Christmas

This Is It, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We had a nice quiet family Christmas. I made soup and Krista made a green salad and a steamed kale salad. The browns provided really good French bread, a homemade cheese cake and lots of yummy appetizers. Aside from Zephyr here, the orgy of gift giving was somewhat contained.
We got in quite a bit of laughing and story telling. I'm wearing the lovely alpaca sweater and organic cotton socks Joyce and Jerry gave me. How cool is that?
Tomorrow we may get to go for a hike, if the weather holds.
I hope your festivities were as warm and loving and, well, festive.

Dangerous!

Dangerous!, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

I got Krista a gun for Christmas. A ray gun. It's really cool. It makes a very loud series of sounds and all kinds of lights flash. I bought it in Santa Cruz.
I also got her tickets to see Cracker this Saturday at the Mystic Theater down in Petaluma. I get to escort her!

Germ Dolls

Germ Dolls, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Actually, they are called Ugly Dolls, but Eden calls them germ dolls. She wanted them. Badly. Got 'em.
I had offered to put one of her old dolls in the gutter--you know, for the germs. She didn't think that was funny. One of the amazing things about these Ugly dolls is how freaking expensive they are! Hoo boy. You gotta wonder what those Chinese factory workers must think of us.

My LIttle China Doll

My LIttle China Doll, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

This is one of the (few) things I had on my Christmas list. I thought it might help me with my EFT studies. I had quite forgotten about it though, and was delightedly surprised by Krista.

Secrets

Secrets, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Someday you will be a REAL girl!

The Golden Compass

We just saw The Golden Compass in the theater. It was fantastic. The casting was superb, especially Lyra and Mrs. Coulter--Nicole Kidman did such a good job of being evil! I thought the special effects really supported the story rather than being the main attraction. And they were faithful enough to the book without being slavish.
They did stop the story before the book's majestic but very dark and traumatic ending. I thought this was a really good idea on their part!
The only disappointing thing was the half empty theater. I have no idea how well the movie is doing. I usually don't pay attention to such things. But this was a damn good production of a really good story. I hope enough people see it so that they'll do the second book!

Several people have told me the "religious right" is up in arms over the film. I find this astonishing and hilarious! If they want to identify themselves with the evil and megalomaniacal Magisterium in the film, well, I guess they know what they're doing. I hadn't made that connection myself, but if the shoe fits and all that, I guess.
This is one of those rare films you can see before reading the book, in my humble opinion. It is a bit violent in parts, maybe too much for younger children. Eden handled it okay, though she covered her eyes in parts and said it was a little too loud.
I hate to admit it, but I'll probably go see it again. It's the kind of film that really makes use of the big screen.

"Sunscreen" - good advice all around

The Tumbleweeds

Our playgroup (The Tumbleweeds) makes a calendar every year featuring the kids art. This is our first year contributing. Although I had lots of input from my kids, I pretty much commandeered the project and spent an absurd amount of time putting this together.
Click here to see a bigger size, if you dare.

New Cards

New Cards, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

We finally got 'em! I picked them up yesterday at Ajalon Printing. I have to admit I was a little nervous (the last printing we did three years ago was a minor disaster). When you're getting twelve thousand cards made up you want them to be good.

The cards were beautiful! I'm really happy with them. The colors are perfect, the images crisp and clear. All six new designs are wonderful and I think they'll sell really well. Once we get around to selling them.

Santa Cruz Sojourn

Jay, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Monday morning Krista and I jumped in the car and headed down to Santa Cruz for a long delayed anniversary getaway. Krista's folks watched the girls and treated us to a dinner out (an even longer delayed birthday gift for me).

We stayed with our dear friends Jay and Eileen at their combination lovely home and thriving Sufi community center. A home away from home.

We alternated visiting, eating out and shopping.
Neither Krista or I are recreational shoppers. But there is something about Santa Cruz....especially their old main street downtown. There are fantastic shops loaded down with stuff we really like. So we got a huge bag full of Xmas gifts. It was really fun!

We had some really great conversations with Jay and Eileen. The kind that fill you up with food for thought, but don't leave you with indigestion.

I love 'getting away'. I came home feeling much richer.

Temples of Damanhur

Have you ever heard of the Temples of Damanhur? Here's a link to a great article on them. Lots of good photos. A once secret wonder of the world.

Cajun Party

Cajun spread, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The day after Thanksgiving we were invited to our friend Lee's 40th. He has roots in New Orleans, so it was a Cajun - Mardi Gras theme.
Frankly, I had no idea what that meant. Turns out it meant lots and lots of wonderful food and a ton of those beaded necklaces they throw off of floats down that way.
The kids went wild with the beads. And I went wild with the food. It was such a nice contrast to the stuffing and cranberry relish the day before. The kids mostly just ate white rice and corn. Until the cake got served up. The cake was very chocolate and astonishingly good.
The best part was getting to see our friends and laughing a great deal.
More photos over on Flickr.

Cajun Bling

Rowan, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

The Bench - First Coat

The Bench - First Coat, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

This morning I headed back over to Dave and Annelies's to get the first coat of plaster on the bench. We were joined by Donna and Karen and had it done by 3pm.
Dave had screened quite a bit of their clay soil with a 1/8" screen--it was lovely, like coffee grounds! We were able to mix the dry ingredients by hand, the soil was so fluffy.
I think it took four wheelbarrow batches. It went on much like cake frosting and I think we all had a lot of fun doing it.
I've worked with cement stucco before, and I have to say, this earthen plaster is a joy to work with. It's very forgiving, easy to apply and to clean up.
Even this first rough coat sort of pulled the bench together as an entity. Especially since the cob had different colored layers and was pocked with a million holes. At the end, I think we were all surprised by how lovely it looks.
I can't wait for it to dry, so we can do the finish coat. Donna asked "So, is this bench a living thing?" It really feels like it is.

The Bad Old Days

I swiped this link from Krista's blog. Someone found a 1977 JC Penney's catalog in their attic and was kind enough to post some of the photos. It's a trip back to the bad old days for sure. That was the year I graduated high school (though I ducked out in February). I think you'll enjoy the commentary. Click here to begin your time travel.

The Strangest Secret in the World - Earl Nightingale

Stumbled across this tonight. Not very entertaining visually, but I found it quite motivational. Thought you might enjoy a listen. The album was made in 1956!! It's amazing how much this sort of message is zooming around these days.

Well. We finally dropped off our files at the printer this morning. These are the new card designs we're having printed--thanks to all who voted in the Deva Luna Focus Group!

We should have our cards in about 10 days, if all goes well. Boxes and boxes of the things. Its been over three years since we added to our line. Time for some new life blood.

We should have a party at Krista's open studio when they finally show up. I'll keep you posted.

The Sun God and Christianity

bad influence

bad influence, originally uploaded by Robbi Baba.

Don't these two look like an evil pair? The little guy is actually a lemon cuke that got neglected in our garden. It's about 3" tall and has a hard rind like a pumpkin. It glows a pretty yellow.
Tomorrow is the big night and today we had a family meeting, mainly about candy. We finally hammered out a genuine consensus that the girls can eat as much as they please on Halloween night, then keep 17 pieces to eat in the following days (after a good meal).
Though India says she won't keep any. She doesn't want it around.
It was a very successful meeting!

Creative Falling