Wendy's Bees

Senior Night for Evan's Hockey Team

2012-01-28T22:45:00.004-05:00

I wear lipstick, but I'm not much of a bulldog....nonetheless I am a Hockey Mom.

And tonight will be a bittersweet memory, mostly sweet.

My Evan, whom I am sure was born only last year, is a Senior In High School. Needless to say, I am traumatized. We went through a Senior Year Syndrome with Ian, and let's just say I Barely Survived. So, naturally, having a Senior Night recognition for Evan and his hockey team was most unwelcome. (You see, I am comforting myself with a harmless little delusion: that Evan isn't really going to graduate and then Leave Home and Go Away To College in August. And if I were to face that reality, I would comfort myself by remembering that after all, August is about 6 years away, right?) So, secure in the knowledge that Sr. Nt. wasn't really happening, I was only playing along with the other HMs (Hockey Moms) when I put together a collage poster for display at the rink tonight during the game. OK, so I wouldn't go to the pre-arranged evening a week and a half ago, and put off selecting pics 'til this morning, and so spent 5 hours choosing pics, printing and enlarging them, finding hockey clip art, cropping, trimming, and mounting the pics, and sending Jeff off to Staples to have it laminated. I loved it and hated it all at once. Now, I can't stop looking at it.

The other element of bitter among the sweet is that my big, strong athlete has been sitting out games for the last 5 and a half weeks, since he broke his wrist (the cast is pictured in the poster collage above). So he wasn't able to play....not for 11 more days (but who's counting).

That is he on the far left watching the game with the JV players in the pic below.

And the game --- what a nailbiter! No score until toward the end of the 1st period. Our amazing goalie got a glove on the puck, didn't stop it. Then at the end of the 2nd period, we finally answered, but the puck didn't go over the line before the buzzer and therefore didn't count. So we started the 3rd period down 1-0. The whole 3rd period was timeouts, power plays and penalty kills and no score until 5.8 seconds to go, we tied it up with a scrappy shot right in close to the goal. And so 8 minutes of overtime was put on the clock and those tired boys fought to a sudden death win.

It's way more fun to win, especially on Senior Night. And it's all the sweeter when both goals (all 3 if you count the one that was too late) were scored by Seniors. And that I and the other Sr. HMs watched the whole game wearing our sons away-game jerseys. You know how close you feel to someone you love when you wrap one of his garments around you. Maybe tonight has taken some of the edge off some of the "Senior Moments" to come in the next few months.

Excuse me while I go change; I think I'll put on something of Ian's.

The Mode in Dress and Home

2012-01-26T21:23:00.006-05:00

Let's visit a Home Ec class in another era, shall we?

Get your cup of tea, and sharpen your pencil, we'll still be here when you come back.

Have you got your notebook? Let's get started. We will be using the textbook "The Mode in Dress and Home".

Written by Dulcie Godlove Donovan

Illustrated by Eulalie Banks

Published by Allyn and Bacon in 1935

Why Home Ec? What will we accomplish? Let's see what is promised in the Foreword.

" 'The Mode in Dress and Home' aims ----

To help pupils to develop physically, mentally, esthetically and socially.
To teach the fundamentals of selecting, constructing, and caring for clothing and home furnishings.
To give particular instruction in intelligent buying.
To help pupils to form good habits and to cooperate at school, at home, and in the community."

Well, it seems a bit vague, but admirable. Let's get to the specifics.

Can you read the Table of Contents? Unit I is on "The Charm of an Attractive Appearance" and consists of 3 chapters:

It is Easy to be Good Looking
Spending Our Time and Money
Shopping Weekly

Tune in next time for the highlights I will share from this Unit.

The Plight of the Clever Girl

2012-01-25T22:05:00.007-05:00

Did you ever feel that you were born in the wrong era? In my saner moments, I recognize my feelings of historical displacement for what they are, wistful fantasies, and inaccurate. Like all fantasies, my view of what it would be like focuses only on the pleasant and peaceful, ignoring the hardships, inequalities and injustices found in former times. But, in measured doses, any fantasy will provide release from the stresses of the day....
Let's see, would you be Elinor Dashwood? Jo March? Anne Shirley? or even Nancy Drew (don't forget she had a tasteful wardrobe, a slim, athletic figure, a handsome boyfriend, and a baby-blue convertible!)? Oh what about one of the young ladies of Downton Abbey?

I don't have any one historical era that I love most. I'm susceptible to any author who can describe beauty and romance. I'm fascinated by fashion of almost any era, lifestyles and cooking, household management, and especially any kind of needlework skills, from fancy embroidery to clever skilled mending techniques.
A while back, I determined to learn how to darn socks. I bought spools of darning thread and a darning egg on ebay and at yard sales. Now, everyone in this family has worn darned socks. (Those darned socks!)
I love to read old ladies' magazine articles about home management, and all accounts of the domestic work world. I found the book below on ebay. It's a text book for high school level Home Economonics, copyrighted 1935, and I believe it was reprinted and updated for a couple of decades. Sometimes, I see ebay auctions for the accompanying workbook. For all the charm of the quaint text, I originally got interested in the book because of the sweet illustrations of Eulalie Banks.
This one is featured on the frontispiece. I want to awake in that bed, well-rested with warm summer breezes lilting in my crisp curtains. I just know the sheets were hung on the line, and carefully pressed, and they smell like a Spring evening, when the peepers are chirping. And that quilt....I wonder just how many of my calico school dresses ended up in those 9-patch blocks?

I was going to save further illustrations for future posts, but I can't help it -- this one is in the introductory chapter on sewing your own clothes. Can you read the text underneath?

"In the preceding unit we discussed selection of clothing.

We learned that the clever girl realizes that to be well-dressed

she must study clothes as she would any subject in school."

Sigh...such a burden to be a clever girl.....

Morningview

2012-01-20T21:03:00.006-05:00

The photo in the banner is taken in the morning light from my mother's kitchen window. And the photo above is taken from mine.

I walked through the house this morning taking in all the views. This is looking out onto my driveway and front lawn, and at my neighbor's house across the street.

Looking out my bedroom window.

As beautiful as the snow and trees are, I really think that the apricot glow of the morning light is what makes the view magical.

Driving to work, I have favorite scenery. 8 horses on a hillside.

Okay, I can only see seven here, but there really are 8. I've counted them many times.

And this is the house where I often see the wild turkeys. But they were shy of me when I stopped the car and most of them fled.

Except this one.

Even in the parking lot at work....look how blue the sky was today.

For those of you in warmer climates, this is an azalea. In snow.

And I couldn't resist -- the Sunshine State --Really?

Closed for the Winter...

2012-01-18T19:49:00.004-05:00

This cottage is out on Biddeford Pool. I don't know how many year-round residents there are, but it isn't very many. Most of the houses are closed up. This is one of my favorites because of:

The natural shingles weathered to a blend-in-with-an-overcast-sky gray
The tide-rounded stones
The way the moss/lichen on the stones contrasts with the bright aqua trim of the screen door
The granite lintel.

But something has to be left to God...

2012-01-14T11:30:00.009-05:00

ice amid the rock

I googled: "poetry cold".

Should it surprise me that the first poem I found was by "Frost" himself?

I had not read this one before, but I like it...

Good-bye, and Keep Cold

By Robert Frost 1874–1963

This saying good-bye on the edge of the dark
And cold to an orchard so young in the bark
Reminds me of all that can happen to harm
An orchard away at the end of the farm
All winter, cut off by a hill from the house.
I don't want it girdled by rabbit and mouse,
I don't want it dreamily nibbled for browse
By deer, and I don't want it budded by grouse.
(If certain it wouldn't be idle to call
I'd summon grouse, rabbit, and deer to the wall
And warn them away with a stick for a gun.)
I don't want it stirred by the heat of the sun.
(We made it secure against being, I hope,
By setting it out on a northerly slope.)
No orchard's the worse for the wintriest storm;
But one thing about it, it mustn't get warm.
"How often already you've had to be told,
Keep cold, young orchard. Good-bye and keep cold.
Dread fifty above more than fifty below."
I have to be gone for a season or so.
My business awhile is with different trees,
Less carefully nourished, less fruitful than these,
And such as is done to their wood with an axe—
Maples and birches and tamaracks.
I wish I could promise to lie in the night
And think of an orchard's arboreal plight
When slowly (and nobody comes with a light)
Its heart sinks lower under the sod.
But something has to be left to God.

*****************************************

My mind pops and crackles with the metaphors this orchard represents for me.

How I can't protect my children

(yes, still children to me, although the 20-year-old might pause...)

from the threats to well-being they face when I am not around.

How we have taken care to choose the right exposure.

How we want to gather those who might harm them and give them fair warning.

And then being brought up short: "But something has to be left to God." !

After all...

In the end...

When it comes right down to it.....................

>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<

But my original purpose was to portray the cold as a hostile element, one to be eluded, not one entrusted to protect, preserve, and even prepare.

(The irony of thinking that way after having just posted an ice cream cake, for whom room temperature is the enemy, does not escape me.)

<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>

But for me, the cold is, well...cold.

But I know the antidote: warmth

Like Split Pea & Ham Soup

Like a Love Story

Like homemade Corn Muffins

Maybe this meal is a love story.

I know it's a prayer.

Pretty as a Birthday Cake

2012-01-12T22:02:00.005-05:00

I had a friend who once said to me "You look like a birthday cake!". I didn't understand, and she explained that it was her mother's expression. When someone looked especially pastel and pretty, she likened their appearance to that of a birthday cake.

I have never forgotten what I was wearing: a soft pink cotton sweater (with a hand-crocheted lacy collar) over a creamy linen pleated skirt with beige/nude pumps.

Today, we finally got Winter. It snowed most of the day and all of outdoors looks like a giant white birthday cake. Maybe like this one.

We have 2 January birthdays. Sean came on New Year's Day 15 years ago, and this was his birthday cake this year. It was my first attempt at making an ice cream cake. (Heck, it was the first cake I'd made in many months, possibly stretching to years!)

I'll be trying again this weekend. Evan turned 18 yesterday, and while we marked the actual day with lemon cupcakes I whipped up from a box mix, I am planning another whack at the ice cream cake this weekend.

I Resolve

2012-01-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

...To seek truth, wisdom and beauty...

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;

you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." NIV Psalm 51:6

"Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." NIV John 8:32

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair, and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." NIV 1 Peter 3:3, 4

"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair -- every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul." NIV Proverbs 2:1-10

....To love...

"Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." NIV Matthew 22:37-40

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." NIV 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

...To pray...

"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." NIV 2 Chronicles 7:14

...To serve...

"...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." NIV Joshua 24:15b

...To rejoice...

"Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Baked Beans

2012-01-05T21:27:00.000-05:00

I wasn't looking for it specifically...it was on a dusty shelf over a workbench in the garage at my father's house. But there it was, the beanpot I wrote about last spring.
So, I had to make beans.

I followed the recipe in Marjorie Standish's cookbook, but I remember my grandmother putting an onion in the pot. I scored an "X" in the bottom like she did. And I studded it with cloves, because it was New Year's Day and because I was topping my beans with leftover ham instead of bacon or salt pork.

I also used Yelloweye beans instead of navy pea beans like Grammie did, because those have gotten hard to find.

I read once that beans were dinner for many a working family in Olde Boston. Cooking fuel was precious, and you could get your beans ready in the morning and take them to a public oven on your way to work, then pick them up, ready-to-eat on your way home. It's also one of the many old New England recipes to take advantage of the readily-available molasses.

I like cooking them at home, as it cozies up a cold day. It also provides a great warm stovetop for bread-baking days. Maybe I'll try making brown bread next.

Cranberries

2012-01-02T08:11:00.009-05:00

I've been walking at lunchtime. We've had a mild season of fall tumbling into winter. So the cranberries growing wild on the roadside weren't ruined and mushy from frost.
I filled my gloves with them and brought them home.

What a fun discovery! How could I have missed them before, so bright and cheery?

As Alice Walker wrote in "The Color Purple", something to the effect of color in nature being one way God uses to get our attention and show us his love. Well, it's working on me -- I get a little thrill deep in my heart when I drink in this lovely color, don't you?

The last time that little wooden spoon looked so pristine.

Boil in half as much water. I had only 1.5 cups of berries, so this is 3/4 c. water. You can hear them pop. 10 minutes is good.

I don't have a food mill - yet, but this sieve worked fine.

Back to the stovetop to boil and stir with 3/4 c. sugar, about 5 min. Then chill and serve. If you have more berries (4 cups, say), you can use a mold.

The pulp stained the spoon. And I'm glad.

There it is: Jellied Cranberry Sauce.

It's risky making homemade. Takes time and makes a mess, and spoils you for store-brought.

My recipe is from the cookbook on the right.

These cookbooks are used a lot in my family. I think they are a little hard to find now, (maybe out of print? What was it you told me, Diane?) And someone "from away" has had the gall to assume the legacy and "revise" and re-publish. Rubbish.

Beginning the New Year

2012-01-01T18:35:00.003-05:00

I have so many things I want to post about, and I have been taking pictures, mainly of my exploits in the kitchen. But I can't seem to upload my pictures. Blogger just freezes when I try.

So, I'm going to work on that problem in the background, and I'll just post on other things I have on my mind.

I recently ran across a blog called "Pleasant View Schoolhouse". I have, over the course of a few days, read every post in her archive. Anna gave me a new perspective. As amazing and accomplished as she is, what I have taken away is the inspiration to just live. Live, however imperfectly. Over the years, I have overly complicated my life, and really bogged myself down. I have been heavily influenced by Martha (Stewart), and not so much by Marla (Cilley, FLYLady). Since I have a tendency to focus on details (minutiae, really), I am easily swept up attending to inconsequential matters, while letting important things go neglected. Over time, I have become overwhelmed and discouraged and ultimately ineffectual. In the last several months, I have been making some changes in how I approach my days and my duties. Really, I feel like I have been coming out of a sort of a coma - a minimally functional coma. Oh, recovery is good.

Welcome 2012!

2011-12-31T23:48:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year! 2011 has been a full and busy year, and I am looking forward to 2012. I know it will be a better year. I know it because I am in a better place now than I was 1 year ago.

I haven't written out resolutions for the New Year, but I probably will before Monday is over. I have not done so in the past. It feels like setting yourself up to fail. But this year, I am feeling more optimistic. I feel better able to face what comes and keep things in perspective. But of course, time will be the test.

****************************************************************************

I have been baking today. I made coffee cake to have with brunch.

Menu: Scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, coffee cake, cantaloupe, red reedless grapes, coffee and juice.

Next: 4 loaves of bread to get through the week. I use the "Bread 101" recipe from the King Arthur Flour Baker's cookbook (awesome). I'll share it sometime as it is not on the (awesome)website.And finally, I baked these rolls, which are the Honey Wheat Rolls, recently featured in the blog on the KAF website. I'd be providing links, but for some reason I can't today, as I can't get my cursor to select text for linking...sigh.

We had the rolls with our New Year's Eve dinner: Glazed Ham, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole (you know the one), tossed salad, and Holiday Eggnog (on the EggBeaters website).

I made one other special item, but I won't be serving it until tomorrow, and I'm still not sure if it will all come together, so I'll post about it with pictures, if it works.

Home Cooking

2011-04-17T19:26:00.004-04:00

When I was in jr. high school, I got my first very own magazine subscription. I paid for it myself with babysitting money. I think it cost $2 for 12 monthly issues. I hesitate to name it. Since it is no longer in publication, the title is now being used by a publisher for what I can only describe as filth. I found this out by Googling to see if it was still around (or at least if there was any account of it on the web. (So don't bother to Google it...) I did find out that it was put out by Scholastic Books. It was called "co-ed", and I find a few issues for sale on etsy. There is an issue available with Donny and Marie on the cover, and with a poster of Shaun Cassidy inside! And there are dozens on ebay.One feature I habitually passed by was the recipes. But if I was particularly bored and looking for some more entertainment from an issue, I would go through it again, page by page. One time, I looked at the recipes, and discovered an interesting aspect. They featured recipes from foreign countries. I think the first one I took notice of was for Christopsomo, a traditional Greek Christmas bread. For some reason, this intrigued me, and I wanted to try making it. My mother was always baking bread, so raising and kneading a yeast dough didn't seem too daunting. Mum responded enthusiastically to my giving it a try, and agreed to get the needed ingredients for the coming weekend, (and be on standby for assistance). Waiting for the weekend, I looked at back issues and discovered that they too had recipes from other countries. I chose a German Sauerbraten recipe and suddenly had a menu for a meal for the family for Saturday night. I think it came out okay, as far as I remember. Mum still calls it to mind as "the time you made dinner for the family". That says it all right there, that I wasn't often in the kitchen, beyond washing dishes after supper. There was a glitch, though. The sauerbraten recipe required slow cooking in a sealed pot for a few hours. I had to make a flour and water paste to make a seal around the edge of the lid, to keep the steam in, I guess. I don't know if I did something wrong, but the paste became like cement, and my brother had to use a flat-head screwdriver like a chisel, and a hammer to get it open and in the process, put a chip in the lid of my mother's bean-pot.

Mum made a pot of baked beans about every week or two -- after all this is New England, and when the beanpot wasn't in use, it became a cookie jar. The first thing after school, we would check for cookies in the beanpot. Mum kept up a regular rotation of molasses (my fave), oatmeal raisin, and Toll House cookies. With a glass of cold goats' milk......mmmmmmmm. We raised goats and my brother and I took turns milking twice a day. Sometimes the cookies had a faint taste of apple. They stay fresher, moister in the cookie jar, if you place a small potato or apple in the bottom. Mum always used a small MacIntosh apple.

Saturday

2011-04-16T07:15:00.006-04:00

I'm always thinking about something. And sometimes I'm thinking that what I'm thinking might be the beginning of a good blog post.

When I finally sit my tired self down in the evening, I find the thought of trying to type out my thoughts, coaxing them into eloquent expression too daunting. And yet, all day long, they are bubbling, roiling, persistent in their desire to be developed from embryonic ideas into formed essays, like an op-ed piece Because to me, even the most trivial thought is like a tiny piece of an infinite jigsaw puzzle, unique to me, and representing who I am and how I interpret the mysteries of our world and our place in it. So, I'm going to try something a little different to try and capture the cool fresh running water of brilliance bubbling up from the fount of my brain in clay pots, discrete aliquots of moist refreshment delivered into the parched void of my blog.

An Acquired Taste

2011-03-26T19:27:00.010-04:00

I did not really learn to cook much in my childhood. I knew how to fry an egg, make American Chop Suey or Shepherd's Pie, or fry burgers or hot dogs. I could bake cookies or brownies or cake. I could make pancakes or French toast. That was pretty much it. Come to think of it, it still is...... I don't remember exactly enjoying it. Come to think of it, I still don't, much. I remember some dismal failures. No, really dismal. Come to think of it, one was just last week. We won't go into it. When I was a little girl, I used to read all my mother's magazines. I wanted to be a Breck girl. Everything in the magazines my mother read was so wholesome, and happy. The sun always shone, and the homes were neat, orderly and very attractive. She got Woman's Day, Family Circle, Good Housekeeping and McCall's. I liked McCall's the best. If you're roughly my age, you probably know why. Oh, come on, it was the Betsy McCall paper dolls in the back, silly. She had the best adventures and travelled places, and had great clothes and a Dachshund. I don't know what I saw in the rest of the magazines, mostly fashions and hair and makeup, I guess. I looked at the home dec features, but was completely uninterested in the cooking stuff. I would even read the advice columns and Heloise's Hints. But not the recipes. I could not wait until Mum came home from the grocery store, to see if she had picked up another mag. Sometimes she even bought me a "Jack and Jill" magazine. Did anybody ever read those? Our town had a supermarket called Fernandes', located in a strip mall with a dry cleaner, drug store, liquor store, hardware store, and a barber (yes, like Floyd). There was a lunch counter at the front of Fernandes', with stools with seats that spun. (Mum always made you stop and get down and come with me.) There were donuts and cakes and pies on cake stands with glass domes. The waitresses wore polyester uniforms of "Harvest Gold" with white aprons, white nurses's shoes and bouffant hairdos. The coffee cups were that ubiquitous heavy-thick white ceramic -- Buffalo China. The cashiers had similar "Harvest Gold" smock coats over their clothes, but the same bouffants and sometimes cats-eye glasses. No one left the house without lipstick. The bag boys wore bow ties and aprons and put your frozen foods in thick brown paper bags to insulate it on the drive home (2.5 miles!), and pushed your cart out to your station wagon, unloaded it and took it back inside for you. My mother always wrote a check in her neat handwriting, sometimes with the purple pen she had from selling Fashion Two-Twenty cosmetics. That was grocery shopping and magazines in my childhood. Tune in for more tomorrow.

Color Me Tickled Pink!

2011-03-10T23:06:00.002-05:00

Do you know what this is? It is the exact shade of turquoise that the color experts declared as the color of the year 2010. (Who knew? No doubt more people than I count, it's just that I wasn't one of them. Well, thanks to Gertie, this year, I am in the know. No more color obscurity (colora obscura?) for me. Color me informed! This year's Pantone color is none other than the lovely honeysuckle. And if you relish poetic colorful word pictures, you should go to their website and read the press release, where the text gives real meaning to the choice of this color for 2011. (And if you find that this topic and fashion interests you, they also intorduce the Fall 2011 fashion palette!)
Here is the official swatch:

I also recently discovered that on http://www.gorgeousfabrics.com/, the fabric details include the closest Pantone shade. This is especially good if you don't trust your monitor, and therefore shy away from buying fabrics online. We have a Pantone catalog at work, and I might just have to borrow it to work out what shades of fabric I have in my inventory. It would sure make coordinating less of a hit-or-miss deal.

How many of you can remember when it was popular to: have your colors "done"? This was usually done by a consultant who helped you characterize your personal coloring, and learn what hues and shades were the most flattering colors to wear, both in your clothes and in your makeup. I never had it done, but I am very easily categorized: I am a "Summer", fair hair, fair skin, blue eyes, and so I look best in pastels , and in general, colors with a blue-ish hue. I admit I haven't studied the prescribed colors exhaustively. It's just that I've been on the planet long enough to have accidentally observed that certain colors are really more flattering than others on me. As it turns out, I really like the way coral colors look on me, and also almost any shade of green. Most blues are fine, but it's when they have a little green in them that they really pop. I think it's because my eyes are not a clear crystal blue, but have just a hint of amber, and with my skin's natural tendency to pink up, sometimes they look almost green. I think I may be the only woman in America who doesn't wear much black -- instead my go-to color is navy blue, but I recently determined that it should be a taupe or a medium charcoal gray.

Here are 4 fabrics I recently purchased. The ribbed one on the left is a true taupe. The next one looks very much like it, and looked definitely brown-y taupe online, but was called gray! I find that in very bright sunlight, it looks gray, but in any lower light, it looks taupe, go figure. I adore the aqua print - it looks a little like a Japanese print, maybe it is? And I love turquoise with coral.That coral is a rayon knit with a "slub" texture.

I forgot about lime green! I really like lime green, which came as a surprise to me when I realized it. I think I had kind of ignored it since it was more yellow, but somehow it is still a flattering color for me. The fabrics below mainly showcase my affinity for sage green. But I really didn't get accurate colors -- it just looks so gray here. The print knit photo'd well, though. I will be cutting that out for another top like the one on the dressform the other day.The fabric on the left and on the lower right are good bottom weight fabrics , destined for skirts or slacks. The upper right one is a crinkle knit with eyelet embroidery, like broderie d'anglaise. Now, that one at bottom center is really deceiving. I really am going to try to get a better pic, real close up. It's really pretty. It looks like it is woven with yellow fibers in one direction, and green in the other. It is destined to be a pencil skirt.
The print below is a risk purchase gone wrong. This is one that doesn't look that great online, but you think that it must look better "in person". Alas, it does not. I haven't given up yet though, I will nurture it along. But I will definitely try it for a pattern that I really just need to try a "muslin" for, you know kind of like a blind date, no expectations, no emotional investment, and therefore no real disappointment if it doesn't really work out. (Who am I kidding....anyone?) The burgundy knit next to it was a failed attempt to find some plum fabric, in an effort to provide the prodigal print an environment in which she could shine. My point being that, in the event I make a garment from this print, and the pattern and the fabric are a success, then I will need to wear it with something, but I think it will be with something in sage in that event.

And I will close with the first picture of myself. As I have mentioned, I am a bit camera-shy, but this shot gives you some idea of the pale skin that I am trying not to overwhelm, and how nice coral can look alongside. This is a very fine-gauge cotton cardigan (3/4-sleeve) that I just picked up at the LLBean outlet store in Freeport. They were having a 30% off everything in the store sale, and I brought it home for $20! The scarf is a large square of silk hand-hemmed - a friend brought it back from a trip to India. At the time, I didn't wear any of the colors - she knew better than I did what I should be wearing!

Do you select your wardrobe pieces according to a color palette? Do most of the things in your closet go together, so you can mix and match new combinations at a moment's notice? I'm not fully there yet, but I do like to get a lot of mileage out of my separates.

Random Tuesday

2011-03-08T16:35:00.003-05:00

Some of my favorite bloggers will sometimes post in random list format. I think I will try that...
1. I have loooots of new fabric.
2. I have taken pictures of some of it.
3. The pictures didn't come out as well as I had expected, after my little camera-use breakthrough. My exposure and resolution look better, but the colors just don't read the way they look in real life. I need more work on adjusting them in the editing phase. But then I wonder if my monitor is way off, or the camera reading the colors funny. I need to take my card and view my pics on somebody else's computer.....
4. I keep buying fabric.
5. I haven't cut out any more patterns.
6. I have plenty of patterns.
7. I still don't have a reliable dressform. I really do think I will ask Becky to help me make a duct tape dummy. When she gets back from Fla. Where it isn't snowing, as she has reminded me by postcard. (Here, it hasn't snowed since yesterday...)
8. My left hand hurts. I have had a swollen, sore and aching MCP joint of my 3rd digit since shortly after I started crocheting the darned filet edging. I was resisting concluding that it was the crocheting, but I can no longer live in denial. I am taking two Aleve 2x/day just to be minimally functional.
9. I can't knit either, see #8.
10. I was trying to knit up a swatch for a pattern from A Stitch in Time. I had to stop because of the pain in my left hand! And the numbness and tingling consistent with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Darn!
11. I think it'll be a while before I can knit or crochet.
12. In the meantime, I should post pictures of my off-color fabrics and my very-long-but-not-yet-long-enough filet edging.
13. I practically crash my laptop every time I try to upload photos.
14. Tonight, Sean has a Championship hockey game. At 8:20pm. On a school night. Hockey is so insane. It wasn't my idea, really.
15. So I won't be doing battle with my laptop tonight.
16. The sun is shining and melting snow today.

Nesting Instinct

2011-02-25T08:29:00.003-05:00

It's snowing like crazy outside, and to remind me that Spring will come, (it always does, right?), I was drawn to a charming blog on the right column of a charming blog. I was visiting one of my favorites: Fabric, Paper, Thread, and amidst drooling over her "high tea" tablescape, my eye was caught by her blog list, which had a pic of a darling purse needlebook. So I clicked and found myself intrigued by the Spring publication of Amy Powers' "inspired ideas" magazine. There are so many adorable little projects! There must be a half dozen of them that I am itching to try! Probably the first I will try is the one above, Nesting Instinct. I have experienced real nesting tendencies, and perhaps that's why I, like so many people am enchanted by birds' nests. Heck, I am just enchanted by birds, aren't you? I should try photo'ing the 2 natural nests I have. And the aforementioned purse needlebook is nothing less than darling. I love the idea of a pretty little needlebook, but I don't have one, nor have I ever made one, but it's definitely on the list-in-my-head. That and a biscornu. What's on your fantasy list?

Figuratively Speaking, Part 2

2011-02-23T22:02:00.001-05:00

Despite my desire to wear retro-inspired clothing, I know that much of the styles won't flatter my particular figure. Since my goal is to dress attractively, working with my figure and not against it, one of the first types of garments I'll be making is tunic-length knit tops, chosen to fit and flatter! In my next post, I'll feature some of the fabrics and patterns I've purchased. I am approaching my initial attempts as experimental. I'll be trying to work out the patterns, techniques and fabrics which work best for me.
In the meantime, I will show you a little bit from my first attempt, as well as my first unsuccessful try at purchasing a dressform.

The first top I tried is a Vogue Pattern, #8469. It claims to be "Very Easy", and for the most part it is. This pattern features an adjustable bust according to your cup size. Perfect for me! Most patterns are proportioned for a B-cup bustline. This is defined by taking two measurements: one at your upper chest, above your breasts, just under your arms and the other at the fullest part of your bust. If you have a 2" difference, that is a B-cup, 3" is a C-cup , etc. To give you a window into my world of fit issues, my measurement difference is 9". That's right, 9 inches. Makes my upper back ache just thinking about it.
TMI? Anyhoo .... with this pattern, each cup size has its own pattern piece and so I laid the c-cup pattern piece over the D-cup pattern piece, and saw where and how much the increases were and using the D-cup pattern piece, I cut out pieces that were enlarged a little in the right places. If I had taken pictures, I could show you where and how much, but for now you'll just have to take my word, that I lengthened the bodice piece about 1" from the shoulder down over the bust point, and graded that in to about 1/2" at the center front and down to zero at the side seam. I also increase the width of the bodice front by 1/2" at each side.

This pattern is a good choice for me, in that it fits close in under the bust, instead of the letting the girth of my bust define how wide I look all the way down. It also has a dolman/kimono sleeve, which also helps. Not that I am inclined to make this up in a striped fabric, but if I did, I think I would place the stripes horizontally on the bodice/sleeve pattern pieces and vertically on the torso/skirt pieces. The pattern even shows this made up color-blocked, which would be especially good for someone who wanted to accentuate a smaller bust (lighter color), and minimize a fuller waist (darker color). I bought this fabric @ http://www.fabric.com/ in mid-January. It only needs a yard and a half to make this top, so this custom-fit top cost me a whopping $8.97. That's not counting the pkg of bias tape used to face the neckline, the cost of thread. Shipping was free because my total purchase came over $35.00.

Now, about the dressform. Yes, she looks lovely modeling my new top. BUT, she's headed back to Atlanta. I just got her on Friday, and I've been considering her deficiencies and I have decided that I can't live with them. I bought her at Atlanta Thread Supply, online, when they had a free shipping day. She is a Dritz, "My Double", size Medium. On paper, the Medium will dial up to my measurements. By on paper, I mean the measurements given in the catalog and online. However, when she arrived and I tried to adjust her to "double"me, I discovered that the label on the outside of the box, gave different measurement ranges (slightly smaller), but smaller enough not to work for me. (The next size up is too big, at least on paper, there is very little overlap in sizes.) As it was, she would be too small in the bust, but I figured she could wear one of my bras, stuffed. (Oh My!)

You have to dial until the ruler guide reveals the measurement you are aiming for -- you do this gradually on all 4 sides, tedious. Then you discover that it gets very difficult to turn the wheel and that the ruler guide does not have markings all the way up to the measurements that are printed on the box! The final insult came when the plastic threaded rod in the middle of the upper back gave way and stripped itself, causing the back left side to collapse back in to the starting point. It wouldn't even hold in place at a measurement well within the box-indicated range. I will be returning this dress-form to ATS, and the question in my mind is should I try to use the next size up? What is stopping me, is that the next size up, which is referred to as "Plus-Size" has a minimum waist-and-hip measurement that is slightly larger than I am. But on the other hand, maybe the listing in the catalog and online is incorrect for that size too.

Since I am very focused on fit, and cannot count on cutting out a pattern as printed and sewing it up without alterations, I am continuing to consider my options. I haven't abandoned the idea of making one of those duct-tape dummies. Have you ever done that? How did it work out for you?

Fly-by Posting

2011-02-23T12:43:00.003-05:00

If you were at all interested in my post a few days ago about the lovely movie star designs of the mid-20th century, you must read this post on the Colette Patterns blog.....

Developing the Rules of the Game

2011-02-21T15:30:00.002-05:00

In wardrobing myself, I have a lot of things to think about:
1. My age
2. My size
3. My figure type
4. My lifestyle
5. Our climate
6. My budget
7. My tastes

In considering my age, at 48 years old, there are definitely styles out there, which are too "young". And sadly, as much as I could let my imagination run away with me, and completely make-myself-over into a 1940's Hollywood starlet, I have to accept that the only ones who can really get away with that are urban twenty-somethings. This is where fashions described with terms like: "interpretation" and "influenced by" can come in. And frankly, that takes more work, more judgment. I can't rely on a direct-copy approach, like I'm creating a costume. I must carefully decide which elements of the era are the ones which hold the greatest appeal, and work those into the here and now. For instance, I like the sweet, feminine shapes of the 1940's, but I don't have the tiny waistline that makes everything from that era look its best. Every blouse, every "jumper" (sweater), nipped in at the waist. With separates, every top was tucked into the bottom, revealing the slimness of the waistline, and most dresses were tailored in at the waist, and often, belted. I can borrow the necklines and sleeve and collar details, but I am more likely to put them on tops which are long, almost tunic-length, so as not to emphasize my large mid-section. No belts or tucking in at the waistband for me. I can borrow color palettes, even repro prints. I have a large bosom, and so high, small collars (of which we see a lot of in the 1950's) don't work for me. I do best to borrow from the 1920's and 1930's when you saw more deep vees and scooped or square necklines. Part of what I like so much about dressing in 1st half of the 20th century, was the femininity of the lingerie and accessories. To be sure, it was certainly more fussy, but I have to admit, there are things I like about taking that kind of care, and I do like to be ladylike. The careful choice of foundation undergarments, pretty lacy slips, embroidered handkerchiefs. As a very young child in the late 1960's, I had a blue linen lined Easter coat, matched to my dress. I wore it with little white gloves and a white straw hat with a blue ribbon. I had little white nylon ankle socks and black patent-leather Mary Janes. So prim!
Considering my size now, once again, I find myself betwixt-and-between. I am taller-than-average, but shorter-than-tall. Much of my height is in my torso, and not so much in the length of my arms and legs. Much of my "Plus-size"d-ness resides in my bosom and torso, and not so much in my hips. I am an "apple" and not a "pear". I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the majority of plus-sized ladies are pears and carry their excess in the hips and thighs, and I definitely find this to be how most plus-sized clothing is proportioned.
Which brings me to my figure-type. When looking at pattern recommendations, I am definitely the inverted triangle. I look best in roomy tops and trim, lean bottoms. A dolman sleeve top, covering the waist and high-hip area, and a pencil skirt, will show off my legs, and cover the upper bulk. I look best with darker colors on top and paler/brighter on the bottom, to visually balance my proportions. I can use large prints to break up the large expanse on top visually.
This presents a little challenge for my complexion as I am very fair in coloring and look best in pastels. And so, I do best to have pastel details around the neckline of a dark fabric. Like a layered collar, or a scarf tied at the neck. I look best with a long line down the middle, like a rectangular scarf, tied once low on my upper chest, mimicking the shape of a deep vee-neck. Likewise, if I wear a pendant necklace, it should be rather bold and on a long, bold chain.
My lifestyle: I work full-time in an office with mostly guys (engineering-types), and with minimal contact with the public, so I don't have an external expectation of dressing attractively. But I've worked there long enough to realize that I need to dress nicely for myself, and that it cheers me up in my lonely little cubicle. In my free time, I try to dress for church on Sundays (although there is a wide range of acceptable dress there). Most of my other public appearances are in the grocery store and going to hockey games (just try expressing your fashion aesthetic in the bleachers of a cold, dark smelly hockey rink!), from November to sometime in March, and baseball and lacrosse games in the Springtime, football games in the Fall. Now mind you, I use the term "Springtime" loosely. Here in Maine, we have had to delay Little League Opening Day, because there was still a foot of snow on the ballfield. Most years, the kids have had their pre-season practices on paved parking-lot surfaces, because the fields were either still under snow, or the recently-melted snow had left mud not yet dried. Even if the fields are bare, the temperatures often require sweaters and/or jackets until well into June. I admit to a rather barren cultural life. While raising children, my husband and I have rarely gone out to dinner or concerts, or theater. And children, or no children, we rarely go to the movies, as my husband is freakishly tall, and can hardly sit in most movie-theater seats -- no place to put his knees! So, considering climate concerns, I usually have to dress warm! And during the transitions of Spring and Fall, here in Maine, we dress more like Winter. So I need sweaters, and I wear layers and turtlenecks and tights and boots....
In this economy, need I really comment on the budgetary constraints on my wardrobe? I don't mind too much really, because I have never been one who is interested in having the latest fashions, I never buy any expensive designs, and even if I were inclined to, it would be a huge challenge to find things in my size! Also, part of my admiration for the 1940's is an interest in the impact of WWII and how people had to ration and do without. (Maybe that's why they had such slim waistlines!) I like the idea of being frugal; it just seems to be more responsible not to be wasteful with the blessings we have been given.
And finally, my tastes, I like "classics", and feminine frills, good fabrics, silk scarves and pearl necklaces. I like hand-knit sweaters, crocheted edging and lavender cologne. I try to stand with good posture and walk gracefully. I like an outfit to be well-coordinated, and suited to the activity.
So, given allllll the above considerations, I have my work cut out for me. What about you? How do you deal with the problem of clothing yourself?

Figuratively Speaking, Part 1

2011-02-20T23:10:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a young lady with a lovely figure. She was blessed with an ample bosom, a trim waist and slender hips. She was tallish, though, and always complained that shopping for clothing was frustrating because frequently the garments sized for her girth were too short for her. She had no patience for her friends complaining of having to take up hems, because that was far easier to accomodate than trying to squeeze out an extra inch or more from stingy hems. Fortunately for her, her mother taught her to sew, and she rather enjoyed poring over pattern books and perusing through bolts of fabric for just the right colors and weights. She made blouses, slacks, skirts, prom dresses, and eventually a few bridesmaid dresses. Her father gave her a sewing machine one year, and she took it with her to college, where she found very little sewing time, but she hauled it out for mending, simple alterations, and the occasional creation for a costume party. In the years that followed, her figure, ahem, filled out a little, and now her proportions were more suited to off-the-rack garments. Her sewing machine went with her everywhere, but saw very little action until she needed it for simple home dec projects and her children needed Halloween costumes.
As the years went by, the lady would catch glimpses of herself in mirrors, and frown at her aging and spreading figure, and how her attire appeared frumpy, tired, and utterly defeated. She gradually admitted to herself that her vanity was affronted by the images looking back at her in mirrors. Determined to improve her appearance, she undertook various inadequate efforts to lose weight and tone her shape. She reasoned that regardless of the figure she was dressing, her wardrobe needed not only updating, but curating. Her first directed forays shopping for appropriate garments were entirely discouraging. To her dismay, her quest for elegant, well-fitted clothes forced her to face that the figure she had been camouflaging in her husband's jeans and stetchy knits was no longer proportional. She had come to demand a standard of fit which simply could not be met by the clothing found on store racks. Her eye now sought clean lines and would no longer tolerate bags, wrinkles, or uncomfortable binding. No doubt, she could no longer afford the garments such accomodation, given the bags and wrinkles and gray hairs that already sacrificed the starting canvas. From now on, the garments, mustn't merely cover and keep warm. They could not be indifferent to their station. They must perform! They must flatter! They must delight the eye! Every quality would now be under scrutiny. They would be judged for their fabric, and how the cut suited her figure. They must drape beautifully, and hold up to laundering without shrinking or fading. She began to disdain shoddy construction techniques, uninspired shapes, and indiscriminate finishing details. For a long time, she was discouraged. but gradually came to consider the possibility of making her own things again.
And this is where we find her now. At the edge of a new adventure, no longer discouraged, nor disgusted with the overweight and aging body she had to clothe. Her creativity had been awakened. She got out her old sewing machine, learned how to clean and oil it, and reviewed the stitches it could perform. She also set up the serger she had bought on an impulse years ago, but had never used, had never even learned how to use it.
And certainly, dear reader, you have long since figured out that our heroine is none other than myself! And as today's title post implies, there will be more installments to come detailing my progress. This is a bit of an imposing commitment for me (not the doing, but the posting), as I am, as I have previously suggested a bit shy about posting pictures of myself. I am overweight, and vain about my appearance, but my desire to enjoy this process all the further by documenting it will likely triumph over my embarassment! That, and again, reminding myself that there only 2 categories of people who will read this blog: 1) People who know me and therefore already know what I look like; and 2) People who don't know me and don't really care what I look like. And still when you add the totals of the 2 categories together, it may not even be in the double digits!
So, stay tuned....

Something exciting happened today....

2011-02-18T14:48:00.001-05:00

I was at work and some pictures were needed of a machine part that had damage. Nobody could get a good shot, and it came to my turn to try. I needed to take a close-up of something, showing good detail. Oh yeah, and it was in low light. The dig cam available was a Nikon CoolPix - basically the same one I use at home. Now, anyone who peruses my blog will see that I have not mastered my camera. Long have I tucked my users manual in my bag when I think I might have some time to look through it and learn what my cam can do. Hah. Have read almost nothing. Today, however, someone was depending on me to take the time to figure it out and get some good shots. And I did! It felt sooooo good!

So now, I wish I were at home this afternoon and could test my new photo skills in the lovely afternoon sunshine.

There are certain obstacles to blogging, many of which I am sure are obvious: Lack of time, lack of inspiration, and in my case, lack of photos. Blogging is such a sharing activity and the type of people who might read what I have to say are likely to be visual-crafty types. I know the blogs I return to are invariably well-photo'd. (Now that I consider that assertion, I realize that isn't entirely true...if a blog is really well-written, it doesn't have pictures every single time, and I will still come back over and over.) But when you are trying to share a project you've done, it is way more interesting if you have attempted a little photo-journalism. I often have had a blog post idea, but didn't buckle down to it, because of the daunting photo task it deserved. And really, have you tried uploading photos on blogger. Very challenging. I keep thinking that I must being doing it in a naive, cumbersome way, and that bloggers who are more techno-savvy than I must be doing something really cool and snappy that I don't know about. Then I remember, that I have run across bloggers who have left blogger b/c the picture capabilities are so inadequate. Hmmm....should I research this more?

I have new things I want to show off: I have dusted off my sewing machine, set-up the never-used serger that I have had for years, and finally sort-of learned how to use it, bought way too much fabric and a few patterns, and a dressform, whom I have named in true blogging sewist fashion. (In case you're not familiar, there is a movement afoot among people who sew to refer to oneself as a "sewist" as opposed to a "sewer", as "sewer" (pronounced "sow-er") is after all spelled the same as "sewer" (pronounced "soo-er"), and I think you'll agree with me when I opine, "Ick!".

Another obstacle to my photojournalism however is sheer vanity. I am shy about posting pictures of myself (say, modelling a new garment), not because of a fear of revealing any identifying characteristics, just vain and perturbed by looking merely mortal and not young and fresh and like a super-model. (I mean, after all, what if I have a bad hair day? Or the lighting is unflattering, or I look as big as I really am? I just have to channel Jamie Lee Curtis' honesty and courage!) Any shots I come up with will be humbling, no doubt. But I've been giving myself a pep-talk and will be overcoming this reticence. Then I have to remember how few people actually read this blog, and get over myself already.

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But since I have no fresh eye candy yet to share with you, I have harvested a little crop around the internet, reflecting back to my last post.

First of all, let's review my references to beautiful fashions in classic film in my last post.

1. Claudette Colbert's wedding gown in "It Happened One Night."
The 1930's movie stars had the loveliest bias-cut silk gowns. The beauty was in the shimmer and shapeliness. (I have a photo of Jean Harlow I'll post another time. Stunning.)

2. Still looking for a good photo of Joan Fountaine in her sensible tweeds in the Alfred Hitchcock film "Suspicion" with Cary Grant. You know how Al loved to have his blonde leading ladies well-dressed. (Oooh! That reminds me -- maybe I can get a shot of Grace Kelly in the red lace number in "Dial M for Murder"!) I have "Suspicion" on DVD. I think for my next trick I shall learn to capture screenshots from my DVDs.....

3. Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy as "Sabrina"

Hum "Isn't It Romantic?", close your eyes and consider swaying in William Holden's arms wearing this gown. An intoxicating image, non? No champagne necessary.....

4. Rita Hayworth as "Gilda" alludes to a striptease, but doesn't do one while singing "Blame it on Mame". What a performance....

5. Marilyn Monroe sings "Diamond's are a Girl's Best Friend" in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes".
A direct descendant from Rita Hayworth's Gilda? I think it's indisputable.

6. Marilyn again, this time in beaded silk as the showgirl, opposite Laurence Olivier (!) in "The Prince and the Showgirl".7. Grace Kelly: This little montage is from Hitchcock's "Rear Window", in which she co-starred with James (Jimmy) Stewart. And this barely scratches the surface.....Somehow, she even looks chic lounging in cuffed-up jeans, a big-shirt and loafers -- wish I did!

And now for the musicals, The Musicals!!!!

8.Here is Deborah Kerr, looking simultaneously demure and alluring, all decolletage and hair-down, in an informal pose....(As Anna in "The King and I")

Just a simple daygown, looks like it might be handkerchief-weight linen with appliqued floral motifs.And here is the gorgeous, opulent ballgown.9. Next is Audrey Hepburn, as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady". I wrote about her before and showed her beautiful Josephine-esque ballgown. More to my liking is this "simple" little number Eliza wore the morning after the ball (I think). For my coloring, I would wear it in a pale Tiffany blue, or apricot blush....More famous is the snappy little number she introduced, turning heads, at the Ascot Races.10. The lovely Leslie Caron, breathtaking as "Gigi". I so covet this ultrafeminine lace shirtwaist. And you really must have your hair up, with slightly mussed ringlets....Before her tutelage as a courtesan, when just an "awkward" schoolgirl. (I should be so awkward.....)And the duckling emerges as a swan.... (Which reminds me to find a pic of Grace Kelly playing a princess in "The Swan")11. Judy Garland, in "Meet Me in St. Louis" Wonderful Gibson Girl style costumes, with vibrant colors -- no doubt carefully approved by Vincente Minelli's artistic eye.
12. And Judy in "The Harvey Girls"
I looked, but didn't find a pic of the stiffly-starched white aprons of the Harvey Girls' service uniforms.

And I looked but didn't find Betty Grable in "Mother Wore Tights", so here's a shot of Betty with MM and Lauren Bacall, whom I have yet to mention, but really you know I want to show her in her New-Look style wasp-waisted houndstooth check suit she wore in "To Have and Have Not."

That's all for now, folks.....I didn't even touch on Gone With the Wind, mainly because everyone knows Scarlett's wardrobe had some of the best movie costumes ever, and can call them to mind effortlessly. But seriously, wasn't her most gorgeous the deep red one she wore to Melanie's party when gossip had scandalized her reputation, and Rhett was furious with her and made her go alone? Vivian Leigh defined something in that dress, and I'd be scared to name it!

Vintage? Repro? Retro?

2011-02-13T18:11:00.001-05:00

I have to confess that I have an interest (just shy of an obsession) in vintage fashion. A tour around blogs on the internet tells me that I am not alone! There are blogs and more blogs featuring fashions from the 20th century. It seems that the show "Mad Men" (which I have never seen), has fueled an interest in fashions from the early 1960's (think June Cleaver meets Jackie O). And there seems to be a thriving lifestyle in the UK, harking back to wartime England, and ranging into the world of pin-ups and burlesque queens. You can read all about people who live "authentically", using consumer goods from their chosen era, or following beauty practices, and replicating wardrobes, right down to seamed stockings, waist-cinchers and bullet bras. And then there are theatrical wardrobe professionals or historic re-enactors, who re-create period-correct costumes and study textiles and construction techniques, from corsets to bustles and bonnets.
My interest is quite a bit more subtle. I just like nice clothes. But far from being a fashionista, I'm kind of an old-fashioned girl. I always think the latest fashions are strange and impossibly unflattering on the average woman. I like the tried-and-true shapes and styles. I admit that my preferences are heavily influenced by the Silver Screen, from Claudette Colbert's bias-cut silk wedding gown in "It Happened One Night" to Joan Fountaine's sensible tweed suits in "Suspicion". Who can forget Audrey Hepburn's Paris gown (Givenchy, I think?) in Sabrina? Or Rita Hayworth's alluring number when singing "Blame it on Mame" in "Gilda" Am I the only who thinks the show-stopping pink gown Marilyn Monroe wore in "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" when singing the title song, was insprired by Rita's ? And while we're at it, how about Marilyn. I can recall so many of the costumes that she wore - she did have a way of filling them. Like the beaded gown in "The Prince and the Showgirl". Or how about anything Grace Kelly ever wore. (With the exception of her role in "The Country Girl" I really didn't care for the slouchy cardigan and loafers look - at least, not on Grace - it didn't do her justice!) I am a sucker for the over-the-top colorful and frilly costumes in Technicolor musicals. Think Deborah Kerr in "The King and I". (I would dance all night in that ball gown too, and with Yul Brynner!) Or Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady", Leslie Caron in "Gigi", or Judy Garland in "Meet Me St. Louis" or "The Harvey Girls". As I type this, I'm watching Betty Grable (now there's a girl who can rock a costume) and Dan Dailey in "Mother Wore Tights".
I know my fashion tastes are out of step with current sensibilities. I like matchy-matchy. I want to be a Little Miss Revlon doll from the 1950's with a trunk full of outfits that complete a trousseau. I want every outfit to look like it belongs in an old-fashioned dress-shop window, with a complete set of coordinating acessories. (Notice I didn't say matching...)
And that brings me to the subject of dresses. Dresses are experiencing somewhat of a revival. I don't know how long it will last, though. I must admit that I am skeptical of this trend's staying power. Pants are still the default look. I have precious few dresses, and when I think back over the last year, I can think of only 2 occasions when I wore a dress. In June, I wore a dress to my son's HS graduation, and on 12/30, we attended a wonderful 50th Wedding Anniversary (my in-laws) held at a Country Club.
In my next post, I will continue on with my new approach to a lady's wardrobe in 2011. And in case you haven't figured it out from my last post, it involves sewing.

Snow Day

2011-02-02T11:43:00.001-05:00

No one reading this should be too surprised that I am home for a snow day. I live on southern coast of Maine, and it is national news that we are getting the same massive snow storm that has swept over much of the rest of the country. The boys are home from school. We had waffles for a late breakfast . Now everyone is lazing around and trying to figure out what to do with the day.
As usual, I have no trouble thinking of things that will more than fill the available time. First on the list are repairs to Evan's ski parka. Brand new ski parka. The one he had for less than 24 hours before tearing it to shreds. Last Sat., we bought the ever-growing 17yo a new parka. Size Mens xl. On Sunday morning, he left on the bus with the Ski Club for a day at Sunday River. Sunday evening, he came with some major damage to New Parka. I can repair. Will take at least an hour. Involves patching and reinforcing torn fabric, and then re-assembling and sewing torn seams. We'll see.
I have many new sewing projects I want to blog about. Soon.

More UFOs...or are they WIPs?

2010-12-04T19:04:00.001-05:00

Here's a little embroidery project that is stalled out in the planning stages. I could never be a designer, because none of it comes naturally to me. It takes me a great deal of time and thinking to conceive a project, survey my available materials, assemble them in different combinations and make decisions! This was supposed to be so simple! All I wanted to do was stitch a little motif of lavender for a lavender-scented sachet. Remember this post, where I took such lovely lavender pictures as a little teaser?Since then, I tried finding embroidery motifs for stitching lavender plants or blossoms. I had no luck! I even found by looking at pictures of lavender blossoms and reading about the plant, that different species have different flowering patterns. By that I mean that the little purple flowering parts will be arranged in different ways on the stems. There really isn't a readily recognizable way to depict lavender, except with color, of course. The shape of the flowering parts is a little non-distinct and variable, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of lavender embroidery with a stitch associated with stitching lavender. I am not an experienced embroiderer, so I still don't know exactly how I'll stitch the little floral parts. I thought I was doing well to decide to stitch the stems with stem stitch. Too bad there isn't a lavender stitch. I had selected some colors to use from what I already had, and then on my Columbus Day gad-about, I made things more complicated by buying more violet shades!

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This cross-stitch project is something I started a few years ago, I can't remember why, and so I don't know why I put it away, either. I took it out again a few weeks ago, and have been working on it. When I took it out, all it had stitched on it was the beginning of the prayer, up through the word "hallowed". And so, I've been trying to stitch 15-30' each night. That is, up until one sunny day, I discovered that in the too-dim light I was using, I had stitched quite a lot in the wrong shade of green. I haven't made the decision yet whether to leave it, as it won't be too noticeable or pick it out (what a mess!) and re-do it, even though I don't love doing cross-stitch so much. It has gotten a bit more difficult as my eyes have gotten older. I've joined the ranks of forgetful older ladies who keep several pairs of readers all over, so I don't have to keep track of a single pair. It's kind of like discovering a subtle, but noticeable mistake in your knitting and not wanting to rip out several rows to correct it. So you keep working, trying to ignore it, and eventually you do rip it out and correct it, now having to rip out even more than if you'd just done it when you first discovered it. So, it's taking a little rest...until I have the patience to (and lighting....and glasses) to scrutinize my work against the pattern, and work out a rehab plan. Once I get through that phase, I'll be about 3/4 of the way to being finished, and then I can frame and hang it!But I don't think it'll be anytime soon, considering how exhausted and frustrated it makes me just to think about it! Obviously, I need to restore myself with a hot cuppa tea and some good eye candy!I just loooove the combination of light blue and bright red together with some dark shade of brown or taupe to ground it. And accented with the evergreen color, beeeaauutiful! See the Victorian Trading Co. catalog? It only encourages my desire to get a red or cranberry-colored winter coat.....Have you seen Jodie's red coat over at Can-Do Mom? A red coat also looks so crisp with a white or even ivory scarf, or hat (a beret!) and mittens.

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Maybe you remember this dresser scarf? I started it way back in January. At least this UFO was started in 2010. I was such a smarty-pants, I wanted to have it done by Valentine's Day, of 2010 that is. I committed my usual error in judgment, confidently assuming that I had enough cotton thread to finish my project. Never mind what the instructions say, since of course I'm not using the thread they recommend nor the same size crochet hook, and I certainly didn't check guage, since it's just a runner -- an inch or two or even more hardly matters at all. And besides the thread I need is easily obtained, right? Wrong! It was Southern Maid brand and no longer carried by the usual nearby stores. I have been to another store twice since then, which does still carry it - in at least three colors, and both times the bin for this ivory color has been empty! I could have ordered it online and paid twice what it cost just for the shipping. So on that Columbus Day shopping trip I bought two other brands hoping one would match. I can honestly tell you that I can't tell! The two balls of thread seem actually be made by the same company, and sold under two different brand labels. I just need to pick one and try it and see if the difference is really that noticeable.... It really is close to being done, I just need to do it.But what I'm really working on now is the sage green filet lace. I hadn't lost the hook after all. It was in the bottom of my purse, concealed by a fold in the lining. Oh my......

Archaeology

2010-11-20T09:58:00.001-05:00

Here's one I have unearthed after-what, 8, 9 years? My son, Ian, was probably in 4th or 5th grade, when there was no school because of the 1st snow day of the year. I stayed home from work, and of course, the children frolicked in the snow several times that day. We had a fire in the fire place and set up the clothes-drying rack to dry sodden hats and mittens. There was hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows, and probably tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. In the afternoon, I taught Ian and his little friend Caroline a little embroidery. I hooped up some simple ironed-on transfers with their initials. To this day, they remain UFOs, but they are perfect souvenirs of the lovely day, just as they are.

Later that week, I bought the little cross-stitch project above, intending for Ian and I to work on it together for a teacher Christmas present. It didn't happen and suffered the fate of many of my well-intended, but abandoned projects. It wound up with The Others. (You know what I am talking about.)

I un-earthed it, recently. Such an activity is really like an archaelogical dig. Each layer has a story to tell, each new UFO reaching further back in my history of unrealized dreams. Some projects are more pathetic than others. The ones that were way too ambitious for the time before they were needed as a gift or a commemoration. The ones that were just too uninteresting to inspire any loyalty. But others aren't worthy of pity, but instead, stir our interest anew. These are the projects whose relevance was suddenly eclipsed by the pull of some other life event. After all, they are all leisure time activities, and when we are earning a living and raising a family, they occupy a back seat to...well, everything!

Well, so now I've finished the little cross-stitch above, in an evening. (It had to wait years for an hour and a half of attention?)Is it an FO now? Not really, it needs to be incorporated into something now - a pencil case? an eyeglass case? a sachet, a pincushion, an ornament? I don't know where the little frame is, but, not interesting anyway....

So, it is and it isn't yet a FO. The Mary Engelbreit fat quarters lend themselves to a little patchwork project. I'm leaning toward a pencil case (for which I have no real use) or an eyeglass case. So I guess, it is now an element for an as-yet-undefined new project, and not yet even part of a WIP!

How about you? Can you conduct a little archaeology and convert a UFO into a WIP into a FO? Pencil it in for January, when the cold, dark winter lends itself to stitching time, and you itch to start a project, but your budget is still bloodied and bruised from the Christmas ransacking. Or if you have the time and creativity, perhaps your archives will yield some Christmas gifts and save you the hassle and expense of shopping.

Updates on previous posts:

I have pulled 6 more inchworms off the sage (and parsley, turns out they will eat parsley when the sage is almost gone). Where were they hiding?

I take the crochet edging with me wherever I go. The plus: You can take advantage of otherwise wasted moments to progress on the project. The minus: You risk losing the crochet hook. Result: I made some progress, but I lost the crochet hook. It is a size 9. Note: Michael's carries steel crochet hooks in sizes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10. Sigh.

WIP? UFO? A decision each must face alone.....

2010-11-13T14:16:00.001-05:00

I have a question for you. When is a project a WIP, and when is it a UFO? Just to be clear, generally crafters/needlewomen in the blog world refer to their projects as "Works in Progress" or WIPs when it is something they are picking up and working on regularly, moving forward and overcoming obstacles, anticipating completion within a foreseeable future. And the UFO (UnFinished Object) is a pathetic abandoned project, the victim of, what, apathy? An insurmountable obstacle? A missed gifting deadline? Often the symbol of dashed hopes, they languish in baskets, boxes, bags, typically out of sight and thankfully, out of mind.
I put it to you however that the no-man's-land between WIP and UFO is a highly personal territory. The defining borders between the two are individual not only to owner of the project, but also to the project itself. By definition a work-in-progress is unfinished, but to be relegated to the lower-class status of a UFO is a distinction each artist can make only for herself. Will she resist labelling a beloved project a UFO despite no discernable progress in days? weeks? months? Years? How long is too long an interval for a project to be "resting"?
Well, I'm going to explore this topic with my next few posts, while at the same time bringing forth my UFO/WIPs to the light of day. In some of my cases, I will re-commit myself to their completion. In others, I will admit defeat, and determine a more suitable fate than the purgatory of UFO.

Today I am spotlighting a project I introduced with this post, in which I proposed to select and create an edging to apply to a new set of sheets. It took me a little while, but I finally selected this edging: I found this Lily Filet Edging on a website, and the graph is a free download. The two photographs are copyrighted 1999 by Sandy Marshall. I hope I'm covered in using them by crediting her.
The link is here. I am enjoying doing this very much. I can't say that I am making rapid progress. Each repeat is about 4-3/4" or more. A queen size sheet is 90" wide. Since I am making my own sheet, I can make the sheet more or less than 90" as needed to fit an even number of repeats. I think I will need about 18-19 repeats.
As you can see here , I have almost 3 repeats. I'm also not sure how many more balls of crochet thread I'll need. Probably 2 or 3 more. I bet I've used half the ball on these 3 repeats.

I think I had better pick up the pace. It has taken me about a month to get 1/6th done....

At this pace, it will take 6 months! I mostly crochet while I'm riding in the car. The DH and I work at the same office, and I am usually the passenger. It takes about a half hour, and most mornings, I spend about 10-15' trying to put on make-up in a moving car. The rest of the time I crochet. Before DST ended, there was usually still light to crochet by on the way home, but not any more. I really need to get a little clip on light, for just this problem!

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On a completely separate topic: Tonight 2 of my favorite movies are airing on TCM. I have mentioned before my love of Hollywood musicals (did anyone catch Oklahoma! late last night?), but I love even more the old b&w WWII dramas. Tonight, don't miss the introductory comments (tune in at 8 pm sharp!) of Robert Osbourne and Alec Baldwin, about "The Best Years of Our Lives", and if you haven't gotten enough, after that, enjoy "Mrs. Miniver". I love Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon so much, I have this one on DVD. And the wonderful Theresa Wright is in both. I'll be cozied in with my popcorn and a stitching project (probably the Lily Filet Edging) for both of these gems.

Little did I know

2010-10-30T14:10:00.001-04:00

That sunlight slanting in through the window took half the day to get here and maybe about an hour to retreat. As I sit down to write, it is with a little trepidation. You see, while I try to blog about pleasing things, what I'm about to present you is not so. Pleasant, that is....

WARNING: This blog post is not for the faint-hearted. Sensitive persons should consider carefully before reading any further.

Now, don't say I didn't warn you. Today I'm going to talk about:

Garden Pests

I do not like spiders and snakes. I do not like anything that celebrates evil and darkness. I do not crave blood and gore.

Little did I suspect that if I were to dabble in gardening that I would be tempting ugly and creepy-crawly critters to share my world with me. Let me explain:

Do you see this herb planter? This is the one I bought on Columbus Day, and gradually this week I noticed in a peripheral sort of way as I rushed by it, that it was beginning to look, well, consumed. And in retrospect, I think that the air was singed with the scent of sage, rather noticeably, more than it had been in the week or so after I put it in the sunny dining room window.

And on closer inspection, I saw a lot of dirt on the carpet. I blamed Tammy and Tucker, thinking they had been nosing around in the pot, maybe even stirring up that sage scent.

On even closer inspection, I thought that the distribution of the dirt on the carpet didn't really look the way the usual puppy messes do. A little too evenly scattered, not clumped together, etc. I felt like a CSI investigator, brought in to analyze blood spatter. (See, I warned you this post would be icky.)

And then there was this finding: not a good picture because it is filled in with fallen leaves, but there is a largish hole dug in the ground beside one of the new David Austin roses. I know this happened in the last week and I know it was perpetrated by a rather large Cocker Spaniel. I know this because a rather large Cocker Spaniel tracked mud into my home one day after it had been raining. He smelled suspiciously of RoseTone and required immediate bathing. (And the kitchen floor required immediate mopping.)

But while the canine(s) is (are) definitely to blame for the rose-bush vandalism, I discovered that the true culprits for the holes in the sage leaves and the dirt on the carpet were not he (they). It was something way more sinister, and definitely not for the squeamish.Eeeeeeeewwwwww!

These are just a few of the inchworms I pulled off the undersides of the sage leaves.

After I took this picture, I pulled off at least 6 more, and man, do I hope I found them all. One had encased itself in a bit of a woolly coccoon, and when I dropped it in with the others, they attacked it. I'm shuddering...

And I figured out that the dirt on the carpet? Worm Poop! Are you grossed out yet?

So now, this fuzzy little culprit doesn't seem so bad anymore. (She is actually the undersize Cocker Spaniel, who was not responsible for the rose bush fiasco, but is guilty enough of other things that it isn't completely inappropriate to characterize her as a culprit.)
But like children, she looks sweet and innocent when asleep.

So, I set about trimming away all the damaged leaves on the sage, harvested the most overgrown parsley for the rabbit, culled out the dead chives, did nothing to the thriving rosemary and turned the pathetic half-dead thyme into the sunshine, vacuumed up the worm poop and gave the planter a generous watering.

When I cleared away a good bit of the vegetation, I found the care tags pushed deep into the dirt, all clumped together, and almost buried in the dense foliage understory of sage and parsley.

I washed them up and now will be able to consult them to gain a little insight into what I should be doing to keep the herbs growing.

So, here it is, you can see the little bitty bit of thyme just above where the rosemary is in the left of the pot. Next to it is a heuchera (Coral Bells), called Key Lime Pie. I was so taken by the yellow/chartreuse of the foliage! There were 4 there and I bought all of them, and 3 are now around the lamp-post, but I'm not sure where to put this 4th one. I'm hoping it will winter over in the dining room, and by Spring I'll know where to put it. It may just end up being a replacement if one of the lamp-post ones doesn't make it through the winter.

So, all's well that ends well, right?

Not so fast..... you can only see it in the above picture in retrospect, but....

There was one more icky-yucky worm that had coccooned onto the chest of drawers! I nearly screamed. But I pulled myself together and got a tissue and plucked it off. It was so fat that even with my light touch, it burst and bled out its green lymph. I flushed it, shuddering all over.

Then I had to have a sit-down and a cup of tea.

And that, my friends, is my Halloween horror story.......

On a more pleasing note, here is the last of the white lobelia I had in my urns this summer. Should I pot it up and bring it in and see what it does in the coming months? We're supposed to have a hard frost tonight, so I filled in the rose-bush hole (with more Rose-Tone, I know, I know....) and put a lot of fallen leaves around the crowns of all three. I'll have to get more serious soon and really get them covered and protected. Stay cozy!

Will wonders never cease?

2010-10-28T20:31:00.001-04:00

I'm going to post about tonight's supper. I don't think I've posted before about any kind of cooking. It seems that most of the blogs I go to have some cooking sooner or later. Sometimes, I don't even read those posts. Just not my thing. I wish it were. Because, no doubt my boys would love it if I were constantly in the kitchen turning out all manner of yummy meals, snacks, treats. Lord knows they get no thrill from my knitting, crocheting, embroidering.
I'm not saying they go hungry. There's usually a reasonable variety of food around, just not always hot, fresh, home-cooked and ready-to-eat. Drat.....
So, anyway tonight I am featuring a facsimile of my Grammie's soup. She just turned 90 and though getting quite frail, her days still include a bit of home-cooking. I think she's probably what is called a "foodie". The first time I saw magazines like Gourmet and Food&Wine was at her house. Her "Mountain Chili" had a following among certain skiers at Sugarloaf in the 1970's. It was not unusual for her to make donuts in the morning, shaking them in a brown paper bag with sugar in it. They were dark, but not chocolate. I think they were molasses, and I wonder if this is a regional thing, as I've only ever seen molasses donuts in boxes from local commercial bakeries at grocery stores here in Maine . Mmmm.... makes me smell burning leaves and want to dip my molasses donut in a cup of cider. I'd even be willing to rake some leaves for it.

Grammie's Jamaican Chicken SoupSo, today, I am featuring a soup I made when I wanted some of my Grammie's soup. I don't have a recipe. I just faked it. It tasted a little like hers. I could have tried to get her to tell me but phone calls are a huge challenge because she is so hard-of-hearing. I think I'll still try to get it and then I can see how close I got.

Here's my try...1 carton chicken broth

1 can pumpkin

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups chopped/cubed cooked chicken

1 cup or so of chopped carrots

1/2 cup brown rice

1 can evaporated milk

1 leek

1 cup frozen peas

1-1/2 tsp allspice

1-1/2 tbsp chili powder

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp celery seed

salt and pepper to taste

In a pot over med-high heat, I put in the chicken broth and rice and let them come to a boil, while chopping the carrots (add) then the leek. I let it all simmer while I picked last night's lovely roast chicken. Then I added the canned pumpkin and diced tomatoes (without draining).

I turned the heat up a little to give the rice and carrots a good thorough cooking. I could have diced some potatoes and put those in first instead of the rice, but we had mashed potatoes and gravy with the chicken last night. I also let it cook because I wanted to reduce the liquid a little. If I had more motivation, now would be time to make biscuits, (or dumplings? I've never done that) or cornbread to go with it. I don't know if it matters when to add the spices. (BTW, it's called "Jamaican" because I think she got the spices in Jamaica, and I'm not sure what was in that little old crumpled paper bag.) Mine really wasn't as spicy as hers, so it probably needs more of the chili powder. And it definitely needs more of the allspice or something. I put Tabasco sauce on the table for my family who goes for that sort of thing. I did wait to put in the frozen peas until the last 5 or 10 minutes and the same with evap. milk. I have made cream soups before and you don't add the cream 'til the end. I admit that I only used the evap milk because I hadn't planned to make this soup, or I could have gotten some light cream. I wonder if it would taste better with parsnips in it (I love parsnips), or thyme, or nutmeg? What do you think? And I would have liked to put of dollop of sour cream on top, especially if it was really zingy-spicy.
I don't know why this pic is sideways, but I'm leaving it because this post really calls for a bit of fall color, and I love the way this tree shades from green to a rich orange. And then there's picture I tried taking of a summer planter that I brought indoors at the office. I don't know what kind of flower that is, I just wanted to get a vibrant close-up of the colors. Can anyone tell me what I did wrong photographically? I set it for close-up, and the camera focused down at the level of the dirt, instead of the flowers that I wanted. What's that you say, the camera came with a manual? That explains all this? Oh, yes I know but every time I sit down thinking I will read the whole thing once and for all so I can get the most out of my camera, I get bored or distracted or something, and now, Oh where, oh where did I leave that little booklet. Sigh.... well excuse me, I have to go program my VCR. It keeps flashing "12:00 -- 12:00 -- 12:00"............

Ah, here we are...

2010-10-23T15:38:00.001-04:00

Re-booting righted whatever was going wrong. So here are a few of the limited photos I took when Ian moved into his dorm at UMO. In the weeks before it was time to go, he worked a lot of hours, and when he wasn't working, he was playing golf or hanging out with friends. I would try to talk with him about shopping for his dorm room, or making lists of what to pack, and he would have none of it. We were able to fit everything he was taking into the back of the Explorer and we still had room for the 5 of us. His college is only 3 hours away, and so there isn't really the feeling of moving out of our home. It was really just taking the bare necessities, knowing full well he would come home very soon for Labor Day weekend, and here and there to go out with Sheldon on the lobster boat to bring in traps for the winter. And he could get things from home that he had found he was wanting.

It was very clear that he wanted no help from Mum to "decorate" his dorm room and was not open to my furnishing the place with any comforts. This was going to be his declaration of independence. We went up as a family, which was not what Ian had in mind. But I stood my ground for a couple of reasons. While by and large, this day was about him, in other ways it wasn't. This wasn't just Ian venturing forth to a new experience for him; this represented a transition for all of us. Also, Jeff and I both feel it is a valuable experience for our younger boys to get a glimpse into the new and exciting world of Going To College. I wanted to use Ian's day as an opportunity to demystify it for them. Being the firstborn, Ian didn't have that, and while he has always been intrepid about plunging into new things, he certainly did seem to harbor some apprehension about this new step.

We dumped everything in his room, and Ian barely tolerated my putting sheets on the bed, and TADA! the brand new quilt made by my Mum, Grammie H. (with some quilting help from Aunt Anne). She was inspired a quilt she saw for sale in the Orvis catalog.

If you know the one I mean, I'm sure you'll agree that this one is made even more attractive by the addition of the reds to the more subtle blues and greens. He's a big tall drink of water (as my great Uncle John once said of my 6'4"+ tall husband), and at about 6'3" only just fits on his bed. His room-mate is a friend from high school and is just about the same height. They make a handsome pair!

What you can see under the bed are the wheels of his long board (skate board). What you can't see is his humongous hockey bag with all the equipment. If you aren't up on these things, the University of Maine is big on hockey. Ian doesn't play on the team, but he does play recreationally, and if you ask me, he's really quite good. (Maybe because I'm his Mum?)

He really couldn't wait for us to leave, and was trying very hard to be patient. He expressed his anxieties by being antagonized by every breath his brother Evan (16yo) took. He was impatient with everything Evan did or said. I think this is because of all of us, he'll probably miss Evan the most. They do a lot together. Now Sean (13yo), on the other hand is probably the least distressed by Ian's absence. Now Evan will have more time (and hopefully more patience) for him. (Has anyone noticed that in naming our sons, we have named all of them forms of the name "John"? We didn't set out that way, and discovered it after we had named Evan, and an Irish friend declared that naturally, saving the best for last, we would certainly have another boy and name him Sean! Well, once that I learned that John means "gift from God", I couldn't very well not name my next sweet baby boy Sean, now could I?) I'll have to figure out how to let you see this picture enlarged by clicking on it. I don't know how yet. I'll just tell you generally what it says. This was a bulletin board in the hallway of Ian's freshman dorm. At the top, it says: "Laundry Tips & Tricks: Because Mom isn't Here Anymore....." It gave me a chuckle anyway. One of the tips is for putting your teddy bear in a pillowcase if a visitor to your rooms spills, er, something on it. Hmmm..... the valuable things you learn in college.

Such as it is......

2010-10-23T11:14:00.001-04:00

This was going to be a hit-and-run post about taking my son to college. The topic itself is too big for me to wrap my brain around -- waaaay too painful, and so I was just going to skim the subject. My chosen focus was going to be a quilt. I have an ongoing joke with myself about quilting. How I'm not going to get involved in quilting because it is a black hole unto itself, sucking money, time and NRG that I don't have to spare. Too bad I love the finished products sooooo much. Did you see the quilts on Caroline's blog: Knot Garden? And have you been to Don't Look Now? And those are just 2 of the quilters' blogs that come immediately to mind.

Well, so anyway, I was going to blog just a little about the quilt my mother gave my son for going away to college. Only I ran into a problem after loading just one picture I took on the move-in day. For some reason, my computer opens my Pictures file and then doesn't load what's in all the folders. So I can't select them to upload. And I thought my only obstacle to having more pics for my posts was keeping my camera ready to go and remembering to take pics while the light is good!
And now the one picture I loaded, I promise it was here, has disappeared of its own accord!
I'll work on these technical issues (meaning I'll re-boot my laptop - my panacea for all computer problems), and try again later. And in the meantime, it is a beautiful, bright sunny day, maybe I'll style some pics for future use.

What I did for Columbus Day, or How NOT to Waste a Day Off on Housework...

2010-10-18T22:16:00.004-04:00

Last Monday was Columbus Day and I had the day off from work. The kids were home from school. And if you read my last post, you know that the nursery near the office was closing for the season and I had to get over there to get the bargains. Last day.
I wish I were a good housekeeper. If I were, I would have the skill to map out a good day off. I would balance work(household chores) and play(shopping, gardening, crafty stuff, and blogging), and by supper, have a nutritious, delicious home-cooked meal on the table. But unfortunately, I lack the self-discipline to make a day like that happen. At least, I did last Monday. I still aspire to such a day. The next day off is Thanksgiving and that's always mayhem, so my model day-off will have to wait until, oh, I dunno, MLK Day? So, instead of indulging in any more self-loathing because of the dust, the clutter, and the mediocre menu around here, I'll share with you the fruits of the shopping I did last Monday. You've already seen my nursery visit bounty, but what I didn't tell you was I also thrifted at Goodwill, and went to Michael's and A.C. Moore, both of which are nearer to the office than home, so I justified it with the old tried-and-true "Weellll, since I was in the neighborhood....."

I went into Goodwill first. I usually don't find much to interest me in our Goodwill. I visit blogs where I see really great stuff people bring home from their thrifting trips and wonder why my local GW has so little to offer. And sometimes I think maybe I would have passed up the very treasures featured on others' blogs, and only now find them interesting because of the blogger's vision of how they can be restored, or re-purposed or creatively displayed with what they already have (and which I don't). But this time was different... I had spent the weekend crawling through every post in the archives of a blogger new to me, and whose creativity and photographs had me mesmerized. This dear lady is a quilter, and her quilts are so attractive because of the eye she has for mixing colors, choosing just the right mix of hues of the right shade and value. I fell in love with her palette. She also puts a new twist on old-fashioned, like yo-yo patchwork, applique, and her latest, a crochet pillow. She makes me want to crochet little floral vignettes for pincushions. Take a look: Her blog is Knot Garden, click on the link on my blog list, it's post after post of some serious eye candy.

I especially love the way she styles her photos, and inspired me with her button collections displayed in lovely little pin dishes, or sandwich plates, or what have you. In my first picture above, you can see what I found with that inspiration in mind.

In the second photo, I show you what I found among the yarns. There were quite a few more there than the last time. And among the usual synthetics, I found the (vintage?) small skeins of fingering weight Bear Brand wool, some crochet cottons, and two synthetics I could acept. One is the white baby yarn by Sindar, and the other is a current yarn (that I have had trouble finding to finish a pair of socks! More on that later...), Caron Simply Soft Tweed in Med. (or Dark?) Sage. Now the 3rd picture is the loot I brought from Michael's. All those colors of crochet cotton are so I can try making the little crocheted pansy doily edging I've looked at a million times and the daisy insertions, and whatever other colorful little clever flower-y stuff I can find. Oh yeah, and I needed to fill out my choices for lavenders and greens for embroidering (and pinks and yellows too). The last two pictures are just some of my favorite colors in a lighter wt. yarn than I usually use. I really do prefer the wools, alpacas, silks, bamboos, etc., but for now, these synth. yarns are the compromise I make for my budget's sake. I will continue to knit and crochet with these while I get to know which patterns I want to make with an "investment fiber". At least that's what I tell myself.

The last pic is not just because that baby is so cute I can hardly stand it. A few years ago I knit that little jacket. In the yellow just like the picture. And I still haven't sewn it together! I even bought adorable little white ducky buttons for it. So I posted the pic and made this confession to shame myself into moving forward with it... After all, I know of two babies on the way!

Can I grow David Austin roses?

2010-10-15T22:44:00.001-04:00

According to the David Austin website, I should be able to....

I found this very cool website, which explained to me the definition of plant hardiness zones, and how to use it to predict what will successfully winter over. Now, mind you, I have already killed 5 rosebushes in a little bed I planted a few years ago. I didn't protect them through the winter, and I lost 2 (3?) the first winter, and the rest the next winter. Now, even if you have never been to Maine, perhaps you've heard that we have pretty cold, snowy winters?
Take a look at this post.
According to the David Austin information, I coulda' shoulda' woulda' done more to protect them from extreme temps. Ugh. I wish I had, especially the one of the 5 that was a DA rose, one of their oldest and most fragrant ones, the Abraham Darby. I also was guilty of neglecting their feeding and watering. Oh yeah, that and I had planted them in an area where they probably didn't get enough sunshine.
So, I'm trying again.
On Monday, Columbus Day, a nursery was closing for the season and selling off their stock at 50% off. Well, I'm a sucker for a bargain. They had some of 3 DA roses left (among other brands), and I bought and planted 1 of each. I made sure that the plants I chose had at least a bloom on them. I needed the fragrance for inspiration.
I also bought violas and coral bells and a large potted herb garden with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. And chives.The herb garden will remain in my dining room in front of a low-silled southwest facing window. Trixie, our rabbit has already been a happy beneficiary of the parsley! (I really must take more pics to post!)
So I brought my lovely greenery home and determined that I needed 3 rose holes dug, and 6 little holes around my lamp post to alternate the 3 coral bells and 3 violas. How convenient to have 3 sons. Can you see where I am going with this?

Yep! I got all 9 holes dug for me. I tried a little harder this time with the roses. I bought Rose-Tone and put it in the holes, with some old dead leaves (organic matter) that had come down from the trees in the yard. I should have a composter and feed the roses from that, and with future feedings I can use contributions from Trixie, if you know what I mean. The spot I chose probably doesn't get enough sun, but I have all winter long to campaign to take down a few critical tree limbs to greatly increase the amount of sun each day.And of course, any time there is outdoor activity, the dogs have to be a part of it. I'm surprised they didn't get into the spirit of digging holes! The funniest part was when Tammy, who is half the size of her brother and (thinks she) controls all of his access to food, water and affection, was drawn to the biological/organic aroma of the Rose-Tone and posted herself as sentry, growling if Tucker transgressed any closer than about 8 feet in any direction.We have the safest Rose-Tone in Maine.

David Austin Roses

2010-10-12T07:03:00.002-04:00

A quick teaser! William Shakespeare 2000
Sir John Betjeman

Golden Celebration

Now, why might I be teasing you with lovely David Austin roses?

Edginess

2010-10-10T13:48:00.001-04:00

We need new sheets. I am so inspired by these from Victorian Trading Company.

These are the Thistledown Cottage Flannel Bedclothes.
I can't bring myself to buy new sheets when I have several unfinished sheets that I bought dirt cheap at the Pepperell Mill factory store (which closed in fall of 2008, a victim of the economy). These are the Sweetmilk Manor Cotton Bedclothes.
So maybe I'm stalling, as it is boring and cumbersome to measure out and hem long expanses of fabric. But I have been so inspired to edge my household linens. I have several old instruction booklets for all manner of edgings. Knitted, tatted and crocheted. Household, handkerchiefs, collars and cuffs. Soooooo many, and I want to make them all!

But of course, having all these lovely patterns in hand hasn't stopped me from exhaustively searching the web for any and all free crochet edging patterns.
And then I have the difficult task of narrowing it down and choosing just one.
Last night I eliminated one because I couldn't quite follow the instructions (I'm sure it was I and not the instructions that were addled). That and I decided I wasn't sure I loved the pattern so much anyway. Hard to tell, because the photo didn't show me enough detail, and obviously working up a sample didn't happen.
So, now I 'm trying to decide which looks best with my sheeting, which is a print, after Jacobean crewel embroidery in fact. Doesn't really need any trimming to look pretty, but I want to trim it anyway. Kind of a way of putting my own stamp on it.
And I'm not really sure what style goes with Jacobean.
What do you think?
Need to see the fabric? I know what you mean. Working on it. Meaning I'm charging the battery on my camera and hoping the afternoon sun holds out.

ETA: Here are the pics I promised. I love the colors, soft and pleasing.

And the thread I will use.

Any votes for edging?

Beautiful Saturday!

2010-09-18T12:28:00.001-04:00

The weather is gorgeous here and I might get a chance to do some yardwork. There are some overgrown shrubs in my yard that really need to be cut back before the snow flies. And a neglected rosebush, that has gotten punier and more pathetic every year. It's on a side of the house I rarely go to, and I have sort of given up on it. I guess I'll have to read up on what I can do for it. Probably just cut it way back, mulch it, cover it and see what I can do next spring...probably need to feed it something.....
I looooove roses, but don't have a particularly green thumb. What I really mean to say is that even though I think I love them, apparently I don't love them enough to learn what they want from me, and consistently nurture them along. A few years ago, I put about 5 of them in the ground one fall when they were on sale at the nursery, and it took me only 2 years to kill them with neglect. I never did figure out if it was the deer who were eating the blossoms just as they opened, or my dog, who seems to be obsessed with any flowers with a terrific scent. But I never actually caught her in the act of chewing on them, just suspected. Since we got the cocker spaniels and the yard has their...ummmm...scent, the deer seem to be leaving my hosta and yews alone. Our yard used to be right on a major path for them and there are lots of them around here. Now we're a little off the beaten path so to speak!

Have you noticed?

That I started by talking about roses, but my pictures (thanks to Google images) have been trending back to lavender? Not the color, the plant.

This summer, I planted 3 lavender plants around my granite lamp post. Then I almost killed them by not watering them. The Gaillardia that I planted with them didn't mind, and we for a while had regular enough rainfall that garden-neglecters like myself were able to get away with our woefully wayward ways. Then we had a dry spell, and the lavender began to look more and more pitiful, or so I would think in a passing way as I pulled out of the driveway in the morning. I have finally salvaged with aggressive sprinkling in the last couple of weeks and next year will be the test as to whether I have learned my lesson that the lavender doesn't like to go dry.

A few years ago, I developed an obsession with scent of lavender. It seemed so old-fashioned and I love all things old-fashioned... I have never been particularly drawn to the color purple (except in flowers: violets, lilacs, pansies), favoring blues and greens, particularly soft, muted pastel shades and blends. I am nauseated by the stereotypical purply-pink combos that dominate the toy market for little girls, but I do like pinks, especially if they trend toward coral and peachy tones.

I have a tiny little project I'm developing. And it involves lavender. When I first got the idea, I was a bit discouraged because I am trying to be mindful of working out of my stash, but in not being a purply person, I doubted that I had much suitable.

But apparently at some point I picked up a collection of fat quarters!

And a few other remnants suitable for my project!

I wasn't giving my stash enough credit!

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Oh, and BTW, did you see the lovely begonia in the pic with the lavender fragrance items? So lush and pretty and I haven't killed it yet.... I think you can keep those, right? I'll have to go google "Care of Begonias"..............

Jumping back in

2010-09-12T21:35:00.001-04:00

Hi, I'm back! I won't bore you with explanations as to why I dropped off the blogosphere. Suffice it to say that I am not a true blogger. I have no future as as blook-writer or anything else impressive growing out of my musings. I am unreliable as a blogger; I get caught completely caught up in living my busy life.
Which brings us to today -- a Sunday evening. I used to haaaate Sunday evenings. I'd be anxious about the week ahead, and filled with self-loathing for not getting my life into perfect order by Sunday eve. It's less traumatic for me now. My job, while stressful, is far less so than the one I used to have. My children aren't so young anymore, and so, not so dependent on me for every little thing. I also have completely lowered by expectations about what can and cannot and what should and should not be accomplished in a weekend.

Gearing up

2010-06-20T10:38:00.001-04:00

I'm working on making a comeback! Life overtook me for a while there. Biggest thing was Ian (my eldest) graduating from high school. I'm not sure I can explain why this been so hard for me (i.e. devastating). I'm still processing what has happened, and what is happening. The going-away-to-college thing. I mean, seriously? One of my favorite people in the whole world is going to move away? And I'm supposed to be celebrating? Uh-uh. Mourning is more like it. Make no mistake, this is a loss. I know that I am crazy, and I'm supposed to be looking forward to the day that my kids leave. Yes, I got the memo. But I can't seem to embrace it. Anyway, welcome to my world...needlecrafts? Well, I had made some progress on the projects that I had been blogging about, but eventually I dropped everything, unfinished and took care of the more demanding things. I have not weathered this period the way I would have liked to, but it is what it is.
I'm getting ready to start posting again more regularly. I just hope I have some interesting things to say, and not just mommy-whining. See you soon.

Unsung Hero

2010-03-02T20:49:00.001-05:00

Tonight, I am watching West Side Story. Again. What is it about Hollywood musicals? I try not to get drawn in because after all, I think I have seen them all at least a dozen times. But how can I help it? They have it all, light romance, light comedy, beautiful costumes and scenery. And then there's the display of talent: the music, the singing, the dancing. I used to marvel at how lucky some of these beautiful stars were. They had not only beauty and acting talent, but wow, they all seemed to sing like an angel. "Now is that fair?", I'd wonder....

Then one day, I remember thinking how I enjoyed listening to Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady" as much I marveled at Deborah Kerr in "The King and I". I googled their biographies, mainly to find out why, if they had such lovely voices, didn't they do more with a singing career.

Do you know what I found out?

They were dubbed. Yes, dubbed. And it was the same singer for Audrey, Deborah, and Natalie!

Who, you may ask was this unsung singing heroine?

An enormously talented lady named Marni Nixon. I have become a huge fan. It has gotten so I think of them as her movies, and sometimes watch them just for the chance to hear her sing. I don't think any less of Audrey, Deborah, or Natalie. I just think how lucky they were to play the roles and have a nightingale's voice seem to come from them, to the enjoyment of millions.

Oh, swoon, Tony and Maria are out on the balcony singing the duet: "Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night...."

And to think that I could be sitting downstairs with my male-types watching the Military Channel, or Top Gear or Dirtiest Jobs. What a burden it is to be a Hopeless Romantic.

Oh, and one more note: Here's a lady who got it all- beauty, brains and talent.

Rita Moreno

Has won a Grammy, Oscar, Tony, and Emmy. Some stuff, eh?

(And I bet she throws like a girl...)

I throw like a girl..........

2010-02-28T15:29:00.001-05:00

Wow, have we been living life around here lately. We have Olympics on the TV all the time, and so, I often retreat to the bedroom to see what's playing on TCM. (They are showing all Oscar winners this month.) Like when, say, curling is on. I tell the sports fans they are welcome to be inspired and wield brooms around here anytime. After all, we are having an early mud season. And we have dogs who go in and out, and in and out, you get the picture.
Right now, I have the USA/Canada hockey game on. I am not completely impervious to the draw of a spirited athletic competition. I am actually an athletic wanna-be. I'm not naturally particularly muscular or quick or coordinated. I am very flexible and somewhat motivated. As a child, despite my height, I was a miserable basketball player as I had no aggression to play offense. I was always so afraid to advance into the key with the ball. I might bump into somebody, or heaven forbid, commit a foul. I was a bit of a shrinking violet. Well, a tall shrinking violet.
I think if I had been petite, I'd have made a passable gymnast. I'm fascinated by the sport, and love the challenge to discipline your body to perform very specific and perfectly-timed and balanced feats. I took ballet classes a few times growing up, and loved them. I remember being very sorry when a 2-hour class was over.
My sport of choice of the winter games is speed skating. I don't get too involved in watching the events, but I just love watching any skater skate. I still feel like I would like to try out a pair of the skates someday on a large frozen lake. All that wide open space, where I could really get up some speed, and not have to watch our for other skaters. I could really push myself and develop the rhythm. It makes me think of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, and people being able to travel long distances on frozen canals in Holland. Do you remember that story? How incredibly cool.
And then of course, there is the figure skating and the ice dancing. Who wouldn't want to do that? But again, my height limits me. I'm too tall for pairs (nearly 5'8"), and probably for ice dancing too... I wonder if, like gymnastics, it is harder for tall people to maneuver the jumps and spins, etc.
Oh, and the title of this post? Of course, I throw like a girl. How else would I throw? Here's something I'd like to see Olympic Snowball fighting....that has got to be the ultimate winter sport.Someone made fun of my snowball throw the other day when I playfully lobbed one over his shoulder. "You throw like a girl!", he crowed, with his usual arrogant superiority.
The next one hit him -smack!- right between the eyes....
'Nuff said.
ETA: Okay, I just saw a Coca-Cola commercial of a snowball fight breaking out in the Olympic village. I promise you I have never seen this ad before. What a comforting thought that I am now channeling Coca-Cola moments. Gotta go, I'm thirsty.

Progress, in all its forms

2010-02-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

Cooking? Yes, cooking. When have you ever seen me post about cooking? Take it easy...I told you I was trying to increase my efforts in the kitchen. In this picture, my DS Evan is dipping his Triscuit into Chicken and Rice soup.
But don't be too impressed...I just made a broth of "Better than Bouillon" chicken flavor and cut up some carrots. (didn't have any celery on hand) Then I cut up the leftover skinless boneless chicken breasts which Jeff made for supper on Friday, and threw those in and then finally the leftover brown rice we had served with them. I threw in some ground thyme (liberally), a little fresh-ground black pepper, and a mild-to-moderate sprinkle of nutmeg. Now, if I were really devoted to impressing my family, I would have made biscuits or dumplings or something. Sounds messy. Oh well, this will do for a post-church Sunday lunch.

Here's the first half of the Filet Heart Runner. Oh well, there's always next Valentine's Day... (And Sweetest Day in October, a Hallmark invention, I think.)

And here's the Dapper Chap Vest. Last time I posted it, I hadn't yet added the blue. The colorwork came out just okay, not great. I just couldn't get the tension right between the knitting yarns and the carried colors. I hold out hope that when I block it, I can work it all out..

I have started the armhole shaping on the left front (see that little backwards "J" about midway at the top?). In the meantime, the back and right front wait patiently having been left at the chest level. Once the left front, back, and right front are finished separately, I will weave the shoulder seams with the much-maligned Kitchener stitch, and add the separating zipper that I have yet to purchase. I am dreading going to the craft store and seeing that none of the available colors match or complement my colors. Which will mean an online purchase.

I still haven't gotten to the CS for the iron-on transfer pen, so now I really need to find the time for the trip. (That explains why this post has no Embroidery Project update.)

Soooooo busy!

2010-02-20T20:16:00.001-05:00

I have missed blogging! I have been so busy living my real life that I had to let blogging go for a little while. And I'm back today. I hope this means I'm back to regular blogging but I'm not sure. Some exciting opportunities have come our way at work. My husband and I work together for the same company, which has had a marathon struggle in this economy. It's beginning to look like we are turning a corner, and that means the opportunity to do the real work. And that means adjustments for me in my daily life, and continuing to look for the balance to live it all healthfully and richly.

Recently, Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality posted about balancing blogging with her real life. Would you believe it? I didn't read that post. I didn't want to. Because I didn't want to think about what was working and what was not working. Not just yet. Now I think I am ready.

Today, I rejoined FLY Lady. Do you know her? It's Marla Cilley, who wrote a book and runs a website entirely devoted to helping people gain control of their lives and households. She stresses getting rid of clutter, developing healthy habits, and making household chores into quick and relatively effortless routines. She is a cheerleader for you when you are hard on yourself for your "failures". I had adopted many of her methods a few years ago, but I have gradually let one thing after another slide.
I don't know what the trigger is when I decide to change something big. What about you? What makes anyone decide to do better at something? Why quit smoking? Eat more nutritiously? Get regular exercise? Maybe I'm just being a late bloomer. Again. I didn't (and never do) make out New Year's resolutions. But maybe they have been percolating in the back of my brain. Maybe because of the beginning of Lent? I've never committed to a Lenten sacrifice, although as a Lutheran, I do observe Lent. I considered giving up chocolate, or sweets. But I must admit, I feared failure, as I am surrounded by temptations as we entertained international clients last week, and have more arriving this week. I have a terrible sweet tooth, and I know that giving up sweets would be a very effective sacrifice. But I also really think you have to have your mind very focused on why you are doing it, and right now, I think I would be doing it to impress myself with how "good" I can be. Which, besides missing the point of making a sacrifice, is a set-up to beat myself up should I give in to temptation, and be "bad". So I am not going there this year.

So that's where my head has been in the last few days. Thinking about busyness, clutter, Lent, and doing a better job taking care of myself, my family and our home.

Well, that and wishing the temperature would get colder so I could get outside and go skating at the outdoor skating rink.

A novice tries to transfer an embroidery pattern

2010-02-06T14:12:00.001-05:00

Well, last Saturday, I found the embroidery kit that I had so cleverly hidden from myself in plain sight. And, excitedly, I got started! The first thing was to trace the pattern with my new iron-on transfer pencil and iron the image onto all the pieces of felt for cutting out and stitching.

I have a light box, but I thought the window would be more fun.

I used to chuckle when Lucy at Attic24 would make fun of how her hands looked in her crafty posts. She's several years younger than I, and thinks her hands look old and wrinkly. She should see mine!

Here's the ironing part. You can see the steam condensed in the water tank, but I was using a dry iron, really. Here's what I learned. You have to cover the printed pattern piece before you iron. The ink melts and smudges. It would have been better for me to trace the pattern on tracing paper (which I don't have, but will get before I do this again).Here is the paper I put over the pattern before I ironed. See all the ink that transferred to the paper!
I believe that this pencil was intended for and works best with woven cotton and linen. It transferred just enough to be seen on the cream-colored felt.

So I went ahead and cut the cream parts out.

However, I couldn't see the transferred pencil adequately on the other colors I tried. So, I've done a little research.
And I think my next craft purchase will be a Sulky iron-on transfer pen in yellow or white. Has anyone had any experience with this product? Particularly onto wool felt?

The other issue I had with using the pencil was that it was hard to get a good heavy line. I would push down good and hard, and all I managed to do was break the lead three times. I think it didn't help that I was using a cold window. I wonder if it would transfer better onto a warmer surface. And be a little less brittle. My hands got a little crampy pushing down so hard and going over and over the lines.

I must admit that the whole experience took a long time and wasn't a whole lot of fun, and clearly did not leave me prepped to stitch. It's been a bit of a learning curve.

But I'm determined to keep trying and figure out how to make this work. I looked on Alicia's website. She has a link to a flickr photostream of these ornaments that folks have completed. Sooo inspiring. Some have bought the pattern only and used their own materials, and it's great to see the variety of color combinations that others have put together. So, if they can do it, so can I! Back to the craft store, fire up the iron, I'll try another transfer method.

I'm baaaaaaaack!

2010-02-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

Did you miss me?

I have had a cold and so in the evenings on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd, I went straight to bed without posting, miserable and sneezing and sniffling. Last night, however, I started a post, only to have lost my internet connection for some reason that only the techies in the house understood. It takes a long time to upload my photos on Blogger ( a complaint that I've heard from others), and so I only do them 2 at a time, and it takes near on a half hour to load them this way!

So now I'm posting on my lunch hour without access to the pictures I wanted to post.....

But anyway, here goes!

I got the above 2 images from The Graphics Fairy. I chose them because I love ice skating, even though I am barely able to stay up on my skates, and because I love Scottish tartans, kilts, tams, and the national flower, the Thistle.

Now, I had wanted to post next about my crochet projects. Hmmmm....well, I have been working on my Filet Heart Runner, even though I need to sign up for a class in Remedial Counting. As I can't show you a picture of my progress, I will simply report to you that the whole runner is 88 rows, and I have completed 17 rows. (Well really I've done about 25 rows, but all the ripping out I've had to do for mis-counting has held me back a bit!) For the advanced mathematicians among you, you will notice that there are 9 more days til Valentine's day and ideally one displays one's Valentine's pretties at least a week before the actual holiday. If we split the difference and give me a generous 5 days to finish, that means, let's see 71 rows in 5 days....a little over 14 rows a day. Sounds like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome to me. I am reminding myself however that very shortly, I'll be approaching rows that are much shorter and therefore quicker to complete. (If I don't have to rip out and re-do, as my counting skills should improve with practice.) And as for the DMC website heart runner, I am clearly going to have to break down and buy a new crochet hook, which means a trip to Michael's or JoAnn's or somewheres....not nearby. Walmart re-modeled the store in my town last year and decimated the fabric and crafts section. Waaaah. I can't believe they didn't check with me first.

Speaking of a trip to a store for additional goods. This post was originally going to ignore crochet and delve into the minutiae of my trying to do a simple task on my embroidery project. As you may recall, my first obstacle was that I hid the kit from myself. Well, as it turns out I did a great job of hiding it by putting it in plain sight exactly where I thought I had put it. Apparently, Friday night-weary is not the right frame-of-mind to get a new craft project underway. So, last Saturday, I got started, and was fairly quickly stymied by another obstacle. But that will be my next post, when I can illustrate with pictures!

Now, speaking of embroidery and Valentine's Day, (we were, weren't we?), get on over to Mary Corbet's website and see the lovely "Heart O'Flowers" design she is offering free of charge, and let me know if you are going to do something with it.

Finally, re: knitting: I am just about to decrease at the toe of the second sock of Sovann's Winter Warmers, and I have added the blue and then finally the brown on Ian's Dapper Chap Vest. I'm looking forward to getting the zig-zaggy stripe done and back to chugging along with the main color. Pictures of all this stitchy productivity coming soon.

Have a good w/e everyone. Super Bowl? Or "Emma" on PBS?

'Nittin' Notes: 2

2010-01-31T15:57:00.001-05:00

I'm getting into the Valentine's Day frame of mind.How 'bout you?
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My Mum has established a tradition of lively Parcheesi with my kids and their cousin Sovann. That's why I chose the board as a backdrop for a progress check on Sovann's Winter Warmers. I really need to get going on these, before it isn't winter any more... It's time to start the heel flap.*********************************
The other project, you may recall is Ian's Dapper Chap Vest. I don't have enough of one color to make it in one solid color, so I needed to stripe or something. This is the photo I posted the last time. It was taken at night with just my bedroom lighting, no flash.This is a better look at the colors, taken in the southwest-facing dining room in today's afternoon sun. I love the way they look together.I made b&w photocopies of the vest, and used Ultra Point Sharpies to color in some possible designs. And yes, I was inspired by Charlie Brown to incorporate zig-zags. But there was also straight stripes and argyle to choose from. Then I polled the 4 males in the household: they each picked a different one! But it's Ian's vest and he chose the design seen on the bottom right.

I had to change the hem a little, because I couldn't make it work. I tried it over and over and over and I guess I just don't have the experience to understand and visualize what I was supposed to do, so I finally just threw in the towel and made a hem I could live with. It added length, which is fine, since the Dapper Chap himself is about 6'3" and probably not done yet!Working with the 2 colors together is a bit cumbersome. (BTW, I have no idea what I've done to make this text underlined. It happened to me once before, and I don't how to reverse it. I know, my ignorance is showing again.) As I was saying, you have to keep track of the yarns and not tangle them. I didn't try this part riding in the car in the dark. And since there will be 2 more times that I'll change colors for 16 rows, I'm dreading it a little. The carried yarn has to carry over long stretches and it's a constant challenge not to allow it to pull too tight when you pick it up again. I didn't make the colors overlap at the diagonal interface on purpose. It was a serendipitous effect that I didn't "fix" because I like it. And then the other issue (Oh look, the underlining has stopped! How brilliant of me!) is that the carried yarns are subject to getting caught on things. I thought I had a solution: twist the carried yarn with the working yarn every so often. I found that made the carried yarn show through. It might be an interesting effect if done deliberately, perhaps in a "planned random" pattern to give it a tweedy look, or a very regular way to look like a dobby pattern, but that isn't really what I want, and is more thinking than I want to do and I've already made this pattern a little complicated.

So that's all on knitting for now, I'm close to adding the blue, and I can't wait to see how it looks, so hopefully by next time, I will have the sock finished (hope so, as I'll probably see Sovann next w/e), and the blue incorporated.

Hide and Seek

2010-01-29T22:09:00.001-05:00

Do you ever "hide" things from yourself? I do it all the time. Not intentionally. And I don't enjoy the seeking. Yesterday, I hid at least 2 things from myself. I didn't lose them. To me, that implies that they are irretrievable, like dropping your berth key into the Caribbean when on a cruise, or washing a receipt in your jeans pocket, or say, whatever happens to pens and pencils around here. No, I know that I merely misplace items. You see, I'm always tucking things somewhere for safe-keeping. I could give you a list of things that are very safe, some of them have been for years. This is enabled and exacerbated by being a pack-rat and clutter-bunny. I am agonizingly aware that if everything had a place and was in it, then one thing out of place (mis-placed) would be glaringly obvious. Sigh. So, yesterday, I hurry-scurried to get my camera out of its case to get a picture of the cardinal at the feeder, and I haven't seen the case since. I was at work and my desk is relatively neat and un-cluttered, and there is only a limited area that I move about in, so go figure. I bet I spent 10 minutes, retracing my steps and searching, searching, to no avail. But I'm sure it'll turn up.............won't it?
The more exasperating loss.....er.....misplacement (I know, not a word, really) happened last night as I wanted to get started on my craft embroidery project and photo my progress and make a glorious and impressive post. I can't find the kit! Now mind you, I photographed the kit Tuesday night, so I have had it at hand recently. Last night, I looked everywhere. Well, obviously not everywhere. Just everywhere except the "mis"place. I'm feeling quite incompetent and frustrated. It is early Saturday morning as I write this, and I am hoping that the new daylight will bring a fresh perspective, and I'll find my kit. (Yes I know this post will say Friday. That's because I uploaded the pictures last night, but was too peeved and exhausted to write, so I saved as a draft.)
In the meantime, I'll show you what I have photographed already, though it's not much, certainly no doing.
So here is the cardinal whose picture I captured. Look, bare ground! We lost most of our snow cover to rain early in the week. You can still see a bit of a snow bank where the plow cleared the parking lot. Here is the gorgeous kit from Posie (Alicia Paulson). My heroine. I couldn't get started until I'd been to Michael's where I got some polyester batting. (Sorry, Alicia. She calls for wool or cotton, being no doubt a natural fiber purist. I'm not so much, but aspire to it, I suppose....) Oh, and also, an iron-on transfer pencil, which I've never used before, and was rather looking forward to. (If I could only find the darn kit!)
And so, in the absence of a beautiful crafting/stitching post, I will use birds, birdfeeder, and filling feeder as filler. These pictures were taken January 8, and saved for such a time as this.

Not a great pic of a cardinal, because of the tree behind it and the gathering darkness of a winter afternoon. Now you know why I was trying to get a better pic yesterday.

I've been calling these little birds sparrows, but a visitor to the office yesterday told me they are finches.
Here is where I keep the birdseed, just inside the front door at the office. That's my green pea coat. (Not a London Fog). I crack myself up.

Et voila!Happy finches!

Me? Not so much. Really want to find my camera case and embroidery kit.

Next: 'Nittin' notes update.......

I "Heart" Crochet

2010-01-28T18:50:00.001-05:00

Do you remember my last post about trying to come up with a crochet project? I still want to make the heart garland...that was little crocheted hearts attached to a garland or twine or something with little clothespins, which I have. Still love that idea, still might do it. Yesterday, I was perusing the DMC website, you know, the cotton embroidery floss people. As it turns out, they make crochet threads too. Makes sense, but can't say I knew that. Well, they have the cutest heart garland here, with a free instruction sheet. I sure hope that link works; I wanted to lift the picture, but I don't really know how, since the link is a PDF, not a jpg. I could only get this teensy one from the webpage.They show the garland used as shelf edging, and I'm dying to make some.

But here's what I'm working on now. It's called Heart Runner, a filet crochet pattern in the book I showed you last time.I'm using South Maid size 10 crochet cotton and a size 8 steel crochet hook. It calls for a size 9, but I couldn't find mine. It's no doubt stashed with an abandoned project somewhere, or destined to be lost forever down in the couch cushions. My gauge came out too big with the bigger hook, but who cares, it's a runner! I guess my runner will just run big. Here are the first 4 rows of the first half. You work from the middle out and then return to the middle and do it again. This is really quite easy to do, if you can count. As it turns out, I can't count.

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Along a different vein, let's talk cooking/baking......... Have I yet whined that I don't much like to cook/bake? I am mainly drawn to crafting/home dec blogs, and I find that most of them feature recipe posts now and then. Sometimes, I skip the post altogether, because, well, it just doesn't much interest me.

But something has happened. I watched "Julie and Julia" last Thurs with my Mum. I got it PPV and then discovered I could watch it as much as I wanted for 48 hours! So we watched and watched, and laughed and delighted. And now, besides wanting to go to Paris (but that's not new), I want to read the book "Julie and Julia", and get "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", and try harder to enjoy cooking. The pictures below? No, I didn't make the cake. Mum did, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. This is just me getting started, by at least putting food pictures on my blog.

And besides I love this plate, and my red kitchen counter.............................

And don't strawberries give January a little color?

By the way, it snowed again today. It's a fullish moon and so bright out...it reminds me of that line in "A Christmas Carol": "And the moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of mid-day to objects below."

Stitching next, as in embroidery, and I'll really try to post tomorrow.............

Progress, I think

2010-01-26T20:03:00.001-05:00

Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! Chick-a-dee! Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! Have you ever seen these little stuffed birds? You squeeze them and they play a recording of the actual call. I love them. My dogs do too. Tucker especially. You can really tell he is a bird dog(Cocker Spaniel); he gets sooooo excited at the sound of the bird call. He has even learned how to bite down on it to make it call. Sometimes if he gets excited about something else, he even runs to get the bird as if making it call expresses his excitement. I read that a good bird dog has a "soft mouth" and can retrieve a hit bird for the hunter without damaging it. I swear it's true. Tucker runs around with this in his mouth, and really keeps it in near-pristine condition. (Okay a little slobber on the "feathers" but nothing like some of his other toys.)

Well this little bird told me you were all dying to know how my knitting projects were coming along, so here is Sovann's first sock, as it looked in the morning sunlight on Saturday. And here it is finished and the second one started this evening

And this next picture credits Elizabeth Zimmerman for how the second sock will look better than the first. I should have checked with her before I struggled with the first heel. Well, the second will go better. I also figured out that my cable cast-on was not a cable cast-on. In fact, I don't know what it was. I watched a video tutorial and learned it, thinking it was a cable cast-on, but it wasn't what EZ called a cable cast-on. What I did (whatever it was), seemed too loose and floppy, but when I tried a correct cable cast-on, I found it was too tight, even though I tried it 3x, trying very hard to leave it loose. So I started the second sock with the cable-imposter cast-on, this time purposely snugging it up a bit, and it came out just fine. I just wish I knew what to call it. I guess Knitting Without Tears can only be achieved if one consults EZ before beginning!

Now this little bird, being used to having all the attention, insisted that we check in on the Dapper Chap Vest (aka Kim Wagner's "His Quilted Vest"). Well this is how it looked at Saturday morning's photo shoot. It is knitted from the bottom up, and I was using acrylic for my poor wool-allergic Ian.Well, no longer. I'm switching yarns. I've ripped it out and knitted up a gauge swatch with the Lion Brand Cotton Ease (50% Cotton/50% Acrylic). With a little math, I'll be able to make the switch, since this knits up a little smaller than the brand Kim uses in her pattern. I looooove the feel of this yarn. Very soft and smooth. And the subtle elasticity is easy on the hands.
And yes, these skeins were in my stash, so I'm not violating my vow to knit/crochet stash only. I don't have enough of the stone (that beige/gray color on the left) to knit the whole thing in one color (I don't think), so I'm going to knit stripes into it on the lower half, and hope that that leaves enough of the stone. It it doesn't make it, I'll have to come up with a plan B, which will probably involve buying another skein of the stone in the closest-matching dye lot. Or more stripes?I just had a funny thought. Wouldn't it be something to knit a zig-zag stripe all the way around, a la Charlie Brown.. If you knew my Ian, you'd know that he'd wear it, and proudly too, and before long, his friends would want one too!

Tomorrow, the crochet update.

Now it gets ugly............

2010-01-24T20:58:00.002-05:00

I pulled out my embroidering and cross-stitching things. I never did a lot of it, but I'd like to take on a project. If you've been over to see Mary Corbet's work, you'll see why my appetite has been whetted for a real worthwhile project. Here's something I made years ago. It's called Enchanted Alphabet. I think it was a pattern line called Lavender and Lace, but I'm not exactly sure. I really ought to mat and frame it.........
I thought I had an unworked pattern from the same designer somewhere, but I haven't run across it yet in the archaeology project that is my crafting stuff. You can tell by the wrinkles in the cloth what a jumble I've let things be in.

I had to buy so many colors of DMC floss to work the Enchanted Alphabet, but I didn't use any of them up, so there they sit, wound on the cards and stored in the box for years and years.

So, you see that I have some supplies that could get me started on a project.

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Now you see the ugly truth about my disorganization of my supplies. No wonder I don't have an ordered thought in my head about what kind of project to start on. I am publicly vowing to turn over a new leaf and treat my things with more respect, organize them and put together a plan for stitching up a project.

OTH: Crochet Projects

2010-01-23T10:06:00.001-05:00

Fresh snow is so pretty, n'est-ce pas? I took this picture on Wednesday morning before I got in the car to go to work.

I made this the other day, in a not-very-inspired attempt to have a crochet project. I think it's cute and all and will make a functional dishcloth. But it was done in no time and there I was again with nothing OTH....

So the next thing I tried were these facial pads....And they're cute and all, too, but not much fun to make, really. I must have weak crocheting muscles in my hands, because I always feel like I'm wrestling when I work with worsted weight cotton. I don't mind cotton thread at all, which is good because I think I need to make a finer fabric to use for facial pads. I tried one of these, and found it a bit too rough. I'm going to try washing them in a net bag and see if they soften up a little.

I thought about making some crocheted snowflakes, starching them and using them in my sunny dining room and dangling them in sunny windows to decorate for our post-Christmas pre-Valentine wintry January. But it's already Jan. 23 and all I've done is favorited a bunch of free patterns in Ravelry. And since I'm always slow to be prepared for the next holiday, I figure I should probably be thinking about Valentine's Day. Maybe I'll try a Sweet Heart Garland like Cassi Griffin's on Craft Stylish? And look at these, here. (Warning: time vortex!) That may be another fairly quick project, though and I really want something that challenges me and even kind of takes my breath away, when I look at it and watch it come along.

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I once took this book out of my local library. Then again a year or so later. I haven't made anything yet, but I finally bought the book on ebay, and I think it's time to commit and dig in!
It's Better Homes and Gardens Romantic Crochet. Interestingly, when I googled it today I found that BH&G have (has?) another book called "Romantic Looks Crochet", with fashions in it. Ooooh, very intriguing. I'll be scoping ravelry and google to find pictures of the garments and maybe reviews by others who have the book. Maybe it needs to be in my library? I have a good impression of BH&G publications so far, so I tend to think it's worth checking out.
Peruse it with me:
This bedscape is a stitcher's dream. The bedspread is made from panels (linen, I think?), embroidered with Jacobean-crewel-inspired ornated floral motifs, then joined with hand-crocheted lace insertion and encircled with lace edging. The pillows are crazy-quilt inspired with patchwork, applique, cutwork and embroidery techniques.
Note the red transferware, couldn't resist including this photo. Or maybe it was the cake.
Those dishes deserve this gorgeous filet crochet runner.
Don't you want to be on this picnic? In a simple but pretty sundress; peasant-style bodice with a drapey, flowy, fullish skirt. Barefoot.(Ignore the snow outside....) That motif is a thistle! I love that motif - I think I have a little Scottish, several generations back, in my family, and the thistle is Scotland's national flower. Did you notice the teacup and saucer in the pic with the book? It's English bone china, Thistle by Colclough. Mumsie gave it to me. Isn't she sweet?
So. Any of these or the many other projects in the book would be suitably meaty for a long-term challenging accomplishment. I'm leaning toward the filet crochet runner. I loooooove the bedspread. It would give me an embroidery project and crochet to work on. However, I think as long as I have dogs, who sleep on beds, that is really not a good idea...... And since I need them to keep my feet warm :), I don't really entertain the notion of not allowing them up on beds.

And there are the crisp and fresh-looking crochet-lace-edged cotton hemstitched curtains. Oh, I guess I didn't post a picture. What do you think I should work on? Post a comment and we'll see if anyone's reading this :).

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Here's why I take in my geranium urns for the winter...........

'Nittin' Notes

2010-01-19T19:51:00.001-05:00

There 'tis. A project OTN. And stash-bustin' too."What am I lookin' at?", you may ask, ending your sentence with a preposition. And no, ending a sentence with the word preposition is not incorrect, as it is a noun, and serving, in my case, as the object of a prepositional phrase.

It's the beginning of a sock. Can you guess for whom they'll be? (Betcha thought I'd end that sentence prepositionally.) If you guessed that adorable little boy in the picture, you're right. That little boy isn't so little though. He's 11, soon to be 12, and tall and lanky for his age, and his feet are as big as mine (Ladies 8.5 shoe). His mother is from Cambodia, and while he looks a lot like her, he looks quite a lot like his father, who is also my brother. He is my nephew, Sovann, and I am his Auntie. Sovann is a charmer, snowboards after school, and loves to read Calvin and Hobbes. He has a precocious grasp of irony in humor, and likes to hang out with his cousins, my boys. It occurred to me that there is somewhat of a tradition of home-made socks in the family by way of my grandmother, who literally knit them by the garbage-bag full and handed them out liberally all winter long. She died before he was born, and now I'll take up the task of making sure he gets a pair of hand-knit socks, by golly.I took this picture of the start of the 1st sock yesterday, and by last night I turned the heel. I've raced down the foot during both legs(pun not intended, but welcomed) of my commute today and may get to closing the toe tonight. The yarn is Red Heart I think, all acrylic. The green is called Dark Sage, and the red is Cherry Red. The dpns are Takumi bamboo by Clover, size 3 US.

And here is another project I'll be getting underway, if when I do up a gauge swatch, it appears that I'll have enough to finish the project. I'm not real good at these estimates, but at least if I need more yarn, I'm pretty sure that this yarn isn't discontinued, yet. I'll check before I get underway.

My boy Ian, dapper chap that he is, likes to wear sweaters and vests under his school blazer. His school has classes in 2 different buildings, and he scoots back and forth during the day through the snow and wind on a hillside off Portland's Back Cove looking out to the Atlantic Ocean. (Just a little geographic and climatic orientation to those newcomers who may assume I am alluding to the balmy but damp climate in Oregon; I am in fact referring to the cold and snowy city in Maine.)

And so I got this great pattern from KnitWitKim on Ravelry. She's in Indiana, where the winter wind is as cruel as I've felt anywhere. She calls this "His Quilted Vest" and she has done it up in Blue Sky Dyed Cotton. I originally planned to use cotton, but will first try acrylic for the warmth. Ian gets actual hives wearing wool. Poor kid. What a world of woolly warmness he will weather the winter without.*

* You caught me on the preposition thing. I had to. (There it is again.) I abandoned that principle for the allure of alliteration.

New Sources of Inspiration..........

2010-01-18T16:02:00.002-05:00

What shall I write about today? I've been continuing to ponder my knitting, crocheting and embroidering projects. (And trying to ignore sewing -- too many obstacles at the moment...I'll bore you with that another day.)
I am gradually getting some ideas, and will trickle those out in the next few days. I wish I could figure out how to blog ahead of time. I tried it once and had a post or two stacked up to share as I went into a busy week. Then I found that as I posted them, they displayed with the date on which I had created and saved them and not the date on which I hit "Publish Post". So it looked like I posted 3 times in one day, and not once daily for 3 days. Does it matter, I suppose not, I just want it the way I want it. Don't you? I thought about writing the post in Word and then cut-and-paste on the day I want to post, except that the time-consuming part of posting is uploading the pics (a real drawback in Blogger if you ask me), and besides I edit my writing to accomodate where I am able to place the pictures. (I am such an amateur at this, it's amazing I stay with it. There's something to be said for being stubborn.)

In the meantime, I want to share some New Things I have, and am drawing inspiration from.

Do you remember my early Christmas present? Well, what better way to heat the water than with the brand-new electric teakettle Jeff got me for Christmas? I LoVe It!

The other night after I chilled my feet practically to frost-bitten at a hockey game, (I know, don't say it...), I came home and heated a full pot, filled the hot-water bottle and made a cup of hot chocolate, put on a flannel nightie and a bed jacket, and snuggled in bed with TCM on the tube. Let me tell you, that kettle heated my water soooo fast. And by the way, if you have never put a HWB in the foot of your bed, you really should try it. It was still warm in the morning! I love discovering old-fashioned utilitarian items, that can't be outdone by anything new. (Like the humble wooden clothes-pin, or a wooden kitchen spoon, or handknit wool socks.) Along with a tea-pot cozy (or cosy, for our friends in the UK), I want to hand-knit a HWB cozy. I collect vintage patterns for both items, but haven't made any yet....why is that?

The next two items I bought with "birthday money" sent me by loved ones. If you've read my ravings about Victorian Trading Company, then you won't be surprised that I shopped there. I love flannel nighties, and think they get a bad rap for being un-sexy. I think that while they may not be alluring, they can be feminine and dainty, and really very pretty. For a long time, VTC has carried a white ruffly nightgown called the Anastasia, which while very pretty, just wasn't quite what I was looking for in a nightie. Then they added a charmer made of pink rosebud flannel, and I remember thinking that they'd have gotten me if it were blue. When I was a wee little thing, my mother made a pink rag doll with yellow wool hair and blue button eyes, to look like me, and the only garment I really remember her having was a little dress (nightgown?) made from the classic blue rosebud calico, with a light blue binding at the neck, sleeves and hem.

Well, now VTC seems to have expanded their clothing line and perhaps with their own label, which I think sums it up: The Hopeless Romantic. What else are we if not that?

And so now, they bring us the Bonny Blue nightgown. (How do you like that? "Bonny Blue", right out of GWTW!) I bought it and I love it. The flannel is really thick and soft. The print is beautiful. The buttons down the front are little round pearls, and there are pintucks around the neckline. The sleeves are called poet sleeves, so you have to be careful not to drag them in the jam when getting your tea and crumpets in the morning, but so far I have managed them. Now that I know how lamb-y soft the flannel, I just might be going back for the Rosebud............

The second gift I got myself with the B'day $, as if the Bonny Blue weren't enough, was this book of vintage knitting and crochet patterns: A Stitch in Time, by Jane Waller and Susan Crawford.If I've given you the impression that I'm all about Victorian fashions and sensibilities, then I've given you too narrow a view. I love the fashions of the thirties and forties. I am a sucker for a bias-cut silk gown in 1930's movies. Classy Claudette Colbert and Slinky Jean Harlowe and Sweet, Spunky Myrna Loy were definitely stylin'. Did I forget Ginger Rogers? Talk about glamour...........Maybe I should devote a post to this book, someday. If you get a chance to leaf through it, you'll drool. You can't even get it on Amazon. I had to order it from the publisher, from the Knit-on-the-Net website. If you are a Ravelry member, you can do a search and see lots of pictures from the book and the versions various knitters have made. Get your tea and curl up with your laptop; it's a real treat to see them!

Random Thoughts

2010-01-16T16:12:00.001-05:00

Let's see....how many different things do I have swirling around in my brain as I try to drain every precious moment out of my Saturday?
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I have started doing the laundry.......which is enough to keep me busy all the day long, especially if I can get everyone in the house to strip his bed and bring me the bedding. And then there's the added work if I can get them to rake the carpet of dirty clothes off their floors. It'll make for interesting mornings next week if they don't have their favorite clothes clean to wear to school. Still waiting for that connection to sink in..............
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This morning I scrubbed surfaces in the kitchen with bleach and detergent. Great feeling of accomplishment. In theory, I do this every Saturday morn. In theory. Got the floor mopped too. Haven't yet cleaned out the fridge. Got to, though. Will be doing my grocery shopping tomorrow afternoon. I'm getting back to using this book: Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. I used her menus and recipes last week, and what a relief to know each day coming home that I know what to make, and that I have the necessary ingredients.
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We need a cow.

Or even a goat.

With 3 teen-aged boys in the house, we never have enough milk. When I was growing up, we raised a few dairy goats, and had fresh goat's milk for a few months every year. Didn't think I'd like it, but I did. Every spring when the does freshened, it took a few days to get used to the goats' milk, but when they dried up in the fall, it took a week or two to get used to cows' milk again. My brother and I shared the milking, twice a day.
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Evan turned 16 on Monday. He had hockey practice at 5:30 in the morning, and sprained his left ankle badly. Has been on crutches all this week. Happy 16th birthday, Evan. (Evan is the cutie in this pic.)

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I started a new spiritual discipline today. I found a program online called "Prayers for Your Husband" with 31 things to pray about for your husband, one for each day of the month. I am adding this to the reading of 1 chapter of Proverbs daily. There are 31 chapters, if you aren't familiar with it. I never cease to be amazed at the wisdom in those verses. It has also given me great insight into literary references and quaint old idioms. Makes me realize how much "common wisdom" is rooted in the Bible. (Found on a link from 50's Housewife 's blog; I'll try to re-locate it....) ETA I found the link, here.
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Still pondering knitting, crocheting, and stitching projects.
1. Knitting: Jeff could use another pair of socks, or a few, even. For that matter, all the boys have an endless need for good, sturdy, warm socks. As you may recall, I have a pair of Jaywalker socks started and hibernating, pending a solution for not enough yarn. Last Saturday, I alluded to making the pink, ruffly sweater in Vogue Knitting. But I am also trying to knit solely out of my stash, mostly single skeins, bought out of admiration for the color or the feel or the bargain-clearance price. Most are old enough to have been discontinued, so they are destined to be small accessories, or used together in some sort of stripe-y or block-afghan way. I really need to channel some inspiration on this if I ever hope to earn the right to buy new yarn for a project like the sweater in the mag. (And not only that, you should see the new book I just got. I'll save it for another post, but I just drool at the beautiful sweaters that I really must knit.)

2. Crochet: stash-busting principles apply here as well, but additionally, I have way too much cotton for kitchen towels, potholders, etc. I don't love working with it, as cotton doesn't have much elasticity, but it suits for practical items. I like the idea of making items that can be re-used, in favor of buying disposable things. I will soon start making some "facial pads" to use and wash instead of cotton balls for eye-makeup remover and witch hazel. It won't take long to whip up a dozen or so, and also not very interesting. I did see a clever hot pad on Mary Grace McNamara's site "Hooked on Needles", which she in turn got from another blog. It's a good pattern for using little bits of 3 different colors. Need to give that a try. And then there's always a project which I like the idea of , but don't much enjoy doing. I make "plarn" which is plastic yarn, out of those ubiquitous grocery shopping bags, and crochet up re-usable market bags. I kind of like making plarn in the summer when it's hot and a lapful of afghan is too warm. The kids and I work on it together when watching Red Sox games. (Doesn't everybody?) But crocheting it is hard work, and the hands and forearms will only tolerate so much at a stretch.

3. Stitching: No idea, really, where I'll begin. I read Mary Corbet's blog regularly, and I just want to stitch and stitch on something beautiful...but no idea where to begin. I have a kit I bought last year from Alicia Paulson, and still haven't opened. There's no good reason not to work on Christmas ornaments in January, right? After all, unless the good Lord comes again before next December, I expect 2010 will have a Christmas and we at our household will have a tree to decorate. I didn't buy the kit this year (being on a spending Austerity Plan!), but I think if I am successful with the 1st kit, I can buy the pattern and make it with my own materials. I'll be interested to see if she does another kit next fall.

What projects are you getting started on?

Call to Prayer & Action

2010-01-14T09:52:00.001-05:00

I have been watching in horror, as no doubt you have too, as news reports of death and devastation come to us from Haiti. The lack of emergency response infrastructure in that country will prolong and magnify the suffering. There are still people alive but trapped under collapsed buildings. There are survivors whose bodies are mangled, but no medical care is available. The dead are everywhere with no services available to cremate or inter them. No food, no water, no shelter, no sanitation, no medicines. 5% of the population has HIV/AIDS and the lowest doctor:population in the world. (2 doctors/100K). Bad information circulating. Rumors, lies. Coastal people are flocking inland for fear of an ensuing tsunami.
Humanitarian agencies are in full swing. Lives will be saved, and suffering will be abated, but imagine the fear and desperation in the meantime. Lives will be lost needlessly if those trapped cannot be freed. The sick, the elderly will fall prey to hunger, dehydration, exposure to the elements. It breaks my heart and overwhelms my mind to consider it all.
I have 2 thoughts on all of this: 1) God is bigger than any disaster wrought on this earth. He can and will work all things for good. There is and will be suffering in all of this. But this is a time when we can and will band together to bear Haiti's burdens. I know that Christians are sending up prayers of intercession to God, even as I type. Christians and non-Christians alike will give generously of their resources, time, talents and money, to provide aid and comfort in this time of need in Haiti. I even dare hope that Haiti's capacity to deal with catastrophe will be fortified and improved as a result of the attention brought to this destitute part of the world.
2) See the scripture tag on the right sidebar - this is a scripture I have come to again and again in the last several months. I have alluded to having had a tough year in 2009. I won't go into detail, but one of the most difficult things I have faced is the death of my father, a huge and powerful figure in my life. And that was only part of my "annis horribilis" (to quote QEII). One of the positive outcomes is that I have had so many loving and compassionate people rally around me and my family, who have helped in so many ways. I often reflect on how Christians are exhorted to "bear one another's burdens". This year, I have experienced that in a very real and meaningful way. I have also been given the opportunity to put that command into action. It is one of the most powerful human interactions I have ever experienced. To come alongside someone in their time of need, or to have someone offer you comfort when you are suffering is something beyond words for me. So deeply touching. Tomorrow, maybe I will find the quote from Gandhi how losing yourself in service to others is how you find yourself. A beautiful thought.
Please consider what you may have to offer. Time. Talents. Money. The Red Cross allows you to designate donations for Haiti. Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) has a presence there, and Stephanie, the Yarn Harlot urges and tracks donations from her following of knitters. Click on that link for her eloquent post.

Giveaway Announcement

2010-01-09T13:15:00.002-05:00

I was just visiting Jacque @ Campagne Maison, and linked to Marla @ Always Nesting, who is having a giveaway to celebrate her 100th blog post! I perused around on her blog, and enjoyed her home dec projects. She has just completed a bedroom decorating project, which looks wonderful! She is giving away a $25 TJMaxx giftcard. Perfect for home dec items! Will it inspire your new projects?

If you go over and enter a comment, mention my name and blog. Thanks!

P.S. If you visit Jacque, wish her a happy birthday, or "Bonne Anniversaire"!

Mmmmm, I love Saturday mornings........

2010-01-09T08:40:00.001-05:00

Don't you? I guess it depends on what your obligations are. This morning I took a break away from Vogue Knitting magazine to take Evan to a team breakfast before his hockey game. But otherwise, my morning is all about knitting. I'm at a fresh start. I have nothing OTN or OTH. I'm not counting projects that are hibernating. (See the Jaywalker socks, and the Teapot Dishcloth.) That bread on the plate was part of a terrific gift basket from my Grammie (of the Country Club Shawl) and my Aunt Anne. Homemade goodies! The little loaf looks like a cinnamon roll, but there's chocolate rolled in too. Mmmmmmmm. I microwaved it just a little and melted a little pat of butter and sipped my Red Rose tea with it. (Someday, I'll blather on about why Red Rose is my brand of tea, bet you're all aquiver with anticipation...)I'm thinking about trying to make the pink sweater in the picture above. It's in the Winter 2009/10 issue. I'd probably make it in a robin's egg blue, a better color for me, although everybody looks pretty in pink. It's all soft and lacy and ruffly and romantically feminine, everything I love in a sweater, or any garment for that matter.
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I finished the tie last night, weaved in the ends, washed it in the sink with a mild lavender detergent, squeezed it out in a towel, and pinned it out to block on my ironing board. It already looks so much better without the puckers it has when you're knitting it.

This is how it looks in the morning light, still slightly damp on the underside. I'm dying to un-pin it and give it to Ian. Maybe he'll even humor me and try it on and let me take pics?

See the purple and gold yarn? That's all I have left from the scarf. May have to get more if I seriously want to make a tie....but then I'll really have a lot left over.... wonder if any other Cheverus students would pay money for a hand-knit school colors tie? They knit up pretty quick....
I'm having a lot of fun lining up my next round of projects. I like to have more than one project going at once. Things I can work on at hockey games, in the car, which often means in the dark. Things I can make as gifts for others, as little treats for myself, practical items for the household, pretty little crocheted doilies and tatted lace.

And then there's the itching to get a stitching project going. Have you checked out Mary Corbet's Needles 'n Thread website? I'm an avid reader, and I just want to get going on something. Check out the needlebook she made recently. I always picture Olivia deHaviland in the "The Heiress" stitching away on a gorgeous tapestry of some sort. Seems so genteel.

I'll post again on this topic when I have some projects lined up.

This shouldn't be so difficult...........

2010-01-08T21:11:00.002-05:00

If you're a Ravelry member, you may have seen the Hogwarts House tie. It is striped with the house colors. Well, my oldest son does not go to Hogwarts, but he does wear a tie as part of his school uniform, and I'm a little surprised to recollect that this is his 4th year and I've never knit him a tie. What have I been wasting my knitting time on? As you can see below, I still haven't knit him a tie striped in school colors. (I have bemoaned the difficulty of finding both school colors in the same yarn before. When I made this scarf.) I clearly don't know how to photograph this yarn to best advantage...............

This is an easy pattern. Yet, I have ripped and re-knit soooo many times. I'm blaming this yarn. It is very difficult to see the individual stitches, It's a great nubbly texture, and mixed colors. You can see the black and white in it okay, but that other color is a khaki/olive mixture with a nice variation of proportion of khaki to olive. It is Red Heart Casual Cot'n, and I'd've provided a link, but it's discontinued. Which explains why I have some of it. Reduced price at a discount store. Thrifty knitter, that's me.....

I've made great progress on this tie, and will probably finish tonight. Now that I have the rhythm of the pattern, I think I'll pull out the leftovers from making the scarf and see if I can't make the same tie, this time with the stripes. I'll try to show pics of this tie, anyway, once I've finished and blocked it.

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

2010-01-05T20:30:00.001-05:00

I wanted to post these birdfeeder pictures yesterday, but didn't get to it. You all know this is a blue jay, I'm sure.

There were at least 4 jays by the feeder just then and one chased off a beautiful male cardinal before I could get a picture. I never got to see if he had his lady with him. There's a goal for me this winter. A pic of a cardinal (or even a pair!) in the snow. Do you see the jay in the snow below the feeder?
That tiny little thing on the left side of the feeder is a black-capped chickadee, the state bird of Maine. They were plentiful and hard to photograph, as they flit about so much.And here's an even harder-to-identify bird due to inadequate photographing, but down on the ground is a junco. There were titmice too, but they were mainly flitting about and coming right up to my kitchen window, didn't get a pic this time.

A couple more neighborhood houses seen on my snowy walk with Jeff. Liked the sculpted drift on this roof. As we get closer to the ocean, there are fewer pines to protect from the wind, and it really seemed to be whipping around, there was even less snow, and it's only about a quarter of a mile from our place.

Back to our place, and I wanted to show you this overgrown evergreen at the corner of the house...

You can't tell it 'til at least dusk, but it's.......................

strung with lights, and a star on top.

Just let me catch my breath!

2010-01-03T17:33:00.001-05:00

This is a big day in my blogging experience. Huge. I can't even believe how nervous and excited it has made me.

I've been awarded and tagged!

The Award comes with being "tagged" and the rules are that I must list 7 random things of interest about myself, and then I must award to 7 others whose blogs I esteem. Although, I can't tag Honore @ Bygone Knits, as she is the one who has generously awarded me.

1. I love my Yankee background, but I frequently run across descriptions of Southern hospitality and graces, and think secretly I'd like to be a Southern Lady.

2. I was born on an Air Force base in Normandy. France. I've seen the Eiffel tower and L'Arc de Triomphe and picnicked in the French countryside and I remember none of it. But I have a beautiful French birth certificate printed in gold ink.

3. In the early 1980's, Jay Leno rode his motorcycle up to an inn where I was working for the summer. He was doing stand-up comedy in our tavern and I helped him run the washing machine to wash his best jeans for his performance.

4. One summer when I was a teenager I worked at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Tomorrowland, actually. The uniforms were hideous. Red and yellow polyester. 'Nuff said?

5. I have a Master's degree in Biochemistry.

6. Almost everyone on my mother's side of my family is very tall. So, I married a man who is almost 6'5". My sons are tall but are not basketball players, they are hockey players. I possess no athletic talent. But wish I did. Or sing, if I had a choice.

7. I have neither desire nor interest in being preserved cryogenically.

Now, about tagging 7 others. This is a bit of a challenge, because while I am so excited to be tagged. (You mean someone actually knows I exist? I've never even written a book!) However, I have noted that some bloggers are not happy about being tagged. Maybe we should have some kind of icon on our blogs that indicates either "Feel free to tag me" or "No tags, please". So, I'm going to stick my neck out and tag blindly, not knowing if my tag-ees will scoff and scowl, or squeal with delight.

1. Mary Grace @ Hooked on Needles

2. Cindy @ My Romantic Home

3. Anna @ Thimbleanna *

4. Lara @ Thornberry

5. Laura @ Decor to Adore

6. Kim @ Daisy Cottage

7. Mary Corbet @ Needle 'n Thread

What fun for me! I hope this encourages you to visit the above blogs. As I was choosing, I discovered that there are more than 7 blogs that I think are beautiful, and the people behind them appealing and interesting. I purposely avoided awarding and tagging people who get hundreds of comments for each post, as I imagine their blogging time to be busy already. Although, I wonder if Lucy will have the time and energy to play, as she is expecting to meet Bump24 very soon indeed!

*This post was changed to take Lucy off the list, as when I went to her blog I saw she had 217 comments on her last post, and I am so worried about tiring her...... I subbed in one of the many other bloggers I admire and follow regularly.. Sorry to be so dorky and not getting things right the first time. I'm all discombobulated in my excited state! Check out Lucy's blog @ Attic24, anyway. Talk about eye candy! There is a link in my blog list in the sidebar on the right.

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-03T12:12:00.001-05:00

In case you haven't heard, we've been getting some snow up our way... This is my DH Jeff after clearing the driveway this morn and just before our walk through the neighborhood. I realized after visiting this blog post of Cindy's, that I could do a neighborhood tour. I took more pictures than I posted this time. Maybe I'll save the others for another day when I can't think what to post about......

Check out the clipper ship weather vane(above) and the moose (below)...

The photos above and below are taken with me facing southeast. Proof that the weather guy was right. The wind was out of the northwest. See how the snow accumulated on the trees?

This house reminds me of a Currier & Ives print. You almost expect to see a horse-drawn sleigh pull into view.

This is our neighbor across the street, and the trusty plow with which he plows us out regularly. :) I thought the way the wind carved the drift on the garage roof looked cool.

Do you remember this newspaper tube? Leaves still on the trees, mid-October.......it belongs to the same neighbor. Here it is today (see below.)

And while I was out in the street, I turned around and took in this view of our house. Look at all the snow piled up on my evergreen wreath!

I don't know how old this farmhouse and barn (below)are. The whole street I live on used to be the land associated with the farm. It was a real "saltwater farm" and the land borders right on the cove (otherwise known as "Biddeford Pool"). Now some of it is a wildlife sanctuary, being on a major bird migration path. Our backyard backs up to the sanctuary, so we have a pretty quiet neighborhood. The deer used to travel through our yard at night. Before we got dogs. Now my hosta and yew shrubs have a fighting chance.

No idea what kind of tree that is, love the red berries against all the white.
The pun in the sign on the barn ("Summersalt Farm") is that the current owner is a retired gymnastics coach.
They have put a row of birdhouses where there backyard meets the bird sanctuary.

I took this picture of the sundial back in the fall. It was an anniversary gift I gave DH a couple of years ago. It says: "Grow Old With Me; The Best is Yet to Be".
And here it is today.....................not telling us time without the sun anyway.

This last shot is just a teaser.............tomorrow I'll post pics of actual birds at the feeder. I finally put seed in it yesterday, and already today I've seen blue jays, a cardinal, chickadees, titmice (titmouses?), and at least one junco.

Slouching toward 2010!

2010-01-02T18:38:00.001-05:00

Well, I'll start out by saying that I have nothing brilliant, profound or poignant to say about 2009 finally being over and 2010 here to bring us what it may.

We have had a fairly quiet pair of holidays with some much-needed rest in between.

2009 has left me weary. I have suffered loss this year, more than any other year in my life so far. I am also aware that my losses this year pale in comparison to those suffered by other people. It has been an eye-opener for me. I feel like I have been living a very naive life. Or maybe a life of denial.

In early November, my oldest son went on a spiritual retreat with classmates. He goes to a Jesuit high school, and so it is not as strange as it may sound. He was away for 4 nights and 3 days and the students participated in small groups where they talked about many things, including their hurts and anxieties, and what they fear and what they try to hide from others. It is very emotional to open up to others and for some, it becomes the first step to getting some much needed help. It also becomes a way for the classmates to become true friends. They open up, they trust, they give support and show unconditional love for each other. Barriers come down. They learn that the person they thought was a snob is really just lonely and shy. The prickly kid is angry and wounded. The distant classmate is coping the best he can. They also learn how to reach out and help. The secrets they tell remain secret within the group. After the retreat, when they see each other in class or pass in the hall, it means so much more when one offers: "How's it goin', dude?". My son tells me the experience gave him a more forgiving view of people. The perspective that people are carrying burdens that we can't always see, and that kindness and forbearance are in order for those who seem unapproachable or unloveable.

The experience was a great catalyst for discussions he and I have had. And it gave me pause to think about my year.

In mid-December, my great-aunt died. She was 87 and had suffered dementia for at least 5 years. At the funeral reception, I visited briefly with my mother's cousin (my great-aunt's daughter, follow me), who really is only a few years older than I. She had lost her father a few years ago, and had been veeeery close with her mother. In her time of loss, she came to me and reached out to me about the loss of my father last April. It meant so much to me. It's hard to explain. Since I lost Dad, I feel more of an urgency to extend sympathy to people who are grieving. Don't get me wrong, I've never lacked sympathy. I guess it's only honest to say that my expressions of sympathy have been strained. I found it difficult, unpleasant to do. I always felt wholly inadequate; I knew that nothing I could say could mitigate their suffering. What I didn't know was just that acknowledging their loss was a comfort. Now I know that offering very simple words of comfort are best, and valuable. "I am so sorry for your loss." "I know you loved him/her very much." "This is such a hard time for you." I especially loved when people told me they loved my Dad too. I'm weeping now to remember my Dad's cousin Harley tell stories of them growing up together. Stories I'd never heard, but which ring true to my Dad's personality and character.

So, all in all, I guess I'm saying 2009 hasn't been all fun and games, and that I'm trying to put the difficulties into perspective, and move forward a better person.

Here's to 2010!

2010-01-01T01:23:00.000-05:00

(Clip art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.)

New Background

2009-12-30T22:53:00.001-05:00

Did you notice my new background?

I stumbled across the website of a graphic artist, Karen, who creates beautiful backgrounds and teaches you how to put them on your own site! I have always wondered how people have such beautiful and creative blogs. The secret is that they are either techno-smart, or they know where to turn to for help. So, in my case, I am thrilled to have this enormously talented lady's help. And it's free! She is The Background Fairy. She also has vintage epherema-inspired clip art on her other website Graphic Fairy. I will be sure to credit her whenever I use her images.

Here are some examples:

She has an abundant collection of birds, eggs, and nests, some on greeting cards.

Then there's beautiful Spencerian penmanship, with its fluorishes and scrolls, not just text, but beautiful images, such as the leaping stag above.

And finally, since we are still in the 12 days of Christmas, I feel that it is still timely to include this adorable Christmas-y image. Karen has a huge selection of art depicting children that'll make your heart melt!

Speaking of the Twelve Days of Christmas, check out this website. Laura is on a blogging break, but has filled her absence with clever depictions from the ancient Christmas carol.

Well, now I need to go knit, birthdays coming up fast, you know...

Dock Square, Kennebunkport

2009-12-29T14:09:00.001-05:00

Just a fly-by post, as I am supposed to be busy with other things...;).

I promised pictures of the tree in K'port, and found quite a few. I saw one pic I thought was the best, but didn't really know how to "lift" it. As it is, I am "borrowing" the pics below, but with credit to the websites where I got them. I hope that's okay.....

This tree-topper makes me want to get out the"crackers" and melt some butter............... (Photo lifted from this website.)
This one shows the same Christmas tree, lit up in the dark --- can you see that the ornaments are lobster buoys? ( This photo came from here.) For those who are land-locked, or just not up on their lobster lore, lobstermen attach a buoy to the rope when they drop a lobster trap (sometimes also called a "lobster-pot") down onto the ocean floor. Each licensed lobstermen paints his buoys his signature pattern, so that he can find his traps when he returns to pull up the traps and harvest the "keepers". With all the color combinations, they make for colorful decorations on trees, lamp-posts, doors, and of course on the side of lobster shacks!

As I was saying to my friends about the Country Club....

2009-12-27T22:14:00.001-05:00

Shawl, that is... Here is the finished project. I thought I didn't have pictures, but it turns out Evan had my camera card with these pics on it. The knitting directions call it the "Country Club Shawl", but I always think of a long rectangular wrap as a stole, and then when it is a triangle, it is a shawl. Anybody want to weigh in? Is the distinction legitimate?

How do you like this year's tree-topper? The old lighted star broke last year, and we hadn't yet replaced it when Ian brought in one of his lobster-trap buoys. It made us want to decorate a whole tree with a seashore theme. Probably plenty of people have....you should see the tree down in Dock Square in Kennbunkport, huge and decorated with lobster buoys, etc. I'll see if I can find a pic to post.
Anyway, back to the shawl/stole, Mum came to visit the night before Christmas Eve, and we had a Christmas morn with her on the 24th. She helped me with the shawl-fringeing. You can sort of see it in the second picture. She brought it back to Stratton with her and gave it to Gram for me. Apparently, she likes it- she sits with it in her lap. I'll probably call her in a day or two, when all the excitement dies down. She has had lots of visitors and festivities, and it's best to call when the house is quiet, when there is little background noise -- doesn't hear well.
---------------------------------

Speaking of Mum.........

This dear lady is getting acquainted with her new techno-gizmo: a cell phone! And being a good sport about being photographed for the blog. The more I teased her about not having a cell phone, the more I realized how much utility she'd get out of having one. She lives in a very remote, rural area and drives through some potentially dangerous weather on a curvy, winding road alongside a river to get to doctor's appointments, pharmacies, decent grocery shopping. And let's not forget that the best way to communicate with her nearly 17-yo granddaughter is by texting. As it turned out, even though TracFone seemed to have the best coverage in her poorly-covered area when we consulted the coverage maps, her phone won't work up there! When we were trying to activate the phone, it refused to activate for her zip code. My DH Jeff called the 800# and they are going to send her a different phone for her zip. She should get it maybe Tuesday. In the meantime, she was so excited, we sent her home with one of our old TracFones. She is thrilled to be using it, and reports that she has in fact already texted Emma! Who says you can't teach Granny how to use the new-fangled contraptions!

A Lovely Christmas was had by All......

2009-12-26T22:46:00.001-05:00

I just remarked to Honore on her blog Bygone Knits that I am using "lovely" too much and I need to vary my adjectives more. You see I have just visited most of my favorite blogs to check in with everyone's holiday, and in the spirit of sending warm Christmas greetings, I left comments. And because I appreciate the sharing, both writing and photos, I told 'most everyone that her blog is lovely, or the photos were lovely, or her children/pets were lovely, or the sentiments expressed were lovely, and in at least one case, the music was lovely. What to do? The word "lovely" for me evokes soft and gentle expressions of happy and pleasant loving feelings. And that's what my favorite blogs do for me. That's why I go back over and over.

Feel free to leave suggestions for other adjectives I can use. I'll try them out and see how they feel.

We did not travel this year and actually only had 1 family member visit. We live pretty far from our families. Sigh.... Whose idea was that? Oh, yeah, mine. Hindsight is 20/20.

Christmas is less chaotic now that the youngest in the family is almost 13. And with 3 teenage boys in the house, any holiday is less about decorating and presents and very much about the food! I should work on photographing food for this blog, because there is lots of it around and most of it is really quite pretty. I'll work on that. It's been pretty quiet here. Even the snow fell softly today. No wind or fuss, just gentle flakes drifting down. And then, as quickly as it started, it was over.

And now, late at night, I am quietly counting my blessings and thinking about heading off to bed.

Good night, all. Thanks for coming by.

OTN Update

2009-12-21T09:14:00.001-05:00

Here is what I've been working on. First, a dishcloth and dishtowel set. Here, I demonstrate the impracticality of not planning out your project before you begin. As you see in the picture, I have completed the dishcloth and am now working on the dishtowel. Note how cleverly I have rewound my little multicolored skein into a center-pull ball and am working both sides from the two ends of yarn. Note also the tiny ball of soft yellow cotton. Raise your hand if you think that tiny ball will complete the project. If you are raising your hand now, you lose. If you are thinking that I have a second ball in my stash to join at the end of this ball, you are wrong again. I will have to go to the drug store where I bought this stuff and hope they have another one, hope the dye lots are close. If I am lucky, I will be the only one who buys cotton yarn at a drug store, and the only difference between my first purchase and my second will be an (un)healthy layer of dust. I'll let you know.
I graphed out the teacup and saucer on an Excel spreadsheet, which wasn't too hard. Used that for the dishcloth. For the dishtowel, I started by borrowing a teapot graph I found on someone's website, but then I modified it to suit my tastes. Put that on an Excel ss too. But I'm knitting the teapot top-down, so that's why it looks like only plain stockinette so far. It is.
Next up in Wendy's Knitting Follies is an example of slow learning. I had this skein of Lion Brand Magic Stripes, which you may know is discontinued. It is intended for knitting one pair of socks, and will dutifully demonstrate self-striping. If you follow the label directions. Which I didn't.
Noooooo, I had to up the anti. I wanted a little more interest. I wanted a pattern, one that wouldn't get lost in the self-striping hoopla. I chose the jaywalker. If you are on Ravelry, then you surely are familiar with the jaywalker sock. Grumperina, who designed it, lives in Cambridge, Mass. and named it so because it reminds her of jaywalking in Boston (where the traffic is often bumper-to-bumper, and you have to walk around stopped cars to jaywalk). First you go right, then left, then right again. Love the look of this sock. Love most of the knitting. I amended the cuff so that I could at least like the cuff.

You will notice that my first jaywalker sock is still OTN. You will be supposing that I haven't closed the toe because I am dreading the Kitchener stitch. Well I am, but that isn't why I didn't close the toe. The skein started out at 3.5 oz., and so, in order to have enough yarn, each sock can only consume 1.75 oz. (stay with me on the maths). Before I finished shaping the toe, I threw the remaining ball on the postal scale at work. 1.6 oz., flickering to 1.5! What! But the label promised me a pair of socks. Oh yeah, smarty pants, but not a pair of socks knit on size 1 needles and with a pattern gauge of 38 stitches to 4".......

So now, having considered my options, and remembering that the skein cost me $1.99 st a discount dump, I mean store, I am going unravel a bit and complete the toe with a solid color and then knit a second sock with a matching solid toe. The Magic Stripes, remember, have been discontinued, but Lion Brand has superwash merino with almost identical yardage per weight, so I can rescue this $1.99 pair of socks for about $5.00. The fiber content will be a little different. The Magic Stripes yarn is good for socks because it is reinforced with 25% nylon. So, I'll probably wear through the toes after all my hard work. Sigh, too bad I don't love them. They'll probably last forever (to remind me of my erring ways) and serve me well.

This next project is finally cast off and I am fringe-ing. This is the Country Club Shawl in a color called Persimmon. (inexplicably spelled Persimmion on the label) This is another discontinued discount purchase. A huge amount of yarn for a piddling price. I want to turn my nose up at it because it is all acrylic, but I can't cause it is so soft and cushy. It is a textured yarn (specifically, Red Heart Value Textured Yarn - no pretense there), and so it's really kind of fluffy, and begs to be made into something cozy. I'll show you the fringe when I'm done. Never done this before, a bit tedious.

Another view. I wish I knew how to photograph this to show you the rich color, and with less light bouncing off of it.

Well, that's all for now. All three of these projects still have more to go, so I'll be dribbling them in a bit at a time. I know you are on the edge of your seat to know how they all turn out.

Half a snack set

2009-12-19T13:11:00.001-05:00

Here's a little arrangement I made using my unmatched snack set plate. Can you see the pretty little pressed design on the glass? Suddenly the flowers remind me of poinsettias. I feel so clever.What arrangement could you make with half a snack set? Can you see my reflection with the camera on the glass balls?

Tomorrow, I'll test my cleverness with something I have OTN and maybe I'll show you how my OTH project comes along.

Don't you wish you were me?

2009-12-15T20:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, when I got home from work, I thought I was going to have to throw together a dinner for hungry, albeit grateful teenage boys. (You don't believe teenage boys show gratitude, beyond seeming to appreciate something hot and reasonably tasty to shovel into their mouths? You'd be shocked-at my house, my husband and I get thanked by each kid, at each meal! I know, I know we still stare at each other, mouths agape, each time. You never really get used to it, and I guess that's the point, that they never take it for granted either.) Well, if that little aside isn't enough to make you wish you were me, then look what I found waiting on the dining room table.

My oldest son, Ian, and the youngest one, Sean (Evan was at driving school-don't you wish you were me?) are responsible for the fact that I have pictures to document my delightful surprise and thus have a blog-post to share with you. You see, I was given a new digitial camera for my birthday, almost 3 weeks ago, and being a bit of a technophobe, I hadn't tried it. I'm one of those people who wants to read the entire manual, before I do anything with whatever the techno-gizmo is. This is my mother's fault. Every Christmas, we took pictures of her puzzling over such acts of wizardry as "setting her new watch", and.....well, I don't know what else, but you know what I mean. Let me just say, she has never owned a cell phone. Last week, however, she achieved a milestone: she e-mailed a link. No, really. Now do you see what I mean?

So, anyway, the boys wouldn't let me open what was in the box, until we had the camera fired up and ready to document the process (since my argument for wanting a new digital cam was that I am, after all, a blogger.)

This is the part where I sheepishly admit that, after diss-ing my mother for her techno-backward ways, she was in fact the giver of the gifts herein! (Shame on me....)

That pic above is another look to emphasize the gorgeous presentation by the folks at Victorian Trading Company. I am sure that Mum paid extra for gift-wrap, and they did a fine job. Those boxes are not actually gift-wrapped but gorgeous decorated and re-usable boxes. The little card is scrumptious and a fine example of the Victorian ephemera reproductions they do so well. Mum introduced me to their catalog years ago, and I curl up with it with almost as much anticipation as I do with some of my favorite magazines. I am the lucky owner of only a small handful of their products, but my Wish List is a mile long.

This is what I found inside: Don't you wish you were me?

It took my breath away! I told you in a previous post about my ambivalence for tea-for-one sets, but I have yet to bore you with, I mean share with you how charming I find these little snack sets. I mean you can have a light lunch or a snack with them. Can you picture anything from a humble grilled-cheese sandwich with a cup of tomato soup to tea and cake served on such a set? What about a donut and hot cider? Coffee and a bagel? tea and crumpets? tea and muffins? tea and your-favorite-pastry-here? I love them! They always remind me of having a cosy tete-a-tete. (I wish I knew how to type in the proper accent grave.)At Goodwill last year, I picked up a plate for about $1, but alas no matching cup, but no matter, I mix-and-match with other teacups and this fall, I found a new re-use. I put a pillar candle on it, with a little dried arrangement on the body of the plate and it looks fab on my windowsill.

Okay, not the greatest picture, just me playing with new cam.

Don't you wish you were me? New camera, early Christmas present, and by now, husband in the kitchen making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup...

No? Not yet? Holding out for more?

I left out the part about 12-year-old son forgetting for a minute to be a sullen near-teen and freely giving me a welcoming hug and kiss. And the merry Cocker Spaniels, who always behave as if your arrival is the best thing all day. (Every breed description of Cocker Spaniels uses the adjective "merry" to describe their personality, and what can I say, they really are. Makes you wonder how they will out-do their usual to celebrate Christmas....)

So, Okay, if you still don't wish you were me.................

There was more!!!!

The teapot, with birds, red-and-white transferware, and don't miss the hand-painted flourish on the spout! What's not to love?

When are you coming over for tea and cake?

Have a really good day anyway, since you can't be me. Only I can be me. Just sayin'.

Kitchen Kitsch: OTH

2009-11-29T16:25:00.001-05:00

Here's a quiz: do you remember what OTH means?

OTH: I have made a couple of dishcloths with Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in "Cottage" and Lily's Sugar and Cream in Ecru. The pattern is from the Coats and Clark website.
I hope this is the last of my not-so-good pictures, but I have a feeling that there are more to come as I make my way through my birthday-cam learning curve.

And I am making dishtowels to go with. Same yarns. Pattern is Dorothea Dishcloth on the Lion Brand Yarns website. Do you get the feeling that I surf the yarn websites a lot? I just love the stripes, they seem so old-fashioned, although I can't imagine why something as simple as stripes should belong to any one era.
I have finished this one, and I need to get started on the opposite one, you know crocheting with the multicolor as the main color and the ecru as the contrasting stripe. These were originally going to be for someone whose birthday is past...should I skip the birthday present and make it a Christmas present? Sigh....I like to give handmade, but I'm so slooooow at finishing projects. And they are so simple and should go quickly.

Update: I have hooked on the 2nd dishtowel, this morning, on the ride into work (I am a passenger, don't worry. I also eat breakfast and put on make-up, while riding.) Is "hooked on" the right term for crocheting? I am more used to casting on when speaking of knitting. This project is taking a ridiculously long time. The intended recipient had a birthday on Nov. 2. Shhhh...don't tell. I wish I were one of those people who had lovely handmade gifts for everyone by Christmastime, but sadly, that clearly won't happen this year. I wish I were at least one of those people who sends out birthday cards on time. Or who sends out birthday cards. And Christmas cards. I really need to try harder. For now it's all I can do to stop typing and click "Publish Post". Here goes.

On the Needles, On the Hook

2009-11-29T15:44:00.001-05:00

Let's get something straight now: in knitting circles (which can be round, but aren't always), "OTN" means "on-the-needles", used to refer to WIPs (works-in-progress). Knitters and crocheters in blog-land rarely wait for a FO (finished object) to tell you about it. After all, once it is done, (and usually before) our minds are excitedly thinking about the next project, and burning with creativity. The FOs? They are old news, either pressed into use, mailed off to a giftee, or awaiting the tedium of loose ends or blocking, the last un-interesting steps between OTN and FO.

So what have I got OTN? Well, let me start by saying if you are an active knitter/crocheter, you may already have a Ravelry account. If you don't, I recommend it (with the usual reservations: it is addictive, in the way any good hobby community website is). If you do, you can see my projects, by seeking out WendyBee.

Right now, OTN, I am using a vintage pattern to make my grandmother the Country Club shawl. It's kind of silly to use a pattern, since it is really just a knitted rectangle. But the pattern has served as the inspiration anyway. And since there is a certain amount of adjusting for gauge.. I loooooove vintage patterns! But sometimes their utility is limited to inspiration only. For one thing, most patterns are published by yarn companies, specifically for the yarns they carry. Well, need I say that virtually none of the yarns used in vintage patterns are currently available, and substitutions can be very tricky. Nonetheless, I find the photographs very inspiring.

Now, the Country Club shawl calls for American Thread Company“Dawn” Permanent “Crimp Set” Nylon or “Dawn” Pompadour or “Dawn” Infants Wool or “Dawn” Baby Yarn, but I happened to have on hand a lovely russet red synthetic yarn (Red Heart Value Textured Yarn). I looked on the Red Heart website, and can't find it , so it must be discontinued, and on its way to becoming vintage. That's probably why I ended up with it: it was marked down to a ridiculously low clearance price, and I can't resist a bargain yarn, expecially when it is as soft and cushy as this one is. The low price helps me to forgive it for not being a natural luxury fiber. Because it is textured (i.e. fluffy), the yarn puffs out in the stitch, and so it doesn't have the lacy look illustrated in the picture, nor does it drape the same way. But, it is lush and cushy and cuddly, so it's perfect for living in a cold climate. The funny part is that my grandmother, who is 89 years old, may not even own a shawl. I hope she'll use it and feel like I'm giving her a warm hug. But I picture her thinking that shawls are for old ladies. She always has cared about fashion and adopted the latest styles. While shawls are quite fashionable now, she may not know it--I hope I can convince her.........

I'll quit here for today...next I'll bore you ad nauseum about the kitchen dishcloths and dishtowels I have OTH and OTN.

Advent

2009-11-29T14:51:00.001-05:00

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. The season of Advent precedes Christmas, and in the church it is the beginning of the calendar year. It is a time to prepare one's heart for the coming of the Messiah. John the Baptist foretold his coming, urging repentance and baptism by water.

The modern church celebrates 4 Sundays in Advent, the 4 weeks before Christmas. Each Sunday focuses on a theme: Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy

Today's theme is Hope.

In early European customs, the winter solstice season was marked by bringing in evergreens and lighting candles, symbolizing the continuing existence of life in the evergreens despite the bleak and cold landscapes, and light in the darkness.

Later, the Roman Catholic church began to use the custom of evergreen wreaths and candles to teach the Advent story. Very clever, really.

Now, we see all kinds of Advent countdown items, usually used to help children survive the interminable countdown to Christmas. A lot of times the focus is on gifts, toys, and candies. As much as I understand the draw, I sometimes feel that the secular world is stealing from the tradition of religion. The irony is that the Advent wreath is an example of the religious world stealing from the secular!

Here's a candelabra image I found incorporating the nativity imagery.

No sweets, toys, or Santa Claus here.

Giving Thanks

2009-11-26T12:05:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is having a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. This is definitely my favorite holiday of the year, I think. It's hard to choose, what with Easter and Christmas on the calendar. But today, it's all about feast and family. Today, it's just my immediate family, no travelling, but there will be "family-by-fone".

I miss so many people in my family. We don't live in the same city as anyone in either my family or my husband's. We definitely feel that was a mistake, to settle in an area away from everyone we love. We have missed so many important events, from births to deaths, and all the everyday stuff in between.

But today is a day all about giving thanks, and I have something to say about that. To thank is one of those verbs that involves a thank-er and a thank-ee. Thanksgiving is a national holiday tradition, and it i s common to speak of giving thanks, counting our blessings, etc. We openly talk about for what we are thankful, but not to whom. It is not P.C. to speak of whom we are thanking. So I'm thankful to have a blog where I can say that I and my family are giving Thanks to God for the blessings he has showered upon us.

Think about it. If you don't know to whom to offer thanks, consider it carefully. And in the meantime, I hope for you, a restful relaxing time with your family and lots of yummy food to tuck into.

2009-11-14T12:20:00.001-05:00

Whew! It has been awhile! I've so often thought of sitting down and posting and then got busy with something more urgent.

So, I'm sitting down with my fourth cup of tea...I make mine rather weak and it's cold today....and finally getting to the posting.

Today, I've been doing a lot of browsing through my pictures and clip art, knowing that going through images I like will prompt me to write about things that are interesting (to me anyways).

I'll start with tea-for-one sets. I can't decide if I like them or not.... On the one hand, they are adorable in shape and therefore pleasing to the eye. They are the product of innovation and creativity. They are practical. They can be quirky, whimsical and nostalgic. They are a reminder to the individual to pamper one's self a little. On the other hand, they can remind the lonely that they are alone. Or the alone that they are lonely. They are not meant for sitting down with a friend for a cuppa and a chat. For that you need a bigger pot and 2 cups and saucers. Oh, and better yet, a plate of cakes and cookies! Makes you want to put your feet up, doesn't it? curled up in a wing chair?

But we are in a new age and if I had a tea-for-one set, I think I'd use it for sitting down at my laptop and checking e-mail, and writing posts here, and then all the up-sides would out-weigh the down-sides.

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This is my harvest centerpiece::I slaved over it for at least 5 minutes on Wednesday, when I was home with the boys on Veteran's Day. I usually go to the parade, but didn't this year. Not for lack of respect for our Vets- just needed puttering time at home.

I also took the picture of the roses that I have on my dining room sidetable. I wish I were better at styling and taking pics. They are breath-taking and would have made a much nicer picture in someone else's hands.

I'm going to use them as an excuse to tell you about a cheery and stylish lady named Kay. Kay was on the staff at a school I attended in the 1980's. She was probably in her 50's (looked much younger), and was impeccably mannered and socially gracious beyond anyone I can think of. She was always enthusiastic about whatever she did, and very professional in her role. I remember she once told me that she adored autumn colors. At that time, I was firmly entrenched in pastel blue, the way some people are about purple. I remember thinking how reassuring it was that Kay did indeed have a flaw. Everything about her seemed so perfect and well-groomed and tasteful. And then to discover that she loved autumn golds, reds, oranges and even browns. Well, that did it for me. Kay was inexplicably flawed in my mind. Now, keep in mind, that having survived the '70's and its fascination with orange and browns ("natural" colors), harvest golds and avacado greens, (think household appliances and vinyl flooring), I and many like me were rejecting all things macrame and hippy in home dec and fashion. This was an era of big hair and "jewel" tones, Dynasty and Falcon Crest. Everything was blue-based, even the pinks and greens. The popular neutrals were no longer ecru and ivory and beige, but instead any shade of gray. Green virtually disappeared in favor of "teal", a color label which, while appropriately assigned to shades of blue-green, seems to have widely supplanted "turquoise" even for aqua shades that are exactly the shade of the semi-precious stone. I feel like I "date" myself to use that color name now.

Anyway, back to Kay, she is likely retired now, and I hope is enjoying the fall foliage wherever she may be. And now, guess who is the autumn color enthusiast? Of course, it's me...and since I also love vintage aprons and hearts and flowers and the smell of laundry dried on the line, how perfect is this little vignette?

I bought this apron on ebay, couldn't resist. It is well-made and clearly was a gift for a young girl, based on the size. Can't you just picture her, rolling out the dough for her first apple pie? Or maybe making holiday cookies with cutters and sprinkling colored sugar on top. Or maybe it wasn't baking at all, maybe she was trying to learn how to fry an egg, how to flip it without breaking the yolk, to give Daddy his eggs over easy just the way he likes them. I remember my grandmother telling me that if you could fry an egg just right, you were really on your way....

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On a different note, I have finally photographed my cocker spaniel Tammy in her sweater. I made it almost a year ago and finally have a pic to post on my ravelry page. You shoulda been here for the photo shoot - it was hilarious. Tammy turned into a quivering lump of Jello! She gets so nervous when she doesn't know what you expect of her. And being a dog of very small brain, she rarely knows what you expect of her. I bring my outdoor urns into the dining room to allow the geraniums to winter over. There are buds on that plant, and if the sun streaming through opens them, I'll be sure to get a picture.....

Speaking of my "ravelry" page, if you aren't familiar, it's an online knitting and crocheting community, an endless resource of patterns, projects and advice, as well as a way for each member to catalog successes and failures. I don't have a picture up on my profile, since I don't have one that makes me look like Marilyn Monroe. I found an image today that I'll be using, and wanted to share it with you.

I think I looked a little like that a few centuries ago.....I certainly had homemade calico dresses and pinafores and maryjanes and little white socks, and a love for my dolls.

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That's all for now..................tempis fugit.....................................

And the roses are fading on the vine................................

Maybe I should have used this image for my profile, since I aspire to age gracefully. I seem to have the sagging and wilting and drooping thing down pat.

Goody O'Grumpity

2009-10-28T18:39:00.001-04:00

I don't have any young children at home any more. In fact, my youngest son is 12 and hard on the heels of 13 years old. I have had a children's story book for years, and have always thought that I would use the recipe to bake the cake in the story. I still haven't done it. But maybe this is the year I'll try it.

When I first took this book out at the local public library several years ago, I loved it so much that I had to buy my own copy. I don't remember how many copies I bought, maybe it was just 2 or 3, but it could have been as many as 5. And I remember telling the manager of the local bookstore (where I had to order them) that they really should have a copy on the shelves, and I think she listened.

Take a look: Goody O'Grumpity by Carol Ryrie Brink, with illustrations by Ashley Wolff. Maybe it appeals to me because I grew up so close to the Plimoth Plantation Living Museum. And when I was in high school, we staged The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and wore authentic costumes borrowed from Plimoth Plantation. (I played Goody Proctor.) But I think it's the story told about the warm heart an older lady (who isn't grumpity at all) has for the colony's children that appeals to me. And the amazing artwork, linocuts and watercolors. If you have any feeling for this autumn season and its harvest, for a feeling of community and sharing, if you too enjoy taking a moment to feel your heart swell with gratitude for all God has given us, I think this storybook will touch you. You don't need to have a child in your arms to enjoy reading a good children's book, but it helps. And a rocking chair doesn't hurt either......

If you try the cake, let us know how it comes out, and I'll do the same.

2009-10-25T17:54:00.001-04:00

Come sit with me a minute, and we'll chat over a cup of tea......It occured to me that while I am striving to bring you lovely pictures that I have styled and taken myself, in the meantime, I could share with you some of the lovely images I have collected in my clip art file. Most are free samples I have downloaded from Dover...you can go there too and get on the e-mail list. They send links to free samples every Friday.

I am very partial to old-fashioned nostalgic images, the more sentimental, the better....

I also love to save images of lovely fabrics....

It costs less than buying the fabric, and takes up less room, but you can't fondle and let it inspire you to make something with it right away.

Today, we did more yardwork, raking leaves to be exact. The sky was crystal clear with only lilting breezes, which didn't interfere with the work at hand. It was about 60 degrees, just cool enough to be comfortable as we exerted ourselves.

I took pictures, but you've already seen some from last week, and none are as cute as this. Remember push mowers? Much quieter, but far more work.... I want a green dress like this one with tiny puffed sleeves and a little white Peter Pan collar. Of course, I'd have to bob my hair like that. It's actually close now but without the bangs. And it's blonde. I wouldn't complain about the red dress either.

Here is a picture I took today. Self-portrait in shadow. See all the leaves we never even got to. So many of our trees still look like the one below, still hanging on to all their leaves, taunting us, threatening to drop them only after we have snow on the ground!
Here is another fabric I love. The range of colors, so vibrant, the leaves, the flowers. Both swatches I've shown here were at the JoAnn's website at one time, among the quilting cottons. They are in the Stonehill Collection.

I like to blog about seasonal things, holidays and changing weather, etc. One challenge about blogging in October is Halloween. I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween. On the one hand, I love candy and parties and the fantasy of costumery. On the other hand, I hate the original and ongoing fascination with evil and the underworld. I have zero tolerance for blood, gore, terror and torment. I feel a need to resist indulging natural human curiosity. I abhor legitimizing occult and paranormal phenomenon. Everyday life is exciting and uncertain enough for me. Now, having said all that, I have found some vintage ephemera clip art that is as cute as buttons! So, even though I didn't think I would be posting anything even remotely acknowledging Halloween, I think this image of a card makes great October eye candy!

She even looks like a little like I did when I was a chubby little cherubic child. Unruly blonde hair, chubby cheeks, and I even had a black cat named Imp.

Later, I had a black cat named Alley Oop.

And then I had a black cat named Andy. I lost Andy's litter mate Amos when he was only 1 year old to FIP. (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) Andy was with us for about 17 years, and we just buried him in June of 2005. It wasn't intentional to always have black cats. It just seemed that black cats were always available to us when we were ready.

Now we have dogs, and I loooove having dogs, but nothing cuddles like a kitty, relaxing you with its purr and kneading, rubbing against your legs when you are in the kitchen. I know some people have dogs and cats at the same time, but it would take some work and constant supervision to get our dogs used to a cat, where we could feel comfortable leaving them all at home alone while we were away for the day.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed our little cuppa and the chat..........

Now, I'm going to go up and change into a comfy nightie and curl up with......hmmmm............Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility before I turn out the lamp settle in for a snooze, resting up for another busy week. Come back again soon, I'll load up more eye candy!

Random thoughts

2009-10-24T15:35:00.001-04:00

So, today, I don't have anything specific to post on............but I do have some half-baked thoughts.
The first amorphous cognation (is that a word or a neologism?) circles the purpose of this blog. Since I don't have a real audience, I can't target my audience's needs and interests. My intended audience is family and friends, who naturally are a diverse group, without a particular common interest, like genealogy or fossils or synchronized swimming. In fact, their most prominent characteristic is that they are related to and/or care about me and my family. But.......(did you guess that there was a but coming?)...I'd like to create a blog that mainly considers my very personal interests, which I have detailed in my profile. Home life, home dec, various needle pursuits, and most things old-fashioned or "vintage". But also, perhaps a bit divergently, I have an interest in delving into topics facing Christians (particularly Lutherans) in 21st century America. With regard to artsy/craftsy pursuits, I wish I could blog like Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy or Lucy at Attic24. But it occurs to me that I am not actively, daily pursuing these activities that I love. And such blogging is at least 50% staging, styling, taking and uploading beautiful fotos. Oh, how I wish...... Since I am working at an office M-F and can really only take the kind of pix I want to take on sunny weekend days and I have a lot of work to have a reliable camera at the ready (and know how to use it to best advantage), for the time being my blog won't be all that I want it to be. Now, having said that, I have overcome one obstacle to blogging. I don't need to have amazing fotos in order to sit down and tap out a post. At least, not yet....
Another concept, I always think about to one degree or another is Discipline. How getting closer to a goal involves discipline. How discipline is really a tool, and absolutely indispensable in striving toward any outcome (worthwhile or not, after all, probably even Hitler exercised discipline). Having discipline doesn't make one virtuous, but it does make one effective. I have for years been interested by the idea of mental discipline. And by that, applying discipline to choose what to think about. We all do it every day, some with more success than others. When in the classroom, mental discipline allows us to concentrate on the lesson at hand. If we have mental discipline, we are not at the mercy of fickle Interest. We probably have all experienced only marginally attending to a lecture because that day at that moment, something more commanding has diverted our interest. Sometimes, our emotional life can take hold and occupy our minds, even though we have committed our bodies to be present and participating in school or work or whatever it may be.
I am a born daydreamer. I have always known this to be true. I entered the first grade in 1968, when I was 5 years old. I have a November birthday, and had done very well on school readiness testing, so I was placed in the first grade on a provisional basis, I guess. Apparently, I would be re-evaluated partway through the year, perhaps to repeat first grade, or something. I was more than ready to start school, at least from a learning perspective. I was reading far above my peers, and my teacher assigned to lead (!) a reading group, I went to Mrs. Hastings' class for Math, as she had a higher group or something, and when it was time for spelling tests, I was sent to the library for independent reading. My teacher was Lillian Marks, and to us kids, she was older than dirt. Not meaning to be rude, or disrespectful, but really she was older than my grandmother. Of course, I now realize that my grandmother was 48 at the time, and my great-grandmother was probably 72. Mrs. Marks was probably about 60 or more, as I think she retired soon after teaching my class, I think. In those days, report cards were issued 4 times during the school year, and each report consisted of a narrative paragraph that the teacher probably typed on the report card herself. She always had lovely things to say about me, and for that I am grateful, and no doubt it deepened my teacher crush on her. That is not to say I was her pet. I was far too shy and quiet, and she had her hands completely full with probably about 30 students in the class, and more than her fair share of hooligans. But I was happy, and I admired her, simply for being The Teacher. I have always cherished one thing she said about me on the narrative..."She daydreams a bit, I think." Now, in retrospect, I think she was observing some attention deficit, but it was so kindly put. I wonder what a first grade teacher would do with me today. Would I be identified and evaluated? Would I have repeated 1st grade or not have started until the next year when I was 6-going-on-7? Would I have cultivated the mental discipline not to daydream? Probably not, I haven't yet............
I wish I had my 1st grade foto ready-to-hand to post here, just for fun....