project 52: week 25

What is Project 52? It's a little like Project 365, but instead of the goal of posting a photo each day, I'll post a photo or two each week along with a short update. Really I just need a little push to post something every week. Since I like to keep this space positive, posting every week forces me to look back and find something shiny to talk about (ten points if you get that reference). Some weeks that's a piece of cake. Other weeks it's more of a challenge, and those weeks give this task true meaning.

What's New?
Well, I completely missed week 23 & 24, breaking my streak of posting once a week. I tried to get a post out early for week 23 since we flew to Virginia to visit family that weekend, but it didn't happen. And last week I was home with a cold, not feeling like myself. Oh well.

We had a whirlwind trip to Virginia that included snow, board games, card games, little ones underfoot, new puppies, and lots of laughter and hugs. We got to meet our youngest nephew who was born a month after our last visit. We managed to spend time with the whole big group, as well as individuals. I visited a local yarn store with my mom and cousin where I bought yarn for my cousin's next baby. There was talk of next visits, dreams shared, and plans made - I can't wait to go back.

Currently Reading
I finished The Rain (my copy's title is H₂O) by Virginia Bergin on the plane and started reading the very first issue of Taproot. I ordered the first year collection awhile back, but haven't had a chance to begin. My bedtime reading has been split between Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds by Lyanda Lynn Haupt (a re-read) and The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

On the Needles
I just finished a modified Honey Cowl using one skein of Tosh Vintage in the Steam Age colorway.

Looking Forward To

1. getting back into my weekly walking habit

project 52: week 2

What is Project 52? It's a little like Project 365, but instead of the goal of posting a photo each day, I'll post a photo or two each week along with a short update. Really I just need a little push to post something every week. Since I like to keep this space positive, posting every week forces me to look back and find something shiny to talk about (ten points if you get that reference). Some weeks that's a piece of cake. Other weeks it's more of a challenge, and those weeks give this task true meaning.

My small haul two weeks ago. This weekend I'll have three times as many, or more!

What's New?
I just got back from a whirlwind trip down to sunny California for my uncle's funeral. While the occasion wasn't very happy, it was immensely wonderful seeing family again. I got to meet some new people and see some faces I haven't seen in far too long. There were many hugs, laughs, and tears. There were children playing, asking questions, and telling strange stories as children do.

Currently Reading
I'm slowly working my way through these three books. It's slow-going not because I don't like them, but because I haven't had much time since school just started up.

The Secret Life of Trees by Colin Tudge

Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown

The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans and Heretics by Elaine Pagels

On the Needles
Still working on my Wood Hollow Vest in the round. Lots of cables, and lots to remember, but going well so far.

Looking Forward To

1. roasting tomatoes from my garden
2. this autumn's first batch of butternut soup

pen pals

My nephew and I are pen pals. 

He lives in Virginia, and I live in Washington State. 

He is 6 (in a haf), and I am 33.

He loves me very much, but he also loves trains.

When we started writing back and forth, I gave him a bunch of pre-addressed envelopes. Now he can write out our address himself.

I am so very proud of him.

a new quilt

Now that my nephew has seen his quilt in person (ok, he's 14 months old, so I'm really talking about his mom), I feel that it's okay to post more pictures and talk about the process. I bought fabric last summer and started cutting. The top and bottom started coming together last October, and the final stitches were sewn this February. I had originally intended this quilt to be a Christmas present, but it ended up being two months late.



  



It all started with this Alexander Henry zoo print fabric I found at Joann's. I adored the print and the colors. I decided to use it as the basis for Mason's quilt.

With that in mind, I went on a search for fabrics that matched the colors in the zoo print. After looking at my options, I decided that I would make one side of the quilt look more like a little kid's quilt using the zoo fabric. I tried to make the other side look like it could be a big-kid's quilt. That way the quilt could 'grow' as Mason grows up.

I admit that I am a total beginner when it comes to making quilts, and there were definitely some problems along the way. For example, my quilt top didn't quite fit the batting size, so the quilt is shorter than it should be (which ends up just making it look longer than it should be).

I didn't buy enough of the zoo print to do the entire back of the quilt, so I bought some coordinating solid fabric and pieced the back side as well as the front side.

Two things I really like about this quilt are also the two things that tie it to Mason's older brother Daniel's quilt (which I can't seem to find any pictures of): the variegated blue thread I used to quilt the layers together comes from the same spool I used for Daniel's quilt, and they both have a square signature label. Although with Daniel's quilt I used fabric marker and actually wrote the label. With Mason's quilt I wrote on the fabric with pencil and embroidered the letters (since I just learned how to embroider).

I also did a much better job with the fabric binding along the edges. I still didn't quite do it as you are supposed to, but it is much, much better than what I did with Daniel's quilt (since I didn't know at the time what I was supposed to do). I still want to rip out the binding on Daniel's quilt and re-do it, but that might be a bit dramatic.
 

 

I wasn't sure about the best way to package it for mailing. I decided to wrap it in brown paper and use a flat-rate box, which ended up being the perfect size.

the bad and the good

when times are tough, cute kitties help

What's New?

January has been a bit of a doozy so far. I wasn't sure if I wanted to write about it here, since I try to keep this space positive, but it's been on my mind constantly. On the 6th there were two traffic accidents in my extended family. My brother was rear-ended resulting in no serious injuries thankfully, but his car is totaled. Health-wise my brother is going to be fine, but having to unexpectedly replace a car is stressful. On the same day my uncle was hit by an unlicensed and uninsured driver while he was on his motorcycle and he is still in the hospital in stable but critical condition. There is a fund set up online to help pay for his medical bills since the other driver does not have insurance. In the first two days they've raised over $6,000!

On a more positive note I'm working on my January goals, and trying to find something that makes me happy each day. Work is still extremely busy and full of meetings, so I'm trying to practice mindfulness daily so I don't get overwhelmed with the demands and stress of my job.

Currently Reading

• A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin - finished this re-read last night
• A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

On the Needles

I've finished the last couple details on Mom's fingerless gloves and soon they'll be in the mail! Next up is a honey cowl for me. I started it last night and I think this will be the perfect bus knit - a simple and mindless pattern on circular needles that I can easily work on even through all the bumps and distractions of a bus commute.

Mom's gloves, finished!

Looking Forward To:

1. playing board games with some new friends

week two

What's New?
I started seeds this week! I made seed pots out of newspaper for the first time, which was much easier than I had previously thought. I re-purposed an old under-bed storage bin and used strips of cardboard to keep the newspaper pots upright. My bin ended up holding 8 rows of 6, so I've got quite a few starts. Now I just need to keep the cats away until they are hardy enough to be transplanted outside. Oh, and clean out the raised beds (something I should have done last autumn, and I'm now kicking myself).

My nephew and I have become pen-pals. He's 5, lives across the country, and is a great reader and writer. He also loves checking the mail. So I've decided that in 2013 I'm sending him something in the mail once a month. In January I attempted to send him a box of books from an online retailer, but the box got lost in the mail. In February he got a Valentine. Now that it's March I'm sending him the Bob Books I tried to send him in January, and hopefully some St. Patrick's Day goodies, although I've been rather disappointed in the selection this year.

Currently Reading

• Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent by Lyanda Lynn Haupt (local West Seattle author!)
• The American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan

On the Needles
Still working on my purple and grey striped Idlewood sweater. I'm currently working on the bottom ribbed hem. When that's finished it's time for sleeves, although I'm a little worried I'll run out of purple for the sleeves. Maybe they will be solid grey? We'll see. I hope to be finished by next week.

Looking Forward To

1. bridesmaid dress shopping with friends
2. meeting a prospective student-teacher

What's new in your life?

generosity & square foot gardens

I have an amazing husband. And some amazing in-laws. It's true. And this little bit of square-foot-garden wonderful is just some of the proof.

I've been wanting to build a square-foot-garden on the grassy patch next to my door ever since my husband and I met our landlord. As he showed us the apartment, and the shared yard, he asked me if I liked to garden. We had also looked at a similar apartment across the street earlier that day. They were almost exactly the same in amenities and price (both buildings were built by my landlord's father some time ago, but the ones on the other side of the street belong to someone else now). The one up the street had something this one didn't: no-coin dedicated laundry for each apartment. That's a huge deal for renters. But the apartment we decided to rent had something else that meant more to me: the possibility for gardening. As soon as our landlord uttered those words, my husband looked at me and said "so we're going to move here, right?" He knew I was sold.

A year passed. I was busy. I knew exactly what I wanted to build, but the project kept getting pushed to the back burner. I had dreams of walking mere feet around the corner to fresh produce.

Little did I know that while I was away visiting family in Virginia, my husband and his parents got to work building two 4x2 raised beds. Imagine my surprise as I walked from the car to the apartment after flying 3,000 miles on 4 hours of sleep and found these two raised beds. Did someone else steal my idea and spot? Surely these weren't for me.

One bed even had plants in it! This couldn't be mine. No way.

But my husband assured me that yes, these were mine. He quickly told me the story of how he secretly planned this for while I was away. I was dumbstruck.

The second bed was left empty so that I could choose what to plant. I'm not sure if I will transplant some of my potted plants into it, or start some new seeds. It's very late in the season, but why not?

They also left a large watering can, gardening gloves, a copy of the square-foot gardening book and more potting soil.

Every time I take a peek outside at my little garden my heart is filled with love for the wonderful people in my life and their abundant generosity. Thank you Joe, Gary and Carol.

where have I been?

It seems I've taken a very long break from this space. My last post was in January, and it's already the latter-half of July! So what have I been up to (besides spending time with these adorable sisters?)?

I experimented with natural dyes for my spring eggs. Red cabbage is still my favorite (it makes blue).

Joe and I sometimes eat hard-boiled eggs as part of our breakfast. Since I love the look of dyed eggs, I decided to start dying my hard-boiled eggs all the time. Now I know when I reach into the fridge that the blue eggs are hard-boiled, while the white ones are not. It's especially helpful when I'm still half-asleep.

I went strawberry-picking with these three dear friends of mine. Along the way we found this old giant at a rest-stop along Interstate 5.

After many years of sewing, I finally organized my fabrics!

Now that my sewing space is more organized, I find myself sewing more often. This skirt, for example, used to be pants that had seen better days.

My local public library has seen quite a bit of me lately. I love the old brick building and its half-mile proximity to my apartment.

I recently returned from a two-week trip to Virginia where I visited with family. I love the first glimpse of the Cascade Mountains on the flight back. Seeing those snow-capped peaks reminds me how much I love living in the Pacific Northwest.

And while I love my whole family, this little man melts my heart.

ten things

In the spirit of Soulemama, here are ten things since my last post two months ago:
 1) I've made huge gains in organization at home


 
2) I celebrated another year of marriage with a picnic at the park


 
3) I picked blueberries


 
4) I went camping at Penrose and found treasures at the shore


 
5) I explored a very small town in upstate New York


 
6) I visited family


 
7) I made friends with Dempsey


 
8) I flew in a tiny airplane mere hours before Hurricane Irene hit the mid-Atlantic region


 
9) I smiled when I saw my mountains


 
10) I knit fingerless gloves for a friend


It's good to be back in this space. I hope to be around here more often. I know it's been quite awhile since I've posted, but I'm shocked to realize a full two months have gone by. My, how time flies.

my Christmas

My Christmas break was filled with baking,




little ones,




and playing games.


All while surrounded by family.