as cozy as spring

Assertiveness Training

This is just how agreeable my little girl is:

After her latest gymnastics class, I eagerly looked over her evaluation sheet as it had been a particularly good class.  I noticed that the top of the page said, "Alexa".  

"Honey, this page belongs to Alexa.  Go switch it out."

"That's my page." she replied.

"But it says 'Alexa'" 

"That's what he calls me." she said, unfazed.

So for who knows how long her coach has been calling her Alexa.  This is troubling to me because she only progresses based on having completed the prescribed skills; skills which the coach records under her name.  And Alexa is not her name.  I insisted that she go and speak to her coach about it and he was very apologetic.

"She's very easy going." he remarked.  Indeed! 

Later in the car I asked her if it ever occurred to her to tell the coach her real name.  She shrugged and replied, "I don't know.  It never bothered me much.  Alexa is a pretty name."

 

Spring Quilt

Happy Birthday Dawn (seven months late).  

Whew!  This one took forever.  I bought the fabric back in July and as soon as I saw it, I knew my friend Dawn would love it.  We disagree on a lot of things (she likes Twilight, I like Coldplay) but our love of gardening has provided the basis for an eleven year long friendship.  This fabric is sort of woodsy but in a sweet and girly kind of way.

Sewing details: The brown fabric is from the My Folklore collection, purchased at Bee Square Fabrics over the summer.  I don't think this particular print is available anymore but there are some great other prints in that line.  The white and pink print is Henry Glass - Tiny Tots, I think.  I can't find that anywhere online. Hourglass blocks and lots of them.  

I machine quilted this and it's not my best work (my attempts to keep the stitch in the ditch might make one wonder if I were drinking at the time) (I wasn't).  I think I'm just going to have to commit to hand quilting because it's the only look I really love.  

Obligatory awkward quilt photo (the colors are so much better in real life - very earthy and springy, just like Dawn):

Finished size 50 * 60 which is by far my favorite size for a quilt.  

And Dawn, because I know there's a chance that you will cuddle in this quilt whilst reading Twilight, I just want you to know, I was singing "In My Place" the entire time I hand stitched the binding.  Ha.

Next up in the sewing queue, spring bags.  I am thinking about a quilted bag for my portable knitting projects.  Are these not the prettiest springtime prints?

Park Slope, from Bee Square (again).  I know I've mentioned it before, but this is my number one place to buy fabric because she offers great prints and excellent customer service.

New (to us) Elsa Beskow

I love pre-ordered books that arrive after I've forgotten about them completely.   Our mailman brought us this recently (re?) published Elsa Beskow book Emily and Daisy.  It is as enchanting as her other picture books and simply perfect for early spring.  I am trying to stash this away as an Easter surprise, but I've never been very successful at that sort of thing.  So I won't be surprised if I am reading it to my children this very evening.

Wild Bunch

This reminds me of this:

Which also reminds me of this:

My sister had this 1970s suitcase in blue.  I couldn't figure out why I liked the Wild Bunch fabric so much until I put all this together.   My local quilt shop is only selling charm packs, but I don't know that I have big plans for these prints.  They are just fun.  

The top photo is one of our anemones.  Aren't those anthers gorgeous?  And isn't it sort of fun to say "anemone" (ə-ˈne-mə-nē\)  ?  Anemone, anemone, anemone.  

Well isn't this just a bunch of nonsense?  Happy Monday Friends!

Lenten Reading

I have a confession.  I only just started reading Conversion Diary.  I feel like I'm the last one.  But there are so many great blogs out there and I'm already spread too thin, computeraly speaking (I'm sort of hung up on the spelling of a word I just made up - ely, aly?  two Ls or just one?). 

Anyway, forces combined this last week to give me the motivation I needed just to go ahead and add it to my Google Reader - a task that sometimes takes months.  The timing couldn't have been better.  I was searching for books to read throughout Lent, finally putting aside my Dave Barry collections and nightly Harry-Potter-til-I-fall-asleep routine.  And look what she posted - great reading for Lent and tailored almost specifically for me, though I assume this was unintentional.  The first one is of particular interest to me as it was my focus in college.  Giving up my nightly light reading will be difficult.  I tend to get a little emotional when I'm tired and am particularly sensitive to things like ER previews.  Any serious reading in the evening usually leaves me quite teary and leaves my husband quite nervous, lest he have to talk to me when I'm like that.  

I feel sappy saying this out loud (picture me rolling my eyes at myself) but I firmly believe that God guides my mouse clicks.

Martha Stewart on Habanero Pepper Spray

"Don't put it in your eyes or on your private parts.  I am speaking from experience."  

Anyone else wondering what the occasion would have been....

Learning Notes

Today:

Math-U-See - Finish Lesson 26

Lucy finished up The Horse and His Boy - wrote an informal book report on it.  We need to work on writing skills a bit more.  I've neglected this.

Read up on latitude and longitude in our old Childcraft books - looking forward to Mystery Class update tomorrow.  We've worked on our data all week.  She's catching on now.  There was also a good monarch slideshow.

Read aloud Milly-Molly-Mandy, the most perfect book for little girls ever.  

A bit of cursive using Memoria Press workbook.

Read about Punic Wars in one book and Horatius in another.  I could be doing a better job on the planning of our Roman history studies but my goal right now is just to read about it every day.

Missed grammar and Latin - sidetracked by the happy presence of my husband.  

My son is sick right now so I have no learning notes for him.  

On my mind - Lucy is particularly interested in Irish history right now.  If anyone knows of any resources - picture books or chapter books or whatever, could you leave ideas in the comments?  I would be so grateful.  

Thank you, Pope Benedict

I'm a bit preoccupied with real life stuff right now, but I am popping in to say that this story made me so very, very happy that I couldn't stop myself from jumping up and down gleefully.  

HT : Alice at Cottage Blessings and Mary G.  

Also per the advice of other bloggers, I turned on comment verification.  I had some random scrambled spammers here too.

Lenten Rose

The same thoughts I'm having, shared by someone who actually knows how to write - here.  

It is a cool and overcast day.  One of the first "at home" days I've had in a long time and I'm ever so grateful.  Smoothies and mini muffins for the children's breakfast.  Lessons, books, knitting and cuddles this afternoon. 

Making me super happy today: New printer cartridges.  Jan Brett printables.  Graphs and data sheets.  Free knitting patterns on Ravelry.  

Homemade Yogurt - Week 7, I think.

My daughter is sitting behind me eating my second batch of homemade yogurt.  She sort of cringes after each bite and then gives me an encouraging smile.  Clearly yogurt making is not as foolproof as the internet would like you to believe.

I ordered the EuroCuisine Yogurt Maker with an Amazon gift card thinking it would:

1) Provide my children with a healthier snack

2) Save us tons of money on yogurt

3) Reduce our impact by eliminating all the plastic containers

4) Satisfy the cravings of my inner mad scientist

Option 4 was the deciding factor and I'm glad because I'm not yet saving any money at all.  And yes, I know, I know - I read all the articles on how you can make yogurt on a heating pad but I tend to actually sleep on my heating pad and it reminded me of one of the few "Seinfeld" episodes I saw where Kramer was making salad in the shower. 

Batch 1 - I had grand dreams and used the last of our summer berry jam to flavor the milk.  I think I overheated the milk and ended up with highly separated yogurt - curds and whey.  It was tasty, but odd.

Batch 2 - A bit smoother, with absolutely no flavor.  I don't want to over sweeten it and tinkering with the recipe is a bit more wasteful than I'd like.  I can use this batch for smoothies.

Any recipes out there, friendly readers?  Because my daughter has ingested all she can stand and has moved on to M&Ms.