Snoodle

Birthweek

Happy Birthday to my beloved husband! 

Eleanor's birthday was Thursday, and it has really felt like birthweek.  The first sailing race of the year was also on Thursday, and to avoid losing daddy to the bay, we tagged along with him.  After an evening of sitting on cleats, rope burn, and white knuckles, I've decided I'm going to stick to pleasure cruises.  Eleanor, however, was hip to every tack and jibe.  She scrambled to the high side like a pro.  After the race, she got to steer and hang out on the foredeck with dad. 

There was no cake.  Heck, dinner was Pringles.  But by the silly grin on her face, I don't think she noticed.

We had a family celebration on Monday for the first BBQ of the year and birthday cake.  I forgot the sailboat toy so I made an impromptu decoration for my Mac Geek... who also likes dinosaurs.  The rest of the credit, of course, goes to my mother. 

Eleanor's first request for a gift has become quite clear lately.  Naturally, it would have to be a toy that is no longer available in stores!  Through the generosity of a dear coworker, however, Nora's dream came true.  "Pinch me!" she kept saying.  I wonder where she gets her sense of drama?!  More about Felicity in a later post.  There's surprisingly much to say! 

Right before we left grandma and grandpa's house, as if it knew it were her celebration, a rabbit came out of the woods.  Apparently, it will sit watching while my father mows the lawn, but we're letting Nora feel like she is the rabbit-whisperer.  After all, birthdays are full of wonder.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

    I want a garden.  Not just that, I want to be a gardener.  I want to step barefoot into the backyard to harvest a salad.  I want to heal using herbs that wind into the depths of our property.  I want to fill dye-pots with hues plucked from a medieval-style plot.  I want to send Eleanor out to pick favorite blooms to decorate our dinner table.  I want a wide brimmed hat and dirt under my fingernails. Then, I remember that this is a rented home and close the door.

    This has been a sabotaging obstacle for me: this pesky renting, this tiny apartment.  I keep myself from doing projects because I'm waiting for a bigger bedroom, an attic sewing room, a pantry, and that garden I truly can call my own.  For years, I've been shying away from tending a garden because of the ever-present hope that we might move. 

    A little while ago I went to a garage sale with my sister-in-law in a very poor rural area.  The house wasn't much to look at, but the garden was sensational.  It was brilliantly covered with beautiful flowers and herbs.  She had small gardens with decorations and vignettes scattered throughout.  She spoke with great fondness about her plants.  It was clear that she was devoted to them and in turn, they gave her great joy.  My sister said, "she's really bloomed where she's planted."  I agreed but was internally thinking it a bit of a cliche- one of those phrases you see on stepping stones or fence plaques.  But after we got into the car, I though more about it.  She really did bloom, very literally, where she was.  She created an oasis of beauty spread out before her double-wide. Maybe I could, too.

    Indeed, it's expensive and a lot of work to start a proper garden when we might just leave it.  But little things have been creeping into the yard- the determined mint, the strawberries that might actually produce if the woodchucks don't get to them first, and a scattering of cheery violets and other little flowers and greenery fill the gaps between the blades of grass.  If these plants aren't speaking to me, my seven year-old certainly is!  I need to succumb to the fact that I surely have years -plural!- to continue living here and make it bloom. 

    It might be nice for the next tenants to have a little beauty left behind.

    This gardening idea, along with our farm fantasy, is not new.  Nora and I have been dreaming about our future garden filled with lilacs, apple trees, daffodils, herbs, and favorite veggies. We already have strawberries as berries of all kinds are high on the list.   Lately, she's been sure to comment on the bleeding hearts that we see as we walk through the neighborhood.  Knowing the generosity of our neighbors, I sent a plea to our neighborhood forum and asked if anyone had this particular plant to share.  I got many responses and immediately pounced!  We loaded up the wagon and a shovel and made our way to a hidden garden down the street.  We dug up the plant and replanted it under the dappled light of our (neighbor's) tree.  Its close to Sweet Pea's grave where, indeed, Eleanor keeps a piece of her heart.  The delight I have gotten in its presence makes me think that I might just be getting my hands dirty more often... right here where I'm planted.

This Day Last Year it Wasn't

Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November.

All the rest have thirty-one

All except the second one

Which alone has tweny-nine

When comes Leap Year in its time.

Every four years, I try to remember why we do this Leap Year thing.  It's the ancient Egyptians who figured out that the the calendar-year and the wonky Earth-year don't match up.  It takes 365.2422 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun.  That's 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to be exact.  So, Julius Caesar and his astronomer Sosigenes came up with a 365 day calendar with months alternating between 30 and 31 days.  An extra day was sometimes added to the last month of the year which was February. 

What's more interesting is why February is such a short month now.   Julius Caesar's calendar had a 30 day February.  When Caesar Agustus became emperor, his month (August) only had 30 days while his predecessor Julius' month ( July) had 31.  The Senate decided that the two months should be equal and took a day for August so it would equal July.  To even things out, February got the short end.

Here's how I like to think of things:

Thirty days hath September.

All the rest I can't remember.

The calendar hangs on the wall;

Why bother me with this at all?

"Leap year is never a good sheep year."  - Old Scottish saying (Baah)

 

Introducing Hawkins

... we're pretty sure that's the name that's sticking.

On Christmas morning, Nora found a little something under the tree that couldn't be wrapped.  His name is Hawkins.  The auditions of names was pretty extensive:  Marshmallow and Cocoa were a couple of the first to be tried... then, Gabriel, because she was trying to be Christmas-y.  But after hanging out with this adventurous rabbit, he was dubbed Hawkins after Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island.  It's hard to believe that Nora would be excited about Treasure Island being so very sensitive, but watching the Muppet version softened the story a little- though, she quaked with fear and squished daddy's hand while watching it. She learned the story and started acting it out (and oh, the singing!)  She's been pretending to be Jim ever since and finally started putting her hair up in a ponytail to look more like the cabin boy!

 

So, Hawkins he is and what a fun rabbit!  He's got a fun personality and is fast- almost too fast to snap a photo as he lippity-lops from place to place.  He also seems to like the camera and hops right up to the photographer leading to many photos of just his twitchy little triangular nose!

He's been thoroughly enjoying his "bunny castle" made out of a cardboard box which he has been treating as a gingerbread house.  He likes chasing Nora around while she hops around on her knees pretending to be a bunny.  We even caught him doing a "binky," the rabbit happy dance.  He also likes nibbling on pine cones, timothy hay, the broom, celery leaves, pants jeans, chino, or jammies), kale, a leg of the kitchen counter, toilet paper tubes, and a little strawberry for dessert.  We think he might be part beaver.  But there's also a little evidence to the contrary.

 

Sewing Holiday

It was 68 degrees here yesterday.  A treat for November in Vermont.  In some ways I'm glad that it was a more typically cool, gray, and drizzly day today because I had no intention of playing outside.  With a rare showing of some forethought, I took the day off to start sewing Christmas gifts. 

On my last trip to Nido, Phiona introduced me to Growing Up Sew Liberated.  All I needed was the suggestion.  It's a fabulous addition on my quickly growing collection of sewing books.  I especially like the "big kid" projects.  I was starting to get a little nostalgic for my baby looking at diaper bags, bibs, and booties in my other books.  While I'm rather smitten with the Little Amigo doll in this book, I'm being realistic that it's not going to happen by the end of December.  I opted instead, to make the naturalist's messenger bag. 

I've been holding on to this lovely red Japanese fabric with little houses for a few years after getting it at the Vermont Quilt Festival.  The info on the selvage is "D's Selection Tip-top DT11227s produced by Junkl Matsuda Made in Japan http://www.daiwabo-tex.co.jp  It really like the scale of this fabric for this cute little bag.

The green is a soft, heavy twill from the now closed fabric store where I used to work.  I don't know the manufacturer, but when I worked there we always called it the "Kermit" fabric! 

The directions in this book are quite easy to follow.  The strap was a bit more complicated in its sewing as it is adjustable, but if you're sewing for a child, being able to change the length of the strap is important. 

I made a couple of alterations to the pattern.  First, I made the pocket a little bit larger and made it slightly more square on the bottom.  After the bag was sewn, I discovered that the larger pocket isn't as well hidden under the front flap.  I really should have placed it closer to the top/ opening of the bag.   I also found that the bag wasn't closing as securely as I wished, so I added a hair tie into the seam of the flap and a button to secure the flap down.  This solved both of those problems.

My grandmother told me that you should never gift a wallet or purse without money in it.  Inspired by this, anytime I make a bag or pouch or wallet-like thingie, I've got to put something in it for the recipient.  In this case, I made a little zipper pouch/ change purse.  I made one that turned out a little smaller than I intended.  I was going to toss it, but decided to make a second larger one instead.  She can organize her money, library card, band aids, etc. however she wishes.  Not to leave an empty pouch, I tucked a dollar and some coins into on pouch and a free Ben and Jerry's ice cream coupon into the other.  I also made a little tissue pouch for the inevitable drippy nose!

I finished the last of these accessories just in time to tune into Sari's internet workshop this afternoon.  (the real reason I took the day off)  It was a well-done,  informative talk on fabric.  I was pleased to realize that I already knew most of what she discussed, but there were some ideas about drape and heaviness that was helpful to remember.  It also solidified my thinking that using natural fiber fabrics is totally worth the expense over synthetics.  Though I'm often miserly, if you spend 10+ hours perfecting a garment from sewing a muslin to adding details, a few dollars per yard shouldn't keep you from buying the fabric that will best suit the project.  And now, would someone go and explain this all to my husband...

The fun-filled day of sewing was bound to come to an end, and I did have to step out into the post daylight savings time wet gloom to pick up Nora.  She's been fighting a cold and didn't greet me as heartily as she usually does.  I thought it best that we spend a little more time chatting and walking.  So, we headed for the thrift shop.  Her attitude can change quickly with a twenty-five cent book.  (Today, it was Meet Kaya).

It was as if there were some theme going on for me today because there were four great sewing books waiting for me when I got there.  The first was Nancy Zieman's The Best of Sewing with Nancy.   I didn't even look inside when I picked it up.  If it's by Nancy, I get it.  She pretty much has all of the answers!

There was also this fabulous book of interior decorating from 1950.  Irresistible!

Chapter thirty-three  How to Make Use of Attics, Basements

Attractive Studio-Bedroom takes advantage of wasted attic space:

I have no idea how "easily installed wood paneling may solve your space problem."  Clearly, I have some reading to do.

A groovy Coats and Clark's Sewing Book from 1967:

But this is my favorite!  (1949!)

I'm totally ready for the next color palette sewing challenge!

Fabulous edge treatments:

Topstitching:

So much shirring!

I also picked up a couple of sewing patterns.  One for me and one for Nora.  Those are some fierce green pants! 

 

A Little Bit Country

Nora and I are back from our fabulous weekend in Vermont.  As the old joke goes, "Why do people live in Burlington... to be close to Vermont."  and while my city is technically within state lines, we saw a whole lot of the real Vermont over the course of three days.  In fact, by Sunday evening, we had travelled through 57 towns!  My sister-in-law's farm is just lovely.  Her home is an early 19th century colonial with a "new" addition: new meaning late 1800s-1910s.  Her 10 acre farm is home to horses, chickens, quail, rabbits, turkeys, sheep, goats, and a black labrador.  Nora has been anticipating barn chores for weeks and was thrilled to sweep the aisle of the barn and gather eggs.  She stayed up very late each night, but waking up to hot chocolate made with raw milk from the farm across the road was totally worth it!

On the way to the Wool and Sheep Festival (every thing's a festival in VT), there was a row of cars pulled over.  It took us a moment to figure out what was stopping traffic, and then we saw him!  A moose!!!

Okay, I've never seen a moose before; a fact that my husband, an Alaska native, finds hilarious.  (Don't get me started on the aurora borealis either.  I'm sure it's a myth!)  So, I was snapping away with my camera from the safety of the car.  Some folks were not so cautious, and one woman was bringing her child closer to it.  Then, a trucker laid on the horn of an 18 wheeler -maybe due to the traffic congestion.  Yikes.  It was time to get outta there!

So, we continued on to the Vermont Wool and Sheep Festival.  It was fun to go with people who have sheep as well as angora goats as my sister-in-law (a knitter) and niece (a weaver) asked questions to vendors that I wouldn't have even considered.  So, I wound up learning a lot.   Although I'm pretty sure that the question of owning my own flock of sheep is decided: no, there is a rich amount of to be learned about all of those fabulous natural fibers that will keep my quite busy for a lifetime!

Jacob sheep

Falling in love with angora rabbits.  She had to settle with a Folkmanis puppet.  Though, I think it's just a matter of time...

Weaving at the children's table

Border collie trials: my favorite!

and on the way back, we saw a lovely horse team passing us on the road.  I whipped out my camera fast enough to prove it.  Oh, it is clear that I am a city girl.  I don't want to be, but I am.  I'll give it a year or two before I settle into a life of felting, taking care of the angora rabbit Nora so desires, and I'll be so country, I'll just leave my camera in my bag when a horse team trots by... but I'll still take it out if there's a moose!

Thanks again, Wen and Heather, for another wonderful woolly weekend!

Happy Birthday, Jim Henson

 

Few people have left a legacy like Jim Henson.   I wonder if I would have been a teacher without knowing at a young age that it was possible to have fun while learning.  At every age, there was a special fondness for Muppets.  When my parents bought a color console tv, I was thrilled that I would get to see Big Bird - BIG and in color!  I attribute much of my early learning to catchy Sesame Street tunes.  

 

 

 

 While "too old" to see Follow That Bird  I recall the excitement of my big sister taking me to the movie theater and I'm pretty sure I was her excuse to go.  The Labyrinth was by far the coolest movie I watched as a teenager.  While dating my now husband (who taught me that the Goblin king actually had other material), there was a lot of Fraggle Rock watching. I think I fell in love discussing the finer points of the Minstrels.  

Then, we got married and had a baby who had this poster in her room since before she was born.

and her first plate was mine as a child.  She used to point to the letters of her name in the alphabet around the rim.  I thought it was funny that I could find it in this old photo.

When Nora was a young child, there was always an internal struggle with my desire to keep her media-free and my desire to share the Muppets with her.  Ultimately, the Muppets won and the first television that she ever watched was The Muppet Family Christmas just after we had decorated our tree. 

She didn't watch Sesame Street until the Old School DVDs came out and we've nearly wore a hole in them.  She still doesn't watch much television... lately, there's been only The Andy Griffith Show and The Muppet Show.  She loves Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Orchestra.  Just this afternoon, she was  rocking out to Can You Picture That?  Oh Yeahhhhhhh!

 

..and mama has a blog *Snoodle*  A word I learned from Jim Henson's The Storyteller (Hans My Hedgehog).

The mother  in the tale says,

"I want a baby to wrap in a bundle and sing to and snoodle with and hug to bits"

Later Hans says,

"I want you for my princess of sweetness and cherry pie.  I want to catch you up and sing to you and snoodle you and hug you to bits."

Here's the whole episode:

 

As Nora describes it:  "A snoodle is an important kind of cuddle."

It's important and cuddly to those who need it - from a baby to an adult.  We all could use a little snoodle now and again.  Thanks, Jim, for inspiring so many snoodles, so many happy memories, so many lives from the young to the old.

Happy 75th Birthday, Jim.

From,

The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

 

Said She Was a Dancer

Ballerinas don't suck their thumbs.  So, when Nora requested dance lessons there needed to be an agreement.  Not dance until she was thumb-free.  It took a lot of work.  She held up her end of the bargain.  Today, I held up mine. 

She woke up this morning saying, "Today is going to be the best day of my whole life!"  I think it would be lovely if we could all arise with the same sentiment.  She danced around the house when she discovered the little drawstring bag that I made her last night after she had gone to sleep.  How had we gotten her to sleep?!  I had the ballerina fabric (Windham Fabrics presents Storybook IV c. 1930 Pattern #24560) for a couple of years.  I think it was waiting for this moment. 

She's not taking a traditional ballet class as I couldn't find her one that would work for our schedules, but rather lyrical dance.  A mix of ballet and modern, lyrical dance is described as "Perfect for the dancer who enjoys using imagination with dance."  And so, we found the perfect class for our imaginative little one. 

Tonight's bedtime story was, appropriately, my favorite childhood book, The Little Ballerina.  I remember my older sister braiding my hair just like Carol's in two little loops and pretending that I was the fairy queen in the ballet.   Now, my favorite picture is this one:

I am quite proud of Nora's determination and am in no way ashamed that I resorted to a bribe.  It worked!  By the way, firefighters don't use pacifiers.  If you stop by the firehouse, they'll tell you.

 

Sewing for the (mom's) Home ...and a Giveaway!

I love sewing curtains:  straight lines and dramatic effect.  Curtains were really the first thing that I learned to sew.  My first curtain was not good.  I didn't know that fabric could be straightened and the resulting drapery reflected my lack of knowledge! 

After college, I happily taught third grade while a teacher took a year of maternity leave.  When she decided to return (drat), I had to find a job.  Alas, there were no teaching positions in my area.  So, I applied to the home decorating fabric shop only a block from my house and in the same building where my fiance and later husband was working at the time!  The manager was fabulous. 

A former home economics teacher, she spent lots of time teaching me when business was slow... which was often.  I learned a lot!  First of all, I did learn the different ways of straightening fabric as well as calculating yardage, inserting a zipper, and sewing a mitered corner.  In retrospect, there was an awful lot of down time! 

She was very influential to keeping up my interest in sewing and my desire to learn more.  Thank you, Joanne, wherever you are.  Sadly, that shop closed a few years after I started working for my current employer, and while I do not want to work retail again, I am thrilled that I had the experiences working with interior decorators, seamstresses, and homeowners helping them find just the right fabrics for their projets. 

While working at the fabric shop, I was introduced to the book, Singer: Sewing for the Home.

It is part of the Singer sewing reference library.  While out of print, it seems pretty easily attainable from used booksellers, and I've seen this and other books in the libarary at garage sales and thrift shops.  The fabrics are a bit dated, but of couse, that's not what you will be using anyway!  This book has exceptional photographs of each step of a project's process.  Being a visual learner, this is the closet thing that I have found to Joanne sewing it in front of me!  I have a lot of sewing books, but this is always my go-to for curtains and home dec.

So, when my mother asked if I would sew a new valance to replace the one that came with the house, quite possibly from the same era as this book, I happily agreed.    Curtains can change the whole look, style, and light of a room.  I was delighted to be part of a transfomation... and then she asked if I would make Roman shades, and tab top curtains for her sliding door, and could I have it all done before Labor Day weekend?  Um, sure, mom.

But I whipped out my copy of Sewing for the Home.  And they were done with plenty of time to spare.  It's an awkward room to photograph, but they're fabulous!

Her living room went from a dated pink and blue floral motif to a lovely "bourdeau."  She ordered a new couch and recliner, but the truck they were on got hijacked!  Seriously?!!  So, the Country Life toile is sharing a room with pink and blue peonies for now, but if you keep your eyes on just the one side of the room, it's just lovely!  This Waverly toile is the same fabric that I have in my bedroom, but mine is blue.  It has a huge repeat, but between the curains, shades, and valance, I had just barely enough.  Calculating for a repeat was one of those things that I learned at the fabric shop!  I'm so glad that this fabric is fairly common as I will have lots of options for sewing accessories for the many years that she will enjoy these curtains.

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

Giveaway!

I'm so excited about finishing up this project, and I do so love Singer: Sewing for the Home, that I'm going to give away one of my copies and save you a search at the thrift shop.  I did it for you!  If you would like it, leave a comment before Wednesday, September 14.  If there is more than one comment (tee hee), I will randomly select a winner and announce a winner on Wednesday.  I would be over the moon to know that someone afar was reading this blog.  So I'll be happy to ship it anywhere.  Good luck!

A Second Grader and Agriope

Today was Eleanor's first day of second grade. When I was first typing those words, somehow my fingers reached for the "kinde-" keys.  Hmm.  Perhaps a little sleepy from staying up too late sewing her pencil case?  (Photo? No.)  Or perhaps it's that I'm finishing up a pre-fall head cold?  It couldn't possibly be because I am in denial that my wee bairn is a big elementary school student.   A wave and she was off -thrilled to show all of her friends her new glasses and discuss the summer even though she saw most of the girls in her class only a week ago at basketball "camp."  There is so much exciting potential.  Literally, a clean slate. 

I'm excited right along with her.  I had an inservice day getting my classroom ready for our new school year which starts tomorrow.  Because our program runs year-round, it's nice to have even the one day to get everything ready for the new toddlers in our group.  David, who cooks at the university is starting his new year, too.  Thinking ahead, he made our dinner this morning to go into the crock pot and the smell of stew was a nice welcome home this evening.  Dinner is often the obstacle that gets in the way of timely bedtimes.  So, I'm delighted with this and hope that we can continue with the smooth kind of evening we had tonight.  Being the time of year for fresh starts, I'm thinking of it as a bit of a resolution. 

In celebration of all of this newness, we decided (being a summer tradition anyway) to get a mango sorbet at the corner store just up the hill from us.  As we we're walking and I was chatting with David, I heard Nora say, "why is there a beet on that-  No.  What IS that?!"  She has the enviable power of observation that we chatty adults often do not.  It caught my attention. 

Do you see it?  No, it doesn't look like a beet really. 

...but rather a big spider egg sac!  We observed it for some time, crouched right in front of it when I thought that there might be some chance of seeing the mama.  It didn't take long to finder her.  She was just on the other side of the leaf!

After taking so many pictures, it's hard to imagine that we didn't see her at first!  Thanks, to David for running back home to get the camera!  She is a black and yellow argiope Argiope aurantia.  (thanks, Google: "yellow and black spider!) A garden spider, but I have never seen one.  We get many wolf spiders on our back porch every year.  Their webs are enormous and beautiful but I tend to not use the back door once the leaves are falling!  This garden spider was lovely to observe and was very much alive though I'm not sure for how long.  Okay, collectively:  "Oh, Charlotte!..."  Seems like the perfect time to reread a little E.B. White.

*****

We're thinking a lot about the people of Vermont who were devastated by Hurricane/ Tropical Storm Irene.  Aside from loosing power for an exciting half hour that smelled a lot like Christmas (we need new candles) we were unaffected. 

If you would like to help with time, tools, or donations,  Vermont Volunteer Resource is organizing efforts to help.