For Hazel

I finally finished the quilt to go with Hazel's little apron!



It took forever - which was my own fault. From the design to the quilting, if there was a choice I could make to complicate my project...I made it.

When I was working on Annika's quilt, I realized it was really just a modified tumbler pattern (with sashing between the rows). My only thought was: why would you do that to yourself? ...then I went and did it.


And then, once I got to the quilting, I found out that my straight lines had nowhere to go in the sashing. I had to start over...and line each block. Bleh. ...but I do like the result...and the butterflies (from my stash).


And the little Bo Peeps on the binding and pillow...thrift store remnant, for 25 cents. (SO grateful I still have a bit left!)




Happy Un-birthday, Hazel!

"Once Upon a Time..."

We made the trek over to Grandma's house for a cousin birthday. I managed to scrounge up a hand-sewing project for the drive over. (I'm so glad I put together this little sewing bag to grab on my way out the door! It keeps me from accumulating too many spools of thread and pairs of scissors in the car.)


I'll give you a full view of the project once it's washed.

As always, it's wonderful to see everyone. (I wish it wasn't so long between visits -I'm starting to get those Oh no, I'm moving panics.)

The kids had tons of fun cousin time...even more, since they like to get up at the crack of dawn to play (oh so quietly...drumming, running in "packs"...)

Also, Grandpa has been selling Mason Bee supplies at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show all week. He loves to include his children, and, although Tony wasn't eager to see me leave, he dutifully dropped me off at the Seattle Convention Center on his way home. (Afterwards, Dad gave me a ride to the ferry, so Tony could pick me up in Bremerton.) What a sweety!

It was awesome. I got to hang out with my sister, niece, and Dad - telling people about mason bees...and sneaking off to look at displays. (I made it to a seminar. "What the Cluck!": (Be sure to say that one clearly.) about pasturing chickens in your garden and what it takes for them to be compatible. (Cute and fun, with live chicks to encourage people to sit in the front row!)


Sis and I being awesome together! :)

"Once upon a time...spectacular gardens with stories to tell" was the theme of this year's show. Some designers took a very whimsical approach to the theme.


The straw house, belonging to the first little piggie. (They did all 3 pig houses, plus the wolf's den.)


The white rabbit from the Alice in Wonderland garden.

My favorite garden was "A Day Well Spent" - a visit to an old-fashioned family nursery. It was homey and beautiful.


...with my dream steps.


I also thought the Urban Farm Co. display was charming. Chicken tractor on the left. Beehive on the right. Pretty path between the two.


Definitely a day well-spent.

The Nursery

I swear this is the last time I will post about furniture for a long, long time. Weeks even. (I have lots of other lovely stuff waiting to be shared....but most of it is also waiting to be completed.) Just this last time....

I've rearranged the Cozy half of my room...


....in preparation for her new(ish) bed....


...which will be repainted as soon as it stops snow/hail/raining outside.

Now Coze has a nice enclosed nook, full of her play-things. I know it's adorable and fun, because I catch Annika in there organizing and tidying up just for kicks.


I definitely, definitely need to make my laundry room cuter...just in case it could have the same effect.

My PB Moments

I've been having some Pottery Barn moments this week.

Now, please don't think that I'm obsessed with PB. I don't think it's the end-all be-all of decorating. I know that cleaning my house makes it look nicer than having expensive things (...and I don't like to waste my money...too much....except on fabric.)

Still, every once in a while I see a good deal, and I do really like the things I've bought there.

Anyhow, I was leafing through a bed and bath catalouge this week...and saw that they brought back my PB quilt!


I bought it a few years ago when we switched to a king. I got it for a mere $60 and $10 per sham. Woot-woot! Now it's selling for $250. Gave me a little warm fuzzy feeling to remember what a good deal I got.

Even cuter on my bed...because of my cute accessories (toys, kids, laundry...)



Then yesterday at Goodwill, I had another PB moment: these adorable chairs for $4 ea.


Apparently my sister has a set of 4 that she found at a garage sale. (Yes, she does everything twice as well as me. :) It just makes her twice as easy to love!

Play

As much as we have enjoyed a few sunny days here and there, for the most part, the kids and I have been feeling some cabin fever. The little kids have seemed especially restless...and I've been looking for some new (or at least newly revisited) ways to entertain them.

We had a pompom fight. It lasted 10 minutes - tops.

I tried to introduce Cozy to painting with watercolors. She refuses to use the paint and goes straight from water to paper. ...and then she loses interest, because her picture is so boring. (I have big plans for finger-painting!)

The only real success I've had has been with playdough. I already had a bunch of playdough, rolling pins, and cookie cutters in the kitchen...we just never used them. After watching Meg's video of her toddler packing up his playdough (kept in a readily accessible spot), I thought we should give it another try.

The first thing I did was buy a toddler-friendly container for the playdough, which has made it so much easier to get out and clean up the dough....and whether or not it turns brown when you mix it depends on your color choices! Our blues, pinks, greens, and yellows mix in very artistic, pretty ways!


We also had to get placemats for our highly, highly textured table (probably the main reason we'd been avoiding our playdough!)

Now the littles can get it out whenever they want (which is several times a day). It keeps them at the table with my homeschoolers, busy and happy - cutting out stars and bunnies (those are the big favorites).


Last time we lost power (which seems to be happening EVERY time the wind blows), even the big kids joined us to play by flashlight. (It was way more fun than sitting around in the dark.) :)


Cozy - ready to roll. Remind me not to tell her to "smile" before pictures.


I think she's over-thinking it.


...looking forward to years of cheesy smiles.

Just like a Grandpa

My Dad is a man of many talents. One of them is spinning the wool from his pygora goats (and other various fleeces) into yarn. He also knits. (I'm one of the few slackers in my family who doesn't.)

...but when you start from square one (goat), it can take a while to get to the finish line (the sweater). Thus, Dad has started out-sourcing his knitting - not to China - to his mother.

So, Grandpa washed, carded, and spun the wool. Great Grandma Cozette knitted it up into the sweater. Reminds me of the book Just Like a Baby, where the whole family uses their different talents to make a special place for their new little one.


Doesn't Annika look pleased with herself and her special new sweater?


Only one question now - when do I get one?
I want mine gray and long (at least hip-length), to help conceal my tushy. :)

Dang!

Dad replied to my post.

We put shitake and lion's mane mushroom plugs in that log. What's growing there....not either one. Better not to eat unknown mystery mushrooms.

Dang.

Farming Fantasy

I've been reading The Complete Guide to Raising Chickens, but all of the chickens I'm likely to get are on this shirt.


It took Boo all day to notice they were chickens and not polka dots. Subtly farmy - it's all the rage.



We have had some farming success. Our mushroom logs finally sprouted something! Edible, right Dad?


The mushroom plugs were my sole purchase from last year's garden show. My Dad cut down an alder on his property, drilled the logs full of holes, and Jonny helped him hammer the plugs in with a mallet. We've been waiting for them ever since....and I was ready to add it to the list of fruitless endeavors. Score one for the growers!

A Sweet Surprise

Tony came thru with his typical under-promise and over-deliver approach to relationships. (It goes well with my philosophy, which is: lower your expectations of people, and just appreciate what you have. It may sound jaded, but it's more contented.) First, he warned me far in advance that he was going out of town the day before Valentine's Day. No big deal.

Then, yesterday, Tony came home with dinner (luckily before I'd begun cooking) and flowers, and when I woke up this morning, everyone was busy in the kitchen making all kinds of candies and chocolates.


He and the kids had been planning it all week - with most of the supplies stashed in his truck! (Hey! They never keep my secrets!)



Oh, the Valentines calories! Peanut-butter, coconut, orange, and oreo-filled truffles...plus caramels, chocolate strawberries and dipped pretzels. I'm not going to want sugar for months. ...unless it's gelato.

We had to drop in at Cosmo's, so we could share the treats we made with some friends...and it would be just rude not to eat their gelato while we were there. (Old italian hospitality rules - look it up!)

Doesn't Cozy look uberpleased with herself at having stolen mine.


Joke's on her.

It was rice-flavored.

She tried to spit out every grain of rice she noticed! But there's no need to feel too sorry for her, Boo was happy to share his "so cold!" mint chocolate chip.


Happy Valenfood Weekend!

A breath of fresh air...

My sister was right, sunshine was coming to the Pacific Northwest! (Yes, I am too lazy to look up the weather. I only find these things out thru hearsay.) We finished our morning lessons, threw a quick lunch together, and headed out for the "crab park".

Really, it's the Waterfront Park in Silverdale, but, since we spend most of our time there turning over rocks and harrassing the tiny wildlife...it's the crab park.


Wary of pinching claws, the kids improvised clam crab-tongs for holding the crabs and clam crab-ladles for scooping crabs out of the murky tidepools.



There were also tons of clams everywhere...but they don't do much. One had it's foot hanging out for 2 seconds. Thrilling.


Cozy slept on my shoulder the whole time we were at the shore. I kept wondering if it counts as getting fresh air and spending time outside if you are asleep...and unaware of it?

Happily, she did finally wake up once we went up to the park. Swung (Boo even figured out how to "swing himself" - so cute!), played, looked with envy at someone's fuzzy little puppy. That counts for sure.


And as we were leaving, she noticed the beach....

Honeybee Dress

A couple of weeks ago, back in my camera-less dark age, I made Cozy a litte dress...from one of Odie's shirts. (It had holes in it, and he wouldn't stop wearing it. It had to be destroyed.)

I took a couple pieces from another tee and chose a simple shape (that wouldn't require attatching sleeves).


I've had matching leggings cut out for weeks. These tights just go so well (thanks, Natalie!) that I haven't had much incentive to sew the leggings together.


I think I'd wear it, but (thank goodness) even Tony's t-shirts aren't big enough for me to make myself dresses from (...plus they're mostly an ugly heathered grey - yuck!)


The end.

My Night In

My poor Booboo hurt his neck somehow. Yesterday he wouldn't even get out of bed....he just lay in the same position. Today it seemed better, but he's still walking around with it cocked to one side. Sad.

So, last night I stayed home with sad Boo and tired Cozy, while Tony took the other kids to a double feature of Gulliver's Travels and Yogi Bear. I totally got the better end of that deal! Both kids were sound asleep by 8 o'clock. The house was so quiet!

I made some cookies, folded some laundry....and then thought I'd look around for an unfinished project to wrap up. A curtain for the boy's room. I've had this fabric for at least a year - I think I just had funner, more challenging projects keeping me from it.


I put in a pole pocket, even though I planned to use the clippy drapery rings (easier for kids to slide open and closed).


...because you never know what you might want in your next house...on some other window....in Maryland. Yes, Tony has crushed my midwestern dreams.

I'm coming to terms. It helps that it is by far the best deal $-wise. I'm hoping there is something there for me, that I can love and enjoy (aside from the people I'll be bringing with me, of course!)

Sarah, as far as the camera goes, here is an inside action photo with no flash. ....at least you can tell who they are, right?


Little sisters - even cuter than puppies.

Tarnal Fool Rug

"Tarnal fool" is my favorite Little Britches swear (circa Fields of Home)...and I think of it every time I make a little "tarn" (t-shirt yarn) for the braided rugs I have been planning.


It's a long-term plan (hatched after I saw this cute rug), so don't get your hopes up about seeing anything more exciting than balls of tarn for quite some time.

Sew Liberated said she got her instructions out of Handmade Home. If so, she is a super-intutive crafter. I was all, "huh?...but how?" Instead, I got an old school rug-braiding book from the library. Written by a grandma who knows people need diagrams and massive amounts of pictures.

And I'm not ambitious. I'm going to make a little rug for my laundry room and one to put in front of my kitchen sink.

Tony = totally unsupportive of my new endeavor.

Tony: Is that my shirt you're cutting up?
Me: You mean this 8-year-old Flag shirt that I paid $2 for 8 years ago? (I know it's eight years old, because it says 2003 on it.)
Tony: I still wear that.
Me: hmmm. (All the more reason - said in a quiet aside) Well, it's the exact color I need for my rug, so....

I should have come up with a better cover story. Tarnal fool husband.

Finally!

My camera finally got here...and it's about stinkin' time! The little blue dear has already proved it's worth by taking this picture at night, with no flash. I'm so proud of it!

Mom, do you want the battery and charger to my old camera? ....the one you still have?