Simplysewn

Change

2012-02-09T06:33:00.000-05:00

February. It has never been my favorite month. The days are short, cold and dark. It seems an eternity since the joy of Christmas. Lent begins and so Easter is also only a glimmer in the distance. February is, I think, the most perfect month for Lent. A time to go inside yourself for reflection. A time to let go of the world for a while and discover the spark that brings our purpose into light.

Today is the first day of my new adventure. I quit my job and enrolled in a Montessori teacher training program. It feels fitting to be doing this now, amidst the mid-winter gloom for some reason. Seems easier to sit and study by the fire with a blanket across my knees.

Of course, being job-less for the time being also brings the other projects to the forefront that I have ignored for the past 10 months. Sewing and organizing and cleaning and getting ready for the garden.

A new start.

2012-02-05T08:06:00.000-05:00

Wow. The last few weeks have been a blur. There is so much to say, so much to tell but I'll leave most of it for another post. I haven't been this exhausted for a long time. It's a good exhausted, from work that I love and gives me energy. I'm not exactly sure how something that gives me so much energy can make me so tired. I'm of course talking about helping to costume the 65 kids that are involved with Nolan in Beauty and the Beast. I have enjoyed it immensely but it has been non stop work. This is the first weekend of shows (so you'd think we'd be done costuming...but no). What a gift for our children. Nolan has made some new friends (as have I) and learned a little more about theater, working as a team, self sacrifice and many other traits that I'm too tired to think about.

These photos are of my sewing buddy. Last week I took home the Cogsworth costume to finish. I found Cloe in this position when I went into the sewing room to work on it. She is generally with me when I'm up there. Of course, she generally likes to sit on top of whatever fabric I'm using at the moment. But how can I be annoyed! It's nice to have a furry friend for company!

The Most Fun

2012-01-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

It's insane how much I love to help with costumes. Really I'm ripping almost more than sewing. Taking off trim, adding trim, ripping out sleeves and altering shoulders, waists and hems. I love it. I love seeing the actors transformed. I love being at the theater helping out. I love seeing the smiles on the children's faces when their costume goes from being a frumpy mess to fitting like a charm. I'll be disappointed when this is all over. It's a spectacular ride!

Costuming

2012-01-13T10:01:00.000-05:00

I should be baking bread and cleaning and shopping for my little get together tonight. Instead I'm altering costumes. There's a lot to be done and I'd like to help as much as possible. We were at the theater for a LONG time last night trying to fit everyone. The budget is small so the theater is trying to use as many costumes that already exist as possible. That means lots of altering. I do have to get moving on my other chores but I think I'll do just one more costume. I think I'm addicted.

Make It

2012-01-12T07:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a travel day for me again so I was able to flex my hours and have some time at home during the day. I can't tell you how glorious those days at home are for me. I try to fill them with all the things I long to do while I'm sitting in my little, drab office.

I spent my whole day on Wednesday making things. You certainly know by now that making is my lifeblood.

I'm hosting a jewelry party here at our house on Friday night as a fund raiser for our parish youth group. I want to have some simple, delicious food to share and thought it would be fun to have bread, oil and grated cheese for dipping. I was really inspired by the bread video on the kinfolk site. I can't get enough of kinfolk right now. I can't bring myself to pay so much money for a magazine subscription so I splurged and bought the ipad app. The photography is just stunning.

This bread is from Julia Child. It is her french bread recipe but I substituted a cup of whole wheat flour for a cup of white and added a squirt of honey. She recommends using a food processor to make the dough but I really love to do it all by hand. There is so much contentment and time to think that occurs when you knead the dough. I feel like more love goes into the baking when it's all by hand.

Of course, I'm trying to avoid eating refined carbohydrates right now so I haven't had a slice but my boys have been raving about the bread so I know it must be good. I'll bake another loaf tomorrow so it's fresh for the party.

Above is another little creation I made Tuesday night. I wanted a linen table runner but it was all wrong for our retro metal top table. I've had the strawberry fabric (three pieces that size that were someone's curtains) for quite a while. I have a small pile of vintage strawberry linens that I have been saving. It was REALLY hard to cut this and use it but I'm super glad that I did. The red fabric is the left over from Nolan's Christmas messenger bag. I just love using up left over bits of fabric like that.

While the bread was rising and baking I spent the day in the sewing room making linen napkins (I'm hoping to embroider them with the free patterns from doodle stitching at Lark crafts). That'll be a good project while I'm sitting with the boys helping with homework.

I also made a VERY red skirt. I used an old skirt that I like and created a little pattern for myself. It turned out really well although the waist is a little big. I guess that's why they tell you to make a sample skirt before cutting into the real fabric! This fabric I bought for a Halloween costume that I never made. I'll try to get some photos of this skirt and also the other one I made a few weeks ago (also patterned after a skirt that I love).

I could have spent many more hours on projects yesterday but I think I got quite a lot accomplished in the time I had. Tonight I am on sewing duty at the Beauty and the Beast rehearsal. It's costume night. My projects might have to go on hold until the show is finished in early February.

tuesday tinkering

2012-01-10T07:19:00.000-05:00

Well, since the sun hasn't yet come up over the horizon, this tinkering was actually from Sunday but I really wanted an alliteration in my title. Some days I think literary terms are one of the only things they are teaching in the public school. Nolan is really getting sick of it!

But....I digress. What I really came here to talk to you about is tinkering.

tinkering. present participle of tinker. verb. attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way, often to no useful effect.
desultory. adjective. lacking a plan, purpose or enthusiasm.

I wanted to add a little natural beauty to our dining room. I spend so much time in this little room it is almost unnatural. Thus the addition of nature. Get it? Ok....that was bad form but I can't help it. It's early in the morning. Work with me.

Due to the fact that Mike teaches out of our living room three days a week and it is too cold and dark to use the sunroom this time of year, we do homework in the dining room. This room is probably 10x10 if we're lucky. I call it cozy. Togetherness. At one with the family.

Ok. I wanted something pretty to put on the table. My dad got a box of milk glass at a sale for $.50. Just because. Then he gave the box to me. Yea!!! I have the items in different rooms of the house. The kitchen, the sewing room, the dining room. I think it adds a little something to our lives.

Something simple. Something beautiful. Something ordinary.

The only part of the tinkering definition I don't like is the word desultory. I definitely had a plan, a purpose and enthusiasm. It just goes to show you that life doesn't fit into neat definitions. I do love the word desultory though. It sounds like something I shouldn't be doing or even talking about. Love it.

Sunday

2012-01-08T07:35:00.001-05:00

It's Sunday morning and the troops are just starting to rise and shine. We've got a busy day today. Mass, an afternoon choir concert, musical practice and quite a bit of homework. Not to mention the list of household chores that I'd like to get accomplished. And I really should pay a visit to my parents. I found my mom the most wonderful present yesterday while thrifting. I want to do a whole post about it if I can. You'll just have to remain on pins and needles until I get to it. Today. If. There. Is. Time.

I'm sharing photos of my sewing buddy. Chloe isn't a lap cat. She's the first cat we've ever owned (and she's the 7th) that wasn't. She makes up for it in a myriad of ways. You turn away and then look back and she's sprawled out on her back, belly in the air. She lets you rub that soft, soft belly. She does this really funny stretching thing with her neck. She'll stand on two feet, front paws on a wall and then crane her neck all around in a circle like she's trying to get in the whole view. So funny.

Well, I could tell you a million more reasons why she's the best cat in the world. I don't want to sound too much like a crazy cat lady, though. Or maybe it's too late.

Fun for Me

2012-01-07T15:22:00.003-05:00

I've been spending more time looking at things. Seeing the beautiful in the simple details. I gave myself some fun money out of my travel check from work to go fabric and thrift shopping. I took my camera along, too. I used to do that all the time and am trying to do so again. Alicia Paulson has so many comforting things to say about taking pictures of everyday life in her book, Stitched in Time. It really made me want to do the same.

I spent the morning driving into the country (which is getting harder and harder around here with all the development). I drove into the country to go to the Goodville Fabric Outlet. I wasn't really looking for anything but wanted to remind myself of what they have. I want to continue drafting my own patterns and that requires some inexpensive fabric to make my muslin (or practice piece) out of. I was able to get quite a bit of fabric (see the fill a bag for $2 photo) for that cause. It was fun.

On my way home I stopped at two really wonderful thrift stores. One was a Goodwill and the other a Re-Use It shop. I found some wonderful things. You can see a few of them in the last photo. I guess it's sort of silly to put kitchen things in my sewing room but I love the way they look and I'm hoping to use the tins for some notion storage. I'm absolutely enamored with strawberries, too. I couldn't resist these little salt and pepper shakers. They don't go with our kitchen at all but they make me happy in the sewing room.

I've got lots of little projects in my head right now that I'm hoping to work on as I'm able. Mike and I are heading out to see David Wilcox tonight. I only have one of his albums and it was from before we had kids (Nathan's almost 16) so I doubt we'll hear any of those songs! He's a really great lyricist. There are a few songwriters who can capture parts of life that I didn't really think so much about until I heard the music. David Wilcox is one of them. I'm looking forward to a night out with my man.

I like to photograph things

2012-01-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

From my New Year's walk down our street.

Drafting

2012-01-04T07:37:00.000-05:00

The mornings are so dark and cold. It feels melancholy. I guess it doesn't help that I'm listening to this. The music is so lovely, though. It really fits my mood. It makes me feel old world somehow. Like I want to 'hunker down' here at home and create.

Alas, I have to go to work. I spent a few minutes this morning drafting my sleeve pattern for a little jacket I'm making. So far it's all working out. I'm sort of mystified. I'm also pleased.

Duck Soup

2012-01-02T16:17:00.000-05:00

The last day of vacation. Sigh. Time to prepare for the school and work week ahead. That meant a little grocery shopping, finishing up a school project, bread baking and soup cooking.

We roast a chicken several times a month. I always make roasted chicken stock from the carcass and then generally make a good nourishing soup with it. Soup is an excellent way to finish up those vegetables that may have been in the fridge for just a tad too long. It's never the same thing twice.

In this case, I'm making duck soup. Yup, duck. We roasted a duck over the Christmas Holiday and I used the carcass to make stock. Making stock is so easy! The broth is so much better than anything you can buy at the store. Basically, just throw the carcass into a pot, cover the bones with water, add an onion, garlic and some carrots and bring to a boil. Let the mixture simmer for several hours. I generally add water once to fill up the pot during the boil. Then just strain the liquid through some cheese cloth and you've got some really delicious, nutritious broth to do with as you will!

Today's soup includes the duck stock, onions, garlic, green beans, carrots, tomatoes (frozen from my garden) and the left over duck meat. I pulled out some pesto to add in at the end. I forgot I had a whole bag full in the freezer!

Nathan and I made three loaves of whole wheat bread this afternoon so I'll cut a few slices for the boys (who aren't too wild about vegetable soup) and a simple, nourishing meal will be served with enough leftovers for Mike and I to have for lunches this week.

Now, back to the old grind!

New Year Hike

2012-01-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

Most years, January 1 has generally been a day of sitting on the couch, cleaning, cooking and mostly general quiet. This year was not too much different. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and warm for this time of year. Since January 1 fell on a Sunday this year, I had to start my new year quiet after Mass. I did the customary cleaning of the house and tidying of the flat surfaces. We moved a little furniture around as well. I'm planning to plant seeds for my summer garden in a month or so and moved our old computer table into the sunroom for that purpose. I've moved my laptop and camera into the sewing room (it's feeling more and more like a real studio to me) which freed up my desk to go into the dinning room for the computer. This was a boon in two ways: The living room is a little more roomy as is the dining room.

Since the day was sunny and warm Mike and I decided on the first hike of the year. We went to a local rail-trail for a 4 mile hike. This isn't my favorite kind of hike as it is a little bit flat but it was perfect for today. Mid way into the hike the sun disappeared and it started to rain. Yikes! Of course, I always like to remind the boys that we are waterproof and so we didn't melt.

It was a wonderful start to the new year. One of the things I like about hiking with our family is that it is totally unplugged. Much as we try to minimize electronics, they are a large part of our lives. So, hiking is a great way to get the conversation flowing. And that's always a good thing.

I hope you enjoyed the first day of the new year in your own special way. May it be the first of many similar days to come.

The Sewing List

2011-12-30T11:09:00.001-05:00

This is the first of several lists I have going right now.

~~Curtains for the basement~~

~~Quilts for Marshall~~ (finished Dec. 30th)

~~Long Skirt~~ (finished Dec. 31)

Jacket from Sew Simplicity

Hour Glass Quilt

Hiking Bag

Quilt for my niece's wedding

As you can see I already finished one project. I believe it's motivating to start your list with something that's already accomplished. And I'm sticking with that idea. I have most of the fabric for everything on this list. My goal is to continue to be thrifty with my sewing, using what I have and only purchasing when necessary. I don't have too many plans for sewing in the new year. I've got some other lists that I'd like to make a priority.

In other completely unrelated news, we're having duck for dinner. We've been saving this little guy in the freezer for just the right opportunity. Since it takes about 4 hours to roast and I have off today, we thought this might be a good day to do it.

Happy 2nd to last day of 2011 to you all.

Photo Walk

2011-12-29T16:49:00.000-05:00

I used to take my camera everywhere. In the last five years I haven't toted it with me as much as I should have. It really is silly. If I think about all the film I wasted taking horrible photos prior to digital, you'd think I'd never be without my camera. Really, with digital, I've got nothing to lose.

After making our little video, I was reminded about how much I enjoy looking at things and thinking of ways to capture the essence. And, as we all know, practice makes perfect.

So today, amidst a cold, light snow, I took a walk down our street. I walked the whole way to the end. It can be so nice and quiet in our neighborhood sometimes. I like that.

I hope you are all spending a little time thinking about what you enjoy doing, and maybe even getting out there and doing a little of it, if you can.

List Making

2011-12-28T21:05:00.002-05:00

From the "making for Christmas list." White chocolate covered Oreo cookies. Yum.

I really love making lists. There's something so organized about them. Like it may be easier to accomplish what's on the list just because the list is so

neat and
tidy and
numbered.

I think in actuality, what I like even more about the list is checking off the items I've completed.

I've been working lately on slowing down. I have a tendency to work in a frenzy to get things done. I'm surprised my blood pressure isn't higher. I need to remember that there isn't any reason (usually) for the walk to be swept, dinner to be cooked, bills to be paid, homework to be completed as quickly as possible. That savoring the moment is also an option.

Often I work at the speed of light because I don't really want to be doing whatever it is that I'm working on. I want to be doing something else. I need to stop pining away for the next thing and work on enjoying the moment in which I'm living.

Easier said than done.

So....I guess that's one of the items I'll put on my list. Enjoy the now.

I'm going...to enjoy the now of a movie with my hubby.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T21:07:00.000-05:00

Have a Joyous One

2011-12-23T08:27:00.000-05:00

I'm off work from now until next Wed. I hope you are all having a very joyous Advent that leaks into your Christmas season.

Under the Tree

2011-12-18T06:07:00.000-05:00

Every Christmas this is what I find under our tree. I think he must dream about being a Warrior Cat, living in the woods, resting from his daily hunt for survival. Or maybe he thinks he's a Royal Cat, finally getting back to his castle of velvet. Sleep well, kitty.

Baking

2011-12-17T12:03:00.000-05:00

Aahhhh...finally the sights and sounds and smells of Christmas at our household. I woke to a dark and silent morning, threw my list together and headed out the door before the house awoke. I was feeling a little less than Christmas-y of late and the sounds of the mixer and the poof of dark cocoa powder has restored my cheer.

Hey...Everybody OUT!

2011-12-14T07:42:00.000-05:00

Taken from the hall. I bought a new ironing board cover only to get it home and realize it wasn't the right size. Oops.

One Saturday about a week and a half ago I woke up feeling very unsettled. Frankly, I've been feeling that way for so long I almost can't remember what contentment is all about. I know that contentment comes from within so I'm doing a lot of self reflection. More on that another day.

My sewing space. I have my fabric and books on the shelf to the left. Scraps go in the basket under the table.

So this particular Saturday morning I was awake and my household was still asleep. It is one of my favorite times of day. So quiet! Since the flood in our basement I had been sharing my sewing room with a computer. We had finally gotten the basement put back together and had make the choice to keep the computer upstairs. Now, as you can see by the above photos, my sewing room is more like a half room. It seemed in the past month or so that there were at least two or three ever growing, awkward, smelly, messy teenagers doing one thing or another at all times with that darn computer. It was virtually impossible for me to think about sewing with all those elbows in there.

Chloe. I just can't tell you how much joy that cat brings to our lives.

I was doing my best to live with it. To think that I'd sew on the weekends or after the boys go to bed. The reality is that homework happens on the weekends as do computer games and my husband's business (yup, he uses that particular computer a lot, too) and at night I'm too exhausted to think about being creative. I was in a conundrum. (I love that word by the way, it's so full of sound, like you're inside a metal trash can being rolled down a steep hill).

My new magnetic boards. I love being able to put up photos and pictures that inspire me. The round containers hold my quilting pins, sewing feet and misc. little things that I always seem to be hunting.

So early that Saturday morning when life was dark and still and quiet I discovered the solution. Move the computer into the dining room. I don't especially like large screens in my living spaces but with as much time as all the men spend on that computer I figured at least they'd be spending more of their time around the family. So I can be cooking and helping with homework or keeping an eye on the internet a little more easily. My darling husband loved the idea and had the time of his life moving everything around (did I ever tell you he just adores hooking up computer equipment?). By the end of the day I had my room back.

This cabinet used to house the stereo. I am finding I want quiet while I sew and got rid of the music. I now have my go-to items on top: My sewing basket, tin with scissors, pens, pencils and chop sticks (which I use to turn things out and poke out the corners).

I moved things around a little differently than they were in the past and I'm very happy with the result. I wish things looked a little more tidy and beautiful like they do in other people's blogs but that just can't be helped. The quilt blocks you see came from my friend Marshall. His mother was a quilter and when I helped him move he showed me the most beautiful quilts his mother crafted. There were several blocks in a box and I offered to put them together for him. I'm making a table runner and square top for him out of them. Of course, Chloe loves to be in the thick of quilt making. Nice to have a room just for the girls.

Advent Mayhem

2011-12-05T18:57:00.000-05:00

Every year I ask the boys if they want me to put up the Advent Calender with the Nativity. I keep expecting them to say they are too old for it. Nathan hasn't had much interest in it these past two years but Nolan always responds with a resounding "yes!"

What I know is that Nolan enjoys making his own Nativity scenes. He has done this since he was young. It used to bug Nathan something awful which also added to the charm, I'm sure. Now, many parents would be upset that their teenage son was setting up scenes in which Mary was throwing Joseph into the fire and the angel Gabriel was being munched on by some hoofed animals. I know that boy's heart and it's all in good fun.

So, enjoy your Advent traditions, whatever they may be!

Happy Birthday!

2011-12-04T19:24:00.000-05:00

Nolan at age three. Big cheeks and big eyes!

Nolan on his 14th birthday doing what he does best.....being dramatic.

Words escape me when I think about the young man my baby is turning into. It's always fun to try to find something to really surprise him. I don't always bake him a cake because he doesn't really like cake. When I asked if he wanted a cake he surprised me by saying yes. He had no requests beyond a cake so I had total freedom. I decided to make the cake from Portal. The boys have wanted to make this cake for a really long time but I knew Nolan would never have thought I'd make it for his birthday. I ended up putting ice cream between the chocolate cake layers, frosted it with whipped cream and added shredded chocolate to the outside. He loved it! He was quite surprised (as you can see by the photo). The whole family said it was the best cake ever.

Happy 14th Nolan. I love you beyond words.

Owl Pal

2011-11-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving. A day that means many different things to many different people. It used to generally mean two meals and a too full stomach. As the years have gone by and loved ones have left us for the glory beyond, traditions have changed. Thanksgiving is a little quieter than it used to be. I like quiet but sometimes I miss the craziness.

Today, while the soup cooks, I'm thankful for many things. I've got them close in my heart. I hope you take some time today to reflect on the things for which you can be thankful.

This morning I whipped up this little owl. I discovered Joanne Fabric carries a line of Denyse Schmidt fabric. They call it DS instead of using her name, probably because the quality isn't quite as superb as her usual line. Then again, the price tag isn't quite as superb either! It is beautiful fabric and I bought two pieces to make some owls. When I initially saw the owls in a blog post, I didn't realize how tiny they were! Of course it'll be easy to adjust the size. I hope to have some time this weekend to sew some gifts and play around with some owls. Sunday is advent so I dug out the advent houses and nativity yesterday. Nolan's birthday is on Friday. 14 years old. Wow. I'm thankful.

I have his eyes attached with pins right now.

MS Awareness Video

2011-11-21T15:12:00.000-05:00

The best thing about my job has been the amazing people I've met who live with multiple sclerosis. If you're anything like I was, you may not know much about MS. Please share this YouTube video with friends and family. Education is half the battle.

Craft Fair Catchup

2011-11-20T07:19:00.000-05:00

'Cowel Girl' neck warmth for the winter season to come.

I've been looking forward to Saturday for some time. A good friend asked if I would join her for a craft show at her children's school. I agreed for two reasons: to try to sell a few of my items and to have a little 'girl time.' Kedren knits cowls. I just love them! They were a big hit at the fair. She calls it 'cheaper than therapy.' Isn't that the reason many of us sew or quilt or knit or craft?

Pal Toy'ds on display

One of my goals was to sell off my Pal Toy'ds. I thought a $5 price tag would get them moving. Lots of girls came to check them out and there wasn't one left at the end of the day. Yeah!

The stand.

Another item I wanted to go go go was the doll carriage. I sold it for a song. I just don't have the space to keep it so I was happy to at least break even on it. The woman who bought it was really interested in my quilting, too, so at least the little doll quilt is going to a good home.

My gothic crucifix prayer quilt is the one hanging in the back of the stand.

One thing that didn't get any comments was my prayer quilts. Since the craft fair was at a Catholic school I thought I'd get some comments at least. That's great information. I still have some beautiful medals and may think of some other ways to use them. I came home last night and hung up the quilt I loved the most. You can see it in the above photo. Also, click on the above photo to get a closer look at the Sculpy nativity and beads. They were crafted by Kedren's daughter Tess. Don't you just love them???

Here we are. It was so much fun to sit and chat for hours with a friend. Many of our friends also came to support us which was so dear of them. It was such a lovely way to spend my day. Thanks for the invite, Kedren. Let's put it on the calendar for next year!

Modified Hours

2011-11-09T09:24:00.000-05:00

I have a program to run tonight in Scranton. That means 2.5 hours to Scranton, a 2 hour program, and a2.5 hour trip home late tonight. There is good and bad to these programs. The good is that I do enjoy getting out and meeting with people and I get to modify my hours. So I won't start working until about 2:30 or 3 p.m. today. The bad is that I really won't see my children at all today.

I do love being at home while the sun shines. When I have these days at home without the kids I like to plan my day so I don't wander around wondering what to do.

Today's agenda includes working on my etsy shop, preparing for a craft fair that is coming up, cleaning my bedroom (which I did last night so I didn't have to do it today), and studying.

Studying? Yes, I've been thinking long and hard about what my future holds. Of course we have only so much control over our future but we also can't leave it all to chance. I have a degree in social work and have been thankful for it. I do love helping people. I also have 12 credits toward my elementary/special education certification. I do have a passion for education as well. I love working with young children.

For many, many years I have wished we could have provided the boys with a Montessori education. It was too expensive for us to consider sending them to one of the two local Montessori schools when they were young. We looked into both of them. We loved both of them. I used some Montessori concepts when the boys were preschoolers and when I was homeschooling. During my education classes I wrote a paper or two about Dr. Montessori and her philosophy on development.

I've always thought her method could be employed in the Catholic school system as a way to include children with disabilities.

So, I've decided to study. I'm reading through the basic books by Dr. Montessori to really think about her philosophy of development and her method of teaching (which really is a method of observation). I may try to visit the Montessori schools again to see how they are using her method and what they require of their teachers. I'm thinking if all goes well that I may look into getting my Montessori certification online.

So.....I'm studying.

Things I need

2011-11-05T17:05:00.001-04:00

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will notice that I've been doing a lot of thinking about my life lately. I've done quite a few starts and stops, purging and re-animating things in my life. I've felt a great despair of late.

I've always promised myself that I'd keep this blog light and positive. So I hope this post stays within that framework.

Within my despair, there is, of course, hope. Hope that things will brighten in the future. So where does my hope lie? In the things I know I need to be happy. So I'm starting a list. Of course, such lists change over time and with thought. I'm a left brainer so I love the list. Some lists are meant to be checked off when completed. This list of things I need will be tweaked and subtracted and added to as I continue to think about it.

That's another thing I know about myself. I need to talk and write in order to process. I guess that's one of the reasons I like to blog.

So here's the beginning. I apologize if some of this seems materialistic, vain or totally irrelevant to you. After all, it is my list. Yours will be totally different.

Things I Need

Faith
Family
Time to devote to the two bullets above
Home
Time spent outside, in nature, in the sun
A dedicated place to sew
Meaningful work
Comfortable clothes
A glass of wine on the weekends (red, preferably while cooking)
Time to cook and bake
A clean, uncluttered home
cats
music
time to myself
time with my children
time with my husband (without my children)
time to spend with all of my family (nuclear and extended)
time with my girlfriends
enough money (but not too much)
something new to learn
time spent with the seasons (eating, cooking, gardening, learning)
birds
squirrels
simplicity

I know that my life needs to change in some way at some time. I don't want to live it the way it is right now. Hopefully things are temporary. I made this list to really think about how I should be spending each day of my life. What do I need in each of these days. How can I find those things? What about my current schedule is lacking?

You may see some hints at how I'm thinking of changing over the next few days and weeks. I need to trust that God has a plan for my life. That plan tends to be not what others think is best for me and mine. So that gets tough. But....I am always happiest when I follow that plan. His plan. Not mine.

Futzing

2011-11-04T18:57:00.001-04:00

If you don't live in Lancaster County Pennsylvania or haven't lived here long enough, you won't know what my blog title means. Futzing: fooling around with or playing with to make correct.

Yup, I'm futzing with my blog appearance. I don't love blogger except that it's free. I've been playing around with the look of my blog for the past few weeks. Blogger (as with the rest of life) doesn't do what I want it to do.

So, I'm futzing.....

Excuse the mess if you are a regular viewer. And...THANK YOU if you are. There are so few of you.

I hope to be up and running in the next few days with things as I want them to be. Well....until I want them to change again.

Snow in October?

2011-10-28T16:00:00.008-04:00

Yup, that's what the weather man is saying. Snow. In. October. Well, we've got the wood stacked for a glorious fire in the living room and I've got a little project going in the sewing room. You can see a snapshot of it above.

I bought some beautiful linen for 50% off this week. It feels divine. I just love this crucifix, too. It's so streamlined and simple. I may have to get a few more. I'd love to have it on a necklace.

This little prayer quilt is going to be simple, to accentuate the crucifix. Mostly it will be machine embroidery. I may add some beads to it as well. I'm guessing I'll have a snowy afternoon to work on it tomorrow!

He Gives Us Help

2011-10-26T21:23:00.001-04:00

I am often awake in the middle of the night. Something or other wakes me and I lay in bed and, well, often worry. I've worried about the boys, money, work, school, etc. Everything is always worse at 2 a.m. when there is little you can do about it. One of my remedies for this late night worrying-insomnia is the Rosary. If I am to be completely honest (which I tend to be) I'll have to admit that I still don't have the Apostles creed memorized. So, at 2 a.m. I either skip it or say what I remember. And then, to be really, totally, completely honest (which, if you know me well, you already know I am sort of compelled to be) I can't always remember all of the mysteries. So, sometimes I make up new ones! If you know your Bible it isn't too hard. My memory has never been my strong suit.

But.....I'm digressing.

So the other night I was awake and decided to say the Joyful mysteries (which are my favorites). I was thinking about the hardships in my life and how I've been really trying to make amends with them. I got to thinking about Mary and how hard it must have been for her (that was during the 1st Joyful mystery....the Annunciation). To be young and pregnant and unmarried and then, on top of that, to tell you fiance' it was God's child! Yup, that's got to be difficult. But I knew that Mary was a faith filled woman. She trusted in her Lord.

On about that time I moved on to the 2nd Joyful mystery, the Visitation. During that decade I was thinking about Mary and Elizabeth. Usually we think about Mary going to help her cousin and we focus on Elizabeth's exclamation and the baby leaping in her womb. What occurred to me on that late, late night was that

God provided Mary with someone who completely understood His plan for her life and was supportive of her

at a time when she surely must have needed it most. I have always loved the visitation. To think of the older and younger women, glowing with pregnancy and joy and sharing their hopes for the future. What never occurred to me before was that Mary must have needed Elizabeth just as much as Elizabeth needed Mary.

Isn't this what we all need? And surely, if God provided it for Mary, this was His template for all of us. That when we are facing hardships we need to reach out to those people who understand us, who support us, who love us.

I am thankful for the several friends in my life who I can count on in this way. I hope you know who you are. I'm meeting one of you on Saturday. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart for doing the will of God. For me.

Something I Didn't Know I Needed

2011-10-25T16:38:00.000-04:00

Until it went away. I need a "space." You must remember that Mike gives music lessons out of our living room. When the weather is warm and the sun shines until 7 or 8 at night it really isn't too much of an issue. We live in our sunroom. We also had the basement as a place of refuge. And I could escape into the sewing room. If you've read my blog for the past month, you know that we had flooding in our basement and had to move everything out and into other areas of our small house. I packed up my sewing equipment and supplies, we moved extra furniture and a plethora of other things into the sunroom and the tv and wii are now in our bedroom. The basement is in the process of being torn apart so it can be dry locked and repaired.

I tried setting up my sewing machine and supplies in several places in our house. Nothing felt right to me. It just felt messy and awkward and in the way. I'm a person who gets stressed out by clutter and stuff sitting around. I mean REALLY STRESSED. So I just put away the sewing. I thought it would be ok.

Now that we can't use the sunroom as it gets too cold and dark at night, after dinner and homework, the boys are generally upstairs reading, computing or wii-ing (is this a word?). I had no where to go. So I went to bed. It was 8:30.

Today I was cleaning up the house (remember how I told you clutter makes me stressed?) and it occurred to me that perhaps we could share the sewing room. I did some mental calculations and re-arrangements and thought about the furniture we had in the house. About 30 minutes later I had all of my sewing paraphernalia out of the bedroom closet and in the sewing room. I can't tell you the relief I felt.

Now I can start thinking about more sewing projects!!!

It's finally arrived!

2011-10-24T19:22:00.000-04:00

The broccoli that is! After several months of squishing green caterpillars we've got some florets. Now, when to pick it??????

The Theatre (sounds more important if you spell it this way)

2011-10-23T18:49:00.000-04:00

One thing my whole family enjoys: good theater. We are blessed to have a wonderfully beautiful theater in our little city. We can't afford tickets too often and the pay-what-you-will day doesn't always fit into our schedule. When I saw they were doing Gaslight I knew we had to get there somehow. Fortunately, I was able to use a promotion to get the tickets for quite a bit off the regular price. Mind you, they were still quite salty. It was worth it. If you've never seen Gaslight, I highly recommend it. I saw the movie a long time ago and never forgot how exciting it was to watch this old thriller.

This is just starting our month of local high school plays. Nolan is also trying out for a musical in November. He is definitely a child who has theater in his blood. We are trying to expose both the kids to this kind of art since it is one thing we all enjoy. We're hoping Nolan will get involved in the performing arts in High School. We certainly experience his dramatic moves on a daily basis!

All in all it was a wonderful but busy weekend. I hope yours was equally as enjoyable.

Living the Moment

2011-10-22T08:17:00.000-04:00

I've always loved seeing mushroom on a tree like this. I like to think they are stairs for little gnomes who live in the trees.

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking. For so much of a mother's life, we think and plan and work for the good of our family. I think we often forget that we are part of that family. We give of ourselves without asking for much back. We forget, however, that if we feel depleted, we have little left to give. The family is then unbalanced.

When I was home, I was able to find a little time for myself. Or rather, being a homemaker fulfilled me. Now that Mike is home and I am working, my sense of identity has really been shaken. I'm searching for it.

So I think I'm on a journey of some sort. Perhaps all people who have such drastic changes go through this type of self reflection.

One thing I've come to slowly realize is that I need to be more mindful of every moment. The little pleasures in my day like the shape of the clouds as I drive to work, the birds who gather in our yard as I eat my lunch, the snatches of small talk I have with my teens as we drive here or there. I am striving to enjoy them all. To take my time as I sweep the floor or tear out basement walls. Really, to be thankful.

To live a life of gratitude with joy is my aim. It may be the hardest goal I've set for myself. I think in the journey I'll discover myself again.

What will you discover today?

Annunciation Catholic Church

2011-10-14T07:27:00.000-04:00

Last week on a gloriously beautiful day I had the great fortune of traveling to Williamsport. It is in one of the 30 counties we cover at the Central PA Chapter of the MS Society. I had only been to Williamsport one other time for a baseball game and thought it would be nice to walk through the town if I ever got the chance. Well, I got the chance and had my sweet husband with me. Not knowing anything about the town we parked and attempted to walk through the downtown area. We quickly realized we weren't exactly downtown, but found a lovely historic district called Millionaire's Row. I only wish I had had my camera with me. Fortunately, I did have my iPod. Unfortunately, the photo's aren't the best but you can get the general idea.

We passed by so many beautiful building and what seemed like a church on every corner. We came upon this beautiful Catholic Church. It is part of St. Joseph the Worker Parish and is the Annunciation Catholic Church. I was sure the doors would be locked but much to our amazement, they were not! Words can not describe the beauty of this church. What a gift that such a magnificent structure is open to all for prayer!

I'm always glad to see when a church has kept their original altar and railings.

The stained glass was magnificent but hard to capture with my iPod.

Even the priest's chair is marble!

Soothing water was flowing out of this baptismal font.

I always like to see the St. Veronica Station of the Cross. She is my patron saint.

I loved these windows.

Mike had to take a peek into the choir loft. He's our church organist so the organ has special meaning for him.

More beautiful windows. They had an interesting mixture of windows about the Saints, Joseph, Jesus and Mary and these pictorial windows.

If you ever get to Williamsport, I recommend a walk down Millionaire's Row and a peaceful stop for prayer at Annunciation Church. You won't regret it!

Beautiful Day for a Hike

2011-10-11T07:43:00.001-04:00

The creek bed along our hike. It was a beautiful day.

Nathan poses for a shot. He received a hair cut after this hike!

Nolan always has to find a way to get to the middle of the creek.

A very rare shot of me, taken by Nolan.

Finally something that sparked Nathan's interest: A wooly bear caterpillar.

The men enjoying the wooly bear at the lookout.

It was a wonderful few hours out of doors. We realize we need more of this in our busy lives. Of course, it helps when the weather cooperates, which is hasn't much this fall. Happy Tuesday. I'm off to work.

Harvest Days

2011-10-10T07:21:00.000-04:00

In the past few years I've taken my camera to fewer and fewer places. I'm not exactly sure why. One of the reasons may be that my boys don't really prefer to have their photo taken and when I do take some shots of them, them tend to look glum. It hasn't made for the most enjoyable photography so I guess I just stopped trying. Of course, then we need pictures for something and can't find any recent ones. So, I'm trying to be more thoughtful about these teenage years.

Yesterday we went to Landis Valley Harvest Days. Landis Valley is a wonderful hands on history museum that is less than 5 miles from our house. The boys pass by every day on the school bus but I think we've only been there one other time. They do have a children's museum called Hands on House which we frequented many, many times when the boys were young. It was a gorgeous, sunny, fall day and Mike and I were determined to get outside as a family. Harvest Days seems a perfect opportunity.

The shoe maker stand was unmanned when we stopped by. I wish we could have learned about this trade. You can see a few of the tools and the start of some shoes in this photo. There were lots of little tools that we had questions about.

This was one of my favorite exhibits: dying. The brown scarf was dyed using different types of mushrooms and the blue was dyed with indigo. Apparently, to dye with indigo one thing that has to happen is for the oxygen to be taken out of the dye bath. They told me the chemical they use to do that (which I can't remember). I asked how this was done originally and was told "little boys urine." I'm not joking! We had a good time wondering how they determined this method. When the yarn or fabric comes out of the dye bath it is actually green. It turns blue when it re-oxidizes. Pretty wild, huh?

Here she is stirring the pot of red that had some wool yarn being dyed. It takes only a few minutes in the dye bath. She informed us that it is better to dye something several times to get a darker color than to leave it in too long.

I was really surprised at how vibrant the colors were. I didn't realize how brightly things would dye using these methods. Goes to show you how little I know!

Of course, the amount of time that it takes to make the dye and to get the colors you want is unbelievable. We take so much for granted.

The boys had wandered off during my extended visit with the dye ladies. I guess I can't blame them. They are standing next to the spring house, A.K.A. old fashioned refrigerator.

Here was another amazing craftsman. He was making hickory brooms. They are made from one log. To make a large broom takes about 80 hours. I asked who would have made these and he said it was often the job of the children. Making brooms isn't difficult once you know how to handle a knife and it was a job that was preferred to being out in the fields because it wasn't nearly as labor intensive.

Here is Nolan checking out the finished products. I'm not sure I'd like a round broom myself but it was fascinating to hear about how they were made.

Nolan checks out the PA Dutch kitchen. I didn't think to take a photo of the outdoor bake oven and the bread and cookies that we tasted. The museum has summer and winter institutes where you can learn more about the arts like hearth baking and fraktur painting. I think I may check into taking one of the classes.

Nathan agrees to pose for a shot in front of the hearth.

This man was showing us the labor intensive method of making linen thread out of flax. Here is the second step, breaking apart the flax stems (?) to get at the fibers inside. The first step was getting all of the seed pods off the flax. These pods were opened to reveal the flax seeds. The seeds were used to replant the next years harvest, for linseed oil and for eating.

Here he's showing the fibers within the flax.

There were several more steps that included some really medieval looking tools! There were many steps to getting the fibers out of the flax. After that they would be spun into thread which could then be woven into linen to make a shirt. It required quite a huge field of flax to make a shirt. No wonder old houses have such little or non existent closets. If it took that long to make the fabric, who would want a lot of clothes!

This was a plant in one of the gardens we walked through. I don't know what it is called but I like the way it looks. It was interesting to note that the gardens were all raised beds. Even back then they knew that it was better to grow things in soil that isn't compacted.

Of course I had to include a shot of the quilt in the frame. There were women quilting in another area but they weren't very friendly. One of the women was making beautiful cathedral window blocks, though.

Here was another garden we walked through. Landis Valley has a heirloom seed project that I wanted to find more about. I'd like to use heirloom varieties in my garden next year if I can.

The blacksmith is always fun to watch. We weren't clear about what he was making.

And finally at the end of the day we found the musicians. This man with the waxed mustache was playing all my favorite songs. I wanted to jump in and sing along.

Sewing a Goodbye

2011-10-08T18:33:00.000-04:00

Here's my stacked coins quilt top. The coins don't match up. As long as you don't lay the quilt out straight you can't tell. Oh my.

Sewing always gives me time to think. What I've been thinking is that I'm not sure my sewing has any purpose and is taking up time, money and space in my life and my house. So I've made some hard decisions. I've decided to give up my sewing room for good to the computer. There is just no good reason to keep sewing. I've got no one who wants my quilts and my kids are too old to make things for. Nolan even told me today that if he was in a play or musical he didn't care if I helped with costumes. It just didn't matter to him. I guess that made me realize that I have other more important things to do.

So, I'm going to try to use up my stash. I'll make baby quilts and put them away for the odd baby that comes along. When the stash is low I'll give it to Lancaster Creative Reuse. The boxes will be gone and my sewing room will be rededicated to school work and Mike's music. It is right, it is good.

I doubt this blog will last beyond the boxes of fabric. I'll share my last few quilts here and I'll be glad that I've spent the last few years chronicling our life in this way. I guess every mother has her moment when her life changes and she has to give up who she thought she was. It's hard to say goodbye to yourself but I guess that's an important part of mothering....knowing when it's time to say goodbye to the person you thought you were and taking on the role that others need from you.

Slice and Dice

2011-10-08T08:34:00.000-04:00

Here's my friday night/saturday morning project. I've decided to make a stacked coins quilt (or maybe even two). It's a fairly simple quilt that uses up a lot of stash fabric. I'm really looking to decrease the boxes of "stuff" around here and decided to dedicate my current sewing to that end.

We've had quite a month of school with Nolan. It's been challenging for him to be thrown into a new school in the 8th grade after being homeschooled for several years. I wanted to give him (and me) a break this weekend so we worked diligently last night to get all of his homework finished. I cut rectangles while helping him and got up this morning to cut more.

Nathan and Mike are at a cross country meet and Nolan and I are heading out to market. After that I'm planning some more dedicated time to cutting and sewing. I'm really looking forward to this relaxing weekend.

I hope yours is peaceful as well.

Mobile Sewing Room

2011-10-07T07:43:00.000-04:00

Here's my current sewing room. We like to call it the living room, too. I can't even believe I'm actually feeling whiney about having to cart my fabric around the house. Many people don't have a dedicated sewing space. It's just that when one is used to having everything set up and ready to go, it is an adjustment to have to dig through boxes for fabric and kneel on the floor to use my cutting board. Oh, poor, poor me! (Note: the reason for all the boxes is because we had a flooded basement and the computer etc. needed a new home...my sewing room.)

Now I'm done with the pity party. I'm actually very excited about this weekend. It's supposed to be beautiful all weekend and we all have Monday off. So I'm hoping to get all the homework done tonight so we can enjoy the weekend unencumbered by thoughts of school and work.

I'm also hoping to get a bit of sewing done. I spent last night purging my extraneous sewing notions and patterns. I do this every so often and it does feel good. We have quite a pile for the Goodwill in our dinning room. Another project for this weekend! My hope is to make a quilt or at least get the top started. I've had this fabulous cowboy fabric in my stash for quite a while and I'd like to use it this weekend. I'm still trying to decide if I want to use it as the backing for a quilt or if I want to cut it up and piece it somehow. I'll be thinking on that today at work. I am on the road and so will have some thinking time.

Have a happy Friday, all. Be thankful for at least one thing today.

St. Therese Prayer Quilt

2011-10-05T17:35:00.001-04:00

St. Therese prayer quilt made with ribbon embroidered rose buds and just a smidgen of patchwork. Medal, of course, bought from Gardens of Grace. It's for sale in my etsy shop.

Gardens of Grace

2011-10-01T08:39:00.000-04:00

...is a lovely shop full of gorgeous recast Catholic medals by Alice Cantrell. I think of the blogs I have read over the years, Alice's (A Number of Things) has been one of my favorites. Her artwork is so peaceful and joyful and full of the good things in the home and garden. I've always been amazed at anyone who can draw and paint, as I cannot do either, and anyone who is accomplished with watercolor is beyond amazing to me. Alice, of course, is a watercolorist. Wow.

Ok, enough gushing, although I didn't even get to the part where I talk about her little books.

Yesterday I received my package of medals. In my last post I mentioned that I used the money from my Tau wedding gift quilt to purchase some medals from Alice. I decided to work on a St. Therese quilt first. Coincidentally, today is her feast day. If you don't know about St. Therese and her 'little way' just click on the link. She really is one of the great saints of our time with such a simple message. We can all do something small to make a great difference. It is good to remember when we see the grand accomplishments of others and start to believe we have little to show.

I have to admit I sometimes feel this way.

So, St. Therese reminds me that it isn't always the big grand things that we do in life, it can also be the small that make a difference. So, today, pray for someone you know is hurting, read a book to your child, clean something cheerfully, be grateful for all that has been given you, even if those things include stink bugs and cat hair. Remember, if you have stink bugs in your home, it means you have a place to call your own. If you have cat hair on your furniture, you have a pet to keep you company. So rejoice and do something little.

I'm off to work on my quilt......

Symbolic Sewing

2011-09-25T09:10:00.000-04:00

Over the summer a good friend of mine asked if I would make an art quilt for her brother-in-law's wedding gift. I've known her brother-in-law since college and was honored to contemplate this quilt. The happy couple lives in Assisi, Italy and are lay Franciscans. The request involved several parts. First, I was asked to add the Tau Cross to the quilt. I had actually never known about this cross or it's connection to St. Francis and so was thrilled to learn something new. Secondly, I was asked to try to add the wedding ring quilt design in some capacity. The bride is Italian and was apparently very taken by everything Lancaster County, including quilts.

I did quite a bit of research and contemplation for this quilt. I determined that I was not going to be able to add the wedding ring patchwork to such a small quilt. I'm sure it can be done someway but I've never done that particular pattern in regular size, let alone in a mini. As I was thinking about St. Francis, I thought about his love for nature and simplicity. It came to me that the cross should be out of some fabric that reminded us of the Franciscan robe and that I could make the wedding rings out of the rope that the Franciscans use to hold their robes together.

I played around with the quilted part of the quilt for some time. Apparently Assisi is very green and beautiful so I wanted to include green in the quilt. I've wanted to make a Bargello quilt for some time (and am thrilled that the style originated from tapestry at Bargello Palace in Florance, Italy) and thought it would visually work with this quilt. There were several ideations of the quilting and the piecing before I came up with what I consider the stained glass version you see here.

I'm very pleased with how this turned out and I think my friend is, too. I hope the bride and groom like it and I wish them the greatest happiness.

Since I was paid for this quilt, I decided that I would put the money toward something I've had on my mind for a long time. I used the cash to buy some medals from Alice Cantrell's Garden of Grace site. If you've never seen her site, I highly recommend you check it out. It has been on my mind to make prayer mini quilts for a long time. Right now I don't have lots of time or space for a lot but I think making mini quilts will suite my life right now. The medals are so beautiful and I am excited to research the saints and crucifixes to best determine the layout of each quilt.

For now, have a blessed Lord's Day. Although I haven't had the time to attend practice, the choir sings at Mass today and I'm grateful to be joining them. I've missed the singing and the fellowship. Be at peace. Do something lovely.

A New Voyage

2011-09-14T19:42:00.000-04:00

I have found my life in the last year to be a journey of unknown destination. Just when I thought I knew what I was about, I found a log in the stream and had to meander around it. It's happened many times in my life and I should think by now I would be used to the journey. Alas, I am not.

This journey of mine is mountainous. It is full of tough climbs and days without sustenance. Ok, I'm being dramatic, but that's who I am. Really, my life is wonderful. It is just that I find these changes to be difficult, not bad, not wholly unwelcome, but difficult. My identity is being challenged.

So I won't be visiting this blog nearly as much as I want. It isn't the first time. My boys are teenagers. I'm working a full-time job. My life consists of packing lunches, getting in a short walk after the boys leave for school, working, picking up Nathan from Cross Country, Dinner, homework and taking Nolan swimming. There is little time for the other things I enjoy.

Which is fine for now. This is one part of my life. I will never regret packing up my sewing room so I can focus on my boys and their needs. Someday they will be independent young men and I will wonder where all my free time came from. I can make quilts at that time.

So for now there is little time to write, to take superfluous photographs. I'll do it as I have time and as I have desire. My life is full, it just won't be internet worthy!

Simply Garden

2011-09-03T07:58:00.000-04:00

Is what I really should call this blog these days. I guess it's like anything new....you obsess over it for a while until it becomes old hat. I did actually spend some time in the sewing room yesterday. I have a mini quilt in the works. It's stumping me a bit so I've had to walk away and come back and walk away to think over it. That's good creative processing I think.

Today's post is really about failure. We love sweet red peppers and have gotten tons of them from our CSA. I have tried and tried for years to grow them to no avail. All I get is a small green pepper that starts to rot. I'm thinking I've not given my plant the proper personal space to grow well. Next year I plan to grow them in my square foot garden. If they don't grow that way I think I'll give up!

I've been freezing our CSA peppers for the winter. Yesterday I seeded and sliced about 8, laid them on a tray in the freezer and then transfered them to a plastic freezer bag once they were frozen. I have about 8 more to do as well as wanting to freeze some of my tomatoes that way. I peel, slice and freeze them on a tray and then transfer to a bag. I loved pulling them out for soups and recipes last winter.

Happy Labor day. Nolan tells us this is his favorite holiday because, despite the name, on Labor day you do no labor. Have a good one, folks.

Again with the garden....bugs this time

2011-08-31T13:28:00.000-04:00

The above photo is one of my broccoli plants. It's growing nicely which makes me happy. I started noticing a lot of holes in the leaves which did not make me happy. Upon closer inspection I noticed the little green feller using my plant as his own personal all-he-can-eat buffet. Look right in the middle of the lower part of the leaf for him.

You can see him a little better on this photo. He's a cabbage white worm. He and his family and friends have discovered my garden. So, what's a girl to do?

Pick and squash. It's a good thing I'm not squeamish. I'm thinking this might be a good project for the boys. Those little worms are hard to see but they really wreak havok on the broccoli and bok choy.

You can see how much they've eaten on this plant. Now that I'm in the worm sleuthing business, I think my plants will fair much better. It's actually nice to get down to plant level and notice all the niceties. I love how the leaves start out in the center all curled up and light green. It's amazing to be able to take the time to notice all the ways each plant is growing and the differences among them. I think this will be my new lunch time job.

Hope your lunch was a good one today. Mike and I had BLT's with homegrown tomatoes, local lettuce, homemade bread and happy bacon (that's what we call our woodlands pigs). Now I have a hankering for corn on the cob. All these goodies will be gone soon so I want to enjoy them now!

Comparison Gardening

2011-08-26T18:33:00.000-04:00

Well, here you can see our Square Foot Garden on the day of planting last Wed. and just over one week later. I love being able to see results that fast! I spent the afternoon in the back yard working on the weeds and in the sunroom deep cleaning, purging and rearranging.

The boys (all three) are at a ball game tonight so I think I'll get some take out (I also cleaned the kitchen and I hate to make it dirty again) and finish going through the "stuff" I pulled out of the sunroom. My main goal is to organize my recipes. Might have to pop in a movie while I'm working! I love having time off on a day that I'd usually be at work. I got so much done and still have a whole Saturday! Of course it's supposed to be a rainy one so I may spend some time in the sewing room. Have a good weekend. Stay clear of Hurricane Irene.

The Square Foot Garden

2011-08-18T06:53:00.000-04:00

Mike and I have been doing quite a bit of research on turning our back yard into a garden. We've lived in this house for just over three years. In that time, we've really tackled some problematic areas in the yard including English Ivy and Bamboo. This year the boys and I dug up a little gardening space for tomatoes and lettuce (ok, and broccoli that didn't make it). It was grand. We've grown so many grape tomatoes I just keep giving them away. We loved being a part of our CSA but really want to grow our own food. For our yard, Square Foot Gardening seemed the best bet. We followed the book pretty much to a T. In some of the other areas of the yard that are already in beds I'm planning on doing some lasagna layering this fall in preparation for spring planting of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. I've also been thinking of adding grapes but I have to think about that a little more. Well....here's what we did. The pictures say it all. Well, I guess the captions under the pictures help, too.

We bought 2-2x6x8 foot pieces of lumber and had the store cut them into 4 foot sections. We screwed them together right in the sunroom.

Here's the section of the yard prior to the garden.

Nathan is cutting the weed cover to fit.

Our compost isn't ready to use yet so we had to buy compost. You have to buy several kinds and mix it together to get the right nutrients. Nolan is pouring the poop! (this was composted cow manure).

You can see the color differences in the different types of compost.

Wow. I need a shower. Here we have our Mix prior to mixing. 1/3 part compost, 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss.

We mixed it by grabbing the ends of the tarp and pulling over and over. It was fun! Here Mike and I are helping things along by playing in the dirt.

Adding the mix to the box. Pull the tarp right up to the side so you don't lose any of that black magic.

Here it is. The giant litter box. Ok, we have LOTS of cats that walk through our yard so we know it needed protection! This is actually right after adding all the mix.

The book recommends using wood lath to make the squares. It was a bit more pricey than we had hoped so we decided to use twine. The box isn't exactly 4x4 as the lumber was off by an inch so my squares are a little crooked. It really doesn't matter.

Here's the finished product with cat and bunny protection in the form of wire fencing. I'll probably get a little more creative with this part next year so it's easier to get into the garden. But...the wire came with the house so I'm happy to be using it!

The fall garden: broccoli, lettuce and bok choy.

The Bouncing Pillow

2011-08-17T21:08:00.000-04:00

The bouncing pillow is the funniest name but so appropriate for this very fun activity. We just came home from several days near Pittsburgh. We decided to Kamp instead of Camp. Yes, we rented a cabin at a Kampground of America. It is somewhat tacky but very nice since it rained quite a bit. We were happy to pack up without having to take down a sopping wet tent only to set it back up again when we got home. I'll always love tenting but this week we were happy to have another option.

Nolan was itching to catch a fish but to no avail. He even set his alarm at something like 5:30 a.m. We had big intentions of heading into Pittsburgh but just couldn't get ourselves to make the drive. We just sat, fished, bounced, read, sewed, cooked and relaxed.

Today we had plans to possibly spend the day at the beach. I think we were sick of the car and ended up staying home and doing something I've been wanting to do for quite a while.....we made our first Square Foot Garden. More on that tomorrow.

Traditional Italian Tomato Sauce

2011-08-08T20:39:00.000-04:00

This tomato got herself stuck on the fence. I think we'll have to cut her on the day of sauce making!

My friend Heather wanted a copy of Nolan's sauce recipe so I thought I'd just post it for everyone to enjoy. This recipe comes from a Martha Stewart magazine from many, many years ago. I've listed the recipe with Nolan's adaptations in parenthesis.

4 twenty-eight-ounce cans whole Italian plum tomatoes (Nolan uses large fresh homegrown tomatoes. 20 large, 40 small or some combination)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes

1 cup Chianti or other dry red wine

1 TBSP dried oregano

8 leaves fresh basil

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Puree the tomatoes in a food mill, removing most of the seeds. (**Nolan informs me he peels the fresh tomatoes, puts them in a big bowl and "mushes" them up with his hands. This is perhaps one of the reasons he loves making this sauce. LOL).

2. In a medium stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, and saute until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add red-pepper flakes. While oil is sizzling, slowly add half of the pureed tomatoes. Add wine, stirring to combine. Add remaining tomatoes.

3. Reduce heat. Add the oregano, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

4. Add the basil. Season with salt and pepper. Store sauce in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 4 days. Alternatively, store in freezer up to 1 month. (Final note: I keep it in the freezer up to 1 year).

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

2011-08-07T20:03:00.000-04:00

Deadly. That's my opinion of this book. Well, if you love bread like I do, anyway. I bet I've eaten more bread in the last week than in the last month since I read this book. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely. If you want to make tasty, homemade, easy, daily bread, this is the book for you. If you want to stay slim and healthy, than I'd recommend you stay away from this book! When it comes to bread, I can't moderate. Thus, I'm taking it back to the library this week.

I did want to show you how it works. So here's Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day in pictures:

Here's the last of the mix. I mixed up the batter on Friday night. It rose on the counter for 2 hours then was transferred to the refrigerator. I made bread Friday, Saturday and today from this one mixing.

You do really need to have a few pieces of equipment. Those pieces being a pizza peel (shown with flour on top) and a bread stone in the oven.

Here's the bread sitting for 40 minutes out of the fridge on the pizza peel.

The bread goes into the oven (450 degrees) onto the stone with a pan of water above. About 10 minutes prior to being finished, I move the bread from the pizza stone to the rack above. Otherwise it isn't brown all over.

After 30 minutes, here's the finished product. I highly recommend farm fresh butter to complete the meal.

Putting Up....again

2011-08-06T13:44:00.000-04:00

My mother froze corn every year of my life. In fact, she is still doing it. She makes the BEST chicken corn soup EVER with the frozen corn. To be honest, I refuse to eat corn that comes from the grocery store. It has to be fresh or frozen fresh or I'm leavin' it behind. That being said, I love a warm cup of soup for lunch during the winter and decided to get my corn on the cob this morning.

Here's Mike helping me husk. We probably should have done this outside but it didn't make too much of a mess in the sunroom. The husks went right into the compost.

Yummy close up. I bought 4 dozen ears.

I realized that my kitchen is perfectly set up for blanching the corn. Above you can see the pots that are not quite boiling and the corn ready to be added.

Turn to the middle and we have two sinks full of ice water (Mike was on the ice run when I took the photo).

Finally, the draining section to the right.

We set up the card table just outside to cut the corn off the cob. I wanted to get a photo of Nathan and I cutting and Nolan and Mike blanching but my fingers were too messy.

Here's the bounty for the freezer. Just over 8 quarts. That'll be enough for 4 pots of chicken corn soup this winter. I wonder if that's enough?

Putting Up

2011-08-05T19:06:00.000-04:00

What a strange phrase that is. It is, however, one used to describe preparing your food for winter when there isn't any fresh garden from which to pick.

Above you can see what we've been doing today. Nolan and Mike went to the Tomato Barn (isn't that the best thing you ever heard of? A Tomato BARN?). They used all of our homegrown large tomatoes, the tomatoes from our CSA (3 pounds) and a large box of 'maters from the Tomato Barn to make a double batch of sauce. Yum! After dinner (which was cooked on our new charcoal grill) I threw on the mass of bell peppers from the CSA. They are lovely and roasted to perfection. My good friend Connie recommended grilling them whole and throwing them in a freezer bag as is. After defrosting, peel and seed before using. What a GREAT idea! Thanks, Connie! This was the easiest ever. Since we already had the grill going, it was a cinch to add the peppers when the food was finished.

Finally, I mixed up a batch of bread dough from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Of course, this is a library book. According to this book, you can mix up a pot of bread dough in minutes, let it sit on the counter for 2 hours, put it in the fridge and cut a loaf's worth everyday for fresh bread. Each day the bit you cut off needs to sit on the counter for 20 minutes and then bake for another 20. Wow. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out. It is sitting on my counter at the moment.

Just when I think I can't be a stay at home mom and work full time I have days that so many things get accomplished. Did I mention I cut both my boys hair tonight, too? That's at least a $40 savings. I'm glad we brought those boys up right. They sure do make life easy now that they are teens.

I'm off for an ice cream run. We're eating healthy but it is summer.....gotta have some 'cream. Have a wonderful weekend. I may hit the sewing room when I get back from the store.

From the Library

2011-08-03T19:02:00.000-04:00

I don't know how I would get through life without our library. I have checked out so many delicious books over the year that I never would have had the chance to read otherwise. To be honest, I don't keep too many books at home because I can always get almost anything I want to read at the library. Here are some of my current reads:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a fabulous book by Barbara Kingsolver. Mike and I are really trying to eat locally and naturally as much as we can. This book describes the year that Barbara's family spent eating only locally grown (and mostly home grown) foods. It is also a fantastic wealth of information about America's food industry and seasonal eating. I highly recommend it.

Food, Not Lawns, is a book I've had on hold for a while but only checked out this week. As we are moving to eliminate the grass on our property and turn it into a garden, I was interested in this book. I believe (after only reading a chapter or two) that the premise is to bring community through sharing of locally grown, organic vegetables in your neighborhood.

The Backyard Homesteader is an excellent reference book for anyone looking to add gardens or livestock to their backyard. I don't know that we have enough space for chickens (but I'm thinking on it) but we will use this book when thinking about our rain barrels, compost and garden. A great reference.

I've a few more that are related to food but I think I'll save those for another day. I'm off to sit in a comfy chair and read through some more books. Again I say....what would I do without the library???

On the Ironing Board

2011-07-24T14:56:00.000-04:00

It's really hot here. Like over 100 degrees hot. Ok, today it's only in the 90s. We don't have air conditioning (no, we don't want it) so we do a lot of sweating. Things slow down a bit during weather like this. I'm working on quilts slowly. I've decided to work on my etsy inventory over the next year before I try to promote my shop. It seemed sort of silly to promote an empty shop. So I'm thinking long. There is also some sewing I want to do for me. The above photo shows the first project I want to work on. I love strawberries and have collected a few vintage pieces. I want to make a pennant banner for our sun room. I'm hoping to get to it sometime this week. Stay cool, folks.

Sew It Up

2011-07-18T07:29:00.000-04:00

After selling a cute Fisher Price Merry Go Round I had to get out my Little People. I'm thinking of adding this baby to a business card.

I've been doing quite a bit of thinking about my little (and I mean VERY little) sewing business. I don't have a ton of time to focus on too many options. There's the Building Character option.

Newest table runner quilt made from left over blocks.

On the one hand I LOVE the idea of having my own space there. It is such a great spot on a great street in our fair city. I can just see my quilts hanging and draping and folded on a vintage table. Right now I have some items at a friend's space to "check it out."

I just love this red embroidery thread. On the spool it looks pink but with the red fabric it looks more red.

Another option is my etsy shop. I've sold some things there in the past. I love etsy, too. It's conveniently located on my computer so I can go there at any hour of the day or night. Etsy is also overloaded with shops. That's good and bad. Good because you really can find some amazing things. Bad because my own things can get buried pretty quickly. On the other hand, etsy does work to help you build your business. They have video and chat and conferences galore. I like that.

I'm in love with this cherry backing fabric. I found it at Joanne Fabrics and ended up buying the end of the bolt. It cheers me up!

So, for now, I'm both places. I've got a few things at BC. It's enough to see if anything will sell. I'm not sure it is the place for my wares. The overhead is VERY steep. That's another good thing aboug etsy. It isn't too pricey. For example, I just sold a vintage toy for $45. Total taken by etsy was $1.78. If I had sold the same thing at BC the total cost taken by BC would have been $7-$9 depending if the person paid with cash or VISA. And that doesn't include your monthly rent. Of course, I wouldn't have the hassle of shipping or of storing items. So, what to do?

For now, I'm staying the course. Keeping my options open. Seeing how things go. Speaking of go, I'd better get going to work.

Homemade Bread Recipe

2011-07-16T17:35:00.000-04:00

I can't tell you how much I adore Saturdays. They remind me of who I am and what I do. Since going back to work, I've taken to using my Saturday to really dig into the things that make me me.

This morning I went out to garage sales with Nathan. If you look in my etsy shop you'll see my great find. Nathan found a Garfield glass that he didn't have and a Pokemon Monopoly game for Nolan. A good way to spend an hour of our morning.

After our garage sale extravaganza, the boys set about playing Monopoly and Mike was getting ready to play a wedding so I went to pick up our CSA share for the week. I'm excited about our little carrots.

I wanted to supplement our CSA share and have had a hankering for BLT's and fresh corn on the cob. So after lunch I headed out to Eastern Market and picked up some beef bacon and corn and peaches. Then I had a need to bake bread. I miss the kitchen.

I'll share my bread recipe. It's from a Taste of Home magazine from many years ago. I modified it to make it whole wheat instead of white.

Homemade Bread

1 package active dry yeast

2 cups warm water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

7-8 cups bread flour ***

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, butter, salt, eggs and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface. Divide into thirds. Shape into loaves and place in three greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 3 loaves.

***I used 4 cups of white flour and the rest whole wheat.

The boys and Mike are at Mass while I am working on dinner. Corn on the cob and BLT's from Lancaster county! Yum.

Hope your meal is as delicious as mine.

Life

2011-07-15T20:54:00.000-04:00

isn't like the stories I've read in books. It isn't the same as the movies I've watched or the music I've listened to.

The challenges just don't come across the same way. I guess that's why we read and watch and listen. To lighten the load.

Garage sale-ing with the boys tomorrow. Never read a book about that but it is fun.

Modern Art Mini Quilt

2011-07-12T20:27:00.000-04:00

This was a quickie quilt. I've had the top on my design board for probably a year. I have to say it is a favorite of mine. I love all the fabrics involved and love the ladder type piecing in the center. This will be going in my etsy shop shortly. I lost my light tonight when I was taking photos so this is the only decent one. The quilt measures about 15x18 inches and has a hanging pocket in the back. I have a hankering for some mini quilts. They are fun and fast and use up those pieces of batting that are too small for regular quilts but I refuse to part with. I have to work tomorrow night so I have the day at home. I think some weeding and sewing are in my future.

Rainbow Scrappy Quilt

2011-07-12T07:06:00.000-04:00

I finished my latest quilt. This one was from my very fist quilting book. The book is Quick Quilts to Make in a Weekend by Rosemary Wilkinson. I bought the book so many years ago because it had a log cabin quilt pattern. I've made several quilts from the book but don't think the log cabin was one of them! It is a really informative quilting book with quite a few interesting quilts. When I first got into quilting it wasn't quite as "in style" as it is now and there weren't as many really cool books out there showcasing fabulous fabrics. I'm amazed at the number of sewing and quilting books that are being published right now. I have to really watch out or I start to want to buy them all. What I actually do is go to the bookstore and pull out all the books I think I'd like to buy, look through them and generally I'm satisfied.

Right now I'm itching to look through the book
Block Party--The Modern Quilting Bee: The Journey of 12 Women, 1 Blog & 12 improvisational projects. I used to read the blog as they were making the blocks for each other. Since each of the quilt block makers is a really talented sewer, crafter, quilter, it must have been amazing to be a part of that quilting bee. Last time I was at Borders they didn't have the book but I'm sure they will at some point over the summer. So many quilty ideas.

The above quilt is small sized like most of my quilts. It was made from my stash and backed with that awesome fabric I bought at Lancaster Creative Reuse. I'm always amazed at how little fabric is often used to make a quilt like the one above. It was just a small piece of each fabric but when brought together it makes such a delightful quilt. This will either go down to Building Character or in my etsy shop. Just in case you're interested!

Knuckles the Echidna.....cross stitch style.

2011-07-11T18:12:00.000-04:00

After seeing Nathan's Mario and Luigi pillow case, Nolan requested Knuckles and Tails. I just finished Knucles and my eyes are bugging out from counting all those little squares. I informed Nolan that I needed to take a break before getting started on Tails. It may be Nolan's birthday (which is in December) before I can bear to start in on it.

Pesto...It's not beautiful

2011-07-10T07:51:00.000-04:00

but it is tasty. I've never made pesto before for several reasons. The first reason is that I never really liked it. I always thought it tasted like a pine tree. Many people use pine nuts in their pesto. I think pine nuts are very overpowering and, like I said, make me feel like I'm eating a pine tree. Not a flavor I enjoy.

I then learned that you don't have to put in the pine nuts. No brainer, right? Well, sometimes I'm such a rule follower that I can't think outside the box (or the recipe as the case may be). The problem then became the fact that I didn't have a food processor.

Saturday at Homefields it was pick as much basil as you want day. So I decided we would make pesto. Now, I have quite a bit of basil in my yard but probably not quite enough to make pesto without eliminating the entire plant. So, we cut A LOT of basil. You can see it in the above photo along with the other ingredients. I chose to use walnuts instead of pine nuts. Pesto is really a personal taste sort of food. Use what you will. I used parmesan and romano cheeses, walnuts, basil and olive oil.

Above is the pesto after Nolan and I food processed the heck out of it. As I said in my title, pesto isn't really beautiful. Nolan, who likes to ask important questions at dinner, asked what we thought was a kids least favorite food color. Green, of course. Followed by a close second of yellow (we had zucchini and yellow squash as our side).

Well, once I had my bowl of pesto, it occurred to me that I should freeze it. I then remembered that people freeze it in ice cube trays. Well, right now our extra ice cube tray is full of coffee. What to do? Hey....use muffin tins!

Freeze over night, pop out and throw them in a plastic ziplock and you have pesto for the year! I'm hoping to use it in soups and on poultry throughout the year. Yum!

Fabric Finds in Blue

2011-07-09T06:54:00.000-04:00

We're so fortunate to have the Lancaster Creative Reuse here in our fair town. Fortunate for those who are cleaning out the house to have somewhere unique to donate their goods and fortunate for those of us who sew and craft and create to have somewhere to purchase amazing products for very little money.

I am in charge of the craft for the Kids Camp we run at work. I've been able to find most of what we need at the Reuse. I think so far I've spent $10. Of course, while I'm there I also have to see if there are any goodies for me. This week I was able to find some great fabrics.

We had a very rainy, overcast day, so my photos aren't as vibrant as I'd like but you'll get the idea. The above fabric was the best find. It was labeled 1972 on the original sales sticker. I think the almost 10 yards was originally priced at $4. I bought it for $13. That's $1.30 per yard. I'm going to use it to back quilts. I always have trouble ironing that much fabric so I only ironed the bit I used last night for my quilt. It looks great. I can't wait to get started on the quilting.

All of the fabrics I'm showing you today were in a vintage box. The above pieces were $.35 each. Did I mention how much I love the Creative Reuse? I'm pretty sure I'm going to make something for myself out of these. I just haven't decided yet. Maybe some placemats and napkins.

And finally this lovely cowboy piece. I think it was an old sheet but the fabric is pretty thick. Price tag? $1. I'm trying to think on how to work this one in to a quilt. I'm so excited about these fabrics. I'm trying not to be too depressed about the lack of time I have to work on projects! So much creative energy, so little time.

Highly recommended.

2011-07-06T21:50:00.000-04:00

"Fiver?" said the other rabbit. "Why's he called that?"
"Five in the litter, you know: he was the last--and the smallest. You'd wonder nothing had got him by now. I always say a man couldn't see him and a fox wouldn't want him. Still, I admit he seems to be able to keep out of harm's way."

From Watership Down by Richard Adams. Our summer read aloud. Often read in the presence of a few rabbits in silflay on the lawn. Read it.

The Morning After

2011-07-05T07:30:00.000-04:00

After Independence Day that is. It was a well needed day at home for us together as a family. We all got to do a little of what we love. For me that was starting a new quilt, reading at the pool, eating some good food, playing games with the whole family and shooting off some grocery store fireworks. Perfect.

Getting ready for action

This was the Fire in Fireworks

Smoking gun (or popper as the case may be).

Nolan's turn. He's enjoying this.

It takes a lot of concentration

Success

Definitely a good day. Now it's back to the old grind.

Fireworks on the cutting board

2011-07-04T11:12:00.000-04:00

I've got a new quilt in the works. It'll be baby sized like most of my quilts but should be very colorful. Again, it's totally from the stash. I just spent about 2 hours cutting and my stash isn't really any smaller than it was before I started. I love the scrappy quilt! We watched fireworks from the sunroom last night. I guess seeing all those colors made me want to get as many colors into a quilt as I could. It's so wonderful to have a lazy day at home with the family to pursue our interests. I'm sure we'll have some fire crackers later tonight to cap off a day of relaxation. Happy 4th.

Tension....you gotta have enough of it

2011-07-03T15:50:00.000-04:00

But on the other hand, you can't have too much. I'm talking about sewing machine tension. I was tired the other night when I started this little project. I made a small quilt out of scraps a long time ago and never quilted it. Part of the reason was because I didn't especially like the way it looked. However, our cat has been sleeping on our new sofa cover and the amount of hair that thing leaves behind is staggering. So I thought I'd use this little quilt in that spot so I could easily clean it (or just remove it when we have company).

Back of the mini quilt. You can see how the thread is poking through from the front in some spots.

So what's the tension problem? Well, if you look at the photo above you can see that my quilting isn't looking proper in all the right places. I usually make a practice little quilt sandwich to check my thread tension before I start in on my actual project. It saves a lot of ripping out. Well, I was tired and I didn't bother with my sample. Too bad. It reminds me that the extra step is always worth while. It also reminds me to just go to bed when I'm tired and not try to get one more thing finished.

A close up of the front of the quilt and my empty spool.

The other thing that occurred while quilting was that I ran out of thread! Since I just wanted this as a cat hair catch all I just took the next nearest thread color and went with it. To be honest, it isn't really noticeable in the finished product. I guess when you start out not really liking what you are making it makes you care a lot less about the quality of the finished product. It's why I always hope to be able to love the things I make to sell.

The finished product waiting for the cat. My luck, he'll pick a new spot to sleep.

Quick Pennant Banner

2011-07-02T14:13:00.000-04:00

I love these little pennant banners you see different places. They bring color into a room and add a bit of festivity to any occasion. I used scraps of fabric from my stash and a pack of bias tape. You wouldn't have to but I put a plastic ring on each end to make hanging really easy. Again, I had them in my pile of hardware. Total cost to make something like this is so minimal if you have a "stash." Makes me sound illegal, doesn't it?

Close up of the banner. I'm thinking of making a few to hang permanently in my sunroom.

Morning Star decisions

2011-06-28T22:08:00.000-04:00

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Which thread to use to quilt? I've been trying to get a few items ready to take to Building Character without actually buying anything. I've been working on a little red and white quilt using the Morning Star pattern. One thing I've really been thinking about is how important it is to use quality fabric. Like I said, I'm trying to make without purchasing. What that means is that the white cotton I used for this quilt has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. It isn't the best quality for quilting. It'll work but having used some high quality white cotton in the past (which I'm sure cost more, too) was so lovely when I sewed and ironed and quilted. This'll do but I'm not happy about it.

It's a small quilt, probably nice for a little table or a doll or a girl's teddy bear picnic. So, it'll do. The thread will have to do, too. I'm wondering if I can machine quilt with hand quilting thread. The other option is to machine quilt with regular sewing thread or with embroidery thread. The embroidery thread is really nice and shiny and I used it before but it's a little pinker than I'd like. I guess tomorrow will be some sample quilting before getting to the Morning Star. Hope I can finish it by Thursday!

I like to push the Pram A Lot!

2011-06-27T13:05:00.000-04:00

I've been working like mad to get this little doll carriage finished. My husband keeps asking if I'm working on the Pram A Lot (which is a Monty Python reference) so we've just started calling the carriage the Pram A Lot. We really do think we're so funny. So you can see the before and after shots here. Isn't it amazing? I still can't believe I was able to find this at a garage sale! Didn't it clean up wonderfully? I just unscrewed the whole thing, sanded, painted and sewed, added a little comfy pillow to the inside, a cute quilt and screwed the whole thing back together. It actually took quite a bit of time but I enjoyed it and think it'll make some little girl VERY happy. It'll be on sale at Building Character for First Friday, July 1.

On the Bookshelf

2011-06-25T20:42:00.000-04:00

This is my current read, The Omnivore's Dilemma. I'm almost finished. I'm generally a very fast reader but working full time has really put a cramp in my summer ready style. No more sitting under the tree at the public pool with a book for me. I have been reading it slowly over the last month or so. This book has definitely made a huge impact on the way I think about the food I eat. I highly recommend it. I'm thinking of having Nolan read the version that was written for a younger audience. It has pictures, too!

I just found this one at the library. It's called Slow Food the Case for Taste. Mike and I have really been enjoying our culinary experiences with fresh, local food. We're sort of fighting over who gets to cook! I haven't delved into this book yet and it may have to be renewed a few times before I get to it but it looks to be a good read.

And last, but certainly not least, I just got my library order which is called Home Dairy. It's all about how to make your own dairy products. We love cheese so I think the kids could get into making their own. Mostly I'd like to make my own yogurt. It's fairly easy. I was up at 2 a.m. last night so I started perusing the book. There's a little history and some basic facts at the beginning before she starts delving into the how to sections. We'll see how it goes. If I get into it this summer I'll certainly blog about it. There are so many things I want to do and so little extra time. I'm really working on figuring out how to balance my time at home. I can get myself so obsessed with one type of project (sewing, quilting for instance) that I ignore all else. I walked out into the garden today and saw that weeding is really in order. My tomatoes are growing which makes me very, very happy. So it's all about balance. I guess, like everything else, it's also a journey that we take. I'm taking it one step at a time.

Quilted the photo edition

2011-06-24T07:03:00.000-04:00

Close up of the quilting.

Backed with a vintage Holly Hobbie sheet.

View from the front. Will be on sale soon.

Pal Toy-ds by a Gal Pal

2011-06-22T17:23:00.000-04:00

So my very talented husband teaches piano to the above very talented girl from church. It's nice because her mom is a friend of mine and so I get in a little socialization while her daughter is getting a lesson. If you look closely, you can see the little pouch she is holding.

She was inspired by my Pal Toy-ds and decided to make one of her own. This is the marble bag. Isn't it divine!!!! I can't wait to see the finished product.

English Doll Pram or My Newest Project

2011-06-21T05:43:00.000-04:00

This is what I found at a garage sale on Saturday. I almost missed it because my head was in a box marked antique fabric.

Here's a close up of the pram. In the background is the little tea set I also bought. As you can see, there's quite a bit of rust on this little pram.

The rust is nothing compared to the state of the cover. Yuk.

Ok, wait, this is the inside of the pram. I don't think anyone wants to put their baby doll in this thing! Double Yuk.

I spent the afternoon unscrewing the pram, sanding and painting the body and sanding the rust from the metal.

Here's a closer look. It isn't perfect and I should paint it but how to deal with the tires? Maybe I'll just clear coat it after I attack the rust one more time.

Father's Day Mug Rug

2011-06-19T11:42:00.000-04:00

My dad drinks coffee all day long. There is always a pot going strong. Personally, I can't stand the coffee he drinks but to each his own. So for Father's Day I bought him a bag of Starbucks House Blend and made him a mug rug. I love that they're not called coasters any more. Mug Rug is so fun.

But I digress. I had left over printer fabric from this quilt. So when I was thinking about what to get my dad for Father's Day, I thought I'd make him something to go with his coffee. What better than a coaster? (ok, mug rug). This photo has always been one of my favorites. The original photo is in color but we were out of color ink so I went with black and white. My mom made us matching dresses and I guess one of my brother's took this picture. It's probably the only photo of me as a child with both my parents alone.

On this father's day, I have to say some really nice things about my dad. He is one of the only people I've never seen angry. Everyone loves him. He gets enjoyment out of the simplest things. As a teenager he would hop right out of bed to pick me up when I was stranded without any anger or lecture. He is the biggest tease ever.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. I know you'll never read this post since you don't have a VCR let alone a computer but thanks for being the best!

Pal Toy-d How To Part III

2011-06-19T06:38:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome to part three of my Pal Toy-d tutorial. If you've been following along (Part I and Part II), you'll know that today I will show you how to make your Pal. I find this the most difficult of the steps but at the end, the part I like the most.

Step 1: Gather your materials. For this Pal I used three different fabrics, the white for the face, the apples for the front body and the green for the back. I used a piece of trim for across the seam.

Step 2: Sew the front fabrics together and iron toward the darker color.

Step 3: This step is optional. I sewed some ribbon across the right side of the front right where the seam was sewn.

Step 4: with right sides together lay the backing fabric over the front joined pieces. Draw the shape you want for your Pal. I try to make sure the "face" takes up a bit less area than the "clothes" fabric. It's up to you!

Step 5: Sew along the line.

Make sure you leave enough space to turn your Pal right side out.

Step 6: Cut around your seam. Leave more fabric where you intend to turn. This helps when you go to sew the seam shut.

Step 7: Get out your chop stick and turn your Pal right side out.

Step 8: Stuff your Pal with Polyfil (or whatever you want). Don't make her too fat or the Altoid's tin won't close.

Step 9: Sew the seam closed.

Hey, we're almost finished! Doesn't she look like an Easter Egg?

Step 10: Embroider the face. You could also draw or paint her face if you want. I'm not so good at doing it that way and you can't erase mistakes. At least with embroidery I can (and have) pick out the stitches if I make a mistake.

Well, there she is, all tucked in for the night. I know I'm always smiling when I get to snuggle down for the evening.

All she needs is a name. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I'd love to know if you make a Pal Toy-d. Also, if you have any questions, just leave me a comment and I'll get back to you just as soon as I can.

Pal Toy-d How To Part II

2011-06-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome back! I hope your tin is looking good from the outside. Today I'll show you how to get the inside looking like a bedroom.

Step 1: Take your wallpaper (or whatever you choose to use. I've used fabric or regular paper, too) and trace the top of your tin. You will want to cut just inside the line as the inside of the tin is slightly smaller than the outside.

Step 2: Glue the wallpaper to the inside top of the tin. Be sure to spread the wallpaper as flat as you can.

Step 3: Trace the bottom of the tin onto a piece of batting. Cut slightly inside the line. This is your mattress. You can also use felt for this step.

Step 4: The blanket. For this tutorial I thought we'd just make a simple blanket. You can also make a cute little quilt if you'd like and have the skills. For the blanket, take two pieces of flannel and one of batting. Sandwich the batting between the flannel, right sides out. Just make sure your pieces are larger than you want the blanket. I really just eyeball this but you could also trace the size onto the flannel.

Step 5: Quilt the blanket. I just sewed diagonal lines across the fabric making sure I sewed beyond the ends of my blanket.

Step 6: Cut the blanket where you want. Zig Zag around the ends. You're left with something like this.

Step 7: For the pillow I take four layers of batting.

Step 8: I then sandwiched the batting between two pieces of cute flannel, right sides out. Zig zag to delineate the outside of the pillow. Again, I really just eyeball it but you could draw the outline and zig zag over it.

Step 9: Cut around your zig zag. Be careful not to cut into the zig zag as it will make your thread unravel.

Step 10: Put everything together. I like to fold down the top of the blanket. It just seems more homey. But, that wall looks a little blank.

Step 11: I decided my Pal Toy-d collects birdhouses. She hung a few in her room. Add stickers as you desire.

I hope you enjoy making the inside of your tin feel homey. Check back in tomorrow for my last tutorial. We'll make our Pal Toy-d!

Pal Toy-d How To Part I

2011-06-17T18:08:00.003-04:00

I started my venture of Pal Toy-ds with five empty Altoid's tins. I have one left. I thought the best use of that tin was a tutorial. This is a craft that can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. I think it's a great project for kids to fill their summer days. I use my sewing machine for most parts of the project, put if you have someone learning to sew, this project can certainly be modified to be completely glued and hand sewed.

Today's tutorial will show how to decorate the outside of the tin.

First, here's a list of the supplies you will need. Again, these are just my suggestions. You can use whatever suits you.

Altoid's tin (cleaned, preferably)
fabric scraps in different patterns (or not, as you like)
felt scraps, two at least as large as your tin top
batting scraps (or you can use felt or an old blanket)
wallpaper (or construction paper or fabric scraps)
embroidery floss (or you could just draw on the features of your Pal Toy-d with a marker)
Ric Rac or ribbon
flannel scraps (again, this is up to you. I use flannel for the pillow and blanket)
chop stick (to turn things)
poly fil
glue
stickers

Personally, I find it helpful to have a cat on the table for company and good cheer. Obviously this is up to your tastes.

Step 1: Trace the the bottom of your tin onto a piece of felt. I like to use Wool felt but craft felt will also work. It just doesn't hold up as nicely. Then again, it costs WAY less!

Step 2: Trace the top of the tin. Please note that they are slightly different sizes.

Step 3: Cut (bet you didn't know that was next, did you????)

Step 4: Just place the pieces on top and bottom and trim anything that is really obviously hanging over the edge.

Step 5: Decorate the top felt piece. I had some felt circles from another project. I placed them as I liked. You can decorate the top anyway you like. If you are more artistic than I am you can come up with some amazing ideas.

Step 6: Sew in random pattern making sure to go through all decorative pieces. I like to start with a very short stitch and then lengthen it after a few stitches. That helps to keep the thread from unraveling but yet isn't as obvious as back stitching. Again....do what makes most sense to you.

Here you can see how my randomness worked out.

Step 7: apply glue to top of lid. I just spread it evenly with my finger.

Step 8: Add the ric rac piece. Make sure whatever you use is fairly flat. Ribbon would work will too.

Step 9: Place the top piece of felt over the glue and press down.

Step 10: Repeat with the bottom. Glue, Ric Rac and felt. Let the glue dry and you have the outside of your tin completed!

Come on back tomorrow to see how to fix up the inside of the tin!

In the shop

2011-06-15T07:40:00.000-04:00

I'm slowly getting back into business. Four items isn't much but it's a start. I hope to have more for sale in the near future. Etsy is such a wonderful place. It is full of amazing crafters and artisans. Eye candy, for sure!

Money Matters....coffee edition

2011-06-14T17:21:00.002-04:00

We buy expensive coffee. My mother would be horrified at the price we pay per pound for the coffee we drink. In the past I would often buy a cup of coffee at the book store or on my way to work. Recently, I've stopped doing that. I'll make an extra 1/2 pot instead. Mike and I have started buying coffee that's been locally roasted. That makes it about $11 per pound. This is the best coffee I've drunk. Ever. So I did the math on my way back to work after lunch (when I made myself another mug full of coffee).

This is approximate but to be honest I think I'm figuring high. A bag lasts us a little more than a week but I'm going with one bag per week. Understand that Mike and I LOVE our coffee.

$11=one bag of coffee
one bag of coffee=1 week of coffee making
1 day of coffee making=5 mugs full (not cups, mugs)
5 mugs x 7 days= 35 mugs of coffee
$11/35 mugs = approx $.32 per mug. Much better than the $2 I'd spend at the coffee shop.

Like I said, the coffee actually lasts us longer than that so we're probably paying a bit less.

Savings by making the mug at home instead of the coffee shop = $1.28

Money Matters, even when you are buying good quality.

**Thanks to Ellen for showing me the error of my math (I fixed it). That'll teach me to do math problems in the car and not double check my answer when I'm blogging!***

Slow Sew

2011-06-13T08:36:00.000-04:00

The slow movement. I'm not talking about my teenagers in the morning, either. There is a trend to slow down. To do things that take time. Slow cooking vs. fast food. Slow living vs. a fast paced life. For the most part we've always lived this way. I hate being in a hurry. Too many joys are missed. I decided to embrace slow sewing. I guess slow quilting is the more accurate term. I'm hand quilting my latest quilt. I have always preferred hand quilting over machine quilting. Of course, it takes MUCH longer. I find it more enjoyable, however. I love that my quilt is portable. I've quilted at the pool, at the park, while waiting for my kids to finish classes, in the living room, basement, sunroom, bedroom and sewing room. Actually, I almost never hand quilt in the sewing room.

The quilt is coming together nicely. I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of the week. I've been spending my early mornings and nights after the kids are in bed doing a little quilting. It's slow but it's satisfying.

Altoid's Tin Repurposed

2011-06-12T09:50:00.002-04:00

Here's dolly and her tin.

I've had an idea floating in my head for many months now. I just hate to throw away those little Altoid's tins. I was sure there was some crafty purpose to them. When I was a girl, I bought a carrying case that had two little dolls. I can't remember the name of the dolls to save my life. The case was pink, in bad shape and could hold about 10 dolls in all. Each was unique in some way. The set was probably from the 1960's or early 70's. I don't even remember if the dolls had clothes. No problem. I made them little dresses out of fabric scraps. I have the fondest memories of playing with those dolls over the summer on our front porch with my friend Sally. I even remember that the one doll was pudgy and the other thin, just like Sally and I (I was the pudgy one).

Nothing says 'I love you' like a homemade quilt.

All tucked in for the night.

So in reminiscing about these dolls and the hours of enjoyment I got out of them (I wonder if my mom still has them.....) I thought about making something little and fun for play. These photos show you what I did this morning. I have about 5 more tins so I'm thinking they each could be something different. This one is the bed. I have an idea for the kitchen and even church. Now I need a name. I first thought about calling them pocket pals but I think there are too many other products with that name. Let me know if you have any ideas. I think I'll put them in my etsy shop to sell.

(** edited....the dolls I had were called Liddle Kiddles. Here's the link for the case I had.)

Friendship Mosaic

2011-06-11T10:05:00.000-04:00

This is a diamond ring that was created by an elderly lady that Connie worked with at a hospital day program. Isn't it wonderful?

My dear friend, Connie, had a great idea. She loves to create tile mosaics and has saved broken dishes, mugs, mirrors, etc. for years. She recently put all of her mosaic tools into her basement in the hopes that it would inspire her to be creative. Last week, she sent out an email inviting a slew of friends to come and help her use her supplies. She thought it would inspire her to actually work on her projects and also start eliminating much of the accumulated tiles. Isn't that sweet?

Connie is showing one of the many handles she's collected. She wants to work them into something but she's still thinking of ideas.

So on Thursday night three of us gathered in Connie's basement to check things out. Connie, Sue and I all work full time but also want to continue to be creative and spend time with our friends. This was a great way to accomplish all three! We spent most of the evening just seeing what was there, checking out books for ideas and chatting.

This is just one area of about 5 areas of supplies that Connie has collected through the years.

Connie has been such an inspiration to me over the years. She is so creative and thoughtful. I want to do a post about her house sometime. She and her husband bought a big old beautiful house in the city and have done an amazing job of fixing it up. It is still a work in progress but what they have accomplished is astonishing. Her decorating style is just pure eye candy. You've got to see it (guess I should get over there with my camera sometime.....right Connie?)

Here's my first attempt. I got to smash this plate shard into smaller pieces. I definitely like smashing things.

It is Connie's hope that we can spend many Thursdays together over the summer creating mosaics. I'm going to start by making a stepping stone for the garden. I'm not generally very artistic so I'm not sure mosaics will be my "thing" but I love trying something new, spending time with friends and in doing so, helping others accomplish something, too.

A pot that Sue made in the past. Isn't it sweet? Just so you know, Sue is incredibly sweet, too!

Thanks, Connie! You're the best.

CSA Bounty

2011-06-09T21:05:00.000-04:00

Today was the first CSA pickup! Yeah! We have been eagerly awaiting the local garden bounty. Mike and I hesitated for a long time to join a CSA because we tend to eat the same veggies over and over. We just weren't sure that we would eat the vegetables that we had paid for. Recently, we have been doing a lot of reading about food and changing our food buying and food eating habits. That includes trying new things and eating seasonally. So, we went ahead and joined Goodwill at Homefield Farms.

Here's the bounty we received. While Mike and I gathered our goods in the barn, the boys went out to the strawberry field to pick our box. They've really enjoyed being on the farm and getting to pick their own food. Homefields has several gardens that are for the shareholders to pick themselves. I love that, especially for the boys. There's certainly no fresher food than the food you pick yourself.

As you can see we had lettuce and garlic scape, chard, bok choy, strawberries and kale. It was the kale that worried me a little. I've never eaten it. None of us ever did.

Here you can see what I did with it. I chopped the firmer veggies and sautéed them first (onion, bok choy, garlic scape) and then added the kale. I used sesame oil which adds a little flavor to the dish. After the whole thing wilted, I added some fresh ground salt and pepper.

Mike was grilling burgers while I was dealing with the veggies. You can see my plate full above. Now, I'll admit, these veggies aren't much to look at but WOW were they delicious. I'm looking forward to making it again another night.

Here's the best dessert of all. Fresh strawberries and blueberries. I bought the blueberries at market on Tues. and I can't imagine they are local but they were delicious with the strawberries. Now I have a hankering for a berry smoothie for breakfast. Yum.

Creative Expression in the Office

2011-06-08T07:07:00.000-04:00

This little fella is standing in front of the MS logo.

Very seldom have I worked in an office all day long. Most of the jobs I've held have meant going out into clients homes or working in a school so that I was moving for a lot of my day. That tends to work for me. In my new job (I work for the National MS Society which is GREAT, by the way) I don't get out of the office as much. I still travel some but not every day. I deal with people mostly on the phone.

I love how little Blue seems to be checking out something over yonder.

That being said, I'm looking at the same bookshelf all day long. No, I'm not staring at the bookshelf all day, I am working hard at many different things but when I look up, there's the bookshelf. I showed you the little birds I was working on in this post. Now I wanted to show you the finished project.

Here they are in all their chick glory.

I'm happy with my birdies. They make me happy when I take a minute to stop working and look up. I think it's important to surround yourself with things you love, even if you are in an office. Of course, I also have photos of my family on my desk and they give me the greatest joy. But the little birds make me think of summer and sun and their little tweeting and I smile.

Then I get back to work.

A Sandwich for Lunch

2011-06-07T13:42:00.000-04:00

Quilt sandwich that is. I love being able to come home for lunch. I finished the quilt top before leaving for work this morning and sandwiched it after I ate. Now I'm ready to quilt.

A Little at a Time

2011-06-06T13:39:00.000-04:00

Well, here's the result of working a little each day. I'm trying hard to maximize my free time, even if it only comes in 30 minute sections. This top is on my design board at the moment. It isn't totally sewn together yet. I'm still thinking about it. I'm feeling strongly that this quilt wants to be hand quilted. We'll see if that's the way it goes. I do so prefer hand quilting to machine quilting but it takes so much longer. I find it more peaceful though.

All About Lettuce

2011-06-05T11:49:00.000-04:00

We (actually I) planted a garden this year. I come from a long line of farmers. My grandparents were farmers and my parents both grew up on farms. My parents always had a large garden when I was a kid. Unfortunately, they never really had us work with them in the garden. Yes, I was called upon to go over to the garden and pull up onions (one of my favorite jobs) and I used to pull off Japanese beetles and throw them in the jars of gasoline. Of course, I would also often wake up on sunny summer mornings to a kitchen table full of pea pods or beans to be hulled. What I never did was help to plant the garden. I'm sure it was just easier for my parents to do it themselves. I wish they hadn't.

Oh well. They did teach me lots of other good things. So....here I am planting a garden in my little yard. I really wanted to plant lettuce and bought both butter lettuce and large leaf lettuce. For the most part, it was a no brainer. I bought the plants, dug the space and watered as needed. I'm about at the end of the patch and it has provided quite a few salads.

One thing I really didn't think about when harvesting lettuce, was how many bugs I would have to smash (good thing I'm not squeamish) and how much dirt gets on the leaves. If I plant more next year or even in the fall, I'm definitely going to purchase some straw to lay over the ground to eliminate some of the dirt. What I liked about all those bugs and dirt was that it was REAL. Neither thing is harmful and it only took a few minutes to go from dirty mess to delicious salad. Here's my salad in pictures.

Lettuce straight from the lettuce patch (about 10 steps from my door). You can see the dirt. I only killed two bugs with this batch.

The lettuce is getting a good bath in the colander.

Here's the finished product. I also added three kinds of herbs from the garden. The rest of the produce is not from the garden. I do have some tomatoes growing but don't think I'll ever get around to carrots.

Weekend

2011-06-04T16:14:00.000-04:00

We loved this little hen that welcomed us to the farm with some gentle clucking.

It's so nice of the weekend to show up every five days. It's only Saturday afternoon and I've already had a fantastic weekend. Last night Mike and I went to First Friday where we tasted delicious gourmet flat bread pizzas, met up with friends and shopped at Creative Reuse, met up with another friend and her daughter who have taken the plunge and rented space at Building Character (go Amy and Annie!) and sat down with yet another friend for a glass of wine while listening to my very talented husband play some groovy jazz. I didn't get home until almost midnight.

One of my fabulous purchases from Creative Re-use. Silver spoons. We constantly lose spoons so to get beautiful ones like this for $1 was a bargain!

This morning I awoke with the sun (because I have no choice, my body doesn't know you can sleep if the sun is up). It being several hours prior to any other being (ok, the cats were up) in my homestead lifting their heavy eye lids, I spent a few hours sewing. The quilt blocks are arriving on the design board slowly but surely. Once a decent hour arrived, I woke the men and we traversed to the first CSA pick up of the summer: strawberry picking. Since we only paid for a 1/2 share, we could only pick one box. It was a great introduction to the farm. We walked up and down the fields after picking our berries to see if we could recognize what else was growing. I think I could identify almost everything. Our official pickup starts on Thursday. I hope to share our bounty here if I can find the time. It was a lovely morning to be out picking. The berries are small but have a powerful flavor! I haven't tasted berries this good in so long. It is truly a wonderful thing to taste something that only arrives one month out of the year. It's worth the wait.

The best strawberries ever. The photo (taken from my iPod touch) doesn't do them justice.

Tonight the boys and I will head to a ballgame and tomorrow is our Parish picnic which is always a great time. Then I have to wait five more days until the weekend comes again!

Creativity

2011-06-03T07:01:00.000-04:00

I'm calling this one the crooked + quilt

If you are anything like me, there is a time of the day when you feel fresher. For many people that time is late at night. For some, they have a lot of energy right after getting home from work (who are those people??).

For me, I have the most get up and go in the morning. I am lucky enough to work 8-4 everyday so that I am home soon after the school bus drops the kiddos off. Since I am a morning person, I am happy to get to work and be productive from 8-1. I am also lucky enough to be able to come home for lunch. What this means is that my more sluggish time at work is only two hours before I get to come home again. I do feel very fortunate.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, because of two friends, to be honest. One friend also works full time and laments about her lack of creative outlet due to having less time. The other is a full time mother and homeschooler and has just opened a little stand at a local artisan warehouse. She asked if I was quilting and I had to say no.

I've been thinking a lot about time and how to spend it. Obviously, I don't have as much free time as I used to. That being said, I do have free time. Since I'm usually up at 5 or 5:30 a.m. and feel motivated and awake then (and the house is much cooler) it makes sense that I spend 30-60 minutes being creative.

So this morning I went into the sewing room and started a new quilt. I would like to sew without buying much. There are many things I want to accomplish and not all of them involve sewing so it makes sense to use up my stash right now. When my fabric stash is lower (that won't be for awhile) I will feel freer to concentrate on some other projects.

So thank you Amy and Connie for motivating me and getting my early morning rear end into the sewing room!