sewinsight

i need to post more

I really have been quite lax, sorry for those of you out there who have been checking in to very few updates.  This is our first time through the end of a school year and MAN is it ever a busy time.  This is the last week, then it is on to a wide variety of summer camps for B.

 

I have been trudging away on the Clapitos from knitty.com.  In looking for the link I found someone who refered to the one they made as hugely gigantic, and I think that sums it up.  I had intended to skip some sets, but wasn't sure how.  So it has become enormous.  I started it in February and am almost done, I think one more solid evening of knitting and it will be done, just in time for summer (oops!).  I am excited because I am always cold, and work in my basement so I know this will be much loved and used.  I will post it when I am done.  I made a color switch for the last bit both because of running out of yarn (though I could have gotten more) but also to add interest and make it not all one color.

I also rearranged B's room the other day and we are loving it.  I have been putting up his kindergarten art with that blue putty for mounting things on the walls, it is great and doesn't seem to hurt the paint. We upgraded him to a desk in his room and picked up some great desk stuff (mini-stapler, note pads, etc) at Daiso (the Japanese $1.50 store) in Lynnwood the other day and he has been making wee books of poetry.  We are also in family discussions about adding a puppy to our clan.  So puppies have been a common theme lately.  

In preparation for the summer, and because I am so weary of the refrain "I don't know what to do" that B and I created the "B....'s NOT BORING STUFF list of things to do".  It is as follows but has been great, I printed and posted it on his chalkboard and now instead of coming and asking me what he can do, he has been playing with his toys, creating art projects, leaf rubbings, good stuff.  Some were were his ideas, some were mine, some were just a listing of his toys (which it seems he needs reminding of) and some were inspired by Amanda Soule's The Creative Family book.  The key was things he could do, by himself (well except the Badminton) while I have to work this summer.  

Art Projects
: : Make a book
: : Draw a picture - puppies 
: : Make a wallet 

Workbooks - Brain Quest grade 1

Legos

Playmobile

Knights and dragons with castle

Play with stuffed animals

Knex and tinker toys

Marble tracks

Puzzles and games (in the living room cabinet)

Dress up

Rock out with musical instruments

Outside

: : Play badminton  

: : Catch and study (and draw) bugs

: : Leaf rubbings (paper and crayons and leaf)

: : Nature table - find natural things in the back yard 

: : Study our garden - write a book with pictures

Anyway, has worked so far, as I write this there are marbles rolling all over his room on the floor above my head.

kids crafts

We have been keeping busy here, really busy.  Here's a little of what we have been up to:

Saturday - a trip to the Farmer's Market, looking for carrots for a carrot cake, and salad greens and vegetables for a salad, all for a barbecue at my in-law's house.  B got to plant a sunflower seed at one booth, then they sent him home with that, and a small pea plant, which we planted when we got home.  We rode our bikes, how "green" of us, but unfortunately the carrots were smaller than my pinkie and the salad greens were $7 a bunch.  I would need 2 bunches and as much as I love Royal's family, Iam guessing that $15 in organic lettuce might be lost on them.  So I gave up and biked down the road to the grocery store, then home with my basket full.  Boy, when on a bike you really have to limit what you pick up at the store.  I am notorious for getting way more than I went in for, ask Royal.  

Homemade bread, still loving Soule Mama's recipe, I am making it about once a week and we go through it in a snap.  At the suggestion of my bread book we have been storing it cut side down, on a plate and I have been covering it with a dish towel.  Lasts a few days just fine.

Garden is growing like crazy, I keep snitching lettuce for sandwiches, hopefully I will leave enough that it will grow full size.  So far, so good, our first vegetable garden!

Saturday - enjoyed lunch on the patio, hello Spring!  Homemade bread, lettuce from the garden, can't get much more local than that.

Sunday - morning craft, inspired by Blair's post, we made the God's Eyes, or Ojo de Dios.  B loved it and we made two.  Then he and Daddy wound up some yarn really tight and proceeded to play ping pong with them.  Ah, the perfect boy's variation on the craft, I guess.  B brought the blue one to school today and gave it to a class mate who lost her Mom on Friday.  So very sad, I didn't know the Mom, but the girl is so sweet, it just kills me.  This is the second Mom of a classmate/friend I know of that has been lost this year so far.  B told me the girl was so happy he gave it to her, he said she loved it and gave him a big hug.  

This week we have been an Origami factory around here.  B is totally into it and we ran out of paper, so we went to Top Ten for more and picked up this book too.  When I "blew" into the little green one above, blowing it into the box, he uttered a reverent "that's awesome!".  Score one for Mama.  He has been making all sorts of things (most with help from me) but I love that he is so engrossed in it.

New stuffed penguin, very much loved, a token from a trip to the zoo with Mama and Nana on Monday.  We got to see the new penguin exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo, very nice, and the penguins sure look much healthier than they did before, they must have had a good vacation.

good times

My last post has been on my mind since I wrote it, sorry to be such a downer.  I challenged myself to think of some good things to share, so here we go.

We had a great time at the Ballard Farmer's Market on Sunday.  B got a Dante's hot dog and I got some Veraci wood fired pizza.  We picked up some starters for our garden, broccoli and rainbow swiss chard.  Planted them when we got home.  

good times.

Then we headed off to the outdoor pool two blocks away that just opened for the season.  Enjoyed a fun, yet crowded, sunny afternoon in the warm pool working on learning to swim.  Bumped into two of B's classmates.  

good times.

Got to go to yoga then to my buddy's house for cards last night.  My Tuesday night thing.  Some good chanting at yoga, a little woo-woo, but got to have some woo-woo in my life right now.  Played canasta, love that game.  

namaste.  good times.

B had early dismissal from school today so we got to work on his science fair project.  Our first since he is in kindergarten and I have no memory of doing one as a kid.  Maybe me or just not a Canadian thing, I don't even remember my school having a science fair.  Our project was Craters and Meteorites, I got the project off www.sciencebuddies.org, a great site.  I answered some questions about his likes and dislikes and they had tons of projects to suggest, sorted by difficulty.  I thought this one sounded fun so we worked through the "problem" "hypothesis" "procedure" etc. and it worked out well.  I had B drop different sized balls (a marble, wood bead, plastic baseball) from different heights into flour and we recorded the diameter and depth of the "crater".  We got it all done today, yea!  Finished up with dinner at Red Mill Burgers, and if you have been there your mouth is watering now, sorry 'bout that.  Midway though the project we heard the ice cream man and chased him down the street.  

yum.  good times.

Tonight we finished up with a new book from our recent Scholastic order called When Dinosaurs Came with Everything.  We love it, it is so funny.  I place those Scholastic orders and sometimes the books suck, and sometimes they are great, this is a great one.  Scholastic is such a crap shoot sometimes because you can't preview the books.  In the book the boy is running "boring" errands with his mom.  This time instead of getting a sticker, or balloon at different stores, like they sometimes give out, he gets a dinosaur.  

great read.  good times.

Wanted to finish up with a shot I took last week when I flew up to Orcas Island on a seaplane again for work.  Bumpy ride but fun.

where has my free time gone

Yes, that is what I would like to know.  I used to have time to sew, knit, post on my now neglected blog, but lately that time doesn't seem to be there.  Work is crazy, and I am happy for that, don't get me wrong, but I feel like I am losing myself in there a bit.  

So just wanted to pop in and say "hi" I will find time to get some photos and post something of substance soon.  Tonight I am off to yoga then to play cards with my buddy, but not much of that might be photo worthy, unless y'all want to see me doing the Downward Dog pose, but I doubt it :)

spring weather

My week has matched the incredibly varied weather in Seattle this week.  Time of calm sun warming us to our toes, and spring storms with rain so hard it seemed it would never end.  Since I choose to check the bad and sad at the door to this blog, I will spare you that, suffice to say that B, Royal and I are just fine.  

On to the sun...something I have dreamed of doing for years now came a reality, last weekend we planted a vegetable garden.  After all was said and done it only took us about 7 hours or so, start to finish, not sure what was holding us back.  After coffee out on Sunday we bought the lumber, came home and while Royal was building the raised beds, I went out to Swanson's Nursery (I know it is spendy, but trying to support the local guys and wanted some good advice) and got the plants and dirt. We planted tomatoes (plum and cherry), shelling peas, lettuce (3 kinds), parsley, carrots, strawberries (2 kinds), onions and chives.  We also planted 3 blueberry bushes outside of the planters.  Basil and zucchini will come in a couple of weeks when things warm up.  We have never had vegetables before so we'll see how it goes but are all really excited at the prospects.  Royal already wants to build more boxes, but I thought we should see how this first batch goes.   

We have also had a lot of paper usage going on around here, mostly comic book creation and paper airplane construction.  Thanks to a suggestion from Daria, I picked up Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics, which B and I read last night then he did a great drawing before bed. Captain Underpants has made his way into our home, so he too is a regular fixture in the comic books.  I am not too thrilled with Mr. Underpants, but I let him in so I guess I have to deal with it, I didn't quite realize what the books were until they were already here.

I have been baking a lot of bread over here too.  Enjoying the quick bread from the How to Cook Everything Vegetarian book I mentioned, this time I did half molasses and half honey and liked how it lightened it up.  The bread is mostly just flour, cornmeal, plain yogurt, molasses and honey, really heavy and dense but nice for snacking.  I have also been making Soule Mamma's acoustic-style WHO bread and we all really like the touch of sweetness.  This morning I tried the Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes from the new issue of Martha Stewart Living (which doesn't seem to be on her website so I can't link to it) but it was really good.  I substituted plain nonfat yogurt for the buttermilk because that was what I had, and frozen for the fresh blueberries, but it came out really good.  

To sum up my crazy week, I must share my Wednesday with you all, ready?  Here we go.

Out of the house by 8am, take B to Japanese class, drive B to school, coffee with D, job site walk-though for a project I am doing in Bellevue (35 minute drive each way), lunch in the car (bread and apple), client meeting at 1pm, race back to pick up B from school, hit two different grocery stores (because Trader Joe's, though I love it, doesn't carry things like molasses and yeast), came home, made a batch of WHO bread left it to rise, made pizza (using TJ's refrigerated dough), ate dinner with B, made a batch of gluten-free brownies for Royal, baked the bread.  To cap it all off, B (in an attempt at being the aforementioned Captain Underpants) was jumping off the coffee table, cape and all, onto the hardwood floors and slipped, almost knocking his two front teeth out.  When the blood stopped, we discovered those two front teeth are now really loose, but since he would have lost them eventually anyway he is just speeding up the process.  A hard lesson for him in how life doesn't imitate art (if you can call Captain Underpants art).  

hummin' along

I've been quiet so long I wanted to pop in to say "hi".  We have been crazy busy here, feels like I can hardly get a breath in.

Cooked a great dinner last night, Royal (the amateur chef) even told me my "flavors were spot on" :)  I took a suggestion from a friend and combined that with inspiration by the dish we got in Portland recently.  Here's what I did.  Took about 2/3 of a can of black beans, and the liquid, put it in the small bowl of the food processor, added two tablespoon scoops of sour cream and two of salsa (Newman's Own Mild).  I processed it some then added it to a saucepan with the rest of the can of beans.  I then chopped two small organic carrots, two small organic zucchini and about 5 crimini mushrooms.  I sauted them in olive oil, salt and pepper.  When they were almost done I was eyeing my vege pan back and forth with the bean mixture and decided to add a little of the bean mixture to the veges slowly, but ended up adding it all which helped reduce the bean mixture and juice up the vegetables.  I then cut thick slices of the Trader Joe's polenta that comes in a tube and pan fried it.  I put three slices of polenta on my plate, covered it with the vege/bean mixture and enjoy!  It was so very good.

On other fronts I am working on a book for Teacher Appreciation week, sort of a yearbook for B's kindergarten class with photos of the kids along with answers they gave to some questions from me.  I got it all done on iPhoto last night, only to find they wouldn't let me print it in the size I wanted with that "theme" and the other themes didn't give nearly enough text space.  So after almost smashing my head into the wall in frustration, I looked at other options, Snapfish, Shutterfly, Lulu and Blurb.  I decided on Blurb because of the pricing (comparable) and the layout which allowed me as much text as I darn well pleased with the photo layout I wanted.  The software they offer was easy to pick up (I never bother with tutorials) and finally dragged myself to bed at 11pm last night.  I took some time off work this afternoon and have just finished it and am printing my proof copy as we speak.  I think it came out better than it would have with iPhoto and I am glad to have learned how to work the Blurb software, depending on the final outcome (which I hope will look good) I would be happy to use Blurb again.  

B has been on a cut paper and tape kick lately.  He is going through tape like there is no tomorrow and I find scraps of cut paper throughout the house.  He cut every one of those teeth on the shark in the picture above and (liberally) taped each one on.  But I bit my environmental tongue because he is being so darn creative.  I love what he makes.  

B has also started his Japanese class and I love going up with him twice a week at 8am, sitting off in a corner knitting for 45 minutes an listening to the 5 kids learning Japanese.  The teacher is great, a 26 year old girl from Japan, she is so cute with the kids.  I am learning some too, which was my hope, and B and I have been working at home trying sentences with each other and learning numbers with flash cards.  I plan to make more flash cards, am just waiting on a book from the library to come in to help with that.  

a week of high hopes

B was on spring break this week and I had high hopes that other than a few work commitments, we would get so much accomplished.  And in a way we did, but not as I had originally envisioned.  The week started off great, Monday I was a baking fiend.  I made a batch of gluten free brownies for the freezer and a gluten free carrot cake.  Went to two grocery stores, did some meal planning, and whipped up a batch of gluten free flour mix as well as more of my muesli.  

Tuesday morning I had to work, so B went to soccer camp and came home in not a great mood so we hung out.  I cut fabric for a quilt and a bag as I find it easier to do the cutting process for more than one project at the same time.  Then Wednesday it hit, both Royal and B were down for the count with a nasty cold.  B eventually developed into an ear infection with a fever and pink eye.  So we went into total germ lock down.  Funny about fevers here though, last time he had one, I finished the picnic quilt and this week was no different.  I finished the lap quilt I had been thinking about for a year.  On Wednesday I pieced the quilt while B worked on his favorite craft projects, which involve copious amounts of tape and paper.  

He created a bunch of musical instruments then wrote the music, and conducted to his Star Wars CD playing in the background.  Yes that is the theme to Star Wars below.

By Thursday the quilt was pieced and I machine quilted it by stitching in the ditch.  

And Friday, with some help and inspiration from Leslie of onegirldesignwrks and Leslie from goodness I decided to machine bind the quilt.  I just wasn't up for hand binding it.  I used a combination of the technique Leslie described in her recent post, with the binding tutorial from Heather Bailey I have used in the past.  It worked pretty well (I found one spot that is off today, I will fix it) and when I finished I literally had about 12 inches of thread left, yes that's it.  I know it would be close and was crossing my fingers and toes.  So here it is, a lap quilt for our loveseat.  The back is a grey flannel, soft and cozy.  B and I tried it out this morning, good for cuddling.  B is on the mend, and we are off to the zoo today for some fresh air and to enjoy this sunny (yet cold) Seattle weekend.

What is that big yellow ball of light in the sky?

 

Oh, the sun.  Haven't seen that in a while but boy it was nice.  All in all a good weekend.  Saturday spent with my Mom, trading in our old books for new (used) ones.  Lots of Captain Underpants being requested over here, oh joy.  On Sunday we had my in-laws over for breakfast, headed to Ballard to the Farmer's Market where B picked up this magnifying glass with part of his allowance.  

After that we headed out for our first family bike ride.  

We live in a very hilly neighborhood and did a very slow but steep incline along a pretty drive with a view over the sound.  Boy am I out of shape.

Last night was a girls night out with dinner and a movie, Duplicity, which I don't think I would recommend, maybe a renter, it was just a bit slow and lacked a certain punch.  

So how does a 5 year old express his anger?  Well mine did it this way with this sign last week:

It reads (with spelling corrected) "I don't want to be disturbed by anyone because I am too angry!"  Actually other than the sign he was in a good mood, but I thought it was a good method of expressing himself.  I also finished up some of those zippered pouches,

and am getting in touch with my inner Jamie Oliver with this book.  I saw it mentioned on Lara Cameron's blog (if memory serves) and ordered it.  I like his approach to teaching those of us who are cooking challenged to cook and have enjoyed the recipes I have made so far.

This week is spring break here and I have high hopes for what we will accomplish.  B and I made a list, which started out serious and ended up silly, this morning at breakfast so we'll see how it goes.  I am hoping to take a break from work but do have a couple of meetings.  Since B just handed me a post-it note saying "not too much computer" I will sign off now and go start work on that list.  

at the end of it all, a good day

B had today off of school, a day for the teachers to go to class themselves, he told me with a grin.  I had high hopes for a day of accomplishing so much.  But try as I might I just couldn't get out of the office this morning - emails to return, appointments to set, tile crisis to solve, ah the glamours life in design.  B was a trooper and entertained himself, but after lunch I pulled myself away and we set of on errands.  A rain squall and a subsequent traffic jam turned me back home and I am so glad it did, because the day was salvaged from 3-8pm.  

I set up my currently (and much to my dismay) Sharpie obsessed boy (oh the fear of the permanent - or indelible as we used to say in Canada - marker).  I was inspired watching this wonderful video posted by SouleMama.  We sat and watched the video, then I set him up with his beloved Sharpie and some watercolors and he went to town.  He created, and labeled none the less, several pieces including the "summer series", the "star wars series", and "fire series" among others.  While he worked, I baked, true goodness for my soul, I love baking.

We took some time to read this totally fun book from the library, which lead us to sign him up for Japanese lessons through his school, which I may even be a tad more excited about than him.

Great descriptions of everyday life at home, at school, in the city, etc in everyday Japan.  I learned a thing or two I didn't know, such fun.

And there have been some recent book additions for me. Here's where I'm at right now, wanting to make the big switch to eating Vegetarian and trying to grasp how that will work with two die hard carnivores.  We are getting there and I am inspired by Mark Bittman so looking forward to delving into this.  I have seen the Bread book on so many people's blogs and am just dying to learn how to bake bread.  No better way than jumping in, right?  I can't wait to read A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, I ordered it after seeing it on Blair's blog. Food and Paris, what could be better?

We finished the evening with leftover Puerto Rican beans and rice from his school function last night, cuddling up and watching Bolt, eating our cookies, then reading these fun books before bed.  I am so glad I listened to my inner voice and turned back toward home.  Sleep well my prince.

Snow, again, and a new game

It snowed, again.  I had no idea it was supposed to and was shocked again to wake up to snow, and a 2 hour school delay.  This is so unusual for Seattle, I have lived here since 1982 and let me tell you it is not every year we get snow, and if we do get it, it is once and not much.  We have had so much snow this year, it is strange.  

And frustrating, the one thing I was looking forward to today was coffee with 2 of my pals, which is now cancelled.  Oh well, another day I guess.  It has been a hard week with my friends service, and just feeling a bit in a funk, but onward and upward!

Not too much happening on the crafting front, I took my sewing machine in for a well needed tune up before our trip and haven't yet picked it up, but am itching to do some sewing so will get up there in the next day or two.  I do have too many projects on the knitting needles.

1. the sweater I was working on at my class which you can see here (not that mine will be this good, but it is coming out pretty well)  I am all the way up the body, both arms are attached and I have just started the seed stitch rounds at the shoulders.  I still have to do the button bands but it is coming along well
2. a sweater vest from a book, sorry looking up which one would involve going upstairs and I don't want to :) but I will figure it out when I post it completed
3. I also started on the Clapotis in a great light green in the Manos del Uruguay silk yarn and it is coming along.  It is a funny pattern, looks incredibly complicated (well to me) but easy to get the hang of.  But what I am realizing is that I will have no idea if I messed something up until it comes time to unwind the stitches to create the open band parts, so it could be I will get all the way through and it won't have worked.  Adds a certain anxiety to the whole thing I hadn't expected.  
4. And a few more miscellaneous things, that will get done eventually 

B and I got a new game, we love the ones by Gamewright and this one we tried out in the store and have been having a great time with.  It is called "Three of a Crime" and one person is the eyewitness (usually B) and the other lays out one card at a time and the eyewitness then puts a number 0, 1, or 2 on that card to say how many of the bad guys were on the card in his hand.  You don't know which 1 or 2 of the guys are the bad ones, just that there are that number.  Kind of like the old Mastermind game I loved so much.   Great deduction, and for him a good mental exercise to figure out the similarities between the two cards.

When staying with our friends last week in California, we also played a lot of Blockus, so we picked up the 4 person version of that too.