Winter Solstice

It's today. The first day of winter, and the day we can slowly start to feel the days getting longer once again. I love days like this.

I usually like to have a fire at the beach to mark the changing of the seasons. Today, I'm not sure if it's going to happen. The rain may prevent the fire, but a visit to the beach will definitely be happening.

Happy Winter Solstice to everyone!

Peace On Earth

We keep our Christmas decorating pretty simple in our home - a tree, some lights, a few handmade ornaments and a wreath are usually all we use. I felt like we needed a little bit more this year, something to remind us of Christ and His message. This bunting banner is what I came up with. The message is simple, one for the whole world, even those who aren't Christian.


I made it from scraps of fabric from my stash that originally came from the thrift store. The white fabric is a recycled Irish linen table cloth, the background fabric is a pair of green linen pants. I used iron on paper for the lettering, sewed the pieces together with thrifted red thread, and attached it all together with some twill tape.


Wishing you all Peace in your lives.
xo

From Friends

I have great friends. In person and on line. During the past few months, I've received some beautiful, unexpected gifts in the mail.

Photos from Nicole, The Habit of Being.

Sachet from Melissa, Tiny Happy.

Yarn from my friend Marie, in Scotland.

Tea from Sonia in the south of France, Cozy Memories. Gocco print from Diana at Pebbledash.

Thank you, my dear friends. xo.

A Few Things

Hello, friends. Happy Friday. Do you have plans for the weekend? I'm hoping to spend time with family, finish a couple sewing projects, and visit the shore. I'll leave you with a few links to some things I'm enjoying and planning right now.

*This song by Noah and the Whale.

*Knitting with Zen String yarn. She has some wonderful options on sale right now.

*Plans to make this salad sometime over the weekend.

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?! It crept up fast.

Have a great weekend!

An Update

Just dropping in to let you know I've added a few items to my shop. I also have some inexpensive options for holiday gifts, and I'll be adding more throughout the next several weeks.

We've had wet, rainy weather here in Seattle, which we're trying to embrace. We enjoyed a wet walk along the shore today. I hope your week is going well.

xo

Take Two

Remember these? Some longies I knitted for Burl a few months ago. They turned out way too big, so I ripped them out and knitted this vest. But alas, the vest doesn't fit him either. I loved the pattern, but will make some adjustments the next time I knit it. Like make the neck opening much bigger for by boy's giant head. And shorten the length a little. And make the waist the same diameter as the body.


Yarn this nice needs to be worn. Although I finished this vest a couple months ago, it's just been sitting in a drawer. It's time to give it new life. I'm not sure what I'll be knitting with it next, but I'll get it right one of these days.

I'm Still Here

It's been a busy (and yet lazy at the same time, how can that be?) week, that has not involved taking many pictures. My cameras actually collected a little bit of dust. I've brushed them off and am getting back in the swing of things.
It's a beautiful day here in Seattle. I'm headed out to my garden for a little bit of work.
Happy Wednesday, Friends!

An Autumn Stacked Coins Quilt

It's finished. It took me longer than I had hoped. I wasn't pleased with the original color palette I started with. Once I adjusted that, things seemed to roll much more smoothly and quickly.


The details:

Loosely following this as a guideline, I used roughly 10 pairs of really soft, fine waled 100% cotton corduroy pants I either already had or purchased at the thrift store. I used a 100% Egyptian cotton damask sheet from the thrift store as the backing. In the middle is crazy soft organic bamboo/ cotton batting I purchased new. It's all hand quilted together with cream colored cotton embroidery thread, also from the thrift store.


I haven't measured it, but the finished size seems a little bigger than a twin comforter. It's super soft and perfect for using around the house. I'm pretty pleased with it. So are the dogs, Burl, my husband and everyone else in the house. It's perfect this time of year.

We Still Nurse

It's not nearly as frequent as it has been in the past, but my sweet boy still loves to nurse, and I'm always more than happy to oblige. Now more than ever, our nursing relationship is about more than just milk. There are an abundance of reasons to nurse a toddler; reconnecting, closeness, touch, skin contact, cuddling, smell, comfort, and so many others. I proudly nurse him when he needs and wants it, wherever that may be.

Quiet Time

I don't get much of it, but I've been using my quiet time in the evenings to work on my stacked coins quilt. I'm close to finishing, I just have some hand quilting to finish up. I'll post more pictures and the details once I'm finished. Soon, hopefully.

Happy Tuesday, friends. It's my mom's birthday today, I'm hoping to spend some time with her today. What are you're plans?

In My Shop

I've updated my little shop this past week. Come have a look and let me know if you're interested in anything. If you're local, we can meet up to avoid shipping costs :)

Have a good Tuesday, friends.

Our Monday

It's already afternoon, and I'm still in my pj's. It's just been that kind of day. I am about to get ready, run some errands, then go for a walk. It's been rainy, but the sun is peaking through. I'll leave you with some images from our walk last Friday.


Burl and I spend a lot of time walking along the waterfront in Everett. We love looking at the water, listening to the seagulls, and dreaming of sailboats. I don't think there are many sounds I love more than seagulls.


Happy Monday, friends.

33

Alex turned 33 last week.

His requested birthday meals:
Breakfast. Swedish Hotcakes
Dinner. Pizza with carmalized mushrooms and onions, pesto, spinach, olives and roasted garlic.
Salad with candied walnuts, cranberries, apples, gorgonzola, and a red wine viniagrette.
Dessert. Coconut mud bars with homemade vanilla ice cream.

I love him so.

And yes, every dish in our kitchen was dirty.

Organic Sundries

Just popping in to let you know that I'll be having a shop update tomorrow. I've incorporated many organic ingredients, herbs and flowers from my garden into many of the products. I hope you'll enjoy them. And as always, I have many samples to give away :)
Happy Monday, friends.

granola

I love granola. Love, love, love it. My granola recipe goes a little something like this:

2 C rolled oats
1 C cashews
2 C brown rice puffs, pureed
1/2 C wheat germ
1 C coconut
1/3 C pumpkin seeds
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/4 C honey
1 T molasses
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C canola oil
1 T vanilla
1/4 C maple syrup

I bake it slowly at a low temperature just until it's golden brown.
It's an ever evolving recipe, but I usually add the rice puffs. They make it crunchy, and I like it that way.
Today I'm eating it with candied walnuts, dried currants and coconut milk.

Just Fruit Today

I was going to share my recipe for Cheese Blintzes today, but I just don't have the energy to make them. Another time, I promise. Today we're enjoying fruit for breakfast, one of Burl's favorites.
Happy Thursday, friends!

Autumn Color Week :: Red

I've enjoyed this Autumn week of color. I have some outtakes of beautiful fall blues, purples and whites I'll share later on.
Next week I'll be playing along with Abby for a week of breakfasts. I'm not the best food photographer, but I do have some great recipes that I'll be sharing.
Till then, have a nice weekend, friends!

Autumn Color Week :: Brown

These were all found under trees around my neighborhood. I'm pretty sure the little guys I'm holding are some form of an acorn. But what are these bigger guys? Are they chestnuts? Whatever they are, Burl and I love them. He stacks them from one basket to the other. I'm finding them all over the house, which makes me happy. I love, love, love that my boy loves nature!
Here are some of my favorite acorn photos: Here and Here and Here and Here.

Autumn Color Week :: Orange

I love the color orange. Next to green, brown and white, I may say it's even a favorite color of mine. But I'm learning through photography that I like it much better as an accent color rather than the main even. Each time I look at a picture of our living room, which walls are a naturally orange toned knotted wood, it just feels like too much orange for my taste.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately as winter approaches. I'm anticipating the amount of time I'll be spending indoors with Burl and I'm really feeling like I need a brighter change in our home before the start of winter. There's been a lot of discussion between me and Alex as to whitewash over the wood walls or not. He thinks it'd be a shame to strip them of their natural color, and in some respects I do as well. But one has to feel comfortable in their own home, right? And a brighter, more neutral palate would make me feel so much more comfortable. Would it make Alex feel less comfortable though? I really don't think so. He's a stubborn one, that husband of mine, and has a hard time seeing my vision. But as hard as it is for him, he always, always admits to me when I'm right. And I think with this one I'm right.

Here are some examples of the look I'm after. Of course my home is much, much smaller, but you get the idea. Much better than all orange, don't you think?

Autumn Color Week :: Green

Here's a recipe and a little green for you on this rainy (at least here in Seattle) Tuesday.

Jalapeno Pesto:

2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cups cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 chopped green onions
1 jalapenos
2 cups parsley
the juice from 1 lemon

Puree all together. I originally used this as a dipping sauce for crab cakes back in the when I still ate fish. Now I use it on rice, pasta, or as a dip for a variety of dishes.

Enjoy!