At Home on this Mountain

Friday, May 9, 2008

Birthday season is upon us!


I am trying to prepare for it.  Our first springtime birthday (AC's is in the last week of winter) is a week from Monday and it's my big girl who turns 3 this year!  She is so much fun to sew for and I am trying to use that as a good reason to get back in my sewing room.  I have done doodly squat in there the past few months and that needs to change.  I find that a bit of creativity most days helps keep my bluesy tendencies at bay.

So today I made a doll sling for one of the little girl cousins in Washington.  Their birthdays are in May and July but they're coming to visit next week (along with my baby sister, their very pregnant mother!) and we're all getting together several times.  We're going to give Cousin J her birthday gifts while she's here and I will either send Cousin D's home with them or let her open it here too.  I can't help myself- I love to watch people open gifts.  I also don't mind being watched while I open gifts.  It's more fun that way!  Here are MJ and Gigi modeling our first attempt:



And here is Gloworm, showing how a smaller baby can fit between the folds (which sort of forms a pouch)  This is the best way for most stuffed babies to ride so they don't fall out.  You can't really tell that he's all tucked in between the two layers (which are not stitched together at the length).  She really likes it and she'll be getting one for her birthday too, she just doesn't know it.



So with that bit of crafty goodness under my belt this morning (and still feeling the urge to do more!) I decided to sit and blog a bit.  The weather is sunny (for the moment) and extremely MOIST.  It's not raining  but it did (hard!) yesterday and probably will again this afternoon.  I have the dining room window open so I can hear the big 3 in the front yard while Baby does the NAK thing that my babies have all done so well.  Here's the view, if I should choose to glance ever so slightly over my left shoulder:


I have been doing a bit of decluttering.  Nothing major or with any kind of plan, just trying to eliminate
 a few "hot spots."  This week I cleared off the top of our dining room bookcase.  This bookcase is ANCIENT.  My mom grew up in an old farmhouse in Northern California and when my grandparents moved in in the 60s there was a good bit of furniture.  They rented the house for over 25 years, until it was sold and moved across town to make room for a Super China Mart   That was almost 20 years ago (which makes me feel incredibly OLD).  This piece of furniture is about all that's physically left of our family's memories of that house.  It's not a fancy piece of furniture.  I believe it was built of scrap wood like you might get off of a pallet behind the grocery store.  It has been painted at least half a dozen times.  Most recently was probably 15 years ago when my mom had a cute apple-themed kitchen and painted it this cheery green.  It is really, really heavy, even when it's empty.  I love it.  This is its third location in our little house.  To the right you can just see the corner of our "breakfast" nook bench (where we eat all our meals) and to the left is our battery and tool center (which is next on the list of things to tidy up in this room)  This is where we eat, do formal lessons, use the computers and generally hang out, unless we're reading aloud or watching tv (those happen in the living room).  Oh, our pantry is in the room too.  That's the subject of another decluttering post, hopefully in the very neat future- it's a WRECK.



It holds our schoolbooks, my favorite cookbooks and our homesteading/farming/building/animal books.  The set of plastic drawers on top house our notebook and printer papers and cardstock.  Until Monday the magazines on the left were stuffed into a basket and in various nooks and crannies throughout the house.  I have 2 more of the cardboard magazine files left to work with (thank you, Ikea!)  Until this morning the drawers had a teetering tower of paper junk on top.  Now I can breathe when I look at it.  I still need to find/repurpose a plastic under-the-bed container for artwork.  I have several LARGE pieces that need a permanent home now that they're no longer on display.  I figure that 1.5 years is long enough to display the same Thanksgiving posters

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Friday, May 9, 2008 - Awww


Posted by Chas
Awww... MJ looks GORGEOUS!!!!! Just like her Mama ;)
I spelled it like that just for you! :D
I love the little sling!
So sweet! :)
And woohoo on being crafty and organized!!!!
I am in cleaning mood around here so no crafty time for me right now... maybe tomorrow! :)
Love,
Chas


Friday, May 9, 2008 - So beautiful!


Posted by Granny
MJ, if you were any more beautiful...well, I'd just have to eat you up! You are like a beautiful little cupcake!:) I can't wait until your birthday. You are just so sweet and special! You take after your Mommy, she is beautiful too! You're a blessed little girl and I love you so! Tell Mama that the slings look awesome!!!!!!;)
Granny<><


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Preserving the Harvest 2008


~June 22nd~
*11 half-pints
honey-sweetened peach-strawberry jam
~June 27th~
*7 half-pints and 2 pints
honey-sweetened peach jam
~June 28th~
*24 home-grown chickens in the freezer
(7 whole, 17 cut up
plus feet and backs for stock!!)
~July 6th~
*8 pints and 14 half-pints
honey-sweetened peach jam
~July 16th~
*18 cups fresh green beans,
blanched and frozen
*12 pounds ripe bananas,
cut into 1 inch chunks and frozen for smoothies
~July 22nd~
*32 ears corn, blanched and frozen in meal-sized packages

What I'm reading

The Bible- currently in the book of Acts

The Last Battle by C.S.Lewis

Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson



What I've Read Recently

At Large and At Small by Anne Fadiman

How To Be Good by Nick Hornby

The Book of Joby by Mark Ferrari

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

World Without End by Ken Follett

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (for the 12th time or so)



What I Watch


The Office

30 Rock

Doctor Who

Heroes

Eureka

Scrubs


2008 Crafty Stats


Yardage In:

13.5 yards

Yardage Out:

3 yards

Items Made:

Money Spent:

$58.06

Recent Entries

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SWD #2
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Simple Woman's Daybook
Banned book meme

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Pleasant View Schoolhouse