One Saturday Morning...

Jeff called me on Friday (Jan 21) to ask if I'd take Riley to gymnastics on Saturday morning and then hang with both she and the little Bubba so Melissa could get some things done. "Sure!" I said, and I'm so glad it worked out. After Riley being shy and cautious during the warm-up she was a regular old Olympian at gymnastics, so proud to show off for Auntie Jen and her instructors. Riley's a girl with a mind of her own (hmm that sounds familiar, doesn't it Mom?), so she wouldn't let me take any pictures at the gym, but once we got home she loosened up a bit.


I swear this girl grows more beautiful every day and I am so happy that she let me snap some of these gems. I won't even attempt to match them with my words because I think her personality shines right through and speaks for itself... let me know what you think....

*my favorite*

*runner up*

though if this were in focus it might take the cake

and the more ellusive, G-man

always on the move

crawling, rolling over, creeping

and now even walking a few steps here and there

its hard to catch him but when he stops and i can stop and stare, he's just as gorgeous.

LOVE those curls.

:: time out: riley's noticed i've taken more photos of Garret than of her, so its her turn to take some pictures too :)

"See my camera, Auntie Jen??"

oh those baby blues.

killer.

(the snot i could live without)

another bubba face. makes me melt.

the boy is such a charmer.

so proud of his walking. so happy to have someone to share it with.

we had a great morning!

love you both so much!

and to round out the week

a few more random thoughts and happenings

• work was so much more bearable this week. a nice relief.
• modern family is the funniest show!
• can't wait for the library to email and say Sons of Anarchy Season 2 is READY for pick up
• i sewed my first napkin last night! hooray.
• i bought a new winter coat after taking a close look at my current coat (which is completely shredded inside). $61 lands end at sears. simple, black. long. warm.
• learned changing from red to black for a coat is a tough transition. initial thought- it feels kinda drab. must work on that.
• add to my to do list: make funky, brightly colored winter accessories to jazz up new coat
• we got more snow! dan woke up the favorite child (the backhoe) from its hibernation and cleared out a little more space for us humans and our vehicles because the snow was closing in.
• today may have been the longest commute i've had in awhile. in both directions, we were all forced off the train at JFK/UMASS. on the way to work i got shoved into a train that had a leaking vent and i was getting dripped on all the way to MGH. on the way home i was so pleased to get a seat only to have someone squeeeze in next me nearly crushing me. not fun. super long. super uncomfortable ride. ahh the joys of the T.
• i am taking riley to gymnastics tomorrow. can't wait to see her new tumbling skills. i haven't seen her "perform" since end of her last program.
• its 9p on friday night and i am wiped. time for bed! bona nit.

Dressed for Success

From: Singer Sewing Book, published by McGraw Hill in 1954

On how to prepare yourself for sewing:

Mentally
Prepare yourself mentally for sewing. Think about what you are going to do. Choose a fabric and pattern right for your purpose. Practice sewing on scraps of the material until your stitch is just right and you have confidence in your ability to stitch straight. Approach the job with enthusiasm. you must want to make something lovely, to handle the fabric with appreciation, to watch the beauty of the article grow as a result of your planning and effort. Never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically. Good results are difficult when indifference predominates. Never try to sew when the sink is full of dishes or beds unmade. When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so that your mind is free to enjoy your sewing.

Physically
When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. Go through a beauty ritual of orderliness. Have on a clean dress. Be sure your hands are clean, finger nails smooth- a nail file and pumice will help. Always avoid hangnails. Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on with care. Looking attractive is a very important part of sewing, because if you are making something for yourself, you will try it on at intervals in front of your mirror, and you can hope for better results when you look your best.

Again sewing must be approached with the idea that you are going to enjoy it, and if you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband come home and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing as you should. Therefore, “spruce up” at the beginning so that you are free to enjoy every part of any sewing you do.

Mom sent the text above to me in an email before our first sewing class. What a great Mom, always making sure I'm ready for my first day of school! ;)

I did wear a new dress that day (mostly by coincidence) and as it happened my pretty pearl necklace matched the outfit, so I was feeling pretty good about starting this.

Mom picked up Aunt Milly, Dad and I picked up pizza and Aunt Florence met us at the Mom's house to eat, and then get started! Mom has a newer, fancy sewing machine [with so many features she doesn't actually know how to use the majority of them], and Aunt Florence has a really old machine that she needed to learn something about, so the two of them put their heads together to figure out a few machine-related issues.

I had decided that my first project would be cloth napkins. I've been wanting to buy some (in an attempt to further green our house and get rid of the paper napkins all together) but cloth napkins are really expensive and far too large for every day use. If I could sew, I could solve this problem! Score.

Wednesday night I went to the Salvation Army and scored big- a very large dark green cotton duvet cover that cost me a whopping $2.11. And so, with material on hand and 3 teachers, I was ready to sew!

Aunt Milly taught me how to snip the fabric and rip it so it would cut straight. Easy!
Then she showed me how to fold over a 1/4 inch seam which is then folded over again to give you the edge. With a few pins in place, it would be ready to sew shut.
But I didn't know how to sew yet. Nor did I know how to use the machine. Mom taught me how to thread my bobbin (that cute little metal spool on the far right).
She then taught me how to thread the machine all the way through until you finally get to that little tiny eye of the needle
Sigh. Wooden spools of thread. I am keeping this one. It makes my heart happy.
Then there's nothing left to do but sew. I put the fabric under the needle, put the foot down, pressed the petal. AND I WAS SEWING!

Get this, its really not that hard! {at least at this stage}

I only made 1 napkin {see below folded in quarters}
But I was damn proud of it! Can't you tell?!

(please note the new dress and the pearls. powder had also been freshly applied but working through 3 different teaching methodologies wore me out just a little)

All in all, it was a great success. After the first few seams, Aunt Florence threw Aunt Milly's methods out the windows and told me I was being too fussy about it (certainly not my intention- these are napkins for us to wipe our mouths on and throw in the laundry). She ripped out the pins and showed me how to fold over and iron each edge then put it through the machine. Much easier. And I'm getting better at knowing what a 1/4 inch really looks like.

Thanks everyone for sharing your love and knowledge of sewing with me. I can't wait to learn some more.

some things about today

yes, I've been posting up a storm lately.

i'm sure this is a spurt like many others.

but when i look back at my posts months, even years later,

i tend to love seeing these posts that just talk about our everyday lives

here in this quiet little house.

and this week i am in the mood to record that so here goes...

some things about today:

* after about a month of conserving pellets (while staying amazingly warm with the wood stove alone) the pellet stove is back on, fired up and ready for the single digit temperatures coming our way. i am very curious to see if we can come out of the winter with pellets leftover to be used for winter 2011/2012! fingers crossed :)

* dan reheated his dinner on the wood stove tonight [steak and baked beans]. yes partially i think he just wants to save on the electric bill, but i love that he buys in on my green methods.

* speaking of the wood stove/green ways, i bought a duvet cover at the Salvation Army for $2.11 tonight. i am hoping to make cloth napkins out of it so that we can completely switch off paper for our daily use. the price was certainly right and i love the fact that i am using something that was cast off. {sneak peek: i am hoping to focus on some extra craft projects this year that reuse/repurpose old items}

* today was my friend Carla's last official day at MGH :( although she is coming up to our office tomorrow so we were all glad not to have to have had to say good bye for real today.

* it rained all day yesterday and then iced up overnight. leaving for work this morning, i fell flat on my butt. it killed. my back's been out of whack all day. lousy. but it could have been worse!

* i chatted with my friend christine on the phone after work today. i am not much of a phone person and i'm horrible about reaching out and calling people. not great traits in a friend, i realize. but i always love when i DO reach out. it was great catching up. love you tini.

* i am obsessed with my Google Reader feed of late. so many creative ideas. so little time. my crafty to-do list is growing and growing. hope i can tackle a few items this weekend.

* after about a year of issues getting Sirius radio to work on the computer I got it working recently and today i had the rare opportunity of having our 4 person office to myself and having the right type of work to do while listening to Stern. it was a highly enjoyable 45 minutes.

* our house is still clean- week 2 of really focusing on keeping the clutter to a minimum. its very relaxing. plus, more and more i feel confident walking around the house without turning on the light in each room => less electricity/energy used.

* i missed dan's guitar playing last night, but enjoying listening to the radio together tonight. i've really been trying to cut down on tv especially during the week, and while its hard to fight that instinct sometimes, i'm much happier with how i'm spending my time (especially here)

* i did some more work on my latest afghan tonight. i'm loving how its coming along and how quickly. plus it looks gorgeous draped over our couch (for now anyways).

* the wood stove is warm but, unless i'm roasting, i love having a blanket on me in the winter. my favorite blanket of late is a quilt that my cousin Gayle gave me this spring. it was made by my great-grandmother and I love it. it has that soft, worn in feeling that you just can't get off the store shelf.

*i still suck at getting up and out of bed at 5a. i usually land on the floorboards around 5:30 which isn't terrible... and i'm never late for a meeting but it does kind of bug me. in good news (flash back to 2010 goals), i didn't get a coffee on the way to work this morning!

* i have about 5 other ideas for blog posts, but i'm running out of steam... so keep coming back. more to come this week.

Virgin or...

Recycled? That is the question I ask you to think about today.

I mentioned last night that I'm reading Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff. I am thoroughly enjoying this book even though I've read about a number of these issues before. As usual, I find that when I am reading books about the impact each of us has on this earth, I become more conscious about my daily, even hourly actions. It is very easy to get caught up in a busy day and not even think as you pull into Papa Gino's to grab a slice of pizza on the way home to avoid having to do more thing after you pull into the driveway... but being more thoughtful and present in my day because of this kind of reading ultimately leads me to better decisions. It makes me happier. Now I just need to find a way to keep this on my radar all the time... perhaps its time to resort to sticking (recycled) post it notes all over my house and my car!

But enough of my ramblings. Here's something you may find interesting:

Reasons to Buy, Use & Reuse Recycled Paper

• Cutting down trees leads to
• extinction of as many as 100 species per day in the rainforest
• mudslides, erosion and major flooding since the trees roots are no longer there absorbing water
• the devastation of many people’s lives: 300 million people in the world live in forests and 60 million are almost entirely dependent on forests for food, fodder, fiber and fuel.
• Nearly 1/2 of the trees cut down in North America are used for paper making
• Trees naturally filter the air we need to breathe.
• Plants and trees cut down to make paper rarely profit the poor people from the region that is affected.
• You already use more paper than you realize (think: books, magazines, posters, food packaging, take-out containers, inserts in new shoes etc), so please choose recycled paper when you can.

So what's the best approach?

• Look for recycled paper, books, notebooks, copy paper etc.
• Look for paper with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Logo/stamp on it. This reputable organization ensures that trees used in your paper were harvested in a ecologically reasonable way and ensures a certain social/ethic standard was maintained in the process.
• Look for books/notebooks/calendars printed with soy based inks instead of toxic chemicals (about 1/3 of US printers are using these now- look for this on the label)

today was a good day...

:: i made it to work in a reasonable amount of time despite loads of snow this morning and loads of rain this afternoon.

:: i got a lot of catch-up done after having been away from my desk for 98% of last week.

:: i had lunch with my two favorite lunch buddies- ryan & kim. we chatted, knitted, talked about knitting and patterns and techniques and just generally enjoyed the hour. yes, a whole hour! there was a little work talk mixed in too.

:: i went to target to get a few necessities (method liquid fabric softener which apparently comes in a new bottle, dr. bronner's soap & method dishwasher tabs). i also bought 2 organizers for my car to hopefully keep me more organized {{read: LESS CLUTTERED}} in 2011. One is actually a pretty basket that's meant for storing magazines (in the house), but fits nicely in my front seat, where 99% of the time no one sits. And the other is a trash bag that goes over the backseat to contain the junk. Fingers crossed that having a new system will help me tackle that.

:: i am psyched for my first sewing class on thursday night with aunt florence! and i remembered how much i'd like to make my own cloth napkins so we don't have to use paper at home, so i'm hoping to hit some consignment stores and thift stores this weekend to see if i can find some cool vintage cloth!

:: i babysat a&w for the first time in ages today! we had a ball. so much playing and silliness. photos to come.

:: its already tuesday and i've only had 1 day of work. not a bad way to start the week

:: i am reading The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard on the train. right up my alley. highly interesting and enlightening. look forward to some upcoming posts about that. i'm also enjoying that i don't have to knit on the train. i am working on a couple washcloths, but i have no real deadlines right now. a nice change of pace {she says as she's thinking of the next 4 projects she can't wait to start! lol}

the empty corner...

until last sunday this perfect little tree

adorned the far corner of my bedroom.

it was a nook i'd never realized needed something,

but this tree fit so well.

it added some glitz and some joy...

but now its gone.

i took off all the ornaments,

then the lights.

took it off the base.

and then literally stood there,

wondering how to get it out of the house

without the inevitable

trail of needles.

and then i looked to the right

and realized i had a big ole window right next to it

so in grinch-like style

i hefted that thing up

and heaved it out the window onto the porch!

on the second attempt it worked!!

no needles beyond the bedroom.

dan laughed at me for a few minutes

he went out onto the porch to see it for himself.

chuckled again, and told me i could leave it there

he'd dispose of it.

on friday night on my way in from work,

i noticed the tree wasn't lying on the porch

so i asked him about it on saturday morning

"you didn't see?!?!"

he asked me as if i was nuts.

i hadn't.

"go outside and see!"

and so our tree was re-purposed

as a winter shrub for our front yard!

it doesn't look half bad.

my cute little tree.

so for now it will stay.

and i'll look for something to fill that spot in our bedroom.

for now its housing dan's guitar and amp.

not a bad thing.

the music that comes from them

is very cozy and homey

but i think we can do better.

This Week

this week had the potential to be extremely hectic.

and yet it wasn't nearly as bad as i expected.

monday//

:: prepped for an upcoming workshop

:: attending a goodbye to MGH party for one of my favorite MGHers and best possible teammate :(

:: hit whole foods for the first time in ages and picked up some healthy food to keep me fueled for the week.

:: got home late. wasn't hungry, but made a veggie calzone to eat for the rest of the week

tuesday// the workshop begins.

:: my co-worker dave and i co-facilitated a 4-day process improvement workshop (kaizen) with the help of our very talented GE coach linda (far left)

:: we were extremely lucky to have an informed, dedicated, open-minded group of staff to work with. they got a lot done in their 4 days away from their units.

wednesday// snow

::left home around 5am.

made it about a mile. visibility was practically non existent

snow covered branches fell into the street and blocked the way or at least the view

and as a result, i hit a downed power line.

i couldn't stop.

i slammed the brakes, let off knowing i shouldn't, but then thought

"hmm this isn't like slamming into a guard rail.... if the car blows up i'll have wished i tried harder."

slam brakes. couldn't stop.

no bang. no sparks.

slammed it into reverse and backed up.

geeeez. i was able to cut up on the lawn on the left side of the road and get under the line and out of the neighborhood.

driving in snow does not scare me.

that did!

but i made it to work, and so did 7 of our 8 participants.

that totally rocked.

that's one of the things i love about MGH. there are some people who are just SO passionate.

::cold + snowy + hot shower = perfect

add in some new olive oil soap and its an instant stress-be-gone situation

loved it. and i think it may actually help fight this dry skin situation.

plus, as much as i love my dr. bronners liquid soap and the ease of using that,

there's something so beautiful about soap bubbles!

thursday//

::long day. got home at 8p.

worked til 9p from my sturdy little mac.

dan went to bed.

i had the fire for company :)

until i crashed too

i think what got me through the week of long, mentally draining work-days,

were my low-key nights.

no errands. no visiting. no obligations.

sometimes that's the only way.

one night i came home and caught up on my google reader catalog of creative ideas. always works to recharge my batteries.

one night dan and i laid on the couch and watched Good Will Hunting.

i even managed to make progress on my 2011 goals!

:: i finished my first mitten. its kinda pointy and weird, so that was disappointing but i finished nonetheless. i'll keep learning and trying.

:: this house is clean. even come friday. no clutter. no mess. dishes in the sink. island free of debris. one perk= i have room to display this gorgeous new platter that terri gave me for christmas. love it.
:: oh, and i took more photos! score.

friday//

:: another long day.

but having an end in sight was great.

i was fading during the first half of the day,

but thinking of going for drinks with my team helped pick me up

carla, stephanie, dan, dave and i went to scampo at the liberty hotel for drinks and dinner.

we laughed so hard.

we bitched.

we commiserated.

we laughed even harder.

we ate some literally mouth-watering foods.

we drank some drinks. the boys drank some really strong drinks.

dave's fiancee cara came to join us.

we drank some more.

we laughed even harder.

and so. yes all in all, not a bad week.

though today may take the cake:

saturday//

:: woke up around 8:30a

:: dan made a yummy breakfast

:: we chatted about our weeks

:: we got the fire blazing and cleaned up from breakfast

:: then we sat on the couch [the very thing i'd been looking forward to all week]

we watched A League of Their Own and Julie & Julia.

---------- did i mention this was a great day?? ---------------------

:: then i did some shopping and got dinner with my favorite extended family.

and still, i have 2 days off to go.

i plan to enjoy every second.

It's that time of year... {{again}}

Time for new goals.

New aspirations.

New things to look forward to in the year to come.

New things to check off the ole' bucket list, the endless to-do list.

So here goes nothing.

Photography:

1. Take another class. I'd like to go back NESOP in the Spring for their Advanced Digital Camera class. And if that does work (schedule-wise or otherwise), I will find a similar class to build upon the basic understanding I learned in my Beginning Digital Camera class.

2. Take more photos of the everyday. I'm going to make a point to leave my camera in specific places around the house in hopes that it will remind me to capture small moments at home, or take it with me when I hop in the car to go somewhere that I wouldn't normally take my big honkin' camera.

3. Try my hand at some more semi-professional photo shoots. I really enjoyed working with Angela & Barry, Dave & Cara, DJ & Manda, and little Mackenzie & Brielle. Definitely wanting to try some more challenging photography in 2011. If you're interested in a free session, let me know!

Crochet

I've done a little dabbling with this craft both during 2010 and already a little bit in the new year. I'm not convinced I'll ever love it as much as knitting, but I already know that it is has a lot of great applications and I want to learn at least the basics with crochet. I have a book that my friend Ellen leant to me over a year now (if you need it back please just holler), and I'm looking forward to tackling some of the squares from that book, even if its just to make a doll blanket for one of my nieces!

Sewing

I think a Thursday Night Sewing Club is already forming and I love that prospect. My Aunt Florence has graciously offered to teach Mom and me how to sew (Mom knows some basics. I do not). My friends Ryan and Kim are also very interested, and so I think us ladies (plus Nathan when he's free) may just have a grand old time learning how to sew. I'm very much looking forward to it. If I can sew a button on a shirt by the end of 2011, I'll consider that a success since I can't even do that. Anything more is a bonus!

Knitting

I've learned a lot about knitting in 2010 but there's more I'd like to learn and projects I'd still like to accomplish. This year I'm planning to make at least 1 more hat and 2 more afghans (one is in progress now). I will also learn to make mittens.

Make More Handmade Gifts

1. I very much enjoyed this part of my Christmas routine this year. I am planning to update this post with an exact percentage of how much of my gift giving was handmade by me (or others) this year with plans to increase that percentage for next year's Christmas season.

2. Start Christmas crafting by May at the latest. There simply wasn't enough time to do all of what I wanted to do this year. I have zillions of notes saved in Evernote. Lots of ideas. Just need to start executing earlier.

Think about Simplifying on a Daily Basis

I'm finding that there is a lot of clutter in my life lately. When I am mindful about how I am spending my time and what I am wanting to accomplish I can do a lot of these things that really make me feel productive and happy.

1. I am aiming to watch less television on weeknights so that I can spend more time reading and crafting. Sitting in the quiet by the fire right now is so amazingly peaceful. I am in the midst of a stressful week at work and yet I am not stressed. I write this to remind myself of how well this CAN work.

2. I want to be better organized with my work bag and items I always think I need on a daily basis and yet rarely do (until the moment I need that specific thing and its inevitably at home)... I need less stuff and I need to be more organized= the bottom line.

3. Cleaner car & cleaner home. To be fair neither are actually dirty. But they are both cluttered. It's part of who I am. I'd rather work on something until I drop than to stop 15 minutes early and put everything away (really, that doesn't sound like it's any fun at all does it??). However, at the end of the week it looks like 2 adults, 6 kids and 3 circus clowns live in this small house and as much as it doesn't take me 2 days to clean, its still mildly overwhelming and let's face it, unnecessary. It drives Dan crazy and that's not fair. I am happier when the house is clean and clutter-free and I need to do the little things every day to make that happen. If I put stuff away at night, it will make my morning's easier... It's a good thing all around. I just need to push myself.

Pay It OFF

1. Pay off my Student Loan.

2. Pay off my Car Loan.

I'm not great about budgeting my money or being super strict. I've tried. But I've figured out a way to make this happen and I'm doing it. In fact I got a head start and just paid a bunch more towards my Student Loan at the end of December (one more upside to a handmade Christmas). My Dad will be so proud! ;)

That seems to be enough, though for some reason I'm having a hard time hitting "Publish Post" on this one because it seems like I'm missing something.... thankfully I can always come back and edit.

For now, Happy 2011! I'm so looking forward to this year. Each January feels like a fresh start to me, but this year that feeling is even stronger. Fresh feels good!

Best of 2010 Part 2

and part 2 for your viewing pleasure!

It truly was a great year. What were the best parts of your 2011?