kidding around

My sister asked me a few weeks ago to make a “table dot” for a birthday gift. So last week I decided to get my act together and start making at least one for her…The shop update needs to happen, I know. But let’s enjoy the flowers, shall we?

I used a swiss dot fabric as my base. I love it, but it made me fearful of it getting dirty that I’m not sure I will use it again. Especially since “the dots” aren’t exactly machine washable. I did do a bit of a spot treatment and thankfully the white is looking fresh.

I was totally inspired by one of my favorite flowers- the geranium. To me, this flower is summer and flower boxes and planters…and a totally distinct earthy fragrance.

What’s next on the sewing table? A Mother’s Day gift and shorts for my 9 year old…what’s up with the ultra-short shorts? Yuck.

Yep, Nathan and I were able to celebrate his birthday this past Saturday. We took the train in to Chicago and ate at Frontera. And were lucky enough to get tickets to the Edward Hopper/Winslow Homer show at the Art Institute.

So we started off our celebration with margaritas, Mexican beer and ceviche…perfect. And then our brunch was so tasty that I forgot to photograph it, but I can assure you it was great! The dessert was lovely too…honey/mango flan. I was so sad that our meal ended so soon. The temptation to just sit and eat was very strong. I suppose the wait staff would have stopped being so nice.

We strolled around the city and paid homage to the Apple store and even saw the Ellen show being shot on Michigan Ave. The Hopper show was even more than I anticipated. We decided to use the audio tour and moved ourselves slowly around the packed galleries. Seeing art in person really does not compare with books- the paintings were stunning…almost glowing. I love Hopper, so I felt slightly guilty as I whisked through the Homer show. Obviously it was impressive, but you know…

So that’s it…something crazy is going on with my comments and I have not had any responses for the past 3 posts. Unfortunately I have no clue what to do and my “support staff” is busy with their own lives and it’s not a huge big deal for me anyway. If you want to shoot me an e-mail, here you go! carolshack(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Hurrah! Comments are now working and we are back to business!

Quandary: a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation.

The above definition is definitely the feeling I have had over the past month or so…we are seriously considering homeschooling for our children. This is nothing new to our family. My husband, along with his 6 siblings were homeschooled and we homeschooled Ellie for one year (kindergarten, yes, I know not entirely a challenge). I have made pros and cons lists…visited a co-op, chatted with homeschoolers, fantasized, idealized, researched and I am still stumped.

What’s wrong with me? And yes, my kids are pretty much on board with it. And no, there is not a dramatic reason why we have started thinking about it.

I feel consumed and paralyzed and guilty…

Okay, I’m glad I got this off my mind and shared with you all. That’s it!

happy birthday nathan!

life is good because your in it…

now enjoy your strawberry/rhubarb pie, sorry I am working!

The past 5 days have been full in anticipating Pascha. We are all a little bleary-eyed, but content and joyful. The above image is the procession right before Midnight on Saturday night. The whole congregation walk around the church with candles, icons, and banners. Everyone is full of excitement.

Our small family are Orthodox Christians and nothing compares to our time we spent together.

We left home Saturday night at 10pm, with all the kids in tow…making sure our Pascha basket was full of cheese, chocolate, beer, sweets for the kids, and homemade bread. We came home at 4am hearing the birds singing and tired… happy to crawl into bed. You would think the kids would sleep past 10, right? Nope, Penny and Simon were up at 8 ready to go!

These are just a few of the images we took during Holy Week. I’d like to share more, but they are all divided amongst the many cameras we had with us…including video footage. You get the idea.

Happy Monday everyone. And a Joyful Pascha to all my Orthodox friends.

Here is the latest skirt for Miss Peppy’s wardrobe. We are all about the skirt. Yesterday, Peppy stared at me and declared, “Mama, you look so fancy today!”. To say I was surprised by this is an understatement. You see, I had my muddy Crocs on (just came in from the yard) and a skirt that is definitely the “working in the yard and threw it on kind”! Anyway, I came up with this skirt for my fancy girl.

The “twirlability” is obvious and so much fun.

When asked if she liked her new skirt she was enthusiastic, but quickly added, “Where are the pockets?”. Come on now!!

I think I will give my skirt/shirt making a rest and begin work on some more table dots and picnic blankets. Look for a shop update soon!

My life has been basically consumed with yard work and sewing. I like it.

The whole family was out today trimming bushes, raking, making fairy soup, and lots of teasing done by dear Simon.

I had to show this cute skirt I made out of a vintage tablecloth. (Hillary, do you recognize it?) No pattern needed, just used a basic shape of one of Pep’s dresses and added elastic. I think I may need to make more! Oh, and yes perhaps she is due for some new t-shirts. Looks like little Miss has grown!

Thanks for all of your supportive comments on my last post. I knew I am in company with those that have been through it or are dealing with it now. It’s nice to have a place to speak your mind. Thanks for listening. My biggest lesson I am trying to teach Ellie is to confront those that are being mean. To get enough courage and plainly ask “Why are you ________?” I think this combats bullying and knocks their socks off! And of course just loving her.

Dear Mothers and Fathers of Girls,

Please don’t assume that your daughter is always nice at school. Please don’t deny that she could exclude, gossip, and completely ignore others. It doesn’t take much to have open conversations and ask if they are being kind and respectful. It also doesn’t take much to model that same behavior.

Because when girls are mean to other girls, it crushes a mother…a father…a sister…a brother…another friend. Yeah, kids will be kids, but why do people say this when they are behaving negatively. I don’t get it. How about, kids need to be accountable for their actions?

You see, when kids are not held accountable there is a child having their joy sucked out of them. They can’t sleep. They dread school. They lose their confidence. No matter how much they try to be positive, the peacemaker, the happy one…it can get to a kid.

Sincerely,

a mother, who is tired of it

PS. My kids aren’t perfect, that is for sure.

PPS. Look here for details of my cute model’s shirt here.

I decided to tackle our yard today. After weeks of doubting that Spring would ever appear I decided to trust everyone elses perky outlook of the weather. I do believe, the Chicago area is experiencing the beginnings of Spring! The grass “all of a sudden” is green, daffodils are blooming, coats are no longer required, and my son’s seasonal allergies are back!

The discovery of plants pushing themselves through the earth is probably one of my very favorite things to experience. They are like dependable friends. I know, it doesn’t take much to make this girl giddy. It was like Christmas for me today. As I was pushing away the pile of leaves on our garden plots, I discovered that Spring was happening already!

Another “friend” that I sorely missed was my neighbor. You see, he died shortly before Christmas, but I haven’t felt his true absence until now. We shared an unspoken bond regarding my small garden plots that lined his driveway. He was hard of hearing and had a hard time getting around, but there was an unmistakable excitement we shared as we watched lettuce grow. Funny how parts of your life touch you without being asked…

Oh- and another “friend” poked its’ unwelcome self through the earth…Peppermint! ACK.

3 words:

Plant. in. pots.

And yes, I pulled it.

The tradition of a few Spring shirts all began in 2006 with this wildly popular pattern…I continued the sewing in 2007 with this shirt that I liked, but admittedly did not wear a lot…maybe it was the fabric, not sure. And then of course was all the sewing for the girls that I love, but once summer hits, my sewing of clothing pretty much ceases.

Anyway, here is my Spring 2008 shirt. It’s not for me…I think this girl has slid into my permanent shirt model position.

She’s fine with her new job, in her world she is happy as long as she has a good book to read and some quiet…

…just leave it to me to supply her with new shirts.

By the way, the pattern is Simplicity 2986. I loved it and had no problems. I would like to say my sewing is improving. I even had to trouble shoot and piece a few sections together because I didn’t have enough fabric (I was thrilled that this did not turn into a headache). Of course no buttons or zippers was a plus, but the tucks were a new element that left me pretty happy.

I have more sewing to share from this weekend. We had less than stellar weather (winter revisited, sort of) and so I decided to use my time wisely and cut out a bunch of shirts, skirts, and pants. Stay tuned.