When is your birthday?

My hubby has his birthday on probably one of the worst/best days.  Halloween.  It's trouble for obvious reasons, we spend most of the day gearing up for good ol' trick or treating so "dad's" celebration gets pushed to the background.  Poor fellow.  On the other hand, once you get out on the streets, everyone is dressed up and celebrating so there is this great party atmosphere.  Too bad they weren't all celebrating him!  We never let that stop us though.  On top of all the preparation, we still try to have a nice dinner and a little cake for him.  The latter part, having cake, always feels a bit weird to me when I know we are about to enter the world of endless sweet treats, but it's his birthday after all. 

I have a few things on the go this week in planning for the weekend.  One of which is almost done.  I took some wool to work with me for the s-l-o-w times and knit up the half-pipe hat for the hubby's birthday.  He doesn't complain about much but one of his life beefs is that hats are never big enough for his head.  Uh huh, he does have a big head, I know first hand because I birthed his children ;)  Given that he always has trouble finding a good sized hat, I altered the pattern by adding an additional 20 cast on stitches. The hat is large, very large but I think he might like it that way.  He takes public transport to work and when winter hits, it's cold here, very cold.  He has to be bundled very warm during the commute and that means gloves, scarf and hat.  By the time he get's to work he says tight fitting hats give him terrible hat hair.  Yuck!  I already feel his pain, I hate having bad hair days.  Hopefully giving him a little extra room will help out with these issues.  I still have to finish securing the rim, tying in lose ends and then washing/blocking the hat.  Does anyone have any ideas on how to block a hat?  balloon? 



The other thing on the go is the kid's halloween costumes.  I have 3 to make, the B-meister is recycling a costume he wore a few years ago, bless his heart.  As for the rest I have requests for a rabbit, flower and jubjub costume.  More on those later, especially the last one.  That's it for today, Happy Monday to you all and happy creating! xxx

the roles we play

So my peeps time to update you on what's been going on.  I've been a full time working girl for the past two weeks while my big sister (my boss) was away holidaying. Let me first tell you that I forgot how hard it is to get anything done when you are gone from the home all day.  Sadly blogging and crafting went by the way side.  My hat goes off to those of you who can juggle it all. 

As for my schedule, most days started early with me out of the house by 7:30 am.  That meant a 6:30 am wake up time, for those of you who are more familiar with me, you'll recognize that hour hasn't been on the schedule in a very long time.  But I actually surprised myself and didn't mind the early hour so much, made me even think that I could handle it on a more permanent basis.  Don't quote me though.

For the most part everything went fine at home, the kids were a bit needy by the end of the whole experience, or maybe that was me deflecting ;)  Thankfully my mum stayed close to keep them fed, watered and made sure they were working on their assignments. 

And what did I learn during the past two weeks?  There are drawbacks on either side of the stay-at-home/work full time option.  Being a stay at home (-schooling) mumma truthfully makes me crazy at times, then there are those nagging insecurities and doubts in my head about what I am accomplishing long term.  I often fool myself into thinking I would be ultimately fulfilled in a stylish pinstripe suit with an assistant and a name on my door.  Hmm, sounds lovely in my minds eye doesn't it?

But when I think about the things I'd have to give up I quickly realized that today, right now, is not that time for me.  I would miss the kids too much, the interaction with them during the day, being a part of their lives in the way that homeschooling allows. I would also miss sneaking in a little creative time each day without being consumed with how the next day is going to fly in my absence. 

The choices I've made my life might be a little odd and non-conventional but I like it that way.  It's a life of slow paces and (mostly) happy faces with noisy kids all about.  It's not always rosy, it certainly isn't perfect - I'm their mumma after all - but it is an expression of what's inside my heart and mind.  And while I still get confused about my direction, I am certain that a life filled with love can never be far off the mark...and that mark for me is home. 

PS, the photos above are from the Basilica in our city that burnt down in 1968.  It was later rebuilt but some features of the original basilica were left as is.  I have some additional photos to show that I'll leave for a later post.  It's good to be back in this space, I've missed it.  xxx

just in time

We finished all that work I mentioned a couple of posts back and apparently just in time.  Phew. 

Can you guess who this is? 

If you said me then I am going to run to a hair stylist this afternoon and have some issues taken care of.  No it isn't me, it's my dog Spencer.  He just had to investigate with me. He's a snow loving dog that's for sure.  In the winter when his hair is long, little snow balls attach themselves to his belly region like burrs.  Nothing like the fresh smell of wet dog the outdoors during winter. 

PS.  I just wanted to welcome all the newcomers from the Quilt Festival to this little space.  I know things aren't 'sew-crafty' right now.  I'll explain a little more next week about where I've been and my lack of craft.  For now make yourselves at home in my archives and categories.  And if you get a chance, please do leave a comment, your input is very meaningful and a highlight in my day and I love knowing where everyone is coming from.

quilt festival time

Yay! It's that time again. My entry for the festival is going to be a quilt I made and finished up in June. I love this quilt for a number of reasons; it's simplicity, the way the white fabric (also vintage) breaks up the diamonds, the patterned fabric has loads of orange which is fast becoming a favorite color of mine, but mostly I love this quilt because it is made of re-purposed vintage sheets which not only makes me happy, but also the earth.



On their own the sheets probably wouldn't have made it to anyone's bed as a fabric of choice now that the 70's have long past, but incorporating the bright sheets in bits and spurts gives new life to something that would have otherwise made it's way to a landfill site. Given the age of the fabric, it is surprisingly sturdy and oh so very soft.



Right now I have the quilt on my sofa table as a decorative table cloth. It cheers up my day when I see it and gives me hope on those days when I feel like I am never going to finish a quilt(s), like the three sitting on my table right now, ahem.



The quilt pattern is the brain child of Rosebud's Cottage and was orginally published in the Quilts and More Magazine dated Spring 2009. If I could name this quilt it would be called "happy" because that's just how it makes me feel.