Stash Love

It was Happy Stash-mas for me yesterday. Since we had several errands in Franklin, the kids and I hit Clementine's. It had been a while and I needed a fabric fix. I was undeserving––I still have unfinished projects––but the soul needs what it needs. My right brain grabs in the wheel when I am in the store. Sometimes even when I go in with a planned project, serendipity takes over. This was the case yesterday. I went in to look at a certain Japanese fabric and took out mucho stash to create a quilt for my bed. Right now I'm thinking about a modified log cabin pattern. Sarah and I played with the fabrics for a long time before bedtime.

Small Thing of the Day

Holy Toledo!

Is this not the largest zucchini you've ever seen? This daddy was 75 cents at the local market this morning. He had to have him––he was as large as a whiffle bat.
Cutting it up was messy. Cleanup was easy. I got over six cups of grated from this guy.
In the summer I freeze 2-cup batches of grated zucchini for muffins and breads. Here's Erik's favorite recipe:

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

3/4 c. butter

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

2 c. grated zucchini

1/2 c. milk

2 t. vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 c. baking cocoa

1 c. pecans (optional)

Beat butter with electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat after each. Combine zucchini, milk, and vanilla. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients. Add to butter mixture, alternately with zucchini mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in pecans. Put in two loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes (depending on pan type). Cool in pans before removing.

They Say It's My Birthday

Happy 10th birthday to my best friend, Sam. Here's to many more walks together.

Connor Prairie

Yesterday my mom, Sarah, Matt and I visited Connor Prairie. It'd been several years since my first, somewhat disappointing, visit. Yesterday was ever so much better. Nearly every building in each town had re-enactors (with some having several). They were working and cooking and washing and playing. The baby animal barn was full. The living history museum was full of activity and felt real. I took over 60 pictures. Here are a few.

This sweet building is where the spinners and weavers work. There is a little garden plot next door. I would love to go back in time and work there!
There were pots on the hearth, bubbling full of dye.
This looks familiar.
The kids were looking at grazing sheep. I was looking at the kids.
LOOK at this vista. Can you imagine? The Connor home was at the top of the hill (behind me, as I took the picture).  We toured the home which had its original flooring. It had a strange, old-lived in feel to it.
Sarah is in one of the schoolrooms here. If I'm correct, this one was from 1836.
Isn't this trellis fabulous? I love the guide's quilted skirt, too. She reminded me of a pretty, painted Ukrainian doll.
One of the shady lanes in one of the towns.
I think this cabin was in the Lenape Indian village.
Who could resist the baby lambs in the barn? All the animals were babies (except the ducks and the animal mothers): calves, sheep, goats, chicks. The kids had to touch nearly every one.
Here are the kids with my mom. We were starting to wear out by this point. They are on a covered bridge.

Making Art

My mom is staying with us for a week and she and Sarah are doing art this morning. We don't see "Grandmother" very often since she lives 9 hours away. Doing art together is a favorite thing when these two hook up. You can see my mom's art at her site (yours truly is WAY overdue in updating her site). Mom does many paintings as well as teaches group and individual workshops.

Fun for Graphic Geeks

See many more fun distractions at Veer's new book. I have been matching tricycles when I should be reading to children or working or...

Another Chocolate Lollipops Patchwork Bag

The last two months I have been too busy with kids and web work to sew items for my etsy shop. Feeling bad about this, last night I attacked my projects and finished another Horner-patchwork bag. It's very similar to three others I have made and sold. My favorite part is doing the patchwork and funky stitching although it's very time-intensive. I hope to do more like this, but in different colorways––but right now I still have a large stack of Chocolate Lollipops fabric (and they keep selling!).

Dragonfly

Alphabet Soup

Look what I found in the fridge this morning––a pitcher full of magnetic letters and plastic Easter eggs. ??? Did I do this? Am I losing my mind?! Cup of Os, anyone? How about some alphabet soup for lunch?

More weirdness, a very former client emailed me concerning an email I sent him in 2001. That's right––7 years ago. It's all good (nothing negligent or to follow up on for my part) but it's still scary––I mean, 7 years?! It was a miniscule project and the client hasn't been in touch since 2002. Fear notwithstanding, I always believe in the best intent and business practices with each and every client!

New Pet

The kids have adopted a new pet. Greedy little guy––after snarfing our lunch crumbs, he ate some walnuts and a wheat bun. Erik said the very same squirrel bravely follows him when he's out mowing.

Cow Patties and Lemon Shakeups

Tonight we made our annual trek to the Johnson County Fair. Not having grown up with the country fair phenomena, I'm completely fascinated every year. It's sensory overload––where does I start? The animals? The food? The people watching? 

The kids have been small for the rides. Mostly it's just fun to people watch. I wish I'd taken more photos of the rides. They're graphic and bright, with peeling paint and swirling screaming faces. Seeing them I always feel like part of a movie set; the midway seems like it's from another era.

I have a thing for sheep. Look at these fashionable ladies in their sweaters. I just had to scratch their backs.

The fair is for young and old, alike. I'm guessing it was a first year for these kids.

Win this, win that. 
The first night of the fair starts with a hot balloon race.
This guy was the last to get into the air.

Matt was reluctant to touch any animals. He was very interested to know that all the animals had food and water. Sarah wanted to touch every animal.

We didn't see any giant hogs. This dude was big and sleeping like most of his kin.
Besides getting a lemon shakeup, Sarah wanted most to see her 4-H projects. The two puppets by her ear are hers. [this picture is funny––she looks like a pin cushion with daisies coming out of her head!]
Here's her "kool kat" project. Hand stitching is hard for a first grader to grasp. She did well and both of us learned valuable lessons.
I love the big airy livestock rooms. It was a cool evening which makes everything smell better!
We're proud of tall corn here in Indiana!

In the Garden

I finally got to the weeding this afternoon. It was sunny and breezy and lovely to have a good reason to be out in the garden. Much work to be done but was a start.

Small Thing of the Day

Dilly Bread

It was a week––busier than usual with work. Today I felt like a drone. I'd planned to weed the garden but was rained out. The highlights of the lazy day were watching Globetrekker with Sarah and making bread to go with our dinner salads. The dilly bread recipe is my grandmother's; the smell of it baking "is" her house. Here is the recipe:

Lita Loch Dill Bread

Soften 1 pkg yeast in 1/4 c. warm water. Heat 1 c. cottage cheese; add to 1/4 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp dill seed, 1 tbs minced onion, 2 tbs butter, 1 tsp salt and 1 egg. Combine and stir well. Add about 2 1/2 cups of flour and knead. Let rise 1 hr. Punch down and make into loaf or round in buttered cake or bread pan. Let rise 30 min. Bake 40-50 min at 350 degrees. Butter top well. Cool 1 hr before slicing. 

Plastic Bags

This is an interesting slideshow on the impact of plastic bags: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016

Reducing (or ceasing use) is one way to reduce our dependency on foreign oil (and oil in general).

I wish I could be completely weaned off but I use them for Sam doodoo when we walk (which is nearly every day). If anyone has an alternative for this use (so my neighbors don't hate me), let me know.

Small Thing of the Day

The Value of Time

"The point of keeping a journal however, is not to have something new to say every day. It is the exact opposite––the point is to find out what you have to say that is not new. When you consciously observe something repeatedly, on a daily basis, you find out what is lasting, what sustains, what you think about the most. You see what ideas receive your contemplation. You discover the essence." - Wendy Richmond in Communication Arts (March-April 1997)

Doings

Cleaning House Reading The Dark is Rising Eating Mixed Berry Pie Taking Nap Watching Olympic Trials Tour De France Wimbledon Attending Church Running Biking Weights Potty Training Matt Teaching Sarah to Sew Catching Up

Beautiful Things

I have been inspired by Gennine's art and blog for some time and would love to purchase 3+ of her prints (perhaps for the guest room except that I would never see them!). These two interviews on her homes show images both beautiful and inspirational: Current interview and past interview. All my life I have wanted to live in a treehouse!

Happy 4th!

Small Thing of the Day

Matt Nap

He was out cold. We spent the afternoon swimming, which will wear anyone out. Matt had his special green blanket tucked under his check.

Small Thing of the Day

Abundance

"Abundance consists not alone in material possession but in an uncovetous spirit." - Charles Sheldon