A Little Picnic That Turned Out to Be Photogenic

I do try to make sure that the things in my house are beautiful to my eye, but my thriftiness prevents me from just throwing out the ugly stuff and buying replacements.

Occasionally, all the pretty things come together and there is a lovely scene.

Genevieve and I had a little picnic in the yard when the boys were away.  Sometimes just transporting our meal outside is magical and not too much bother.  This was one of those times - and! it was pretty!

She explained that the plates were so small that she put out two for each of us.  And likewise with the cups - she set an extra cup of water to side as a water pitcher (or she may have been thinking of our typical dinner practice of parents refilling childrens' cups from their own rather than expending the energy to go out to the fridge and get the water pitcher - ha).

Cottage potatoes and pepper cabbage. 

And then we walked downtown for ice cream and she bought a neon jump rope as well.  And that purchase could have its own post wherein we discuss children and money and impressing on them that cash money is not going to appear in greeting cards forever.

Peeks into an Old House with Its Old Life

My in-laws bought an investment property, a house that came along at the right time and they are up for the renovation. This is not new turf to them and they're good at this.  This time, my husband is also involved as the design professional.

The other day, I finally paid attention and asked to see the house.  I'm not sure what my father-in-law and husband thought went I went ga-ga over the sinks - I don't think I want to know.  But I came back the today with my camera because something caught my heart when I looked at that old house.

I wanted to make a nest in it with all the dear little cubbies and nooks and closets.  I wanted to have an aqua tiled bathroom.

Also, if I had paid more attention to what my father-in-law and husband were saying instead of stroking marble sinks, I could tell you which exact details and items are staying.  Most of them are, I think. I only took photos of the parts I loved, so you're not seeing the 1980s kitchen with the rooster wallpaper border, the odd purple front door, or the carpeted "den."  Pretty ugly, really.

All I was concerned about today with my camera were the images, the light, the pathos.

 

 

 

 

I was on my way to a banquet when I squeezed in this photo session. I didn't want you to think I wear that much jewelry around the house.

 

the mother's dressing room

a pencil sharpener in the dressing room?

lavender glass doorknob

Vintage Ice Cream Tee Shirts (and the Harlem Shake)

No hand-me-down tee shirts for Genevieve
+
2 packages of vintage ice cream iron-ons from the creative reuse store ($2)
+
2 tee shirts on sale from A. C. Moore ($5)
_______
2 awesome summer tees for G! ($7)

And then she introduced me to the Harlem Shake.  Wow.  I am tasting what it might be like to have a teenager in the house, educating me on pop culture.  Apparently her gym class uses the Harlem Shake to warm up sometimes and then they also used it in a pep rally.  Okaaaaaaay.  Color me impressed and laughing very hard.

The snow boots, people.  The snow boots are killing me.

And aren't those iron-ons so cool?  Genevieve thinks the coolest part is that they're scratch and sniff!  I  think the coolest part is that it took me about 15 minutes, including the pass through A.C. Moore, to get these shirts finished. 

Dandelion Greens on Pizza

Yes, really.

I've been picking the backyard dandelion greens (remember:  before it flowers!) and using them to fill out spring meals here and there.

The pizza blueprint:

whole wheat crust
pizza sauce
chopped up dandelion greens (not cooked first - please, I have other things to do!)
grated mozzarella
pepperoni

It was delicious. 

To be clear, I am picking dandelion mostly out of laziness and defiance.  Two blocks away is my beautiful farmer's market with my favorite farmers who grow organic lettuce all winter in their greenhouse and sell it for $1.50 a head.  I am not making this up.  Anytime you want to come visit me, email me and I will introduce you.

So the real problem I have is that I don't have a very strong motivation for figuring out how to grow greens in my backyard.

The other problem is Uncle Brandon.

 

 

He's actually crazier than he looks.

Five

Ben was counting the days and now he is five. 

He had clear ideas for his celebration:

1.  No chores.
2.  Presents.
3.  Sushi, shrimp kebabs, pesto and pasta, Oreo dessert, and popcorn.  I also made him beans and weenies (baked beans with hot dogs) for lunch, and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast because it was fun to see his face light up.

Using M&Ms to make a car shape on his "cake"

punch balloons from Grandpa and Grandma

Last month when I made a purse for Genevieve, Ben requested one, too. I made vague noises and I think he forgot about it.

Isn't it so fun to plan a delightful surprise, keeping the secret and savoring the moment of reveal?

I took a pair of his Sunday corduroys that had worn through at the knees and used them as a basis for a bag.  We did tell Ben that most men carry bags, not purses.  He politely ignored us.

I bought an expensive half-yard of Richard Scarry fabric and used that to line the bag, create the zipper top, and line the strap.  I used a zipper top to keep Ben's precious things secure when he inevitably flings the bag around (why must children fling things?).  I did collect some bag ideas on my Pinterest board and study their methods, but in the end, I just made it up as I went along. 

I'm pleased with the bag itself and so is he, but it looks funny on Ben because it's so big.  I made the bag entirely after he went to bed and I never thought how big it might look with the little boy.  Because he is five now and that's so very big.  And small.  Oh, I have such mixed feelings about my children growing up!

 

And today, Ben and his daddy are on a special birthday trip.  They left very early to catch a train and the day promises to be full of delight.

Putting Daisies on the Sunflower Tablecloth

I've had this tablecloth for years, bought because we have a gold dining room and it was big enough to cover our table with 2 boards in it.  But I was never fond of the sunflowers.  Too. . . obvious. . . too standard.  Or something.

But I wondered if I could applique something on top to help the print.  I dug through my stash and ended up with these big daisies in a similar colorway.  I simply ran a line of machine stitching close to the edge of each cutout.  It's understated meddling, and I like the whimsical results.

Restocking Flannel

My standard baby gift for new babies is a set of burpcloths that I sew.  I really enjoy thinking of the family, the baby, and putting together soft colors I think they might like.

Recently when I sewed up two burpcloths for a new little boy, I thought my stash of boyish flannel was rather sparse.  I'm on the JoAnn Fabric's mailing list, so I get 40%-off-one-regularly-priced-item coupons every few weeks.  I was intending to use my coupon to get just one yard of flannel, but lo, the flannel was all on sale for 50% off!  I had scooted into JoAnn's 15 minutes before closing time, so it was a fun task to pick a few flannels without time for over-analysis.

I didn't need girly flannels, but those rainbows were too sweet to resist.  I rarely buy new fabric just because I love it.  This was fun.