relaxing

i took this picture last week when we had a day in the 60s and i was determined to spend all of it outside. during calvin's nap i laid outside on the hammock and read a book. it was nice to take time to not make dinner, not make any halloween costumes, not make anything... just sit (or lay) and enjoy the warmish sun.

today it is in the 40s and the trees have all of the sudden changed dramatically. the sidewalks are covered in leaves of all colors. sam and i spent the morning at the pumpkin patch following around a very indecisive 20 month old. he finally found the perfect pumpkin and now they are best friends and must go everywhere together.

ahhh. autumn i love you.

making::food

i have not been doing much sewing lately... but i have been busy in my sewing sketch book with holiday gift ideas (i know it seems too early to be talking about it, but i always seem to be crunched for time the last few days before christmas, staying up until the wee hours on the sewing machine, so i am hoping to get an early start this year to avoid the stress).

we have been doing a lot of cooking. this months food magazine is a good one and we have already made a few recipes. over the weekend we made broccoli and corn chowder (delicious!). it was easy, very tasty and everyone ate it. we made lots and froze some. i love finding it in the freezer in a months time and with a simple re-heat, voila! dinner's ready.

we also made acorn squash quesadillas from smittenkitchen. (the camera battery died just after i snapped the above shot so i don't have any other pics...follow the link for her great step-by-step photos) they were sweet and yet spicy. we had never used acorn squash in anything but soup before and these turned out super good. so tasty in fact that i think we are going to make them for the halloween party that we are having. i am going to try making them ahead of time and then just re-heat them in the oven. i tried it in the toaster oven and it worked. hopefully the oven will provide the same results and allow me to increase the quantity. (fingers crossed)

apples!

the temperature has dropped significantly around here in the last week and in honor of the cooler crisp air we visited our local apple farm.

calvin and i decided to make mom's apple bread from smittenkitchen. as we were making the bread he kept on saying, "calvin bakin' ". i couldn't get enough of his sweet little voice so i continued to ask him what he was doing, to which he would reply "calvin bakin' ". he just learned how to say his name and now he speaks in the third person regularly.

it came out pretty good. the bottom crust is a bit hard, but i think that is due to my 1950's unreliable oven. the fact that i substituted the oil for apple sauce also may have contributed. but the bread is still being eaten around here at a pretty quick pace so i don't think that anyone minds too much.

gnomes and pockets

after much deliberation, calvin is going to be a garden gnome for halloween. i made the hat using a pattern from bend the rules sewing. it turned out cute and calvin loves wearing it (yay!). i am also making a belt and a wee vest. for only using what i have on hand here, i am pretty impressed with how it is coming out (maybe that tells me that i have a bit too much on hand...). the beard is a different story. i have not found one that fits him or that he will keep on. i do have some white felt so i am thinking of fashioning a felt beard and then somehow attaching it to his hat and/or vest so that it stays on without having to go around his head (this seems to be an issue). i will keep you posted on how it turns out.

playing out in the yard last week calvin discovered that pockets have a purpose... he can put stuff in them. a whole new world opened up for him. he is a child that likes to squirrel away rocks, balls, bits of this and that so pockets are perfect. i did learn the hard way that i now have to check all of his pockets before putting his clothes in the wash.

an autumn sunday

the trees started to turn colors this weekend. it was a beautiful new england site for our family visiting from california. i completed these booties (from this book given to me by Ari) for a friend whose baby was due in a week but decided to come today. luckily i had given them to her on friday. newborn emma will look super cute in them, i'm sure. i can't wait to meet her. i liked the pattern. it was easy, although i used quilt batting instead of fusible fleece. it worked fine. i am a little concerned about the ankle openings, they seem a bit small. the booties do open with a velcro flap so the foot should slide in easily. hopefully they will fit well.

speaking of ari, she and i and a couple of friends held a handmade summer swap. i received this very handsome applique elephant shirt from her. calvin loves it! he did not want to take it off (and he did not want to stand still for a picture either...). thank you ari!

it rained here on friday and saturday so calvin got to wear his rain boots and raincoat (from grammy and grandpa). he had not been keen about putting them on the last few days but yesterday he asked for them. i think being able to go out in the rain and splash in puddles was a large incentive. of course both the jacket and the boots are way to big, but i wanted them to last awhile. they are wearable (barely) and he can walk (sorta) without falling over.

happy sunday!

101

sorry i was a bit absent last week. it was a crazy busy week with a few too many commitments crammed into too little time. but it was all loads of fun and worth the small bit of extra hustle and bustle.

the winner of the fabric box is.....ari! thank you to everyone who commented. i am finishing up the box and will hopefully (fingers crossed) get it in the mail this week.

speaking of this week our new chairs arrive on friday. we ordered them forever ago from room and board. the chairs come in several stocked fabrics, but we ordered a custom fabric so it took awhile. we ordered two chairs (no ottoman) to sit opposite our couch. they're comforable and mid-century looking, which happens to be the style that most of our furniture fits into. i hope they look good. the colors are so hard to envision on chairs when looking at a small swatch of fabric.

happy sunday!

100th post

wow. 100 posts. 100 ramblings about what i am thinking/doing/making.


i started this blog to communicate with friends and family that live in distant lands about what was happening in my everyday life. it has turned into a place for me to show/write about my life and also a place to meet new (cyber) friends. the online community of artsy/crafty moms is amazing and special. our moms did not have this medium to use as a resource for inspiration, gratification, and validation. i cherish it daily.


in honor of my 100th post i am doing a little give-away. leave a comment by friday sept. 12 and i will pick a person at random to win a handmade fabric box. i made some for calvin here. i use them to hold calvin's books, bibs, and other assorted things.

happy 100th post!