I keep composing mental posts, but never find time to actually type them up. Christmas seemed as though it was over even quicker than ever this year, we already took down the tree--the needles were really dry and I was worried about burning down our house after living in for only two weeks.

Having my own sewing room is just wonderful. As soon as I figure out how to use our new camera I will post pictures, but I am notoriously slow in such endeavors. I figure the longer I take, the more finished all the rooms will be. I've got a huge list of projects, among them curtains for the kitchen and birthday gifts for Ivy. I also got a good book on wetfelting and want to try again at making little boots.

My 40th birthday is coming up in January. I've alternated between feeling elated and panicky. At this point I am kind of ambivelent. I would like to buy myself this miniature Re-ment Pucchi Elementary School set --look at the miniature Kanji books! And the bento box! But it seems a lot of money to spend on something that really is rather useless.

This weekend we just have to clean the old place and hopefully get at least some of our security deposit back. I think we took fairly good care of the place, but there are a few small holes in the plaster where I used the wrong stuff to hang pictures and one other hole where Miranda was swinging her foot while sitting at her desk. So I guess we just do our best cleaning and wait and see. Maybe the landlord will feel the work I did putting in an herb garden and clearing the yard is an even trade.

Settling In

We are about 80% unpacked and I am pretty much burned out. Last night we decorated the tree--there is a curved bay window so you can see the tree from the street, I really love that. Today I made gingerbread cookies with the girls, and oh man, it's so much easier in a decent sized kitchen. We have enough counter space that both girls could get a stool and have an area to roll out dough and cut out cookies. It was marvelous. I never used to really enjoy baking with the girls and felt like a poor unschooling mom as a result (teach them math by baking and all that) but I am looking forward to trying to do a lot more baking and cooking with them. Mostly now we are waiting for the third floor to be done (was supposed to be done a week ago, mutter mutter). The big deal about the third floor is that it's going to be Brian's office so while it's inconvenient to have all his office stuff piled up around the living room, as well as everything that's going to be stored up there, it's even harder for him to have to work from the dining room.

We did get a new digital camera, once I figure out how to use it and post pictures (takes me awhile to figure out new stuff) I will show you all my lovely new home. I'm really happy to be here, this is the sort of old home I've always wanted.

I'm here in the new house, typing on my husband's laptop since my computer hasn't been setup yet. I haven't been online since last Tuesday. Miss me? I'm really tired and have a bad cold, as well as drinking a glass of celebratory champagne, so this might not make much sense. I've got a lot unpacked already--I would love to have everything done by Christmas, but that might be a bit ambitious.

The actual moving day went fairly well. There was about an hour where we were worried that no one was going to show up to help, and then my two nephews, one of their friends and my sister's boyfriend arrived. I am forever indebted to them, because otherwise it would have been me, Brian, his dad and one of Brian's friend who couldn't make it until later. We did everything in one load and I cooked a huge pot of chili for everyone.

The third floor still isn't done yet, so all of Brian's office stuff is downstairs, as well as quite a few boxes we were going to store up there. I am hoping they will be done soon, they were supposed to finish last weekend. But we can tell stuff is getting worked on, they are here every day--they were even here for a bit today and it's Sunday. So hoping it won't be much longer.
Tomorrow I am going to take the girls to see Charlotte's Web and then do some grocery shopping. I am selfishly hoping that the public school kids aren't on Christmas holiday yet so that there won't be too many people at the theatre.

The house is fabulous, I can finally be excited about it. I've always wanted to live in a house like this. The kitchen has so many cabinets, I still have a few empty ones. And we have a brand new hot water tank--the sellers had bought a year of home warranty, and the real estate company matched it with another year. Last week Brian was at the house doing some work, went to the basement to wash up and found a puddle of water by the hot water tank. Panicked, and then remembered the warranty. There's a 50.00 deductible, so fifty dollars later, we had a new hot water tank. Now I am going to have to be careful taking showers--at the other house, sometimes I would shower until the hot water ran out since it didn't take long. Here there seems to be hot water forever.

We are supposed to be getting a new camera soon, so I will post pictures of everything, especially my new craft room. I think we have a pussy willow tree in the front yard, I can't really tell because it's winter but it's been warm enough to have a few buds that look right. There are a few small trees on the side of the porch that are bare so I can't identify them--it's probably to much to hope for that they are lilacs. The backyard I swear has years of accumulated leaves on the ground, there are three big oak trees back there. I found a few acorns and snuck them on Ivy's window sill and now she thinks Totoro put them there.

And even more Yesasia

I am so glad these books arrived before our change of address took effect, I'm too impatient for any delays. And this time the shipping was super quick, considering I always choose the free shipping option.

Needle and wet felting book. I saw this for sale on a US based website for 20.00. As a former bookdealer I understand mark-ups, but I was very glad to find it at Yesasia for 5.49. It's a rather small book, only 9 projects but a nice variety. ISBN 4834763994

I really love these Kuri Kuri books. Not only are there fun projects but links to some great Japanese websites. ISBN 4576052063

Another bento book. This one has wonderful kids bentos and detailed instructions on making the food and arranging it. ISBN 4834722473


Supposedly the big moving day is Saturday. One of the good things about doing your own moving is you can pack in a rather haphazard fashion so I am off to toss items into boxes.

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

And I realize I am late in posting this, St. Nicholas Day is December 6th and it's now after midnight and officially December 7th. We celebrate St. Nicholas Day in a widely adapted manner handed down from my dad's German side of the family. As a kid, we hung socks--not stockings, just a clean sock--on December 5th. St. Nicholas would leave a small gift and some candy. We celebrated Christmas as well, but didn't hang up stockings, there was just gifts under the tree. I've passed the tradition onto my children--although we hang up stockings at Christmas as well. My husband was horrified at the idea of no stocking stuffers (a concept which rather baffled me for a while, the concept of special things specifically for putting in the stocking. Our St. Nick gifts as a kid were simply presents small enough to fit in a stocking, not stocking stuffers.

The girls were quite happy with their gifts. Ivy got the apron, mitt and towel I posted in the last entry, along with some cookware from this wonderful website. Miranda got a Buildabear kit to make her own monkey. Both girls got Christmas ornaments--Miranda's is a wooden wolf and Ivy's a sequinned gecko. And of course chocolates and a candy cane, which are all already gone. Everyone was happy and Ivy was quite impressed that St. Nicholas knew she liked fossas.

If you don't mind using a bit of imagination, you'll be able to see what I've been up to recently. All I have right now for pictures is the scanner, so I can only post portions of projects.

I was doing a bit of Christmas shopping last weekend. I had told myself it was okay if I didn't make Christmas gifts this year, what with the move and all I had enough going on. I was looking at an apron, oven mitt, towel set for Ivy to use in her kitchen set. I carried it around the store thinking, I could make this. I could make it so easily, in fabric I liked, I have some great stuff at home I just bought. But why not give yourself a break and just buy it. It's not that big a deal. I ended up putting it back on the rack because where's the fun posting a picture of a store-bought apron?

So, this is what I made. Remember, imagination.
This is an apron in the style of the others I have posted, with the criss-cross back. The picture is of the pocket on the front, with a fossa embroidered on it. You may recall my post about Ivy's love of the fossa The green fabric is some linen I picked up as a remnant, I love that color.

This is a child size matching oven mitt, the orange fabric is the same as the body of the apron.

And this is the towel. I rather like how it turned out and might make some for my own kitchen, but in different colors.


And last of all, this is the detail on a kimono type jacket I made for Ivy, it's the same pattern as the baby kimonos I have posted in the past and sell in my Etsy shop. This is wool felt applique with some embroidery.

Thanks for the comments on my burglary post. I'm no Pollyanna, but I am realizing how much worse it could have been--another online friend was completely cleared out over Thanksgiving weekend, the robbers stole Christmas presents, their television, computer and many other things. Despite my anger, I realize we are fortunate to be a household with several computers, the thieves only took one. We have renter's insurance and will be able to easily replace the things stolen.

On a happier note, we received the keys to our new house Thursday night. Now the hell of actually moving can begin! We are refinishing the wood floors downstairs so will have to pile boxes in the kitchen and upstairs. But at least we can start!