way to go adam

well, i am sad to say we did not get our snow. however, it turned out to be the perfect sunny day for flying an airplane. our friend from church shared a flying lesson with adam because he was not able to use it. adam was thrilled; he is far more adventurous than i am. this is definitely not something i would enjoy since i am afraid of most things, and of course that includes flying and heights. i am glad adam was able to have this experience. he was smiling ear to ear when he returned home. 

the colors look beautiful from up there. thanks for sharing the pictures adam!

predictions for snow

the weather report shows that snow is on the way. yay, more hot cocoa time coming up! suki has been dreaming of making a snowman and a "snowboy". i can't wait to see her face when we make her first snowman (and boy). it will be adam's first snowman, too. he is from california. 

p.s. what do you like to listen to on snow days? i am putting together a snow day mix, and i hope to figure out a way to share it with you. this will be on the list.

visit from a friend

our dear friend nicole just came to visit us for the holiday weekend! it was such a treat to spend thanksgiving with her along with our grand rapids friends, at sarah's house (our thanksgiving tradition for the past seven years). in addition to our thanksgiving feast, we were able to spend many wonderful meals together, and since nicole has a passion for fine coffee, a highlight for me was the hour we had together drinking coffee at rowster. suki has not seen her auntie cole in over a year and was thrilled to have her here. she is still talking about about "wild rumpus" from when nicole read her where the wild things are. thankfully, nicole is the type of person who can find fun on her own when her hosts are tired and lazy. we had intended to all go to the little wings show, but by the end of the day, adam and i could not muster up the strength to make it out the door. nicole brought us back this tape! when i listen to the tape, and hear about nicole's adventures i feel like i did not miss thing. this was always our role when we were roommates. nicole has given me so many stories and souvenirs over the years of knowing her, and i am incredibly thankful. i hope someday to be less of an introvert so that i can experience one of her famous stories first hand.  

now on pinterest

i just started using pinterest. it seems to be a helpful way to organize inspiring images, recipes, blog material, and more. i hope it will save me time and not add to my computer time. do you use pinterest? if so, what do you think about it?

p.s. suki picked out her outfit by herself! peas and queues sweatshirt, zutano leggings, and turkish slippers. 

aamu aika

fresh water for plants.

fresh oj for suki.

p.s. suki is wearing a bear sweater thrifted by tracy rose, niconico pj's, and slippers hillery found in turkey.

DOGS!

this is one of the best zines i have seen! you can laugh and enjoy dogs with this zine, dogs of all nations, over and over again. it can be found on emily goble's etsy page here.

holiday sale

holiday sale at specks and keepings! shop from november 25th to december 2nd and receive a discount. look for the sale code here. 

say no to turkey dinner

please, think twice before eating a turkey. 

may you all have a day full of gratitude and love tomorrow.

happy thanksgiving!

p.s. this is not our bird drawing. he was found on the internet.

cabin-time

more information on cabin-time has been released! this roaming residency will be taking place in remote locations around michigan, where eight artists will work together, side by side for four days. the first location will be in the porcupine mountains, this january- the most magical time of year to be near lake superior. i was very happy to hear that adam was one of the eight artists invited! follow this project here on the cabin-time tumblr.

mommy in my pocket school bag

if you haven't noticed, the blog no big dill is hosting another once upon a thread sew along. the idea is to create something inspired by a children's picture book. i decided to use the book mommy in my pocket and make suki a backpack. she likes to play 'school,' and she usually wears my backpack around while playing. 

since this is one of suki's favorite books and she loves bags, i thought i found the perfect gift for her. the book is about a young girl who is nervous to go to school. she wishes on a star for her mommy to be small so that she can stay in her pocket all day.

 i used the backpack pattern from the oliver + s little things to sew book. i added a small pocket to the inside pocket that holds a finger puppet mommy. on the large inside pocket i stitched an image of suki with our two cats, billy and little juanita. 

on the outside of the bag i made two badges, one of our dog, koji, and the other of adam. kids usually love to draw family portraits. when suki and i draw she always asks me to draw our family (along with everyone we know). 

i thought she would love this bag because of the personalizations described above. sadly, she does not care for it. she prefers the "blue" bag she usually plays with. i did not expect her to stop appreciating handmade things until she turned into a teenager. i am trying not to act too bothered by her lack of interest to this object i thought she would love, but inside i am sad. she asked me to give it to beedle, but i think i will keep it around just incase she changes her mind. 

marcel the shell with shoes on, two

we watched this with suki. since then she has been going around saying "treats and snoozing. snoozing and treats.".

aamu aika

pumpkin muffins and coffee breakfast. 

happy for sweet bites.

messy hair and fun style!

p.s. the best winter pj's can be found here, and suki's turkish socks are available at specks and keepings!

hard times for koji dog

koji recently broke his foot. he usually goes on three walks around the neighborhood a day, and he enjoys time outside running in our backyard or at the dog park. now with his broken foot he has no time outside running, and he still gets his walks but only to the end of our street. he already seems sad because of this; then a couple days ago he had another traumatic day. he ate a bowl of raisins! adam had to induce vomiting then take him to the doctor where he had to eat a bunch of charcoal liquid. now he seems extra down in the dumps. we bought him extra treats and toys, and we have been giving him a lot of extra love. the poor little guy still seems so anxious! please keep him in your thoughts and prayers during the next two weeks of his recovery.

notes on a reading group

adam is currently participating in a visionary reading group with about a dozen of his colleagues. the group is funded by the calvin center for christian scholarship, and the group's primary goal is to explore animal issues- especially those related to food. cccs is sponsoring a talk by paul shapiro monday november 21, at 4:30 pm, and it is not to be missed. plus, the talk will be followed by a vegan potluck! read more about this event at extraVEGANza! 

group reading list:

jonathan balcombe, the inner lives of animals

jonathan safran foer, eating animals

d. grumett and r. muers, theology on the menu: asceticism, meat and christian diet

matthew c. halteman, compassionate eating as care of creation

barbara kingsolver, amimal, vegetable, mineral: a year of food life

andrew linzey, animal theology

andrew linzey and tom regan, animals and christianity a book of readings

tom regan, empty cages: facing the challenge of animal rights

steve sapontzis, food for thought: the debate over eating meat

bryant terry, vegan soul kitchen: creative, healthy african-american cuisine

stephen h. webb, good eating

now you are ready to start a reading group at your place of work. 

shop specks and keepings

the new specks and keepings shop is now up and ready for shopping. it is stocked full of many lovely things just in time for holiday gift giving. enjoy!

p.s. don't forget to sign up to WIN a set of kotoa sweet mats. 

ROWSTER

New American Coffee from ROWSTER on Vimeo.

s.s. project

whatever this is, i can't wait to learn more. visit SO SWEATY!

birthday brooch detail

sweet mat giveaway

HELLO FRIENDS! we have a few exciting giveaways this month in honor of our one year blog ANNIVERSARY, and the specks and keepings shop update. our first GIVEAWAY is a set of KOTOA sweet mats.  

visit specks and keepings shop! then, enter to win a set of sweet mats by:

becoming a follower of kotoa- this blog, or

if you already are a follower, leave a comment with your favorite winter treat, or

mention @kotoamade on twitter.

cheers!

this giveaway closes sunday november 20, 2011.


WE HAVE A WINNER!

aamu aika

we had a lovely slow morning today. playdough and fresh concord grape juice were the highlights, along with a nice hot breakfast, coffee, and books. now i am off for a nap- what a weekend to recover from!

sesame street

tonight we were able to go see sesame street live! as soon as the show started suki wanted to join beedle in his seat so that they could cuddle closer. the seats were so big, i wish we could have purchased one seat for them to share. they had fun watching all of their favorite sesame street friends dance and sing so close to them and in person. they both favor the cookie monster. he is a lovable one!

after the intermission they both wanted to go on to the stage to dance with the monsters. when they found out that it was not possible they were both anxious to get home to dinner and games. even though they did not dance on the stage with cookie monster i think it was a special date for them. 

breathe owl breathe

the perfect holiday gift to share with a little one. pre order today!

admit one

this weekend we had suki's puppet show birthday party. a lot of her friends came to join the fun and celebrate suki.

we made pre puppet show vegan snack foods that included soft pretzels with mustard and sheese sauce, pigs in a blanket, grapes, sheese and crackers.

after everyone arrived and received their puppet show tokens, we prepared for the show. 

our friends marlee, and kate joined adam in making and performing "little silver hair and the three bears". each child could purchase a bag of popcorn for the showing with one of their tokens. then, after settling into the pillow piles in suki's room, the puppet show came to life from suki's closet. 

 it was by far the best reenactment of the three bears that i have heard, and the puppets were incredible. 

after the show we enjoyed vanilla milkshakes and sang happy birthday to suki. awhile later beedle sang her a whisper happy birthday- the sweetest toddler love. 

 her friends gave her a variety of fun gifts, and we made them bags of poppycock, jars of playdough, and mini pinatas (with a little help from oh happy day). 

after the kid friends went home to prepare for sleep, suki was able to spend some one on one fun style with her adult friends. kate (suki and kate have a special connection because they share a birthday!) brought her this lovely asparagus fern all the way from her home in detroit. she talked with suki about how to care for it. then, we said our goodnights. the remainder of us listened to suki sing herself to sleep with the happy birthday song. 

thank you to all of our friends for making this day special for our little suki su!

p.s. suki's party dress and plush bear brooch were made by me. the warm winter striped tights were by mp.