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!