slow-down sunday

Today’s been lived at quite a slow pace. Though my neck is improving, it’s still far from ‘right’ and it’s hard to sleep comfortably … but if you’ve got to slow down for a day, isn’t Sunday just the most perfect day for it? It felt really good, to be honest. I may have to mysteriously sprain my neck more often. (Just joking!)

The only stitching I’ve done has been to continue with the Prairie Schooler project for Max’s teacher. I’m posting a picture even though there’s embarassingly little to show. This is Country Cat from leaflet six, Barn Cats. I’ve  modified the color scheme because I’m using a much lighter fabric than the model. As a matter of fact, this lovely linen (32 ct Jache ”China Garden” linen) is my birthday gift from Annemarie last year. It’s gorgeous stuff and perfect for this design - but unfortunately, it doesn’t show up too well in night time photos. Hopefully I’ll get a better one tomorrow when I finish it. (I hope!)

I’ve also decided what to make for Max’s other teacher and hope to stitch and finish that on Tuesday and Wednesday. Since I have till Friday, who says I’ve put things off till the last moment again? LOL!

Thanks so much everyone for your helpful advice on the safest, best way to display Cathi’s Dear Jane quilt. I will go to the LNS on Tuesday (it’s not open Mondays) to buy some muslin and make a sleeve. If/when I ever have a larger quilt to display, I’ll most certainly get/build/commission those fascinating wooden clamps to affix to the wall. You guys know everything!!

The kids begin their final week of school … this afternoonwe had a trial run of what I hope to do with Nicky and Rowen during the summer to see if they actually could work on different projects at the same time without it turning into a screaming match. Hooray, it worked! I hope my little program works….

Arden’s got the right idea - it’s nearly bedtime in my little corner of the world. Take care, everyone!Oh, don’t forget, you still have a chance to add your name to the drawing for the OOP Her Sampler drawing (mentioned at the end of my previous post)!

feast your eyes on this!

I’ve been kind of stalking my mailman lately, as Angela alerted me to the fact that there’s a package on the way for me … and I kind of have to admit to making a purchase or two lately … but what arrived completely blew me away.

You may remember my amazing good fortune at recently winning Cathi’s blog give-away for a hand-stitched Dear Jane Quilt. Well, it has already arrived, all the way from the west coast of the US (where she is currently visiting her family). I think I’ve had flights from there to here that took longer to arrive! I just don’t know where to begin with this quilt. It is such a thing of beauty!! I’ve taken a ton of photos (thank heavens for digital photography!) and I’ve chosen the spot where I want to hang it. What is the best way to hang a quilt for display? This measures about 25 inches square. It seems I should conceal a rod somehow to provide uniform support, but I don’t want to damage the quilt in doing so, so your suggestions will be gratefully received. Cathi, if you’re reading this, you are insanely generous to give away this gorgeous work of art. I’ll treasure it!!!

In the spirit of give-aways, I’d already planned one for today. This is an absolutely lovely design from Kathy Barrick-Dieter called Her Sampler. It’s one of her older ones and I’m not sure if it’s still in print or not. In addition to an alphabet and numbers, it has houses, acorns, birds, and a totally cool tree. The stitch count is 94 by 110. Please make it clear in your comment that you want your name included in the drawing and I’ll use the Randomizer to choose a name on Monday morning (so I can post it on Monday).

Subscribers to The Gift of Stitching Monthly, don’t forget that you only have a couple more days to order back issues for half price. I was missing several because our PC was stolen a couple of years ago (we’ve since bought an external hard drive), and there were a couple of issues that I simply forgot to save. Oops. So  now my collection is once again complete, and I had great fun going over the missing copies last night. One of the nicest surprises was the design Sweet World by Deborah Thorpe of Midsummer Night Designs in issue seven. Can’t wait to get going on that one!

I’ve been up since 5:30 this morning with some awful pain in my neck that makes it hard to move. Nevertheless, I’ve been working on gifts for Max’s teachers so they’ll be ready for the last day of school on Friday. One of his teachers in particular has made a concentrated effort with Max and this is his last year with her so I wanted to make something extra-special. I’m working on Country Cat from the Prairie Schooler leaflet Barn Cats for one teacher (at Max’s request). I’ll fill it with lavender to finish it as a little cushion/ornament. The gift for his other teacher has yet to be decided.

Ages ago, Chiloe asked why the kids all have two teachers. It’s due to various reasons. Most teachers have children of their own and don’t want to work full time. Having two people sharing one job also cuts down on unemployment, which is something the government is always busy with. And I believe it is cheaper for the schools to pay for two part-timers rather than one full-timer in regard to benefits, pension, etc. It seems like full-time teachers don’t exist here, although I’m sure they do. Just not in my town. Sorry it took me so long to answer, Chiloe.

But instead of stitching this evening, I’ve finally been able to watch The Golden Compass on DVD. I’ve been waiting for that pleasure for some time now - and it was worth waiting for! I prefer the book, but the movie really is quite brilliant.

Now time for that last feeding, and off to bed!

tofu - it’s not just for breakfast anymore

Eeeuww! Who’d want tofu for breakfast? Or for any other meal, for that matter. I have a love-hate relationship with tofu: I want to love it, but it usually makes me feel like gagging. As someone who does not want to get most of her protein from animal products, though, I keep trying. But today this recipe popped up on my Dr. Weil daily email, and I thought I’d give it a try. Guess what? Eight thumbs up! (Max wasn’t home.) Even Rowen and Nicky ate a plateful without complaint - something that rarely happens, no matter what I cook. We finished with watermelon wedges eaten out in the garden. Mmmmm.

There, my Nablopomo foodie point made, back to stitching. Marlies came over for an hour this morning (which meant I had to make some feeble attempt to tidy the house LOL) and we put a few stitches in our respective projects. I didn’t make a lot of progress as I was enjoying Arden’s antics far too much. He wasn’t going to let a fresh audience get away from him, and was shamelessly showing off - I was hooked! Luckily there is still some time tonight to do a bit more stitching.

This afternoon the sun came back out (thus the watermelon-eating in the garden experience) and I felt like I should go up on the roof and lay down next to the solar panels and just soak up those glorious golden rays. Unfortunately, we don’t have a ladder long enough to reach the roof. Or given my coordination issues, perhaps it’s a good thing we don’t have anything higher than a step stool. Here’s a picture of Rowen enjoying her watermelon, and another of the kids making the most of that sunshine!! (Ignore the weird-looking mess behind them - it’s a “house” they’ve built.)

Although I can’t even contemplate the sort of serious de-stashing that Karen’s busy with, I will be posting another give-away this weekend, so please check back in!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ahead!

let them eat cake

Oh my gosh. Can I continue blaming the early arrival of Easter for my ongoing tardiness with birthdays, anniversaries, and other Big Days? Or do I have to admit that … it’s my fault. I’m simply unable to keep up with the fleeting passage of time.

I stitched Vonna’s birthday gift early so I could avoid being late, but I managed anyway. To be late, I mean. Don’t you dare tell Vonna, but I still haven’t mailed her gift! Shame on me.

I decided some time ago what to stitch for Carol’s birthday, and have changed my mind about six times, but this time I really think I have the perfect design (thanks to Maria S.!). But … I haven’t even kitted it out yet, let alone begun stitching it.

And now I see that Jennifer’s birthday is all but here and although I set aside a few small gifties to send, I haven’t stitched a thing. Oh my heavens. I’m impossible.

I do hope you’ll all stick with me despite my shortcomings!

Another VERY big birthday today for a VERY special lass … who has received absolutely nothing from me (yet!) … my niece Morgan turns one year old today. Happy wishes to Morgan and her mommy and daddy and big brother Cameron from all of us here at Chateau Chaos!!!

Today was as busy as yesterday, as Max’s best friend always comes to play on Thursday. It was raining  (again!) so all the kids were stuck inside. My head is still ringing from the noise. But at least the kids were in school till 3 pm. Speaking of which, I have also goofed on the date of the school year ending. It’s next Friday, not the week after that. Both Niek and I got that one wrong - we were 100% certain that school ended on the 24th or 25th, but the joke was on us. I got busy today trying to put together all the bits and pieces I’ve been bookmarking for cool crafts and whatnot.

Somewhere in between all the happenings of the day, I have managed to set needle to thread. Here’s my current progress. Luckily there are a couple more hours before bedtime. Oh, this fabric is 32 count Vintage Pear from Lakeside Linens, and it is so much lovelier IRL!! I’m using the suggested DMC floss.

And to close with a really sweet picture of Arden enjoying some Daddy time. When we are home together, he’s happy as a clam to be with his mummy, but as soon as Daddy comes home, Arden has eyes for no one else!

i’m not eating crow yet

Whew, today turned out to be a bit busier than expected when Arden decided not to nap this morning and Rowen decided to bring her best friend home after school. I wasn’t able to pick up Three Crows till the kids were in bed, but despite the brief stitching time, I did make some progress. Although I’m not yet to the first of the crows, I was able to start using the fourth (of five) colors. The border is stitched to the halfway point, to give you an idea of where I am:

So as you may know, Wednesdays are half days of school here. The original plan was that Rowen would go to her best friend’s house and I’d take the boys over to pay a brief visit on Niek’s parents (who just returned from a month-long holiday in the US) … but life seldom follows plan. Niek’s parents didn’t answer the phone or return my message, so when I picked the kids up at school and the mother of Rowen’s friend said she needed to be out of the house for the afternoon, I wound up with one kid extra instead of one kid less. The girls wanted so badly to play together that of course I immediately volunteered to take the little girl home with us for the day. Although the girls have a lot of fun together, I have to say that S. does not get along well with Max and Nicky. Lots of mediation necessary, and by the time the clock finally said I could drive S. home, we were all ready for it. That said, I quite like her and I think she’s a good friend for Rowen because they’re equally willful and headstrong. I just need to figure out how to keep the boys and girls separate when she’s here - LOL! Here is a picture of Nicky, Rowen and S. playing in the backyard (between outbursts!).

Today’s been full of good stuff. The kids wanted hamburgers for dinner and that has got to be about the easiest thing in the world to make. To balance off all that red meat, we had gazpacho with it, and the kids ate it without complaint. I also won Karen’s giveaway - now that’s just too cool for words!! And all but one of my birds has sold! Thank you all so very much for your support and encouragement with my little venture. I’m enjoying it enormously, and it has the very practical benefit of slowly making our planned trip to Maine next year a reality.

Before I close - it is bedtime in my part of the world - I want to wish a very happy birthday to my stepmother, Gaby, who hopefully will read this and know that I’m thinking of her.

once you pop, you just can’t stop

I’ve got birds on the brain, folks. Does that  make me a bird brain? You’d think after stitching and sewing a flock of birds for my etsy shop, I’d be more than ready to stitch something else … but you’d be wrong! I couldn’t wait to finally start Three Crows by The Goode Huswife. I’ve had this kitted up seemingly forever, but because it’s something just for me, I kept finding projects that “had” to be done before it. No more, I say! I know I could never last with a pledge to stitch just for myself for a year, or even a week, but I am going to finish this one and it’s going to be for me-me-me. I only started tonight, but here’s my progress:

Speaking of birds, I listed them this morning in my etsy shop. One has sold (thank you!), one is on reserve, and two more are still available (Eden Grace and Alice Paul). I have to admit that I’m pretty surprised by what moves fast and what doesn’t … and I would really appreciate hearing from you what you like and why you like it. I have three sizes of birds (the smallest doesn’t have a separate wing and the largest doesn’t really work well with the button-attached wing), and there is also a difference in design style from primitive to Quaker. What strikes your fancy, and why?

Well, I’m very eager to get back to my crows, so please excuse me for keeping this one short. I hope your day has been a happy one!

*As July’s Nablopomo theme is food, I’ve been touching on that in my titles. For those unfamiliar with it, today’s title is taken from a Pringles ad campaign.

brain food

Thank you so much for your kind comments about the kids. They have indeed grown by leaps and by bounds - it’s astonishing. Max now takes a larger shoe size than I do! I’m looking forward to a fun six-week summer break with them and have lots of ideas of things we can do together that will be both instructional and fun. Knowing that I’m going back to work right after the summer is certainly an inspiration to make the most of our time together!

On to today, which just flew by! I started off well, piecing and cutting and interfacing four birds-to-be. And then things got busy. ;) I did get Thine Forever posted off for Sandra - congratulations, once again! Although I only managed to get two birds fully assembled, I’m very happy with them both.

Cadbury is named for the Cadburys of chocolate fame - did you know they were Quaker? I didn’t! Not only is the family Quaker, but they’re incredible social reformers who’ve gone so far as to create a village (Bournville Village) for employees that includes special homes for those who’ve retired from the company, parks, and much more. In addition to labor reform, the Cadburys were also involved in educational efforts and the struggle against animal cruelty. Even the choice of chocolate as a business venture was part of the Cadbury’s vision - as alcohol was responsible for so many social ills, Cadbury saw chocolate as an alternative to alcohol. Pretty amazing stuff, don’t you think? My Cadbury is stitched on a rough 28 count linen that I’ve repeatedly coffee distressed. The Caron Wildflowers floss is in natural earthy colors and the design elements, though Quaker, are used in a primitive way. Cadbury is backed with with a light floral cotton that compliments the folksy, natural style of the stitching. He’s filled with both polyfill and organic lavender.

Eden Grace is named for a contemporary Quaker minister who explores and explains the Quaker faith in a way that really reached me. This graceful bird is inspired by Eden’s Ecumenical essay on Ephesians 1:15-23. I was inspired by everything about this essay, from her choice of subject to the way she explores it and the lessons she draws.

Two other birds are awaiting my attention so they can join the flock. I’m not sure if that’ll happen before or after Eden Grace and Cadbury are added to my etsy store tomorrow. In the future, my intent is to update the shop on the first of every month … otherwise, it’s far too tempting to keep creating more & more birds, while my other stitching projects languish untouched. So after these birds fly to the shop, you’ll have to wait till August 1st for the next flock.

soul food

I haven’t shared much kid-related information during the past few days, which is odd as we have spent a lot of time together. During the sunny days, we usually leave the car parked in front of the house and simply walk everywhere - it is very time consuming, but we see all the ducks and cows and sheep, and speculate about the plants we see, and other than the heart-stopping moments when they dart off too close to the street or something, we enjoy quite a good time.

The school has been busy getting the toys clean for the upcoming summer holiday and they’ve devised rather a clever method for this: The children are allowed to pick out what they want to bring home for a week or weekend … but Mom has to clean it during that period. Naturally, my kids bring home the biggest, most impossible things to clean - teddy bears bigger than a child, boxes containing hundreds of blocks (that cannot go in the dishwasher), and lately they’ve been bringing home things that need mending (I guess those cross stitched bookmarks gave the teachers the wrong idea LOL). I have grumbled a bit, but the kids are really enjoying the “new” toys, and in the end, I have to admit it’s not a bad method. Here are Rowen and Nicky with the blocks and then again with the teddy bears (that need mending).

Arden’s been growing and changing at an incredible rate. He’s of average size, but we all think he looks huge compared to how new-baby-tiny he was just a short while ago. Everyone enjoys making him laugh, and he thinks his older siblings are just amazing. He’s a favorite at the local food bank, and after some serious deliberation, I’ve decided to continue volunteering there with him after the summer holiday; I’ll bring a port-a-crib with me. It’s a hassle, but I don’t want to quit. The people there have become something like an extended family and I really enjoy the chance to help out in a practical way. In the second photo, you can see that although he’s a jolly fellow when awake, he takes his sleeping very seriously.

Max has found a new passion that has, at least temporarily, overshadowed his cross stitching, but we don’t mind at all. He’s suddenly discovered the joy of reading - something I had despaired of ever happening. For a long time, his teachers (and us) worried that he might be dyslexic because he simply couldn’t “get” how to read. Each time he encountered a word, it was as if it were the first time and he had to go through the effort of identifying the letters, matching the letters to a sound, sounding out the letters together … it was very frustrating for all involved. And then, thanks to his biological father’s family, the Geronimo Stilton series of books was discovered and a new book lover was born. We’re so happy, we hardly dare breathe for fear of distracting him from his new-found pleasure!

The workplace has been a mixed bag. As you’ve probably gathered, I have been a SAHM since Arden’s birth, going in to the office only on a couple of urgent occasions. However, they want me back in on a regular basis after the summer holidays. We’re going to discuss one day a week, in which I’d be at the office and Niek would work from home. I don’t know what to expect, as the company has gone through some major reorganizations in the past couple of years that have seriously curtailed the freedoms that I wanted & needed when I went to work there. I also don’t want to give up certain things, like the food bank, but I realize that concessions to the realities of the hiccuping economy are necessary. At least I have the summer break yet to enjoy.

I hope the weekend has included plenty of moments both of joy and of relaxation for you and yours. I’ll be back on Monday with an update of my birds … I guess that’ll be a *bird food post.

*The Nablopomo theme for July is food.

fun stuff … and a question

I hope those who celebrate it enjoyed a wonderful Independence Day yesterday. I missed it, but not nearly as much as I miss Thanksgiving.

Some fun stuff happened to me yesterday and I’m so happy to share it. First off, Jenna sent me some of her hand-crafted cards and they arrived! I like them so much that I actually used one before I even took this picture! LOL! Jenna, I swear you can do ANYTHING! We also have a proudly displayed example of Jenna’s quilling as well as some lovely cross stitched projects she’s made me. What talent! What a great friend!

And I won Cathi’s recent giveaway. I can hardly believe it. Cathi’s this incredibly talented quilter - in addition to being a totally cool person with the toughest, bravest mom this side of the moon. I am just a-wiggle with excitement and am already trying to decide where to display Cathi’s handiwork. Wow, a Dear Jane quilt wall hanging, all for myself! Pinch me!

I’ve been watching the news since Arden’s birth - it’s about the only thing on TV during his feedings, so I’ve been sucked in. I watch the Dutch, British, and American news. Sometimes, if a topic really piques my interest, I’ll try to follow the German news, too, but my German stinks. Unsurprisingly, most of the topics keep coming back to the energy crisis which has started a question rattling around inside my head that I’m going to field it out to you. Please let me know your answer to the following:

If you were only allowed one final tank of gas for your car for a non-essential trip, where would you go?

the sun sets late here

We enjoyed a gloriously sunny day today. I spent the morning cleaning house and stitching, and then the kids and I spent the afternoon outside. Heavenly! I think we’ll all sleep like tops tonight! The only disadvantage of playing all afternoon was that my birds didn’t get any attention for several hours. But as soon as the dinner dishes were cleared away, I got busy with my needle and I’m pleased to introduce George Fox and Alice Paul. It’s a lucky thing the sun sets late here, so I could get outdoor photos of them both.

In 1660, George Fox and several other Quakers submitted a declaration to the King of England, which you can read in full here. . Written 348 years ago, the unshakable sincerity rings so true today that I’ve had a hard time getting it out of my head ever since I stumbled across it. I wish we had a George Fox today who could put an end to the current war with the heartfelt truth that ”…the Spirit of Christ, which leads us into all truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world.” George Fox is adorned with flowers for peace and crowns for the glory of the Spirit in whose faith he never wavered. Stitched on 30 ct deep chocolate R&R Linen using DMC.

Alice Paul, as we discussed yesterday, was a shining star in the suffragette movement. Renting headquarters for her political party, The National Women’s Party, across from the White House, she made her statement using gold, purple and white banners hung from the windows in full display of the White House and all its guests. Later, she and her followers became Silent Sentinels, standing silently outside the White House day after day despite jailings, ridicule, and other hardship. Alice Paul has been created entirely in the colors of her namesake. Stitched on 28 count Tobacco linen using DMC. Alice’s wing has been hemstitched on because of her size - she’s around 7 inches long and the wing tends to be quite wobbly on this large of a bird when it’s only attached with a button. She’s backed with a beautiful coordinating Moda fabric.

I won’t add these birds to my Etsy shop till Sunday, when I hope they’ll be joined by a few friends.

Oh, before I forget! The winner of Thine Forever is Sandra. I’ve already sent her an email asking for her postal address. I hope to do a couple of other drawings this month, in the spirit of de-stashing. I also have some charts for sale in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for coming to visit! I’ve an interesting question in mind for tomorrow’s food for thought.