Blue and green stuff! Surprised?

OK, I finally got a pic of the drapes to show you all, and it totally sucks, but alas, it's hard to get a natural light photo of drapes on brightly lit windows with a point and shoot camera...  These drapes are not pressed properly, nor were the pleats set properly, and it will bug me later.  When it does, I'll fix it, but for now... I'm glad to have them up and not have the curtain rods glaring at me accusingly!  I like the rods a lot, as they're pretty, and kind of formal, and just good.

But hark, what light through yonder breaks onto a pretty teal tableaux!

And look at the pretty hand sewn canvas container I made from a pattern in pretty little presents.  I got the lamp 50% off at Target, and one to match it on the other side of the room, too!

And, oooohhhhh, what's in that hand sewn canvas container?  It seems to be a hand knit sock!

Yeah, a hand knit sock in Madeline Tosh Sock, super yummy, in the Gentleman's Fancy Sock pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks.  I like this pattern for it's elastic fit and calf shaping, and also, it's good for a variegated sock yarn to minimize pooling.  I really love this pattern book.  I've knitted several (read three) patterns from this book, and have yarn set aside for a few more... I've actually thought about knitting all the patterns, and I'm so glad the library has this book so I don't have to buy it!  THIS sock is for the Hubster, who says that it fits perfectly.  However, I'm nervous that the ribbing will take too much yarn and I'll not have enough for two and if that happens it may be years before these socks get finished because it would just be demoralizing...

Must not borrow trouble, tomorrow will worry about itself.  Aren't the plants pretty?  Plants like the new house, probably because it has so much light.  I got those from my Cheri.  I've decided that's her title... "My Cheri"  She gives me plants and those plants always do beautifully.

Ohhhhhhh, I have sooooo been a busy bee!

Well!!!  Here I am again, your faithful, if sporadic, crafty friend!  I have lost my camera, today, so no pics from me.... but I have been making things... I have been very inspired by the Sew Mama Sew Blog, they are so good about coming up with lovely ideas for making handmade things for gifts for people you really, really love, and who really, really love you!  So far I've printed gift tags and stationary, little Christmas Houses, and sewn a meal planner to put on the fridge and a calling card case for some calling cards I printed out..... so sweet.

Sooooo, I've drafted a pattern for a skirt for my Prairie Princess, and I've made her a wool coat for Christmas.  I'm making a doll and clothes for the Barefoot Contessa from this Dover Book on Dollmaking at left.  It has patterns for the doll herself, underthings, petticoats, a cape, a suit, lots of dresses, skirts, nightgown, etc... really everything a lady could need, including a wedding gown!  There are several books from Dover I like for dollmaking.  There's one for making Godey Dolls that I find particularly fetching, it's more detailed than the dolls I have made, but I've got some experience now, so perhaps I'll take it on later! 

I'm making really good progress making socks.  I only have one more to start, one for Mini Me, but everyone else has a pair waiting for Christmas morning, Halelujah!  I've done most of the Christmas shopping for the children, but as for the rest of the family.... not so much.  This Sunday is the first of Advent and then is St. Nicholas Day, so it's more feasting for us, soon!  The plan is to make foods that have something good hidden within... cranberry jelly filled buns, omelets, a stuffed pork roast, etc... to remind us of St. Nicholas doing good works in secret.  Also, brandied mini tartlets and peanut brittle for dessert from my Everyday Food subscription.  I get tired of our standard fare and love to receive new inspiration often!

Speaking of food, I made and delivered Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls to the neighbors.  Some were surprised... like one neighbor I terrified (it seems she didn't hear the loud "Hello!" I called as her son ushered me in)!  One was belligerent (What do you want!?) till she finally figured out that I brought her a gift with no strings attached!  Another couple of neighbors invited us in for short visits, which was nice!  I think it was a hit!  I have some pretty ribbon candy already wrapped and set aside for Christmas gifts for all of them.  They're getting some Christmas cheer whether they like it or not!!! 

Don't tell my daughters, but I plan to make us all matching skirts to wear for Christmas the rest of the winter in a non typical pink... I got some really nice suiting for $3 a yard.  I think they'll be sweet. What else???  Well, after I find my camera I'll post pics and tell you all about the rest of my housewifely endeavors!  Happy St. Nicholas Day!!!

Sneak Peek - Front Room

I'm very excited about the move, now that we have a place to move to!  Packing is in earnest and the POD is being stuffed as full as it can get.  We're signing the lease this week and going to measure the rooms precisely, and I'll plan furniture layouts in the evenings after the chillens are in bed, resting from their long days of forced labor carrying boxes and washing walls!  So, I thought I'd do the last two sneak peeks this week... and here is the first, the Front Room...

We had thought to put the TV in the Family Room, or Great Room, or whatever we're gonna call it... but I've decided to put it in here, out of the way of daily activities.  This room will have a couch, love seat, armchair, and piano, as well as the tv and video equipment and surround sound speakers.  Teal and gold and bronze will be the color scheme for now,  because that's what I've got!  Again, those floors are just so amazing, and those window sills are just perfect for house plants... this room faces west, so it'll need some good drapes.  Also, a round coffee table seems appropriate.

My Throw

Here is my second Ravelympics project... I was going to do my Great Room in Orange and Turquoise, but now I'm thinking this throw would be a beautiful palette for the room.  The chartreuse and turquoise are cheerful enough for a schoolroom, but they're also cool and calm... hmmmm... the orange could be the Play Room color!  Decisions, decisions...

Also, some house news.  We still haven't got Bank of America's approval to close on the house, buuuut, we did get permission from the owner to move in and rent it until we close on the house... it's a bit of a risk, I know, but it's a more acceptable risk than having to let it go and settle for another house simply because we need to move.  So, starting March 20, we'll be moving into our new house!  Yay!  Finally!

I'm going to go celebrate by packing more stuff and ordering some chickens!!

Little Engineer's Afghan...

This is my Giant Slolem Afghan... he wanted an afghan for his 6th birthday, and this is it... and accomplished in the alotted time for the Ravelympics, not to mention the progress I've made on the Print o the Wave stole and my Giant Granny afghan!  I'm not getting much else done, however, and packing has come to a rather screeching halt.  Only one more day till the Olympics are over and then I'm planning on streamlining school so it's less dependent on me and then back to the packing in earnest.

Brown Cardigan

Here it is!!!  I really am proud of this!  Now I'm ready to start my Ravelympics2010 project tonight when the torch is lit... I know, it'll be late.  I took a nap!

I bought some new brown Mary Jane pumps to go with it!

Opening Ceremonies

I have successfully tied up some loose ends here at Contentment... I finished my brown cardigan in time for my trip to Texas next week... I even got some pics today, which I, of course, will share... We've started our luge track here at the house.  OK, it's a sled track, but we're calling it the luge track.  We've worn ourselves out packing snow.  I mean, we all came in and collapsed and I still think my rear end is a bit frozen.  Still, it's fun, and the sun is out and the day is beautiful and our road is finally not closed!  Of course it's supposed to snow again Monday.  We better get it finished and start sliding!

Also, did you know that 11 women in Olympia, Greece who represent 11 vestal virgins light the torch with a parabolic mirror before the Olympics?  Cool, huh?  Can one make a parabolic mirror at home?

Well, instead of that, we lighted our own Olympic Torch with the sun... we tried and tried to light it directly, but had to resort to lighting a match with the sun and a magnifying glass!!!  Then we lit the candle.    It counts! ..... It Does!

Jumping the Gun?

Hmmmmmm.... someone's not staying emotionally distant.....

Olympics Fever!!!

It's been snow, snow, and more snow around here!  It snowed so much it filled up the cattle guard and the cows thought they'd traipse right out of their field this morning to look for forage.  My neighbor's son called and gave us a heads up, so I thought I'd just roll out of bed, wash my face, get dressed, and see what's up out there... Or what's out up there... hard to say when I've just woken up.  Aaaaaanyway, I'm not packing... I'm procrastinating because I'm trying not to think about moving when the stupid Bank of America won't hurry up and tell us if we can have that house or not!  (Ranting... anger problems, apparently).

Instead of packing, I'm planning a unit study for the Winter 2010 Olympics.  It's fun!  I've found that my kids are rather weak in Geography and so the Olympics are a wonderful opportunity to get those world maps out and start learning about countries and where they are while we watch the competition!  Also, my oldest is studying Ancient Greece right now and so we're working in the Ancient Olympics, too.  Also, Canada, snow, and, if I can manage it, engineering a snow apparatus outside, while there's still snow to push around.  I think the Little Engineer will enjoy that.

We've really been inspired by the Olympic Motto and Creed.  I guess I'll just go ahead and post them ;)

Motto:  Citius, Altius, Fortius (Swifter, Higher, Stronger)

Creed:  The most significant thing in the Olympic games is not to win, but to take part.  Just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle.  The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

Soooo, we've been setting ourselves some goals for this Olympic period, which is, as of now, 20 days.  I'm going to work on my abs... by working them out 4 times a week on our pull up bar.  Also, I'm going to try harder to work out, yoga or pilates, 4-5 days a week.  Aaaaand, I'm rereading Raising Godly Tomatoes

Finally, on my pursuit to challenge myself for this 20 days, I've decided to compete in the Ravelympics 2010, which is a competition on Ravelry, one of my favorite ever sites, where one can get almost anything a fiber freak like me needs for inspiration.

I am competing on the ClubFoot Ravelympics team in the Giant Slalom-ghan event... which means I'm going to try to crochet an afghan in 20 days... 20 days.  The rules say you can't start your project except for swatching before the Olympic flame is lit in Vancouver, and you have to finish your project before the flame is extinguished, 16 days later.  It's sort of a fun way to compete and make projects and enjoy the Olympics all at the same time!  Jeremy drove me to AC Moore yesterday to get more yarn for my brown sweater which is wet blocking right now in preparation for seaming and knitting neck ribbing and button bands.

While we were there, I spotted a sale on cheap o acrylic for an even cheaper price of 2 for $5... I thought about that and overcame my acrylic aversions when I realized the whole afghan would cost less than $30 to make and my kids will ensure that it needs to be washed repeatedly anyway, so acrylic would be a good idea.  So here's a sneak peek of the colors:

I'll be posting updates!!!  The Olympics starts in 3 days!  Are you getting swifter, higher, and stronger?

Christmas Skirt

I did some major sewing before the holidays and just haven't had time to photograph all of the garments. Here is another skirt I made for me from fine wale corduroy... I made another one, too exactly the same except for the fabric, perhaps I'll have Hubs take a picture the next time I wear it! I wish I could photograph myself, somehow!

In sewing fitted garments, I've taken to cutting and basting the lining before I cut the main fabric to sort of make a muslin to see if the garment fits... I've noticed that most of the things I made according to my measurements are much too big... or perhaps I like things with less ease than they designed them for.... who knows, but anyway, this helps me get the fit I like without wasting fabric or taking too much time. For those of you who sew... if I tend to fit a smaller size in one pattern manufacturer, will I wear that size for all manufacturers? I don't think you can see it in the pic, but there is a little touch of turquoise in the leaves that makes me happy when I look at my skirt! Look, that's the Little Engineer's phonics book, too.

Isn't it funny how when we make clothes for ourselves, the details really make so much difference! I love to put in a pretty, contrasting lining to just give me a little lift of color that brightens my day! On the grey wool skirt I made, I put in a sky blue lining and it makes me soooo happy!

Knitting Post, so if you're not a fiber or color addict, you may want to catch the next post!

Well, knitting is continuing, though I've packed up the sewing equipment, and even most of the yarn... though I did keep out some projects to keep me busy between packing, cooking, laundry, and school. I have been garden planning, too, but I really can't do much till we're in the new house, except do a little mail ordering. Party month is coming... February is coming and there will be gifts to order and wrap and days of fun to declare. My head is full of thankfulness for God's Grace and provision and blessings, none of which I deserve, and all of which seem completely unearned, or even the opposite of what I should have. Also swimming around in my head is decorating ideas for our new home. That's my favorite part of moving: the anticipation of nesting. I keep having to remind myself that we need to just get the basics unpacked and then get the garden planted and a fence built to house Fang the beef steer more permanently than our back yard fence.

So, as this is a knitting post, on to the works in progress:

Another cushion cover, in a honeycomb pattern, with colorwork. Leftover Knit Picks Shine Sport from my babydoll tunic. This will be a rather large throw cushion, to coordinate with the Williamsburg cushion and the green cushion already made.

Beautiful, beautiful variegated Socks that Rock in the Crabby Mc Happypants colorway... a pair of lace stockings, or at least knee socks! Usually, I do not like lace in variegated yarn... but, I want a pair of lace socks, long ones, so.... there you go!

A stole... Eunny Jang's Print o' the Wave, practically free Knit Picks kettle dyed Shadow in Pacific colorway (a shade of turquoise green or blue that I'm quite fond of). I'm rather excited about this project, as it's my first real lace weight pattern to work, and it's working up very quickly. It's a simple, short pattern repeat, with all purl rows on the wrong side, so it's a good first lace shawl pattern, I think.... not to mention a good gift idea, for someone who might love beautiful, delicate handwork.

And finally, a cardigan to go with one of my winter skirts. I have a very pretty tan wool skirt, bias cut, A-line... with orange and chocolate and cream, and I've been looking for years for a suitable cardigan for it... I'm attempting to make one, finally. Mother Daughter Knits Grey Cardigan is the pattern. Lion Brand Fisherman's wool in brown... smells very nicely of lanolin.

Sneak Peek - Dining Room

Oh, be still my heart, I love this room soooo much... I do believe this is the first house we saw that I didn't automatically think... "we'll have to change the light fixtures!" I really like these... can you see the chandelier swathed in netting for summer? This room is big enough for our table, a good thing, and wide enough for the buffet and I love it.

New Year, New Skirt

I've caved... I used to think I hated grey on me... that it didn't match my colors... but I've found that I've changed my mind. I love grey now. I love it as a contrast to my colors, and it really does set a good red orange off perfectly... anyway... I found a beautiful warm medium weight wool at JoAnne's and bought it with a coupon to make Butterick 5249, et voila!

It was, by far, the most complicated skirt pattern I've ever attempted. I'm a little nervous about making fitted, zip-up skirts because of my apple body shape issues, but this turned out fine, I think! See how nice it looks with my orange purse! Hmmm... not exactly a fashion model, but...

Snow Play

Wow! Being in VA was a little like being in North Dakota there for a little while! Doesn't this look like fun snow? Daddy took these pictures outside while playing with the boys. The girls mostly used the snow day as an excuse to bake and make cocoa!

Merry Christmas, Y'all

Um, I'm a Texan by marriage, in case you wondered about the "y'all"! It's the day after Christmas and I didn't go shopping. No, I stayed home and made Christmas dinner! Yeah, I should have made it last night, but about noon yesterday I started dinner, or asked my hubby to make the marinade and put the beef roast in it, and he did... then at 2pm I pulled out my new copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (it was a Christmas gift from my hubby!) and the recipe for Braised Beef was never gonna be done before 10pm, so we made omelets instead, per Julia's instructions... which I mastered by the way... I can make a really good omelet now in about one minute, literally! Thank you, Julia! OK, anyway, I started again today, with a beef roast that was fork tender before I even started braising it thanks to the 24 hour marinade in 5 cups of burgundy and so so many other good things! We had the braised beef, turnips, and Brussels sprouts, and it was all divine! Divine, I tell you!!! I can't even describe the wonderfulness of it, but wow, prep time was killer! I'm trying to decide if all the prep time is worth it or not! So, I'm not really a foodie, OK?! I know someone who is, though, and I'm trying to get her to blog here with me... it would be nice to have more posts, no?

Knitting continues; what a blessing it is to me! It has become this exercise in productive rest for me: active meditation, physical prayer, and mental Sabbath... My life's stresses are mostly emotional and mental, and the meditative nature of knitting is a good palliative for a weary mind and heart... like prayer or sleep. When my life is physically rigorous, the knitting falls to the wayside.

I wonder if I'll stop knitting if I start working out?! See, Joy, I can't work out, my fiber pursuits might suffer! Maybe I'll just give up the French food instead! So, I don't want to work out! I'm not an active person by nature. Read: Lazy... Projects on the needles right now (too many!): jaquard vest, lace stole, orange cushion cover, sweater for Jeremy, socks for Jeremy... That's it, I think!

In the sewing arena: One grey wool skirt... cut but not begun, need thread. After it's finished, the sewing machine and paraphanalia are going into storage till we're moved into the new house and new window coverings are required!

Upcoming in my life: packing, packing, and more packing... No word yet on the house, but since we don't want to close on it till March, it's OK... It's an exercise in faith... if we get it, Hallelujah, if we don't, well, Hallelujah, too! I'm waaaaay too blessed to complain! We are all hoping for that house. My children are already debating about bedrooms, my husband is envisioning a garage woodworking shop and fencing, and I'm thinking about window coverings and space; glorious, wonderful space.

Christmas Knitting

I've been knitting my fingers to little nubs this month... in late October, everyone asked for mittens for Christmas, hand knit mittens. Actually, my husband requested his in November. No pressure. Anyway, I have managed to knit all but one pair of mittens and a pretty hat for my youngest girl. And most of a sweater for the Dauphin. I don't really mind! You know I love it!

Bird in Hand stranded mittens in KnitPicks Palette and some leftover XXL Trekking, size 2 DPNs
Chevalier Mitts, Patons Classic Wool, Size 6 DPN's

Classic Mittens, Stash superwash Leftovers, size 5 DPN's, above, and Cascade Superwash in Scarlet and Size 5 DPN's below:

Elephant Tam, child Size by Kathleen Taylor, size 5 circular, stash leftovers, turned out beautifully.

Easter Eggs for Breakfast

Look! Aren't these the most beautiful, fascinating, and delicious eggs you've ever beheld? OK, I know, they're just eggs, and those of you with chickens are perhaps underwhelmed, but to me, they're beautiful. Now, all of our nine laying hens are officially laying! The blue/green eggs belong to the Americaunas, this I know, and I think the pinky buff ones are from the Buff Orphingtons (all of which I call Maryanne), but the darker, speckled ones? They're from our ginger colored hens with the white collars. I call them all Ginger, but I don't know what kind of chickens they are. Our rooster is, as of yet, unidentified, too, but we call him Professor. There's one more cockrell in the flock. Technically I should not name him, as he's for dinner, but in my imagination, I call him Gilligan. The Americaunas are named Daisy, Lily, and Marigold, in case you were wondering. I love the beauty of their eggs, but they're timid and not as willing to be petted as the Gingers. I'm so glad we have chickens, and I love to watch them do their work of pest removal, mulching, and fertilization. Those seven to nine eggs a day are just enough to keep us in eggs without going to the market, so I expect to have to add some in the future (though perhaps it'll be geese instead, or even ducks?), but for now, they're perfect! Do any of you know of chickens that lay tinted eggs that are also speckled? Or even white eggs that are speckled?

Birthday Presents

Here at Contentment, February means three kid birthdays. We are kind of anti-birthday party around here. We have a big day, of course! We give the birthday child the choice of every meal that we eat, cake choice, we take the day off of school and give the birthday kid the choice of what we do all day, and of course, we give a few gifts. But we kind of nixed the Birthday Party circuit a few years ago. This year, we went a step further, and kind of nixed the giving of more stuff. We have waaaaay too much stuff already and I'm sure the extended family will give us a few more wonderful and unique gifts for each child, so I decided to do something a bit more... entreprenureal. Now, all my kids are interested in gardening. They all get their own little patch, a la Little Men, and we buy the produce the kids harvest from them. This year, my oldest daughter decided she didn't want to grow veggies, because she doesn't want to eat them... she's not a fan. But she loves herbs, so she requested the permission to grow lavender and sage and thyme and then we decided she'd grow medicinal herbs and start researching old remedies for aches and pains. It's still a contribution to the family that is worth paying her for, and hopefully she'll enjoy the educational aspect of the project. I just had the kids go through the catalogs and circle and initial stuff they thought they'd like to have.... my middle daughter took the White Flower Farm catalog, looked through it, told me she couldn't possibly choose, as she wanted everything, put the glossy pages on the table and drew a metaphorical circle around the whole catalog with her finger... she's so cute!

Soooo, for my middle son, we purchased a round strawberry bed with 50 strawberry plants and plastic cover and netting to protect them from the chickens... for my oldest boy, two dwarf fruit trees, for my middle daughter, a couple of rose bushes, potato and onion sets, and we ordered for my oldest daughter a set of medicinal herb seeds and book on using them, plus 10 lavender plants. I couldn't resist ordering something for me, too... I ordered a David Austen rose (Carding Mill) and a blue hydrangea (Endless Summer). It's sort of a birthday/Mother's Day gift for myself! It's perhaps a bit untraditional to buy your children plants for their birthday gifts, but I think they'll enjoy them a lot. Now, on to negotiating produce prices!

A Winter's Walk

Well, I'm finding that this farm is just as wonderfully beautiful in winter as in summer and fall. I'm smitten with this place. It so often reminds me of the farm I lived on in Upstate New York when a girl. I hope my children experience that kinship with nature as I did growing up. I always felt as if I could almost feel things growing, like I could sit on a big, old rock and almost hear it telling me the story of the land, of glaciers and floods, of plows and boys in overalls planting trees, of seedlings and flax crops. I think I've lost some of my imagination, but I can see it alive in my children. They roam the farm and name all the little places they like. There is a group of rocks arranged in a large circle that they call "The Cathedral", a little bit of clear ground overhung by an arch of branches from trees that just happened to grow in two rows that they call "Trinity Church." Grand Grove, the Treehouse, and Muddy Bottom are all places that my children have named and inhabited as their own. They don't have the waterfall and mill and apple orchard and ancient graveyard of my youth, but they have magical places of their own, and sometimes they let me in.

Yesterday we took a hike since deer season is over. We sort of were looking for nuts, as we've been studying the wild foods that Native Americans ate before Europeans came here, but of course the squirrels have hidden them all away in their larders. Instead we found a turtle shell right next to a hole in the ground. A freshly dug, neat little hole into some animals winter home. Maybe a fox or badger? We've been reading Wind in the Willows so the children imagined all sorts of wonderful little furniture and comforts in there, but realized that the turtle probably met an unfortunate end in it's dealings with the inhabitant.