A Sidewalk Quilt

My *regular* work has me absolutely nutty over an upcoming deadline.  I've been putting in long hours, unable to do any making and feeling my balance all out of wack. boo! But, after my day's work today, I came home to find my kiddos creating without me!  What a beautiful, warm, sunny Boulder evening-- felt just right for the beginning of summer.  They, totally absorbed in their project, picked up their heads only when I called their names.  "MAMA!!"  Joy surged in my heart. Their sidewalk quilt was so stunning I wanted to share it with you. 

When I am involved in a big project, it becomes all consuming.  I think about it all the time. I worry about it. I organize next steps in my head. I barely hear what's going on around me.  I consider this one of my worst traits, but wonder if it is also what makes me good at what I do.  Still, I forget to breathe, forget to enjoy the little things and, as a result, forget the really important things.  Seeing this color, their dusty, chalky bodies and their untempered excitement over their creation pulled me out of my fog.  Thank you, sweet muses.

We are heading off to go camping this weekend at Sand Dunes National Park for this long weekend.  I am elated . . . no email, no iphone, no office, no paper, no computer . . . just sand and friends and kids and family and laughter.  Okay, so we'll probably have some yelling and whining and a few intense altercations that end in tears, but I'm looking forward to diving into that too. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend in which you can be very present for those around you. 

xo Anne

A Blocking Shortcut

Well, I can always count on my mom for a shortcut - just one of the things I love about her.  My mom is a doer, is always moving and if there is an easier, faster way to do something--she knows it. She doesn't do things by the book or by the recipe; she doesn't follow instructions.   She doesn't worry about things being perfect!  What!?  Where did I come from? 

My mom called me after she read my blocking post --A Blocker's Block-- and offered this quick and easy blocking technique.  Not quite as effective as tpins and a large surface - but it did the job in a pinch and without much to-do.

I started here:

I spritzed with water:

I ironed: 
I finished here:

Great!  Thanks Mom.

 It worked well for the 100% cotton sweater above, and for this cowl in cotton:
  But on the soft wool blend sweater I blocked next, I had to rely on the good old fashioned t-pins . . .uhh.  I still dread blocking,

but it does work :).

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Paperboard Mystery Message

I am thrilled to announce that I am guest blogging over at Whip up today!  Kathreen has an absolutely lovely site filled with all sorts of crafty goodies and fun things to explore. I am honored to be included among her guest bloggers.  She also just started producing these great mini-mags chock to the brim with all sorts of entertaining kids activities and crafts.  Check the latest one out here!

So, here is a little peek at what you can make following the tutorial posted there.  This special word puzzle was originally made for a sweet, strong, little boy in my life who has cancer.  I designed this "get well" gift to have a meaningful message, be easy to do while sitting in bed and have the flexibility to play with over and over.  

Original purpose aside, I think ANY kiddo loves to decode a secret message.  What a fun birthday gift!  Or, gift to give as a visiting friend.  The added benefit is that the letters can be used for word building long after the original message is solved.

You can tell I'm on a paperboard kick here, here and here, but I'm going to go ahead and ride it out.  So much fun playing with recycled goodies.  And, if you want to make an exciting mystery word puzzle for a loved little one in your life, go to Whip Up and give it a whirl.
xo
Anne 

Easy-Peasy Potato Soup

Thank you, Julia Child.  I love this simple, easy soup and so do my kids.  I recently had a morning alone with my daughter.  I'm not a huge cook but I do love baking and soup-making. Having an hour to spend in the kitchen to make something yummy is delightful . . . doing it with ONLY one child makes it sublime.   I've learned this over time - multiple kids in the kitchen leads to fights, grabbing, no-fairs, my turns! and one very frazzled mama.  A 6, 7, and 8 year old squeezed around a boiling pot of water also seems  a recipe for disaster.  They have gotten better at taking turns, but still, to have only one child with me is a rare occurrence, I find it an utter indulgence and relish every moment of the process.

This is the recipe for Julia Child's Potage Parmentier.  What I love about this soup is that there are fun parts for the kids to all by themselves, not to mention they gobble it up and ask for it by name.  

Ingredients: 2 lb potatoes, 6 cups leeks, 4-6 T butter (or 1/2 to 3/4 cup cream), 2T salt

I like cream best, but only had butter on this day.

This is double the recipe so you can easily half what I've written here.

1. Weigh the potatoes - good lesson and fun!

2.  Wash the potatoes.  Allie LOVES this part.

3. Measure 4 qt. water, also fun for the kids to do.

4. Dice potatoes (I leave the skins on).

4. Slice leeks (white and tender parts only).

5. Let all ingredients (potatoes, leeks, salt) simmer for 40 - 50 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Blend with a immersion blender (so super easy and worth the investment for all sorts of soups) or transfer to a regular blender and then back to the pot.

6. Remove from heat, add 4-6 T. of butter (I like the 1/2 cup cream better but went with what I had.)  

7.  Serve with chopped herbs (chives or parsley) if you have them - and, fresh bread, too!  My boys don't love the soup as much as Allie does, but with a hunk of fresh bread, they gobble it up.

 yummy, yummy, yummy . . . its one of our favorites, and it may be one of yours soon!

A Shoe Story

The other day, Allie looked down at her cheap and ailing cheetah print Target flats and said, "Mom, these look tired. . . .They need a flower.  Can we make a flower?" 

 Once Allie gets her head wrapped around something, she has a hard time letting it go.  Maybe this is just endemic to five-year-olds?  I thought we would enjoy figuring out how to make a fabric flower, however, after a trip to Fancy Tiger Crafts this Saturday, Allie discovered her own solution.  

She perused the buttons while I looked at fabrics.  Suddenly, she came running to me with a gleam in her eye . . . 

"I found it mama, I really found it!"  

"What, Allie?"  

"THE flower for my shoe, LOOK!"

And, sure enough, the buttons were perfect.  She pestered me just about every minute after that to get the flowers attached to her shoes.  We did it this afternoon in no time flat (ha-ha) - super easy.

Materials:

Fun button

Green felt

Coordinating thread

Shoes that need a little fixin' up!

 1. Cut leaf shape out of green felt, pinch one end and sew together.

 2.  Secure leaf to outside corner of shoe.

 3. Sew flower button adjacent to leaf.

 4.  Now, strut, dance, prance and pose.

So much fun to be had with so little - She hasn't taken them off since.  The added benefit is that your eye goes right to the flowers and away from the black scuffed toes!