More of the same...

Continuing with yesterday's theme of cooking a bunch of food, I've been stuck in the kitchen all morning making baby food. For some strange reason I can't bring myself to just buy the jarred stuff at the store. I guess I figure since I'm already spending most of my life in the kitchen, I might as well be making all the baby food too.

This morning I made three different chicken recipes, a big pot of pork chops and apple sauce, and a pot of beef stew. I have a bunch of spinach in the fridge that I need to cook, so I'll probably do a spinach recipe later this afternoon.

I guess I'll use the last bit of nap time to continue on that quilt, though I'm sure Sully will wake up as soon as I sit down to sew. Admittedly, I'm kinda excited for him to get up. It just got really sunny outside, so I'm looking forward to a walk after lunch!

Today was more of a food-making day than a sewing/crafting day. I tried a couple of recipes that I hadn't made yet from my favourite cook book: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. That book is my bible. He's got a bit of everything in it, and it's all super simple. Today's meals were tomato and lentil soup, and a chicken stew with a mashed potato topping. Both fantastic.

On the crafting side of things all I've done today is work on another knitted ball. I got a bit further on the quilt yesterday afternoon, and I've started working out the details of a few Christmas projects, but that's about it.

We had a little play date this afternoon with baby Cal and his Mama. Always fun to see those boys crawling around together, playing tug-of-war with toys and being adorable in general... And of course the company of other adults is always appreciated. Turns out I've got some really nice neighbours :)

Later, Steve and I went out for a walk and brought our new binoculars. We spotted a Cooper's Hawk with a dead bird in his claws, cute! Seriously though, just when I'm feeling like I maybe live too far away from everyone I know, (Saturday night spent at the grocery store instead of at a friend's birthday party, fun times,) there's a day like today when we go for a little stroll and just enjoy the world around us. I might be a total sap, but sometimes the beauty of this place overwhelms me.

And now. I am so. Tired. Only 8pm and I can barely keep my eyes open. I suppose I'll get a few more rows done on this ball and call it a day... Or night. Or something. G'night!

Sewing like mad

Less than a month to go before Christmas! Gahhhh! So much sewing to do...

I received a package of fabric in the mail a couple days ago, (finally, after a whole week and a half of impatiently waiting,) and I can't wait to cut into it. I ordered almost the whole Boy Oh Boy collection and some beautiful Mendocino prints as well. I also bought a couple of patterns for adorable little toys from Melly and Me and oh my goodness, I was just reading their blog and found a tutorial on making scrappy log cabin quilt blocks! I've been wondering how to do that for a while now... Yay! That is so exciting.

Okay. Must remain focused. Have to finish Christmas presents before starting new projects. Stay calm.



I finished knitting the above ball I was talking about the other day. Sewed it closed last night. I'll felt them after I have a few completed. I also made a hot pad from Amanda Soule's book, Handmade Home. A while ago I made this one:



and found it to be quite small, so I made some new, bigger, templates and made this one yesterday:



Honestly though, as much as I absolutely adore everything about Amanda Soule, I can't look at these pot holders and not see Pacman. So I'm going to use a different technique for the pot holders I'm making as Christmas presents.

Okay. So what's next? I guess I'll continue on that quilt for Leilers. She's coming to visit next weekend, and Carolyn and Kaitlyn and Dan and Marty and Drew too! I can't wait! So much to do, though... And very little time. But that's pretty much always the case, so no biggie. Right?

PS: here's a photo of those place mats from a few days ago:

I worked on Cathy's present until 1am last night, and I'm so pleased with the result!! I'd love to share some photos right now but that would spoil the surprise :)

Still, I'm quite proud of myself for figuring out the small amount of math involved... Doing double-sided quilting with 45' angles inside of rectangles. Simple stuff for most people, but I've never had a head for math.

I'm excited to get these done so I can send them to Edmonton! Speaking of which, I have to get to the post office today and send a hat I knitted for a super adorable little man named Zephyr. I finished it a few weeks ago but still need to send it...

For now I'm going to try to get a bit more sewing in before Sullivan is up from his nap.

Birthday

Our dear friend Bruce would have turned 27 today. I'm starting a little present for his wonderful mother using a fabric that reminds me of him. It's blue with green hummingbirds and orange butterflies. He was rather like a hummingbird, and orange was his power colour, so I picked this fabric out with him in mind. Working on this project today is my way of honouring his birthday.

He passed away gracefully and with bravery at the age of 22, after his second fight with cancer. Bruce inspired everyone he met, and his memory continues to guide me every day, inspiring me to try to be the best person I can be. We all love him and miss him dearly. His spirit lives in our hearts and he'll be with us forever.

Wish you were here.
xoxo

Miss Mack

I'm feeling more like myself today, and only slightly nauseated from the giant mugs of coffee that have brought me back to life.

Today's project is a quilt I started a few months ago for my niece, Leila. I kinda messed up a few blocks, so I have to re-do them tonight, but otherwise it's coming together fine.

I also started a little 'quiet time' project for Sully's Christmas stash last night. I'm going to make him a few knitted + felted balls. They should knit up pretty quick, and I can make em in a bunch of colours. I have a long list of toys to make for him this month, which is kind of silly because he's probably too young to appreciate Christmas presents any more than he will the wrapping paper. I suppose it's more for my enjoyment.

-----

It's 11:24pm now, and I'm not all that sleepy, I suppose I can get overly enthusiastic about coffee some days.

I was pretty frustrated with myself earlier this evening. The quilt blocks that I'd sewn together were slightly more rectangular than square, and I needed to trim them all down a bit. I really need to focus on sewing proper seam allowances, but I just don't have the patience. I guess it's an acquired skill. My friend Jenna pointed this out to me while we chatted on the phone tonight. I finished trimming all the blocks into squares while we talked, then I laid them out and fiddled with their order. I even put little bits of numbered masking tape on them... All the while chatting and laughing; the frustration I had been feeling earlier had disappeared.

Now all I have to do is sew the rows together and figure out what kind of border I want to make. Then it will be ready to quilt!

I'm so glad I have a Jenna. She's really awesome. And she has this amazing little boy who tells bedtime stories about trucks n dragsters. She's beautiful and kind and a fantastic artist but the best part is her heart. It's a really good one.

Comfort Pancakes. Like a blanket, only edible!

I suppose I'm in a bit of a funk. The last few days have been a little lacking in motivation. I haven't made much of anything, just slowly working on little bits of things, and mulling things over. I have barely even left the house except to take the dog + baby to the park... I did manage to finish the place mats this morning while Sully slept. If my dining room table wasn't covered in tubes of paint and pieces of paper, I'd lay em out and take a photo. Another day.

I guess it's only natural to slow down for a few days once in a while, so I shouldn't freak out about it. Times like these we usually heat up some left-overs from the freezer, or better yet, order pizza, (last night.) Today I took out some lasagna I made a couple weeks ago and left it to thaw on the counter, only to put it back in the fridge a while later when I decided that comfort food was in order. Pancakes. I love pancakes. Not a huge fan of syrup, I'll usually eat mine with just a bit of butter on them. Tonight I made a little mixed berry sauce from the raspberries we froze this summer, (thank you to Dan for picking those!) and whipped up some cream. Annnnnnnd I made a bit of hot cocoa to go with, 'cos apparently there weren't enough empty calories involved in this meal. Gotta love solving your emotional woes with food! Hopefully this fog lifts before I gain ten pounds.

The Nightly Battle

Planning ahead and properly measuring your fabric before sewing it would be a good idea if, say for instance, you'd like all your place mats to be the same size. Consistent seam allowances and proper sewing technique also come in handy if you want a nice straight rectangular shape when you're done. This is why I convinced myself long ago that straight, even lines are for sweatshops and professionals. My sewing projects always end up with a nice 'homemade' look to them... I try to pass it off as my style.

Today I ironed out the place mat tops and cut the raw edges off to make them more 'clean.' Because they're not exactly a uniform size I'm going to pin them, wrong sides together, to the fabric I'm using as a backing and cut around the edges. As opposed to cutting a bunch of rectangles from the backing fabric, and then finding some of them don't match up. BTW, I'm using an unbleached cotton for the backs, without any batting. These are going to be very simple, easy-care place mats.


And, as I've now discovered having almost finished sewing one, they're also going to be a bit too small. So for the record, I'll probably add a couple inches to both the length and height next time I make these.

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Last night I skipped out on the crafting and went to bed at 7:30pm, as soon as Sullivan was sleeping. I stayed in there all evening reading the New Yorker for the first time in many months. It was glorious. I felt kinda guilty, as if I was somehow wasting time by relaxing and reading instead of quilting or painting. But I think I just needed to feel like an adult for a bit. A very pampered adult who got to eat dinner in bed without lifting a finger. My new favourite broccoli soup, (recipe from soulemama.com,) with homemade cheese scones. Yum!

Tonight I'm feeling a bit torn. I want to return to the New Yorker and my uber-comfy bed... But there are just so many projects to work on. I guess that's what being a mum is all about: if you want to do anything for yourself you have to sacrifice sleep to do it. Damn.

Bebe Monkey

He's done! I finished him up this morning. One of his arms is a little longer than the other, and his tail's a bit lopsided, but I'm sure little Cal won't notice. He was quite easy to knit, using 4 double-pointed needles and simple increases and decreases.


And this...
Is my dining room table.

A little sneak peek at this year's calendar. I hope I have it done and printed by Christmas! (Speaking of Christmas, the crafty pressure is on. Most times I feel like my head is going to explode, just thinking of all the gifts I want to make.) I guess I should get on that... See ya!

one of those.

Not much to write about today. Just finished a 'painting' session. Consisting of three ugly little canvas messes, and a whole lotta frustration.

Keep pickin' up the paint brush only to be let down again and again. I should really just give up on that whole 'art' thing.

In other news, I have to give that lil' sock monkey to his rightful owner tomorrow afternoon, so I'm gunna finish it tonight.

Yesterday and Today

Since my son was born I have been trying to figure out exactly what to expect from myself. How much can really be accomplished in a day? Some days it seems like the answer is barely anything, (or nothing.) Other days it's easier to stay on top of things and still find time for my hobbies. Being a stay at home mama means it doesn't matter what day of the week it is, and living kinda far from all my friends means I don't have much of a social life. So what I'm finding, essentially, is that the days tend to run together and I'm sometimes left with the feeling that all I ever do is cook dinner or clean the kitchen.

But, the truth is I do get a lot of little creative things done. Enough to feel proud of, I think. So now I'm bloggin' about it as a way to cement in my mind that I still exist, that I still get some creative things made. Even though I spend a lot of time sitting on the floor with my son talking about puppies and teddy bears, playing outside with him, and cooking yummy food for him and his papa, Celia is still here. I haven't been (totally) taken over by this new life.

Made it Today is a reason for me to sit down and be thankful for the life I have. A life that allows me to spend every day with my son, to eat healthy lovely meals, and to play around with fabrics, wool, and paints when I feel like it. It's also another way to distract myself from yucky housework, like scrubbing toilets and bathtubs. So that's awesome, too.

Some days, all that gets made is a pot of soup, and others whole projects get completed, but it all counts, right? Like yesterday, all I made was a big dinner. But it was oh, so yummy! Lamb korma, aloo gobi and chicken tikka, with quinoa and naan bread. Delicious.



Yes, I ate a whole huge plate of it. (It was really late by the time we could sit down and eat, we were starving!!) Tons of left overs, which means I didn't have to cook at all today and that makes me smile. A lot.

And after dinner? I started knitting the baby sock monkey's tail. Not bad, eh?

Which brings me to today. So far I haven't done much, but we did get outside for some gardening.



Sully's wearing his "newt suit" from MEC. An essential garment if I want to make sure we leave the house every day. It's raining lots these days and will continue to do so for many months, which could be pretty miserable if we didn't have the right gear to get out and play in this beautiful rain forest.

That's pretty much all we 'made' today, some slightly-less-weedy flower beds. And a whole lotta housework that I don't care to re-live. I'm gunna tuck into this left-over curry with couscous, (mmmmh,) and snuggle up to some 30 Rock with my Steve and some knitting needles.

xoxo

How to avoid washing the floor

It's getting really sticky, too. Especially under Sully's highchair. I guess the dog's not doing a good enough job of cleaning up after him.

Today's distraction was placemats. I made some a couple months ago:

but they're too big.


While looking at random crafty books on Amazon I found a picture of some placemats done in a kinda patchworky style and decided to have a go with it. I started last night, using the remnants of a jelly roll I used for these cushion covers:



So here's what I made today:

First, cut all the strips into smaller strips between 3 and 9 inches long. Do this while trying to prevent your 8 month old son from pulling the sewing machine down on top of him, also, try not to slice your fingers off while he climbs up your legs.

Sort them into piles of light and dark or similar colours or something. Drink some coffee. Eat some toast. Sew the strips, short sides together, in a long strip. I started this when Sully went down for his morning nap, and finished by the time he got up.

Next, go for a little walk in the rain with the family.

Feed everyone lunch, empty the dish washer and run a load of laundry... Etc. etc... Still avoiding scrubbing the floors. Ooo it's naptime again!

Measure the strip. I suppose I could have planned out the measurements earlier, but I was too impatient, so I just used what I had and did a little calculation later that said I had 676 inches of jellyroll, and that it would make 6.5 placemats. Well I ended up getting 5 and a bit out of it, so as usual, my 'math' didn't hold up.

Anyways, cut the thing into 13" long strips. Now you're ready for the fun part! Lay them all out and agonize for an hour or so about positioning them correctly so that you have pleasant contrast and such like. I think if I had grabbed them at random and sewn them together I would have come out with the same result. Perhaps better, even.



K. That's as far as I got today. Productivity is dependent on length of baby naps in this house, so today was definitely a good day with about 3.5 hours of naptime. Yee haw.

(PS, after retracing my amazon oogling steps I've found the book I ripped this off from. It's Sew Liberated, by Meg McElwee. Pretty awesome. Maybe one day I'll be able to buy it, right now I should avoid spending any more $$ on crafting stuff or else Steve's head will explode.)

Nighttime now, baby's in bed. I suppose I'll get a few rows done on this baby sock monkey I'm knitting for my neighbour's son, then go to bed. G'night!