This picture has nothing to do with our day on the farm, but I just wanted to share this picture of Spooky Rotten Apple Tree who lives with Spooky Daddy now.

The kids and I spent Sunday with the fabulous Margot on her little farm in the countryside where she lives with her lovely family that includes two pigs, sixteen chickens, a doggie and and a couple of people too. They all live in a 19th century schoolhouse that is loaded with charm and color and good vibes. Well the pigs and the chickens don’t live in the schoolhouse. The pigs actually have the cutest house ever of their very own. We went out there to work on a fun project together. Above is a picture of our kids hanging out with the Potter family’s rapidly expanding little gang of J.H. creatures. I think Lumpers, Moldy Cloud and Snowbird are rather enjoying hanging out with sock monkey under the fancy lamp, don’t you? It was so nice to be able to bring the kids with me on this little trip. Margot has an amazing studio. It’s huge and well organized and filled with so many beautiful fun colorful supplies. I am very inspired to get my own space in to better shape! After we finished our work and spent some time with the animals, the Potters served a delicious dinner and then we all watched Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. Can you believe I hadn’t seen it yet? It was fun spotting my creatures on the big screen. Thanks so much for hosting us Margot, we had a wonderful time!

When we arrived home our hibiscus had opened it’s first bloom. It’s as big as the baby’s head!

Summer is strolling along quite nicely over here. How about there? Hope you are having a nice summer too!

I’ve gathered up all my unfinished monster parts. I’ve got about four years worth of stray parts here. Some are just pieces. Some are sewn up bodies. All have been abandoned before completion for some reason or another. I’ve finally brought them together to analyze them and try to keep them organized. I think this is all of them. I’d like to use these parts, somehow. Most likely they won’t end up being what they were originally planned for, but that’s probably a good thing. I spread them out in the crib because that’s one of the few flat surfaces that the baby can’t get to and is not interested in. Yesterday she mastered scaling the dining room table, so there goes my workspace! When my big boy was this age, I walked around a lot cutting out pieces and stitching as I walked. I wish I had a tall baby proof surface. A girl can dream. Don’t the bars of the crib look like rays of light? It’s as if when all these parts were combined, ENERGY was formed!

I think I finally have all my buttons organized in one place too. Not organized amongst themselves, but at least gathered together. Feels good. Been doing some buttony things, so this is very helpful!

We went to the Kyushu and Okinawa Food Festival at Mitsuwa yesterday. It was so crowded. People really like food. These sweet cream puff pastries with a custardy pudding medallion spliced in to the middle of them were the tastiest things ever! We brought them home because we were full after eating dinner at the market and then we ate them for breakfast this morning. I am considering going back for some more today. They were that good. The fair is still going on for a few more hours. If I could ever replicate this recipe at home that would be just amazing. Maybe dangerous. They also had green tea cake rolls with pudding in the middle which looked so very good on the poster but unfortunately they were sold out. I think they came from miles around for that one. I did try making something like that once but it didn’t turn out quite right.

On a healthier note, I’ve harvested some seeds from our spinach patch. Once I gather them all up, I’ll start a new patch. Eating food you’ve grown from seed is so satisfying. Food from seeds that come from seeds you’ve grown yourself is ultra gratification. Ah, the circle of life.

The Harada family spent Saturday in Brooklyn. Even though we live less than a mile as the crow flies from the New York City border, I rarely get over there. It’s really nice that my husband now has Saturdays off because I am looking forward to more weekend family outings like the fun day we had on Saturday!

First we went to see the Murakami show at the Brooklyn Museum. It was the last weekend of the exhibit and so many people showed up! Here we are in front of a huge statue in the lobby.

I censored my stainy uncute shirt with a Murakami floating head. Sometimes mommies just have to leave the house looking uncute.

The exhibit was pretty cool, but we were most fascinated by the graveyard of architectural details that was located behind the museum parking lot. Doesn’t this guy look funny nestled between the foliage? I wonder how old he is.

More “graveyard” pics on my flickr.

After the museum, we headed over to RIME where a few of my creatures are on display as part of the “In It For The Munny” show. No, my guys have nothing to do with Munnys really. I was just asked by Neil, the artist who customized the Munnys, to display a few guys because he likes my work. Isn’t that so very nice?

And aren’t his customizations rad? There are so many teeth in this picture! The walls at RIME are made of this awesome layered stuff that is made out of sugar cane and a bunch of different kinds of wood.

The Grand Mother is surrounded by cool sneaks. Which one do you think is her favorite?

My son recognized The Rainbow Mother right away and grabbed her and started flying her around the store! He didn’t want to leave her there and cried a little when I put her back on the shelf. I guess I need to make more creatures for my own kids. They don’t have very many of them at all. Like the cobbler’s kids with no shoes, ya know. It’s nice to know he likes them though. For the first few years, he wasn’t much of a fan.

To top off the day, we had some tasty Indian food at Raga which was one block up from RIME. I must look up how to make mango lassis at home. They are so yummy!

I thought it was nice that they had this breastfeeding art hanging up at the Indian restaurant. Do I look crazy? That’s what happens to me at the end of a long day out in the big city.

Some of my plush has infiltrated this custom Munny Show! Thanks to Nasty Neil A.K.A. Wasted Talent for inviting the fuzzy little critters along. Opens tonight in Brooklyn!

This is who happens to be hanging out here at the house right now. They say hi.

We’ve been away at the beach. This was quite a windy day. Our little bee tent almost flew away! We filled the bottom with sand so it would stay put and this picture is the dump out. It was very helpful to have this bee protection from the wind. Bzzz.

Revealed!
Find him at Rotofugi.
I don’t have many words right now because I am leaving to go to the beach soon. Yay! Have a nice week. xo

Margot is having a Kewpie dress up contest. I was so excited to get my little naked sweetie in the mail today. My son seems to be in love with her too. They are off having adventures together right now. I managed to keep her away from him just long enough to take this picture. What should I dress her up as? A penguin? A robot? A watermelon? Whatever I come up with, it will be a teency weency costume. She is only two inches tall! Would you like to play dress up too? More info about the contest here:
margotpotter.blogspot.com/2008/06/let-kewpie-mania-begin.html

grumble…grumble…grumble…