december already?

thanksgiving 2012

not a creative title, but i just realized today is december 1, and i had to ask myself, december already?  fall does come to davis, but in november, not september or october.  it is cooler, highs in the 60s now, with more rainy days, and we have beautiful fall colors.  but i'm still running in shorts and tees and we rarely need jackets at the park when the sun is shining.  the wednesday before thanksgiving is usually the close to the farmer's markets in the midwest, but ours is just shifting gears to a bounty of fall and winter produce.  and so, i have to ask...december already?  no complaints here.




we had a great thanksgiving at jeannette's house.  cousins mary and jim joined us from walnut creek, and put on brave faces for what was to be a first for us all--vegetarian thanksgiving!  that's right!  blaspheme.  delicious, delicious blaspheme.  jeannette had fun experimenting with a bunch of new recipes, and we finished our early dinner full, but not too stuffed to eat most of the leftovers later that night.



and another thanksgiving first for me--skypegiving!  i missed a big family get together back in michigan, but was graciously there via computer.  it was slightly weird and fun.


as i continue in my prolonged period of unemployment (seriously, not a single interview.  seriously.  at least i'm getting better at running and sewing or i'd begin to believe every hospital in northern california that i am completely worthless.), the kids and i are spending all of our time together, which is wonderful.

it's still generally lovely enough weather to be outside most days, and i am reminded constantly of the importance, in my opinion, of children's ability to explore nature and follow their own curiosity.   i suppose they do miss out on many cultural references and some technological capacity as a result of our screen-free lifestyle, but i love they way their creativity continues to develop without concepts or ideas fed to them by media.

i treasure the ample time i spent outdoors as a child, learning about plants and animals and interacting with my surroundings.  with the increased outlets for sedentary, mindless activity, i'm more and more confident in the merits of avoiding it, and grateful to live in a place that makes it so apparent and so accessible to do just that.  collecting our favorite fall leaves has been a big hit for several weeks now, and never seems to get old.

we spend our time in doors reading and coloring, mainly.  bean has really taken to tutoring reese on his colors, numbers, and letters.  she quizzes him and congratulates or corrects him.  it's very cute and amazing to watch.  they've recently taken more of interest in the piano as well, especially reese.  he climbs on the bench and opens it himself, and then accompanies himself while he sings.  it's awesome.





the past two weeks he has really exploded in verbal development.  he's speaking completely in broken sentences now, 2-4 words usually.  his vocabulary is huge.  it's really interesting to see the younger sibling develop verbally since they have an example.  they have extended conversations together now that are becoming less and less one sided.  bean has also taken up the role of translator, and incredibly, she really can understand him better than the rest of us.  my favorite are his interrogatives, when he cocks his head at LEAST 45 degrees to the side and asks a question in an extremely high pitch.  it's this over exaggerated, wonderful, cute thing to watch, since it's clearly his interpretation of how we ask each other questions.

now, if only he would nap (MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY for the last hour).

david is still loving his job and coworkers, who we enjoy socializing with outside the hospital as well.  a really great group of people.  we were able to get away for a day recently and explore san francisco, which was a lot of fun.  that's a resource we can't tap into often because it's not (like most cities) super baby-friendly, but i'm really looking forward to taking advantage of its proximity as much as possible in the future.

aside from the kids, i continue to spend my time running and working on my craft projects, then blogging about them, which i treat like my job in the absence of a job.  something has to fill the void when you've been employed since age 10.  revving up big time for the holiday season, which we're so pumped to be hosting this year.  i had a few extra birthdays sprung on me, so i haven't scratched the surface of my christmas gifts yet, but we'll get there.  and now that it's officially december on the calendar, seems about time to get the tree up as well.  my turn to string the lights this year...

november already?

october has historically been my favorite month.  i think it began during childhood, with the wonder and excitement of halloween.  it evolved into a love of fall, when a break from the hot summer is welcome, as is the beginning of so much celebration and warmth during the holidays.  it was famously such a favorite time of mine, my future husband elected halloween for this moment:

 and of course, there was this...is tomorrow election day again?  it feels simultaneously like yesterday and 100 years ago that i was last at the voting booth.

 but, like many things in the chicago vortex, october blended in with everything else.  i remember the first year it rained almost every day, and the evil bean fetus was making me vomit frequently in public.  not my favorite october.  the next year, we tried to regain our footing with this valiant effort:
                                      
but spending our extraordinarily limited time carving pumpkins made it stressful and we all had colds.  we have no documentation of the next october, presumably because with the arrival of big boy, i was unaware that october even happened.

but this year, with our relocation to liberal utopia where everything is about family fun, i knew we could get back on track.  trick or treating at the down town shops?  yup.  charlie brown showing at the independent theater?  roger that.  whole streets decked out with halloween decor?  you betcha.  corn mazes and pumpkin patches?  indeed.  farmer's market with patrons in costume, games, activities and animals?  sure.  actual trick or treating?  more enticing with mobile children and not in a high rise.  we even hosted a halloween party for the neighborhood kids of which there are zero pictures since i was churning out quesadillas and trying to prevent said children from destroying the house (next year might be an outdoor party...).

we painted in lieu of carving pumpkins...the thought of curious little hands grabbing at our newly sharpened knife collection seemed like a bad idea.


we wore costumes.

and the kids even trick or treated!  at their grandma's.  where they received bananas.  but the tradition has begun!  

check out the differentiated radius and ulna on that skeleton!  you know a medical professional lovingly cut out every fossa.  david is actually supposed to be bean, not a terrifying cross dresser.  it did cool off a little the day of halloween (though now we're back to the 80s), but nothing like michigan where we either covered our costumes with coats, or had to creatively incorporate coats into the costume.  anyhow, they don't totally understand halloween yet, but they seemed to enjoy themselves, and bean has asked multiple times to paint pumpkins and trick or treat again.  success.

octobers seem to be a little hectic around here...apparently that and may are the big months for children's birthdays in this community (we can vouch for may in our house), and the halloween festivities are plenty.  but, in spite of the relative lack of obvious autumn markers, i'm happy to say it's making a comeback in our family.  i missed it.

otherwise, life has been good!  the kids continue to amaze, entertain, and inspire us with their growing grasp of the world and generally really impeccable behavior.  reese is talking more every day and putting together some very short sentences, as well as making progress on counting and letters.  he's also the cutest baby ever, still.  and just as suddenly as his naps ceased, three days ago for no apparent reason, he started snuggling up without a peep for 2 hours each afternoon.  i'm not prepared to say we're out of the woods since we're coming off two straight months of scream fests, but the last few days have sure been nice.

bean is a little wonder.  i love to hear what she's thinking and doing, which she explains to me constantly.  she is so verbose.  today we were walking home from the park and i crossed the street rather leisurely, and she said, "mom, can we get out of the street?  i want to go to the sidewalk.  the street has cars and it's not safe."  recently, she's become very enamored with coloring and will sit and color by herself for much of the day.  the neurosis about personal safety and contentedness in quiet solitude remind me eerily of myself.  she always wants to draw pictures of dinosaurs.  i don't know where this affinity came from since we've got no dinosaur books and they don't watch any tv.  they are fighting more over toys, mostly because bean wants to play with anything reese has and now he's putting up a fight.  but she's frequently very tender and nurturing with him as well.  

i continue to enjoy my temporary retirement since not a single hospital seems interested in even interviewing me.  don't be fooled by the alleged "nursing shortage."  while i'd anticipated difficulties finding a job, it's always humbling applying for nursing positions.  again, i feel like everything i've accomplished is worthless to potential employers.  but that's okay.  i'm having a great time with the kids, and i know i'm a damn good nurse who will one day again be valued by an institution.

and i can't say i'm really jonesing for crotchety old people to scream at me while i clean up their filth when this is my alternative:

the cutest.

eucalyptus grove, berkeley ca

mendocino, ca

so i'll keep waiting, thankyouverymuch.  what else?  we've had two lovely visits from nani, the first of which we really took advantage of and got away for a night sans babies in mendocino.  

this is a cute little town up the california coast about 3 hours from us.  i'm sure most people go wine tasting there as that is the thing to do in norcal, but we've yet to do any of that despite a few trips now to wine country.  instead, we drove in, grabbed some lunch, and found a nice spot for a hike and a picnic.

we spent the entire next day on an extended canoe trip up a river that begins at the ocean.  thus, you are able to spot some non-traditional river life, like seals.  i had a rather intimate encounter with one as i hung my backside off our boat to pee.  i think we both hope that never happens again.

david continues to love his new employer and his career.  he is currently buckling down to study for the latest in what feels like an endless onslaught of board exams, the latest installment coming up mid-november.  he's been gracious in making some free time for continued dayventures around beautiful northern california:

tahoe

berkeley

 

and even though kcwc ended, i have continued cranking out new projects at every opportunity.  after much thought, i started a new blog to record those projects so that i wouldn't continue clogging up this one with tales of torn seams and stained fabrics, among other compelling reasons.  if, however, you would like to see what i'm up to when the kids are sleeping, visit me at http://everythingelsewedo.wordpress.com.  i would love to see you there!  you can sign up for email updates at the bottom of the page.  unfortunately, it feels quite cumbersome to keep up these two blogs and beansngreens, so i plan to post recipes on the new blog as well.  not enough hours in the day, folks.

speaking of which, i've got to do a crash course on propositions before hitting up the ballot box first thing tomorrow morning.  thanks for stopping by, and we'll check back soon!

closing out kcwc: blue jean babies

           

after my massive mid-week roadblock, i wanted to do something simple to tie things up, and be able to make something for each kid relatively quickly.  i bought a few yards of cotton denim on my joann's shopping spree with the intention of making skinny jeans for the kids, only to realize the fabric is 100% cotton and thus not stretchy.  i could cut on the bias...or i could make life easy and make non-skinny jeans.  in fact, i realized that the big boy has no jeans!  he wore one of bean's a few times as an infant, but grew out of them over a year ago.  

and for bean, the simplest thing you can sew, a gathered skirt with a little pseudo bias tape at the hem.  since the skirt is made from a rectangle, the "bias" tape doesn't need to be cut on the bias because there are no curves.  easy!  i have a stigma against skirts and never put bean in them because i find them impractical.  diapers always flailing about, skinned, knees, etc.  as a result, she has about one in her wardrobe which i made knee length.  i meant to do the same with this one, but somehow it ended up mid thigh (i'm blaming exhaustion) as most patterns recommend for little girls but i find too short.  i think its utility will be renewed when it cools down and can be worn over a pair of leggings.  she might get a few more skirts for that purpose.

                                         

of course, things are never quite as simple as they should be...i found myself wondering how many times i will sew a french seam BACKWARDS before i just stop doing that.  i'm still struggling to draft a good pants pattern shape for reese for some reason, when i've had no issue with bean.  the usual bobbin issues--running out, bad tension, messy backstitching, etc.  with the jeans and grey cords i made a super long hem so they can be let out as the kids grow up and hopefully not out, but sewing a 3" cuff is almost impossible to not sew onto it to itself, especially at 12:30am.  

i had plans to embellish the jeans a little more, maybe some top stitched front pockets and a fly.  but when i finished them (those back pockets are actual pockets, not decoration), i thought they looked handsome with a plain front, thinking, he has no dress pants, and the dark fabric and flat waist makes them look more formal.  so i shut down my sewing operation.  shortly thereafter i wondered when in the hell he would ever need dress pants (?!), but i can always make him another pair that's more casual...

so, that concludes my wild week long sewing adventure!  i'm so glad i really dove in headfirst to this, when only a few short days ago i'd as much as decided to skip it.  there really is something special about joining a cause (if you can call it that), a lot of energy and excitement and support to keep going through the frustration and challenges, and the anticipation not just of finishing your own projects, but seeing what others are creating.  

i haven't learned much in the way of technique, but i have become a slightly more confident basic sewer, and am ready now to take it to the next level and try some patterns that will elevate my skill level.  it has been so long, longer literally than i can remember, since i've devoted so much time to actual creativity.  i have done a lot of creating since i started knitting, but mostly as something to keep my hands busy and following others' patterns with little customization until very recently.  this week really forced me to tap in to my artistic vision (or something of that nature), to experience the joy of buying yards of fabric with no specific project in mind, and then to sit and look at it and let the ideas grow and take shape.  and then attempting to execute them.  

very interesting, the creative process, and so much fun.  i'm sure my family is more than ready for the house again to be cleaned, the fridge to be full, the meals to be made (last night's dinner was pasta made with tvp, butter, tamari, and beet stalks david chopped up for compost.  in all fairness, i had to cut the kids off the way they were scarfing it down, so i'm not a total disgrace as a parent/chef!).  but, i'm so glad i had this opportunity for its inspiration and motivation.  it has left me comfortably buzzed with the desire to go on creating maybe beautiful, but definitely love-filled garments for my wonderful little darlings.

update:  bean's skirt tore at the hem 10 minutes into wear today.  whoops.  when i went to mend it during nap/scream time today (we're back to that), my sewing machine announced its own end to kcwc by refusing to adjust its top tension anymore.  it's just done.  i lovingly disassembled it, cleaned it, and changed its parts, but it is still defeated.  we're going together tomorrow to the sewing machine doctor.  grrrrr!  seriously?  it quits after 2.5 months?  that's just not right.  on a more positive note, check out this nice little endorsement from the hostess of kcwc herself:

nice!

kcwc days 5-7, a shirr fire disaster.

i understand the premise of this challenge is simply to sew one hour PER DAY for your kids.  but that is not as fun as sewing in every possible spare moment at the expense of your parenting and housekeeping responsibilities to complete roughly 1.5 pieces of wearable clothing per day, now is it?  i have kept my projects simple enough that this is possible while still keeping my children fed and somewhat hygienic (david and the cat are 100% neglected as they can fend for themselves), and that should have been the case three days ago.  alas, a shirr disaster thwarted me from my pace and has me working overtime to compensate.  but i shan't be deterred.  shan't has an apostrophe?  

have you ever started a project, any sort, not just sewing, where all the signs are pointing you away from it?  as in, run far, far away and leave this behind?  but you stick with it, because you don't want to be a quitter, or you've already invested time, or you're hopeful or naive or just plain stubborn, or some horrible concoction of all three?  that is this project.  

a few nights into kcwc (which seems like it has gone on for one year at this point) i found myself childless close to a joann fabric.  what a luxury!  so, i dragged my husband functioning on 4 hours of sleep (see paragraph 1) back and forth through the aisles shopping all the discounts, and came across this cute flower patterned calico with a color pallet i'm really into these days.  i thought it would be a great tunic top for bean, and had an "easy" pattern in one of my books that requires minimal cutting and simple shirring around the collar to fit it.  an easy one nighter.  i'd never shirred before, but i'd never done much of anything before this week, and the idea is to challenge myself, right?  besides, it seems to be everyone's go-to easy technique.

perhaps the first red flag was taking this fabric out of the wash after responsibly preshrinking it to find it looking like somebody mopped the floor of a frat house with it.  what nuclear bomb exploded in our washing machine, and why was this the only item affected?!  maybe somebody who knows how to properly sort and launder textiles can explain this to me.  covered in grayish, brownish amoebas, i told myself children's clothing is always dirty anyway and it sort of blends in with the pattern.  press on!  so many other times i probably should have trusted my gut, that it just didn't look right, but i've had beginner's luck before in cooking and in knitting, so why not sewing?

and so i kept going.  i dutifully cut the size 1/2 pieces, pinned them, pressed them, hemmed them, seamed them together just so, and read and reread the explanation of shirring.  and had a whirl.  and failed.  and carefully picked out every last one of the thousand stitches to preserve the precious elastic thread.  and read and reread again.  and researched online.  and watched videos.  and shirred again.  and failed again.  and repeated the process until the shirt was so full of holes, snags, and millions of thread bits that i couldn't even see what i was doing.  it was around this time that my husband cautiously asked me if this is "still fun."

i followed with frantic artistic redirection...i have a huge, shapeless frock and really no skill to make it into something wearable for a 2 year old...i started crazily combining little techniques i have glossed over here and there in the craftblogosphere but really have no business executing.  um, huge sleeves need to be smaller....ruffles?  tons of extra fabric in the neckline...pleats?  and doesn't piping make everything look nice?  how the hell do you apply piping?  after ironing, pinning, marking, measuring, sewing, ripping, pulling, and a fair amount of hand sewing, i finally reshaped this wretched frock into something decent looking (that will probably unravel into a million pieces on first washing).  i didn't want to just use the fabric, i really wanted it to be something attractive and utile.  i can't say the integrity is excellent...steve jobs is posthumously frowning at me as the parts unseen are definitely not beautiful, but i did what i could.

so, it looks fine sitting on a table, but, what would it look like on the ever glamorous bean?  i thought we'd not manage a photo shoot until tomorrow, because i had to soothe my fragile, bruised sewing ego with a quick pair of pants to match this horrid shirt, which of course i had to embellish with matching pleated pockets.  i think it's subtle enough that she can still wear the pants with other tops.  anyhow, the whole ensemble wasn't done until dad left for work with the phone/camera. 

but, when bean woke up crabby from her nap, not improved by me picking her up and promptly ramming her into the door frame en route to reese's room, a bright smile curled her lips at the mention of a "surprise."  she knows what that means now, and immediately said, "should we put it on?!"  no sooner did i concede (in spite of her poopy diaper) than she demanded a photo shoot.  not the best quality photos since i don't know how to use our fancy camera, but you'll get the idea:

"mom, this is falling off!"

                                        

"MOM, MY SHIRT IS FALLING OFF!"

                       

"bean, can you please stop touching your shirt and put your hands at your sides?"

           

                                      

"at your sides bean, not picking your nose.  reese, can you sit over here?"

 "mom, where are my pockets?  i can't find my pockets!"

                                               

wearable shirt?  sort of.  it might actually fit her when she's 4, at which point i might know enough about sewing to fix it into something a little more sturdy.  i had a strange moment today when i finished the pants and had no next project in mind, and reese surprised me with a long nap (we have enlisted him in daily morning boot camp and make him walk a mile under the hot davis sun to try and exhaust him beyond napping protest).  i felt all this pressure, like i HAVE to be sewing if the kids are sleeping, because i can't when they're awake and that's all i've been doing!  instead i regrouped a bit about how to conclude this adventurous week.  i'm bringing it back to basics and including the boy, since he's both so very precious and far more interested in this whole process than his sister (very difficult to keep him out of the photo shoot).  i'll be back for a concluding post in the next few days, but for now, i've got more cutting, pinning, and pressing to do!