angry chicken

8 is bronze and pottery

Tomorrow is our 8th wedding anniversary. We got married in winter and all our flowers were dried, with curly willow. The wedding invitations, thank you cards and favor bags were my very first gocco project ever. I remember every square inch of our teeny tiny Seattle apartment being covered with wet cards.

We try to exchange the traditional anniversary gifts every year, it's much more fun than trying to figure out another special gift after Christmas and Pete's birthday and valentines day all being so close. This year it's bronze or pottery. I'm not sure if bronze will make an appearance by tomorrow, but the pottery is on it's way, thanks to eBay. This coffee carafe (and 16 other pieces) is from the Denby pattern, Samarkand, and was the wedding pattern of my parents from 1968. Growing up, I thought there was nothing uglier than this pattern. I mean, I was actually astounded anything like this was ever made, especially in my middle school years. The pieces were put into storage and then went with my dad when he and mom got divorced. They were then lost, and my father passed away 3 years ago and I have been meaning to rebuild some of the collection ever since then but hadn't had the chance to until now.

I love this pattern so much. Yes, it still is ugly, but in the very best modern cool way ever and I love how hip my parents were to choose such a ballsy pattern. I know Denby was so popular then in the late 1960s, but not this pattern, this one was hard core, you know?

 

We have no other plans tomorrow-I have been really using up the babysitting vouchers for all this crazy stuff I have been working on, so I think we might just get some take out and then a watch a movie. And then when this coffee service comes, we'll have some extra dark coffee and some cake. Sounds pretty good to me.

 

my friend mandy (meets sadie)

My favorite doll growing up was "My Friend Mandy." I loved her so much (although I always wished she was a brunette, like me) and a big reason why she was so special was because I had a lot of clothes for her and my mom sewed a lot of clothes for her too. I had been waiting for the right time to give her to Sadie, which was really stressing me out-- would she like her? Would she play with her? It was almost too much to bear, so I just had to not make a big deal out of it and give her over. This happened on Friday right after I made this little vest and kerchief for her, so Sadie could dress her in clothes her mama made.

Mandy in a red cape sewn by my mom, circa 1978ish. This is one of those childhood toys were every piece of clothing I touch gives me chills. I remember every detail so well and sewing for Mandy for the first time yesterday, for my daughter was so special. I was weepy all day, in the best way. When I got out all her clothes that I had growing up I was so happy to see the red cape is a perfect match-

This is my favorite outfit I had for Mandy. Her camping outfit. She has sneakers but I lost one, so the clogs are on instead. The plaid shirt and backpack kill me. When you bought Mandy's outfits they had sewing patterns as freebies (like there was a pattern to make the camping sleeping bag and tote, which my mom made) Sadie loves Mandy more than I can write about, thank the lord, I was so worried. (I was trying so hard to play it cool) and she especially loves the clogs just as I did. I need to get some just like Mandy's (who knew you could search by color?) I just got black clogs so Sadie is very aware of clogs right now, which is so funny.

I scored this sewing pattern book on ebay last week and am so thrilled because all the patterns my mom had are missing and I sort of freaked out, but now I have more than I know what to do with. And these patterns are so incredibly 1970s, like the kerchief can also be an ascot. ha! I need to get a "my friend" doll for Delia. maybe Becky or Jenny? Not a blonde (but Delia is blonde-so I will have to think abut this.)

* maprons are due the end of the day Tuesday,the 28th. You still have time to make him look good!
 

I don't sew blouses.

wow! thank you all so much for the blog b-day wishes! so very cool. thank you-really. a whole lot.

I have been fixating on this type of blouse. high collar, or no collar, can't decide what to call it besides cold. looks really cold. especially for breastfeeding (how well do you really want to know me?) but I want one just like this one and can't spend anthropologie money. God, their clothes are too expensive for what they are, you know? but, I love looking there so much. I realized that I have spent so much time looking online for blouses, that really, I could have sewed one in that time. I even have a dress form (thanks MIL!) but I hate sewing blouses. hate it. all the buttons and details. I'm more of a skirt garment sewer. .by the time I can actually wear this blouse and not freeze it will be on sale anyway.(That would be about late July with Portland weather.)

So much is going on right now I can't keep up! Hillary has a amazing new site, it's so very cool and Amanda and Stephanie have new shops (and looks like they are almost sold out already!) Sarah has a new blog, (just like her old new, but with a clever new name and her shop is right there!) and I'm sure a ton more, but my brain is fried and babies are crying. and I am still blogging (negligent mom.)

**mailorder info** You all should be getting issue #1 very soon if you haven't already. If you found the secret word go to kingpod to redeem your prize. Under papergoods/mailorder. And subscribers, hang tight to your special club decoder ring, the code will be in issue #2. And, just so you all know, there will be about 150ish single issues available (this is not including the subscriber issues, dig?) for #2 and #3, so if you didn't get in on the 3 month subscription, please don't fret, you can get them singly when they ae available..

 

my blog birthday.

Wow! that snuck up fast! I wish I planned something special for you all, but really I just realized it was my blog b-day yesterday and have nothing planned. gads.

I did spend yesterday thinking about this whole blogging thing and what it means to me. What I give and what I have received and it is amazing. What I realized when I was trying to figure out exactly why this last year I have made more new connections with people than I have in the last, oh, 10 years (seriously. perhaps this means I should get out of the house more.) is that the blog thing is all about choice. I can go where I want and find real people that inspire me, make me laugh, help me cope, and cheer me on. So, thank you so very much just for being out there. I love blogging, I love reading blogs even more.

This is from one of my favorite books of all time, The American Red Cross Home Nursing Manual, published in 1942, originally owned by Pete's grandmother. I read it all the time. It's so amazing. It has everything you need. How to make hospital corners for flat sheets, tie a tourniquet, raise a child, clean a bed pan, and my favorite:

Common Sense Rules For Mental Health

There are a few simple rules which can be depended upon to help you develop habits of thinking and acting that will safeguard mental and emotional health:

1. Waste no time in looking backward. Concentrate on plans for the future.

2. Learn to get your satisfaction out of simple daily accomplishments. A row of beautifully white clothes on the line may be just as satisfying as a burst of applause over the footlights.

3. If you cannot change an unsatisfactory situation, face the fact and make the best of it. Don't wear yourself out "beating your wings against the walls life's duties have imposed."

4. Try to distinguish between the things you want and the things you really need. Often when you have attained your heart's desire you find that it isn't as important as you had thought. Learn to deny yourself little things for the sake of bigger ones. If you weight what you want today against what you know you must have later on, you will probably decide in favor of that which has the more permanent value and get greater satisfaction out of the experience in the long run.

5. Cultivate the spirit of tolerance. Try to understand the point of view of other people and concede them the right to their opinions. You may not agree with them, but if you had had the same background and experience they have had, you might think and act as they do.

6. Remember that real happiness comes only through being helpful to others, so practice the golden rule.

7. Let your sense of humor grow. Learn to laugh at yourself instead of at other people. Look for the funny side of the difficulties you get into, and they will not be half so irritating.

Thank you all for such a great first year, hopefully the first of many. big hugs. big time hugs.

tie one on - little mapron

This little mapron (for this month's tie one on) is for a small friend who is turning 4.

And his sister is turning 2 a few days later, so she gets one too! These amazing fabrics are from cia's (of course) the blue is a new moda pattern, as is the cowboy and indian pattern, and they make me so happy, I can barely stand it. The line is called "johnny & buck" how flippin' cute is that? The dots are heather ross, which I love as well. i need to make more of these little aprons, they were so easy and really fun to make. I debated having the neck strap fixed, and ended up opting to have it tie, so then the wearer can adjust it-cause you know the small people keep growin'!

**if you have received your mailorder issue #1 and have found the secret word, please go to kingpod, papergoods/mailorder to redeem your prize. We can't get this little application to run with internet explorer on a mac, BTW, sorry, you will have to use a different browser. (which we highly recommend anyway, just saying.) oh-make sure and refresh if you have the site cashed.

mailorder. in the mail.

Oh the postal service. you think you know how to mail something until you mail 200. and have, so I am told, a woefully inaccurate scale. and an "improper" mailing address labels. and "Canada" needs to be on it's own line. always. the things you learn at the post office.

but fear not, mailorder club members, all is taken care of and shipped out. I had to deface some of the mailing labels (I'd like to think this adds a handmade "charm") and was horrified to notice that I neglected to sign the master copy of the "letter from the mailorder secretary" but aside from these minor snafus, we are good to go. I had chocolate and teddy grams for the girls, and they handled the post office better than I did.

coffee, raspberry linzer torte, and two amazingly generous helpers (an eggplant and a posie) were all invaluable last night, so thank you very much.

There are many of you who did something weird on paypal and these issues (very funny and really not a pain for me, I promise) should be all taken care of now. so, if you know you did something strange and haven't heard from me, do e-mail me.

brainy but tasty tart

I made the chocolate espresso tart on sunday (newest issue of Martha) and it was really good. I used 3 bars of really dark chocolate my brother got for me for Christmas. I need to mention here my brother spoils all of us rotten and is the best gift giver ever. He gets them at chocosphere, which is on-line only, but out of Portland, so of course he picks them up at the will call, because he really like dong things like this-like doing things a bit differently, or being the exception to the rule. Like when he got the girls balloons last week he didn't want valentine's day balloons so he haggled the deli at Safeway. (I didn't know you could haggle at Safeway) to buy the display balloons (um a big chicken and a slice of pizza balloon. yup.) and brought them instead. the funniest thing to me about all this is that he didn't mention this at all, it slowly came out when I wondered aloud why would anyone buy a chicken and pizza balloon?

so, the tart was supposed to be in a rectangular pan (didn't have one) and didn't have the right star shape for the piping tip, so it got a little brainy looking but it was sure tasty. It's a crazy good ganache, then marscapone cheese, then the chocolate cookie crust. The only thing is that after the sick-good ganache, you don't even notice the crust is chocolate-it was just brown crumbly stuff.

gifts and chocolate from grammie-Sadie had a few issues, but did really well.

I can't ever talk about ganache (how much should ganache even come up in my life anyway?) without thinking of when The Rock (yes, WW, who actually reminds me of my brother, BTW) was on Martha years ago and was making cookies and at one point said "The Rock loves ganache." So that's what we say around here, too. And what is the funniest thing about that? The Rock being on Martha Stewart, or The Rock only speaking in 3rd person to Martha Stewart? Can't decide.

I heart sticker paper

I was cruising the MSL website while waiting for my scanner to do it's thing (I have a complicated relationship with my scanner and I get a lot of magazine reading done when I scan) I noticed they wrapped store bought candy bars in paper-very clever and so flippin easy. So, I busted out the full sheet sticker paper that I use for just about everything and starting wrapping the bars I had stashed for tomorrow.

I got a bit carried away. There is a little wrapped notebook there, a covered Altoids type tin (then brushed with a gel medium over the sticker paper to protect it) and the candy bars. These great retro images are from www.hipstercards.com (the link won't work, can't figure out why) and the red heart valentine that is somewhere on here, but I am super lame and can't find it now. bah.

Okay, we are ready to roll. I I really didn't like valentines day before we had the girls.Our wedding anniversary is at the end of this month, so the v-day pales in comparison to that for us, the thought of all these people being, um, romantic on the same day actually gives me the heebies, but now I'm getting into the kid/retro/vintage/old timey valentines's day. (hang-ups? nope, not me.)

sugar bomb

I think I may have mentioned that I had drastically reduced the amount of sugar I was eating. I hit the wall after the cookie escapade during Christmas and decided a change was needed. So, I have noticed a huge difference, mostly in the way my clothes fit, but also in that I have become a total lightweight with sweets now. These cookies hurt they were so sweet. And so good. The first one was almost gross, and then, like a true junkie, the rush hit me and I was a goner. The sugar cookies were from this book, which called for honey. Very tasty. And the frosting from the back of the powdered sugar bag + pink food coloring, which seems to make it taste different, I swear. More. . .pink. mmm, chemically delicious.

This was all last weekend, so they are all gone now. More cooking will ensue, because after Tuesday, I'm done with the sugar baking until Easter.

sunny friday! at last.

It's sunny here, but windy as all get out. I noticed the daphne is starting to bloom so I am happy even if it's too windy for a walk. I hope it stays sunny all weekend. I am going to try and attempt the chocolate espresso tart in the new Martha on Sunday, in a different shaped tart pan. Can't seem to find this online to show you what the heck I am talking about.

And I'd love to go by Pistils, the best nursery in Portland, to see Gayla Trail who is doing a workshop and get her to sign her book, You Grow Girl, for me. I love getting books signed. A lot. I actually am sort of obsessed with it and have quite a few signed copies of books. This is on Sunday if you want to check it out-they have chickens there! Must build a coop, can't believe I haven't yet. It's on the list.

I need to relax a bit. It's been a busy morning. mailorder is sold out and I am thrilled and so very excited for you all to get issue #1. And again, if you missed out, please don't fret. There will be a larger run of #2 and plenty of neat-o stuff in there, so it's all good. Yup, I just said that.
 

This crazy candle which, too me, is a mildly evil parrot on a tree, came home with me from the anthropologie visit last week.