was the landscape from my bootcamp class this morning. The High school track and football field.

Day 14. Makes you laugh. Bought this hat yesterday for Bodhi and it cracks me up every time he puts it on! Rrrrraaaaaaaagggghhhhhh

Day 15. Dinnertime. Class at the Y this afternoon meant no thinking or prep time, easy peasy from Trader Joe’s it is then.

Day 16. Something you wrote. The diary I keep for the boys. Every year since Max was born, I have had a page per day diary to record stuff the boys do, watch, play with, say, read, draw and anything else. It is only looking back over 11 years of diaries that I realize what I had forgotten. Birthday gifts and parties to silly statements, all worth recording.

Day 17. Fruit. Applepear

Day 18. Made you smile today. These skellys always make me smile, especially the headless dude!

Day 19. Letters. We found this vintage ‘Ponds’ jar buried in the woods. Could it be from the 1920’s?

Day 20. 4 o clock. We passed this chair on the way back from the library today at 4 o clock.

Day 21. Calm

Day 22. In your town. I cross this bridge at the park nearly everyday, the green wood and the leaves are a great colour combination.

Day 23. The view from here. Under my umbrella leaving the Y in the warm rain.

Day 24. Weather. Warm October day in the 80’s. Windy with pretty clouds.

Day 25. People. These guys are my people!

Day 26 Listening to. Kids on the bus going to the zoo and science centre for a school field trip.

Day 27 Morning. This was the morning after the YMCA Halloween party, stories, popcorn and pumpkins.

Day 28. Looking back. Behind me are these creepy gravestones hanging on the doorframe.

Day 29. Moon. Full moon through the tree.

Day 30. Clothes. Warm clothes for the morning walk to school.

Day 31. Whatever you please. Witches finger cookies for Halloween.

Another month flashes by and November is upon us. If you want to do the photo a day themes, they are here. Come and play, it makes a great record of each month! I can’t wait to get a year in photos. Mine are on Twitter and Instagram (follow me at Clareed) if you want to follow every day and add yours!