A Knitting Not-So-Stay-At-Home Mom
We are avid printers of coloring pages from the web. Sometimes ten or twele a day. This morning we were printing a drawing and Andrew said today, "mom, wouldn't it be nice if I could share my pictures with other people on the computer?" What a great idea, son.
My mother started this quilt decades ago but put it aside before finishing it. The top was completely pieced and she had frame-quilted it, all done but the binding.
The olive drab squares are from her father's work uniforms, the checked and striped ones are from her mother's house dresses.
It makes me well up in tears... these stitches are by my mother's very own hands. These fabrics worn daily by my grandparents.
After she died last year dad found it in her cedar chest. It is a treasure to me. My dear girlfriend, Julie, bound and finished the edges for me. I am eternally thankful for her generosity and friendship.
We've worn the numbers off the dropper. (smacks forehead)
I thought they were supposed to grow OUT of ear infections, not into them. MG and Andrew had them as young babies but they were pretty much gone by age two. Abi didn't have a single one until she was 21 months. And over her second year she's had 4.
Pollen brought a drippy nose, a drippy nose brought head congestion, head congestion brought fluid behind her ear drums. And that fluid brought infection.
Argh.
Abi will be 3 this summer... sadly one more baby thing went away this weekend. She moved from her crib to her big girl bed. She LOVES it. I'm happy for her.
But... it was very hard putting the baby bed away. All 3 of my children have slept in it until they moved over around 2 1/2 - 3 years old. That's almost 8 years of me tucking someone into that thing every night. I will miss it. It seems like yesterday that I was shopping in the baby boutique for it, when I was pregnant with Mary Grace. So it goes... into storage to wait for the first grandchild.
The girls share a room and they have this loft set. MG sleeps up top for now. Once Abi is old enough she'll switch to the top and big sis, MG will get a break from the climbing.
We've decided to give the square foot gardening technique a go after reading so many positives about it. Set up was easy! (lots of pics) The website recommends no larger than 4 ft wide but I put the stepping stones in to access the middle squares. Ours is 8'x8'.
Some plants, some from seed. It's been in for about two weeks now and the seeds are popping up like crazy now. Peas, broccoli, zucchini, squash, cucumber and okra just this week. I've also transplanted seedlings for tomatoes, basil, chives and parsley. Plants include peppers, cilantro, onion, head lettuce and some heirloom tomatoes.
I am loving the potential and the life in action, but more importantly the children loved helping daddy build it and mommy plant it. We check it daily for new sprouts and growth. I can't wait until our first crop!
Spring break brought something new and fun for both girls. Riding a bike! On the same day even.
At 12 Mary Grace finally decided to learn how to ride a bike. Santa brought her one for Christmas when she was 5 or 6 but when it went back down with her to her dad's, they never worked with it. My neighbor couldn't believe she didn't know how to ride at 12, so she pulled on of her boy's bikes out.
It only took 5 minutes and she had it. I was proud of her but she was SO proud of herself. She's never mentioned it, but it was definitely something that bothered her. She beamed for several days after and just could not stay off those 2 wheels!
That same day I got a hand-me-down bike out of the basement, from a girlfriend, and Abi climbed on like it was no big deal at all. Within minutes she was cruising around. In just a day or so it was pretty much mastered. It's so much fun seeing all 3 kids zooming around and laughing.
A girlfriend passed on her old sewing machine to me. She gave me some sewing tips on threading and technique. I was delighted that it was enough for me to adjust the straps and put some darts in Mary Grace's dress for her spring dance. We picked out the dress at the mall last week during spring break. Its an interesting job searching for a dress for a 12 year old. I wanted something tasteful and fun, she wanted something fancy and flashy. We compromised and decided on a sundress, and I flashed it up a bit with some clear glass beads on the larger polka dots.
I had to use the booklet to figure out how to fill the bobbin, but I did it! And you can't even tell that its altered. Woowoo! I imagine that my mom is looking down and smiling at me. She tried many times to get me to sew but I never did. Her machine was very temperamental... it had a sweet spot. I never could find it. I always pressed too hard or not hard enough and the bobbin ended up a rats nest on the back of the fabric. She knew just where it was and could make that thing sing. She made lots of clothes for me during my childhood.
Here's the girly, modeling her dress, post alterations:
Bead detail:
And there is a WHOLE LOT of lovin' going on in this house. Abi and Andrew are both attached to big sis. She can barely take a step! Hahaha!
My heart is swooning, there is never a happier time for me than to have all my chickens in the nest.
It's been wiggly for a while and on Wednesday he bit into a sandwich and it shifted. He worked on it all day Thursday, then lost it sometime in the night last night. We went on a mad search for it this morning and came up with it thankfully, (WHEW!) so we'll be leaving it out for the tooth fairy tonight!
I've made him a tooth fairy pillow case, one we can use on nights when he has a tooth to leave out. I had one when I was little that my mother made. Its a regular pillow case, and I've sewn on a little pocket. I'm in the process of embroidering it as well.
Stripey sock are all done! I was thinking about them for a gift... but.... hmm. I really like them! The picot edging was fun and I am a big fan of the turned edge construction. I'll definitely repeat it in the future.
I'm a bit concerned about the short-row heel and how its going to hold up in this yarn. It looks great but when they are on, its stretched pretty well.
Pattern from Black Dog Design, Picot Eyelet Socks minus the eyelets.
Yarn: Knitterly Things Vesper Sock Yarn Superwash/Nylon in Afterglo
The dye issue still bothers me a bit. One girlfriend says it looks Iike I knitted white socks then colored them with markers. She's right... the yarn really hasn't taken the dye very well. But I think it makes them interesting... and certainly a conversation piece.
Sometimes grilled cheese gets boring.
The kids always love when I make these instead... Grands biscuits, flattened out a bit, spread of butter, shake of garlic powder, sprinkle with grated sharp cheddar... roll them up, slice each one into 3 rolls (3x8 biscuts fills up my 24 spots) and bake at 375 degrees in a mini-muffin pan with nonstick spray... about 12 minutes.
They are delish with tomato soup!
The fuzziest, saddest "yarn" ever... if you can even call it that.
My girlfriend, Heather, Knittin' Pretty, who spins knows I'm interested in spinning "at some point" as I say... once the children are older. She is SUCH AN ENABLER! and has given me some roving, top and a spindle to play around with.
Its going to take some doing, but I will do it... one of these days. Its crazy how bad I am at this. But I have high hopes of taking a class one of these days, at The Mannings since they are so well known for teaching fiber arts and so close to me. Maybe once all the kiddos are in school.
I think the fact that it doesn't come natural to me, makes me want it all the more.
Last night's dinner.
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
about 2 cups biscuit dough... if you don't make homemade biscuits, you can use bisquick or canned biscuits
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
Roll out half the biscuit dough and put in the bottom of 9x9 casserole (greased). Spread the chicken and veggies out over the crust. Pour hot gravy mixture over it. Cover top crust with remaining rolled out biscuit dough.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until biscuit top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Andrew is playing with Playdoh while Abi naps this afternoon. He hollared out to me while I sat here considering sock patterns on Ravelry, "mom are you hungry for shrimp?" I told him, "oh yes, shrimp would be great!" I had no idea he'd actually bring me shrimp!
The toothpicks are the "feet." of the shrimp. He said the head had been removed, but I had to peel it.
Funny boy.
I can't decide what yarn to try next... haven't worked with either. Cherry Tree Hill in Blueberry Hill (probably Dublin Bay) OR Vesper in Afterglo (in a picot edge, basic stockinette sock).
What should I do?? Help!
Our contribution for Andrew's special snack at preschool today... Bird Nests. Rice Crispy treats shaped into little nests using a buttered icecream scoop, topped with 3 jelly-bean "eggs."
These are so fun and a big hit with the kiddos. They are especially delicious with the Jolly Rancher brand jelly beans.
This dress has put in some time! I wish I had a picture of MG wearing it, but I don't. :( She used to flit around the house it it too. I've cleaned pudding and applesauce off the front and skirt several times. Still the old thing has held up pretty well.
I passed it on to Abi this weekend. She loves it and has worn it almost constantly since we've been home with a sick Andrew all weekend. She is a vision in it, just as her older sis was for so long.
It was my first ballet recital costume. Its a bit of a mixed bag... yellow satin and pom-poms, gold sequins and leopard printed velour. Egads! I wore it in two dances during the recital. I was some sort of cat... I can just barely remember. But it surely was fun!
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