My First Sewing Project

As the new owner of a hand-me-down Kenmore sewing machine, I figured that I better learn how to sew.

After figuring out how to thread the bobbin and top thread, I wanted to make something.

Something real.

My long-term goal is to design and stitch my daughter's dresses, but for now I needed something simple to start with.

I searched the web for ideas and came across some simple tutorials for skirts, baby legs, and pants.

I started out, however, with a recycling project -- making mittens from a worn out sweater following this video tuturial.

The first pair was imperfect, but I kept at it.
Two pairs later, however, I felt like a pro.

Pro enough to whip up a hat for our beloved robotic cat fom the scraps.

Okay, not quite a pro yet.

Anybody have any suggestions for how I can learn?

Bad Mama. Bad, Bad, Mama

I have been disqualified from "Parent of the Year" competition for the next five years after what I did Christmas Eve. This story is such a bad refelction on me that I delayed telling you for hopes that I could forget it. But it happened, and I might as well tell my side of the story before a false memory gets implanted into the family concsciousness.

We went to the earliest Christmas Eve Mass, but it was dark as we set out at 3:40 (sometimes I hate New Hampshire). Four-year-old Agent 004 nodded off as we closed the car seat straps around her.

We arrived at church a few short minutes later, and Mr warillever helped Agent 002 out of his seat. I gently picked up the sleeping princess. I reached back into the van to grab hats and gloves, then attempted to close the sliding van door with my left leg.

She woke up with a jolt, screaming.

Parent of the Year Inc. did not disqualify me for slamming the door on my daughter's foot, but for my next words:

"Agent 004, cut your whining."

Her screams turned to swallowed sobs as we entered the church. As we settled ourselves onto folding chairs at the back of church (it was 3:55 for the 4pm Christmas Mass), I looked down at her shoe. The shiny black dress shoe was crumpled from the force of the door. Dents from both sides, black faux leather cut down to the gray innards.

She will lose a toe nail, but otherwise her foot will be fine. This is the second time it has broken; Joseph ran her over with aplastic truck 18 months ago.

This is how to raise a tough kid, right?

Friday Snapshot in 7 Quick Takes

Last Friday I wrote a snapshot of our week instead of a 7 Quick Takes post. Since I'm not capable of doing both each week, I will try to combine them. Why not?

1. Agent 002 had his first alpine ski lesson this week. He loved it! Although he skiied with us last year, this was his first formal lesson. Mr warillever is a chaperone for the program, and he said that it was great to see 002 enjoying an activity with his peers so much. After the lesson they continued to ski until 8pm.


2. I made my new recipe for the week on ski day. Something warm, nourishing, and able to served in two seatings -- Morrocan Lentil Soup with Kesra (Morrocan bread). Delicious! Agent 004 and I tried to make it a real Morrocan meal by eating at a low table and using the bread to soak soup.


3. The books we are reading


• Favorite Picture Books this week:
• Usborne First Experiences The New Baby
• Angelina's Birthday
• One Teddy Bear is Enough!
• Am I Big or Little?


• Bedtime Book Club Selection
• The Call Of The Wild


• Mama's Downstairs Books
• This Is the Faith (Chapter 7 - Sin)
• 2 books related to private research project


• Mama's Bedtime Reading
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (within 100 pages of completion)


• Book Group
• Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body (51:1)


4. I heart Twitter.


5. You can follow me @warillever and hear about important things like what we are having for dinner and how much I despise laundry. Look over on my right sidebar if you want to know what I am doing, but don't want the temptation of joining.


6. Resolution update: I haven't beaten mr warillever at anything yet, but I am eating breakfast and packing nutritious lunches for my "men." Yesterday's breakfast was a brownie and a banana, but it was breakfast.
   
7. Art Gallery Snapshot

It's Not All Fun in the Snow

We did spend most of our daylight hours this weekend skiing, but sometimes we are squares*.


There are things that need to be done, ya know?


Here is mr warillever disposing of the Christmas tree:

We also dumped the cold ashes

and lugged firewood.

We didn't have time for many art projects, but we did spend a lot of quality unplugged time together, and isn't that the point?

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This week's Unplugged theme was "Square." Since my husband and I are chronically unhip, I figured that anything we did with our kids would fit the bill. Click over to Unplug Your Kids to see real "sqaure" projects.

Saturday Ski

This was Agent 004's first time skiing along with us for an extended adventure. In the past mr warillever has pulled her along in a sled, but she insisted on pulling her own weight this afternoon. She was quite the trooper -- we were out for over two hours!

Friday Snapshot

Favorite picture books:

• My Penguin Osbert
• The Hat

Bedtime Book Club selection:

• The Call Of The Wild

What I am reading :

• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle(upstairs)
• This Is the Faith(downstairs)
• Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body(Book club)

New recipe for the week :

• Chicken-spinach ravioli

Art Gallery Picture

It All Comes Down Tomorrow

I love Christmas decorations.

Last year, I showed you the table and even snuck in a self portrait in the mirror.

This year I also decorated the mudroom:

and hung the wreath I made in 1984 or so.
The kids decorated their own rooms while we slept in one morning:












The most fun, however, is the "decorating" that Santa does:

At Least We're Raising Cultured Children

Toast for breakfast, crostini with lunch, sukhariki-stuffed chicken for dinner....

My kids may eat way to many refined carbs, but at least they can ask for dried bread in three different languages....

[Menu plan to come]

I Resolve to

1. eat breakfast everyday
2. plan lunches
3. pray for 15 minutes every day
4. submit ten articles for publication
5. reduce white flour and sugar consumption
6. replace artificial products with "food"
7. produce half of summer vegetables from our garden
8. create a debt elimination plan
9. complete two online courses
10. beat my husband at chess or table tennis

Does this sound attainable?