can you guess what i'm sewing from this pic?

Well you people are pretty smart, so you probably can.  It's going to be my next post.  Maybe my next two or three posts actually, since I'm thinking of including a bias tape tutorial.  There's always room on the internet for another tutorial, isn't there?  The internet's pretty roomy, I hear.  Anyways, here's a hint: the next project is related to this stuff:

In case you can't tell, that's baby food, of the homemade variety.  Score points for this tired mommy!  Now it's one of the laws of nature that Teresa Can't Cook.  I mean I can put together some spaghetti or a casserole, and I can whip up a yummy breakfast if I have the time and energy.  But I'm talking about real cooking, the kind my husband does.  The kind that requires intuition, patience, a true love of the ingredients that go into the final dish.  I have those qualities, but only for my daughter and my crafting.  Food is just annoying to me.  My stomach is annoying.  Always crying out for more.  It feels as though I spend half my life slumped against the open fridge or pantry door, looking at the shelves stuffed full of ingredients, and thinking "there's nothing to eat in this house".   Sigh.  And I never can seem to plan ahead for a meal, so suddenly, in the middle of something important, my stomach is screaming at me for food.  So annoying.  Are you like that?  Am I the only one?

Anyways, baby food.  So I can't cook, but I can operate a blender.  And steam veggies.  And that's all you need to do to make your own baby food.  Because I'm a bad mommy, I skipped doing this for the longest time and just fed her pre-packaged stuff, or sat for 20 mins chopping up into tiny tiny bits whatever I was eating that meal.  But eventually I realized that having a ton of food already on hand means at least I don't have to go through the slumping sighing routine with Lila's meals.  And let me tell you, that girl is what I call a "good communicator," which is my nice way of saying that she will shatter mirrors with her screaming if left sitting hungry in a highchair.  So voila!  A huge array of healthy wholesome food, ready to fill up her belly.  

I spent all day, from early morning to late at night, steaming and blending and mixing and freezing.  A whole day people.  Didn't stop to clean, to craft, to relax, didn't even get a shower.  And I used every available container around here.  Those heart shaped things are ice cube trays from Ikea.  And just look at that yummy grape, strawberry and plum mix.  Oh yeah, I break baby food rules left and right.  But she's allergic to dairy and soy, so the kid's gotta eat something.  Strawberries, oranges, chocolate, cinnamon, corn, pork, rye, tomatoes, egg whites, shellfish, mango, melon, wheat, she's had 'em all.  Bad mommy.  At least I haven't given her honey or peanuts yet.  

Mr. Sippy Cup is okay with my parenting.  Look at him, beaming smiles of approval at me.  And I filled him with an orange mango mix.  Lila loves it.  :)

Stay tuned to find out what I've been sewing, and for the free pattern and tutorial to follow!

Best Wishes,

Teresa

easter FAIL - sort of...

This is what failure looks like.  Or at least what it feels like if you're 32 years old and spent all your spare time for an entire week before Easter in your craft room, churning out one no-go after another.  If you've chanced upon my "about" page then you know I'm willing to share my failures as well as successes.  Get ready for some fail.

Like this gem - what was going to be a fun tutorial on how to make an extra big papier mache easter egg.  

I envisioned a pretty, painted, almost as large as Lila Easter egg, maybe even stuffed with Easter goodies, pinata style.  It was going to be such a cute photo prop, her peeking out from behind, happy smiles and all.  But the weather just wasn't cooperating.  Left out to dry overnight, it was still tacky in the morning.  I thought, "Oh, okay, it's because the flour and salt recipe I'm using can't handle the high humidity, so I'll just switch to the old reliable glue and water mix".  Well I didn't even bother photographing that fail.  Thirty minutes of the blow-dryer on high wasn't enough to dry it, so I gave up on the egg altogether.  On to the bunny ears.

I grabbed these from the $1 section at Target, but didn't like the silky inner fabric, so switched it out for flannel.  At this point I'm already running low on Easter craft time, and I'm rushing, and not even pre-ironing.  So, yeah, fail.  I'm too ashamed to even show the close-up of the after.  I did end up using the bunny ears though, as you'll see.  Just no close-ups.

Next?  Easter basket.  Must be handmade.  Must not be store-bought.  "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't make Lila's basket?" I heard myself saying to my husband in Target while looking at lots of perfectly cute baskets.  "I can do better than that".   You're familiar with this arrogance.  It's how we get ourselves in trouble.

The makings of a cute hand-made basket?  I think not.

What fail looks like close-up.

Try, try again.

But no, as it turns out, I cannot do better than that.  Not this year.  Two separate failed attempts later, I gave up on the basket idea, and on any hope for a handmade Easter.  Total Easter Fail.  I probably ruin about one in five or six projects on average.  I try lots of new things, I often don't work with patterns, and I'm generally ambitious.  So it happens.  But when it happens that many times in a row, well, maybe there's a message being sent.  Like STOP.  Like Get Out Of The Craft Room NOW.  Go GARDEN, or, God-forbid, cook.  Take a walk, take a breath, do something, anything else.

Okay then.  How about dyeing some Easter eggs?  Too bad I forgot to purchase white ones, but had a ton of brown ones on hand.  Oh well, at this point I just need to get out of the craft room, so brown Easter eggs it is.

Could be worse, right?  I kinda like 'em.  Just a cheap $1.50 Paas kit.  Next year I'll be doing white though.  And my papier mache egg will be a success too, I'm sure of it.  But as for this year?

I awoke to a quiet house and dawn breaking, and looking out the kitchen window, I saw a lone doe gracefully walking the edge of the woods.  After a minute or so of feeding, she lifted her head for a moment, then bounded out of sight into the woods, her white tail held high.

Later, Daddy made a delicious breakfast for us to eat outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air, with birds singing and a soft breeze blowing, light music playing from the deck....

That's fresh-squeezed orange juice, folks.  Real maple syrup.

Fresh smashed strawberries and raspberries.

Yummy cappuccino.

Perfectly personalized eggs.

And bunny toppers for the pancake stacks.  Which may or may not have been harvested from the cupcakes, which I may or may not have eaten the majority of before the holiday even arrived.  They're chocolate, okay? Or were...

And Lila.  My little bunny.  She was born in the Year of the Rabbit you know.  And apparently rabbits like eggs?

Gather those eggs together...

Fill that basket...  Why the sad face?

Tip it over...  Wait, is that part of this?

Tear off bunny ears, and abandon basket for much more interesting chair, which can be climbed.

 And a few more pics of what, after all, turned out to be a perfectly nice Easter.

And those eggs were yummy.

 

Happy Easter!

Best Wishes,
Teresa