Friday, September 24, 2010

Making Room For Autumn

There are a great many things that have been keeping me from this space.





First and most importantly there is this little boy who is all out of sorts.
Ah, the mysteries of babyhood... Could it be teeth? A need for changes in naptime? Hunger? Overtired? Just plain tired? Sore tummy? AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! These are the trials of his and our week. So far no solutions. Even a visit to the doctor proved futile. I just hate to see him upset. And I also struggle to carry him around as much as he currently desires it. Poor little fella. I think today, I will bust out one of my slings and just carry him as much as his little heart desires it :). Though I don't love him feeling down of course, for a little boy who seems to be growing out of his need for cuddles all too quickly I sure do love all the hugs lately! ;)

All the other little bits and bobs that are taking up my time all come down to this beautiful and busy time of year. Oh Autumn! I believe it's my favourite (though I feel like I may say that at the on-set of every season...).



Maybe because it was ingrained in me for so many years throughout school, but as soon as September hits so does the desire for routine and organisation. I have been doing a mass de-cluttering, and cleaning of all sorts. You know, the sort of cleaning that seems to get missed on an all too regular basis when you have a young one taking up most of your time.

My sewing space is piling up with projects, and the more projects, the less motivated I am to start on any one of them. Time to get the silliness out of the way so I can work on the good stuff. So I have been mending and creating the little bits that we "Need".

First on the list was yet another RagBag. Garage rags are a whole other kettle of fish, and therefore they need their own space. I suppose I could have saved myself the trouble and used an old plastic bag holder, but instead I made one out of the leg of an old pair of jeans. Denim is a good sturdy fabric that just seems to speak "work" - perfect for work rags right?



We don't use paper towels in our house, but found a need for something to soak up excess grease from frying bacon or other greasy kitchen jobs. Flour sack towels are a bit too big for this duty, so I cut one (the mankiest one I had) in half, ironed it, rolled and hemmed the cut edge and added a coloured tag so we could spot them easily. And there you have the "Grease rags".



We bought a braided rag rug for the equivalent of a couple dollars at the market in Tongatapu, Tonga in 2008. It has been falling apart, not to mention taking up space in my craft room as a 'need to repair'. Instead of stitched together, it had been woven in a few spots and these pieces were coming out, and the gaps were becoming increasingly larger between each row. I had put it amidst some things to go to Goodwill, but just couldn't commit, and kept taking it back out to throw on my pile of things to do. A couple evenings on the couch (hand sewing is very relaxing), and I had it sewn up tight. Tonga holds a lot of memories for us, so I'm glad I decided to keep this little mat.
Stitching this baby together inspired me to make my own braided rag rug from beginning to end. I WILL find rubber thimbles for my thumb, pointer and second finger before venturing out on this though, because two days later and they are still crazy sore!

Before


After


I did a bit of baking the other night. Impulsive urge or need (it's a fine line) to bake chocolate chip cookies at 9:30pm?? It's hard to say, but it could be the pregnancy...
I don't know what I would have done had they not been insanely delicious. By the time they were out of the oven, I was near desperate!



This recipe? Yummy. While making them I came up about a 1/4 cup short on chips, and they were beyond chocolately so not to worry should you stumble upon the same problem. Also, I only had bittersweet chocolate as opposed to semi-sweet - still amazing!

Other than these things, and all the cleaning, we have been house shopping and car shopping. The house shopping may be the reason I am so intent on paring down - if only I could stay away from the thrift shops for a little while...
We would really love to find a little starter/training farm. I'm talking 1/2 to 1 acre. Just enough to explore our skills and learn a little.
Car-wise - don't judge me - but we are in the market for a van of the "mini" kind. We figure it's bound to eventually happen. Why fight it? All those that make fun the most and resist that same purchase themselves, will quite possibly be the ones calling us up to borrow. Anywho, in our defense we want a pop-up tent trailer and need something that tows and holds a good bit of gear. We are not SUV people at all, which leaves us with... A mini-van! WOW.

My little guy and I start a parent-child group at the Waldorf school next Monday. I am REALLY looking forward to this, and will let you know in detail how it goes. It is always so fun, and anxiety inducing watching your little one play with other little ones. You have to really be on your game to watch for those sudden movements - I'm talking about the ones that aren't looking to be hugs, love, and sharing. You know the kind that are more of the reaction exploring type?



So, now to get myself in top gear. I can feel the sniffles coming on, and I am not a fan. Must get healthy and find peace and order in this house. That's a fairly tall order, no?
I hope your Autumn is starting up just as busy or as chill as you want it to be!
xo

1 comment:

  1. It looks like you are off to a great start for Fall! I love Fall too- I love when you can smell it in the air. Good Luck Monday!

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