quickies

these are some quick projects i managed to accomplish when i got some uninterrupted making time yesterday afternoon. the fabric box on the right is from weekend sewing and was very straight forward to make - but i used what i had and that didn't include heavy interfacing... next time. on the left is a cover for a small jam jar. we never seem to have small vases for our wildflowers and i thought this might 'pretty up' a simple jar to use as a pencil holder or a vase. easy and quick.

my mom was kind enough to give me our family teak dining table and chairs circa 1971. she thinks i'm storing it for her but possession is 9/10ths of the law, right? the original tweedy red chair upholstery is in poor condition and until my kids stop being so messy i am not recovering the chairs. the plan is to make removable quilted seat pads that can be washed as needed. with an hour left before picking up the little guy from daycare i pieced together the top for my daughter's chair. the photo doesn't show the colours very well...

back to the books

i have been devouring books all summer long. while almost all have been educational, not one was about parenting. the latest two books are family oriented in the best ways. i really enjoyed amanda's first book, the creative family and was eagerly awaiting handmade home. great projects - the girl has been busy letting me know what i should make and with what fabrics.

the river cottage family cookbook has been great. it certainly encourages families to cook together and to eat local produce and meat. we're looking forward to trying to make some yogurt and cream cheese. my husband thinks the sausage making is worth a go too. we are planning to eat more meatless meals this year so i needed to find a little more inspiration and there is no lack in this cookbook.

vacation or holiday ?

what is the difference between a holiday and a vacation? and does it really matter? we just got back from four days at harrison hot springs and three days at whistler. very, very restful. i am so well rested that one might call it lazy. like too lazy to upload these photos in the order they should be...

we stayed in that charming little bungalow, aptly named the, wait for it...bungalow motel. there are about 10 bungalows of various sizes and i think they date from the 30's or 40's. some of them have original hardwood floors and are incredibly charming. others have some original features mixed in with renovations more recently (the 80's) made. the owner or manager was very kind and helpful and the cabins were very clean. there is a pool and a bbq and the complex is mere steps away from the public beach in the second photo. we had some serious sun and some serious rain. lots of napping and reading and visiting with my in-laws.

whistler was also great. we ate, walked, and watched a lot of tv. i took the boys up to the village to get groceries on saturday and could not have picked a worse day. the big crankworx competition was on and there were some serious parking issues. too many big vehicles and not enough spots. i have no idea what is planned for the olympics but you couldn't pay me to try and negotiate crowds - in the cold, no less. but it was lovely there and i can see why it will be a wonderful place for the olympics. we went to a couple of little lakes and just relaxed.

and tried not to think that there are only two more weeks of summer vacation or summer holiday, regardless of what you call it.

harvest helper

we have been enjoying beans, peas, and even this gnarled tomato. the other night we had a roasted baby beet salad. new crops of onions, carrots, parsnips, spinach, and lettuce have been planted and are doing well. the herbs are all growing and being enjoyed. little man helped sort everything and when i turned my back for a second, he dumped the shucked peas on the grass. at least he helped pick them up - a real exercise in manual dexterity.

it is disgustingly hot - a record temperature of 33.8 celsius for Vancouver yesterday but i swear that was the temp in our house and the yard must have been 36. i took the kids to the nearest shopping mall to make use of the free air conditioning. little man is not coping well with the heat. i know this because he refused an ice cream cone. seriously, what two year old would pass on ice cream? today he has been lying in front of the fan dressed only in a diaper.

i am in the throes of summer house purge '09. we pulled everything out of the manshed/garage and put everything we couldn't donate in the alley with a big 'free' sign. the husband grumbled about how much we could have made by doing a garage sale but he still managed to buy himself a case of beer with all the empties he returned. took a few nice suits/shoes/bags to dress for success. a ton of kids stuff and toiletries went to crabtree corner. there are outgrown clothes put aside for smaller friends. i am getting it together, heat permitting.

ahoy maties and mermaids

just prior to the arrival of 18 kids we took a little lunch break. attractive, no? it's the only picture i have (argh!) of 'mermaid village'. one must look beyond the exhausted mother to the castle, pirate ship, and mermaid cave. i spent a few days with my box cutter, some very large and sturdy bbq boxes, and a lot of latex paint. the kids loved it. i may have handled the decorations but the kid wrangling/entertainment credit goes to the husband. he even went so far as to grow a pirate mustache.

that's my happy mermaid in the pink skull shirt sporting her pirate bandana, seaweed skirt, and carrying her loot bag. for the treasure hunt the dads spread gold coins and marbles all over the hillside and the kids had to collect them in their loot bags. two lovely teenagers presided over the goodie table - sticker packs, rubber balls, hair clips, bracelets etc. - for the price of 5 marbles or doubloons. it seems to be promoting consumerism but i'm going with building math skills and sheer entertainment. we followed with cake and a pinata ... and a big nap.

making mermaids

the girl is having her fifth birthday this saturday and it has been non-stop making at our house. the theme this year is mermaids and pirates. she insisted on me making mermaid tails for all the girls but we reached a compromise with 'seaweed skirts'. a mobility issue - we couldn't have a bunch of mermaids falling face first while the pirates made off with all the treasure.

instructions for 14 seaweed skirts:

i got several yards of 42" wide tulle in 3 sea-like colours and cut it into 20 inch lengths. i then cut it into strips approximately 8 inches wide. i cut a piece of 1" wide ribbon to be 40" long and marked 10-12" on either side of the centre. then i folded the 8" side of each piece of tulle into fourths and starting at one mark on the ribbon, i attached alternating strips of the tulle to the ribbon with a wide zigzag stitch until i reached the second mark. i made sure to sew with the right side of the ribbon on the bottom and the tulle as the top layer - nothing like a tulle tangle in the throat plate. the girls can tie the skirts around their waists and 'swim' to their hearts content. not exactly my finest quality sewing but good enough for an afternoon of fantasy play.

then of course there are 10 stripey bandanas for the pirates and enough eye patches for all the guests. i can't take credit for the loot bag idea - that goes to lovelydesign. i simplified a bit by using a length of twill tape for a handle instead of a drawstring and printed off some clipart onto t-shirt transfer paper. my results are not nearly so lovely as Sharilyn's but this is some serious volume with 20+ kids. my fingers have blisters.

and i still have to make the cardboard castle, pirate ship, and mermaid cave....

grown-up girl time

sporadic blogging due to some not so fun medical testing. but tonight i will leave the messy house to see handmade nation with this creative handmaker. i wonder if the theatre serves beer... regardless, it will be great to visit with another grown up who is not a relative or a nurse/doctor/orderly.