A fish you don't have to feed..

Funny Fish
JIMTHOMPSONFABRICS.COM

Yankee is a fisherman/ lover of the beach,  hunter/lover of the woods, builder, farmer, tractor driver, golfer, landscaper, t-ball coach and all around fixer of things that need fixin’…and all this in addition to a day job.  He is really just a misplaced redneck, which is why I of course scooped him right up, since I'm sure you know Redneck Yankee’s are very hard to come by.   One can understand though, all these activities keep Yankee very busy with the outside of the house, which in turn leaves me to tend to its innards, and tend I do.  My latest love is the new No. 9 Thompson spring collection from Jim Thompson.  As our temps reached 75 degrees today, I thought I would share this "nod to warmer weather" collection and show you one my favorite new fabrics "Funny Fish"-  a vibrant, multi-color aquarium of fabric that just makes me smile.  This fabric gives the kids the fish tank they always wanted, all while not adding to the "in house pet count".  It doesn't get better than that, especially since Yankee has chicken farming on the brain which is sure to send the pet count through the roof.  Here are some photos from the new line for visual aid.

   

All Fabrics:  No. 9 Thompson from Jim Thompson
Photos by David Christenson

Do four animals make a zoo?

Ladybug House

Monkey britches found a ladybug in the kitchen last week and now we have expanded our wildlife division to three dogs and one bug.   I obviously failed miserably at being a groundhog and our gorgeous weather, which I had previously predicted was “here to stay”…“went”, leaving behind near frigid temperatures.  With 70’s replaced by 30’s we could not possibly release our new ladybug without certain death, so this, and some whining from the little ones, is how we became a four pet family, temporarily.  Our lady bug is now shacked up in deluxe accommodations of a “multi- skylight” Mason jar with soft moss bedding and weed and branch furniture.   Not bad if, I say so myself.  I mist the top of her lady shack every other day with water and she is currently quite enamored with a grape I cut in half.  She seems relatively happy here, especially since I enforced the “no ladybug in our rooms” rule and the earthquakes finally stopped. 

Ladybug Picnic

But today, the weather once again changed its mind and delivered a gorgeous and warm 70 degrees by late afternoon.  I think that means it’s time for our little lady friend to move out, but even the discussion of a relocation to a more open abode has monkey britches near tears. 

Perhaps ladybug should plan an escape?

I think if this weather remains tomorrow I will enlarge her skylights and we’ll take her for a walk.  

Arnica Montana is not a city in the West

I know "technically" there is one more day left in January, and although I am no groundhog, we’ve had some pretty gorgeous days lately and the munchkins have been loving being outside.  At the Yankee House our band-aid consumption for wound coverage versus ornamental decoration has been steadily rising, and so I am predicting we will be seeing spring sooner, rather than later.  Now, to get prepared for the inevitable tumbles all good warm weather brings, I will be reloading on my number one most used treatment for all things boo-boo… Arnica Montana. 

Since we have already established I am not a groundhog, for the record I am also not a doctor.  These recommendations are what we take, and give our kids, but if you have some freakishly rare allergy to herbs that have Western states in their name, I hold no responsibility for you taking Arnica Montana and then developing a terminal rash.

As simple as I can put it, Arnica helps prevent bruising, swelling, and general shock and trauma to the body.  It is one of the few first aid items I keep on me, that and hand sanitizer, and I would feel safe to say it is the first thing I reach for when a tumble is involved.  My Grandmother’s mother gave it to her kids and so on down the line, where I now give it to mine, so I feel like it is pretty great stuff.  Among a thousand minor bumps, I most notably used it after 2 surgeries, one car accident, and accredit it for stopping a potentially major black eye in Monkey Britches when his face met the doorknob. 

Always of the “more is better” school of thought, I like to carry it in two forms for twice the effectiveness.  I buy the 30X pellets and carry an ointment called Hyland’s Bumps N’ Bruises since it's easy to apply and carry in its “chapstick-esque” tube.  In the house we have an Arnica spray and gel, and if I search hard enough I’ll bet we have a cream too, but the 30X pellets and Bumps N’ Bruises are my go-to's. 

It's easily found online- I buy it, and a host of other cures from luckyvitamin.com, but if you feel like you needed this yesterday and  are prone to running in to walls, Whole Foods carries it in their health department. 

Oil Change for your Face

Finding the perfect mix of facial products to give me the “glow,” and keep what I’ve got in its current location or higher, has become a little bit of an obsession.  I am fortunate to be blessed with good genes, from my mother’s side, but one can’t take any chances- this is the only face I’ve got and I took it to bed with makeup on for the first 25 years. 

Let me start by telling you, I am an avid researcher of products.  Now that would be ALL products, not just face.  Last month it was booster seats- you’ve got to keep it interesting.  I would feel safe to say there is nothing that comes in this house that has not been HEAVILY investigated.  And by "investigated", I mean like CSI pulling fibers from the trunk "investigated".    

I don’t quite remember how I first came across this oil, but it landed late December at what Mr. Yankee likes to call “shipping and receiving”, AKA our front door, and I’ve been in love ever since. 

Nuxe: Huile Prodigieuse is this yummy, decadent, multi purpose French oil that smells like clean, beachy, sweet almondy love.  Yep, that’s how I’d describe it.  It says it's a dry oil, actually many oils and Vitamin E, but I would not call it oily at all.  I massage it on my face at night and pat it over my makeup in the morning.  It makes my skin feel so yummy soft and gives me that “glow” I’ve been stalking, all while smelling divine!   My skin just drinks it, especially in these winter days, and my husband thinks it smells like heaven.  It may give you amnesia though, as I’ve had it almost a month now and Mr. Yankee still says, “Honey, you smell so great what is that?”  Now I just make up answers for fun.  

Cloth Napkins

I detest paper napkins.  If I come to your home and you offer me a paper napkin with dinner, I might make a little face like someone made a stinky.  I don’t mean to, I just really cannot stand paper napkins, or paper towels, but whose counting. Paper napkins are rough, nasty, non-absorbent and bad for the environment.  Have you ever tried to cover your lap with just one paper napkin?  It’s like pasties on a duck- useless.  And the cost- if you have kids you could send them to college for what you’d spend on paper napkins.  The thought of sitting down to a wonderful meal and being given a paper napkin almost ruins the meal for me, but lets not be too hasty, I guess they are good for soaking up the grease off pizza, but if you come to our home I’d give you a towel for the grease. And isn’t that much nicer?

I love a good cloth dinner napkin-at least 22” at the smallest point, either rectangle or square, white, monogrammed, and absorbent like a towel but not too thick, as to be bulky in the drawer when folded.  That, for me, is perfection and can even make fast food look appealing.  Cloth napkins that are past their prime in our home are reincarnated as cleaning rags so I think even the Dali Lama would agree it’s a good thing. 

The big leap... my first BLOG!

It’s kinda like looking over the edge and deciding I am going to jump.  Now this is not the edge of a building mind you-- If I jump, I’ll be OK.  My jump is in to the world of “blogger”.  I don’t even think I know anyone who Blogs, so I’ll admit to being a little intimidated.  I know this fear won’t land me in the hospital.  After all, dying of embarrassment is not on the list of ailments to send for an ambulance- it just feels like it should be right now. 

So, let me start with the basics so hopefully we can eliminate any angry emails.  I will misspell things.  I mean, I’ll try not to, but lets be realistic.  I will definitely misuse punctuation- the semi colon and I are not close.  I can have a sharp opinion and a tendency voice it.  I often send emails out I shouldn’t, and above all I am a strong believer in the truth- hence those emails going out. 

If I say something is great- I mean it’s really GREAT!  Likewise, if I say something is the most useless piece of pathetic garbage in modern times, well... let that speak for itself. 

So, that should about cover it for now!  I’m going to hit send- a little comforted by the fact I know no one is reading this... yet.