a day

Do you ever have a day when the shower just won't get warm, you find that your cats have been eating the thread in your sewing room, your gargantuan stack of fabric has fallen over and your children have set up fort in the middle of it? Today was that day for me.

Because of my morning of misgivings, all I really wanted to do was sew. Just have a moment to push that pedal full throttle to the floor and create something. Anything...

My sidekick joined me in the sewing room. He and Bobby Acorn (his squirrel) drew pictures of rainbows and trees full of juicy red apples. While my budding artist was busy at work, I was making pants... finally.

The creative energy in the room was exuberant and raw as Jasper and I sat completely engaged in our craft. Although we spoke not a word to each other, we were one, connected in our crafty madness.

Then the silence was broken, "Mama, I want to stuff something. Something with wool. I want to use this fabric. Bobby Acorn needs a pillow." Jasper's otherwise sweet voice sounded like the roar of a lion as I fell out of my meditative crafting state and back into reality.

When I hear the words "I want to make", it is my natural inclination to drop everything and facilitate the creating. Jasper chose all of his fabric from the scrap basket. He cut his own "patches" for the front of the pillow and stuffed it full of wool and love.

Bobby Acorn was overjoyed at the sight of his gift. After a cup of chamomile, he sunk his head deep into his fluffy pillow and quickly dozed off. We were sure that he was dreaming of rainbows and climbing trees full of juicy red apples.

As for the pants, there's always tomorrow...

beachcomber bags

A little "love in the mail" for our shell collecting friends in Ireland. I told myself that I would not post about these bags until they arrived at their new home, but honestly, I am so excited about them, I had to share.

The inspiration was a Kathy Kruse shell bag that Samantha received for her birthday (pictured at the bottom). As I opened the closet in Samantha and Jasper's room, the bag (full of walnuts and rocks) clocked me in the head. At that moment, I had an epiphany... "What a perfect gift and what fun they will be to make."

The fabric used was all from my stash. I did, however, have to visit the local hardware store for the screen material for the bottom of the bag. Oh, the look on the clerk's face when I told him what I was going to do with it; unforgettable... I'm thinking I should go back and show him as he was unsure I would be able to pull it off.

Here is our collection as of today. After Jasper saw the gnome bag, he requested one for his very own. Samantha is perfectly content with her birthday bag but has been eyeing the new fabric that just arrived from Superbuzzy. I'm sure more beachcomber bags will be in production soon.

dinner date with daddy

magical soup

This winter has been a season of soups. The coldness has brought many pots of carrot ginger, split pea, garden veggie and chicken with barley to our table. Today, we decided to delight our taste buds with a new recipe from the Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen cookbook. With so many delectable recipes to choose from, we settled on this Yellow Pea with Coconut Milk soup.

With the perfect music to set the mood, the children and I began preparing our meal. Jasper was in charge of spices. A little turmeric and cardamom sent our senses into overdrive and had us giggling with delight. Samantha helped chop the cilantro but quickly fled the kitchen as the onion rolled into sight.

The preparation brought such warmth to the house. The exotic smells and the anticipation of our meal had the children dancing and singing. On a couple of occasions, I was greeted with songs and gestures from Jasper's nursery class. How I love to get a glimpse of his school life.

The soup was poured and garnished just as John walked in the door. The children and I were excited to share our afternoon's creation with him. The conversation was light as we inhaled the food in front of us. That was until it happened.... First a scream, then a little blood and then a huge smile.

With Samantha's second bite of soup, her tooth fell out onto her spoon. She was so delighted that she turned to me and said, "Mama, we made magical soup. Soup that makes teeth fall out". We did indeed...

diversion

So, here it is. The pile that has been calling to me for a few days, "hey Lisa, remember us?". If the fabric is not reminding me that I really need to focus and start sewing, it is Jasper each day as he trots around in what I call his "knicker bockers". Is it possible for children to grow inches overnight? Well, today was my day to make pants. The fabric was washed, a new pattern was made and I had ideas flowing out of every crevice, but again, life took over.

It was the holiday that kept us within arms distance of each other today. It is not very often anymore where I have both children together at home all day during the school year. I truly cherish these moments and how they empower and connect us.

Rather than try to get my sewing done as the children played around me, I thought it would be so much more fun to get some fresh air and head to Multnomah Falls outside of Portland. We had never been to the Falls in the winter and were delighted to see a rather frozen world around us. Small mountain streams had turned into ice palaces, steep trails became slides (no kidding, people were actually sliding down the trails on their bottoms), and the bridge an ice skating rink.

Today, our goal was to get all three of us to the bridge with everyone carrying their own weight up the trail. Despite the conditions, we all manage to make it to the top. As we faced the waterfall, the fine mist tickled our noses and froze our cheeks. Samantha said that her mouth was so cold that it would be the perfect time to pull the tooth that is literally hanging by a thread.

Soon after we reached the bridge, the chill set in and we headed down the trail. We left the Falls with great pride, a warm steamer and one extra loose tooth still intact. Sammy thinks that tomorrow will be the day..... stay tuned.

sunday...

Today was slow and sweet, giggly and lighthearted, warm and evolving.

How I live for these days...

nature table ~ part one

I wanted to share with all of you a secret corner in my home. This is Samantha's space where she lovingly displays her seasonal treasures. Sammy has always enjoyed creating nature scenes throughout the house; one on her dresser, another tucked away on a shelf in the living room. When I was finding these sweet creations just about everywhere, I knew it was time to get Sam her own table. On a trip to the antique mall down the street, I found this tool caddy from the 1940's. A sturdy handle, legs and a tall lip around the edge made this the perfect piece for this project.


As you can see, she has little bits from everywhere. A walnut shell from a nearby tree, a beeswax wreath she made in German, sticks and chestnuts from walks around the city and even fairy kisses (flattened marbles) from the soup pot in her play kitchen. A combination of these things make such a pleasant and inviting scene. So lovely that the rainbow gnomes are still celebrating and dancing around their colorful tree, completely unfazed that they are standing in the bitter cold.

nature table ~ part two

As we began to collect new treasures on our Arizona trip it was only natural for the children to put together a nature table with a Southwest flare. Samantha put a pillowcase on top of the coffee tray in our room. Then she and Jasper carefully placed each of their findings onto the tray with such grace and focus. A little cotton from the cotton field, seeds and seed pods from the Botanical Garden, a pomegranate from our walk to the coffee shop and various flowers and petals from the resort where we stayed.



Upon leaving Arizona, Samantha made sure that the nature table was properly dismantled and packed in her suitcase. It is actually very comforting to have these fragrant flowers and fruits around us here in Portland. A wonderful reminder of what is to come...

a desert haven

We have been blessed with beautiful gardens in Portland. On both the West and East sides of the city, public gardens are plentiful and well loved by the locals. These gardens feature regional plants such as roses and rhododendrons to name a few. When given the opportunity to visit the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, we were thrilled and intrigued by what we might see.

The children became desert detectives as they scoured the garden for various plants and wildlife. What was so beautiful to see was how enthusiastic they both were about the stunning landscape and the names of the different cacti. This particular plant is an octopus cactus.

Samantha fell in love with this dainty flower called the Red Fairy Duster. As we gazed at the branches full of fiery red flowers, she swore she saw a fairy flutter by. With her tiny fairy muscles she pulled a duster loose and went quickly on her way.

Jasper, being the tactile child that he is, needed to touch everything that was near the trail (including a cactus with tiny splinter like spines....ouch!). This is the bright red fruit of a Queen of the Night Cactus.

Although Jasper enjoyed the plants immensely, this little quail was the highlight for him. He talked so sweetly to it and even shared his lunch. We also saw the quail's friends the hummingbird, the round-tailed ground squirrel and a cactus wren. What a fun experience this was for all of us. We walked away with a deeper appreciation of the natural world and many new stories to tell.

vintage feedsacks

Those of you that are vintage fabric fanatics, you are going to love this find. I have this need to visit antique districts anytime I am away from home. While browsing through historic downtown Glendale, Arizona, I stumbled across these lovely feedsacks. Did I happen to mention that they are in mint condition with the labels still attached?

After talking with one of the locals, I found that the Southwest Flour and Feed Company had been located in Glendale for nearly a century and had just recently been shut down. For those of you that don't really know the history of feedsacks, they were introduced in the mid 1800's as an alternative to barrels. Originally the sacks were made of unbleached cotton but later (mid 1920's) were available in prints as housewives everywhere were using them to make clothing and bedding.

When the man of the house went to the mill to get feed for his farm, his daughter usually tagged along to pick out the bag fabrics so that the mother would have the most desirable fabric to sew with.

The biggest challenge at first with the feedsacks was to remove the label. Women would soak the fabric in kerosene or rub it with unsalted lard and then wash it with lye soap. But later a more gentle glue was used to adhere the label for easier removal. Many people associate feedsacks with the Depression although they actually were used well before this time and up until the late 1960's.

Enough with the history lesson!! I do thank you for reading this whole post as I am truly passionate about my vintage fabric. What are my plans with these feedsacks?... Maybe I can make a shrine out of them....or maybe not! All I know is that I don't have the nerve to cut them up, so for now I will probably show them to everyone I know and then store them away for save keeping.

Arizona Harvest....

cotton

acorn squash (grown in the mountains)

oranges

giant pineapples (according to Samantha!)

Phoenix Public Market

the power of light

This morning we arrived in beautiful Arizona. The sun was doing what it does best in this part of the country. At 68 degrees, we quickly shed our woolies, coats and tights and spent the entire day outdoors. I believe we all realized today the power of light; its ability to give you incredible joy and an abundance of energy.

Samantha spent her first moments becoming reacquainted with her shadow. That was after she dug out her flip flops that had been strategically placed on top in her suitcase.  

Jasper was so enlightened by the sun that he just started running with a sweet giggly grin. And yes, he is wearing his socks. Hum.... 

What a blessing it is to be here on this adventure together. Thank you Father Sun for sharing your winter getaway with us. We will see you again tomorrow bright and early. Until then...