None of the Above

Yes, I know Avocado won by a landslide, but once I set the can next to my bed frame, I knew it just couldn't happen. There was some major clashing of greens going on.

Besides which, I decided that certain children would use it as a ladder to my bed if I used it as a nightstand.

So...sunshine yellow it is. Someday I'll finish my zigzag quilt, and then this really will fit in with the rest of my living room....hopefully.


Annalia: Admit it, Dear. You hate the yellow side table.
Tony: Darling, I hated it even before it was yellow.

Foodie Saturday...and Tuesday

I'm a little late, I know, but here goes my weekly foodie update.


First, the "Two Snooty Chefs" were at Cosmos on Saturday, offering up samples of their wares.
Salt-crusted Beets with Horseradish Cream - I didn't think I'd like it, but mmmm, horseradish.
Mole Eggplant Crostinis - good!
A salad of peach and greens, topped with Hungarian Ragout Vinagrette - all salads should have fruit in them.


You would think that those goods, combined with my Italian Pepper Chicken Panini...
garlic-grilled chicken with a hint of cracked pepper and garlic, topped with a creamy gorgonzola spread and pear-cardamom chutney (yes, that description was straight from the menu, folks!) would tide me over for the week, but when Tony and I found out about the Peninsula Local Food Chef Showoff...we couldn't resist. Tomorrow! Buy tickets and I'll see you there!

The Final Score

...was:
BooBoo/Dad - 86
Jonny - 14
Annika - 8
Sofia - 46
Anthony - 59


It turns out we need a little practice in the bowling department. James tried to horde bowling balls. Annika cried when she got gutter balls (frequently).


Dad: Come on! You can do it Sofia!
Sofia: Shhh! Parental advice is a harbinger of doom!
Dad: oh.
Gutter ball.
Dad: That was my fault, because I couldn't help thinking, "Go Sofia!" I just believe in you so much.


Bowling was a Tony idea. There weren't any good movies out, and we're trying to find cheaper, more interactive family activities. Cheaper? Why yes. On the Bremerton base, you can rent a lane (shoes for 5 included) for $10 an hour. They even throw in some slop time, so you get to finish your game. ...and we were the only ones there - even better.

The Sewing Faire

The girls and I went to the CTA Sewing Faire today.

Annika wondered where all of the rides were. I told her it wasn't that kind of Fair. It also wasn't the casual browsing thru fabrics that I anticipated....more of a fabric fenzy - ladies lined up outside, waiting to be let in.

Fabric and patterns were $1 a pound. Notions were 25 cents a bag. I think I may have faired better if I weren't holding a baby and pushing stroller with BooBoo in it, but I still got some nice fabrics...and one that I loved!


And I bought this sewing machine for Annika for $15. It's a pretty green "Montgomery Ward". It's "portable" but probably heavier than Annika!


Children got $10 worth of product for free, which was basically all of their stuff. I don't even have any idea what was in their bags - it'll be a surprise!

Pre-Thanksgiving

We still had a couple turkeys lazing around in my freezer from last Thanksgiving, and I thought it was high time they started earning their keep. So, we had a little un-thanksgiving feast.
Sofi folded the napkins beautifully, with the water lily for Aunt Rachel. Then she decided we needed a pretty table cloth too. Well, our giant table isn't easy to clothe....so we don't have a table cloth. Not the least deterred, Sofia sent me for one of the old sheets I've been collecting for a project. Doen't it make a lovely table clothe, with it's rows of yellow flowers?
Now I don't know if I can give those sheets up after all.

It took me a moment....

...to figure out those were James's fingers.


And I finally finished my Mom's birthday present - only four months late! Maybe I should have just saved it for NEXT year. Then I could have been on time for something!

What You Can Learn Thru Fabric Shopping with Children

As a part of sewing camp, the Clothing and Textile Advisers give away a nice, new sewing machine every year. To win the machine, you write them a letter after you participate in camp, telling them why you like to sew and your plans for the machine.

We made ALL of the girls write letters this year. I think Annika's was two sentences long (but very sweet). Sofia's was HI-LARIOUS (to me) and decorated with adorable sewing-themed drawings. No surprise that neither of them were selected, since I don't think either of them desperately wanted or needed the machine. (I think Sofia suspected I wanted it for myself...not true!)

Each of them received a personal letter in response to their submissions, along with a $10 gift certificate to Pacific Fabrics. How sweet and typical of those wonderful CTA ladies...always encouraging the girls to sew!

Pacific Fabrics had their fabric for 20% off on Labor Day, so that seemed like the ideal time to use their gift certificates.

Sofia found a yellow fleece to make yet another Pikachu toy with, but I've learned to have faith in her creativity. She's making it according to accurate measurements from the Pokedex, with interchangeable Velcro-on eyes, so that you can alter it's expressions. She says she wants to design toys when she grows up, but why wait....?



Annika want to make a quilt "for charity". I tried to talk her into school bags (tis the season), but she was immovable. She's determine to make a blanket/quilt. I did convince her that the fabric she picked out was "generationally inappropriate" (more for someone well over seventy) for a baby quilt, so she settled on something covered in pink parasols. We're going to make simple baby quilts and donate them through the LDS charities.

What have I learned from this experience? Sofia is more creative than I am. Annika is more generous than I am. Thanks for sharing your creativity and generosity with me, girls.