In a state of shock...

My mom had a heart attack yesterday.... out of the blue... on my husband's 40th birthday. She is stable in the ICU and scheduled for open heart surgery on Wednesday. I'm going there to be with her. Please send her your positive healing thoughts.... I believe it makes all the difference.

Remember me?

Well now. Have you missed me? I know, I know. It's been a while. I could give you the novel or the cliff notes. I think the novel will need to wait, so I'll suffice it to say that there have been some ups and downs in the last couple of months, along with plenty of busyness on my part.

I have recently spent some time considering whether or not I want to continue this blog. I was surprised and gratified by people asking me when I would post again. I really didn't think that my absence would be much missed. Sometimes writing in this space seems a little silly and insignificant to me. Other times, I genuinely enjoy the process of sharing. In truth, it keeps my sisters and friends easily apprised of the things going on in my life.

We'll see what happens in the next few months. There's always plenty going on, and it may be the thing that has to give is the blog. But in the meantime, I'll show you some things I've been working on.

Teacher's gifts... I downsized the pattern for Amy Butler's swing bag. I like them just a little bit smaller than the original. (Now, do you see those doors they're hanging on? Each door was conditioned, stained, and polyurethaned by my husband and me. Then we put the hardware on and hung them. There's way more work in the doors than those bags, let me tell you!)

A quick cheater pillow. Japanese fabric machine appliqued onto a clearance priced pillow cover. Note that the trim is still not installed on the floorboards. Big sigh. This house is a work in progress, and I promise some pictures soon (for real this time, Jen!)

Working on a quilt for special friends who are grieving the loss of their son. It has helped to heal my heart as well.

And finally, the most gratifying for me of all, a vegetable garden at our new home. There is so much sun that I don't know what to do. I spaced things too closely because I'm not used to them growing so well. My husband protested when I asked him to till 8 rows that are 45 ft long each. Look! We needed every inch. It's packed, and things are cranking.

I walk out in my garden several times a day, and just watch things grow. I pick away at weeds, nibble the herbs, and revel in the dream of having a full sun garden... finally... after 14 years. Pinch me. Is this for real?

Twirly skirts and seven year old girls

I absolutely love celebrating my children's birthdays. I am wrapped in memories of their births each year, and savor them like a fine wine. I get giddy planning the little surprises and treats. There is no shortage of excitement around here on birthdays. She was surrounded by loved ones and treats all weekend. It was unforgettable.


This year it was a bit more down to the wire than usual, but I was able to uncover my sewing machine and get busy making 3 twirly skirts for her. The tutorial is one that I found from 2008. It's here at Seven Layer Studio and gives directions for a range of sizes. I'm thrilled with it. It was quick to make and involved only 1 tier of gathering. That's a bonus! Last year I made this one and the second tier of gathering became tedious. I only made two more after that because I got tired of dealing with the gathering.

The only deviation I made from this tutorial was no topstitching and a rolled edge on the serger for the hem. Also, if you're serging, go ahead and do that gathering with your serger. Set the stitch length to the longest setting and differential feed to 2. Then you pull on the SHORTEST thread in the chain to gather. Easy peasy (unless you pull on the wrong thread.)

More of these skirts might be on the horizon. Really, there is nothing like making clothes for your children. It makes me grin to see her sailing through the yard in something I made for her. What warms my heart even more is when she comes to me with a specific request that I make her something. She's already asked if I can make some more skirts so she can wear one every day of the week. Sweet, huh?

Happy birthday sweet girl. It has been a joy to be your mother for these amazing seven years. Thank you for every inspiring minute of it.

The first of April...

... is always the day that I celebrate the birth of my sister who passed away nearly seven years ago. I went for a run in the woods today and saw Spring Beauty, Trout Lily, and May Apples popping up along the trail. I also saw a calf energetically nursing, one lone Italian honey bee flitting about, and the white water of a rapid pulsing below on the river. Everything seemed crisp and bursting with excitement. I am here to tell you that great joy and beauty can permeate life despite terrible tragedy. Time is a healing salve.

I'm back....

Today, I felt more myself than I have in a while. That's a difficult thing to explain. This past 3 months have been the hardest for me since our second was born. No one could have prepared me for the journey of the purchase of a home, it's renovation, a move from our home of 14 years, and the fixing up of said home for renters. That, and trying to remain a sane, kind, and cognisant mommy, wife, friend, sister, and daughter has pretty much pushed me to the breaking point at times. (Thank you everyone that has supported me in these last few months. It has been a roller coaster, and there were some unbelievably ungraceful moments along the ride. If you saw my not so pretty side, well then, you know what I'm talking about.)

Three years ago, I was snapping pictures of my beautiful little boy, reminding myself to appreciate every minute even if the beginning of his life was not the way I'd planned. This March, things are a little different, but I'm emerging to discover that we have acquired an incredible "new" home and I'm figuring out the rhythm of our days in this space.

Here's what I've been up to and where I'm going...

These are pictures of the home with the previous owner's things. This is what we saw when we decided to buy. You definitely had to have a strong imagination. I'll show you more pictures later, and you'll see what I mean.

Another angle of that same room. See the back wall behind the unlit lamp? That's one of the ones we ripped out.

We've learned a lot about home renovation. It's been a lot of hard work on our part to keep the costs down. The kids have spent the past 6 weeks engaged in imaginary play about every form of demolition and construction. They've even helped in parts of the process, picking up nails, bringing buckets of gravel, sweeping, and fetching. It's been the subject of hours of discussions.

This is that same room sans a few walls with sheet rock, paint, and oak floors. Can you believe the difference? This week we're moving, and it's slow-going and exhausting. We're still staining doors, and there's painting left to be done. Then we get the house we're in now ready for renters by the end of the month. So.... I'll be focusing on some other things for a while, but I promise to be back in a couple of weeks.

Six year olds are just the smartest, aren't they? She needs a little down time, and she makes it clear (more or less.) Easy peasy. I'm taking my cue from her (more or less.)

March Snow

Oh, why not? I'm laughing at myself for saying on Monday that I was ready to embrace whatever this week brought me. I didn't look at the forecast. Humph.

It is a beautiful one. Different from some of the recent episodes ... very wet, and falling off in great clumps. It is terrific for snow balls. Don't know what the bees think about all of this, though.

We actually had a lot of fun yesterday. It put the daily routine on hold again. Lots of playtime and crafting. Today is another day with no school. I'm starting to feel itchy, but every time I get grouchy, I pick up my knitting or put on some new music. I think we're breaking the baking fast and making banana bread today. Yesterday was several rounds of popcorn and Cara Cara oranges. Have you tried them? Amazing.

The biggest hit, beyond playing in the snow, was making horses from Ann Wood's horse template. She is such an incredible artist! I printed them on card stock, and both kids enjoyed coloring and painting. I made one too. Then, my daughter and I cut them out. We used craft brads rather than wire and buttons. These horses have provided plenty of entertainment in imaginary play. Their moving legs are just brilliant.

If you're running out of ideas, this one is well worth trying.

Edited: go check out Made by Joel; a friend turned me on to his blog in the comments for this post. You won't regret it!