lately...

We have been busy... eating fresh produce from the farmer's market, getting the nursery ready, and waiting for this sweet baby boy to arrive. He'll be here any day now!

lately...

I am in disbelief that we have been living in Lawrence, KS for over a year now. It has been quite a year. I went from being ecstatic about the prospect of taking some time off from teaching/working to becoming extremely restless and frustrated with being stuck at home. I think "stir crazy" is the proper way of explaining it.

Since we have moved here, I have experienced brown recluse spiders, snakes, and mice all trying to invade my home and backyard. I have learned to make-do with these creatures by not having panic attacks or nervous break-downs.. so far. It has amazed me how Lawrence residents view these pests as pretty common intruders. Although I am able to somewhat deal with them in my own way (brown recluse sticky traps, mouse traps, moth balls, etc) I will never be able to welcome these critters as regular guests. Ironically, the other night we caught a mouse in the brown recluse sticky trap under our bed. The poor thing.

I am learning the art of solitude. I am learning some self-discipline as well. I have had to motivate myself to work on projects and learn new things in my time here. Since living in Lawrence, I have taken two pottery classes and a letterpress class at the Art's Center. I have taken a sewing class at Sarah's Fabrics. I have signed up for yoga classes through the Parks and Rec department. I have re-acquainted myself to crocheting. I have been given some painting commissions to paint dog portraits. All of this is new territory in it's own right. I am enjoying exploring my options in creative outlets. It has been a long time since I have made work for my sake. I am feeling my own creative juices beginning to flow again. Teaching art for five years definitely drained that for me.

Needless to say, if it weren't for my good pal, Matson, I would feel pretty alone sometimes. She has been the best companion anyone could ask for. I only wish that I was a better dog-mom that takes her on walks diligently and plays with her frisbee in the backyard more regularly. She deserves it.

We could potentially be moving again after May of this year. Toby's two-year commitment at KU will come to an end in May. He will be sending applications out again in about a month. So the journey begins again... uncertainty, anticipation and excitement. Meanwhile, as I wait for our fate to be decided, I hope to learn to be a better cook/baker. I hope to embark on motherhood. I hope to feel a sense of peace and contentment with where I am. I hope to become closer to my friends.. new and old.

Here's to another year in Lawrence... a truly cool little town in Kansas. Do come visit.

potluck + hoods

We joined the Darby's and Hossler's on Friday evening for a little "potluck." It is always fun to get together with all of them. I took along the "Cozy Winter Hoods" that I made for Emma and Elise. They seemed to really like them! Somehow I did not get a photo of Abbey. Sorry, Abbey!

more "cozy winter hoods"

I put my hood sewing skills back to work for additional sewing practice. I decided to make these for Elise and Emma. See this previous post for more information.

the one-hour skirt

I decided to make the "one-hour skirt" from Brett Bara's book "Sewing in a Straight Line" for my first project in my sewing class that I took at Sarah's Fabrics. It was definitely NOT a one-hour skirt for my beginner sewing skills, however, I am really pleased with how it turned out! I will take some photos of me wearing it, eventually. Brett Bara's book is really great.. it focuses on all things sew-able using straight lines. Clever. I really enjoy her blog as well.. go here.

jordanna's hood

I made this "Cozy Winter Hood" from the Oliver + S: Little Things to Sew book in my sewing class. I made it for my newborn baby niece, Jordanna! Unfortunately the pattern that says it is for newborn- 3 mos. is much too large for my sweet little niece's head! It was still fun and super rewarding to make! Check out Oliver + S's blog here.

fall flowers

I bought some flowers for the first time in a long time this weekend. The orange color does the job of putting me in the mood for this fantastic autumn weather.

yard saling

I went to my friend, Kim's yard sale a few days ago. She had some really great things that I would like to call "treasures." I like hunting around people's discards.. is that creepy?

crunchy and colorful salad

I don't have any problems with eating ONLY vegetables for a meal! I love vegetables. When I opened our refrigerator to determine what I would make for lunch today, I discovered a bunch of veggies that needed to be eaten. So... I made this tasty salad.

Crunchy/Colorful Salad Ingredients:

2 Roma tomatoes (Sliced into slivers and then quartered)
2 Celery stalks (Thinly sliced)
1 Carrot (Thinly sliced and quartered. I used an organic purple carrot.. extra color!)
1 Green onion (Thinly sliced and chopped)
1 tbsp Fresh ginger root (Finely chopped)
1 1/2 tbsp Crumbled blue cheese
Sea salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)

The ginger and blue cheese add a nice spunk to the flavor. A little bit of lemon juice or vinegar drizzled over top would finish it nicely as well.

salad, pottery, and books

For lunch today, I made a quick salad with winter mixed greens I bought at a tiny local farmer's market last week. (Side note: winter greens are lovely! So much heartier than typical salad greens.) I made my salad in a newly finished ceramic bowl from my first time potter class. It is so great to reap the benefits of creative labor! I am not 100% satisfied with how the glaze came out, but I am satisfied with it's size/shape!

Our class is almost over and I will be taking a break from LAC (Lawrence Arts Center) classes for awhile. Only in the efforts to save money and plan feverishly for our summer trip to Europe!! I hope to return to pottery classes at LAC again this fall. I am thoroughly enjoying this new challenging and creative outlet!

I am busy reading, "Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes" by Elizabeth Bard. I decided to read some travel journals (which I LOVE to read) that take place in locations we plan to visit this summer. "Lunch in Paris" is lovely so far! I enjoy the recipes that coincide with her writing! Delightful!

I have already read "The Vinegar of Spilamberto" by Doris Muscatine. So.. I have Italy covered. I have also read "Everything is going to be great: an underfunded and overexposed European grand tour" by Rachel Shukert. This book primarily takes place in Amsterdam. I have started but not finished Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island." This will take care of London. I have also read half of "Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong" by Nadeau and Barlow. Which is a book about two Canadian's take on the history of the French culture. Very interesting stuff.

I am hoping to find an interesting travel journal that explores Germany as well. If I have time I will try to get through "The Oysters of Locmariaquer" by Eleanor Clark (more France) and at least the part about Italy in Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love."

Well.. Yikes.. I guess I better get to my reading!

matson