Why I love having children . . .

They cook. They bake.

I had an omelet cooked up for breakfast by Oldest, and then he decided to bake chocolate crinkle cookies.

Oh, yeah- with coffee these are heaven!

And he even cleans up the mess! He is going to make some little lady very happy someday.

(oh- and he gives amazing back rubs, too- I don't want to ever give him up!)

-Cheers!

Giveaway at Eager Hands!~

In between a couple of projects at the moment- both involve a baby shower I'm co-hosting this Saturday. What is with all the baby girls lately? Not that I'm complaining. Pink doesn't happen much in a household of males.

But the reason I'm popping in is to tell you about a giveaway over at Eager Hands- Lora is a lovely woman, with a lovely Etsy shop and she is celebrating her 1,000 th sale! She's giving away a really sweet necklace with the words 'blessed' and 'thankful' on it. So go on over and check out her blog and her shop!

Okay- back to sewing and cutting. And hopefully more posts if I can find time to upload more photos from our trip. Have a fabulous day! :)

Cheers!

~Home: here, there and together

Today has been a full on 'Monday' if you catch my meaning. I just can't seem to focus on anything at all. Vacation is over, Husband is back at work and I swear the 'to do' list procreated while we were gone. The boys came home last night, and today has been full of unpacking, laundry, bickering, and emotion due to a week and a half of late nights and being spoiled rotten. Not to mention hormones. Sometimes I wonder if the price of going away for awhile is worth the cost.

Honestly, I think we are all still recovering from our trip home to Seattle. It's funny that I still call it home when I haven't lived there for over twelve years. Maybe it feels like home because whenever we go up, we always stay with my Grammie and Papa and they have always lived in the same house since I've been around- the one, constant place all my life. Sometimes it's like going back in time and can be a nice reprieve from the constant busyness of what life looks like now. And sometimes, all the friends, family and activities we want to pack in while there can end up being anything but refreshment. Still, Seattle has it's hold- that place of origin has resonated as 'home' my whole life.

But even though it feels like home there- coming back to my house always impresses on me how much I love my own home- especially when we've been gone for awhile. And that home is so much more than the house we live in. It is the people around, the way you live life day in and day out. There is rhythm and familiarity in home just as much as there is constant change and re-working of life and relationships within it at the same time. And it can be like a weapons testing ground at times- and I have to say, the oldest son is certainly using it that way. But how good to know that this is the place for that testing- he is safe and loved whatever emotional state he happens to be in.

As much as he enjoyed visiting with his great-grandparents, there is such relief for him to be back where he belongs- he no longer has to 'hold it all together' in his mind. He is home, and finally free to just be. And sometimes when you are eleven years old, just being can be like fireworks going off- rather explosive when it gets 'permission' to blow.

I am grateful however, that he desires me to be there with him in these difficult mood swings. Though there is little I can really do. It's strange how different this comforting is compared to when he was younger. He is physically too big for me to hold, though I do try. And there is no quick recovery because the hurt isn't from a scraped knee or a mean word- the hurt is from being more and more aware of the world around him, and the struggles inside himself.

And so I sit and listen; I pray silently- hoping for a touch of wisdom to offer- usually coming up short. I wonder how it is that I can still remember being eleven and twelve years old and not have anything useful to give from that experience. I do remember; but I think and speak with a mother's brain. I know things now that I didn't then. But that's me and this is him and I'm beginning to understand how difficult that distinction can be at times. I know this is just the starting point, and I see we both have a lot to learn as we continue to 'grow up' together.

~Until tomorrow (and a good night's sleep): Cheers!

(all pictures are from my Grammie's house and garden)

Life is Just . . .

. . . a white, vintage ironstone bowl of cherries- bought while on vacation.

So- we are back from Seattle. Actually, we've (Husband and I) have been back for a few days, but we've been on 'vacation mode' still. Sleeping in and all that sort of thing. Boys will be back with us on Sunday, so we've been enjoying the time to ourselves.

I have so much to share about our trip and some other goings on around the household. But that will all have to come later as I want to make every minute alone with Husband count- meaning putting him to work, of course! ;) Thank you for the kind comments on the blanket in the last post- especially from those of you who are 'real sewing people'. It was well received. I can't ask for more.

Enjoy the weekend- more soon!

Cheers!

~A Blanket and Bye- Bye~

O Happy Friday!!

This last week has been incredibly busy around here- mostly because we're leaving for Seattle tonight to stay with my Grammie and Papa for nearly a week. Lots of fun with family and old friends planned, but the real trick has been just getting ready for the whole thing. This trip includes birthday gifts to bring along (my sister's, my brother-in-law's, my friend's son's), a newborn baby welcome present (more in a minute), all our luggage, bikes for the boys to ride, and a king-size iron-work bed frame which will need to be tied to the roof rack of our car (don't ask). On top of this, I've been trying to get the house in decent order to leave it (I hate coming home to a mess), desperately searching for someone to feed the cats, getting sixty bookmarks made for an event next week, and finally getting my sewing corner set up so I could bust out this . . .

This snuggly blanket was made with love for a dear friend's newborn baby girl. This is the fifth baby blanket I've made, and I've done them all in the same way: two different flannels, one yard each, sewn 'right sides' together, turned right-side out, and finished off with a bit of hand sewing of 'the hole'. Very simple, which is just what I can do. I am a very inexperienced and rather impatient sewer, so I like a project like this- Fun to pick fabrics, no cutting or measuring (yes, I'm lazy) and simply sewing straight lines. Plus, a personal handmade gift is so special, even if it is a simple handmade gift.

I so enjoy making these! They are soft and warm and I am told, hold up well to the constant washing. While the sewing machine whirs along I love to sit and give thought to the little one I am making it for. A lot of prayers and love go in to every blanket.

And the very best thing of all is actually seeing that sweet baby all swaddled in something I made- it sends my heart to the moon!

And so a card has been made-

And little Lauren's blanky is all wrapped and ready for our trip.

Can't wait to do some baby snuggling and catching up. It used to be that everyone I knew was having babies, in fact, for a couple of years there was a baby shower going on every Saturday afternoon- or so it seemed. I used to have a huge pile of baby gift bags and little clothes on hand all ready to go. Always be prepared!

Now, it's been nine years since I last had a baby to kiss and cuddle. But I don't miss it too much though. I'm all for babies when I'm not the one dealing with being up all night, changing diapers, living like a cow-on-call, etc. . . I think I'll love being a grandma some day! . . . a long time from now, of course! ;)

So, that's a bit of what I've been up to this week. Though, between all the 'getting ready to go', there has also been a lot of this . . .

. . . and this . . . . . . all due to feeling spent from the heat.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Bye-bye and I'll be back next week with all sorts of tales to tell! :)

Cheers!

~ summer lunch ~

This here is what I enjoyed for lunch today- all the flavors of summer together. Simple. Healthy. Yummy.

Grab a toaster and pop in two pieces of whole wheat tasty bread. Slice some tomato~preferably straight from the garden if you have 'em (I don't- yet.) Spread some ricotta cheese on your nicely toasted bread. Lay your tomato slices on top. Go out to the garden for some fresh basil, or to the spice rack for the jar; sprinkle your basil on the tomato- don't you love how fresh that green makes it look? Now drizzle olive oil on everything and finish it off with some salt and fresh ground pepper. That's it- easy. Now go take a bite of summer!

Cheers!

~August and Everything After~

Welcome to August! Another month of summer lays at our feet.

A new month; a new week; . . . another repair man. Yes, the appliance repairman came this morning. Here is a clue to what he fixed for us-

Any guesses?

If you were thinking that perhaps I'm not just attempting to be cute and nostalgic, but have actual need to hang our clothes to dry, then you are correct. Indeed our dryer has been dead since Thursday.

Of course, as far as major appliances go, a dryer isn't too big of a deal- especially in summer. And miraculously, it actually is summer here, as there hasn't been rain for over a week. So I'm grateful for good 'hanging out the wash' weather.

So now it is all fixed, and I am so glad.

I really wish I felt the way about clotheslines and air drying laundry that other women out there do. I see pictures of darling vintage items blowing in the sunshine; bright and cheery clothes pinned up with delicate wooden clothespins- they look so happy, and 'all-is-right-with-the-world-ish.' I've heard-say of the fresh scent left behind and the joy of bringing in a nicely aired load. This all sounds so homey and wonderful! And then I do it.

First of all, my clothes are just not that cute. Those are work-out clothes there, and sweat pants and exercise tops just don't do anything for the cute factor. Neither does the fact that I have in the past brought in laundry from the line, only to find four (yes, four!) earwigs camping out on one of my tops- as I was putting it on. That was a good seven or so years ago, and I have never done it since. Too traumatized. And then there is the fact that all my clothes are so stiff afterwards, they look frozen. And they honestly don't smell like anything to me; good or bad. I just never detect a scent. (Maybe because I don't want my nose to get too close for fear of some insect jumping on!) So, if I'm doing something wrong, please someone out there- let me know!

I guess too, the hardest thing about having the dryer die on us is that it has been just one more thing in what seems to be, the 'replace it/repair' it year. In fact, I've been keeping a list- one I like to call the Kicked the Bucket list. Here it is for 2011:

~the washer (repaired)

~the dryer (repaired)

~our foundation (nasty crack)

~our mattress (after over 200 bucks in chiropractor bills it was time)

~the toilet (blogged here)

~the vacuum cleaner (didn't like our old one anyway)

~the standing lamp (the base literally disintegrated in front of us as we moved it)

~the coffee grinder (after nine years of loyal service; this was the most urgent of all replacements)

Of course, though we have plenty of time to add to this list, I'm hoping it's done. As much as I do like list making, this one can end here thank you. ;)

Onward now, to the never-ending-to-do-list for today. Happy August to all, and remember . . .

Cheers!