Blog Updates and a Book List

I have a few quick blog updates to mention: the blog now has its own Facebook page. I experimented with deactivating my personal account, which was a nice break. I've recently made several contacts with people who do similar work (art, photography, sewing, blogging, etc.) and I have learned a few things about how to make Facebook a useful tool, rather than just a place where I read about who ate sushi for dinner or who hates Mondays. So I reactivated my personal account and created a separate page just for the blog that you can find by clicking here.  I would love it if you'd go to the Facebook page and click the "Like" button!

Another change: I've started watermarking my photos. I don't do it to every single one, but from now on I will be including the watermark on any photo that I spend any editing time on and any photo that includes my child. To my knowledge, I haven't been the victim of any copyright or theft issues but I also can see from my Google stats that my page views are increasing and there are a few sources that seem a little questionable (places that sound spammy) and I want to make sure my work stays mine. Also, while Pinterest is a great way to share photos and blog ideas, it is very easy for the original source to get lost along the way. Watermarks help ensure credit is given to the correct source if that should happen to anything pinned from my site.

Whew, enough shop talk, let's move on to something else.

Have you got any Valentine's Day plans? We're celebrating on Saturday, but we don't actually have a plan in place yet--other than dropping Charlotte off at my parents' for the night. I'm thinking Little Italy sounds good. Our favorite place there is Trattoria on the Hill. I'm in the mood for some serious Italian food and Trattoria is soooo good (and cheap!). A few doors down is a fantastic bakery called Presti's. You haven't tried a cannoli until you've tried theirs--chocolate covered, no less.

I've been reading a lot lately...more than usual (when I'm not fiendishly making makeup bags, that is). Chad bought me a subscription to a new service our library offers called Book Bundle. Each subscriber fills out a detailed profile about their reading preferences (favorite authors, recently read books, books they loved, books they hated, etc.) and a bundle of three books arrives on their doorstep every month. The library Book Bundle team has access to each subscriber's checkout history, so no worries about getting something that I've already read. So far I love it. It's a great way to try out new books and authors, and it's really fun to get a box of books on my doorstep every month (wrapped up in paper and bound with twine, by the way).

Here are some of the things I've read recently that I enjoyed, in case you need some ideas:

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

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Wild is one of those books that's super interesting and addictive, but one you must walk away from periodically because it's intense. The author, Cheryl Strayed, tells the true story of when she was in her mid-20s and had already lived a life of enough grief, heartache, and questionable decisions as someone four times her age. She embarks on a solo hike through the Pacific Crest Trail (without any previous hiking experience, mind you) and learns a lot about herself and her future along the way. She weaves her past in with her hiking journey so you get snippets at a time, which makes it all the more addictive. I read it in two days, and not because it's short (it isn't).

The Last Letter from Your Lover by JoJo Moyes

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I had never heard of this author, JoJo Moyes, until about a month ago when I read a review of her newest book (the next one on this list, actually). It turns out she's a magnificent story teller and this book was an excellent mix of history, love story, and suspense. The author tells two stories--one from the 1960s and another from 2003, and uses letters exchanged between different characters to guide the stories and ultimately link them together. I think this was one of the best books I've read in the past year!

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

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Me Before You, also by JoJo Moyes, was just as good as the last but in completely different ways. This story is part friendship, part love story, but with a much heavier subject matter and will leave the reader emotionally spent by the end. I'm not spoiling anything by saying that--the book is about a young woman who is desperately searching for a job that will help provide funds to her financially struggling family. That job ends up being as the caregiver and companion to a young man who was recently severely injured in a vehicle accident and is now a quadriplegic. She comes to realize that the job is much more than what she signed up for, and I guarantee the book will hook you and render you helpless until you're finished. This is definitely not a light and frothy beach read, but don't let that deter you. Just know what you're getting yourself into :)

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

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This book just arrived in my newest book bundle and I haven't started it yet--but I've heard tons of good things about it. And it has almost a 5/5 star rating on Amazon (out of almost 600 reviews) which is pretty impressive.

I Gave My Heart to Know This by Ellen Baker

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I'd never heard of Ellen Baker, but checked this book out of the library on a whim because I liked the shoes on the cover. Don't judge me. Anyhow, this story is set in 1944 and is based around a group of women working on a shipyard for the war effort. Their stories are woven together and fascinating, and this was overall a good read. The only downside was the ending...I wasn't crazy about it, but the rest of the story up until the very end was great.

What have you read recently? I'd love some more recommendations!!

Happy Reading!

~Stacy

Winter Lake

We drove up to the beach yesterday and, not surprisingly, we were the only visitors. It was a tropical 40ish degrees, warm enough to melt most of the snow on the ground but not enough to make much of a dent in the ice and snow covered Lake Erie.

We walked around and I was struck with how quiet it was...no traffic noises, no waves, no boats, nothing. There's a tiny marina nestled at the end of this stretch of beach where a couple dozen small boats are sitting, waiting for the weather to turn and the waters to thaw. I'm with you, boats.

~Stacy

A Knitted Dress

So a box arrived yesterday from my mother-in-law (who lives in Maine, and is currently stuck inside due to the 18 or so inches of snow that was just dumped where she lives) with a handmade gift for Charlotte inside. She's a knitter, and she made Charlotte a dress. A gorgeous, colorful, hand knit dress with a tiered ruffled skirt:

It looks really blue in this picture, but the bodice and bottom layer are more of a mint color.

I can't believe she made this with yarn and knitting needles...blows my mind. Of course I had to get some photos of Charlotte modeling. She was pretty insistent on wearing her new pink boots in some of them (Thanks Christine!) and in others she's wearing her pants as a cape. Just another Sunday.

I love it. It's perfect for spring and will make a fabulous Easter dress. The colors make me think of a delicious ice cream cone--three scoops: strawberry, mint chocolate chip and vanilla. Or banana, whatever sounds good. I'll take them all :)

~Stacy

Controlling the Chaos: Sewing Edition

I may have a problem.

I can't. Stop. Making. Makeup bags. I don't know if it's because they're so quick and simple to make, or because I can make an entire bag using small-ish leftover pieces of fabric, or what the problem is...but it's getting out of hand. And this photo only shows the pile that is finished; I have three more of the small zipper pouches in the works. I do have plans to gift some of them to certain people, but still. Addicted, I am.

I've been working on a lot of projects lately (and actually finishing them, which is a nice deviation from the norm). In the past, I've struggled with keeping my sewing space organized and looking somewhat neat when I'm in the middle of a project. Since my sewing space is a corner of the dining room and I use our table as my workspace, it can easily get messy and become a nuisance to move everything when we need the table to eat. I came up with a solution that, while not necessarily being the most creative or attractive option that's out there, seems to work just fine for now. Oh, and it was free, which is always a plus.

Since I rarely have the option of cutting something out and sitting down to sew it all in one session, I have to work in spurts. I can't really sew during the day. Starting and stopping while sewing is not something that comes easily to me and it's not an option during Charlotte's naps because she's a super light sleeper and the machine wakes her up. Seriously, I could go outside and sneeze and she'd probably wake up. Thankfully this is not the case at night, so that's when I'm able to get my sewing in. So while she's up or napping, I'll iron, cut out patterns, pin, etc. here and there and prep as much as I can for sewing later. This means I have pieces and parts of fabric, thread and patterns lying all over the place.

My solution? Freezer bags. I take everything I need for one project--the pattern directions, pattern pieces, fabric, notions, etc. and put them all into one freezer bag so that I have the whole kit ready to go when I need it. This way I can keep everything together in one contained spot so that it keeps my space from getting too messy, it's easy to clean up and keep track of, and it lets me work on multiple projects at once without getting things mixed up.

I know I'm not reinventing the wheel with this organization tip, but whatever works, right?

And here are some photos of Charlotte's new art smock in action that I didn't include with my post over the weekend:

She approves.

~Stacy

20 Months: All About My Girl

This post is entirely about Charlotte and is for the benefit of all those who read this blog who A) do not get to see Miss C. very often; B) those who do see her regularly but still dig stories about her; and C) for me, who thinks that little girl is the greatest and deserves an entire post dedicated solely to her.

So Charlotte turned 20 months old on Saturday, which blows my mind. I say this at every new age stage, but I think this age has been the most fun so far. She's old enough that she can walk and run around outside and I don't have to carry her constantly yet she's still little enough that she wants me to hold her and carry her a lot and when I do she's not terribly heavy. She can do things independently like feed herself, color, play with her toys or watch Elmo for a little while, which takes a small bit of the load off me and makes it possible to throw a load of laundry in. But not fold it. Folding laundry with a toddler around is an oxymoron. She can communicate most of her needs and wants in ways other than crying, she talks up a storm, and I can take her places and do things with her where she is not only awake but actually fascinated and excited by what we're doing. She's also at an age where she doesn't really care what we're doing--everything is fun and new and she's game for anything.

Another reason this age is so fun is that while she's very much an active, growing, learning, busy toddler she is also still very much a baby. She still has those delightfully chubby baby cheeks and thighs, and wispy baby hair. She still has that little belly that sticks out when she stands up and that baby-ish giggle. Her feet still look like adorable baby feet, just a little chubbier. And the best part--she still has that delicious baby smell, especially when she's warm and sleepy and wrapped up in her pj's and blankie. Mmmm...if I could figure out a way to bottle and sell that, I'd be a very wealthy woman.

Charlotte started talking early (to make up for walking, which she waited a solid 17 months to decide it was worth her while). She said her first word at 7 months and has pretty much not stopped talking since. I don't know how many words she has now, since I stopped counting a month ago when she got past 100. If Charlotte is awake, she is talking. Or singing. She repeats a lot of what we say, she memorizes parts of her books and repeats them, she remembers lines from songs, and the rest comes from magic, because I have no idea how she learned as many of the words she knows (and thankfully, no curse words. Though when she sings the chorus of "Ring Around the Rosie" it sounds like "asses, asses, all fall down!"). She's been putting words together and using phrases and short sentences. It's unbelievable how much her vocabulary grows each week and it's fascinating to watch. I feel like each day I am able to communicate with her better than the day before and it's a good feeling :)

We've been working on learning her colors for a few weeks now. She does pretty well with blue, green, orange and pink. She'll occasionally get another one right, but for the most part if it doesn't fall into one of those categories she simply refers to it as "not blue." Technically, she's correct.

Just cooking. In a basket.

Charlotte's favorite things to do include art, reading, dancing, and going outside no matter what the weather conditions. If it's cold and snowing, she brings me her hat and boots. If it's raining, she'll bring her raincoat. She would probably sleep outside if we let her. Her other loves, in no particular order, are Elmo, dogs and cats, her Winnie blankie, "Bubba" (aka Howard), and emptying all manner of shelves, cupboards or bins.

Her favorite foods are bananas, animal cookies (or vanilla wafers...or cookies of any kind), and milk. She likes plenty of others, but those are her top three. If I only fed her milk and bananas all week she'd probably be happy. When I see her "cooking" at her pretend kitchen and ask what she's making, she'll usually reply either "milk" or "nanas." Mmmm.

She's a social butterfly and a complete busybody in the best possible way. She loves being around people and spends a typical grocery trip saying "hiii!" to everyone in the aisles. She's on a first name basis with the bank tellers, the mailman, three grocery store clerks, and our entire street. She is rarely shy and almost always cheerful, though when she's ticked off she is really ticked off. She does nothing halfway.

She slipped on the ice a couple weeks ago, so now anytime she falls down, indoors or out, she says "uh oh, ice!". If she gets so much as a speck of dirt or food on her hands, she asks for a napkin or holds her hand out and says "wash!". If she falls and gets a boo boo, even an invisible one (as most of them are) she holds out the injured appendage and says "kiss!" It just about always fixes the injury, though some require more kisses than others.

 Her busy-body ways and cheerful nature mean that I regularly have strangers comment about her to me. They always say nice things, but the nicest compliments I've ever received have been "you can tell she's just genuinely happy" and, my favorite ever, "she smiles from the inside out." Those are true, and while I know I can't really take credit for either one they still make me feel incredibly proud and thankful. And lucky. Very, very lucky. I don't know what I did to deserve Charlotte, but I do know that I will spend the rest of my days making sure I never take anything about her for granted.

~Stacy

Superbowl Distraction: Art Smock & Display

I'm sitting here watching the Superbowl as I type this and it's becoming sort of painful to watch, so I had to do something to distract myself. I really don't care either way who wins, but at this point I'm rooting for the 49ers to get it together and pull off some sort of miracle. The only reason I feel this way is because I'm a Clevelander, and we know all about being the underdog. In everything. To be a Cleveland sports fan means to be hopeful (to a fault) and to keep the bar low, and sometimes even then it's not enough. So I guess right now I'm thinking of the 49ers in a way that I would want other cities to think of the Browns in the same situation. At this point though I'm kind of just hoping they can lose with some semblance of dignity. Seriously, it's like the Ravens are playing against some random flag football team they found running around on a high school field nearby. Not pretty.

Here's the best thing about the Superbowl so far:

Yep. Those would be Fudgy Brownie Cookies that I found on Pinterest. I made a batch last week and they were gone in an embarrassingly short period of time, so I made another yesterday. They are deliciously thick, gooey, dark chocolatey goodness that you should make immediately.

But enough about the Superbowl (and apparently the stadium feels the same way, since the power is now out)--let's talk about art! Every day, at least five times a day, Charlotte asks to do art. She has a basket of random crayons and colored pencils and some scrap paper and stickers that she pulls out and says "art?" about a hundred times until I stop what I'm doing and pull her into my lap to color at the table. Sometimes she'll color by herself and since she's still at an age where she's very tempted to color on everything but the paper, I thought it might be a good idea to make her an art smock.

I used Simplicity pattern #3802 and made the smock, omitting the pocket. I was able to make it using fabric from my stash, since it used a little less than half a yard. It was a quick project to sew, taking only about an hour or so.

For these photos, I hung the smock up on Charlotte's new art display wall. She is constantly making new artwork and of course I want to display it. Our refrigerator is only magnetic on the sides, so it fills up quickly. I wanted a place I could display some artwork that could also be easily rotated whenever she creates new things. I took a long piece of ribbon, about 4 feet or so, tied bows on each end, then nailed it to the wall in the dining room (above her kitchen). I grabbed a bunch of clothespins to use to hang the artwork and it made the perfect solution. Now there's a special place to hang her artwork, enough space to hang several items (but still a reasonable number), and a way to switch things out easily.

Now that the power is back on and the teams have had a little break, maybe now the 49ers can figure out a way to turn this around. But either way, I'm having another cookie.

~Stacy

Weekend Chill

Snow snow snow. It's been snowing for the past 24 hours. We've shoveled three times, most recently about two hours ago, and you can't even tell.

So...should we have a cookout?

Hmm. Maybe we'll just sit on the porch then?

0 for 2. Darn.

My brave little hydrangea finally wilted after surviving extreme heat and dryness in the summer, the powerful gusts of Hurricane Sandy, and several bouts of snow and freezing temperatures.

Poor thing. It's still stubbornly holding onto its dried petals and you can even see the beginnings of buds on the stem from last week when it was 60 degrees. Weird weird weather.

As much as I want it to be spring already, I have to admit that the snow is really pretty (provided I don't have to go out in it). This is the light, fluffy kind that sticks to everything and blankets the trees and grass in a thick layer of sparkling white.

So we keep hibernating. We make coffee and turn on the fireplace. We keep plenty of blankets around, since the combination of 19 degree weather and a 100 year old house can easily make for a chilly room. And we bake. We bake cheesy, warm, delicious things that seem necessary on days like this.

Enjoy your weekend, and even if you don't plan on watching the Superbowl tomorrow I hope you at least enjoy some delicious party food :)

~Stacy