I am not a craft blogger

Posted on March 15, 2012 by

 

I love reading sewing and crafting blogs. Made by Rae and Dana Made It make me itch to grab a sewing machine and I would read Sew Liberated even if there weren’t glossy pictures of sewing eyecandy. While I have no aspirations of being a diva of the craft blog world, I do make things – like this sprout hat that I knit for Julie in less than a week (after ripping it out 3 times trying to get the gauge right) – and once in awhile I like to pretend.

Sprout hat

We bought a slipcover for our new couch. With a dog and toddler I have no delusions that the couch will stay immaculate and I’d rather have something I can throw in the wash when the inevitable happens. I need to make slipcovers for the throw pillows, though. “I know, I’ll take pictures and blog about it” I thought. “It’ll be fun!” I thought.

I measured the edge of the pillows at 18.5 inches. I remeasured again to make sure. I then calculated out the size of each piece and drafted up pattern pieces. Easy peasy.

Slipcover pattern

I just so happened to have fabric and piping in my stash that would work. (It may have been purchased to make slipcovers for the old futon pillows. Five years ago. Ahem.) A quick iron, cut, and assembly later and I was nearly done.

Pillow slipcover

I decided to try out the first for fit before putting the last seams in the second one.

Pillow slipcover oops

Oh dear.

Advanced statistical modeling? No problem! Mapping out brain functionality from memory? You betcha! But basic math, measuring a straight line, or taking a photo without my feet in it – no so much.

Sigh.

Plan B is to cut this down to fit the smaller throw pillows on our couch. But first I must consume chocolate.

SLipcover plan B

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Sprouts are up

Posted on March 13, 2012 by

So far my good-enough gardening style seems to be working this year. The seeds I started indoors are doing well and were in desperate need of a  thinning. (Chubby toddler fingers sow seeds a little thickly.)Sprouts before thinning

A much needed haircut later and we’re on our way to having something to plant in the garden this year.

Sprouts after thinning

Speaking of plants in the garden, the peas started to germinate (just when we thought the birds had eaten them). Right now they’re little more than microscopic green dots but they are there.

And what to do with the leftover sprouts?

Put them on burritos. Yum.

Sprout burrito

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Eulogy to a futon: A story about thrift

Posted on March 13, 2012 by

Futon napIn the summer of 2003 Matt was renting an apartment off campus and needed something to sleep on. A cool $100 bought a simple black metal futon with a mattress about as thick and supportive as a slice of Wonder bread.

Fast forward through three moves in two states and nine years later we still had the futon. The giant staple-looking piece that held the middle together disappeared in a move. The middle leg had fallen off and was wedged back in place. We had added many parts to the mattress over the years in an attempt to make it somewhat comfortable – big pillows for the back, throw pillows, flattened cardboard boxes under the mattress to keep it from seeping through the metal bars of the frame, twin bed sized egg-carton foam under the mattress to add some cushioning, and a second mattress on top (from a friend, who’s frame literally burst apart one day).

We bought a futon mattress slipcover on sale and managed to shove both mattresses inside. With the two mattresses and enough pillows to choke a horse, it was reasonably comfortable and if you arranged it so the cardboard boxes and egg carton foam didn’t show it almost looked respectable. Almost.

We aren’t the only ones who put up with a past-prime futon for a few years. In our case, we knew we would be leaving Illinois in a few years so we decided to make due, then buy new when we got to our new home. Well, the time has come. We finally bought a new couch. It’s name brand, super comfortable, and the overstock warehouse where we bought it had it for half off.  And we got it on sale. That’s how we roll.

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Local on the move

Posted on March 8, 2012 by

We strongly believe in eating local foods and supporting the local economy more generally. So much so that seeking out a CSA happened before the we had even signed a lease. We became owners in the local food coop two days after moving.

When your purchasing is tied to the local economy, moving means that you have to relearn all the businesses you buy from. Malwart is Malwart is Malwart no matter where you go. But what’s the equivalent of Columbia Street Roasterie in central Kentucky?

We expected that supporting the local economy would be more difficult in Kentucky. It took us five and half years to really get a feel for the local economy in Chambana. We also expected that the local economy would less well-established in Kentucky. After all, we had never heard of CSAs before moving to Illinois.

As it turns out we were both right and wrong. The state of local food in Kentucky has come a long way since we moved to Illinois. There weren’t many CSAs operating in central Kentucky 6 years ago but now there are plenty of options. In some ways we even have more options. Illinois style corn and soybean fields don’t grow well on the hilly, red clay soil. The upshot is that the farms are smaller and there is more diversity in production so we have more choices.

On the other hand, building up knowledge of the local economy is proving to be about as slow as I expected. Kentucky has a state-sponsored program to promote goods made in the state and there are similar efforts in nearby Lexington Ky but it’s still a bit of trial and error to find the good stores and good producers.  It’s not all bad, though, since it gives me a good excuse to poke through little locally owned shops like this cute little yarn shop (with great prices on needles).

 

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Homestead NOW

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

Jenna, the blogging rockstar behind Cold Antler Farm, often writes about how you shouldn’t put your dreams completely on hold. Let’s face it, the perfect farm won’t fall in your lap if you just slog away at your job long enough.  The same is true of many things – including homesteading.

Matt and I spent too many years feeling like we were just spinning our wheels. We put our life on hold while I was in grad school. At least it felt that way. In actuality, we grew gardens, preserved foods, built skills, and had a child, among other things. A rented house, a small garden, and some preserves in the cabinet are a far cry from the glossy photos of homestead heaven in Mother Earth News but they’re better than nothing. And when we get the homestead (and we will) we will be ready to really move.

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Owl hat for ME

Posted on March 6, 2012 by

Owl hat in progressEvery time I walk into a yarn store I have this exact conversation.

Well meaning knitter: “Oh, what a cute hat. Did you make it?”

Me: “Uh, no….”

Well meaning knitter: **Attempts to look busy with yarn**

Pumpkin hat with pumpkinTime to do something about that. This is only the second thing I have ever knitted for myself. I usually keep busy making gifts for others and cute baby things. (Like this awesomely adorable pumpkin hat that got lost in the move to Kentucky. Wahhhhhh!)

I’m using this pattern. I had never knitted cables before but it was surprisingly easy. It’s also knitting up quickly (that or I am watching waaay too much Dr. Who before bed).

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Raising a homesteader

Posted on March 1, 2012 by
17 mos - eating spicy homemade salsa

17 mos - eating spicy homemade salsa

As a cognitive psychologist, I know that children learn a lot by what they see those around them do. Language, manners, and morals are all learned passively from those they spend time with. So if you want your kids to do something, they need to see you doing it. If there’s something you want them to value, you need to value it yourself.

This is a pretty basic principle but it drives a lot of our child rearing practices. Our values are played out in our actions on a daily basis – in the prayers we say at meals, in the foods we choose to eat, in the activities that fill our time.

If I had to add a second maxim, it would be “get involved”. When kids are given a pass, they learn that the rules don’t apply to them. You end up with adults who feel entitled and can’t function well in the world. Not what I want for my kids. Plus, young kids WANT to be involved. You just have to find a way to channel that enthusiasm in ways that won’t get them in trouble. Julie prays

17 mos - helping load laundry

17 mos - helping load laundry

with us at meal times with a hand-waving “cross” and an “AMEN!”. She eats the same meals as the rest of the family, including such kid-unfriendly foods as tofu, beans and rice, spicy foods, and loads of vegetables. She participates in the upkeep of the family and house by “helping” with laundry, dishes, cleaning, and cooking. She also participates in the homestead – she scoops dog food, plants seeds, and digs in the soil. We don’t yet insist on chores but more often than not she wants to help out.

19 mos - helping to bake cookies

19 months - helping bake cookies

We have always operated with these ideas in mind, but only lately have I thought through our decisions to find the common threads. Now that I have I’m making an effort to find ways to do more. Like remembering to say “please” myself. Incorporating daily “chores” like feeding the dog (which she LOVES to do). And letting her “help” plant seeds. I’m also trying to find more ways that she can help and be involved.

 

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Of gardens and beer

Posted on February 28, 2012 by

SeedlingsWe moved a little over two weeks ago. There are still boxes and things to do but we are mostly settled into our new home. We celebrated Cheesefare with a beer and cheese fete – a chance to reconnect with friends by brewing a Brown ale and eating entirely too much dairy. For future reference, Bavarian cream and homemade French vanilla ice cream makes an amazing combo. Predictably, I didn’t think to take any pictures. Other than some teething-related tiredness and a few misplaced pieces of equipment, it went well.

Meanwhile, the seeds Julie “helped” me plant have started to germinate. This year we are streamlining – smaller garden and simpler process. Normally I sow seeds in flats, prick them out to cozy cups of soil, and tend them carefully. This year, I dumped some seeds in cups of seed starting mix. Done.

They’re sown a little thickly because toddler fingers don’t handle small lettuce and broccoli seeds very well. That’s the price you pays for a happy toddler with dirt on her fingers and it is a price I will happily pay.

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Gardens don’t wait

Posted on February 23, 2012 by

DaffodilsUsually this time of year finds me lustily perusing garden porn (a.k.a. seed catalogs) and day dreaming about how this year will be The Year. But this year I’m just not feeling it.

Maybe its the fact that only last week we navigated an intrerstate move that would fit most definitions of hell. Or the huge pile of boxes still cluttering up the house. Or the looming deadlines that have steadily marched closer while all this was happening. But when I realized that moving a zone south meant that I need to be planting Now I was less than excited. As in, not at all.

In any event, gardening will be a much smaller affair this year. We’re waiting to hear from our landlord about a small plot on some neighboring land but most likely gardening will be limited to a 1.5×7 foot raised bed, our container herb garden, and what we can squeeze around the existing landscaping. Pretty paltry compared to the 600 sq ft we’ve had for the last four years. Even this much feels like a lot of work after two weeks that have felt like two months. Unfortunately, daffodils and pea seeds don’t wait for battle weary gardeners.

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Bittersweet

Posted on February 22, 2012 by

Pint of BittersweetBittersweet.  That’s how we have felt about this move and it’s also the name of our current batch of beer. (An English Bitter designed to go down easy.) Although this move was definitely the right decision given our long-term goals, we’re still leaving behind a lot of friends and good times in Illinois. They won’t be forgotten, though. Every glass pays homage to the good times and good friends we made in Illinois.

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