In the garden

Hi again!

We've started picking strawberries from our garden this week!  They are being eaten as fast as they can be picked right now. :)  The peas have started blossoming.  We grew shelling peas last year.  They were delicious but it takes so much effort for so few peas.  I'm growing sugar snap peas this year so we can eat them right off the vine.

The bees are working on the raspberries.  

How is your garden growing?

Spring is here!

I love spring in my garden.  It is so hopeful, exciting, and of course beautiful.  I can feel the tension release as the trees get their leaves and the flowers push out of the ground.  Winter is over and life begins again.
Today as I walked in my front door I got my first whiff of lilac.  Love.

 The blueberries look good.

The strawberries are blooming.

The first pea (I planted them way late) has reached the trellis.

 Raspberries will be blooming soon.

Happy spring!

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

(First seen on Soule Mama).

First Sewing Lesson

My oldest daughter is closer to a tomboy than a girly girl.  She has never shown much of an interest in sewing and I have never offered to show her.  Then one day recently she came to me with some felt she had cut out to make a shirt for her build-a-bear kitty, her favorite stuffed animal.  How could I say 'no'?  I ran the foot pedal and showed her how to hold the fabric to guide it under the needle.

It came out a bit too small for kitty but that was okay.  Can you see how proud she is?  

Our CSA box

It's waiting for me every Monday morning; our weekly CSA box full of yummy organic fruits and veggies.  This particular week I got two boxes because I ordered some extra items.  The more fruit I have, the more fruit my girls eat - to the point of not eating their dinner actually.  First world problems, I know.

Our CSA is Full Circle Farm in Carnation, WA.  They partner with small, organic farms from British Columbia Canada, Washington, Oregon, California, and even Mexico.  This week I got three different kinds of apples plus I bought a fourth, carrots, pears, broccoli, avocados, red bell peppers, green beans, tomatoes, and mushrooms.  I also bought some brussels sprouts, blueberries, and blood oranges.  At first I was skeptical about ordering produce from Mexico.  How fresh can it really be?  But it is definitely fresher than what I can buy at the grocery store.  And it's organic.  And it comes from a small farmer.  

It also means I can get avocados, tomatoes, and red bell peppers right now.  In January.  

Our fruit bowl for the week.  It started out Monday morning with 18 apples, 4 blood oranges, 4 pears, and 6 oz. of blueberries.  Right now it has 3 pears left in it.  

This is stamped on the outside of the box.  I didn't notice it at first. But it is so perfectly appropriate.  By buying from small organic farmers I am voting against conventional farming methods, against GMO's, and even against "conventional organic" farming.  

Are you a member of a CSA?  Why do you believe in it?

A Tour of My Sewing Room

I thought I would give you a quick tour of my sewing room.  My husband enlarged and then enclosed (and insulated) the lower deck off our basement rec room to be my sewing room after we had a second baby and my then sewing room became her bedroom.

Yeah, he's pretty great!

My sewing machine is a vintage Singer 301A that my mother in law gave me when I started sewing.  It goes forward and backward.  Nothing fancy but always reliable.

I love my ironing board cover.  I sent one of my vintage sheets to Paula at Compelled to Craft and she made this for me.  It makes me happy every time I iron.  My oldest colored the cat picture for me. 

I bought this awesome shelf from a local yarn shop that was going out of business.  

At the far end I keep my grandmothers cedar chest which my daughters use as a desk.  

Two of my special childhood friends: Lucille and Singing Bear.

There are seven windows in my sewing room!  I made a vintage sheet bunting for a craft fair and now it hangs over the windows.  

Super cute doll dresser from my husband's aunt.  Now it holds tags, sewing machine needles, and extra pins.  The elephant is one of Maddie's Elephants.

That's my sewing room.  After talking with lots of other crafters lately who use the dining room table I feel pretty lucky to have such a great space.  I really love that there are so many windows.  My husband did a great job of listening to what I wanted it to be like - a sunroom with all windows and no walls in order to let every last ray of sunshine in.

Growth Spurt

My oldest daughter has been growing.  About an inch in only the last three weeks!

I'm excited because she has been getting farther and farther below average height for the last couple of years.  At her 5 year well check appointment last year she was only in the 30th percentile for height.  I know this isn't *that* short and her pediatrician isn't concerned, but my husband is six feet and I'm 5'8".  We aren't a short family.  Also, she was quite tall (percent-wise) for the first several years.

I have a couple theories as to why she is short but I don't want you to think I'm too crazy so I'll keep them to myself.  :)

For now, I'm just glad she's growing.  Her 6 year well check appointment will be next month.  Here's hoping for another inch before then!

Staying Home

We've sort of become hermits lately.

source

It seems like almost daily I see a new friend on facebook talking about the flu hitting either them or their children.  Often these posts follow posts of the families activities of the day which usually include various outings.  I know it's not their fault.  Sometimes kids don't show any signs of sickness until they are literally throwing up.  I don't know if they are contagious before the main event or not, but it still makes me want to stay home.

Luckily, I like being home.  There is always something I can do.  I can sew, read, or cook.  The girls generally play well together.  The air is less dry, thanks to the pot on my stove.  And I don't spend any money.  If I get bored I head over to Pinterest to see what I can see.  (You can find me here: http://pinterest.com/maria_kjosness/).

After all that I'm going to Osh Kosh and Target today.  All things in moderation right?  And lots of hand washing.  :)

Do you minimize outings during flu season?

Thrift Shopping

I love shopping at thrift stores.  It's such a treasure hunt in that you never know what you will find.  And what's there one day won't be there the next.  I always look for vintage pillowcases and sheets to use for my shop.  I also regularly look for vintage Pyrex for my collection.  

This week I found some great things for my daughters.

    These super cute Gymboree tights were only 99 cents!

Sticker by number mosaic art seems popular but I'm not sure they'll do it.  Now they can try it for cheap - this one is brand new.

My oldest loves maps so I bought this map puzzle.  On one side it is of the US and the other side is of the world.  This is a hard puzzle.

Have you found anything good lately at a thrift store?

On My Stove

As often as I can when I am home in the winter I have a pot barely simmering on the stove.  Especially in January when the air is so dry I shock the cat as I pet her.  There are lots of different recipes you can find online of what to put in the pot to make your house smell lovely.  My favorite combination is orange peels, whole cloves, and a cinnamon stick.  

I recently saw another reason to do this: flu prevention.  Apparently the flu virus lives longer and is more likely to spread when the humidity is very low.  Source

Have a great day!
Maria

I Think I Want to Homeschool

I'm also scared to death of *actually* following through with it.

Our school district has an alternative school that we (my husband is coming too) are touring today.  Basically we would homeschool and also be able to take elective classes like piano, theater, German, or guitar at the school.  The school also provides a computer lab and other resources to help homeschoolers be successful.  I really wouldn't be doing this on my own.

Here is my list of pros and cons I've come up with.

Pros:

• More time to be a kid.  Elementary school goes from 9:20 until 3:50.  That's a long day.  When you come home, do homework, and eat dinner it doesn't leave much time for playing, being with the family, or extra curricular activities like music lessons.  This is a big one for me.  I believe there is a lot more to life than going to school to get "a good job."
• You can learn at your own pace.  She knows what "5" of something is so we can move on instead of rehashing it for months. 
• There are no peanuts.  I carry an epi pen for my youngest who is allergic to them.  This is a bonus, not an actual reason to homeschool for me.
• I can at least minimize their exposure to cultural values we don't agree with.
• More time as a family.  

Cons:

• I won't have as much free time with kids home all day.  I'd love to start running again, put more time into my etsy shop, and keep the house a bit (a lot?) cleaner.
• Fear of failure.  Can I really do this?  Will she listen to me as a teacher?  
• While I don't think homeschoolers are as socially isolated as they used to be, there can't be the same level of social interaction as you get in public school.
• My husband is currently not in support of homeschool.

I hope the tour today can help me make a decision.  Ultimately I can't do this without my husband's support.  I believe homeschooling would be the best option for my children, but not the best option for me.  I'm worried that it would be a selfish choice for me to not homeschool but I have a history of not doing enough for me.  

Have a great day!

Maria

In Search of the Perfect Homemade Ranch Dressing

When I was growing up my mom always said that God invented vegetables so we could eat ranch dressing.  I love ranch dressing.  In addition to dipping vegetables in it and putting it on salads I also like to put it on hamburgers with red pepper and avocado or on burritos with lots of veggies and cheese and sometimes some ground beef or chicken. 

As much as I love ranch dressing it's obviously full of weird things I probably shouldn't eat.  And so begins my search for the perfect homemade ranch dressing.  

Most recently I made this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  While it is pretty good I think it needs a little more flavor.  I will definitely try it again maybe doubling the spices and using the cilantro which I left out last time since I didn't have any.

The next recipe I want to try (today hopefully) is this one I found on Joy the Baker who says it is from The Pioneer Woman.  Everything The Pioneer Woman makes is good.  I have high hopes!  :)

Have a great day!

Maria

Happy New Year!

May your new year be filled with peace and happiness!