I will have a booth at the All the Trimmings show on December 4 and the Chelsea Fair Grounds and I'm starting to feel the stress. I have been making quilts like crazy and now I have several tops still to put together and quilt. I have a fear of having a booth piled high with quilts and not selling anything so, I have taken a break from those big projects to make some smaller non-quilt items for the show.I recently found Keyka Lou patterns. I really like the clean lines and straightforward assembly of these bags. The little clutches don't use much fabric and I put batting between the layers for a soft finish.
I am really pleased with how this wristlet camera bag turned out. If I still used a point and shoot I think I might keep this one for myself. It also has batting to cushion the camera inside.
My favorite pattern has got to be this shoulder bag. I love those pockets on the front. It also has a magnetic snap closure. I had never put one of those in before. I am an instant fan!
I have done well to use fabric on hand but I have used up all of my interfacing. So, I guess I will trek to the fabric shop. I shall have to put on blinders and go directly to the interfacing and only the interfacing.
A Day at the Park
If the weather is nice,
P and I sometimes go to the park after school.
I find lots of interesting things to photograph.
I like the old paint and textures of the worn equipment.
P likes the park too.
Mondays at the park can also include an interesting "Bench Monday" shot.
K-2 Art Projects
The K-2 art classes I'm teaching are fun. I have a group of 12 great kids. So far we have done some Mondrian inspired collages,
a study of Van Gogh's Starry, Starry Night with oil pastels,
and "macro" paintings of heirloom corn.
I want to make clay beads with them next. I found this great tutorial for clay made from old newspapers. I am trying it out this weekend to see if it will work as a kid project. So far I have a pot of soaked schredded paper.I'd better go get busy!
Sporting New School Shoes
It seems like summer just flew by but here we are at the end of summer vacation. This is our last weekend before the start of school. I took Miss P shopping for some new school shoes this week. She loves the Mary Janes. They are just what she wanted. She also got some sneakers for gym.
This week we also went to open house at school, met her teacher, found her locker, and toured the school.She had a few play dates with friends.
This weekend the weather has turned crispy. It is sweater time and the leaves are falling. I guess we really can start to think about going back to school.I have also been making back to school plans for myself now that all of the children will be in school. I'll be teaching some art classes at the Chelsea Center for the Arts. I'll be the visual arts teacher for the Arts go Round program and will also be teaching the Youngest Artist series. So, if you are local and have little ones looking for some art experience please sign them up. I think we'll have a lot of fun. In the future I hope to teach some needlework and quilting classes there as well.Maybe I should get some cute new Mary Janes too.
The Best Ride EVER
It's fair week! I love our local fair. Really. I love almost everything about it.I love that it is run by volunteers. I love the way it brings the whole community together. I love that it is right before school starts back up. I love that no matter which day you go you will see many of your friends. I love that you can go in the morning before the rides are working and just stroll around and watch the animals. I love that you can enter items for judging. I love that kids of any age can enter things. I love the friendly competition of the homemaker of the year.We didn't enter anything from our garden this year. This is one of three tables of garden produce.
I didn't enter any canning this year either. There are more entries on the other side of this display.
I entered a bunch of quilts, knitting, and other needlework items. P entered some sewing and drawings. We did well with our entries and got a bunch of ribbons and prize money!In a way the fair is a bit like New Years. We make resolutions that next year we will enter more things. We will have flowers and enter them. We will try entering baked goods. I will try for homemaker of the year. But usually we are scrambling the day before the entries are due and trying to remember anything that we have made and can submit.Yesterday was opening day for the fair. The fair starts with a kid parade from downtown to the fair grounds. The kids wear costumes and decorate their bikes. P walked with M and his girlfriend this year.After the parade reaches the fairgrounds there are kid activities in the arena. There is a trike pull where the kids ride bikes loaded with milk crates filled with gallon jugs of water. There are also races. P participated in the sack race but did not want to do the three legged race. The kids all get ribbons and tickets for the rides.When the boys were little we would all ride the Ferris wheel before heading home. P had her sights set on the carousel and could not be convinced to ride the Ferris wheel.She rode the carousel horses twice. The second time was after dark! On the way home she told me that the horse ride was the best ride she has EVER ridden.
It is the ONLY ride she has ridden.Scenes from year's fair are here and here.
goin' with the a-go-gos
We had loads of fun with the a-go-gos!We toured the Jiffy Mix factory.
They really gave the big selling push for their mixes. Yes, you can buy it by the case.
Hairnets are required to go on the factory tour. Don't we look cute?
I wish we could have taken pictures on the factory floor. I love the old machinery and all the conveyors going from one place to another. The box building and filling stations are really fun to watch.I enjoy being a tourist in my own town.
We went to the famous Manchester Chicken Broil. 14,000 chicken dinners in four hours. What more can we say?
We got some fantastic coleslaw with our meal. Apparently the recipe is heavily guarded.
We saw the fairy doors in Ann Arbor.
I always enjoy peeking into the fairy shop to see what's for sale. There are always a few baby teeth in the display case.
We picked blueberries
and hung out around the house.
I am so glad to have gotten the chance to meet the a-go-gos in person!
I hope they have a marvelous time on the rest of their journey.
I Knew They Were Coming So I Baked a Cake
The a-go-gos are on their BIG trip and have stopped here for a visit. We have had our cake and are ready to see the sights. First up - the Jiffy Tour.Have a great day!
A Year on the Farm with The Little Red Hen
Last year I made a calendar that I gave to friends and family. I wanted to publish one that I could share with all of you but I wasn't 100 percent happy with last year's calendar so I didn't offer it to you. This year I tried again and am thrilled with the result. The print quality and paper are much better than last year. It was hard to narrow down to just one photo from each month. All of the photos were taken here on our property. Some months required a family vote. But here it is:2010 - A Year on the Farm with The Little Red Hen
A Visit to the Farm
P's preschool class visited the farm yesterday. I did notice a few differences from our place. Look at those apples!
The trees were loaded.
I could make a lot of sauce from all those blemish free apples.
The farmer helped each child pick a few apples.
After looking at the beehives, learning about bees, and having a hay ride we went to the pumpkin patch to choose pumpkins.
It didn't take miss P long to find the PERFECT pumpkin.
Halloween Treats
Yesterday, P and I made the treats we will give out to her preschool class. If you are a preschool parent from P's class avert your eyes until a new post appears or the Halloween party has past.P loves to have small tablets of paper with her when we are out. They are great for restaurants when we are waiting for food or any time when we need a quiet activity. So, we made small books to give out at the preschool Halloween party.I wanted to make fancy fall covers for them and was inspired by this quilt, that Tia made. I love the way she quilted the veins on the leaves. I snitched her idea and did the same in felt for the book covers.
These books were pretty easy to make. We used the paper cutter to cut small rectangles of paper for the pages. After the covers were made we used the basting stitch on the sewing machine to sew the pages and cover together. Easy Peasy.
Enjoying Fall - or How I Spent My Time at the Cross Country Meet
Be warned that this post contains several thrills.The weather on Saturday was predicted to be cold and cloudy. I was pleased to see the sun and clear skies on our way to the cross country meet. I dressed for the cold because it was in the 30s! I stopped in town to take a picture of this tree that catches my eye every time I drive by. 
There were lots of pretty trees and leaves at the park where the meet was held.
This yellow tree was right next to the finish line.
Even the ground was beautiful.
Oh, and did I mention I was there for a meet?
Thoughtful Sunday
"You will find that the conditions at a fair will surpass your wildest dreams."Charlotte's Web, E. B. White, 1952
Back to the Fair
We went back to the fair yesterday.
We had to see the animals one more time.
P loved the piglets.
She wanted us to build a fence in the yard and get some baby pigs.
We tried to tell her that they quickly grow up to be big pigs.
I liked the sheep.
This white one played peek a boo with P.
There was a former State Fair Champion sheep shearer doing demonstrations. These sheep were waiting to be sheared.
The rabbits were cute too.
This day old calf was born at the fair.
A Day at the Fair
I love fair week!I like the community effort that goes into making it happen.
I like looking at all of the entries and knowing so many of the people who made and grew things to enter.
I enjoy the festive colors.
I enjoy the animals and knowing many of the kids who raised them.
I like the variety of sights and activities.
I enjoy seeing people I have not seen during the summer.
I enjoy the activity that brings so many people together to support their community.
I love the fair but I am glad it is only one week in the year!
Buckets of Berries
It finally came. The day we have been eagerly awaiting finally came - opening day at the local blueberry farm!! We went early, as usual, to beat the crowds.
We quickly strapped on our buckets and started picking.
We filled our buckets and came home to start our blueberry feast. We have been eating them by the handful, putting them on cereal, making peanut butter and blueberry sandwiches, baking them, and even freezing some. I think we'll be picking again soon!
Mother's Day Lunch
P's preschool class worked for three weeks preparing for our Mother's Day lunch yesterday. They chopped onions, shredded turkey, grated carrots and cheese, and mixed muffins for our lunch. The tables were set by the children before the moms arrived. We had a three course lunch served by our children. The first course was our choice of broccoli cheese soup or applesauce. Next was a choice of turkey salad croissant or kid kabob served with a muffin and fruit tower.
Dessert was a lovely flower in a pot. The children made the cookie flowers yesterday morning. The flowers were served in a cup of ice cream with chocolate sauce.
The children had also made lovely gifts for the moms. The vases were made by gluing tissue paper circles onto a vase and then mod podging the whole thing. They gave us each a lovely flower for our vase when we arrived.The husband of one of the teachers took photos of each mother and child and had them printed and returned with them before the end of the lunch.
I enjoyed listening to the songs they had prepared and also visiting with the other moms and children. The children were so proud of all the work they put into the event. It was a wonderful lunch and I didn't have to lift a finger!I hope you have a great Mother's Day weekend!
Happy Halloween
Today was the long awaited day,
the day to wear the fairy wings and go to town and get candy.
When I was growing up we went trick-or-treating AFTER dark. Here, they have special trick-or-treat hours from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. When the weather is nice, like today, everyone sits on their steps or in their yard to give out treats. It is like a big huge block party in town.
Happy
Things that make me happy today:1. We live on this road.
2. I drove down the above road to get to M's last cross country meet of the season where he made his season goal of finishing the 5 K race in under 20 minutes. (19:56)3. P is up and feeling better after a day of and naps and fever on the couch.4. P. talking with a woman in a reproduction 1860's dress last Sunday. Why does hers STAY out?
Each year we work at "Pioneer Days" at Waterloo Farm Museum I demonstrate tatting and how to make handkerchief dolls. B works the horse drawn wagon ride area, and for the last three years M has played music there with a few friends. It looks like P will be getting a special dress for next year's event. I will try to make one with a deep hem to let out as she grows.5. P saying in her sleep, "Where is my embroidery?" (she calls these her embroidery)6. We are having another beautiful sunny fall day today!
Blueberry Farm - Blueberry Pie
We made our first trip to the local U-Pick blueberry farm. It is close enough that M ran and met us there. (He has just passed 200 miles for the summer and is hoping to make it to 500 before school starts.)We hung our buckets from our belts and started picking.
P was like Little Sal. Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk. Her recommended method of picking was to "eat the big ones and put the little ones in the pail." She did a lot of picking but must have found mostly BIG berries
I like to go early in the morning and listen to the birds while I pick. I get in my own little pretend world that I am a pioneer woman working to feed my family. I ignore that the bushes are in straight trimmed rows and the ground below my feet has been mowed. When I hear the calls of "Only pick the BLUE ones," and "wow, look how big these berries are," and "how many berries have you picked?" coming across the field , I am jolted back to reality. The spell is broken and I know it is time to go.Morning's haul: 15 pounds.For lunch we all had peanut butter and blueberry sandwiches. Ahhh, only a short time each year can you have THAT for lunch!We will freeze most of them for pies this winter.Miner's Blueberry Pie Filling3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I use 4 cups for a 10 inch pie)1/3 cup sugar1/4 cup flour1/2 tsp cinnamonMix dry ingredients. Add to blueberries and mix gently.Pour into pie pan with crust. Add top crust.Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
It's Official
P is officially signed up for preschool. She will be attending the Chelsea Children's Co-op just like her brothers. Of course, it was very different when the boys attended. I was a much younger mother then. We did not have email. The school was in the basement of a church and one of the parents had to come in and set up the school every Sunday evening. Other parents packed things away every Friday afternoon. The parent helper jobs are easier now. The school is now housed in the first floor of this building.
For many years this was the parochial school for St Mary's Catholic Church. In 1998 the church sold the building to actor Jeff Daniels and his wife who then donated it to the Chelsea Center for the Arts. The preschool has three classrooms on the first floor. Thursday, P and I attended the open house and got registered for the fall. She really loved her play time there. She enjoyed play dough, snack, puzzles, art, rice table, the indoor slide, and the play kitchen (where she called Dad on the wood phone). She also got to paint at an easel - where they have APRONS! They even have a library and the teacher let her check out a book. It will be a long wait until September. She is already asking to go to preschool again!She will have to keep busy with her books here.
She already spends a lot of time on her "homework" after the boys are home from school. She can concentrate very hard on her serious pencil and paper work.
