"Look! I'm a Farmer!"

On a glorious, sunny day a couple weekends ago, Alex and I took my boys tomato picking at a local organic farm. At one point, as my older son dragged his tomato-heavy sack along the path, he exclaimed, "Look! I'm a farmer!". And, if fact, we did all feel a little closer to the earth that day. We had a blast. See for yourself...

Vermont Valley Farm

Purple Basil

They had lime and lemon basil too! All we could pick for free.

Here come some pickers.

Folks making pesto right on the farm.

Carrying heavy bags of tomatoes wears boys out.

All heritage varieties.

The aisles.

I am being shown how the slope of the tomato is the same as the hills around us.

Alex showing us how to pick a ripe tomatillo.

Tomatillos!

Alex showing my big boy how to find the good ones.

Stunning views.

Little bear loved the goats.

My booty waiting to be canned.

If you have the chance, get to a local farm that has pick-your-own days. There is something extremely satisfying about picking large amounts of something to put up for the winter while chatting with your loved-ones and like-minded strangers. 

–Cassandra

Friday Finds: ECO Lunchbox

If you are like me, you hate the thought of your child's food sitting in a (off-gassing) plastic container until lunchtime. Not to mention, landfills full of plastic bags. Forgive me if my mommy is showing...but my find today is the awesome stainless-steel sandwich bag alternative from Eco Lunchbox.

I love the all-metal construction on these. Similar brands use plastic tops which are albeit easier, but then we're still using plastic. Sometimes if you're going to go eco, you might as well go all the way. 

Washable, durable, sustainable. Love it.

–Cassandra

Sidetracked

It's 65 degrees outside here in Madison. Consequently, I have ants in the pants. My unfocused mind cannot bring you the sewing machine tutorial on stitches I planned for today. Sorry about that!

All I can do this afternoon is dream about stuff I want to tackle: clean the house, finish up old projects, and start a few brand new ones. Here are a few of the things on my to-do short list:


1. I already have some killer Amy Butler fabric in my stash so I can sew myself a Frenchy Bag for a summer purse. I've been meaning to do this since last summer.

2. As Alex showed you on Monday, I bought some awesome fingering weight yarn in my signature (ochre) color so I can start a nice lightweight springtime knitting project called the Ishbel Shawl by Ysolda Teague.

Ysolda herself modeling Ishbel as a scarf.

3. More, and more, and more cotton pajamas for the littles. Home-made feels so much snugglier.

Simplicity 8493 has been the bomb.

4. The Easter Bunny might bring some little ducks or chicks.

5. My head is swimming with ideas for fabric designs and embroidery patterns. I need some serious alone-time to exercise those spirits.


And then...I have some super-secret knitting going on. Alex and I are putting final tweaks on our pattern to be included in the upcoming What (Else) Would Madame DeFarge Knit book. Plus, we are working on a submission idea we are pretty excited about for DeFarge Does Shakespeare. You have never heard us giggle and squeal the way we do when designing knitted objects. I think we were meant to do this.

Another sneak peek of our upcoming design.

So, what I need is: a clean house, some peace and quiet, my sewing machine, and my knitting bag. That is the cure for my ants in the pants. Until I get the bug to get outside in the dirt....

–Cassandra