Snippets of a Weekend

New Year's Project: Operation Fishbowl

In an effort to have more productive 'S days,' Papa and I are reinstating Operation Fishbowl. A few days into this New Year, we as a family listed projects we'd like completed around the house. We categorized them thusly:

--Fifteen Minute Projects (cleaning out junk drawers, organizing the tupperware, cleaning the fish tank, replacing the air filters...)
--One Hour Projects (cleaning out the coat closet, organizing the arts and crafts hutch, rehanging that broken curtain rod...)
--Weekend Projects (building shelves in the garage, installing outdoor lighting, reorganizing the kiddos' closet, touch up paint, re-framing...)

They are color coordinated, so when we have the appropriate chunk of time we pull a project. We made sure they were all projects that (in theory) Big B can help complete. This is the first 'S day' we've all been home without company this year, so I'm inspired to pull several! Hoping your weekend has that perfect blend of productivity, relaxation, and fresh air.

Baby, You've Got Some Fine Motor Skills

These photographs of little b were taken over the last two days at our house. An empty orange juice jug sparked my memory: this activity was a favorite of Big B's when he was little b's age. I fill the jug with little objects (empty spool, wooden screw, clothespin, etc.). The deducing how to get the trinkets out, the eventual success, and the tricky business of refilling the jug creates some serious toddler happiness. Big B also loves the challenge of fine motor skill refinement. (Epiphany: So do I. Perhaps that's why I enjoy knitting so much.) For him, I found this great 116-page free download from a homeschool in South Africa. It is full of games, mazes, and templates for cutting, tracing, and connecting, etc. While this will get a whole lotta use on our family table, my favorite fine motor activities with Big B right now are simply writing and drawing.

First Knitting Project: National Championship Hat

Just after Thanksgiving, I decided to learn to knit. I liked the idea of a creative outlet that mandated sitting still for a few moments. So Rose poured me a cup of tea and taught me how. After much post-kid-bedtime swearing, I finally got the hang of it.I was ready to try a pattern. I decided to make a hat for Papa--he sort of got the short end of the crafty stick at Christmas. Besides, I knew he'd love all of my first-knit mistakes. I began this project when he was invited to the BCS National Championship, in hopes that he'd wear it to the game (because you need a skull cap in Miami, of course). I realized I had screwed up irrevocably, would never finish it in time, and unraveled the whole thing (which was oddly gratifying). I started over as we cheered our alma mater to victory, he from the stands and I from the couch. I finished it on an unexpected road trip over the next few days. It provided the perfect chicken soup for my soul.I used Alex Zorn's Hot Head from Stitch 'n Bitch, The Knitter's Handbook as a springboard. This is a simple K2, P2 rib that was very forgiving with the chunky yarn. I adapted her colorway in the name of school spirit and changed the pattern a bit.

MATERIALS USED:
--1 skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky yarn, charcoal
--1 skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky yarn, indigo
--1 skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky yarn, pumpkin
--size 10-1/2 knitting needles
--yarn needleSo here it is, wonky mattress seaming and all. Papa loves it, and promises to keep his ears warm on his next nighttime four-wheeler ride up north.

2009 Projects : Improv, and Otherwise

My whirlwind craft-a-thon during the holidays has inspired me to have a fabric project in the works pretty much constantly. Here is a sampling of projects I'd like to complete in 2009.

1 :: King Quilt (Master Bedroom)

Today I took a big quilting leap and joined Tallgrass Prairie Studio's Project Improv. This project was inspired by the incredible Quilts of Gee's Bend. By April 1, I will complete an improvisational quilt block, in blues and greens, to be part of a large charity quilt. Then, sometime this year (no deadlines), I will design and complete my first improvisational log cabin quilt. I am excited and a bit nervous--I perused the blogs of the other participants and I am WAY out of my league. But I can take my time, and use my own design, and my own mistakes, and I feel certain something beautiful will come of this. I have a yard of brown and turquoise batik on my sewing desk that will serve as inspiration for the fabrics. Time to go shopping...

2 :: Bunk Bed Quilts

Santa brought bunk beds for the boys this Christmas. Yes, he removed big B's old bed, built and installed the bunks, rearranged and cleaned their room, and removed four huge bins of unnecessary toys, all in one evening. Truly a Christmas miracle. So I told big B and little b that to celebrate this fantastic new fixture in their now-shared room, I'd be making them new quilts. The 'B' appliques are ready to sew on, and the tops and binding are selected. I think I will tie quilt these with varying colors and sizes of blue buttons.

3 :: Craft Night Bag

Remember that yard of fabric I won from Sew, Mama, Sew? I'd like to use it to make something for myself, as it seems befitting for gifted fabric. The Mamas and I are trying to have more frequent craft nights, and a cute one-project bag would be perfect. I am inspired by the designs at Fat Orange Cat, like this adorable initial bag, and I LOVE corduroy. I can see it now.

4 :: Children's Music Room Rug

When I took down the Christmas tree, I decided not to replace its vacancy with the rocking chair, which now happily lives in the boys' room. So currently in that space are an upright piano, a child's piano, three drums, a basket full of children's musical instruments, and a child-sized rocking chair and table. A children's music room was born, but its hard terrazzo floors desperately need an area rug. I may use this keyboard rug from Woodworkers Auction as inspiration; it looks like it would make a good floor quilt design. I also adore this technique from Crazy Mom Quilts and am kicking myself for trashing my scraps before the holidays. I'm saving them again now, and will probably use this idea for a bathroom rug.

5 :: Tooth Fairy Pillow

When I saw this Matryoshka tooth fairy on The Long Thread, I fell in love. It then occurred to me that I might need to whip up one of these this year. Big B and little b both grew their first baby teeth at around three months, so it stands to reason that they will lose them on the early side as well. I still fondly remember my tooth fairy pillow. I'll start this project when big B feels his first wiggle.

6 :: Patchwork Throw Pillows

Part of my annual spring cleaning routine is making new throw pillows for our couch. This year I am determined not to be lazy and to actually include some sort of fastener, zipper, button or other way to remove the pillow cover, to extend the longevity of these creations. That way I can at least rotate them. I visited spool sewing quite a bit over the holidays, and this simple patchwork idea inspired me. I hope this will be a nice and easy spring project that refreshes our poor old couch.

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Of course, this list doesn't include holiday projects, baby gifts, my growing fondness for knitting, or anything else that might pop up in 2009. But the prospect of a quilt or project on the machine at all times brings a bit of zen into my otherwise crowded mind.

2009 : Ringing it in

What a way to start the new year! We held our annual New Year's Day open house party, culminating in a pot-luck that was one for the ages. My contributions to the feast were simple: veggie tray, fruit tray, cheese and crackers, traditional Hoppin' John over brown rice with kale, cornbread, and a new twist on Hoppin' John (recipe at the end of this post).

My camera broke early in the day, so sadly the full spread was not captured. Some of the highlights: Greek Feta Dip, Texas Caviar, Ham & Pickle Roll-ups (always a hit with the kiddos), Taco Dip, Roasted Eggplant Caponata with Goat Cheese over Melba Toast, Brie and Crackers, Guacamole, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Greek Salad, Poppyseed Coleslaw, Israeli Couscous with Roasted Garlic, Chocolate Truffles, Fig-Walnut-Blue Cheese Tarts, Peanut Butter Cookies, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, White Chocolate Peanuts, and Kahlua Cake. I'm sorry if I missed anyone, but I guarantee my belly didn't. YUM.
What's that in the center of the table? New Year's Fortunes, inspired by Martha's valentine felt fortune cookies. I used the leftover felt from the Advent Calendar and a 3-1/2" circle template (er, sippy cup lid) to create 62 felt circles. I glued floral wire in the center of each circle and covered the wire with ribbon, then folded them into cookie shapes and stuck a fortune in each. The fortunes were each one word, and were all different. It was so much fun to see what people were getting! Words like beauty, compassion, knowledge, adventure, calm, balance, learning, serendipity, etc. It looks like 2009 will hold GROWTH for me. Who could ask for anything more?I stayed inside and manned the kitchen, where I served Pomegranate and Champagne (sans vodka) to bring abundance in 2009. I used the champagne from our New Year's Eve toast, when we placed 12 grapes to bring luck for each coming month. My new favorite food blog, The Noble Pig, explains this tradition beautifully here.
Papa's domain consisted of the front yard and garage, which was given a new and very appropriate name: The Meat Room. The Meat Room boasted two TV's airing different Bowl Games, darts, foosball, ample quantities of beer (bottled, canned AND kegged), and of course, The Meat, which began smoking at 7:30 am. In our newly finished backyard with our Freecycled playground, the kiddos played tirelessly all afternoon. Even little b enjoyed the backyard, assuming perfect stance on big B's ride. In every space of our home, laughter was the accompaniment to the day.

2009 Hoppin' John for a Houseful
(a vegetarian twist on a Southern tradition)

3 T olive oil
2 large leeks, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T poultry seasoning
16 oz. kale chopped (about 8 c.)
1 box Pomi chopped tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chiles
4 cups uncooked blackeyed peas, soaked overnight
1 qt. vegetable broth
salt and pepper

Saute the leeks in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and poultry seasoning. Stir in kale and cook until wilted. Add all tomatoes, black-eyed peas and vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until peas are tender, about an hour or better. We served this over brown rice, also cooked in vegetable broth. A new spin on a great tradition, and a very nutritious, hearty, aromatic way to start the year.

2008 : Our Year in Review

january : getting to know you

february : making valentines

march : we're going to the fair

april : little b's placenta tree

may : picking blueberries

june : happy birthday big B

july : hot springs arkansas

august : the virgin islands

september : playing dress-up

october : the children's garden

november : country roads

december : little b's first