slow saturday

One of the things I like best about a long weekend that includes a Monday is the sense of slowness on Saturday. Instead of feeling like I have to cram errands, groceries and cleaning (?) into the day, I tend to do next to nothing, which is pretty nice.

I made a pin cushion for my quilting pins (you know, just in case I start on Mac's quilt...).

And finished a pair of mitts (from the Toast pattern) for a friend.

While I was sewing, Claire played with scraps and glued them to a notebook, making herself a new journal.

I could get used to long weekends.

happy new year!

Last night, we made pizzas and watched Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, which was surprisingly good. The best part, though, was watching Mac imitate the owls' expressions.

The pizza dough was from this recipe and is so easy to make. I double it for either two large or four small pizzas.

After adding sauce, toppings and covering with cheese, I brush the edges with olive oil and sprinkle with just a bit of course salt.

Today started with a chilly run on the trail and hot coffee and leftover apple pie for breakfast. Life is good! I'm going to try the 365 photo project again this year. Last year, I only made it a few months. It was harder than I thought to see my everyday in new ways. Still, I like looking back at those photos and remembering the circumstances.

Happy new year to you.

the domestic goddess

Finished with one day to spare.

In the end, I loved this pattern. Not at first, though. Way too many pieces to cut. But it came together easily with only one (small) mishap along the way. The pattern includes several nice details that really make the finished apron look beautiful. Skirt pleats, curved and lined pockets, a pleated and lined bodice, and nicely shaped bodice and skirt ties. I have plenty of fabric left over, so I think a potholder or two will make a nice follow-up gift. And, I see another one of these in my future -- one that will stay in my kitchen!

under construction

I'm trying to be reasonable about what I can actually accomplish between now and Christmas. Two aprons and some baking -- that's it. First up is Amy Butler's short pleated apron, made with some Alexander Henry fabric that I just love. The second is full-length and hasn't even been started yet (hey, I have two weeks).

And these cookies are making awesome gifts. Easy to pull together and good with white or wheat flour (I forgot to use wheat on the second batch). With wheat, the dough can actually be sliced, but with white, it's much more crumbly and needs to be sort of pressed together. I found the cacao nibs at Central Market.

I'm thinking of trying these, too. The combination of caramel, chocolate and salt is hard to resist.

One more week of school and then two slow weeks of sleeping late, going to the park and knitting!

december

December seemed to come out of the blue, and yesterday I realized that I had never gotten around to making an Advent calendar. After school and work, we headed upstairs and I hunted through the fabric stash for something that might resemble Christmas. The closest I could find were red chickens and owls and green stripes. If you squint from a distance, you'd never know those owls weren't little trees! I sewed strips to the backing and straight lines to make the pockets. Finished all edges with pinking or zigzag. Then the kids used stamps to number the pockets.

They were quite excited this morning to find that the elf on the shelf had snuck into pocket 21 while they were sleeping.