Home and Away: Weekend Washington

I took a mini vacation and went home for an extended weekend, and for the Nicolai Christmas! It was so much fun, I love being at my Washington home. I always make sure that my plane seat is prime for seeing Mount Rainier.

Wood burned spoons

After seeing Alisa Burke's wood burned spoons, I decided to break out my wood burning tool and fancify a couple wooden spoons for Second Christmas. Now we all know how I struggle with straight lines, so my arrows are, admittedly, a bit on the wobbly side. However, the wood-burned stops and starts and wobbly lines only reminds me of the arrows Robin Hood uses in the animated Disney movie. I like everything about that, and I'm betting the sisters feel the same...

Peanut & Purls: Bo Peep Scarf

I'm still trying to catch up on all the fancy projects that I knit (or might still be knitting, hey Christine!). This week I wanted to show you Monika's little Bo Peep scarf from Tiny Owl Knits.

Make: Pressed Plants

One of the many wonderful perks about being home is sifting through all the awesome estate sale finds from the past year. This one is courtesy of Christine and is super amazing. Yes, that's right, an entire box of nature pressings from the Tacoma area in 1965!

We believe a school project may have inspired the collector to start cataloging these specimens. Whatever the case, we are excited to enjoy them now...

Book Report: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

Edgar Allan Poe's brilliant observationist detective, Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin, is considered by many the origin of the classic detective character. He made his appearance in "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", which is, again, not a novel but a short story. I feel like I'm breaking an oath: this is a story report rather than a book report.

Still, if you've read the works of Conan Doyle, you'll definitely see where Doyle found Sherlock inspiration in the character of Dupin. The similarities aren't limited to the preternaturally intelligent detective either; "Rue Morgue" is, like the Sherlock stories, narrated by the detective's faithful sidekick. Or, to keep the chronology correct, perhaps I should say that the Sherlock stories, like "Murders in the Rue Morgue", are narrated by the detective's faithful sidekick. I guess Doyle, as many authors since, didn't want to muck up the perfect formula...

Brief Musical Interlude: Haim--Don't Save Me

I recently learned of Haim through my friend Chase (see, you're getting credit). Haim is made up of three sisters (just like us!) based out of LA (just like Monika!)! I've been listening to them a lot this weekend. Check it out, I think you'll enjoy it!