house on hill road

Kids Clothing Week Challenge

Fabrics chosen by the girls - their buy-in is absolutely necessary if I'm going to do this. Also, my list is a little long and maybe a wee bit ambitious (they are both in a women's xs now), but I'm in. How about you?

Smile-inducing

Things making me happy this morning:

The sound of legos and playmobil coming from the other room. And knowing which child is playing although I haven't set eyes on her yet this morning.

Sleeping in my own bed last night (just home from spring break).

The anticipation of three full, unplanned days before we return to a normal routine.

Crisp morning temperatures and a garden that grew a bunch over the last six days.

Being home in time to bring the lilacs in, even if they may be past their prime.

Thinking about binding a quilt. And starting another one.

Having the good sense to have grocery shopped last night as soon as we got home.

Checking the hourly weather and planning a run.

 

What's putting a smile on your face this morning?

Hello there.

I feel like the blog has been neglected a bit lately. And when I start feeling that way, I also feel that I need to check in even though I don't really have much to share. I know it's my space and that I can do what I please, but I like it here even when there isn't much going on.

So, hi.

I just got over a terrible cold. No fun.

The girls should be walking in the door from school any minute and I just pulled chocolate chip cookies out of the oven for them. Nice, right? Selfishly, I am hoping that a little treat will help make homework and chores and errands go smoothly, but it's probably just a wish. Doesn't hurt to try, though.

I've been sewing a bit. It's a little project that I have to keep under wraps for the time being. That said, I pulled out the nice fabric for it. That Liberty of London up there? It wasn't doing me any good sitting on my shelf so I cut it. It felt great. I should do that more often.

I've got a mess of scraps that need dealing with. Most of them are small-ish in size. They'd be perfect for potholders and the like. I've thought about making little kits with the scraps and batting, plus a pattern for a few different types of potholders. They would be reasonably priced. What do you think? Is there any interest in that? Let me know.

I'm scrapbooking, but I guess that deserves a post of it's own. Soon.

Ok. The girls are home. I'm going to make some smoothies to go with cookies.

It's a New Year

Greetings and salutations.

I didn't expect to be away for so long, but it has been a great break. We spent over a week in Colorado, hanging out with my parents and skiing. It was exactly what I needed - some time to decompress and just be. We had a beautiful, low-key Christmas and I am ready to greet 2012 with a smile. That is something to be thankful for, isn't it?

In order to recover from our vacation (funny how that always happens), I'm easing back into everyday life. I've spent the last couple of days stocking the freezer and cleaning house. The girls are headed back to school tomorrow. I'm anxious to start cleaning out closets and organizing the studio so I can focus on new projects. I have not sewn a single stitch in a few weeks, but I did knit a hat while we were gone. I have so many thoughts on what I want to make and do in 2012. I'm leaning towards less is more and really prioritizing what I spend my free time doing.

See you back here soon for some show and tell.

And just like that

I woke up this morning to one paperwhite in bloom. It made my day.

The one handmade gift was finished today. Phew. Photos will come after Christmas, ok? The rest is all under control, or as much control as I'm going to have. You know what I mean, right? It's December and it's busy and that's life and I wouldn't change it. Well, I'd like a trick for getting the dog off of the couch. But really, other than that, I wouldn't change it.

The girls are out for their Christmas break and I am anxious to spend some time hanging out and relaxing with my family. On that note, I'm signing off until we reach the other side of Christmas. Thank you all for reading my blog and supporting me with comments and emails and more. I feel very blessed and count you all among my gifts. I hope that you enjoy the holiday season. Merry everything!

-Erin

Merry making

I'm short on words and long on to-do's so I thought I'd share some photos that put a smile on my face this week. I hope there is some merry making happening around you, too. (And that Jack Daniels Winter Jack is only available in Germany. If you happen to be there, I give you my personal recommendation. Heat it up and sip it as a hot toddy. It's really delicious and warming.)

Also, a reminder that my shop will be closing late Thursday, December 15th or before that if they sell out sooner. Just a few camera straps remain so if you are interested, don't wait too long. I'd hate for you to miss out.

I hope to be back here in the next day or so. I'm busy finishing my one handmade gift and getting the last of the presents wrapped and ready. See you soon.

It's December

Jane turned 12 on Friday. That's a lot of birthday candles. And kind of hard to believe, you know? She is such a sweet girl - kind, considerate, sensitive, funny, smart, creative. It's an amazing priviledge to watch her grow up. I'm grateful and blessed. She's such a bright spot in so many people's lives. We took her and a gaggle of her friends to see Hugo. Go see it, if you haven't already. All the girls loved it and Fatty and I agreed. Fantastic.

The halls are decked and the tree is trimmed. The tree almost fell over and if I were the superstitious kind, I'd say I had that coming. But, I'm not superstitious so I'm choosing to shrug my shoulders and thank Fatty's foresight for wrapping a wire around the trunk and anchoring it to an eye hook in the nearest window frame. And then thank him again for adding an additional wire and eye hook to the other window (the tree is in a corner) after the severe tilting, almost falling incident. I've planted the paperwhites and hung the garland. I've repaired one smoker that lost its nose and a nutcracker that lost its arm. How this happens while these things are in storage baffles me. I've started addressing the Christmas cards - I got to the letter H and stopped. And I ended up with an extra wreath this year, so I hung it over the kitchen sink. It is so nice to look at it while washing dishes and cooking. That may be the most brilliant idea that I've had recently.

I have not yet finished any sort of handmade gift. I will definitely finish the quilt that has been started and beyond that, anything else I manage will be a bonus. I really wanted to design a calendar tea towel for 2012, but didn't manage that. I guess there is still time so maybe that will happen.

I have a few gifts left to purchase, but nothing crazy or hard to find. I've decided to give the teachers a donation in their name to the local soup kitchen along with a small token of appreciation. We're also looking through the house and finding gently used things that someone else may need at this time of year. So far, I've donated a television and have plans to donate the kids' outgrown bikes.

I haven't baked a single cookie and am not sure if I am going to or not. Gingerbread is definitely on the list to make as well as a surprise culinary gift for my siblings and parents. I plan on picking up gingerbread house kits for the girls to decorate one evening with a babysitter while Fatty and I are out.

The advent calendar is not set up yet, but I've been giving the girls little treats each day. Tomorrow I will fill it. Yes, I will.

And so, that's where I am right now. How's December treating you?

Winners! (and other various announcements)

The winner of Little Bits Quilting Bee is #71 Kelly O

The winner of the Northcote Range fabric bundle is #35 Leila

Congratulations to both of you! Please email me with your addresses so the prizes can be sent off to you.

In other news, the House on Hill Road shop will be re-stocked on Tuesday, November 29th with a batch of patchwork camera straps. I will close the shop on December 15th or when the inventory is sold, whichever comes first. I am happy to ship overseas, but I cannot guarantee delivery by Christmas.

I'm signing off for the long weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families. To those of you outside the U.S., I hope you have a lovely weekend as well.

I did it!

13.1 miles.

A huge thank you to Fatty and the girls for supporting me, cheering me on and handing me a banana and taking my jacket at mile 9. Thanks also to Michael for coaching me, listening to my whines and then promptly ignoring them, and making me believe that I really could do this thing. Thank you, Kirby, for running all those miles on Saturdays and Sundays, in the dark and in the sun, telling me funny stories and believing in me. And to my friends who I work out with during the week and that met me along the route, especially Suzanne for running with me when I really needed some distraction. Thanks to Marcia and Kelly for looking for me at the start, waiting for me at the finish line, and commiserating with me about long runs while training. You girls rocked that race! And to all of you, for the phone calls, texts, tweets and emails of encouragement. It was really nice knowing that so many people were out there virtually cheering. Thank you! I couldn't have done it without all the support.

And now I am off to continue celebrating a certain 10 year-old's birthday. The well wishes for her are very appreciated as well.

Cheers!

Wednesday, already?

This week is flying by. Things on my mind:

Margaritas. I was so happy I blogged the big batch recipe - that came in handy this weekend.

Leslie makes and sells the coolest chalkboard placemats. My girls love them and so do I. We do math problems, spelling words, hangman and doodle on them. They would make a lovely holiday gift. You can snatch some up in her store.

I'm completely crushing on Amy Butler's newest fabric line, Lark. Maybe it's time for some camera straps...

Eireann has stocked her store with lots of great paper goods. I bought her calendar last year and have enjoyed flipping the page each month. Go, take a look. You won't be disappointed.

Emily and Molly have opened up habit to everyone this month. It's chock full of magic. Won't you consider joining in? Details here.

I put the garden to bed this afternoon. I was amazed to find tomatoes and peppers still going - I kind of gave up on the whole deal about a month ago. I left a few tomatoes in the beds to see if we get any volunteers next year. I always think that is so cool. And if there are no volunteers, I'll be happy knowing the squirrels had a good meal.

Halloween was here and gone in a flash. It hurts a little to think that Jane only has a year or two left of trick or treating. So bittersweet, this growing up thing.

I have the urge to knit. Big time. Hats and cowl, particularly. Any suggestions?

My second Tova fits! More on that another day.

Outstanding in the Field

Two weeks ago, Fatty and I, along with some friends, attended an Outstanding in the Field dinner on a beautiful farm overlooking the Ohio River. It was event that we had anticipated for many months and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful evening. From bourbon sweet tea and local wines, to the foods grown and prepared for us, everything was delicious and more. Tradition dictates that everyone brings a plate, thus allowing everyone to bring something to the long, outstretched table. It was a grand sight and sitting there, watching the sun set over the river, was an idyllic scene. I have always loved the idea behind Outstanding in the Field and I was happy that the experience lived up to that idea. Before too much time went by, I wanted to document that wonderful night. It was the first time in a long while that I felt like taking more than one or two or ten photos. I know this is a photo heavy post, but I had a hard time narrowing down my selections. These are my favorites.

Still here

I've been feeling rather quiet lately. Everything is fine. I just need a little break from all the noise.

In other news, the headboard for Jane's room was delivered on Saturday. It's better than I could have imagined. She loves it, too.

I finally settled on a backing for her quilt. Yesterday I sandwiched it and started quilting. It's slow-going, but looking good.

I've been watching The Good Wife - season 2. And after that I am going to take one of the many fantastic suggestions you all gave me so I can finish this quilt. There are so many good options! Thank you.

Once this quilt is finished, it'll be time to paint some furniture and make a bed skirt. Time to get the paint deck out to find the perfect shade. Big surprise - we're going with green.

I feel like there's something else I wanted to say, but I can't remember what it was. I'll be back as soon as I think of it.

Some things this Friday

You guys are a great source of information. Now I, along with you, have a great dinner prep/freezing resource in the comments of the last post. If you are looking for some great ideas to make meal time easier and faster, read through those comments. Amazing! Thank you.

My dear friend Heather Smith Jones opened Blue Sparrow Press last week. I received my order over the weekend and am so happy with all of her goodies. I knew it would all be beautiful, but in person, it's even better than I could have imagined.

As some of you may have already noticed, I'm hanging out at habit for the month of September. I was so touched when Emily and Molly invited me back. It's one of my favorite spaces. Please stop by.

Did you see Blair's new quilt pattern? I love the subtle chevron those friendship bracelets strips and the neutrals make. I might just have to make one. I'm thinking green.

I'm looking forward to a good, long weekend. Hope yours is great!

Unplugging

This photo really doesn't have much to do with anything. I just like how it sparkles.

Our summer vacation is coming to a close. The girls start school in a week and a half. In some ways, it doesn't seem possible that it's time to start the lunch making and homework again so soon. In other ways, I'm am so ready for a more predictable routine. Either way, it's coming. I think we are ready - school uniforms bought and altered, new backpacks waiting, shoes ordered, school supplies purchased. Now to enjoy the little bit of free time we have left.

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to unplug for the next week or so. I might check email once or twice, but that is about it. If you need me for some reason, please be assured that I will get back to you when I turn the computer back on. I'm closing up the shop this afternoon around 3:00 p.m. Any orders placed between now and then will ship tomorrow. I'll re-open after Labor day weekend.

In the meantime, if you know of any good and educational iPad apps for children in elementary and middle school, would you please share? Kate will be in 4th grade and Jane will be in 6th. My favorite app that I found at the end of last year is called My Spelling Test - you type in the word, record it and then your kids get to take a test just like at school. The girls had so much fun studying their spelling words this way. We also use Stack the States - great practice for all the state capital memorizing that I know is headed Kate's way. Both of these are available for iPhone, too.

And while I'm at it, any good apps for me? I'm looking for a good organizational system for us. And lunchbox ideas that aren't sandwiches. I found this sesame noodle salad (via Molly) that I'll be trying out. Any other ideas that you all have, I'd love to hear.

I guess that's it. Over and out.

Random bits for Tuesday

The peonies in my yard are blooming. Yippee!

Kids Clothing Week Challenge, days 6 and 7 = FAIL. I kind of thought that might happen. Our weekend was planned out to the max - dinners out Friday and Saturday, 4 soccer games and a piano recital. Not a stitch was sewn, nor any fabric cut. So be it. I'm pretty happy that I managed 2 nightgowns and something else for each of the girls. And for those of you that asked, I will try my best to do a skirt tutorial in the next week or so. It's really easy to make. I just need a little time to make another and write it all up.

With the help of my college-aged neighbor and babysitter, I've been whipping the sewing room and the adjoining playroom into shape. We are *so* close to getting it trashed out. It's amazing how much junk I have in there. I have officially run out of shelf space (again) so I am going to have to get some projects finished or let some fabric go....

Did you see Blair's stump tables? My neighbor took down two huge trees yesterday and today and I'm kicking myself for missing the opportunity to snag one or two of my own.

Geekcraft winner will be announced in a separate post - probably tomorrow.

Hope Tuesday is treating you well.

This is the week I get things done

Last week was crazy busy in the best way. We celebrated my dad's birthday and Mother's Day with some horse racing smashed between. All good, but exhausting. I woke up this morning to the realization that this is the beginning of the last three weeks of school. 14 full days and 1 half day left. It's going to fly by with the field trips and special events.  There is so much I want to accomplish before my days are filled with swimming and sunblock and time is running out. I made a list of chores that need doing and have committed to crossing at least one off every day. I started last night by going through Jane's drawers. All winter clothes are stored, outgrown clothes are in the hand-me-down pile. Check. I also started cleaning and organizing the family room bookshelves and will finish those today. Some of the items on this list can be accomplished rather quickly and others will take a big time commitment (the sewing room, ahem). I figure if I can attack one of these items every day, this house will be in great shape within a week or two.

It is also the beginning of Kids Clothing Week Challenge and I'm in. I don't have any specific plans beyond another set of nightgowns. My kids are pretty well kitted out for the summer - the only holes in their wardrobes are dresses and skirts. I have one Japanese craft book that has clothing in larger sizes (130, 140, 145, 150) that I am going to use as a starting point. The silhouettes are very simple and look like they will come together pretty fast. And when I'm finished sewing for the girls, it's back to my dress.

So yeah, it's the week I get things done. How about you? What are you up to?

Some green for your Thursday

Just popping in to say hello. We're having our floors refinished and our house is all sixes and sevens. I'll be back here soon. In the meantime, enjoy some green.

Home from Charleston

I slipped away with girlfriends for a few days and came home to a missed family, a clean kitchen, one quilt ready for binding and another ready for quilting. I'm going to ease into this week, exercise, grocery shop, sew my ass off and start the garden. You?

Popping in to say hi

Hello from school auction art project headquarters. I am *this* close to being finished. The advent calendars need a dowel rod and ribbon for hanging and the play tents need their bamboo poles. I also have to pick up the 8th grade photography project and pop those into their frames. I'm almost finished clear coating the outdoor furniture and rain barrels at school - one more coat for each piece. Then, on Sunday, when it's all over I'm going to take a big, fat nap.

In the meantime, I'm thinking about dipping my toes back into the shop waters with just a few camera straps. Any color combination requests? I can't promise anything, but I'll definitely consider any ideas.

Check and check

The auction quilts are finished - full reveal once I get some photos taken.

I found a plant that the cat won't eat. I love those tiny daffodils.

Happy weekend everyone!