all buttoned up.

This Baby Turned 2.

 

We celebrated August's second birthday last week. 

  

I bought him a small baby doll and a disappearing bottle.  Actually, I bought it for Manny (who has a birthday very soon, too) but Augie found it and would not let go.  That's sort of his deal-- once he gets a hold on you, he will not let go. 

 

We have all been taken down with various degrees of sick, with little mr. getting the worst of it.  I'm not exactly sure if it was the flu, but whatever it was, it was terrible.  He spent a lot of time on my lap and I thought of tiny August from two years ago.  He had thrush and the ladies at the motel told us to swab his mouth out with a little bit of his urine to take care of it (we didn't).  I could not wait to get him here... home.  It was cold and dark the day we got back.  It was a world away from the Miami light and heat.  I was hoping with every part of myself that we were doing the right thing for this teeny tiny baby.  

  

So far, so good. You are loved by many, baby boy.

Josiah's Blanket.

You might remember the small version of this quilt from back when I was trying to get Sam to play with dolls.  It is still one of my favourite quilt projects even though the crib it was for has since been broken twice (but fixed) and Sam never really took to mothering.  They took down the Better Home and Garden's link that the original was based off of long ago, but the concept is very similar to Blair's value quilt.  They are just 1/2 square triangles-- nothing too complicated. 

 

You would not know it was so straight forward from how long it took me to get it finished.  Quilts take me FORever.  I get bored, there are too many decisions to make, I hate pressing every piddly thing out (but I do).  I bought the first fabric last January along with the off white Kona cotton and everything else came from my stash.  The back is a super soft plaid flannel and the binding is a combination of Japanese egg fabric, and two pindot fabrics from RJR. 

It measure approximately 76" by 54" and it's machine quilted but hand bound.  It's for my 3 1/2 year old nephew for no occasion in particular except for that we love him very much and he's going to be an excellent big brother (again). 

The New Stitch Magazine and My Perfect Cookie.

I have a semi-ambitious making list this fall.  Half of my large family has birthdays that fall between now and Christmas (the other half has their days more or less within 6 weeks of each other in Spring with only a few stragglers).  I think the key to getting any of this done is to make things in multiples.  I'm thinking throws, soft checkerboards, maybe some soft toys?, and scarves.  Pillows too, maybe.  I'm also giving my friends fair warning not be surprised when they open one of these:

It's a Potluck Take-Along pie/casserole/pot carrier and you can find the pattern in the new Stitch Magazine.  They styled it with a pie (brilliant), but I think it works best for carrying dishes like glass lidded pyrex or corningware.  The quickest way to put one together would be to use pre-quilted fabric, but I like to stick a layer of thermal batting in there to keep things toasty.  The new issue is big (and good--Hi Erin!) and has a ton of great gift making projects. 

DO YOU LIKE COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS?  I know.  This is the last time I'll mention it-- the Ginger Molasses cookies in that book are going to be the end of me.  They are my perfect bff love-you-forever kind of sugary thing.  They are soft and chewy without being crumby... AAAH!  And Sam doesn't really like them.  On a related note, you'll be happy to know that I've been breaking out like 8th grade Melissa.  Good deeds do not go unpunished. 

For the Win!

These exceeded my high hopes-- really, I'm in trouble.  There has been a series of testers through here today that all agree these are very, very close to the rolls at the actual bakery.  There will be some minor tweaking next time-- I undercooked them slightly (the bakery ones are quite crispy on the outside) and I feel like they need more goo.  Beth and I have decided to start baking our way through the cookie pages and I'm pretty sure she's going to make jammers tomorrow.  I am considering hand pies for the weekend.  I've made them before, but that was child's play.  The book is everywhere (Beth got hers at Costco!), including at a discount at Powell's (where you can also ordered signed editions) and here.

A couple of years ago I got smart and requested a small kitchen scale for Christmas.  It has made a big difference in the way stuff comes out of my oven.  I was finding that my cakes were a little dry or my cooking times way off-- but I think it all had to do with the way I was measuring my dry ingredients.  Now I just pop a small bowl on the scale and dump in the flour, etc. according to weight.  It has also come in very handy when trying to decide whether to ship boxes or envelopes using the flat rate or not.  I need to be making those decisions before I get to the flipping post office with my *helpers*.  

If I could justify click and ship and grocery delivery I might never have to leave the house.  Also helping: Tiny Desk Concerts on NPR.  We are living large. 

BOOM!

I have been doing a very good job of this whole school starting, everybody up and washed and out the door thing.  We've been riding the bike (mostly) and I've been getting dinner ready and everybody fed by 5 (mostly).  This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous to most of you, because, duh, none of those things are very hard, but sometimes that kind of routine (or monotony) becomes the hardest thing to do-- let alone do it well.  I started volunteering a little bit in Sam's classroom and while I don't think I'm too much help most of the time, it has been a great reminder to cut the kid a lot of slack once we get home.  He holds it together so well in the face of so much distraction and um, strong personalities.  I'm *still* really proud of him. 

All this to say, that Hey October!  My love for you has not diminished, I've just been distracted!  Some of the best things happen in this month and for whatever reason, I always feel my year resetting at about this time.  Screw you, New Year's Day.  Anyway, the whole month (and this whole winter) was made 100 times better with a phone call from my friend Beth yesterday-- she called to tell me that all my baking dreams had come true.  Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson have just come out with their Grand Central Baking Book.  (How did I not know this was coming?  I'm talking to you certain in-the-know peeps of mine.)  Grand Central Bakery is among many great bakeries in town, but as far as I'm concerned they are hands down the best at certain things-- like Cinnamon Rolls.  They are the cinnamon rolls of my dreams (quite literally) and I've tried several times to recreate them at home and have been completely lost.  My friend dropped off her book for me to copy down the recipe (I have one waiting for me at Powell's but I couldn't freaking get down there today-- see above blah, blah about routine) and no wonder I couldn't figure it!  Molasses!  Currants!  8 grain cereal!  That sound you heard this afternoon?  That was my mind blowing. 

They take about a day and a half to make (I'm almost not joking) and I'm right in the middle of the process.  So you're going to be hearing about this again.  Besides, the rest of the book is beautiful and full of greatness-- really, I'm sort of terrified about what this is going to mean for my waistline.  I thought that Rustic Fruit book was going to do me in, but I had no idea.  There's a section in there called "Every Day Fruit Desserts", which I'm taking to mean that I should be making them EVERY DAY.  See you tomorrow.  

Little Effigies and A Good Week

We made it through the first full week and it went very, very well.  There were a few afternoon meltdowns and another lunch mix-up, but really, nothing out of the ordinary.  He is a champ.  The babies are celebrating with twin colds and general displeasure over their new napping schedule.  Sam asked for Cap'n Crunch at Target this morning and "I can't believe you actually bought it, Mom".  We are good.  Thanks for all the love on that front. 

Hey!  We've got little effigies!  These are for my sweet friend who lives in Philly with her dogs and her crazy job and a special stick she hangs up in lieu of a Christmas Tree every year.  The Paul doll is coming.  I accidentally printed his picture in the wrong size (pinhead).  These are pretty much the Uncle Pete and Aunt Sarah dolls-- I just replaced Amy's template with fabric cutouts for the clothes and drawn in bodies, resulting in some crazy short arms on August and a too tall Sam.  I tried printing them out using both bubble jet soaked fabric and pre-made Inkjet sheets (from Jaquard).  I like the bubble jet soak method a lot but it takes some time and my printer is crappy, resulting in a few false starts trying to run the fabric through (I used super soft canvas which was a little too thick).  I had a half price coupon for the sheets so I decided to try them as well (that made the sheets about 80 cents a piece) and it was a piece of cake!  I sewed ribbon loops on the top in case she wants to hang them from a year-round stick, and stuffed them with cotton batting from Bolt.  August has been carrying them around all week kissing the Sam doll and making the Manny doll hug everybody. 

Are you coming to Powells on Sunday?  Did you know that you can order signed editions online?  I know.  Not quite the same as being here, but it's a start. 

I'm Giving up on Tunics.

This is a tunic from the Fall/Winter '08 Women's Ottobre.  It doesn't look very good on me but I think it turned out pretty cute.  The fabric is a lightweight cotton purchased for 2 dollars/yard from the Depot's outdoor sale. 

Me: "Does it look okay without the belt?  It's more comfortable without it."

Him: "Sure.  But maybe better with the belt.  It looks like it's too big without it"

Me: "Uh, what?  But the belt makes me feel huge on top."

Him (completely innocently): "Isn't that the point?  I mean, aren't belts supposed to make you look..."

And he stopped because I was close to tears and he could tell that the conversation wasn't helping (do you sense a theme?  I appear to be a little sensitive these days).  Let me make it very clear-- as far as I'm concerned, that is never the point.  

The pattern, however, is very good and it sewed up exactly how it was supposed to.  I've written a little bit about sewing from Ottobre that you might find helpful over at Bolt.  And for those of you tired of my whining, Dorie has a FANTASTIC post about looking/sewing/modifying patterns for someone with a small bust.  You know who you are. 

A Good Boy

 

Done.  You know what I did?  I cried when I got into the car because I was so happy that he did such a freaking good job when I dropped him off.  It was all thumbs up, no worried eyes, follow the directions and I'll see you later.  No problem.  Apparently the day was not as good as I'd hoped it to be.  When I picked him up he just stared at me and said, "that did NOT go very well".  In fact, some of his worst fears had come true (lost lunch, no seat, and big kid chaos).  I also know that it wasn't anything he could control and his teacher said there were absolutely no tears and lots of go-with-the-flow.  Most importantly, there's been no talk about not going back, just about how the day was too long.  Again in his own words-- "it wasn't a bad day, just bad thing happened".  I want to cry again just thinking about it.  He did so well.

Still, I wish things had gone better.  Kindergarten is supposed to be fun and safe and full of good thing.  We'll get there, I just hope it happens very, very soon.  

He would want you to know that he's wearing his new Flash shirt and his new skateboard shoes.  Also, that's his new lunchbox and PSSST, there are goldfish crackers in there (but don't tell Augie because he can't have cheese).   

Tomorrow is the Big Day and Putting This Summer to Bed

Tomorrow is the first day of Kindergarten, making this the longest summer ever.  EVER.  It's not an unhappy thing but I think the anticipation is making things a little difficult for Sam.  And I.  But mostly for Sam.  Things will be much better when we're all having celebratory tater tots tomorrow night.  I am excited for him. 

That boy up there on the end, however, is not excited.  He is going to be a world of sadness when he realizes his "Pam" is gone all day, all week.  Sad, sad, sad. 

I am ready to get this show on the road, though.  We made the best of this summer.  After Sisters, I headed straight to Seattle with Sally to see Blair for the day.  It was good.  GOOD.  We ate at Delancey.  Brandon and Molly are doing something really special and if you're in Seattle you might try stopping in for dinner.  It will be worth any wait (though we didn't have one) and frankly, I think I've been ruined for the ordinary (Portland, why is your brick oven pizza so soggy?).  The best part was spending time with friends who have become really important to me and my family.  We spent a lot of time with people like that this summer-- I cannot tell you what a relief it is to spend time with good people or how satisfying it is to meet people that you know (hope) are good and kind and that is exactly who and what they are.  

Autumn is going to be good.  We have the raincoats all ready to go!  If it weren't going to be 90 degrees tomorrow, I'd wear my new socks in honour of it.  I'll settle for tots. 

The Chicken Does Good

Before I record the crazy crap we've been trying to cram into our last weeks of The First Summer Vacation of the Rest of Our Lives, I need to talk about Amy's book a little bit. 

First off, it's good.  And I think you'd like it.  But whatever.  You're thinking that Amy's a friend of mine and so no-duh, I'm going to say that.  Natch.

I like a lot of technical information in a craft book.  I like it when I can tell that the projects and techniques have been tested and troubleshot.  I like it when books are honest about the techniques and their limitations but still encourage you to explore and push those boundaries (frankly, I like those traits in people, too).  I like when craft books are pretty and relevant and put together and I can sit right down and get to work.  

I've had some Dye-Na-Flow sitting in a drawer for a couple of years.  I wasn't sure it was still good, but it turns out this stuff takes a while to go south.  I used two colours of brushed canvas (cream and grey) and the red dye/paint and followed Amy's instructions for the Preppy Kerchief.  I love the way it looks a little Nani Iro and that it took all of 10 minutes to do.  I sewed the two pieces together into a simple drawstring bag for Sam to keep his just-in-case clothes in at school.  When we figure out who is teacher is I'll print out his info on one of these tags and attach it to the string. 

I really want to work on a whole cloth quilt and Paul (!) had me order some printing supplies for something he's cooking up.  What???  It would appear that I'm going to get some gift making help this year.  Fox in socks, that's going to be rad. 

Amy is funny and a little bit sassy and so is this book-- but honestly?  I'm lucky enough to be able to pick up the phone when I need a little of the Chicken.  This is the sort of book that I needed and wanted regardless of our friendship, which makes me feel even happier about recommending it.  You can buy it at Powells, Amazon or wherever you get your book fix.