What’s for dinner

I wanted a quick dinner tonight, and something that would go well with the bread I made today from this recipe. So I decided on Penne in Cream Sauce with Sausage.

We’ll have some summer squash, too.

The green stuff in there is some lovely basil I got at the farmer’s market on Saturday. I love that place! We have a really nice one in town (they set up in front of the Walmart– take that, big box store!), and in the winter they keep it going inside an old warehouse. I haven’t been to the winter one yet, but I imagine there’s some pretty cool stuff there.

So, anyway, have you ever been cooking and it smells so heavenly that you open your windows (even when it’s not so warm outside) just so your neighbors can enjoy the delightful aroma wafting through the air? Okay, maybe I’m the only one guilty of that. I have these visions of a crowd gathering outside… wondering what it is that has drawn them to this place, hoping for a glimpse of the genius inside that is responsible for such magic….

Okay, I’m a little nuts. I’ve been cooking in this kitchen ALL DAY. Well, okay, not all day. I did start on a blue cotton tunic for myself because I am in desperate need of new clothes! This is the pattern I’m using.

Mine will be blue, with the sleeves just a tad shorter. Hopefully you’ll be seeing the finished product soon!

Oh, one more thing, because I’m so excited about it. Tomorrow I am picking up my 401A and meeting the dear girl who got her for me. Should be fun!

Blame it on my sister…

I’ve caught the vintage sewing machine bug. That’s right, folks. I admit to it.

Here’s the sweet girly that’s coming to me soon:

She’s a Necchi Julia. I *heart* her! My dear sister (aka The Enabler) is picking it up for me in Oregon, and we have to scheme from there how we’ll get her to her new home here in Vermont. Perhaps DHL??

And if that wasn’t enough, there’s another machine (which Lisa also found)– a lovely 401A coming to me from Maine. A sweet girl from an online sewing community I frequent is picking it up for me!

Here it is:

Disclaimer: I didn’t take these pictures!

I also have my eye on a super great deal of a highly sought-after machine, but I’m keeping quiet about that until the deal is done!

Okay, so I should also mention here that this is my first post in a year. I’d pretty much like to forget the entire year which forced me to stop blogging, but I don’t know if the memories will fade fast enough. Let’s just say that my husband has a new job now, we sold our house, and we’re living in a new state 400+ miles from my hometown.

The one thing that makes this move bearable is that we moved to the lovely state of Vermont. Go  Vermont!

Before I go, let me share a few more recent pictures. My husband’s co-worker sent these homegrown potatoes home for us yesterday. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Here’s my kindergarten soccer player after her first practice:

My baby is now 3! And another brother turns 10. Now we have three children who’ve moved into double-digit ages. Yikes.

Finally, check out our new doggie!

Her name is Olive, because we think she looks an awful lot like this doggie:

My Baby Turned Two Today.

Well, okay, technically yesterday.

He was my hardest birth, but worth it beyond measure. My youngest boy, my last child. How did two years go by already? I’ve been so busy with the mundane, the little stressors of life, that I blinked and he’s having another birthday. I must slow down and savor this little one’s life. Every diaper change is one more moment he’s still my baby. Every night he wakes up to nurse means he still needs mama for comfort. Every pinch, each bite he gives out of anger, means he still needs help learning how to show love to others. I’m so blessed to be the one to teach him. And boy, does he make us laugh!

 

 

 

 

 

 

When will I learn…

… that I should never trust the sizing on Big 3 patterns? I picked up a cute little pattern this weekend that reminded me of the Farbenmix Anna dress (you can find the Anna at Sewzanne’s). The pattern I bought had the option of making a dress or shirt, and it came with a pants and hat option, too. Instead of adding bias tape to the edges and hem, I serged and turned under and topstiched. This made the shoulder straps narrower, which I prefered. I couldn’t believe how far apart the straps ended up being, though! I made the size 5 dress, and my result ended up fitting our size 12 slim daughter very nicely as a shirt. She loves it and wants to wear it on her first day back to school. *Note to self: Don’t make that dress again before you drastically narrow the shoulder width.

Catching Up

So I know I haven’t updated for a few weeks. Summer just makes the days get away from you, doesn’t it? I find it hard to stay inside this time of year, so much of what I have to say has nothing at all to do with sewing.

Today I woke up and made a pancake breakfast again. Are you surprised?

We’ve had two fewer children to care for this past week, and that really lightens the load for me, which means we can do more fun things! One evening we had a picnic dinner at the park.

One evening after dinner we drove over to the local ice cream stop. The youngest had his first ice cream cone ever. I think he stayed cleaner than the five year old!

I admit that even though the weather has been beautiful, I haven’t stayed away from the machines completely. I made Chloe a skirt the other day. It’s based on this tutorial, although it’s a bit fuller. When she gets home she’ll proclaim her love for it, try it on, and promptly stow it away in her closet until she grows out of it. She wants to like wearing skirts, but the girl just can’t get used to them. If she never wears this particular one, there’s always a little sister to pass it on to. That’s the beauty of it.

Then there was this old Painting Red Rhinos dress that was lying around. It was a hand-me-down from the cousins that our 5 year old can finally wear, and I love the style. So I decided to copy it. Here’s my version. Sorry, there’s no photo of the original dress; it’s in the wash.

Showing the twirly-ness:

Naked little brother wants his picture taken, too. If you can’t pick your nose and get away with it at this age, when can you?

Saturday mornings are all about the pancakes.

Almost every Saturday, I wake up around 9:00 and make a pancake breakfast. It’s a nice tradition, and I like to make the buttermilk variety–from scratch, of course.

My youngest has discovered the joy of buttermilk goodness, so he always insists on a sample (or three).

My husband is the one in charge of making coffee, and he never fails to let me know what’s on his mind. I’m lucky to have him.

Finally, I promised a photo of the undies I made for my son while he was away at camp. The sixth pair of underwear isn’t pictured because he had put them on immediately. Here’s the picture, and my apologies for the poor quality!

Hi there.

First post. I’m hoping this can be a good place to show off all the latest things I’ve made, and that I’ll do a good job of keeping up with it.

If you don’t know me, then you probably don’t know that I have a small online business selling handmade items that I’ve created. Mostly I stick with children’s clothes, but every now and then I branch out. My store is called hoppytoad, and you can find my items at www.clubthreadcongo.com. There are new items on Wednesdays.

I’ll also be showing things here that I’ve made for my own kids, friends, and family. Like yesterday, I made 6 pairs of boxer briefs for my 8 year old. He requested new ones because I apparently don’t do laundry often enough and according to him he runs out of clean ones too fast. What can I say. . . I have more important things to do– like sewing!

Soon I’ll put up a pic of the undies, but for now you can have a look at my Sewing Gallery.

Here’s a peek at what you’ll find there.

We just had a huge order of landscaping mulch delivered, so I doubt there will be any sewing for me today. It’s going to look great, though, and hopefully it will add some curb appeal for when it comes time to sell the house. Look for photos soon!