the days, mostly

sewing, playing, moving inward, finding the new balance, cuddling up, seeking books,

indulging in movies, treasure hunting, piecing together patch by patch 

where we are: the balance between work and play

this is often the normal state of our living room. small toys scattered across the floor. parades of cars or fairies or playmobil folk. blocks and bits of paper and acorns. 

i knew i had some sewing to do today and also knew that my mind wouldn't settle into it unless i reigned in the chaos.

this is the way i prefer the living room!

 
i did the tidying and sweeping while tristan ate his snack on the deck, just outside the living room door.



i tried to mentally prepare tristan for the fact that i was going to spend some time sewing, that he could play beside me, or help me pull the pins out, or rest on his bed for an hour with a book. he claimed that he was cool with it.

for a while when i was measuring and tracing he kept hiding things on me: the yardstick, my disappearing ink pen, scissors, anything he could get his hands on. and then i gave him some fabric to cut up. from there he wanted to cut up cardboard. i gave him some paper plates, which he chose instead to draw on. he was quite industrious with his stack of plates, and explained all the scenes to me.



i am definitely in need of some activity ideas to keep the young boy engaged and satisfied while i sew. i've got to get busy! i am going to be selling wares at the holiday market this year, and am way behind on production.

what do you do at home when you need to work and you are the primary caretaker of a young one? i have some tried and true ideas, but am looking for more!

this is the blanket i was working on, completed after the kids went to bed. i didn't have enough of the fabulous flower burst fabric, so added in the toile (at least i think it's toile! it's from a fancy sheet i found at a yard sale a long time ago). the back is a soft buttery chenille.







after meeting my goal for the day, we went for a romp outside.

we have a fairy hut we've been working on in the side yard. it's an enchanting place to be, and there is a beautiful mat of bright moss growing on the floor of the hut. we enjoyed our warm afternoon puttering around the fairy hut with loki the cat close by. i looked up in wonder at the tall trees that fill our yard and sent up a heartfelt thank you. we are in good company!

owl in a day's work

just a little note to say, i really haven't abandoned blogging! i am trying to think of ways to be more consistent about posting. i will probably go back to matching days with themes, so stay tuned. there will surely be a handmade monday and a thrift thursday. . .

in the mean time, autumn is slowly making it's way back into our world. the days have been blissfully comfortable, with perfect light and a sweet breeze. i am settling back into routine. tristan has playgroup three times a week. there is story time at the library. there are crafts to be made and acorns to be collected. and there is sewing to do. 

my machine was broken for quite some time and the expense of fixing it was unfortunately way low on the ladder of immediate concerns. but for my birthday dan sprung to have it repaired and i can now sink into those meditative and sometimes maddening moments of stitching. i plan to sell my wares at the holiday market again this year, and so must begin to rebuild my stock. i am so very behind schedule! i finally had some time alone today to sew up this sweet set:

those owls are pretty silly and remind us of one of our favorite books, little owl lost, by chris haughton.

during one break or another today, i enjoyed this salad. i'm loving salads these days. have i mentioned that i've lost 10-15 pounds? i'm never quite sure because our scale is very wonky. but i know for certain that i can fit back into things that have been too snug for a couple of years. i have a long way to go yet. i would love to lose another 15. that is where the real challenge will come in! portion control seems to work best for me. i love to cook and i love to eat what i cook. but that is not always a good thing. portion control paired with exercise usually have immediate results for me. hula hooping has done wonders. but with the onset of autumn and all that warm winter baking to come, i need to definitely add in some more exercise.

speaking of clothes, or dryer is currently broken. and so another part of my day was spent hanging laundry, another task that is meditative, and perhaps a bit maddening!

wishing you a wonderful week filled with opportunity to hang around in the fresh air!