The Birthday Shirt Tradition

A few, erm, years ago, our littlest babe turned one, and to celebrate the bigger kids made her a birthday shirt. Since then, the making of the shirts has become a family ritual we all look forward to. We may have missed a birthday or two with all our crazy adventures in the past two years, but now that some of our kids are older, I am reminded several weeks in advance that it is time to make the new shirts; it’s a bit of pestering that I really don’t mind.

This year, as our third child turned three at the beginning of December, it was starting to look like we might not be able to pull it all together, what with all the Christmas preparations and a special surprise birthday that required a quick trip back to my childhood home. But in the end and even though it was completed in the last few possible minutes, it was done, and I’m glad I had all my helpers pushing me to finish.

It’s sometimes hard to tell who loves these shirts the most, the givers or the receiver!

The process has changed in the few years since we began this little tradition of ours. I still tape a scrap of an old tshirt to a piece of cardboard to stabilize it, but now instead of having at it with sharpies, we’ve purchased a few fabric markers that don’t bleed. The peace of mind I have when I throw the shirt into the washing machine knowing that it won’t ruin any other clothes is totally worth the extra expense in my mind!

As the kids get older, the designs become more elaborate, which makes a bit more work for me in sewing it all together. Where I used to stitch the pieces in place using reverse applique, I now just use a running stitch to attach it to the top. That’s one extra step saved! And unsurprisingly, the only one who noticed or cared was myself.

We have another special first birthday to celebrate in a few short weeks, a last first birthday for our last and littlest babe. I can’t wait to see what the kids come up with!

A New Year, A Few New Adventures

2011. The year that left this blog in the dust. Since last we spoke, uh, a year and a half ago a few changes have occurred ::

• a surprise pregnancy (discovered very shortly after the previous post on June 20), which led to
• a difficult, challenging pregnancy (filled with lots of stress, health issues, and more bed rest than anyone could shake a stick at), which led to
• a brand new and fantastically healthy baby girl (only two weeks early), which led to
• a shopping trip for the new family car (yes, we found this family of six eying up the dreaded minivan), which led to, of course
• a surprise home purchase! (wha?)

Yup, it’s a true story that has garnered many laughs these past few months; we left our lovely rental home one day to pick up a minivan and came home with a house! No one could have been more surprised than we were, but an unexpected opportunity popped up, and we suddenly found ourselves finagling our finances to make a down payment only two short weeks after extending our lease for a total of three years. Whoops! Amazingly, it all came together without a hitch, and suddenly, before we could even grasp the luck we managed to fall into, we became home owners once again!

There is so much to show and record as we make this new house our home. Since we moved in I’ve been itching to get back here to keep track of all my ideas, my progress, and the things that keep us busy during the day. 2011—well 2009 and 2010 as well, I suppose— were years full of transition and upheaval and I’m hoping 2012 is a year where some deeper roots take hold and keep us quiet and content for a bit.

But before I delve into the new home, let’s celebrate (or memorialize even!) a few things I did manage to get to in the rental. One of which was the breakfast room.

Ah, the breakfast room. In our two years for looking for homes here, it was rare the property we saw that didn’t have a breakfast room. It wasn’t something that was on our list, and as a matter of fact, we both felt it was a bit of wasted space, especially since we wanted a kitchen island with space enough for an eat-in counter. So when we saw this rental home, we weren’t thrilled to find one between the kitchen and dining room, although it was a “flaw” we were willing to overlook, especially in a rental.  Also, that particular shade of brown wasn’t doing much for me and we couldn’t justify the cost they wanted to charge us to paint those four tiny little corner walls. And finally, one of the biggest problems we had with this little room was the fact that we had absolutely no furniture for it. Since we weren’t really fans of the breakfast room thing in the first place, we didn’t want to spend lots of money outfitting it for our needs. So, off to the thrift/consignment stores I went, just to see if I could find anything at all.

And I totally scored, let me tell you! See that table? Those chairs? Both the bookshelf and the corner cabinet? ALL from the same place, and all used, well, mostly! The table came with a bench seat as well as the six chairs you see here as well as a huge lazy susan for the center of the table that unfolds into a square that seats eight with a stored-under-the-top leaf. All of that for 100 bucks, and there wasn’t a scratch nor dent on one  single piece. They were brand spanking new! I painted all the chairs to add a bit of color, the bookshelf and corner cabinet also got the spray can spray tan, and voila! We have a breakfast room for less than the cost of two dining room chairs.

As an added bonus the colors all coordinated with my fiestaware, which was a happy accident. We wanted to have all the pieces out where our kids could reach them so they could help set the table for mealtimes. I also added a bit of blackboard paint to the inside of the cabinet doors on both pieces to give the kids something fun to do on a rainy day or the mornings before I have my coffee. I have to admit, they really did enjoy being able to draw on the doors!

We had quite a few challenges to meet in this room beyond finding the furnishings. One, there weren’t really that many walls. The room is basically a pass through room that barely separates the kitchen and dining room. It also has a set of lovely french doors that open into the living rooms as well as a door that leads outside. That brown wall color really had me stumped until I came upon this post from Sherry and John of Young House Love. This was the first post I saw on their site, and I’ve been reading their blog ever since. That light! Oh that light!! I wanted that lamp shade in the worst way and it totally became the inspiration that brought this room together. If we had actually stayed in that house for as long as we originally planned, I would have owned that shade by now and it would be happily swinging above that table!

And one of my favorite elements in the room was our little family photo wall. Such a fun project!! I bought a bunch of tiny place card holder frame favors online for about a buck a piece, spray painted them with the colors I already had for the chairs, popped the stands off the backs, and stuck them on the wall using the 3m Command Picture Hanging Strips. They are similar to little strips of velcro that allow you to hang pictures on the walls without worrying about damage from nail holes; definitely a bonus when renting a home. I only had to touch up one little spot from when I pulled one strip a little too vigorously. All the pictures are food related snapshots of the kids and our extended family; it’s a great way to use some of those crazy baby feeding pictures, or jelly/spaghetti faces, family feasts, or little ice cream shop stops! I applied a little photoshop filter to fade the colors a bit and add a sepia tone wash which helped keep it from getting too busy. We all loved looking at all these pictures, and I am really looking forward to adding it to the new home, although it will have to wait until we get a bit more painting done! All in good time!

And in the end, the little room that almost wasn’t really became one of our favorite rooms in the house. It was open, in the middle of everything going on, bright with natural light, colorful and lively, and despite our best efforts, it’s where the kids would inevitably plop down their toys and crafts to hang out.

Ah, the breakfast room indeed!

Progress, Slow But Steady

Hello Friends! It’s been a while since we’ve moved, it’s been five weeks actually. That is so hard to believe, yet here were are in June and I am still surrounded by boxes and chaos. When will it end I wonder? I see progress everyday, albeit much slower than that to which I’ve become accustomed–the three little ones definitely add to the complexity of it all–but I’ve heard that slow and steady wins the race.

During the re-settling, I have found a wonderful, meditative knit that I’m enjoying thoroughly, the Baby Drops cardigan. It has been in my queue for quite a while and it’s just the knit I need at this moment in time. Rows upon rows of garter, lovely short row shaping, all with very little counting or complexity. I was recently out in LA for my first visit for a dear friend’s baby shower and, heaven help me, I ran out of knitting. One emergency trip later, I cam back with three skein of mini moochi, a set of needles, a pattern, and an excellent traveling partner. I’m starting the second sleeve alongside my second cup of coffee directly after this is posted. I’m starting to feel a bit sad that the end is in sight. I just may need to begin another one to get me through this next month of unpacking and reorganizing, after all there is no shortage of babies arriving amongst our circle of friends, and a baby without a piece of hand knit is quite a tragedy, wouldn’t you agree?

This Moment

From SouleMama :: {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

Changes Are A’Comin’

Hello Friends. Tomorrow is a big, big day for us. After nearly two years of upheaval, we are finally ready to settle down into our new digs. Granted, our new home is a rental, but man-o-man… what a rental she is! Tomorrow our furniture is being delivered, so I am pretty sure I’ll be busy this week, but I wanted to share one more project that I’m working on for the new home–yet another thrifty find–a corner curio cabinet.

Here she is in her found state ::

And here’s what I’ve been using to get me through all the sanding and prep ::

She’s almost done and ready to be moved, but I ran out of sandpaper and spray paint, so I had to take a small hiatus. I’m hoping to have her all finished tonight, although we’ll see how those plans work out. I also need to get over the the new house to clean before the guys show up tomorrow.

Wish me luck!!

This Moment

From Soule Mama:

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

My First Spring Bouquet

A few weeks ago my daughter came in from the yard with the absolutely stunning harbinger of Spring to present to me.

Is there anything sweeter than having your child bring you beautiful bits of nature to share with you?

We have been picking flowers from this wonderful yard to place around the house ever since. There has been no shortage of surprises coming from the earth. I am in awe of the bounty as well as my children’s wonderment and curiosity of it all.

Hand Prints

A few weeks before the unmitigated stainless steel cup disaster, the kids, my mother, and I went to the local pottery place on a rainy day to keep us all entertained. We were there for more than three hours! I couldn’t believe how much the kids enjoyed themselves; the four-year old especially. The majority of the items she created were actually made for others, which warmed my heart.

For myself, I decided to make a platter of the kids hand prints, which has turned out to be quite a treasured item. The band around the edge was created using their finger prints.

We also made with three small plates with each individual hand, which the kids use every single day, and beware the mother who attempts to give the wrong hand print to the incorrect child.

We can’t wait to get back! Have you seen this idea for kids plates? I’m thinking of trying these next, which I think my kids would love.

Late Over Never, Right?

I am behind on my Christmas knitting. And just in case you considered, for a second, that I meant my preparations for December 2010, let me assure you, I meant this past Christmas, you know, the one in 2009. I don’t know how it happens, really; I plan, I make, I plan, I make, then I plan some more and then before I know it, it’s Christmas Eve and I’m madly knitting the day through skipping breakfast and lunch in attempt to finish up a baby sweater I completely forgot all about. Seriously? Who does that? Forgets about a sweater? Sure, maybe you run out of time or energy, but completely forget all about it even after packing up the yarn and instructions? Sheesh.

Regardless of how it happened, I once again found myself up against the Christmas deadline with absolutely no way to complete all the work. Remember this afghan? Begun in 2008 as a gift for Christmas ’08, completed in January ’10. And I wasn’t going to do anything until that baby was put to bed. And then the baby sweater. And then a sweater for one of my best friends, who went and got herself knocked up! Woo-hoo!! This particular friend, who married my husband and I, made me a gorgeous afghan several years ago (eh-hem!) as an exchange: She would make me the blanket, and I would make her a sweater. I did, in fact, complete a sweater  for her, but it was so hideously ugly that I couldn’t bring myself to gift it to her. I started two other sweaters for her, both of which got frogged before much progress was made. So I decided the time was long past due for her to receive her promised knit.

I wanted to knit something for her that she could use during the months she was gestating, then for nursing and maybe beyond. Quite a feat for one garment, but I was hoping I could find something to fit the bill. And thanks to Ravelry, I did indeed find a few that might work, one of which was Cormorant by Norah Gaughan. This is my second sweater from her, and I have to say both have been an absolute joy to knit. I’m so very close to being done. I have knit the main cardigan pieces, sewn them together, and woven in all the ends, and now I’m knitting up the yarn-over lace ruffle. I’m really hoping it will be as stunning on the soon-to-be mama as it is on the needles.

I’m knitting it up with some beautiful yarn from Sweet Georgia, an independent dyer working out of Vancouver. The color is phenomenal, and it’s the shade that my friend picked out for herself. I do have a few complaints about the yarn however, one being that it is super splitty due to the complete lack of twist in certain lengths of the fiber–I have spent way too much time dropping stitches in the middle of the knit to catch errant stray plies–and none of the skeins I’ve used have been without knots, with one skein having four or more. I have written to the shop owner last week, but still haven’t heard from her yet. We’ll see  how she responds, as I’d really like to try more of her yarn.

So, I’m hoping to finish it up any day now… I was hoping to have it done in March, err, make that December, um, OK a few years ago. But hey! Better late than never, right?

Another Thrifty Find

Here is the next of my fun finds while out and about searching for a table and chair set: this cool seventies china hutch!

I have to say, I’ve found more awesome things back home in Pennsylvania than here in Massachusetts. There were at least four or five little treasures that were calling out my name, but I resisted until I found this piece! She is destined for the craft room, err, rather the craft “area” in the house as a home for yarn. I’m deathly afraid of moths, so having a place to put the fiber in something a bit more secure than a wicker basket is something I’ve been trying to resolve for a while.

She’s not very big, but she’s really cute! And after a nice spray of turquoise paint, a lovely black and white damask paper on her back, and a harware update (oh the possibilities!!) her personality is going to shine right through!

Now!! I just have to figure out how to get this and the desk up here from PA where my parents have lovingly obliged to store my finds for a few weeks. Can’t wait to get them back here to work on!