Ugly Duckling's New Friend

P got some fun mail this weekend - a package from Kim, a woman whose generosity and talent know no bounds.Kim had given her this Ugly Duckling and book when we visited in February and told her that she would make a book cover with a bed on the front.

While we were there Kim let P choose a vintage embroidered linen for the bedspread.The book cover arrived this weekend with two new friends for Ugly Duckling. The cute, pink, little mouse can snuggle in the bed with Ugly Duckling.

I am amazed at the detail Kim put into this project.  There is a little fairy quilt on the bed with the polka dot sheets turned down.

The pillows are made of pink ticking and have pretty pillowcases with rick rack and lace trim.

Needless to say, It was a big hit.  Thanks Kim!

Since the little mouse had not seen the book yet she had to show it to her.  She says she is not good at reading the words but she could show her the pictures.

P rearranged the things she had stored in her nesting suitcases so thatthe friends could have another place to live. As she says, "They can'tstay in bed ALL the time."

I think Ugly Duckling's other new friend was sleeping in P's room during the photo shoot.

The Perfect Spring Day

I feel like spring has FINALLY sprung here. Our rhubarb is up, the small bulbs are in full bloom, and the daffodils have just started opening.P and I took full advantage of the warm sunny day yesterday and walked the half mile to deliver eggs to the neighbor. P carried a big elephant puppet the whole way there.We stayed and enjoyed tea and delicious apple cake before walking home.We tried some jump shots but never did quite get the timing right.We had afternoon stories on the back porch and played with chickens and worked in the garden.It was a perfect day.I hope you have a great day too.

Developing Her Sense of Style

P is developing her own sense of style and has started to take control over how some of the things in her room look.P has chosen her own bed linens for her bed; she snagged this vintagesheet before I could get it into the sewing room after a trip to thethrift. It had been used as a paint drop cloth and has a few paintspots on it but she loves it. She has to have her bed made with herquilt folded back so that the flowers are not covered up.She thinks this "too cute" to be Ugly Duckling from Kim looks great on the bed.Future blogger?

Oberlin - The College Tour

Friday we took a road trip to Oberlin, Oh. We are gathering information for D's college choice.Oberlin is a very small town but reminds me a bit of Blacksburg, where I grew up.There is a Ben Franklin with a used/new bookstore in it on the mainshopping street. A store where you can buy used books, fabric, games,and school supplies! Is there anything better than that within walkingdistance of your school? Another shop has a great selection of Easter treats.They have a great art museum with works by Picasso, Miro, Klee and more.The Conservatory of Music.There are some great student housing facilities like this,and this.  There is a lottery for this most desired building. It is filled with lucky upperclassmen.Oberlin has the best campus food I have ever eaten. There are also nine food co ops here.We were impressed with the student faculty ratio and their new science center. Since there are no graduate students the undergraduates have the opportunity to do research with the faculty. Many have their own labs and publish papers with the faculty before graduating.University of Michigan campus tour last week scored low in the campus housing and  food categories. It does score points for being the most affordable of the three choices.This week,- Cornell. I can't wait to see the pictures D and B bring back. They plan to eat at Moosewood tonight.

Gardening in April

We have been spending some time in the garden. Last weekend B and the boys tilled and planted peas. Lots of peas. This weekend we added a few more rows to the garden.We planted carrots, radishes, beets, and parsnips.Everyone helped.I love that P gets herself "dressed" for all occasions. And yes, her shoes DO match. They are both red!I am not sure when we will actually see any sprouts.Today was a snow day. No school - in April!M's track meet was cancelled for tomorrow- something about snow on the track not being good...

Tie Dyed Eggs - again

We dyed a dozen more eggs today using old silk ties.These are so fun to do. I like seeing the result when the fabric is pulled away from the egg. Sometimes the dyes transfer in unexpected colors.  That brown tiger stripe design looks so much more vibrant on the egg than in the original tie.I also think the stripe designs look great on the eggs. My favorites of the day are the red and blue stripe, the half paisley half dot, and this red and aqua one.Wetting the egg before wrapping seemed to help prevent air bubbles.  I think I'll try hollow eggs next so that we can save them.The directions we followed are at Our Best Bites.Edit to add. A new and updated link for directions here.

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring!I love spring. I love the excitement of new flowers, new growth, the earth coming back to life after the long winter.The egg has been a symbol of rebirth of the earth for more than two thousand years.  In honor of the first day of spring we decorated these "Tie Dyed Eggs" last night. It was easy peasy to get these fabulous designs. We used some old thrifted silk ties and the easy to follow tutorial at Our Best Bites.I only had five white eggs on hand so we only dyed five. I'll be saving up the white eggs and dying more.  I think they turned out great. Next time I will try starting with wet silk fabric because I think there were some air bubbles that kept the dye from transferring properly in places.I picked up a few more 25 cent silk ties today! I think we'll have an egg dying event later this week!Try it! You will love this project!Edit to add. A new and updated link for directions here.

Magic Science

A few days ago one of P's friends gave her a sprig of baby's breath. P wanted her flowers to be pink. So, her brother seized the moment and told her that he could turn her flowers pink.  Her preschool teacher does "magic science" at school so she let him proceed.  He got out a small glass and filled it with a strong concentration of red food coloring in water. He put the flowers in the glass. He explained that the flower would "drink" the red water and change color.  He told her to wait and watch.  At preschool magic science happens quickly so she was not impressed. He told her it would take time and she would have to check back later and her flowers would be pink. She went to play and came back and the flowers were not pink. She watched and nothing was happening. She carried the flowers to the living room so she could look at them while she played.When we sat at the table for dinner she had the little glass of pink flowers as a centerpiece. M, quite impressed with how dark they were, said, "see, look how pink they are now.""Yes, I dipped them to make them pink."I guess P taught her brother how to make white flowers pink!

A Puzzling Day

We had a puzzling day.I have always loved working puzzles.  I remember working one like this Playskool one when I was little. I picked this one up at a garage sale when the boys were small.I am glad P likes to work puzzles.We played these puzzles as little breaks in our cleaning and organizing. Today, P and I rearranged and cleaned out her room. It is a small room and getting everything in there is a bit of a puzzle.  We turned her bed 90 degrees and  now she has a play area that is more usable.I have three bags ready to donate to our preschool garage sale.

Collected

I thought I would share some things we collected on our beach walks. We found a number of beautiful shells.Shark teeth.P's pink collectionFavorites.We found a number of shells that were still connected.

Recharging - to Make it Through March

We are just back from a short but much needed trip to sunny Florida. I think we will be able to make it through muddy March now.  Shortly after we arrived, we rolled up our pant legs and waded in the water. Yes, we were really in Florida.We flew with our tents and sleeping bags and camped at Fort DeSoto right in the mouth of Tampa Bay. It was wonderful. Each morning we got up early and walked on the beach.   We saw a lot of wildlife - fish, sea urchin, whelk, crabs, hermit crabs, starfish, dolphin, pelicans, gulls, sand pipers, osprey, egrets, and, of course, the raccoons that live around the campground. We even found some small shark teeth.The sun was a welcome change from our gray Michigan winter days. It was wonderful just to see such vibrant color.We were jumping with joy.What a wonderful few days.

Making Me Smile

I love watching P try to be like the bigger people in her life.  She plays with her play cooking things and has tea parties, she snuggles her dolls in just like a little mother.  All of this is part of learning to be a good grown up and comes naturally to her.  She helps tend the chickens and works in the garden because that is what the rest of the family does.  I am sometimes amused by some of the things she chooses to copy.  Some evenings, she will take a small notebook and pencil around the house and take roll just like her preschool teacher does.  She always gives a choice to raise your hand or do something else like touch your nose or hop like a frog.Still, she really has a mind of her own and knows what she wants.  Most days she chooses clothes that are pink.  This winter, when we are home, her standard dress has been tights and a shirt - because she doesn't want to cover up any of the tights.  She has had overalls for months but never wanted to wear them until she saw me wearing overalls this weekend.  She dashed up to her room to get hers and put them on.Yesterday, I heard her talking with her little friends. Later, I walked by and captured this scene. Notice that she has the heights marked on the wall and has tried to label each one.  P is such a good mother to make sure they are growing as they should.What makes you smile?

A Day To Remember

We listened to the inaugural festivities and could feel the hopefulness in the air. I hope you had a memorable day.

Books: The New Frontier

P has been reading books lately.  She wants to be like the rest of us in the house who pick up books and read.  Last week she opened our unabridged dictionary and "read" some fantastic stories.B and I thought that with her interest in reading aloud that she might like to try something simple so I got out a few of my thrifted early readers for her to try. I think she surprised herself that she could actually read some of the words.  She tries to sound out words she does not know and is quick to learn new words.It is a good thing I have a collection of beginner books. We will have fun with them in the coming months.What a wonderful new adventure for both of us. 

Little House in the Big Woods

We think we have started the new year off on the right foot yesterday.  We didn't bake anything sweet AND we went for a walk in the woods.We weren't too far in when the holiday sugar withdrawal started to kick in. Visions of sugar plums were dancing in our heads.  Look, over there, off the path to the right.No, it was not a vision; it was real!A REAL gingerbread house!Here's to 2009, a year of sweet magic!

Unexpected Journey

Before Christmas I was looking through my old Threads magazines for something and saw this September 1995 issue with the bias scarf.  When the magazine first came out I made a bunch of these scarves from polar fleece.  Seeing the cover again, I thought they needed to be made from felted wool.

I immediately stopped my search through the old magazines and pulled out the washed wool bin.  Happily, I found fabrics that suited each member of the family.  I even had pink wool! How did that get in there?  B's is made from an old tartan kilt I had in college and the others are made from thrifted yardage.  In a short time I had four scarves made, wrapped, and under the tree.

The scarves can be worn down around the neck or on really cold windy days can be pulled up around the face.  P hopes that hers will keep flying snow out of her face when she sleds.  We are supposed to get more snow tonight so we may be able to see if it works to her satisfaction tomorrow.B and the boys took advantage of the snow free ground and finished cutting up the fallen apple tree.  It will make good firewood next year.

P thinks the chainsaw is very loud.I never did find the article I was looking for in the Threads magazines. However, I think I am happier now than I would have been if I had found it.It is good to recognize when this happens.  Perhaps it will make life's unexpected journeys easier to enjoy.  When we are not on the path we think we want to be on, we can still be happy with where we are going.

Merry Christmas

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Family Fun

Earlier in the week we had very cold temperatures.  There was a lot of snow from three storms but it was not wet enough to play in.  The wind whipped it up into drifts and covered our walk and drive after they had been cleared.  At times, the temperatures were below zero without the wind chills.We have been collecting eggs several times a day so that they don't freeze and crack their shells.  The chickens don't want to go out when there is snow.  They just put a toe out and that is enough for them.Today it has warmed up a good bit and is actually raining. But, finally the snow is wet enough to stick together.We have our wet winter wear drying by the wood stove in the basement.I hope you, too, are having a day of family fun.

Lighting the Way

Our busy weekend also included putting up the lights on the chicken barn. We put them over there so that we can see them from the house.I am not typically an outdoor lights fan but I do enjoy the warm glow from these through the darkest part of the year.  It gets dark so early and these lights make it a little more fun to go check on the chickens and collect eggs.Today, P and I will start cleaning and moving things to make room for our tree.  There is sort of a domino plan to the moving. The guest bed needs to be moved from my sewing room so that my cutting table and P's desk can be moved from the living room into my sewing room. Then, we can move the couch. THEN we will have a place for our tree. The problem is that I am not sure where the bed is going...We also have high hopes of making chocolate chip pumpkin muffins.And at some point I need to start some secret sewing.  I want to finish this quilt for a certain little person who likes the pink in the centers. She has given me lots of compliments in the top so I thought it should be hers. It will be a good size for her. She sometimes gets tangled in her big quilt.  My secret sewing/knitting list is very long.

House Warming

We had a very busy weekend starting with the cleaning of our extremely rusty well and replacement of the pump. (sorry, there are no photos of this procedure as I was working at the Art Show. I heard that it was very interesting but no one here thought to take pictures.)  This was the Hometown  Holidays weekend in town there was much scheduled that we did not get to attend.  B took P to see the local performance of the Nutcracker while I was manning my booth at Art Show on Saturday. Sunday, the boys had two performances with the local Chamber Music group.We also had our winter supply of home heating fuel delivered.We heat our home with corn grown on the neighbors farm. We have a boiler designed to burn pellet fuel and mix store bought wood pellets with the corn to help it burn a little better.The corn is stored in the old cistern (used to store water many years ago) in the basement.  We fill the cistern through the basement window.  B put an auger in the cistern that will fill the hopper on the boiler with the flick of a light switch.  We fill the hopper every morning and twice a day when it is very cold.A piece of old metal roofing forms the chute for the corn to get through the window.I always find the delivery process interesting.