Hungry Caterpillar Quilt

So... I made this for someone and then Alex kept hugging it and pointing to it and saying, "That mine?" What's a poor mom to do? I gave it to him and am now scrambling to make something else for my friend! Once again I'm getting behind...

Good Clean Fun

I don't see what's so great about summer. I'm not the kind of person who needs to spend a lot of time outside. It seems like it would be nice but I always find better things to do. My kids are the same. If I take them to the park they'll be happy:

-as long as it's not too hot
-as long as I have the proper amount of water and snacks
-as long as friends can be found there
-as long as we don't stay too long
-as long as I have sunscreen and bug spray
-as long as they don't have to walk too far
-as long as our park doesn't smell like natural fertilizer (ok, shit) which our park often does
-as long as I brought the right sand toys, bikes, sports equipment, whatever

Honestly, I have to pack as much for the park (a one block walk) as I do for the pool. My kids are just as happy at home. I know I'll rue the day I wrote this once winter settles in but as much as I say I want to go walking on the nature trail (bugs) or take my kids to the zoo (yuck) or even to the pool (oy) it's more the fantasy than the reality.

At the same time, I'm totally sick of being the activities director for my kids. If I hear the words "What can I DO?" one more time I'm going to scream. Talia has school three days a week as well as tennis, arts and crafts, ballet and swimming. This is not enough? You just wait until kindergarten starts sweetheart and you'll be begging me for some time off! Our days consist of a rotation of coloring, playing with Polly's, tv watching and chasing Alex around. Throw in some book reading, a few puzzles and a game here and there. I don't remember anyone playing with ME when I was little. I've got stuff to do too you know. Alex, of course is an angel and entertains himself well-- without all those activities.

I tell Talia to go into the playroom which is FILLED with toys. Legos and other building materials, puzzles galore (but I want you to HELP ME mom!), dolls and stuffed animals, trucks and trains, My Little Ponies, Littlest Pet Shop figures, Smurfs, musical instruments, dress-ups, books, games, a play kitchen, medical sets, colorforms, magnets, a fairy tent-- I could go on and on and on. Not to mention the basement, her bedroom and a HUGE art closet with EVERY material imaginable. I don't mind setting her up with something to do and even helping her do it. I want her to COME UP WITH what she wants to do. It's a real problem.

To that end, sometimes the kids really surprise me. I notice lately that when kids come to play they seem to really make their own fun together without taking out tons of toys. This Friday evening FOUR kids ages 6, 5, 4 and 2 played together with no parental involvement. I think all they used was the basement slide and the cozy coupe and maybe climbed on the treadmill (unplugged, of course). It was a dream!

Ron and I have been slowly making progress on cleaning out our storage room over the last week. One of the reasons I want to get in there is to find some new (old) toys and do a better job of rotating the ones we have out. We cleaned out a lot of boxes and I offered them to the kids. Talia wanted to make an airplane out of one of them so I helped her cut windows and attach "wings." THAT'S the creative type of play I dream of for her and I'm more than happy to facilitate it. SHE came up with the idea of what she wanted. She and Alex have been decorating her oosh (That is what Alex calls airplanes because whenever we see/hear them we say "Alex, see the airplane? Whoooosh!"). On the downside, that activity seems done-- 24 hours later.

I grew this!

I've been meaning to write a garden update for a long time. It's growing strong and I've learned some new lessons (namely, that squash plants grow really big and shade everything else. Actually I learned that last year but this year it has really sunk in!) We've eaten a crop of radishes and a crop of sugar snap peas so far.

This is my first head of broccoli. Broccoli is my favorite vegetable and we eat a lot of it in my house-- mostly just roasted in the toaster or regular oven with olive oil, salt and pepper. Sometimes with a little lemon or soy sauce. Everyone likes it but Alex. Considering we rarely all eat the same thing in this house, 3 out of 4 people is an accomplishment.

The main reason I wanted to grow broccoli is that I didn't know what it looked like when it grew. Is it a big tree or bush with lots of broccoli heads on it? Or does it just come out of the ground like asparagus? Actually, it's sort of a combination-- a big plant with lots of leaves and one head of broccoli in the middle. I'll post of a picture of it when I get to that garden post.

Anyway, growing this one head of broccoli felt like an accomplishment. I had heard rumors of pests attacking, like slugs or something. I had no problem with that but I will say the other head of broccoli isn't growing quite as well. Either way, it's broccoli for dinner tonight!

The Dahlia Quilt

I finally gave this quilt to baby Dahlia, who is now about 5 months old. I think this is the first quilt I made using Kaffe Fassett fabric, although I have more. Sometimes it can take months or years for me to cut into a collection of fabric. I find myself buying a new yard of the same fabric because I can't bear to cut the first one!

I had originally started another quilt for baby Dahlia that was unisex (darn those people who choose not to find out the gender!) and when she turned out to the third girl for my friend's family I decided I had to go more girly. I bought some fabric with dahlia flowers on it and then... get this... I lost it. I kept bringing it with me to find some suitable coordinating fabrics at the store and it disappeared, along with a pattern for a top for myself. I still think they will turn up some day. I found this dahlia fabric and finally sewed it up. Once again I didn't know how to quilt it and came up with... following the backing fabric, which is all circles. So yes, I quilted it from the back side. Oldest trick in the book!

We had a really nice time out east this past week. My new nephew is adorable and really good. The kids love seeing their cousins. All Alex wanted to do was hold the baby. Is he giving me a hint? We spent quality time with NanaPapa and got to see a few friends.

It's nice to be home though. It will be nicer tomorrow, when the kids are in school...

My new nephew!

Greek Platter Salad

I know- your mouth is watering, right? This was so yummy. Ron called it "restaurant quality" which is his highest compliment. It's so easy. I layered the following ingredients in the platter:

lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta. (I cut everything on the chunky side.)

Over top I poured this dressing:

2 tbl red wine vinegar

2 tbl lemon juice
3 tbl olive oil
salt
pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 thick slice of red onion, minced
1 tsp dried oregano

Make sure you mix the dressing up really well right before adding it because it doesn't have any ingredient (such as mustard) to help emulsify it. You don't even have to toss the salad.

Eat.

Spaghetti with Peas and Parmesan

We had such a nice time at the farmer's market last weekend that we wanted to go again. This time we tried the Westside Community Farmer's Market at the Hill Farms Department of Transportation. There is a huge difference from the big one downtown! This one was ALL business. None of the spectacle of the big one. No balloon animal guy, no hippie clothing for sale, no kids running around the capitol green blowing bubbles or playing tag. Still, there is a definite reason to go to this one too. If you need great produce and don't want to make it a whole day activity, this is your place. You can park right up to the market and be in and out in half an hour. The food seemed cheaper as well, although I can't confirm that. We bought a huge bag of shelling peas, strawberries, rhubarb and sugar snap peas. I made a big pot of spaghetti and added the blanched peas, lots of grated fresh parmesan, salt and pepper and butter. We devoured it. As a matter of fact, I went back the farmer's market today (this time at Hilldale) and bought more peas (shelled because I'm lazier on the weeknight...) and we're having it again tonight with my watermelon, tomato, feta salad.

In other news... I'm an aunt again! I'm waiting for my sister to get home from the hospital so I can share some pictures! More on that later!

Dane County Farmer's Market

This past weekend we took our first trip of the summer to the farmer's market. Madison has the best farmer's market in the world and I am willing to argue with anyone who claims otherwise. It is quite crowded by the time we get there (late!) and we kind of have to just find a spot to park ourselves near the capitol and then Ron and I take little 20 minutes trips to get what we want. We have the garden and CSA, of course, so we don't need to get too much. This weekend we got sugar snap peas (so yum) and strawberries. It was a perfect day for the farmer's market! I highly recommend Ingrid's Lunch Box for a meal-- get the farmer's crepe and you will NOT be disappointed!

We also went to the pool and had friends over for dinner. All in all a very nice weekend.

An update on Alex's experience at school. It's getting better. Today the kids were already on the playground by the time we got there so I got to drop him off (crying) on the playground, then drop Talia off and go back by the playground to see that Alex was fine and happy by the time I left.

Alex's first week of school

So my baby goes to school now. After two years of dropping off and picking up his sissy at school it was finally his turn. The first morning went well. He seemed to understand that I was going to actually drop him off and leave. He went right in and played with the cars. I said goodbye and told him I was leaving and he nodded and I left. Easy. I called at about 1pm to check on him and they said he was doing great. After his nap, however, he woke up hysterical and cried, with heaving, for a long long time. I picked him up and he was desperate to get out of there.

The next day he cried and cried at drop off and they called an hour later saying he was totally fine and having a great day. He woke up from his nap and cried but wasn't as bad as the previous day.

The third day of school he started crying at breakfast and cried in the car. It was heart wrenching. I had to pry him off of me. They called after 10 minutes and said he was doing great. He woke up from his nap in the afternoon and was even better than the first two days.

All this weekend every time we got in the car he would say "No school!" He started crying when he saw pictures of himself at school on the computer and also when we passed the road that would take him to school. At least he's smart...

So, we're giving it some more time. He's only 2 so he certainly doesn't have to go school right now. He loves playing with other children and to tell you the truth-- I really need a break! 24/7 parenting with no break is not healthy for anyone. We rarely have babysitters here and the truth is that those three days he was in school I barely left the house. The things I want to do are at HOME. I unpacked from our last trip and got some things done from my summer list (like weeding out the kids' clothing drawers- finally!) and transitioning our mudroom from winter (there were still hats and scarves in there!) to summer. I took a little time for myself and got a much enjoyed pedicure. I weeded the garden; I went to a store BY MYSELF! I made a bunch of "business calls" that had been on my list forever-- like updating our credit card for our newspaper and Tivo service.

This deal is good for all of us because when my children were home this weekend I actually sat and read library books to them. Not just one book, but many books. For an hour at least. Just me sitting on the couch and them tucked in beside me. I played a game with Talia. I went outside with them and didn't spend every moment wishing I could go back inside and finish up whatever needed to be done.

I did consider sending Alex to school for mornings only; maybe that would be better for him. In my research I determined that once Kindergarten starts for Talia there would be no way to pick him up from school and give him a good nap before I would have to wake him up to get his sister from school. I guess I could have put him in mornings for the summer but Talia is there full days so it wouldn't make sense. Besides-- full day now or full day in three months doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

When T started school in Philadelphia she had the same issue-- crying with separation. It killed me but I stuck with it. In Philly, once you got a spot in daycare you TOOK that spot or got pushed to the bottom of the list so it was an easier decision. Talia *still* gives me crap about going to school so I guess that's just my family. I'll keep you all posted...

The Sawyer Blanket

My previous similar baby gift went over so well that I attempted another one. This one is for Ron's cousin Allison and her new baby Sawyer. For the first time I used a stabilizer for the shirt applique and it worked out really well, especially since that fabric is so thin and pliable. I like it. Now I *really* don't have any more of that brown fabric left!

Quilt for Baby D

We are back from a long vacation to the East Coast. My brother Mikey grauated from MIT with TWO master's degrees-- one in Urban Planning and one in Transportation. Mazel Tov Mikey! Along the way I got to see some friends and lots of family.

I've been wanting to show a picture of this quilt for a long time. I've been working on it since January. This is a piece of fabric from Ikea (I think it's supposed to be a curtain). I hand quilted the entire thing for my soon-to-be nephew. The back is yellow flannel and the binding is red flannel. I don't have any better pictures of it right now because I forgot to photograph it at home with my SLR camera. This is taken from my point and shoot. It's a really fun quilt and I very much enjoyed the hand quilting. I was able to do it while spending time with Ron in front of the tv after the kids had gone to bed. It also came on many trips with me-- Dominican Republic, Arizona, San Diego. I will definitely continue to hand quilt.

Buy that boy a kitty!

He almost loved it to death. I told Talia I'd buy her a kitty when we moved to Wisconsin. That was two years ago. I'm still stalling. The kids were in love though, especially Alex.

Reusable Fabric Snack Bags

These reusable snack bags are a huge hit in our house. I finally broke down (after two years) and bought some PUL fabric. I'm not really planning on making any cloth diapers with it (but perhaps I'll give it a try!) but I have a lot of other uses in mind. One idea is reusable snack bags. I've seen them cropping up at some of the trendy stores and websites so I had to make my own. I just cut fabric the size of a ziploc bag and sewed it up-- cute fabric on the outside and PUL on the inside. Velcro at the top. Mostly I just shake out the cheddar bunny crumbs but I did have to wash one and it was just fine. Someone did ask me if PUL is ok to be next to food. I hadn't thought about that. It's not like I'm throwing the whole thing in the microwave but it would be nice to know. I'm not too freaked out by chemicals so it's not a huge concern to me. How nice is it to not have to wash or throw out plastic ziploc bags? Priceless.

Cowgirl Skirt

Whenever I am sewing-- no matter what I am sewing-- Talia always wants me to make her something too. I used this brown daisy fabric for a trim on an apron I made myself (I plan to alter it so I haven't posted it yet) and she, of course, NEEDED a skirt made out of that exact fabric. I used part of an old dress pattern to make the skirt and added a store bought red ruffle trim. Talia was adamant that she wanted an apron on the skirt so I added that as well. I like that she helps me "design" clothes. The skirt is way more twirly than I wanted it (that bottom ruffle is actually FOUR yards, gathered) but she likes it and today, when she wore it for the first time she got many compliments and said she felt special. I'm happy to oblige. I feel like I should get her some cowboy boots to go with it. And yes, she likes the Red Riding Hood shirt I made her.

Ruffle-y Apron Gift

I saw a ruffle-y apron at Anthology a few weeks ago and thought it looked fun so... I made one as a birthday present. In this project I am, once again, loving my serger which is now broken because I tried to sew through a piece of piping while unecessarily serging the edges of a pillowcase for my niece (darn it!) I already took it to the sewing store to be fixed (in TWO WEEKS and around $50). But anyway...

Lots of sewing going on in my house these days (why oh why does it have to be nice outside? why did I wait until SPRING to get a new machine?) so there will be more pictures to come. I'm about to start a new (waaaaaay overdue) baby quilt but I'm hoping it will be quick because I'm currently loving the fast projects. There's just something so satisfying about starting and finishing in the same day (or two).

Sustainable Fabric Food Covers

I bought my friend Annemarie the Farm Chicks Cookbook for her birthday. It's cute-- country recipes with crafty projects thrown in. The recipes are a little sweeter than I like (lots of desserts) but are fresh and seasonal. The crafts are all made with thrifted materials which I really appreciate! One of the projects is for sustainable food covers. Since I like to toss in something handmade with gifts (when I get the chance...) I decided to sew some up. I dug into my stash of 30's reproduction fabrics (all thrifted, I might add) and used a set of nesting bowls as pattern to cut out circles. Then I serged the edges (SOOOOOO in love with my 2nd hand serger right now-- thanks Jennifer!) and sewed on 1/4 inch elastic-- pulling it as I sewed to create the elastic sides. I tried them on different bowls with and without lips and they work great! I'm definitely going to make some for myself. I'm a stickler about sealing food up in the fridge so I'm not sure how these will fare but I was thinking they could be used for things I might leave open in the fridge anyway, like washed grapes or food I've prepped for dinner or maybe when we eat outside.

To recap:
1. cut out circles of different sizes
2. serge the edges if you can, or leave them to be pinked after the elastic is on.
3. sew on 1/4" elastic and PULL as you sew
4. pink the edges if you haven't serged them
5. enjoy!

Planted

I finally got my garden planted. It's been hanging over my head for a few weeks. Last year was so successful-- and I'm scared it was beginner's luck. I wasn't sure what to plant, the compost/soil doesn't look as good, I don't want to compete with the produce I get from the CSA, etc. Truthfully, my main goal for the garden remains the same as last year-- I just want tomatoes and herbs. Everything else is bonus. I ended up planting everything from seed except the toms, which I haven't picked up yet. And the strawberry plants were bought too. The list is:

Every herb imaginable.
Radishes (just for fun)
Patty pan squash (we only got one bunch in our CSA last year and liked them a lot)
Snap Peas (definitely didn't get enough of these from the CSA)
Carrots (I think it would be fun to pull up carrots)
Jalapenos (I always need them and never have them)
Peppers (We eat a lot of peppers in salads and it would be nice to have them on hand)
Cucumbers (We eat tons of cukes here. They didn't grow last year but they didn't get enough support)
Spring Onions (I'm always buying these so I thought I'd grow them)
Pumpkin (just a few seeds for a Halloween pumpkin)
Strawberries (The one item that tastes completely different when picked fresh)
Tomatoes (of course)

Now that I look over the list, the only thing I really have in there from last year would be the toms, herbs and radishes. I had other varieties of some of these things, like summer squash and peppers. This year I know a little bit more about where the sun shines on my garden and how big some of these plants can get. I think for the most part I didn't crowd things in as much as I could have last year so this year they are probably overcrowded. I made sure to leave ample room for the tomatoes. I also tried to plant all the vine-y things like pumkins and cucumbers at the back of the garden and I'm going to get some sort of trellis for them to climb. In addition to my wish for tomatoes and herbs I can see I will be disappointed if I don't get some strawberries. I have a strawberry pot with a PVC pipe in it the I drilled full of holes. I read about it in some gardening book last year but couldn't find the instructions this year so I did it from memory. I hope it's right...

Talia seemed to have a LOT more interest in the garden this year than last. She helped me plant the seeds and wrote out a bunch of the stakes-- until she got tired. I also planted a lot of flower seeds for her around the house, including sunflowers. We tried them last year but I have to admit I was very neglectful. This year they have a prime position with lots of sun.

There will be many posts about the garden-- I'll keep you all updated!

Fresh Baguettes with Fresh Goat Cheese

A simple dinner of homemade baguettes from the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. This was actually easier, faster and better than the master loaf. It takes only about 45 minutes from fridge to table instead of 75 and also more consistently cooks through so I will be making these again (I already did!). Fresh goat cheese straight from Dreamfarm and fresh watercress from our CSA, Vermont Valley. Just let me get those tomato plants in the ground and EVERYTHING in this sandwich will be local.

A field of dandelions

We had a very busy day yesterday with many accomplishments-- a ballet recital, a playdate, planting the garden, cooking dinner plus sharing it with friends, and finally... a sewing machine purchase! Stay tuned!

A blog-worthy meal... finally!

Note: I wrote this post two weeks ago but was too lazy to add the recipe so it's getting posted now...

We've still been cooking up a storm here but nothing really new and exciting has made its way across our table. In trying to eat seasonally our main dishes lately were a little boring. Now that it's spring we have some great new possibilities. This was Moroccan Red Lentil Soup from a recent cookbook acquisition (Thanks M&D!): A Beautiful Bowl of Soup by Paulette Mitchell. It was delicate with layers of flavor. I also made pita crisps with oregano and parmesan and a delicious tabouli (so easy to make--just google around a bit until you find a recipe that looks yummy!) from Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers-- a book I HIGHLY recommend. This meal was yum yum yum.

Morroccan Red Lentil Soup adapted from A Beautiful Bowl of Soup by Paulette Mitchell.

1 tbl olive oil

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 tsp saffron threads (I didn't have saffron so I used a pinch of turmeric)

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried rosemary (2 tsp minced fresh)

1 tsp fennel seeds

6 c vegetable stock

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed

1/2 c dried red lentils

1/2 c basmati rice (uncooked)

1 tomato, diced

1/3 c chopped cilantro plus more for garnish

1 tbl tomato paste

splash of Tabasco

salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a dutch oven or other soup pot cook the onion in oil over medium heat, 5 minutes

2. Add curry powder, cumin, rosemary and fennel seeds, and saffron (soaked in water for a few minutes) or turmeric and stir for 30 seconds.

3. Add stock, beans, lentils and rice. Bring to a boil and then cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

4. Stir in the tomato, cilantro and tomato paste. Season to taste, garnish with cilantro and serve!

Spring CSA: Week One

We belong to Vermont Valley CSA. Last year we only got summer shares. This year we are getting spring shares as well. It is an exciting but daunting challenge to figure out how to serve all those vegetables each week. We rose to the challenge this first week. Here's what we came up with:

Salad mix and Lettuce Head: Those are easy-- they fed us three salads throughout the week.
Arugula: I made arugula pesto which I served with tortellini and sun-dried tomatoes. Alex actually ate it!
Bok Choy: I made a fried rice stir fry with pretty much every vegetable in my fridge (carrots, onions, broccoli, snap peas, frozen peas). It was a little bland but I served it with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. I'm still eating it 4 days later. I like to put pickle-y banana peppers in it. Actually lately I'm putting those on everything. I mean EVERYTHING.
Dandelion Greens: Sauteed with onions and parmesan and served with leftover arugula pesto tortellini
"Saute Mix": This is a bag of mixed greens. I don't really know what's in it. I just sauteed it with sesame oil and soy sauce and garlic. Served with the fried rice dinner.
Spinach: I added some to the arugula pesto and some to the sauteed dandelion greens.
Radishes: I made a yummy radish and white bean salad with feta and lemon.
Chives: Sprinkled on everything

The only thing we have left is watercress. I'm planning on adding some to tonight's dinner and a special salad for tomorrow. We pick up the next CSA box today so I'm feeling pretty good about my accomplishment with last week's supply. Plus, we were gone for two dinners over the weekend. Today we get fresh goat cheese and farm fresh eggs. I'm looking forward to that!

No More Babies in the House

Alex is two! We spent his birthday in Chicago at Navy Pier (the ferris wheel!) and the Children's Museum. He definitely didn't know it was his birthday despite many attempts by Talia to explain it to him. She kept saying, "Alex, do you know what a birthday is?" and "It's your birthday!" The funny thing is that he would never answer whether or not he knew what a birthday is so instead of continuing on to tell him what a birthday is she just kept asking him. Over and over again. With all our traveling Alex didn't get to take a nap on his birthday and was thus pretty cranky by dinner. He didn't eat much and was simply not interested in sitting for a birthday cookie/ice cream combo. He got a second wind when we all went swimming at the hotel.

So there are no more babies in my house and no current plans for any more. I still can't manage to give away that sling and co-sleeper though... so you never know.

Quick Baby Gift

I'm a little burnt out on baby quilts these days. For Ron's cousin Alexis and her new baby Zachary I used a store-bought Dwell Studio blanket and appliqued the baby's name on it. Then I decided to hand draw the giraffe image and applique a onesie and sew a giraffe stuffie. Because I can't ever seem to stop, I had to add trim to store-bought baby pants. I also wanted to put a binding on the blanket but I didn't have nearly enough fabric and of course couldn't find it again since I bought it over a year ago. So, all in all, handmade touches to store-bought items. Fun, quick, satisfying.

Cutest Ever Freezer Paper / Fabric Collaboration

I used freezer paper for the Little Red Riding Hood and fabric for the hair. If Talia doesn't like it I might just have to make one for myself. Or kill her. Whichever feels right at the time.