ducky house

we are BIG fans

and it just isn't Christmas without a few rounds of whoville-opoly

he's a mean one...that mr. grinch!

things I'm learning

Things are quiet here, mostly I don't have much to say.  My hands have been busy doing the talking lately as has my brain.  They have been conspiring together on how to finish, or at least cross off a big chunk of the renovation list.  They both agree that taking on too much before Christmas is not such a good idea.  So instead of doing too much we settled on painting the living room/dining room walls (twice in one week, since I wasn't totally happy with the first result - the hubby's a really good sport) to liven things up a bit. 

Next we thought it would be good karma to make sure said living and dining room had baseboards & trim since they haven't had any since we have lived in this house - that's been since July 2008.  Today I hope to be sanding and priming said baseboards because the wee ones keep bugging reminding me to put up the tree and eek it's the 8th of December and I haven't started decorating yet. I'm not stressed, really.  Since living in this house I've learned that everything will happen in good time.  My previous "let's do it now" attitude has been shuffled aside in favor of sanity.  Though one may question the sanity of painting before Christmas??  ah, contradictions.

When we purchased in this house we saw a glimpse of what we could make it with lots of patience, thought and love - ingredients that with each step make this house a home.  Most days I feel we are making progress, albeit slow, but still progress.  There are a lot of parallels between renovations and raising kids, you start with a dream and then with a lots of hard work, over a long period of time you see things come together.  Most days I work steady on something and I can't help but think that there is something esoteric that I am building here...that I don't even fully understand but it will reveal itself one day. At least that's my hope. 

Happy Tuesday from my home to yours. xxx

parties and things

Well hello folks and friends! I've been laying low the past few days catching making up for my recent sewing spurt which left the kidlets wanting and the laundry piling. I love a good sew fest however all good things must come to an end, even if that end is temporary - I do have Christmas sewing that needs to be done, but I'm saving that for next week.

The weekend went off without a hitch.  It started with an artisan sale that I participated in with a couple of friends.  The venue was cozy and festive and there were so many talented artists and creative people all about the place. The business of the day was carried on admist the chit chat, new friends were made and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces.  A good experience all around. 

After the day's events I went home tuckered but quickly rejuvenated by the party preparation needing to be done to celebrate the J-man's 12th birthday!  I can hardly believe my boy is 12 now.  It seems like such a milestone. Indeed.

And so we celebrated him.  All of him.  And we continue to do so.  J-man you are wonderfully sensitive, a kind soul.  You are full of imagination, creativity, caring and the perfect big brother for this crew.  Your patience and thoughtfulness are admirable and I love you to pieces.  I'm so glad to have you a part of my life.  Happy 12th Birthday son. 

Thank you friends and family for making my weekend so full of fun and love.  xxx

saturday's sale

Here is the information for those locals that have emailed me and commented. 

If you are in the area, come on out and support the local artisans.  Proceeds go to a worthy cause and it would be a great to get a jump on your Christmas shopping.  Hope to see you there!

busy bee

I'm busy like a bee in my studio sewing up piles of handmade goodness for a local artisan sale coming this Saturday.  And since I am only half way through the list of things I want ready for the sale, not to mention planning the birthday party that follows the next day for our resident 12 year old (...yes, I said 12 year old!!!), I'll continue in the photoblogging manner.  In the meantime enjoy some sneak peeks of what is on the cutting/sewing table.  Happy Monday!

bountiful gratefulness

Shh, let me share a secret with you.  I don't want to say it too loud just in case mother nature hears and decides to stir things up a bit.  I am loving the extended fall weather that we are having, mid-November and still no snow on the ground.  It's crazy wonderful. 

You know what else is great? Squash.  Every week the hubby comes home with a couple of them for cooking and so I've cubed, mashed, baked and souped them and still I am not tired of them.  How can that be?  Yesterday I baked an acorn squash for my lunch.  And since I'm in the sharing mood, it's quite simple really:

Acorn squash

Wash one acorn squash.  Cut the ends so the squash will be able to stand up like a bowl in the oven.  Next cut it in half (cross section).  Pull out the seeds and gunk and set aside.  There will be a few stringy stragglers but don't sweat it, they all go down the same way.  Place in baking dish

Next drizzle a bit of olive oil - 1 TBSP; maple syrup - 2 TBSP; ginger - 1 TBSP over the two squash halves.  Bake for 50 minutes at 400, adjusting cooking time and temp for your oven.  In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add some nuts (walnuts or pecans) if so desired.

At this point you could roast up the seeds (separate them from the gunk) for a little after-dinner snack.  A sprinkle of sea salt in a shallow dish and you are all set. 

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that my kids don't really care for their squash this way.  They prefer it pureed in soup so don't be too surprised if your squash delight gets snubbed by the younger pallets. But really as long as they are eating it, it really doesn't matter what format.  Enjoy! 

bench monday

Fall, leaves, fall

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

by Emily Jane Brontë

toys

Let's hear it for new toys! 

I finally broke down and did the grown up thing and purchased an external flash and remote for my camera.

I'll be back when the novelty wears off, xxx. 

taking time back

I recently hired my son to do some babysitting for me twice a week in the afternoon.   It's a mother's helper situation, where I am still home but it gives me time to myself to do a block of sewing for a few hours in the afternoon without apology.  He takes care of the needs of the littlest ones and I pay him oodles of cash to do so, what a deal!

Yesterday as I sat down in my make-shift studio, and after a hour passed, I noticed a pattern that keeps eating up my creative time.  administrative clutter - ick!  Somehow, most likely unconsciously, I've been using this precious time to organize papers and such, pay bills and generally deal with the clutter that surrounds me...twitch, twitch.  Paper really is my nemesis these days, I'm sure many of you can relate.  And while I've switched the majority of the household bills over to the eco emails somehow by the end of the week you would never know, paper is still making it's way into our home.  In an ideal world I wouldn't even allow paper work into my art zone but right now while we renovate, there is a limited amount of space. 

Once I realized what I was doing, I shuffled everything aside and turned my attention to the fabric, pictured above.  I turned the administrator off and instead worked on a new design that's been floating around in my cerebral hemisphere for a few months now.  There are still kinks to work out but I made some real progress on it's direction and I am happy with where things are going.  

I realize more and more that I need my creative time, it fuels my right-brain and rejuvenates my energy.  I feel much more centered during my day and that helps me in so many unspoken ways.  I dare say it even makes me a better mumma...or at least a more creative one.  Confirmation came from the hubby when he said "everyone seems to have had a good day"...oh yes...a good day indeed.

what do you see?

I see:

• • children • •

• • color • •

• • creativity • •

I'm enjoying the bird's eye view of things on this end and loving how something as simple as an egg carton can spark the imagination.

A big welcome to the SewMamaSew readers.  I hope you enjoy the tutorial and thank you ladies for the feature. xxx