All in a Day

One of the books read over-and-over in our house is All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Nikki McClure. It is a poetic account of the big and little things that happen in a day of a young farm boy's life. Yesterday felt like our own All in a Day story. And I caught some of it with my camera.

: Beginning to introduce native woodland plants into our modest patch of wilderness

: PB&J picnic with my babies (and daughter's helpful boyfriend)

: The garage was a noisy place with planter boxes being made by my husband and father-in-law for the tomatoes spouted on the windowsill by the littles

: Certain little boys needed a shower and a little Mr. Rogers Neighborhood after a day in the sunshine

: Some work that did not fit in today

: And then, at the end of the day, being gently reminded to stop and be present for a snuggle moment on the couch

Trying to photo capture a simple day at home sort of happened spontaneously. Most of this day I was covered in dirt without a camera in sight. And certain photos may be a little fuzzy, but not every little moment is photo-friendly. But, it was a good experiment and I think I'm going to try it again...maybe more mindfully this time. 

I'm wondering, how was your day?

–Cassandra

Patches!

Last Friday I posted a link to a tutorial with great ideas for covering the worn spots in well-loved children's clothing. So excited by the ideas I had uncovered online, over the weekend I took the "to be mended" pile out of the corner of my sewing room and got to work getting creative with the patching.

I discovered that I had 3 pairs of little boy pants with holes that were perfect candidates. The first pair I tackled had (impressive) holes in both knees. This called for matching patches on both legs, sewn on with a couple quirky rows of zigzag stitches.

What I did was figure out the length and width of the patch required, add a couple inches to each measurement, and then cut 2 pieces (per leg) of my patterned cotton fabric. To make sure the patch was going to hold up to more little boy shenanigans, I also cut a piece of Peel n Stick Fabric Fuse the same size for added strength. This product is sticky on both sides so I took my pieces of cotton and stuck one (patterned side out) on each "sticky" side. That created a really sturdy "double-sided" patch. I pinned the patches on both legs to be even with each other and did a few rows of zigzag to secure them.

I learned a few things from this initial project:

1. The Fabric Fuse was REALLY sticky when my needle was trying to sew in-and-out of it. My needle built up a nice layer of glue that I would clean off every so often and resume my sewing.

2. Sewing a patch on a little pant leg can be really frustrating because something so small doesn't leave much room for maneuvering.

3. It is best to use a larger needle when doing this type of sewing. I used one specified for denim and it worked great.

The next pair had a smaller hole on just one leg. Because the hole was small I didn't feel the need for the Fabric Fuse. I just cut 2 pieces of cotton to size, sewed them right sides together around the edges, and left a little opening to turn the patch right-sides out. Then I pinned it in place and sewed it around the edges with a straight stitch. Super-easy!

The last pair was a little trickier. I'd seen a few images of "monster patches" at various places and thought I'd try my hand at one.

I started by cutting some red fabric and making a patch with the Peel n Stick Fabric Fuse like I did on the first one.

Then, I turned the pants wrong-side-out and pinned the patch in place and drew a circle close to the edges of the patch.

With pants still inside-out, I took 6 strands of embroidery thread and a larger hand-sewing needle and stitched around the drawn circle. I turned the pants back right-side out (admired the new monster mouth) and set them aside.

I took some white and black wool felt and hand-stitched some cute monster eyes and then found a good spot for them above the mouth. I secured those with hand-quilting thread.

My monster may not be as complicated as some I've seen, but I was going for one with "homespun" charm. :)

–Cassandra

"I'm Covered in Beeeeees!"

Here's a little something to start your week off right:



And, believe it or not, there's actually a reason for this small bit of comedy...


My first time in an official beekeeping suit!

This was me on Saturday!  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I finally donned a bee suit and took a beekeeping class. I know that I've talked about getting bees for a couple of years (post #1 and post #2) but this weekend I took the steps necessary to make it happen this year.

The class was awesome. It was taught by Nathan Clarke of Mad Urban Bees - a unique beekeeping operation in Madison, WI. Nathan has been keeping bees for seven years and moved from hobbiest to entreprenuer last year. He partners with Madisonians to house his hives in backyards around the city. He cares for the bees and harvests the honey and the host families get free honey in exchange for the use of their yards. The also get the benefit of having pollinators living with them... Any gardener knows the value of that alone.

Nathan Clarke - awesome teacher, beekeeper, and entreprenuer.

Nathan sells his honey at a few local, specialty markets as well as through a honey CSA (community supported agriculture). He teaches classes because he believes that everyone should keep bees and help rebuild the bee population. He is building a cool, unique business while being an incredible steward for the earth. I was very honored to be able to learn from him and to have him as a resource.

I learned so much in this class - and I thought I'd done all the reading I needed! As Nathan says, "Ask 10 beekeepers a question and you'll get 13 different answers". As it turns out, beekeeping is a very personal pursuit and everyone has their favorite ways of doing things. However, one of the best things I learned was about how to mitigate mites organically. I was afraid, after all my reading, that I'd end up having to use chemicals to deal with these awful, pesticide-resistent parasites that destroy entire bee colonies. But, as it turns out, there are a number of chemical-free things you can do to help keep them at bay.

The last thing I did this weekend was join the local beekeeping association. Yea! I'm on the path to being a backyard beekeeper for realz!

While it's late in the season for getting bees, I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to get my hands on some to start my hive in 2013. I need to get them established in the next four weeks so the heat is on (so to speak).

Here are some photos from my class. Enjoy!

- Alex the (soon to be) Beekeeper

How the hive is assembled

How the queen is shipped.

My class, suited up and READY!

Opening the brood box to check out the bees.



How to feed the brood.




Friday Finds: Well Mended Wardrobe

Hello folks!

My little boys wear out the knees and elbows in their clothes so fast it would make your head spin. Luckily I've discovered fun tutorials to get some more use out of these torn garments. Hopefully I can share with you some of my creative mending next week. For now, here is a link to a great tutorial from Gabrielle at Design Mom to possibly start you off on your own mending adventure.

Photo courtesy of Design Mom

Have a great weekend!

Cassandra

My Love Affair with Willow

I'm sure I've mentioned it about a million times now but, just for safety's sake, I'll say it again - Madison is a unique place, full of unique people and opportunities.

One of my favorite, unique-to-Madison occurrences are the annual "Plant Guys" sales. The Plant Guys are a group of friends who garden perennials and then sell them "yard sale" style at their homes. Generally, there are about 6  sales per spring season and you can buy nearly any kind of perennial you can imagine. I can honestly say that about 80% of the plants in my yard are from the plant guys. They've introduced me to so many types of flora, I can't begin to describe their impact on my gardening.

Last year, they sadly announced would be their last. They were retiring after lord-knows-how-many-years of doing these sales. More time to spend on their own (glorious, I might add) garden. I nearly broke down in tears as I paid for, what would certainly be my last, Plant Guys purchase. I hugged them both even though I'm sure they have, at best, a vague memory of who I am...

The thing is, because of the threat of never having this resource again, I bought LOTS more stuff than normal -  including a curly willow tree. I figured I'd find somewhere in my garden to plant it...

My fave neighborhood curly willow.

 The one of the plant guys gave me the rundown on the curly willow:

1. It is super-hearty 
2. It can be grown from cuttings (that's how they propagate new ones to sell - they just trim their own tree)
3. It can be left to grow in a pot (ever bigger pots as the tree gets bigger) for YEARS
4. It can be totally neglected over winter and will still bounce back in the spring
5. It is curly!

I looked at their mature tree - planted against a side fence - and wasn't crazy about the way they had it pruned. However, I knew I didn't have to prune it the same way.

I looked at their "teenaged" plant - still in a GIANT pot - and loved the way it looked with all it's crazy curly branches.

And I took one home.

It did great all summer. Lots of delicate little leaves on an ever-expanding system of little, curly branches. My neighbors all asked about it. I put it in a larger pot and took great care of it.

When fall came, the leaves dropped and I, dubiously, put the tree, in its pot, in the garage and neglected it for nine months. As soon as I knew that the temperatures wouldn't drop to freezing again, I brought back out to the patio, soaked it with water and waited. About a week later, I had baby leaves. I couldn't believe it!

My willow - still in the pot - after being neglected all winter. LEAVES!

A week or so later, I was walking the dogs and noticed a HUGE pile of curly willow cuttings in front of one of my neighbor's houses. I ran home, got my clippers and went back to salvage some cuttings. I wanted to see if I could propagate curly willow too. The neighbor was all too happy to let me take as much as I wanted. So I cut a bunch - all different size pieces - and put them in a huge vase of water in the middle of my dining room table. A friend called it the Tim Burton centerpiece.

Lo and behold, within a few days I had baby roots sprouting. This past weekend, I bought pots, picked the healthiest looking trimmings and potted them.  So far they seem to be doing well. Fingers crossed!

My willow babies

This phenomena of propagating from cuttings means that the plant has some special kind of rooting hormone. As it turns out, you can "harvest" this hormone and use it to help other plants to root. I found this amazing tutorial, from Mr Brown Thumb, on how to make your own "willow rooting hormone" for use on seedlings, plants, etc. All you need are some willow branches, a mason jar, and some hot water. Easy-peasy!

My friend, Johanna, says that curly willow is an invasive species and, as such, she is not supportive of my growing them but I love them. I love their crazy curly branches and their even crazier ability to live all winter with no water or sun. I love their tenacity and their flexibility. I aspire to be as awesome as the willow.

- Alex

P.S. My cherry tree is blooming!

Bread Baking Without Fear

I know this is going to sound really melodramatic, but I am on a baking journey. Hopefully at the end of this adventure, me and yeast will be best friends.

Last February, I wrote about conquering a fear of yeast in my cinnamon roll post. And yes, those cinnamon rolls turned out perfectly and were tasty as hell. But honestly, they were friendly little cinnamon rolls. If a girl really wanted to test her yeasty mettle, a loaf of bread would be the next demon to face. And I faced bravely it this past weekend.

The inspiration for my first loaf came from an older blog post written by Alicia on Posie Gets Cozy where she raves about this easy bread recipe on Mother Earth News website. I had seen it a while ago, and finally this past weekend, it was time for me to give it a try. Sooo glad I did. I can't begin to tell you how proud I was taking this gorgeous boule out of the oven. Now it's my turn to rave!

Run to the store and buy the ingredients and you too can make a magical loaf of bread in your own oven. I thought I would share my process with you...it was entirely laid back and easy. It seems like a lot of steps, but trust me, each step is really quick.

This is photodocumention by me...recipe by Mother Earth News.

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt

 Dissolve yeast in warm water.

Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm room (70 degrees) for at least 8 hours (preferably 12-18).
The dough is ready when it's dotted with bubbles.

Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal.

Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.

 This little beauty is what was waiting for me at the end of the process. Magic!

 –Cassandra

Friday Finds: Awesome Free Patterns

I'm pretty sure that Cassandra and I have mentioned All Free Knitting and All Free Sewing before but I thought I'd reintroduce them to you guys for my Friday Finds.

Both sites are amazing resources for free patterns. Patterns, and pattern, and patterns, and patterns...

Right now, my "to do" sewing list is out of control based solely on the patterns that are sent to me via their daily emails.

Here's the first one on my list:

So, if you're looking for inspiration or just a boat-load of new patterns, dig around these sites. You might never come up for air. :)

- Alex