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Edited: Hello, all. Looks like I got a little trigger-happy with the "post" button this morning. Oh, well--season's greetings a day early, I guess! Or as my dad would say:
"Call me anything but don't call me late for (Thanksgiving) dinner!"
(I know.)
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1 day to T-Day and counting ::
At this moment I am grateful for...
a long weekend, family, holiday spirit, the beauty of nature, opposable thumbs
Sometimes I think K should be the one writing this blog.
Remember my ill-fated table lamp? The one that met with a most untimely demise ala Asher?
Check it out--
it's been resurrected:
They say everything happens for a reason, and the reason here was...
no more 1960s granny chandelier. [Cue angels singing.]
Next up for The Engineer...
putting the finishing touches on his 6-month labor o' love, shown primed and ready for paint here:
Only question is:
what color(s)?
Help! I have until tomorrow to decide on a color scheme. I know I want something cheerful/fun/modern but other than that, I got nothing. Your suggestions? Please? Leave me a comment.
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6 days to T-Day and counting ::
At this moment I am grateful for...
happy endings.
Mama Bear: hot, with a splash of cream and the barest sprinkling of brown sugar
Sister Bear: same as above, except warm, with the addition of applesauce
Brother Bear: cold, with the works (brown sugar + cream + (more) brown sugar + applesauce)
Papa Bear: "What? No Cocoa Pebbles?"
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7 days to Turkey Day and counting ::
At this moment I am grateful for...
morning light, nowhere to go, warm food in my belly, good company
You may already have the materials on hand to make:
Measure:
Cut:
And if you're really lucky...
stay clasped around your neck even as their mile-a-minute owner winds (s-l-o-w-l-y) down to sleep.
(I can't remember the last time he did that. Fall asleep on my shoulder that is. Such an unexpected treat. Much better than the cookies I made last week.)
Happy Friday, friends.
on the path to a promising career in detective work (three highly imaginative (read: lots of cross-dressing on the part of the prince) weeks spent in the fairytale world of Sleeping Beauty) we are back in full-time sleuthing mode again.
Please note the perma-cardigan (a must-have wardrobe item for any serious detective) and clever homemade disguises:
Our current case?
"The Search for Interesting Female Literary Protagonists Who Also Happen to Wear Glasses"
Got any leads?
Learning to use a sewing machine is sort of like learning to drive a car. The first rules of each are 1) proceed in a straight line and 2) set an appropriate pace (no jack-rabbit starts and/or lead feet, please). Practice makes perfect of course, and in this next installment of Olivia's First Sewing Lessons, we continue to hone these very important skills.
(By the way, if you missed the first installment, "Making a Bookmark out of Scrap Fabric and Garbage", never fear. It's right here for your viewing pleasure.
All right, let's begin.
The crayon roll...
I won't pretend to the first to post instructions for this very popular project. There are without a doubt countless versions floating about the Internet. Our version (based loosely on one here by Lotta Jansdotter) just might be the easiest, though, requiring nothing more than a single piece of wool-blend felt (in this case a 6 1/8-inch square because it's what I had on hand*) and an 18-inch length of ribbon or twill tape.
The instructions that follow will result in a roll that holds 5 crayons. Adjust the length of your fabric as needed to accommodate additional crayons.
Step 1: Fold the bottom of the fabric about 2/3 of the way up and pin it like this:
Step 2: Fold the ribbon or twill tape in half and pin it between the two layers of fabric at one end.
Step 3: Use a ruler and tailor's chalk (or a pencil, depending on what you have on hand) to mark a 1/4-inch seam allowance and (5) 1 1/8-inch slots. Stitch continuously from one end of the fabric to the other following the pattern shown below. Remember to back-stitch at the beginning and end of your stitching.
And (ta-da!) that's all there is to it...
Here's the finished product all packaged up with a copy of The Dot to give to a friend whose birthday party was last Saturday:
And speaking of The Dot (by Peter Reynolds), have you read it? It's lovely. The story of a young girl who overcomes self-doubt to become "a really great artist", it's a must-read for the creatively self-conscious (isn't that all of us at times?) of any age. I highly recommend it.
*Early this spring, I bought a sample pack of 6-inch squares of wool felt and we are steadily working our way through it.
Some folks might call leaving holiday decor out past its acceptable time-frame laziness.
We call it being a friend to the animals.
Before:
After:
Caught red- (orange?) handed:
We're so now.
I saw this idea for a "thanks/giving tree" (similar to one here) at a friend's house a few years ago and vowed to recreate it.
Unfortunately, while fallen tree branches run aplenty around this place, table/display space doesn't, so I never did follow through. But this year, I was determined and here's the result:
I remembered I used to display photos and mementos with twine and clothespins all the time when I was in college. Why not now?
(Apparently, my taste level has not improved since my dorm room days. In my defense, at least I've matured past the life-size cardboard cutout of the illustrious Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterp--
I've shared too much, haven't I? Sorry.)
The plan is to festoon the entire house with these during the month of November. (Festoon. Sounds like festive. I like it.)
One of my favorite parts about this project was that the triangles and bird shapes were scraps left over from other projects, so I didn't have to do any extra cutting. (Grateful *and* lazy...perfect!)
My other favorite part was seeing through the eyes of my six-year-old...
Yes, please, I'll take two of those.
P.S. Another ingenious execution of the same concept. (Get thankful, people, no excuses!)
Greetings, friends. Looking forward to the weekend?
I am.
"Mom, how do you spell peace?"
"Peace? What kind of peace?"
"You know--peace. Like, 'Asher broke your lamp into a million tiny pieces.'"
Sigh.
Ever hear the expression, "Like a bull in a china cabinet?"
Yeah, that.
(On the plus side, I can now with full confidence add "toreador" to the list of (highly desirable) skills on my resume. Along with "full-time referee" and "experienced negotiator"--just to name a few.)
Ah, well. Sometimes life hands you shattered glass. What matters (and the true test of one's character) is what you do with it.
Me? I swept up the p-i-e-c-e-s (she was right, there *were* a million). And (okay) cried a little.
Vacuumed a lot.
And then...
I made cookies.
I know, I know. Eating one's feelings is not the answer but what can I say? With only three ingredients (1 cup each of sugar and peanut butter + an egg) they practically made themselves.
(Okay, now it's your turn. What's your go-to, know-the recipe-by-heart, make-it-on-autopilot comfort food?)