sewing corner

I appreciate being able to have a sewing corner. We have lived in small houses and big houses, and I have always made a priority of setting up my sewing junk (I say that with love). This isn't a corner I would have set out to pick but I realized lately I feel relaxed when ever I work here. I like it for these reasons:

1) It's reasonably bright even on a cloudy day.

2) It's right next to the kids playroom, this is convenient for quick bursts of sewing and Bubs doesn't have to be kept entertained by unrolling spools of thread, he is happy enough dumping out his own toys (okay... this is a lie but he does enjoy dumping out the board games and puzzles that are in there).

3) I can't think of a number three.

4) or four

Anyhow, this is where I think of when I am someplace I don't want to be.

New trims from here. Super fast shipping and reasonable prices.

Hope you are all staying warm!

Kids in the Kitchen

Around our house there is always a waiting list to lick beaters and mix dough. Everyone is at a different level when it comes to cooking. But no matter the age it is always fun to make and serve something to the family. Especially if it is good. We love vintage kids cookbooks. This one has been around since the toddling days of kid #1. She made this cake for the first time when she was eight and it has been a favorite since. It's a step above a regular cake but gives whoever made it an ego boost having to melt chocolate for the top.

Days like today (no school-iced in) are perfect for kids in the kitchen. I treat this as something special, I'm too impatient with the cleaning up part to make it an everyday occasion. No matter how specific I am about wiping counters down and sweeping oats off the floor there will always be a greasy hand print on the glass cupboard, or a beautiful straight line of milk drips along the stove top. I have come to accept this but it has taken about 16 years.

Vintage cookbooks obviously aren't readily available but it is the thrill of thrifting and endless looking that makes it fun. If you aren't up for the thrill check out this book in an ebay store.

My Sisters

I have two sisters that I love equally. Really I do. They are both older than me. I feel as though I am entitled to say this as I have paid my dues throughout my childhood. Here is a teeny smidgen of evidence:

They would create singing and dancing routines behind the house and even though I knew the words and the moves I was banished like a smelly fish. Those two would talk about boys and make up and weekend plans while I would sit nearby not making faces or anything and faster than you could say Dancing Queen I would be shoved to the other side of the door. The trauma of all this is deep. I never quite learned how to style my hair or apply make up. ( Every time I put lipstick on in front of my sister K she laughs--to this day!)

Fun aside, I love them dearly! Here is L's etsy shop. She is a brilliant seamstress.

LB'sSewingSanity

L, I took these pics off your etsy page without asking. Are you mad? If so I shall just keep blogging about more stuff. Like about how you gave me a teaspoon of Palmolive and said it was my medicine (I had pneumonia!). Shall I go on?

PS I have three brothers, too. They most likely feel left out. They always smelled growing up...like wet dirty dogs and stale farts.

January what?

We have been blessed with two days of warm sunny weather. I cannot brag of this enough. In fact I feel like a spoiled child who has wasted her candy in one big bite rather than savoring or sharing it. Hopefully this warm breeze will carry this weather to wherever you are. In the meantime someone shake me and remind me it is still winter. Bubs and I have been living outside, having our tuna salad at the picnic table and our afternoon story and snack on the front porch. The windows are open gently billowing the curtains and miraculously the birds are chattering away...it was just last week I was saying how I miss the sound of the birds. It doesn't bother me there are no leaves on the trees and the grass is dead, because today the sky is blue, and I shall sit with the warm sun on my face while my youngest child trots around the yard stopping only to pick up a stick and point to the sky. "See? See?" he says. He waits for me to point, too. We both point and smile. I treasure these moments, I know how quickly they go by.

Now, if I could just do something about these glaring, pastey legs.

sunshine + sewing = good mood

Another lazy days skirt perfect for catching hens. If you don't have hens it's also perfect for spinning circles around and around even if mother says "that might not be a good idea..." as many of the kids are just recovering from a stomach bug. But by all means continue to spin, because that is the best part of breaking in a new lazy days skirt. Each skirt must be rated on the spinning factor. This one rated average as I lined it and the swooshy factor was sacrificed by this.

Also I managed to finish this little doll dress. I might as well have made a wedding dress, this little dress was a project. The pattern was Vogue 7565, the directions could have been a little better. All the same Molly and I both like it and have agreed to share it for special occasions.

Thanks for visiting!

not just another day

I was mesmerized by the television today. What unfolded before me was majestic. On a normal day I would try and steer clear of blogging about these two topics: politics and television. The first being more difficult to keep quiet about as politics almost certainly enters into our dinner table conversations each evening and it's something as a family we are passionate about, though we never whole heartily agree on everything. It is engaging to discuss politics, my favorite meals back home include a large table surrounded with passionate New England liberals and just as passionate conservatives. Throw in some wine and endless platters of food and usually a good time is had by all. I like to listen. Oh, and drink the wine. Nearing the end of the meal someone usually is swearing and spitting when they talk. (I really like this part.)
Anyhow, today has flown by with my rear anchored to the most comfortable chair in the house and the porta-heater toasting my legs. The last few weeks Ken and I have been watching "John Adams" a dvd set he received for Christmas. It is based on the biography of John Adams by David McCullough. I had the pleasure of meeting him (David McCullough not John Adams) and feel like I need to gush and convince you to buy anything he has ever written as he is a brilliant historical writer. The dvd set is really very good. It has amazed me today to hear many parallels between the birth of our country and the present day.
I suppose I should stop here as I feel a burst of energy that might come out in the form of 14 paragraphs of how our founding fathers would feel today. I am guessing they would probably feel ridiculous in those wacky wigs.
I will sign off with a wish for my children and your children, no matter what shoes they walk through life in, let them be happy. Let them believe in themselves and the world they live in.

fabric love and other pretty thoughts about life

When my mind wanders it often finds its way to thoughts of my Gram. Though I know she led a wonderful long life I can't help but feel she left too soon. With no offense to my parents who were presented with their own set of life's challenges I sorely miss the comfort of my grandparents. From a young age I loved everything about them. I feel like my Gram knew who I was before I even knew. When my sewing skills went up a level, from the profound doll blanket sweat shop-- in which I thought because I could floor the pedal and sew a rectangle I was a seamstress-- to actual doll clothes, she took note of this. She would bring me bits and pieces of fun stuff regularly. One particular day she brought me a box of fabric she had in her attic. I was amazed as each was about a couple yards worth. No more wee scraps that I could cut and not feel like I wasted it. This was serious business! I still have my four favorite pieces, I am not certain I will ever be able to cut into them.

The blue w/ tiny flower is my favorite, I wonder what she bought it for. The picture is of her with my mother having a tea party.