The other day, my oldest came home and told me how they'd made cups out of newspaper for sprouting seeds.



Tear newspaper in strips and get them wet. Wrap across the bottom and halfway up the side of an empty soda can. Wrap around the can a couple times and carefully slide off. Reform a bit if necessary and fill with planting medium.

We chose Cosmos, Zinnia, and Marigolds for their quick sprouting time.

If we were going to be here for the summer, we'd be planting a whole lot more.

Maybe next year.

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Not much on the house/moving front. We did order granite countertops for our current house. We couldn't lower the price of ours enough to make a difference (we're already going to lose quite a bit on the sale), and most all of the competition has it.

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We're going back down next week for a day or two - the final house hunting stretch. A couple of interesting houses have come on the market in since our last visit. Right now there are just so many choices out there, but not exactly what we're looking for. At some point, we're going to have to pick one and go with it. Not just yet, though...


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It started innocently enough. Awhile back I came across some very special fabric. My intent was to re-create something special from my sister's childhood for her girls. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to get it done.

The other day my mom called.

"Your sister noticed."

I told her I'd bring it back with me, no ransom necessary.

So, Sis... Let Mom off the hook for this one. Kitty is safe at my house. Heh.

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Belated Christmas Craft

This year, I was in charge of finding a craft suitable for a 3rd grade holiday party.

Enter clear glass ornaments, paint and glitter.

I tested my craft on my kids:



Put a few drops of paint in and swirl around or use a straw to blow it around. Sprinkle the glitter with the aid of a funnel.

As you can see by the background, both my sewing maching and ironing board are out.



The craft was a big hit with the kids and parents alike.

Go me.

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I've still been struggling with the recent turn of events. I go between cautiously optimistic and down-right dread.

What I should be doing

Right now, I should be cleaning out the fridge and getting my Thanksgiving Grocery List ready for this afternoon.

Instead I'm surfing my archives and felting two sweaters I found at the Goodwill.

Yes, the Goodwill.

I haven't been there for awhile, but thought I'd take the Toddler in and look around a bit. Truth be told, I'm looking for a couple serving dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. Nothing I desperately need, but it's fun to look.

Instead, I found two sweaters. And since today was Green Tag Thursday, anything with a green tag was $1.49. So for the grand total of $7.49 I brought these two lovelies home:

Brand names too: one's a Banana Republic, the other Old Navy. And as wonderfully Momish as they are, they're not going to be worn as sweaters. I'm felting them so they may be mittens. Just put them in the dryer, and they're coming along nicely.

In other unfinished projects... Remember this quilt?
The backing for it has kept me up at night. No, I'm not kidding. I bought backing, but underestimated how big it would be once I put the borders on it. I'm all for cutting it as close as I can, but I still couldn't make it work. So after about three days of sifting through my stash during the day, and gnashing my teeth at night, I came up with a solution:


So it will be a two sided quilt. It's basted and I started the quilting. Now, all I need is a day free and clear to finish it up.

First, though, about that grocery list...

I don't know why they call it "Stay at Home" Mom

Seriously.

You'd think with all this running, my butt would be a lot smaller: the gym, Target, the butcher, the fabric store...

And until four years ago, I did all this and worked 40 hours a week.

Yes. Four Years.

I was looking through my archives, trying to find the exact stay-at-home-date, but I got caught up in the fact that a year ago I was taking my youngest to the burn center.

Does that ever bring back memories.

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Right now I'm a little overwhelmed by the number of projects I've taken on.

I need to go through and make a list.

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Fortunately, today is a crappy, rainy day - perfect for putzing around the house.

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Ready for the mail...

Checkbook cover:

She wanted either brown and teal or brown and pink. Hopefully this will do.

Library bag:


Pinkity, pink, pink, pink - and purple.

A more manly market tote:


Please excuse the burnt ironing board.

Unfolded:

Brown, serged in Red.

Right now, everything is serged in red. I do have white and black thread, but I'm terrified to try and re-thread my serger. So for now, red it is.

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And it's Monday.

Saturday morning I called my sister... "Look like a beautiful day for a drive."

She replied, "I love that story."

I made it to her place by about 12:30 and spent the night. Overall, she seems well, but tires quickly and is resting a lot. I did play with 'the babies' - they're 18 months old and full of it. She's repeating her 24 hour pee test and reports back to the doctor on Wednesday. Fingers are crossed.

Today I'm trying to catch up on my to-do's - I've been contacted to make a library bag and a checkbook cover. I'm also doing a masculine quilt with 1880's reproduction fabric and finally have the rest of the fabric - I think. It will be a 'Bento Box' style quilt in tan, brown, and black - what I have done looks great. Part of the fabric for it:


Not to mention the two quilts I'm finishing for my sister.

And I found this one. Love it. Can't wait to make it.

Really it's the first day of preschool, and I'm trying to ignore the fact that my toddler left me with barely a backward glance. Boo hoo.



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I can't decide, front or back

This morning I whipped up a couple small gifts. Both projects came from my stash of 1930's reproduction fabric.

A 'baby' blankie for a four year old's birthday party:

Which is the front? Which is the back? I can't decide.

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And a checkbook cover for me:

Thanks AmandaJean for the great checkbook cover tutorial!

I just can't decide, though... Which is the front, and which is the back?

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I'm also calling out for your favorite crock-pot recipes! My pal Mitzi is struggling a bit in the dinner department, and I think the crock-pot will be a great help.

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Just a bit fussy

Seeing as yesterday I had a Sharpie Permanent Marker leak all over my hand and under my fingernails and my uterus is doing it's monthly spin cycle, I'll try and keep this light.

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Third grade. Where exactly does the time go?

First grade. Not the best picture, but the only one with his feet. Think he had a little growth spurt? Oy.

The final farewell. The only tears were shed by the toddler, as she wanted to go to school also.

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Last night I got an email from one of my dearest friends. She was having a bit of the 'stay at home blues.' I wanted to let her know that it's so different, that it will be ok, and yes, some nights my kids eat macaroni and cheese, corn and a hot dog for dinner. No, I'm not kidding, this is last night's dinner.

I tried to explain to her that it will get better. I know it took me a whole year to get used to the idea.

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Only a day late I finished my Sassy Apron Swap apron and hot pad...

Unfortunately I don't have a dummy to put this on, other than me, and I just - ahem - wasn't in the mood. The themes were 'pies' and 'fall.'

But I am really pleased with how the hot pad turned out.

Just like a mini quilt! I fussy cut the pies. I think it's pretty cute!

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Quilt Update and a Quick Kid's Project

Remember this one?
I wasn't really happy with it. I mean, there wasn't anything really wrong with it, but it lacked a certain punch.

After ripping out the border, I added a bit of brown:

Much better! Now, to get it quilted.

The kids have been nagging me to let them make small quilts for their webkinz. Who am I to stand in the way?

While at the fabric store the other day, I noticed the fat quarters were on sale for 99 cents each. Each kiddo got to pick out two - a front and a back. I helped them layer the fat quarters with a bit of leftover batting, and let them quilt to their little heart's content. Two of them are finished:

The toddler just needs a bit more time (and supervision).

I let them pick fabric from my stash for binding, then sewed that on myself.

The kids enjoyed it, and are pleased with the results.

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The last of the camping laundry is on the line. Now I just have to start in on the regular stuff.

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Monday, Monday

Summer is winding down. Finally.

Last night our back yard was turned into a baseball field.

If you build it, they will come.

My husband and eight or nine kids played an impromptu game. Another Dad joined in, and the teams were surprisingly fair.

The Toddler and I took a nap instead. Not intentional, mind you, but we were just going to snuggle a bit. Two hours later we woke up. Both of our moods dramatically improved.

Last week, Amanda Jean set about to make some baby quilts. I dragged out the sock monkey fabric and got to work.

It's more green than yellow, and will make a great gift.



I have enough to make at least one more, though the fabric will vary.


Now... To find time to quilt it.

This afternoon a neighbor and I are taking the kids camping for a couple days. She thought it might be fun, and I know the kids will love it. Me? I'm just hoping the weather holds. Part of the state was under a frost advisory last night. Some of it even under a freeze advisory. Oy.

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Library bags

Yesterday I put together library bags for the kids. They each like to check out multiple books, and we're working on a system so that we don't lose any. I had the brilliant idea they could each have their own bag and be responsible for their own books.

The boy's:


The big and little girls':



The front pocket is perfect for their library cards.

Yesterday my oldest and middle each got their own library card! They were terribly excited. Of course, this left my baby crying because she didn't have one. I told her that as soon as she could write her last name, she could get her own card.

Sure enough, as soon as we got home she wanted to practice.

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Must... Have... This...

It's The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle! One of my favorite books as a child is in fabric form! Oh dear. Oh dear.

Now... What to do with it...

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Amanda Jean over at Crazy Mom Quilts has declared it "Baby Quilt Week" over on her blog. With my husband going out of town tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can turn one out. Maybe even use the Monkey Fabric I ordered awhile back!

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School starts September 2nd.

And not a day too soon. We are doing our best not to drive each other crazy, but I think even the kids are ready.

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Oh Tree... It's finally done...

Sort of... It's in the dryer right now.

Here's the deal. It took a bit more time than I planned on. My 'new' machine decided to start skipping stitches while doing the quilting. That's after I ripped the old quilting out once, and my mom ripped out half as much again the second time.

Want to hear me drop the f-bomb?

Just have my machine start skipping stitches while I'm trying to finish a project.

Fortunately, I have Old Reliable to work with.


Funny... My husband asked what I'd do with the old machine when I got the new one. I just laughed. "I'll put it in the basement. Never know when I might need it." Sure enough - now I can drop the other one off to be looked at and still have one to work with.

Here it is... I'm pretty pleased with it.


Here's the other thing. I needed something in the middle of the stars. A button? Why not. I think it's pretty cute.



That said, this is probably my favorite square I've ever done. Hope you like it!

I'm planning to get it in the mail tomorrow.

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Christmas will be here before you know it. If there's something you'd like me to make, shoot me an email...

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Guess What?

My husband got the computer working! That means I can finally share pictures.

I don't know how he did it - he tried to explain it to me - but, well... You'd never know I worked in IT for over six years...

Alas, here are a few things.

Nat's tote from my July giveaway...


Another lost tooth.

The cast came off...

Quilt for my sister... Not done yet, but it's getting closer.

And finally. Please don't hate me...

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Odds and Ends for Hump Day

First, and most importantly, thanks for all you kind words for Monday's post. My weight is something I've struggled with my adult life, and for the most part, I can accept it. I can not accept it if I'm going to be running 26.2 miles in October. Weighing this morning my scale showed a 5 pound weight loss. I'm doing WW in the comfort of my own home - as I've done it before and am pretty confident with it. And I'm cheap.

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Last Friday, the Big Girl got her new cast:
Sparkly and orange, this one is also waterproof. Waterproof like take a shower and go swimming. The only thing is she needs to be sure to rinse it in clear water as the pool chemicals and soap can be skin irritants if left on too long. So far, she is thriving with it.

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Yesterday we took advantage of the 'end of the season' sale and picked up a small pool.

For the record, I do have a rather high powered device that would have blown that pool up in less than a minute.

I needed them to be busy for more than a minute.

They managed to persevere.
What is it about being a kid that the cold water doesn't bother you? I mean really.

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Monday I managed to make some jam out of the strawberries the neighbor left me.

The tedious part - hulling the ice cream bucket of strawberries.

Adding the strawberries to the rhubarb - not terribly exciting, and how disgusting does the rhubarb look...But well worth the effort. As you can see, this is freezer jam, and I ran out of containers. Because this is freezer jam (versus canned) I didn't worry too much about the ratios. I should have, because it's a little runny. I guess that means we just have really good ice cream topping.

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Joansy and Tree, the check's in the mail... Um... Your Monthly Drawing prizes. I didn't get a picture of Joansy's because I'm still digging out my dining room. When that's done, I'll be able to find the stuff I made you. Tree, here's yours...

And one other precious... I know she reads this drivel, but I couldn't wait to share it. Mitzi, congrats on #2!

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Moving on...

Yesterday, I delivered the quilts to the teachers. The first, was a group of us handing it over, the second - just me.

Both teachers were delighted. And teary.

After putting so much time into a project, it's a bit hard to give it up. Mostly, I'm concerned that the recipient won't like it. Silly as that sounds. Lauren's Quilt? I was so terribly nervous she wouldn't like it. It goes with just about anything I make for someone else. But really, starting with the selection of the fabric and pattern, the cutting, sewing, layering, basting, quilting, and binding... It's pretty much consumes me. It's something I truly love to do.

As with anything, it's done and I must move on.

A couple weekends ago, my sister and I were at our parent's house. We came upon a box with two of her unfinished quilts.

Yesterday on the way home from school, I called my sister to let her know that my docket was clear... And that would she like me to post pictures now or wait until I was done? I taunted her just a bit.




Hmmm... We'd laid it out before, so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with it.

She does beautiful piecework. Much better than I ever could.



Here's what she stared with:



I can't quite figure out the method to her madness. No worries, I usually can't. She couldn't either for that matter. As I was going through the bag, I came across a receipt for the fabric dated 5/15/1995. No wonder she can't remember.

Free license remember?

A few minutes with my seam ripper, and this is what I came up with:



For now. I can't quite decide if I'm going to leave the points, round them off and scallop the point, or shear them off entirely leaving triangles. Suggestions?

With the end of the school year, I also put together some Market Totes for the "other" teachers... Music, Art, and the like...

I cheated and just used my serger - I think they turned out pretty spiffy.

I used a slightly darker red fabric for the sewn in storage pouch.
Not much else.

Oh, except this week is week one of eighteen for my next marathon.

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