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I decided today was my turn to be *that* person who comes to the @baltimoremqg monthly meeting, having finished the project that she started at the class the day before. 😂 I stayed up way too late (made even later by the time change) and turned these two 24” square practice quilts into a nice big tote. My children were concerned that it needed a way to stay closed so I even added some Velcro. @jacquietps’s lecture at today’s meeting was fabulous and I had fun showing her my tote. 😀 #salmonandsouvlakisews #charmcitysewcial #baltimoremqgI had a wonderful time today at the @baltimoremqg class with @jacquietps! I’ve been quilting with a walking foot for over eight years (as long as I’ve been quilting) but I still learned so much and came away inspired. I’m definitely going to use gentle curves (1st pic) in an upcoming quilt. The 2nd and 3rd pictures are from the same sample piece. With curves, you get the orange peel pattern and with straight line, you get diamonds. So cool! As always, I am now inspired to do and make more. I’m so grateful that I found BMQG three years ago. Thanks to @makergonnamake for convincing me I would like it there. She was right. 😉 And thanks so much to @rauenamy and Marcia for all their hard work to make the class possible. 😍 #salmonandsouvlakisews #baltimoremqg #charmcitysewcialI almost panicked a couple weeks ago thinking that I had gone to all this trouble to make these ornaments and then forgot about using them. 😂 I was grateful when I figured out that this year, Lent didn’t start until yesterday. We are super fancy and so are taping each one to the wall after we’ve read the corresponding passage from the book of Matthew. We are reading first from NIV, and then the corresponding story from the #jesusstorybookbible (if there is one) and also, at his insistence, from Marko’s beloved #legobible. We should have the book of Matthew thoroughly covered by the time we are finished. 😍 . . . From now on, every day I am going to post an up-close picture of each ornament in my stories as well as the corresponding scripture passage if you would like to read along with us as we travel through the book of Matthew over the 40 days of Lent. #lententradition #jesustree #salmonandsouvlakisewsMarko has asked me to “put this video of Gary on Instagram so everyone can see it.” He has titled it, “Gary’s show off” [of all his gear]. Gary is the super villain who Marko has created with his Legos. 😀 #unschooling #selfdirectedlearning #legosalldayeverydayLast week, we spent the afternoon at the park in 70 degree sunshine and I got a bit sunburned. Today, we spent the afternoon outside, shoveling wet snow in the rain. While we were out there, Elllie invented a contraption to help Marko get up into the tree more easily. Never a dull moment around here, weather or otherwise! 😀Who needs coats when it’s 56 degrees (a full 40+ degrees warmer than a week ago)? The polar vortex has decided to take a little vacation. 😉 When discussing my childhood growing up in Alaska, Nik has never really understood how we could say that it felt super warm when it got into the teens (or even just above zero). But, when it’s been -40 or colder, 15 feels downright tropical! The same principle is at work today! #springinwinterLast night, I had about a month’s worth of recycling to set out and as I was working in the cold, I realized that my “lived in the East for 16 years” self had forgotten how invigorating being outside in the cold can be. When you are dressed warmly enough, it’s really fun to be active outside when it’s cold! Our polar vortex temperatures only got into the single digits and as you can see if you swipe to the third picture, soon our high temps will be in the mid-50s. So the [not-that-cold] cold wasn’t here for long (though probably long enough to kill our figs back to the ground 😭) but I enjoyed it while it was here! #salmonandsouvlakireflects #ilikethepolarvortex #imaybetheonlyonewhodoesMy most recent finish: a matching apron/potholder set for my nephew who just turned 8! I love the dark navy and yellow combination and chevrons are always a favorite. Swipe to see them on the recipient himself. 😀 . . . Fabric from my stash. Apron is of my own design (-ish, I used one of my kids’ aprons to give me a starting point on size). Little squeezy potholder tutorial is from @sewmamasew (search the blog to find it) from a couple years ago. #salmonandsouvlakisewsIt’s snowing again tonight so it feels appropriate to share these pictures from last weekend during our last snowstorm. I did manage to get at least one string of lights set up outside for Christmas and we are leaving them there until it’s not so dark anymore. 😍First snow of 2019! And in typical my children fashion, Ellie was super into building a mountain of snow for sledding and Marko wanted to play soccer. 😂 (Also, I would like to point out that my hat has been sparking joy in my winter life for at least 20 years. 😉) . . . Both kids are wearing @mymayuoutdoor boots, which we love. ❤️And as for my actual first finish of 2019: a happy birthday bow tie for Marko! Isn’t that the cutest thing ever?! He requested one and has been wearing it a lot. I used a tutorial from @patternsforpirates and it was SO easy. I will never make a long tie again. I got the apparel flannel from @joann_stores and have plenty left to make Nik a matching bow tie so they can be twins. 😍 Happy 6th birthday my boy!! #salmonandsouvlakisews #bowtiesofinstagram #charmcitysewcialFirst major finish of 2019: 13 baby blankets! I fell off the baby-blanket-making train early in 2018 and then...SO MANY babies were born!! 😂 I actually only made the six girl blankets in the first picture in 2019. I sewed the other seven in November. I had fun distributing a few at church today, gave away two in December and hopefully will be able to track down all the other mamas soon. A 9-month-old needs a blanket just as much as a newborn, right? 😉 #salmonandsouvlakisews #flannelbabyblanket #charmcitysewcialCategories
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Category Archives: cleaning
My Life, Under New Management
Two weeks ago, I went to a workshop led by one of the founders of Agile Learning Centers (ALC). The workshop was focused on learning how to use agile management tools in support of self-directed learning. I’m in the process … Continue reading
Posted in cleaning, cooking, house/neighborhood, reflecting
2 Comments
A New Thanksgiving Tradition
We certainly have some Thanksgiving traditions in our family. I always make these pumpkin orange rolls, of course we eat cranbrosia, and we (for three years running now) braise our turkey for the most incredibly delicious and moist turkey you’ve … Continue reading
Misappropriation of Party Planning and Preparation Time
Last Saturday afternoon, I had the fun of hosting a bridal open house (like a shower only with no presents involved) for one of my best friends. I had allocated the day before (Friday) for house cleaning and food preparation, … Continue reading
Posted in cleaning, friends, gardening
6 Comments
Folding Laundry (shades of “Journal of Best Practices”)
Here’s how I like to fold laundry, in my ideal world. First, I sort it into piles – Ellie, Mark, Nik, Laura, bath towels, sheets, kitchen (wash clothes, towels), napkins, etc. (I didn’t do this initial step until I had … Continue reading
Life Hack: Make Your Clean Space Attractive Enough to Motivate You to Keep It That Way
I love how our dining room table looks when it’s clean. Chairs pushed in and totally clear of clutter The vase was a Christmas present from Nik’s brother and sister-in-law. I love the structural beauty of it so I leave … Continue reading
Posted in cleaning, useful beautiful
5 Comments
KIOS: Grooming, Part 4: In Praise of Infrequent Flushing
This post is part of my series, “Kickin’ It Old Skool: Why and How We Are Old-Fashioned” or KIOS for short. If you’re new to the series, please read my disclaimer before continuing on. I’m keeping a table of contents … Continue reading
When Principles Meet Nostalgia
Nik and I have some fairly strong convictions on what kind of toys we want to have in our house. I blogged about this more extensively in this post. Specifically, we decided that we didn’t want to have any plastic … Continue reading
Posted in cleaning, Ellie, parenting, useful beautiful
8 Comments
