sweetness

Serious sweetness. A new baby quilt for a new baby... and a nice afternoon to spend with the happy family.

This quilt... this quilt was (a) fun to make, (b) not really that tough in spite of many more pieces that I am accustomed to and (c) murder on two sewing machines. My good ol' one that my Mom gave me an age ago pooped out... it had been a while in coming but after the sewing machine repair man, who looked and talked a little bit like a mobster told me not to spend any money on the ol' girl (before granting me a free tuning up out of pity I think). Anyhow, finished her up. Caused an issue with Mom's old singer (though maybe the needle is just in backwards... I donno) where it would only catch the bottom stitch every two inches or so (I haven't tried too very hard to fix it, it was very late) . Anyhow we finally ordered a new sewing machine; a Europro that was ranked well on consumer reports... nothin' too fancy but it sews so smoothly and quietly and with great confidence! Plus it has a few more fancy stitches than my old'un. Anyhow, enough waxing poetic about a sewing machine. The new one has a few more bells and whistles and supposedly can go through several layers of denim without great concern so I'm sold! The quilt is a take on log cabin blocks, based on, well, I think it was a translated japanese sewing book that I checked out from the library ages ago, but forget the name... and I've seen it somewhere on a craft blog somewhere, but can't remember where either. so helpful I know. Anyhow, the idea is that you sew strips of fabric and quilt it directly on squares of batting then attach the backing after the fact. Makes for cute, if not a little wonky, squares. In spite of the sewing machine issues it was in fact a lot of fun to do. I am even so proud that I was able to channel Val when picking out fabrics (she is really good at pulling together nice groupings of fabrics in pretty colors!). She's also really good at putting together some cute babies! She and her sweet Ray of course... Grace loves him!

Heartwarming cowl and unloading excess baggage

One thing done... I finished this Cowl (http://juliannesmith.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/free-knitting-pattern-burberry-inspired-cowl-neck-scarf/) on our last trip to visit the folks... it's mostly a car cowl! The yarn was dreamy to work with... Malabrigo worsted on size 10. The color was Intenso... and while I LOVE the color, I think I will do another in a something more neutral... a cream color or a nice grey may be nice, the same yarn though, definitely.

feeling out of balance again... I have so much that I want to do, so much that I have to do, and much like the buds bursting to bloom, just so much to do! Maybe some of it has to do with my sewing machine finally crashing for reals... in the middle of a project with two in the wings... my typical late night creative outlet has been squelched for now... leaves one with that somewhat ill feeling of things undone and purchases to be made. Well, I'll pull out my Mom's old singer and finish things up, but ... sigh... I've just always had this one, and had no idea that Sewing machines could be sooo (sew... heh) expensive. Do I get one that is more within our happy budget right now and hope it lasts as long as my old one at least? I don't ever really want to buy another one. ever, even now shopping for one kinda makes me cringe... so do I buy a little ahead of my skill level (thus a higher price point; it takes about a doubling - quadrupling leap) in hopes of avoiding some of the pitfalls encountered with my current machine (layers and layers of fabric...tension tension tension... grrr) down the road and that it will better hold up to my sort of whimsical and occasionally challenging (for me and the machine :) sewing projects... to when the kids take up sewing a bit maybe? ... plus just so many extra things to pay for this month... CSA, Parking Permit, Grace starting daycare tomorrow... TOMORROW! OMG I can't believe it. On one hand I think she will love interacting with all of the kids, she has so very much enjoyed our little visits so far that I feel completely superfluous when we are there, just a hand to catch her when she gets over excited and lunges at something out of reach or tries to straighten her legs while sitting and tumbles backward. On the other hand... my baby... out of our family's care for days on end. DAYS! Three days a week, plus I teach until six, so she will be with Brian and Owen without me just at the end of the evening when we need eachother most. I will be able to see her midday at least to nurse and play a bit, but with only three days at work, will probably have to not linger too very long. I am thrilled to teach a few classes and it will be fun, but I am nervous learning how to juggle yet another ball. What else... TWO classes... that's twice as much as I have taught before... I hope I can keep everything strait, organized ... I will have to stay as organized as possible. At least one is a repeat, but I still have to prep before class a fair bit... then twice the grading... ugh, why do I think it is so key for them to write papers... Brian is working on our chicken run... these days everything in his mind kinda intersects with beer brewing... so our chicken run will double as a hop vine support, which means he wants it over 10' tall. Its a little obscenely tall, we negotiated it down to about 8' but somehow (hmmmm....) it still ended up closer to 9.5'. He promises to make it attractive so I will reserve final judgement, but as of right now... I'm still a little overwhelmed. I guess I'm glad of a chicken run though. It will be nice to not worry about them eating my garden or chicken poop in our yard this summer... easier for kiddie play and hopefully fly control (blech). Okay, now that I have vented... can I get back to work? Through the lecture notes for classes tomorrow one more time. Let's go girl, focus focus focus.

When I look outside my window

I see sunshine, springtime, new peas poking up, jonquils, blooming magnolias, cherries, plums... our orchid! Its a magic orchid, and has rebloomed repeatedly, twice a year or so for years and years. Auntie Chow gave me the advice that Orchids "Like it tight" so after putting this TJs beauty into its current pot, it sat for a year or two and has been blooming ever since. I'm nervous though because it seems to want to escape. Also on our windowsill... a cute succulent garden, two jade plants waiting to go outside, an attempt at a sweet potato start.

Otherwise, I have finally put together Suz's quilt. B. thinks its a bit loud, and it is, but I just love the fabrics, it'll keep the little'un busy.

And Grace likes it :)

I'll miss this

...Days at home with the baby. Long hours with her sleeping on my lap, in our chair, couch, only rarely her bed. Warm, sleepy, cuddly days.

Mobile

Finally got a mobile for Grace's crib. She is getting really into pictures, grabbing at things etc... so I thought she would appreciate something to look at in her crib.

I just couldn't settle on one to buy, so spent the other night cutting out felt flowers and hanging them from an embroidery hoop. It was a fuzz fest on the couch, but pretty fun and simple, and now she has some bright colors to look at while in her crib. I have a handful of extras, so pinned this one on for kicks.

Flowers are weirdly appropriate for February this year, the cherries and apricots are blooming all over, the crocuses are up as are the daffodils, the weather is balmy and we have been getting the yard ready for spring.

Books

For those who know me, in the last many years I have been much more apt to listen to a book on tape than pick up real paper and type to read. However, since I have been at home, no longer tethered to a microscope for a good part of any week... and have had a few books in hand, just a record of the really good'uns...

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shores... such a beautiful love story around the building of the Taj Mahal

Having Faith by Sandra Steingraber ... just finished this, terrifying and fascinating journey of motherhood from the view of an ecologist with a heavy toxicology bent (the scary part)

The Ghost Map by Steve Johnson ... story of the Cholera outbreak in London. Really cool detective work

The American Horticultural Society Pruning and Training ... well, just so informative and emboldened me to take on our yard with the awesome new pruning tools Auntie Gigi gave me

The Creative Family by Amanda Soule .... just a great reminder to appreciate time with the kiddos and how to do it so that it is fun and fascinating for everyone!

mmmm Canele

Had a bit of a baking fit this weekend... Made some Granola for the first time, it's pretty good, perhaps a little sweet, but its more likely to get eaten. Recipe is more or less from http://katiedid.squarespace.com/katie-did-journal/2010/1/12/granola-for-the-new-year.html, the Katie did blog.

Easy, makes a ton... so we shared with Val and Robyn (new mom!). Also had the boys make blueberry muffins. I'm most excited about the Caneles! I used Chocolate and Zucchini's recipe http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2005/10/caneles.php..

OMG sooo good. We got the silicon molds and they are great! Crunchy exterior, soft custardy interior. Even totally great frozen and microwaved for about 20 secs... still crunchy! trying hard to resist my second tonight...soooo hard.