Crunchy Peas

given away

This year I really had to come to grips with the fact that I simply could not make and do what I have in years past.  It was okay really, and I learned something. Sometimes I try to do it all and do it poorly. Things are rushed, slapped together, and I don't enjoy the process.  When I am more selective with what I take on- my projects are well-finished, well-wrapped, and well-enjoyed. Am I the last one to figure this out?

 
Sugar cookies.  A quadruple batch. Precisely mixed, patiently chilled, skillfully cut out, carefully baked, kid frosted (here's where I had to do some letting go: neon colors, tons of sprinkles, less than perfect). These cookies have been a tradition in my family since I was a little girl.  Oddly, I don't really like them, but that is good because my recipe calls for at least 2 cups of butter!!

 

I like practical gifts to be pretty as well.  Last year I made natural cleaning kits for my friends.  This year, I made them Jane Market Bags. The pattern is so simple and fairly quick once you get going.  I made a few and I think the best way to go about it is to do an assembly line sort of thing.  I cut all the fabric and then I made each bag simultaneously as I moved through the steps of sewing it together.  In the front pocket I tucked in one of my favorite note pads.  A perforated menu planner/grocery list from MomAgenda.

My Mother-in-Law is the famous "lunch lady" at the high school where she lives.  For some time now she has been asking me to make her an apron.  I have gotten great use out of my Emmaline Apron so I decided to make one for her as well.  Because I was familiar with this project I was able to really take my time cutting, pinning, stitching, and pressing.  I had a decaf latte nearby and listened to my ipod. I love sewing when my brain is not puzzled by the pattern. Thank you to Alicia and Meg (creators of these patterns) for making them so simple!

We kept up with our school work for most of the week.  Anticipating a baby this Spring is great motivation for keeping up- even getting ahead a bit.  The girls have done so well to keep up.  There hasn't been much complaining. We also hosted two family dinners to celebrate Christmas.

With a Mama who scaled back her efforts, a Husband who generously filled in the gaps (big praise for being self-employed and the ability to work from home if need be), and Daughters who are growing up and able to help- really help (like cleaning the bathrooms, folding laundry, and mopping floors) we even had some time to enjoy our favorite sledding hill.

 

Laurel says, "cheers to simple things, done well, and enjoyed by all."

handiwork

Donut day. Lovely friends, lovely confections.

Kneading.

Rolling.

Cutting.

Assembling.

Cooking.

Best of all...eating.

We also made these lovely corn husk dolls. 

I bought the corn husks from the grocery store.  I found them in the Hispanic foods section.  They had to be soaked in water overnight to make them more pliable.  I think these are wonderful. So simple and sweet.  The girls actually played with these all afternoon. Instructions here.

It was good to put our pencils down for a day and work with our hands.

spool snake

I had a lovely Mother's Day that included pancakes, bacon and coffee made by the Mister.  I also stole away to the fabric store for a few hours.  Alone.  The girls gave me sweet cards that they made in school, and Carl and I went out to dinner on Friday night.

As much as I love my girls, the occasional dinner without them is a real treat.  I like eating out like adults.  Wine, appetizers, foods that you cannot pronounce.  Very tasty.  We were also celebrating Carl's birthday. 

(brownies and ice cream, when you get older cake and frosting are not a necessities)

Today he is 34!  I like older men.  Not only do they have more money, but grey hair can be very distinguished.  Besides, you have to marry someone older than you if you want to be in a relationship with someone who's maturity level is equal to that of your own.  He is four years older than me...and those four years help.  In all seriousness, I love you Carl and Happy Birthday!

I made Laurel a little toy yesterday.  My grandma gave me one of her craft books (which would make it vintage) and it had all kinds of simple ideas for homemade toys. All the necessary supplies are ordinary things that you find around your house.  I just love toys that don't have flashing lights, make beeping sounds, or have a screen.

I have been saving all my empty thread spools in a jar hoping that I could, at some point, put them to good use.  This little project was just the thing.  A spool snake.  Just tie a knot at the end of a ribbon and thread them on.  I did tie a knot in between each spool in order to make it lanky enough (is that a word?).  Also, it was a bit plain so I cut some patterned paper and taped it on each spool.  You could glue it on, but I used tape because I am lazy like that.  Then, at the other end of the ribbon I tied a little loop for pulling.  See, here it is in action.

And here the snake is slithering up the stairs.

Two warnings come along with this little snake.  First, if you are going to take your snake for a walk down the stairs, be sure that the little snake doesn't slither under your feet and get tangled up under your pink cowboy boots.  This may result in doing approximately three somersaults down the stairs and ending up with some slight resentment and disfavor to your spool snake.  Also, beware of kitties who love to chase these types of snakes. 

So, there you go.  Don't throw your spools away, make a snake.  A little person or a kitty might thank you.

a little of this and that

I don't have anything very specific to blather about today. It just seems to be a normal sort of Monday- errands, recess monitoring (where I get to wear a whistle), dishes, laundry...etc. etc.  There was, however, a coon skin on my entry way floor.

I love Sophie (just a little) when she lays like that.  There was also a bit of art going on in our kitchen.  My friend's husband works for the local newspaper and every now and then she brings us the ends of the newspaper rolls (think last few squares on the toilet paper).  These ends are not big enough to print anything substantial on so they are pretty much useless to the Pressman.  She tells me that they actually sell them to the public for a couple of bucks- it may be worth checking out in your area.

I love covering the table with this paper.  Sometimes we color directly on it with colored pencils or markers, other times it makes a great tablecloth- like when painting with someone who is not yet 2.  By the way, the cute smocks came from Morgan and you can find them in her etsy shop.  This little painting project kept them busy long enough so that I could prep dinner.

Makin' this.  A very tasty way to get your Omega 3's.    And lastly, Hannah brought home her Valentine's Day card for me.  She made it at school and "it had to dry" so I wasn't able to receive it on the rightful day.  The outside was beautifully decorated (sorry no picture) but catch what it said inside:

   

She dictated her thoughts to her teacher.  What a fruit she is....the jungle???  I am glad that she gave me props for my dancing though- I so deserve that one!

ps: Is three. long. weeks. really necessary?  I am ready for Ms. Bennet and Mr. Darcy to hook up already!

finger writing

Still a few stragglers home sick today.

I couldn't let their brains turn to mush...so we set about to practice our letters.

 

The fun way!

(Try explaining the difference between shaving cream and whipped cream to someone who is almost 2.  Tricky. After a few tastes I think she started to catch on!)

stupid list

Have you ever had a "to do list" that laughed at you?  A list that provoked a challenge?  One that dared you to try and check off each task? Mine was scoffing at me last night.  I danced around it for a while, trying to figure out what to do about that "to do" list.

I tried thinking of ways to get out of a few things, I tried prioritizing and time scheduling...eventually I just gave up.  11 o'clock rolled around and I was so tired.  It had already been a very full day. I started walking towards my bedroom with the intention of scrapping my list and heading to bed.  Just about the time that I started to crawl into bed, I heard Laurel crying from her room.  It was an "I am sick" type of cry.  Yes, she has had a bit of a cold- but now it was definitely at a whole new level.  Croup.  Before long, I had humidifiers, hot steamy showers and boiling pots of water all going at the same time. Finally, she found her way back to sleep- in my bed.  On my side of the bed.  Propped up on my pillow.  And I was awake.  Wide awake.  In the far off distance I could hear my list.  It was taunting me, "ha! now it would truly be impossible for you to conquer everything on this list- there is a sick baby to deal with."  Little did my list know that I am not to be taunted at 2am.  I looked that list square in the eyes and said, "you wanna piece of this?"  And so it began...

What? Your kitchenaid mixer doesn't look like that?

48 gingerbread house cookies for the girl's Christmas Parties today. (I don't want to eat/smell/roll/cut/eat/mix/decorate/eat another gingerbread cookie for a long time!)

I downloaded this from itunes in the hopes of burning 22 CDs for Emma and Hannah to give away as gifts to all their classmates.  Yeah, did you know that you can only make 7 copies of each download?   I didn't- until after I had burned the 7th disc at 3am. That wasn't going to work for 22 students.  Quick, what to do?

Instead, Emma's classmates are getting little books.  There has been so much book love out there these days, I was grateful to have that idea tucked in the back of my brain.  I made ours with over sized index cards (1st graders love to write on lines.) The "binding" is just a straight machine stitch running down the side.  I never thought the needle would go through 5 layers of card stock!  Address labels slapped on the front made for a perfect place to write a title or your name.

Hannah's class will be receiving a "Thank God for Pinking Shears and Felt" ornament.  No, I did not sew all those buttons on- why do you think they invented hot glue?

It works don't you think?  So, onto the next task on my list.  Tired?  Pshaw, I don't know the meaning of the word. Overwhelmed?  Nonsense, there is no such thing.  "All Nighters", sick kids, Christmas Parties, weekend travel- mole hills. I refuse to go down with a box unchecked! Take that you stupid list!

Santa Lucia Dolls

A few weeks back I purchased a Santa Lucia Doll Kit put together by the lovely Alicia Paulson.  I was so excited to receive it knowing how much fun the girls would have making the cute clothespin dolls.  Waiting, waiting I was for a nice unrushed block of time to sit and doddle over this project.  I didn't want it to be one of those "slap-it-together" kind of deals. Finally the opportunity arrived yesterday afternoon.  Just in time (Santa Lucia Day is December 13th!)

We spent a little time learning about the holiday's origins, and then got right down to the making.  I decided in advance to let Laurel just do her thing.  I wasn't going to worry about her doll having one eye or blue hair.  She did pretty good.  And while her paint was drying she kept herself occupied by doing this:

(she was dipping her brush in her "dirty paint water" and coloring her lips)

Crafting with your kids always offers so many insights into their personality.  Typical Emma, she studied the directions carefully and set out to make her doll just like the picture showed.

And classically, Hannah thumbed her nose at any suggestions about how her doll should look.  She broke all the rules and made her doll with black hair, red shoes and yellow tights.

It was a fun afternoon, and I love the way our dolls turned out.  I am also loving the idea of "breakfast in bed" .  Traditionally, saffron buns are served with coffee.  The day didn't allow time for bread baking so croissants ("sacronts" as Hannah calls them)  will have to do.  Emma set her alarm early, and when we explained to Hannah that the older sister is supposed to have attendants (younger sisters) she just looked at us with a confused look.  "Nah, I think that I will just wake up at the normal time and you can make my sacront mom", she said.

not going to make it...

Well, I have come to accept the reality that my advent garland will not be totally complete by tomorrow.  I have mittens 1-12 finished, there is no way that I will get to the other 13 by the end of the day.  Oh well, I guess it will just be a "get- it- done- as- I- go- along" kind of project. 

I have all kinds of filler for it.  Three tiny little trinkets or treats will be stuffed inside each mitten. This was the really fun part (did you know that 3 things for 3 girls for 25 days equals 75 things- eek!) My Grannie (who is a feeling a bit sick...hi Grannie) gave me her old craft box.  Inside I found all kinds of vintage figurines that were used in cake decorating. I also threw in some peppermint sticks, suckers and tons of other little thrifted doodads. Next year I think I will stuff them with ornaments -much easier.

I am headed out tomorrow for an overnight shopping trip with my Tante and my cousin.  Looking forward to some girl time...have a great weekend!

She "makes" like me

One of the most interesting and challenging parts of being a mom is figuring our kids out.  What makes them tick?  Are they extroverted or introverted? Enjoy a challenge or frightened by it?  Do they like a lot of interaction or do they require more down time?  Is help appreciated by them or do they like to do it themselves?  One thing that I have really come to realize in the last year is that they are definitely all different from each other, and also from me!  As they get older, their own little quirks and personality traits are really starting to shine through.  I am learning to appreciate them- to be thankful for our differences. We definitely have a broad spectrum of likes and dislikes between our three girls, and it certainly makes life more interesting. 

One similarity that I love about Hannah and myself...she "makes" like me.  A flurry of creating in hyper-speed.  No time for picking up as you go, that can be done later.  I don't freak out when I see messes like this (she was cutting and gluing hair for the paper doll she was working on) because I know she is in "the mode."

I am grateful for the understanding I am given (sometimes in very tiny amounts) to see my children for who they are, and to honor and respect that.

thank you flowers

These little flowers are so quick and easy to make.  The idea came from this book.  (Thanks Melissa for letting me borrow it!)  One flower takes about 15 minutes.  I see a lot of these in my future.  I put a safety pin on the back and the possibilities of how these could be used for adornment are endless.  This green one is going out to Emma's teacher.  She (like me) loves green- only she has wonderfully red hair and looks fabulous wearing it!  She is a busy lady with three children of her own, and I am thankful for the love and care that she shows to mine.

And on a huge side note...this is what I'll be reading this weekend

I can't wait to tell you all about it!!!!!!!

November= Thankfulness

I am as excited as the next person about the coming of the Christmas Holiday. I love giving and receiving gifts.  I eagerly anticipate gathering with family.  The jubilation my children express when the first snow arrives is contagious.  Their faces light up as each tree ornament is pulled from the box and rediscovered.  On and on I could go about the miracle that is Christmas.  However, what the heck happened to celebrating Thanksgiving?????  Already we are bombarded with ads in the newspaper and on TV telling us about all the great deals to be had on the "stuff" that has somehow seemed to replace the true meaning of Christmas.  My neighbors actually put up their Christmas lights last weekend. (They haven't turned them on yet...and they may not be all that stupid putting them up when it is not 9 degrees outside- but still.) 

 

I made this little banner a while back and now that it is officially November, I put it up last weekend.  It wasn't my idea...I hacked it from here. I hesitated in linking that picture because their version is way cuter.  I made the squares from wool felt and the letters were cute using a stencil and fat quarters that I thought looked autumn-ish.  I sewed them on raw edges and all.  It is hanging from a garden twine rope. ( a bit uneven too- the ladder was fairly wobbly, I wanted to get off it as soon as possible.)

Above our door it hangs in the hopes that it encourages us to be grateful for ALL that we have.  So many times we take simple things like a new toothbrush or clean socks for granted.  The big things slip by too- health, family, freedom.  I want my family to slow down and really give thanks for what has been given to us. 

So, for the rest of November (or at least until Thanksgiving) each time I post I would like to include at least one thing- and a picture too, of something (people, moments, and yes things) that I am thankful for. 

First up, I am thankful that my girls like to wash dishes for me. I do hover somewhat nervously as the water gets splashed about, and some food bits get passed over (good for the immune system right?) but I am thankful that they are willing to help out.

It was funny to watch the progression of wetness take over.  First, they wanted their sleeves rolled up.  Next, the socks came off.  Then, we lost the pants.  Finally, when I turned my back for moment Hannah actually disrobed completely and was sitting in the sink (she put the plug in the drain.)  That is where I drew the line.  Washing dishes in the buff is too much for me.  Its important to me that we work as a team and all pitch in.  This is a great way that they can play work :)  What are you thankful for?

my pheasant and her pie

Be proud of her,  she did it all by herself (be a little proud of me too for letting her do it-- there were moments when I literally had to put my hands in my pockets.  I worked hard at letting go of how I thought it should look.  And, like her mother, she made a terrible mess.  Flour everywhere!  This is Emma's Blackberry Pie that she submitted to the baking contest at school today.  They were celebrating Reformation Day and honoring Martin Luther.  We did not win...but participating was the emphasis- we were beat out by Strawberry Rhubarb.

Her costume was fun and fairly easy to make. The goal was a 15th century peasant.  Or as Hannah would say "she is a pheasant". Emma was trying to look poor in this picture...thus the somber face. (Red eyes again!  Anyone know how to adjust this in photoshop? I don't think that my camera has that option.  I hate using my flash...but there is so little daylight anymore.) At 1:00am this morning as I was finishing off her apron, I wasn't sure it would all be worth it.  Funny enough, she won 3rd place for "Best Period Representation" in the Elementary Division. That sweetened the deal to some extent.

Lots of lovely gowns like these.  The children also took part in a lavish feast featuring medieval-ish food.

 

Check out these girl's archery skills.

 

Also some action packed sword fighting!

All in all a glorious day, remembering important and courageous people.

No more holes!

When it comes to decorating, I am the idea girl- not the execute it girl.  I hate measuring. I dislike very much being exact.  I tend to jerry-rig to save time.  I am a "hurry-up-and-get-it-done" kind of person.  I come from a breed of (on my mother's side) of slap-it-together impatient Irish folk.  Thankfully, my brother- the finish carpenter- got the picky German genes.

So, when it comes hanging pictures I procrastinate.  We have lived in our house for 1.5 years now, and I haven't been able to bring myself to poke holes in many of our walls.  Mostly, they have remained bare.  Well, not anymore my friends.

TA-DA...

My newest friend!  Have you seen these?  It's like plastic Velcro for your pictures and wall.  No nailing, no leveling (you can easily adjust), no holes in the wall, no more getting yelled at for not returning your husbands drill/screwdriver/hammer to the tool bench!

Just slap the little tabs on the picture, peel off the adhesive and stick it to your wall.  I have used these on some pretty good sized frames.  They hold up marvelously! If you don't have it straight, just pull the picture off adjust and stick it back on!

The result:

Framed fabric in 5 minutes! (black pillowcases are a bad deal if you drool!!)

Now, I am off to enjoy some wool chocolate with a little one.

 

Some Sewing

Amidst all the grumpiness, I have managed to get some sewing done (at 1:00am mind you- hmmm not great for the grumpiness I guess.)  First off, I just love the pattern for the "Twirly Skirt" found over on houseonhillroad . It is so easy, no buttons, no zippers- just straight line sewing.  My kind of project.

This little set is for Laurel.  She loves the fabric because the beagle looks just like my Grandma's dog Suzi.  I know, it is a bit summery- but hey it is still summer right?

Today is my friend Camille's birthday.  She is having surgery next week and I wanted to send her on her way with a cute bag.  One always needs a new bag when venturing into the city.

It is the "All Day Bag" from Lotta Jansdotter's book- Simple Sewing.

On a side note- I have an infected tonsil.  I am pretty sure that there is some kind of food object making it's home there.  I have spent the greater part of the morning trying to dislodge it.  Gargling, gagging (lots of gagging) and poking it with a knitting needle of all things- nothing seems to work.  So, any advice is welcome.

Just thought you all might enjoy that last little tidbit.  Cheers!