The Cat's Meow

Oh, did I mention Sof had a birthday party too. I don't think it will live in infamy (like Annika's flu-spreading bash did), but the girls seemed to have a fun time.

Sofia wanted a cat theme for her party (since she's very involved in the Warriors books right now). She sewed cat ears for all of her guests (as I'm trying to gradually tranfer some party duties to the kids - and she didn't think I would do it right).


Cozy liked her ears too. She was pretty excited when I put them on her (and only took them off twice before she forgot they were there.)



I made the toy mice.


Tony made the "kitty food", a chocolate, peanut butter chex mix.


It was pretty low-key....just like I like it.

It may have been an enchanting April...

...but I'm so glad it's over. Don't get me wrong - I love April, when spring starts peeking out. Occasional sunny days (without the weekly lawn-mowing). One of these years I'm going to muster up the necessary moral courage to tell my girls they are having one birthday party...to share. That's it. Period. (I almost put an exclamation point after that period - but it just seemed so wrong.)

Then we can just sit back and enjoy Spring.

Our April birthdays:







Yes, I know I'm missing one, but sadly, I didn't have a picture of her. :( Heck, I had to go back to October to find one of Mom.

The Latest Creation...

...has left the station! And I sure hope it makes it to it's destination, because, in the words of Eliza Bennet, "the address was written very poorly indeed!" (by me..and that may or may not have been a made-up quote)


I had a moment or two when I was very over this quilt, so I was left with 2 choices. I could either abandon it or pony up the dough for a really pretty backing. I think it paid off.



Notice my {diagonal} lines are not precise. Because that would be both hard and boring. Really, even this (very tiny) amount of precision takes a lot of work. I've been using my 6 1/2" quilting ruler to lay out my painters tape...you guessed it - 6 1/2" inches apart. I sew a straight line on either side of the tape, using my walking foot, with the stitch length at a whopping four.

Then I pick up the tapes and center them in between the rows I've already sewn. I just kinda eye-ball it...sew down both sides of the tape again....then repeat. Easy. Brainless to the point of boredom (if I weren't so excited about the results!)



After I tape it, I get to roll it up like a sideways burrito. Maybe that's why torillas are round rather than square?


This gives you a tiny peek at the other things I'm working on too...and the cuteness is something fierce!

Pros and Cons

There are a lot of benefits to taking the ferry home. Beautiful scenery. Built-in potty break for the kids. Sewing break for me. I finished sewing my binding on during yesterday's trip to and from Snohomish Co.




The cons:

My Day on the Farm

I think it's wonderful when people are willing to share their knowledge and experience...and milk sheep. My Dad's friend Gretchen spent today giving us a lesson in cheese-making (though I suspect she may have been bribed with honey).

It was very generous of her, and I learned a ton....and learned that there is a ton left to learn. Specifically, I need to figure out what the best cheese would be for me to start with, given my limited resources (no sheep or goats), at home. I think my next step is the library.

These are a few of the Fresian lambs headed off to their pasture.


Lance watching the sheep milk heating.


The whey separating from the curds...just like in the movie! I'm not sure why it's so amazing when something works...but it just is!


Gretchen, show us around "the cave", where the cheeses are curing.


The cheese was great....

...but I think this is the thing I really need...



Nest update: We're up to four eggs, and, so far, no one has trodden on the nest.

Lightening-Fast Update

Here's a quick update for you:

Watched The Young Victoria. Liked it. It made me FIRST: Grateful for the lack of royalty in my family (the only royal ancestor we had ran off and married her French tutor...he was French, I don't know if he taught her French. Anyhow, that's more my speed.) I think family relations and sibling rivalry are hard enough without all that posh. SECOND: It made me want to Watch Victoria and Albert again...when I have the time...because it's stinkin' long.

I'm going to learn how to make sheep cheese tomorrow...assuming my childcare issues resolve themselves. I will try to document it if my hands are free and if I remember my camera.

I've nearly finished a quilt. (The grey one, in case you're wondering.) I hated it, but it's won me over. They always manage to do that somehow? One of my kids told me that I quilt too much. Rude. I don't tell them that they read too much...which I'm sure that if I did read that much - they would tell me! It isn't as if I've been neglecting my motherly duties: cooking, cleaning, and all that jazz. (Well, maybe the cleaning, but that is hardly anything new.)

Will post pictures soon.

Wildlife Update

A pair of swifts took care of the wasps in our bird house and moved in. We've registered our nest (a Dark-eyed Junco) with Nest Watch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology).