Summer's Swansong

He is blowing away the vestiges of summer. The promise of another spring is about to be put to rest in the chilly earth, to sleep away the winter's bluster and bite.

The little creatures are slowing down, preparing to rest until the green time returns.

The golden afternoon sun turns the fall colors into blazing beauty. This Cateye Pouch in fall hues is about to be sent off as a surprise gift.

Fabrics are all thrifted or from my scrap collection.

Soup is a simple comfort for September suppers.

Here are a couple low-maintenance recipes I love at the end of a busy day.

Simple Baked Potato Soup for a Crowd

Bake 10-12 medium sized potatoes for 1 hour at 415*

Saute onion and carrot until soft.

Add several cloves minced garlic and saute.

Wilt chopped kale in same pot.

Add cooled and chopped baked potatoes, skin and all.

Add broth or water to cover potatoes.

Blend until smooth with immersion blender, adding water as necessary.

Add plenty of salt to taste..

Add a few generous dollops of sour cream.

Finally, add cooked bacon, sausage, or bratwurst.

 

Simple Chicken Soup

Place whole chicken in crockpot, minus the giblets.

Drizzle with a little oil, and sprinkle with salt.

Put 1-2 cut lemons in cavity.

Cook on low 5-6 hours.

Cool and shred chicken off the bone.

In a pot, saute onion and carrot.

Mince and saute garlic if desired.

I added cooked leftover rice and chopped kale this time around.

Cover with water.

Add chicken and broth from crockpot and serve.

Shameless Plugs Clutter

I love books. You know that Marie Kondo book that has been going around for a few months now? How tidying up is a life-changing magic? Haven't read it. But I have heard enough about it that I get the gist. And when it comes to books, I have no feng shui or desire to purge my house and life of that sort of clutter, as she suggests in her bestselling book.  Books are my friends, and I invite them freely into the walls of my home, clutter though they may be.

So when I recently heard of Out of Print Clothing, I was immediately in love. Who wouldn't want to sport their favorite book cover on his shirt? Or tote bag, or coffee mug...I jumped on the bandwagon and ordered the Mouse and the Motorcycle shirt for a birthday present for one of my kids who is reading that book. He has worn it every day since he got it.

Not only do they make unusual and attractive clothing, they also donate a portion of the price to buy books for needy communities in Africa. And the replica library card hang tag is too cute to toss. Ahh, so much for purging clutter.

I came across a book recommendation over at Modern Mrs. Darcy that piqued my interest, being a mother of six boys and all. It is called That Crumpled Paper That Was Due Last Week, and it claims to help me know how to help distracted and disorganized boys straighten out their bad habits. Another one added to my must-read list, which is growing more cluttered. I need to learn how to prioritize those better. Seems that every time a "must-read" comes across my path, #1 on my priority list changes.

One last recommendation, this time not something that costs money--using notebooks to simplify homeschooling. This is new for me this year, and though I resisted it in the past, I finally surrendered. And it is working nicely for our family. Each student has a notebook that I write daily assignments in, with boxes to check when they have completed the task. Two boxes means that I have to check off when I have evaluated their work. It takes a little time each evening, but I have discovered not only the obvious benefits of keeping them on task but also another avenue of communication I can have with each kid. We sometimes write jokes back and forth, or write little notes to each other. Of course the system is not without challenges, such as, "Where is my notebook," or "Why didn't you check off the boxes?" but we are working those out.

So there it is. A little glimpse of my happily cluttered life.

The "Say Yes" Challenge

I have realized recently that through the years I have said "no" to my kids a lot. "No" is a very good thing if I am teaching them respect, obedience, and self control. But when not balanced with a generous portion of "yes," you end up with some empty tanks, and that is not pleasant at all! My husband and I have made a little challenge for ourselves to say "yes," if at all possible and in their best interests, to the kids' requests. "Can you read me [this mile-high] stack of books?" "Can we go on a walk?" "I want to help you scoop the muffins." "Will you color with me?" It isn't always feasible, especially in the middle of cooking, but we have tried to be more generous with our responses. And in doing that, we have, like mine diggers, unearthed some otherwise hidden treasures of our kids' personalities and their particular stages of development, even revisiting childhood ourselves sometimes.

This past weekend I said "yes" to a walk outside with the Littles. I really wanted to do my own projects, but I chose against that. And look!

We have been hunting for four-leaf clovers (at least, I have), and I found one! I have never found one in all my life. Oh, the joy of saying "yes!".

We also found some other treasures. Seeds of all sorts, and something that's not a seed.

I just love those times we spend together. Without getting all sappy, I will just say, saying "yes" helps me treasure the moments that so quickly fade away.

Here is my current work in progress. It is the Cateye Pouch from Thread Riding Hood. I have made it a couple times, and I love the pattern so much. It is another surprise for someone unsuspecting, hee hee! I found the orange shot cotton at Value Village yesterday. I am on a fabric-buying freeze except for scraps and solids. So I didn't cheat! Angus the dog made it into the picture too. I love the colors in that book.

I did meander into a quilt shop the other day, and I began to drool over a bolt or two I found in the clearance section. But I walked away with empty hands. Pat me on the back!

Some other goodies I found at Value Village yesterday. Someone must have purged Grandma's linen chest, because there were all sorts of pretty embroidered things there. But I couldn't buy them all.

Look at this gorgeous crocheted apron I found for $2! I think it would be so dainty with a little Easter dress.

I believe it was handmade. And the blue satin ribbons sealed the deal for me.

Here's to a new week of "yes." Try it--I bet you will like the results.

Delightful Friday--Churn Dash and Eggrolls

It felt so good to come to the end of this day, the end of the first week of school for me and many of my friends. It was a good week. We worked hard. My piano studio is the fullest it's ever been, and I have added my own kids to the roster as well. That makes 19-20 kids! I am so grateful for each one that walks through my door. Making and teaching music is the joy of my life!

I think the highlight of my sewing week was letting the Boxcar Tote cat "out of the bag." Ha ha. It is a funny story--I was listening to a recent Modern Sewciety podcast and happened to hear Stephanie joke about wanting someone to send her a Boxcar Tote. I thought, "How cool would it be to actually make her one and send it to her?" So I did! And she received it and loves it. I love surprising people! I feel like I made a new friend in doing so.

Sewing time is a little scarce now that school is in session. But I sneak a little here and there. The Churn Dash quilt top is nearly finished.

Churn Dash blocks completed!

Cute mess of dog ears

Block layout of the wonky Churn Dash quilt

Of course no project is complete without a roadblock or two. I had to reorder the gray Essex Linen. When I cut out the remaining pieces, I still came up short. Sheesh. So I ordered it again because I want to add one more row to this top. It will end up a little bigger now. I am going for a square top.

This has nothing to do with quilts, but it does have something to do with Friday. A little while back my husband discovered these $1.29 egg rolls at Safeway. Often we will take a kid there and have a little time together. It's close to home, doesn't cost much, and they love it. Sometimes we talk, and sometimes we just sit there and enjoy our snack, no words necessary.

It is a rare occasion that I am at the store by myself. Well, today I was, and I sneaked an egg roll (no, I didn't steal it) and ate it all up as I sat in the parking lot. I didn't have to share it. It was absolutely delightful. It even dribbled all over my shirt, and I didn't care. It was so good. Three cheers for mama moments. Just what I needed this afternoon after a full teaching day. Thank you, Lord, for simple pleasures.

Piecing With the End In Mind

School has begun. The days are getting shorter, and the pencils meet the paper once again. I have been pondering how all the various pieces of a day will work out in the end. Here I am filling out assignment books, penciling in dates and responsibilities on my calendar, planning how we will fill our minds and hearts with facts and verses. It all seems so much. So many days stretch out endlessly before us. How will we ever learn everything?

In the evenings I spend a few minutes sewing, not as much as on the lazy summer days. It doesn't seem like I am getting very far very fast. I have a whole pile of blocks and pieces of blocks that don't look like anything very special. In fact, the pieces seem like they will never end.

Then I remember...

We learn all these facts, memorize all the verses, stitch all the little pieces, with the end in mind. I long for the day we will all recite our Scripture passages from our hearts because we have put them in our minds. When the children are able to apply their arithmetic to jobs and household duties, I will be thrilled. When my quilt is pieced, quilted, and bound, I will snuggle in it and be comforted by its warmth. I will have forgotten all the pieces and will look at it as an entire, completed, enjoyable work of my hands.

Of course we can't see the entire picture of this school year yet. We just see the pieces. But I pray that we will work with the end in mind. God is faithful who called us to this work, and He will put all the pieces together in an unimaginable, masterful, and breathtaking way.

The Sourdough Experiment

Since I have revived my sourdough starter, I am faced daily with its care and feeding, like it is another child added to the roll call! It's simple to take care of, and I love having it around. It doesn't talk back to me, and it always does what I ask it to do, usually the first time, a very easy child.

Well, last week I had this silly idea to put some of my starter on my local Buy Nothing group, just to see what would happen. I have seen crazier things there, so what could it hurt. I didn't realize what an impact a simple jar of starter could make. In two days, I gave away 7 jars of it. Now I am seeing pictures of loaves of bread pop up on my news feed. Good, homemade, nourishing bread. That makes me so happy. I plan to do this again soon. I realize 7 jars is just the tip of the iceberg; what if I made this a weekly or monthly give? How many people would learn something new, bake their first loaf of bread, or just have a new recipe to try? How many friends could be fed? How many people could I connect with?

All fed and ready to go to new homes 

Happy Starter!

The Buy Nothing project is really an amazing community. It is what it says it is. There is no money involved. You ask for what you need or want, and you offer what you have. It is not even a bartering system. Used properly, it engenders the desire to give back as you have been given to. I have witnessed so many times what a generous, thoughtful community I live in. People are generally so kind and helpful. A few examples:

My washing machine broke. Within one or two days, I had a replacement from a family that lived 5 blocks away. They had one just sitting in their garage. We helped them by taking it out of their place, and they helped us by giving us that washer. To boot, I found a little money in the rubber gasket. As hard as I tried to give it back, they insisted we just keep it. Bonus!

A few weeks ago we were cleaning out the garage, and I had a ton of nice kitchen stuff to give away. So on to Buy Nothing it went. People were in and out of my driveway for days picking up things they wanted or needed. One morning, I noticed one of the ladies stopped on my porch listening to my son practice his violin. She was so touched by his music that the next day she showed up with a cherry tart, warm from the oven! Long story short, she ended up coming back a couple more times. I finally just invited her in for coffee. See, life is about so much more than stuff. My stuff became useful to someone else, and I made a new friend or two in the process.

I hope my kids take these memories with them their whole lives. I hope we learn to be more generous every day. I hope our music continues to touch people in a way words can't. I hope we always give as we have been given to.

Boxcar Tote Finished!

I finally finished the Boxcar Tote--check! And I love it so much I want to keep it. But I am sending it off to a good home, a surprise for an unsuspecting person. More on that later!

I will give a little review of the pattern and what I might do differently next time.

 This bag is pretty large. At first I didn't think I would like the size, but looking at it completed, I kind of love it. I can just imagine this being convenient for some large rulers, a stack of fabric, and lots of other supplies you would take to a sewing class. Next time I would sew a seam down the middle of the pockets to divide them. They are pretty large. It's too late to do that once you've assembled the bag as it is very unwieldy under the small throat space of my machine.

See those cute feet...I mean those chunky denim handles? I really loved that denim when I saw it in my stash. It is a nice neutral color and adds great textural variety. You can't tell, but it has a herringbone weave to it. However...that stuff gets really thick! This pattern calls for every piece to be interfaced with Pellon 809 Decor Bond. That's great for the structure of the bag. But next time I might consider not interfacing the denim. The handles were tough to turn and topstitch.

But look how nice it stands up on its own! I had fun adding those little scraps to the binding. Again, the denim was really thick and fussy to work with, so maybe I would choose a quilting weight next time. Or cut the binding on the bias to spread out the seams more.

The hardest part of this project was the binding around the top of the bag. The first time I tried it, I realized I needed to sew on a table big enough so that weight of the bag wasn't dragging and messing up the stitches. So I ripped it all out and tried again on my dining room table. Much better! But I still had a pretty hard time keeping my stitches even and straight, even using my edge stitch foot. Someone suggested using a walking foot. I would definitely try that next time. The other option is to hand sew, always a safe route. Looking at all the pretty pictures of others' Boxcar Totes on Instagram, I see so many pretty, neat, and straight bindings. I am just not good at machine binding! I am about to cry uncle on it and just hand sew!

I would recommend this pattern for a later beginner. Sewing the corners can be a little tricky, but definitely a good skill builder. The options for fabric choices on this project make it a great stash buster. And the final product is a sturdy, generously sized bag that will turn heads!

A friend brought me these dahlias from her garden. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

This one just takes my breath away.

One last little tidbit...I was at a yard sale today and fell in love with these antique quilts. They really had me in a swoon. But I looked at the price tags and then the condition of the quilts, and I just had to walk away. They were not in good enough shape for me to pay that much. Lots of soil, rips, and threadbare spots. It just kind of broke my heart, not that I couldn't buy them, but that they seemed neglected. Maybe someone will come along and give them the love they deserve.