Summer Sky: Learning as I go

Let it snow!

 

Just a couple of days ago, I was looking over a book of kids' nature activities with a friend.  One of them really stuck in my mind.  The idea was to take a square of black velvet, stick it in the freezer, and then the next time it snowed, use it to catch individual snowflakes. 

Same snowflake as above, this time as seen with the naked eye. If you plan on trying this, get some of the lint off your velvet first!

 

I think that's exactly what Snowflake Bentley did to take his amazing photographs of snow crystals. I am no Snowflake Bentley, but our family was enthralled with the huge flakes we looked at up close today.

We live in Northern Virginia, which can see snow this early, although just as often, it can hold off until January.  So we were pretty excited when it started snowing heavily earlier today.

 This was taken last February, but this is pretty much what it looked like today.

 

I found the only bit of black velvet in the whole house--a small velvet bag that holds a reading magnifier. I put it on a bed of ice, and we had ourselves a snowflake catcher.

We had the best time with this activity.

E getting a closer look.

 

I found this short guide to snowflakes that helps you classify them. Based on the guide, I think that the two snowflakes I photographed were both stellar plates. You'd need a microscope to be able to see the tiny detailed differences. The clumped snowflakes that we also saw today--by far the most common--were likely rimmed crystals, or graupels.

 

Snowflake as seen through the magnifying glass.

 

Same photo, enlarged.
 
 

Since having children, I've kept some mighty strange things in my freezer. Add a bit of black velvet to the list!   

Thankful

For walks in the woods,

for gathering,

 
 

anticipating,

for beauty stitched by loving hands,

the creativity of little ones,

for delicious, nourishing food,

and sweet seasonal treats.

 


For deep, enduring love.

 

Back to normal.

I mentioned that D was gone on a long trip.  He doesn't travel as often as he used to.   But two weeks: it's just too long. It's long enough that we've established a different rhythm without him. Not a better rhythm of course; a coping one.

The kids were delirious with joy to see him again. On Sunday (after it finally stopped raining), he raked the leaves in the fading light of the afternoon.  The kids helped out.  There wasn't a lot of jumping in the pile because he really needed to just get it done while he could.

They would rake a bunch of leaves on a tarp, and then the kids would jump in, holding their corners, and go for a ride down the hill.

 

 

I'm so glad he is back.

What we've been up to.

Before I forget, I want to make sure you know about The Crafty Crow's kid ornament swap.  Sign-ups close tomorrow night.  Ornaments go out December 7 to the families you're matched with.  We aren't doing the ornament swap this year because we're already committed to Seasons Round Exchange {Light}, and I'm trying to consciously cut back on how much we have going on.  But the ornament swap sure sounds like fun!

We had a glorious weekend.  For the past two weeks, D has been gone on a very long business trip, and he finally came home.  We are so happy to have him back.

   

The second week he was gone was rather wet and dreary.  E and I played card games, N and I built train tracks.  One day, I pulled out the wool roving and we made felted acorns.  I had spotted them here back in September--and when we went out for walks, we'd pocket acorn caps with this fun activity in mind.

If you're not familiar with making felted balls from wool (which you can use to make everything from robins' eggs to cat toys),  it's pretty straight-forward. Take small bits of roving, wet them in hot soapy water, then roll the balls by hand. (E is much better at this than I am!)

Speaking of cat toys, our kittens cannot leave these acorns alone. I wanted to display them on our nature table, but instead I have to hide them!  So I have a feeling I already know what Whiskers and Sally will be getting in their Christmas stockings.

Where to start.

My house is a mess.

No, really. 

If you're a mama with kids at home, your eyes are rolling back in your head right now. But stick with me.

It's not the dirty dishes, piles of laundry (whether clean and needing to be put away, or dirty and needing a wash). It's not the scattered toys (and things that aren't toys, like wooden spoons turned into oars, or summer bathing suits, pulled out of the closet for playtime).

It's much more fundamental than that.  Things come into this house, several times a week, but very few things are leaving.

Up until recently, I didn't fully realize that I had a problem. In fact, I always thought of myself as quite the opposite.

You see, my family moved houses 7 times before I left home at 18. Not that much, when you consider some families move nearly every year.

Still, moving--over very long distances, each time--meant that I carefully culled my possessions. Each time we moved, I sat down with every single thing that was truly mine and decided whether or not it was worth wrapping and keeping, or whether it was easier to leave it behind.

We've lived in this house for more than ten years. We have no plans to leave. So that is part of it--no one is making me sit down with two boxes and telling me that everything that doesn't fit in them isn't coming along.

There are other parts to this story, of course. Two small kids who leave clothes, snacks, toys, and art projects like a trail of breadcrumbs.  (Yes, we're working on that.)  Besides this, all kinds and shades of personal circumstances beyond my control that I won't drone on about, any one of which could easily explain a terribly messy house.

At some point, you have to say, enough is enough.  And that is where I'm at.

What was inside.

 
 

Well, today has been a real humdinger so far. The dishwasher is backed up inside--must be a clog--and there's a slow dripping leak under the kitchen sink. I don't know if they're related, but washing dishes has come to a grinding halt.  (Funny, I'm not that upset.)

Then, I just discovered the hard way that I put an entire catalog in the wash. How could this happen, you ask. Well, I was hiding said catalog from my kids (there was some cute sewing inspiration in those pages) and so I had stuck it under the top layer of dirty clothes in the basket. It never occurred to me that I could possibly miss it as I quickly threw the clothes into the machine.  All I can say is, wow. Shredded kleenex has NOTHING on an 80-page glossy paper catalog.  (I put the drier on fluff and it's doing a pretty good job of getting out the shredded remains.)

In happier news, Kristy received her Vintage Swap package from me, so as promised, here's what she found inside. I really wish I had been able to find some lovely vintage fabrics for her, but that wasn't in the cards.  She loves to sew and I hope these items brightened her day.

If you saw my sneak peek post, you probably had a pretty good idea already of what I sent. But just for the record:

Sneak peek...

 

 
of a vintage wooden pattern tracing wheel.

 

Sneak peek... 

 

 
  of vintage spools of thread...

 

...sent in this little sewing basket.

Sneak peek...

 

 
  of a vintage, hand-sewn, embroidered pin cushion.  The fabrics were incredible bits of 1970's polyester. I wish I had taken a lot more photos of this little jewel!

 

Sneak peak...

 
 of a vintage sheet set.  I hope Kristy can repurpose this in some way.

Sneak peak...

 

...of old sheets.  These are not really vintage, they are just 'thrifted,' but I thought that Kristy might enjoy them just the same.

 

Last, I sent a vintage Atlas jar filled with old buttons (I think it was a swap requirement. Just kidding!).  In my efforts to be cute, I messed up and didn't take a "reveal" photo of the jar. So you will just have to use your imagination.

 Obligatory vintage jar with buttons. But you knew that already.

 

Hope your start to November is a little bit better than mine!

Scenes from Halloween.

Friday night I finished carving the pumpkin. 'Round these parts, you can't be putting out a carved pumpkin too early.  It just turns into squirrel food if you do.

 

This year, E chose to be a cowgirl.  The other day, I was thinking about how the 'cowgirl costume' is itself iconic--we all know what it's supposed to look like, circa 1957.

I found a cute thrifted vest at my favorite local shop (the vest once belonged to the store owner's daughter, who keeps her own second-hand store next door).  The bandanna was a party favor, the shirt was a hand-me-down, she wore last year's skirt, the boots were borrowed, but the hat was new.  

E was thrilled. Her favorite moment: the "girl who likes boy things" at school whispered in her ear that her costume was "cool."

 

N asked to be a mouse.

Why yes, I did make that costume. I have the absolutely filthy house to prove it. I washed one small load of laundry over two whole weeks and we ate a lot of pasta, soup, and sausages.  You get the picture.

It should not have taken me anywhere nearly as long as it did. Let's just say, as I jokingly said to my husband, that I sewed about six or seven mouse costumes out of 1 1/2 yards of fabric. Well, it felt that way.

I confess: I love how the ears turned out. I couldn't bring myself to use the pattern's teddy-bear ears.

 

D's parents came over the afternoon of Halloween to check out the costumes. While they entertained the kids, I made pumpkin-seed brittle. It is delicious and I've been eating it instead of the kids' candy.

I used this recipe except that I suggest 1/8 cup honey, 2/3 cup brown sugar, and 4 T butter (half a stick!) per 2/3 cup of pumpkin seeds.  (We had a very large pumpkin, and it had about 1 1/2 cups of seeds.)  Just try not to eat it until you get a slightly queasy feeling, like yours truly.

First, as the recipe suggests, I soaked the pumpkin seeds in water for about 10 minutes. Then I spread them on a cookie sheet to dry in a 200 degree oven. I let them sit in there for nearly 30 minutes, because they just weren't dry until then. 

Then I cranked up the oven to 400 degrees and toasted the pumpkin seeds for 15 minutes. You might want to toast them longer if they aren't brown enough. Toss the seeds at least once midway so that they are evenly browned. I then tossed them in a smidge of butter and kosher salt, just enough to lightly coat them.

Next, I melted the butter and then added the honey and brown sugar. I chose to use less honey than the recipe called for because I wanted more brown sugar flavor.  My guess is the honey works like corn syrup (found in more traditional brittle recipes) by hardening the caramel into candy.

I cooked the mixture on medium for about five minutes, without stirring. You have to watch it closely, or it will burn.  Then I stirred in the pumpkin seeds, cooked for a minute longer, and then spread them out on a cookie sheet. (Butter the cookie sheet if you don't have a Silpat.)

 

 

 

Vintage gratitude.

Well, it's easy to see why swaps are addictive.

When everything goes according to plan, they are so much fun, from beginning to end. Except for that bit of tension in the middle when you start to worry that your package isn't going to reach its destination.

I know it sounds maudlin and silly, but I could feel my eyes welling up when I opened my package from Kristy and found these. She knows I collect vintage Pyrex, so I'm not trying to suggest that she's a mind-reader. 

Still, I found it very touching.  Such a sweet casserole and refrigerator dish, both (I'm pretty sure) in Butterfly Gold--a pattern I don't yet have. (If you adore Pyrex, and have never encountered Pyrex Love, you are in a for a real treat!) 

So, how gorgeous are these!! Right about now, I started to squirm. I am hoping Kristy likes my package as much as I like hers. Or at least half as much.

Napkins--love 'em!  I'm over here, scheming about how to put these to use in one sewing project or another.

This is detail on a beautiful gauze apron.

I see a proper, grown-up dinner party (preceded by a cocktail hour) in my near future. Martini, anyone?

Then there was this darling little zippered pouch.

 And inside...

Button happiness!

Also pictured above is a vintage postcard Kristy sent, circa early 1960's if the bathing suits are any guide. I thought I recognized the beach--it's the very same Dade County beach we used to go to when I lived there as a teenager.  But before you get any ideas, I was just a twinkle in my daddy's eye when this postcard was made.

Kristy, thank you so very much. You put so much thought and care into your package. I will always remember your kindness.

  

These two.

I really miss my old kitty sometimes. It will be two years in January since she passed away. She lived a very long life--nearly 20 years (give or take--she was a stray).  Some day I will talk about that kitty, but not today. More than once this past year, I've tried to type up a post about her, but there is too much emotion there, even still. So I will let that go for now.

I am so glad we have these two kittens in our lives. They have brought us so much joy. Our kids play with them for nearly an hour a day.

In our house, I'm the one who cleans their litter box. I suppose I could enlist E to help me now and then--she is 6 and would probably do a fine job. But for now, the job's all mine.

When our old kitty was alive, my husband took on the task, when I was pregnant with E. He continued to soldier on alone for four more years, until kitty died. His only condition for taking on our new kitties: that I would be the one who cleaned the litter box. (I laughed and said I'd do it for four and a half years, at which point we could renegotiate. Fortunately, he laughed, too.)

I have to share a funny thing. When I would clean her litter box (lo these many years ago!) my old kitty would head for the hills. Who wouldn't? It's a pretty unpleasant job. But the kittens come running. They rub and rub on my legs and purr so loudly. It really is like a big thank-you. Which I have to say, means that I clean their litter box pretty often. How's that for a bewitched owner?

Little pumpkins, popsicle sticks, and Halloween thoughts

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate  (five fingers up)

The first one said "Oh my! It's getting late!"  (hands on cheeks)

The second one said "There's a chill in the air!"  (hug self)

The third one said "But we don't care!"   (shake pointer finger "no")

The fourth one said "We're ready for some fun!"

The fifth one said "Let's run and run and run!" (swing arms in running motion)

Then WHOOOOSH! went the wind,

And OUT went the lights, (clap)

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight! (rolling motion with arms)

Some of the things that bother me (a lot) about Halloween:

it's become a month-long event.

there's a huge fixation on candy.

its focus, however toned-down for kids, is death and gore.

Some of the positives I see in Halloween:

it gives kids a chance to role-play within the larger community

we get to meet our neighbors, including some of the ones we never see

it's a safe way for kids to grapple with their fears of the unknown

E and her buddy L made popsicle-stick haunted houses. This was one of those rainy afternoon, make it up as you go, crafts-on-the-fly. Love that! 

They painted the sticks, figured out how they wanted the final structure to look, and then glued the sticks onto poster board. Meanwhile, they drew pictures of scary things to put in their haunted houses. (Technically, E's is a haunted barn.)

Haunted barn, with scary chicken, by E