There are Footprints On the Moon

Penumbra - from the Latin paene "almost" or "nearly"

 and umbra "shadow"-  is the region in which only a portion 

of the light source is obscured by

 the occluding body, which in this case is the Earth.

The penumbra is covering more than half of the moon's surface

 I stayed outside and watched until the entire

 moon was cloaked in shadow. Mars was 

visible too!

Did you get a chance to see the lunar eclipse

 last night? It was warm and windy here,

 around 60 degrees at midnight- perfect for 

moon watching!

Paul Brandt 

Welcome, 2013!

 

We are ringing in the new year with brisk and blustery Santa Ana winds, and clear blue skies. Perfect weather for making soup, don't you think? College Girl and I did just that - she found a recipe online for Minestrone at Spark Recipes  and I put on my apron. We peeled, chopped, grated and sauteed!

We altered the recipe by using minced fresh tomato instead of canned tomatoes, and added a squirt of Bragg's Liquid Aminos  for a bit of flavor and nutrition. The soup turned out delicious!

If you have never made soup before, I recommend giving this recipe a try. It is as easy as cleaning and chopping vegetables, and pouring all the ingredients into a pan to simmer. If you are an experienced soup maker you can personalize the recipe with your own touches. Also on the menu today are grapes, which I call our New Years' Wishing Grapes.

When College Girl was a pre-schooler we watched a Sesame Street holiday special in which Christmas and New Year's customs from around the world were highlighted. We learned that people in Spain and Portugal eat twelve grapes on New Years eve, one for each month of the coming year, for good luck. College Girl asked if we could eat grapes too, and our annual tradition was born! Each year we eat grapes and make a silent wish with each one we swallow - silly, but fun! Speaking of fun, how about having some tea while crafting? I will choose between two new cups: the Toile bird and the plump cardinal mugs~

Adelaide Grey

Pier One cardinal mug

Are you working on anything right now? Refinishing furniture, knitting socks, or making a Christmas scrapbook page? I can't wait to get scrapping with some of my new supplies, but in the meantime I made some easel style cards. Here is one using Creative Imaginations card stock. See how the front edge of the card rests against the floral strip to stand? You can write a message and sentiment inside.

                        Here is a forward view.

 I found some charming free printables for your New Years' projects and calendars at Crafty Secrets. 

 

 You will find the download at the link above, right side of the home page. These would be cute on cards, scrapbook pages, or in mini albums~

 

 To say farewell to 2012 we took a midnight walk under the stars and a big full moon. A ring of clouds tinged in orange circled our heavenly companion.

Before we went indoors College Girl tapped me on the shoulder and made a moon shadow for me!

 

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Wolfsbane~

We love to watch old movies. (A little aside here:ever see the movie called Monster In Law? There is a scene where a teen pop star says she likes old movies and when asked which ones replies,"oh, I like Benji and Free Willy." Haha!) I am talking movies from before 1950! As it is October, our most recent viewing has been Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (1931), some silent shorts, and a movie from 1941 called The Wolf Man.

The Wolf Man featured Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney. I loved seeing the gyspy wagon roll into town, the Talbot ancestral home in Llanwelly, Wales, and all the mist shrouded streets at night. Poor Larry Talbot is bit by a werewolf while defending an unlucky young woman who was out to have her fortune read. With the Wolfsbane blooming and a full moon above, Larry is powerless to fight the curse.

Evelyn Ankers, who plays the shopkeeper's daughter, tells Larry this poem when he comes in to buy a walking cane, " Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."
After the movie I was curious to see what Wolfsbane looked like, so I googled it! I ended up printing out a small botanical drawing and making a card with it~