Sew Liberated

liberated man: house chef/food scientist

This is Meg's husband, Patrick. She asked me to write up the experience of making caramel popcorn for the first time this morning. I based it on a recipe I found in a Ready Made magazine. It was fairly easy, actually, once I figured out how to overcome the problem of crystallized sugar.

First step, make the popcorn. This is just as easy on the stove top as it is in the microwave, and you can avoid all those synthetic chemicals that fool your tastebuds into telling you you're eating butter. Just buy some popcorn kernels and heat a large, covered pot on high for a minute or two. Add some oil to the bottom, which will help ensure that all the kernels get heated equally.

You need to let it get really HOT, at or just below the temperature at which the oil starts to burn. (There is a small amount of water inside the kernel, and you want it to very rapidly reach the boiling point so it causes the kernel to explode. If you start on too low a heat, the pressure generated by the water boiling will escape slowly, and you won't get a fluffy piece of popcorn.) Test the temperature by throwing in a couple kernels. If they pop in 10 seconds or so, you're probably good.

Now throw in all your kernels and cover it. I added a little less than a cup of kernels, and probably got somewhere between 8 and 10 cups of popcorn. Now, wearing your oven mitts, move the pot around over the heat, ensuring that the kernels all receive heat, and shaking so that unpopped kernels fall to the bottom. Like in the microwave, turn off the heat when the popping slows almost to stopping. If you leave the pot closed, some kernels will keep popping. Be sure not to burn the popcorn too much.

Mix in some unshelled peanuts with the popcorn, to taste.

For the caramel, I added about 1 cup of sugar to a saucepan, then 1 cup of water. You heat this on a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, allowing it to boil and bubble away, stirring often. It should turn a nice golden color at some point. When it's a nice brown, turn down the heat. Then add about 6 tablespoons of butter and stir it in. If you have extra water, like I did, I don't think it's a big deal. You could try to pour it off (since the caramel will sink), but I decided just to pour it over the popcorn and peanuts too.

BE CAREFUL not to touch the hot caramel. It will be scorching hot and STICKY - a bad combination.

The first time I did this, the sugar suddenly crystallized on me, coating my pan with hard rock candy. (If you've ever taken a good chemistry class, you might be familiar with the reason for this. Sugar dissolves in water at higher temperatures and with mixing. As the water boils off, the ratio of sugar to water increases, and the solution can become saturated, meaning no more sugar can dissolve in that amount of water. If you continue boiling off the water or lower the temperature of your mixture (which I did), the solution will become "super-saturated." You have more sugar dissolved in your water than is actually possible to dissolve! This is very unstable, so any disturbance - such as your mixing spoon - will cause the excess sugar to crystallize, touching off a process that will quickly turn your liquid into a solid.)

I think this happened to me because I live at a very high altitude, where water boils at a lower temperature (due to the lower atmospheric pressure). So, when I followed a recipe written for you low-landers, I didn't add enough water. The sugar didn't get hot enough to carmelize before most of my water boiled off.

Not to worry, I simply turned off the heat, added more water, and used a wooden spoon to scrape all that crystallized sugar off the bottom. I started up the heat again, this time stirring the entire time. The sugar eventually redissolved, turned that golden brown, and though I had a little extra water, once I added the butter, it made some delicious caramel popcorn!

changing it up

Planting corn this morning with the children

Have you noticed? My postings have been less frequent as of late. Often, when I sit down to write, I feel this need to say something meaningful - to somehow illustrate with words a certain experience, to digest and make sense of my thoughts. I've been having a hard time with this lately. Here's my best shot at why:

I'm in the midst of a huge life shift coming up in a mere six weeks, when we leave Mexico and move back to the United States. I'm also totally treading water to keep from drowning in all of my responsibilities.  This entire month I have parent-teacher conferences, I'm packing and preparing to move across a not-so-nice border, and my little pattern business is asking a lot of my time as of late. (Lola will be out very soon!) Oh yes - and I'm embarrassingly behind on my emails.  In addition, I have a few more projects that are in the works that I'll be able (hopefully) to tell you about sometime soon. In short, I'm beat.

Everything feels like it's coming to a close here in Mexico. I want to write about that - about the mixture of emotions I face every day. The whole experience certainly merits reflection. But I can't fit it into a blog post. Oh - and if you haven't read between the lines yet, this whole thing is about more than just leaving Mexico. I'm also leaving teaching, for the most wonderful of reasons. I will not be looking for a Montessori job in North Carolina because we hope to start a family. I'll be focusing on the pattern business, crossing my fingers that it brings in enough supplemental income to live on Patrick's grad school stipend and hopefully having some babies really soon and staying at home with them - the thought of which brings me such immense joy!

So there it is. I'm feeling excited beyond belief. Sad. Nervous. Really happy. All wrapped in one. Which is why I can't write about it in any intelligible way.

So I know you'll understand when I tell you that I need to take the pressure off of myself to put things into words. Instead of being frustrated by my inner emotional soup and my inability to figure out the darn recipe (and how to go about serving it - because right now it feels like it would go best with a little whine, if you know what I mean) I will be offering you a photo journal of sorts for the next few weeks. My wish is to make this space a pressure-free refuge by using my lens to capture some of my Mexico, in my all-too-short time left. I'm not sure how long I'll be short-winded, but I'm leaving that open-ended. It could be two weeks, it could be until we're finished with the move.

I just wanted to close this rather long-winded explanation of my short-windedness by saying thank you. For your support and dear comments, and for your encouragement ... without which I never would have fathomed putting my designs out there in this big, often scary world. I wish there was an adequate way to express my gratitude. How 'bout this - you all rock. Mil gracias a todos.

xo,
Meg

a thank you

My Mom has kept this photo on her bedside table in an oval brass frame since before I was forming memories. Was it taken on her first Mother's Day? I should ask. 

Thank you, Mom, for your smiles. Thank you for your patient sighs. Thank you for your intuition. Thank you for surrounding me with beauty. Thank you for worrying. Thank you for your thoughtfulness. Thank you for your selflessness. Thank you for everything.

I leave you with the verse of Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass:

There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.

The early lilacs became part of this child,
And grass, and white and red morning-glories, and white and red clover, and the song of the phoebe-bird,
And the Third-month lambs, and the sow’s pink-faint litter, and the mare’s foal, and the cow’s calf,
And the noisy brood of the barn-yard, or by the mire of the pond-side,
And the fish suspending themselves so curiously below there—and the beautiful curious liquid,
And the water-plants with their graceful flat heads—all became part of him.

The field-sprouts of Fourth-month and Fifth-month became part of him;
Winter-grain sprouts, and those of the light-yellow corn, and the esculent roots of the garden,
And the apple-trees cover’d with blossoms, and the fruit afterward, and wood-berries, and the commonest weeds by the road;
And the old drunkard staggering home from the out-house of the tavern, whence he had lately risen,
And the school-mistress that pass’d on her way to the school,
And the friendly boys that pass’d—and the quarrelsome boys,
And the tidy and fresh-cheek’d girls—and the barefoot boy and girl,
And all the changes of city and country, wherever he went.

His own parents,
He that had father’d him, and she that had conceiv’d him in her womb, and birth’d him,
They gave this child more of themselves than that;
They gave him afterward every day—they became part of him.

The mother at home, quietly placing the dishes on the supper-table;
The mother with mild words—clean her cap and gown, a wholesome odor falling off her person and clothes as she walks by;
The father, strong, self-sufficient, manly, mean, anger’d, unjust;
The blow, the quick loud word, the tight bargain, the crafty lure,
The family usages, the language, the company, the furniture—the yearning and swelling heart,
Affection that will not be gainsay’d—the sense of what is real—the thought if, after all, it should prove unreal,
The doubts of day-time and the doubts of night-time—the curious whether and how,
Whether that which appears so is so, or is it all flashes and specks?
Men and women crowding fast in the streets—if they are not flashes and specks, what are they?
The streets themselves, and the façades of houses, and goods in the windows,
Vehicles, teams, the heavy-plank’d wharves—the huge crossing at the ferries,
The village on the highland, seen from afar at sunset—the river between,
Shadows, aureola and mist, the light falling on roofs and gables of white or brown, three miles off,
The schooner near by, sleepily dropping down the tide—the little boat slack-tow’d astern,
The hurrying tumbling waves, quick-broken crests, slapping,
The strata of color’d clouds, the long bar of maroon-tint, away solitary by itself—the spread of purity it lies motionless in,
The horizon’s edge, the flying sea-crow, the fragrance of salt marsh and shore mud;
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.

miss emmeline is a famous lady!

Okay, so I have a funny story. When I was back in my hometown for for my cousin's wedding, my Mom and I made an essential stop at the local fabric shop, Fabrics on Mill Street, which was one of the first retail stores to carry my patterns. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had made a model of the Emmeline Apron for their storefront. But that wasn't all. When I walked in the store, it was bustling with customers. One of them was asking Jenny, the owner, a question about the Emmeline pattern. At that moment, Jenny looked up, saw me, and said "Oh! Well why don't you ask the designer herself!"

The woman buying the pattern was about as surprised as I was. You wouldn't believe what happened next. She asked me to autograph the pattern.

No. Way. Somewhere between mortified and flattered, I pretended like that question wasn't really asked and found what my embarrassed self considered to be the middle ground - I printed my name and blog address on the back of the pattern.

I mean, a signature? I just had to chuckle. Perhaps if I am going to be making fabric store appearances I should spiff it up. Right now, my signature is just about the least artistic thing I do with my hands. Other than wash the dishes. It's just plain doctor-ish, just like my Dad's chicken scratch.

Yes, the entire situation was just so funny. My mom laughed at me for hours afterwards. She told me she was laughing at the look on my face when asked for my signature. I hope it wasn't too hilarious. I'm just an introvert living in the mountains of rural Mexico - and not used to such questions! :)

In other famous Emmeline apron news, did you see that Jennifer of Craft Sanity donned her Emmeline when she went in front of the T.V. camera?  Way to go, Jennifer!

So, although Miss Emmeline loves the spotlight, I will be more than happy to pull, cut, and sew together her strings from behind the scenes, thank you very much!

 

peace

There's something about fleeting moments like these. The ones that are surreptitiously captured on "film" and speak some truth about them as children, as individuals. Such is the case for this snapshot. Two strong, busy little women sharing a moment of tenderness. You have no clue how much this touched me. The two of them together? Let me just say that they make frequent trips to our "Peace Table" to talk about their feelings when one or the other has been wronged. This moment? So beautiful. It's something I've been pulling for, in the hope that all of the "Peace Table" work would bear fruit.

So much of the conflict that I see among young children can be attributed to a not-quite-fully-developed ability to empathize and express one's emotions in a healthy way. I once heard about a little girl who took a pair of scissors to the new Easter pants of the annoying class bully. That same little girl would scratch the arm of other children who were not following the rules or who were being mean. Who was this diminutive devil who couldn't control her emotions or express her feelings in words? As it turns out, I once knew her very well, even though time has muddled my adult memory.  I was her. And somehow, she became me.

Every child has something that he or she needs to work on. For some it's reading. For some math. For others, it's fine-motor coordination. For others, it's self-confidence, and for others it's humility. For me, and for countless other children, our "work" was to learn how to relate to other human beings with empathy and patience. Let me just give a shout-out to my mom and dad, who encouraged and supported me through all of my "work." I think it's been about 20 years since I scratched anybody. Just ask Patrick. No, no - I know what you're thinking - the scratches that he occasionally sports are from the cats. Honestly! 

So yes, every child (and adult) has her own special "work." We wouldn't be who we are without it, and without it life would be just a bit too easy. And, like any other challenge, it's not something that can be overcome with a simple decision, at least not for the child. The young child needs to practice this life skill, over and over, under various circumstances. This work is so personal that no adult can tell the child what to do. The adult can provide a loving example or a helpful routine, but the child must learn by doing. And, like learning to ride a bike, the child will fall. Many, many times. Imagine what your reaction might have been if, as a child learning how to ride a bike, your parents and older siblings got frustrated with your constant falls and eventually told you firmly, perhaps even yelling, that falling off your bike was not allowed, and that you were a bad person for having done so. Would you have tried to ride a bike again? Probably not. Now consider the child who is learning to express and control her emotions. She fails, again and again. Certainly, the best way to help her out is not to yell or devalue her as a person. She needs encouragement and certain helpful tools that will help her get to the point where she can ride out her emotions with confidence. What are these tools? Vocabulary for the emotions and a clear, consistent routine for dealing with conflicts peacefully, such as a Peace Table. Here are some ideas and resources:

How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way.  My favorite part of this book is the chapter on siblings and family life in which the author tells you how to set up a Peace Table.

A stone, tabletop, or hand-held labyrinth.  Offering the child a labyrinth to walk or trace when he feels like he's getting frustrated or angry is an excellent tool for calming and redirecting the onslaught of emotion before the situation escalates out of his control. Once the child has walked or traced the labyrinth several times, he might be ready to use his emotional vocabulary to express his feelings in a respectful manner at the Peace Table.

Emotions cards. Working with these cards gives young children practice in identifying the physical manifestations of emotion, increasing empathy. At the same time they learn the vocabulary they need to express their own feelings. I also love Amanda's idea in The Creative Family of playing a family game of charades with the emotions.

Do you have any other ideas or resources for helping young children learn peaceful conflict resolution? I would love to read about them in the comments.

xo,
Meg

pokey

This little Wee Wonderfuls snail is emblematic of the coming of Spring in the mountains of Creel, Mexico. Pokey. Brown, tan, and a bit of blue sky. Each day I look outside and hope to see evidence that the green leaf fairy has worked her wonders on the bare-bones branches of the trees in my front yard, but I think she's busy greening up in other locales. North Carolina, for example. I'm just crossing my fingers that she'll migrate south sometime soon, as I'm not moving quite yet. Yes, I'm getting a bit weary of all the brown. In times like these, it's wise to reflect on all of the quiet going-ons beneath the dull veneer.

Harshness vanished. A sudden softness
has replaced the meadows' wintry grey.
Little rivulets of water changed
their singing accents. Tendernesses,

hesitantly, reach toward the earth
from space, and country lanes are showing
these unexpected subtle risings
that find expression in the empty trees.

~ Rainer Maria Rilke, "Early Spring"

 

oh give me a home ...

... where the wild birds roam, where children among the flowers do play.

We've found a home in North Carolina! The lease is signed, and I couldn't be happier (and more relieved.) After my cousin's wedding my Dad and I headed east for the express purpose of securing housing for our upcoming July 7 move. Aside from having a fabulous time with my super cool dad, the trip was well worth it - we found a real gem of a house (I'm going to have an entire room for my studio!). I won't bore you with a myriad of photos of the house (because you'll be seeing plenty come July) but I will say that this might just be the perfect place to raise a family. Get this - we already have a bird feeding frame in our back yard, which is visited by  many wild, feathered friends:

There is a small nature preserve and trail nearby:

Plus, we have all of the resources of Duke University just a stone's throw away - the Sarah P. Duke Gardens (in the first photo,) The Nasher Museum of Art, and the Duke Symphony Orchestra, to name just a few.

Suffice it to say that I'm really thrilled with Duke and the bike-friendly, eco-conscious neighborhood we will be living in. And don't even get me started on the multitude of international flavors in the area. Perhaps I'm just naive, but did you know there are restaurants that serve food that's not Mexican?! Whoopee! My mouth is beginning to water in gleeful anticipation.

In the next few days I'll try to catch up on my emails and get through my 426-strong blog reader backlog. Have you all been posting daily since I left for my trip? My goodness! I can't wait!

reflections on flowers and lycra body suits

Greetings from California! Visiting with family is pretty swell - but doing so amongst these stunning blooms is even better. I arrived during prime petal time.

Enjoy the garden tour - I'll try to check in from time to time, but you know how wedding weekends go. Plus, I have to practice walking in high heels - something I haven't done since I played Sandra D in my high school production of Grease, when I had to dance across a counter top in stilettos and a lycra body suit, while singing, in front of an entire auditorium of spectators. Did I mention that the counter top, being a prop and all, was on wheels? Truly, the scariest moment of my life.  Last night, I had a vision of me gingerly walking up to do the reading, teetering dangerously on the top step, and tumbling gracelessly to the ground. I keep on telling myself that walking up church stairs is nothing compared to dancing and singing on top of a wobbly counter in a skin-tight body suit. Ah well. If I do fall, it will make a great story to add to the comical family lore.

Zoe, my parents' chrysanthemum-headed Shih Tzu.

yes, mom, i do wear yellow

Even girls with olive-toned skin and blue eyes should be able to wear a yellow shirt every now and then. So what if it makes me look nauseated! So there, Mom! Ha! I made myself a yellow shirt!

This is my first yellow shirt ever. And it brings me such joy. While I admit it doesn't bring out the best in my coloring, that's okay, isn't it?  It would go really well with these shoes in yellow.

The pattern is Built By Wendy's Simplicity 3835. A breeze to make. It took me all of two hours, from ironing and cutting to clean up. Talk about instant gratification! I'll certainly be making more of these - unless, of course, I get sidetracked by other projects and other things, like, say, moving back to the US.

As of late, I've felt like my plate is overflowing. We have only 10 weeks left in Mexico, and the mega-move is closing in rapidly. Because I'm the kind of person who enjoys torturing herself with arbitrary deadlines, I've been understandably feeling tortured. Go figure. I had the best of intentions, the biggest of which was getting the Lola and Elsie Mae apron patterns sent out for testing before leaving for my cousin's wedding in California on Tuesday. It just isn't happening right now. Oh well - a shrug of the shoulders and a big sigh later, I decided work on this yellow shirt project instead. Sometimes you just have to forget about everything and make something fun, you know?

I've determined that the best place to hang out is in the eye of the storm. It's pretty nice in here. And if you put on some good music and do a goofy little dance, you can pretty much forget about the craziness that surrounds you.

blossoming

Much gratitude for your warm welcome to Typepad! It was a big move, and I feel that I can finally wipe that bead of sweat from my forehead (phew!), knowing that so many of you have followed me over here. Thanks for that. 

While the surroundings here in Mexico are slow to 'green up,' I'm finally starting to see some signs of new life. A few blossoms here, a happy bee there. One of my students ran inside today and, almost shocked, told me that there was a bee gathering pollen on the first blossoms outside. I followed her outside and we sat there and just watched in silence for several minutes. In this silent sitting state, it's amazing how many more signs of Spring one can notice. Birdsong, an occasional hummingbird, the bee's buzz, a green blade of grass poking through.

Today I learned that you notice many more things that fly when you are sitting still.

Wishing you all a peaceful weekend!

the creative family, a gift to the earth

Amanda's book, The Creative Family, arrived the other day! The minute it emerged from the packaging it seemed to stick to my hands, not allowing me to put it down until I had read every word. Yes, it's that good my friends!

We all love Amanda and the genuine warmth that emanates from her blog via her words and gorgeous photography. If you're already an avid Soule family fan, this book is your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If not, well ... then once you've read it you will have been caught hook, line, and sinker.

I very much appreciated Amanda's encouraging yet self-assured voice which, throughout the pages, advocates for a close-to-nature, less-"stuff"-is-more approach to family life. What is also very clear to me, as a Montessori educator, is that Amanda's mindful approach to parenting is wonderfully on the mark. Her respect for, and observation of, the needs and interests of her children are what is most inspiring to me, both as a teacher and a future parent. Amanda arrived at all of these thoughtful, creative ideas due to her ability to be truly present and tuned-in to the pulse of childhood - that constant beat that can be heard even in the midst of the chaos of everyday life which says: "I am a creative, immensely curious person who can teach you so much about the beauty of the present moment. Please walk this path with me as I learn about myself and this world of marvels."

The Creative Family is a happy mix of ideas on leading a creative family life. I love how Amanda defined "creativity" very broadly, including within its definition traditional craft, theatrical productions, living in-tune with nature, imaginative play and thoughtful daily and seasonal rituals and celebrations.  Creative living, in any form, provides intellectual and emotional grounding for adults as well as children, and the act of creating together as a family can create deep, lasting bonds. I came away from the book understanding very clearly that the best gifts I can give to my future children are time and freedom to be creative.

Some of my favorite ideas include Family Drawing Time and the Gift to the Earth, although the Everyday Rituals chapter takes the cake with the oh-so-heartwarming description of the morning "Meeting in Bed," during which you and your children jointly plan the day's creative exploits.

Peppered throughout the book are well-written instructions for a handful of creative projects, such as making children's pants from an used shirt, freezer paper stenciling, dyeing clothing with natural dyes, henna art, beginning embroidery, finger knitting, making your own knitting needles, felting with children, bedtime bags, felt birthday crowns, and more.

But, more than a project book, The Creative Family is a book of ideas - an inspirational manual for living a joyfully creative life with your young children. I can't recommend it highly enough. Of all of the parenting books that I have read (and I've read a lot,) The Creative Family is the one that will be my handbook - the one I will refer back to time and again. Bravo, Amanda, for writing a real Gift to the Earth!

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how to make recycled paper

I've recently been bitten by the paper recycling bug. My symptoms? Ogling over multi-colored paper scraps and a strong desire to never buy construction paper ever again.

Some of the mothers in my school make beautiful things with recycled paper, such as this journal which is hand-bound with string coated in beeswax. The edges of the cover are delicately burned for a real artisan touch. (You can find beeswax here, which you apply to a single strand of hemp string, working it in with the heat of your fingers. Bind the book by sewing the layers together with a large-eyed needle, then thread some beads on each end.)

The process of making recycled paper varies from one source to the next, which can only mean one thing - the process is the kind that is open to experimentation and variation. I encourage you to do just that. Children will love experimenting with different kinds of paper and procedures.  This little tutorial illustrates what has worked for me thus far.

What you will need:
-Keep a bucket of water handy next to your recycling bins. Shred by hand any used paper (a perfect job for a toddler!) and throw it into the bucket to sit for at least a day.
-An old blender
-Used frames (minus the glass and backing) of various sizes. The size of the frame will determine the size of your finished sheet of paper.
-Very, very fine plastic screening which will be stretched over the frames and used as a sieve
-Thumb tacks for attaching the screening to the frames to make the sieve
-A tupperware bin large enough to so that you can easily submerge the frames in it
-Newspaper cut slightly larger than the dimensions of your frames for blotting
-Absorbent sponge
-Rolling pin

1.) With a ratio of about 1 portion of well-soaked paper scraps to 2 cups water, blend into a pulp in your old, trusty blender. Blend in short spurts so as not to burn out the motor. You will need about two half-blender-fulls (shown above) of pulp per tupperware bin batch. *If you would like to make your paper scented, add 6-10 drops of essential oils during the blending of the pulp.

2.) Fill the tupperware bin with several inches of water and pour in the pulp. Swish the mixture around so that the pulp is evenly distributed in the water. *You can add dried flowers, leaves, etc. at this point in the process, or you can wait until you have lifted the sieve out of the water and press them neatly onto the paper.

3.) Submerge the frame-sieve into the bin and slowly lift out. Place a piece of blotting newspaper on top of the pulp/paper. Using a sponge on top of the newspaper, blot away all of the excess water. Flip over the sieve and carefully remove the paper. It should still be attached to the newspaper on one side. 4.) Place another piece of newspaper on top of the paper. The paper sheet is now sandwiched between two layers of newspaper. Roll out any excess water using a rolling pin. Remove the top piece of newspaper and let the paper dry completely in a sunny spot. Carefully peel the recycled sheet from the newspaper. Here's a video that demonstrates a slightly different way to go about it. Figure out what process works best for you. Before you know it, you'll be planning to write down all of your recipes on recycled paper, too!

it's an aprony april thus far

I think I've gotten myself tangled up in some hard-to-meet expectations. Ever since test-running this new chef's get-up in my classroom, all they can say is "Are we going to have a chef's outfit for baking cookies? And one for baking bread? And one for preparing snack? And one for making granola? And one for cracking nuts? And one for making tortillas?" One child wanted to do his math work in the chef's costume. Hey... now that's a good idea. It might add a bit of pizazz to tax preparation process.

A few of you might recognize this apron from the earlier version that I sold briefly as a PDF pattern. It's been jazzed up with an appliquéd  kangaroo pocket and will be available in various sizes.  A smock-style child's apron will also be part of the same pattern - I'll post some pictures of it in a few days' time.

Things are getting done here, but why does it seem like the "getting done" occurs at the speed of poured molasses, while the passage of days happens at the speed of light? I must be getting older. I'm reminded of this every time a child says to me something along these lines:

Meg, do you remember when, a long, long, time ago ... when I was REALLY little, and we made ornaments to put on our Christmas trees?

Why, yes. For me it seems like last week that we were making holiday decorations in the classroom. Oh boy. I know what this means. Measuring time as I perceive it, we will be moving back to the US in a little less than a week.

Holy Crimeny!  I'd better get to packing!

***Edit*** We aren't actually moving now. We still have three more months ... but I'm sure these three months will fly by!

the rebirth of the WC

In a cheery little apartment bedecked with warm rays of sunshine, there lives a funny little toilet with a happy little plant.

Very nearby, a wrinkled old man of a blender relishes the new green life sprouting from within.

These photos were taken almost a year ago at my friend's Mexico City apartment. I'm not sure why they've been sitting for so long in my picture files, but its high time they were resurrected. I mean, really ... how can these not bring a smile to your face? They speak to me on so many levels.

Aesthetics - Perhaps the most shallow of reasons, yet significant nonetheless. I love the bold innovation coupled with the homeyness of the plant life. I think every morning would start off right if I had my bowl of oatmeal next to a repurposed toilet-planter. Don't you think?

Roots - Antiques and thrifted finds enrich our surroundings and provide fodder for our imaginations. Who were the people that used them? What kind of home(s) did they have? What was life like when they were brand-spankin' new? And the toilet? Reflecting on its past life is just plain funny. But gee - it is one useful invention!

Responsibility - Repurposing. Keeping used objects out of the landfill and keeping us from going out any buying something new.

Did you see that Blue Yonder is having a repurposing contest? The toilet-planter won't be entered because I can't claim it as my own creation, but I'm sure you all have some excellent ideas and/or repurposed works of art. So empty out your trash bin and get crackin'!

gravity experiment goes curiously awry

the culprit assesses the situation from high ground

Aside from this riveting feline-style scientific experiment, what in the world have we been up to this past week?

The week began with an overnight trip to big-city Chihuahua where we stocked up on gouda cheese, cashews, olive oil and red wine (all of which we consider vital to our gustatory happiness, but which we can't find here in Creel.) Upon return, we were greeted by red and orange blinking lights on our modem. In other words, bad news. For days, our internet connection cut off every 10 minutes or so. Several visits from Telmex technicians later, we apparently are up and running once again.

Fortunately for me, this lack of access to the 'nets helped me to buckle down and get all of those instructions written and diagrams drawn for the Elsie Mae and Lola aprons. And there's more - but that's a surprise, and you'll have to wait until I have pictures to show for it!

I've also immensely enjoyed your comments and ideas about homemade/thoughtful/non-commercial gift giving. If you haven't had a chance to read through the comments yourself, I highly suggest it - it's a great resource for future gift-giving.

Off to sew things ...

and celebration number 27 passes quietly

For posterity's sake, and the little old lady me, I thought I would record the bit of requisite gluttony that occurred yesterday in honor of the vernal equinox and my 27th birthday.

The day passed with a nod and a smile, devoid of all of the hubbub generally associated with birthdays. All of our friends are out of town for the Easter holidays, and Patrick and I enjoyed the quiet day, sipping a rare coke from recycled glass bottles (so much tastier this way - why do we stand for all of this PLASTIC? Plastic toys for children, plastic food containers, etc. Have you watched this video yet? If not, then consider it my birthday wish!)

The dearest birthday gift I received this year came from my Mom, in the form of a short email, describing our first meeting. I must preface this with a bit of a birth story - I was born by emergency C-section after three days of labor, in an age where medical technology hadn't caught up with the most pressing needs of mother and child to connect right after birth. My mother was under complete anesthesia, and I was born at 7:28 P.M. I'm sure it was even a while before I was put in my father's arms, as they washed, bundled, and did whatever else they deemed "necessary" for a newborn before handing her off to bond with family. Nonetheless, my Mom's description was lovely:

I have a memory of our first eye to eye contact that I cherish.  Bundled tightly in a soft blanket you were placed in my arms at about 4:00 in the morning.  Your eyes were wide open and you seemed to be ready for conversation.  I brought you close to my face and told you how happy I was to finally see you and hoped I would be a good mother to you.  Your little mouth puckered an "o" and your eyes seemed to open even wider. I was dumbstruck by the realization that we had been "talking" for many months and that while you grew and rested under my heart - loved sight unseen - nothing had prepared me for the outpouring of love that funny little face evoked!

I'm touched beyond the scope of words that my Mom offered me such a thoughtful, immaterial gift this year. Patrick and I have a bit of a tradition of "gifting" in non-traditional ways ...  by  turning commercial holidays on their heads and using the occasion, instead, to find little extra ways that we can express our love for each other. For example, yesterday I was the recipient of breakfast in bed and a heavenly shoulder rub. In the past, we have written out "coupons" on index cards, which could be "redeemed" at any time. Here are a few examples from a batch that Patrick gave me on our first anniversary, right before we moved to Mexico. (And yes, Amelie is actually an anniversary gift!)

Do you eschew the commercial, the contaminating, and the mass-produced for thoughtfulness and homemade gifts? I'd love it if you could leave a comment and share your ideas and suggestions for giving more meaningful gifts for parents, partners, and especially children. Who knows - perhaps our small efforts will make an impression on our own children, friends, and families, and we can stamp out at least a small patch of that omnipresent commercial wildfire, fed by corporate marketing to children. If you have a chance, read this article that was published around Christmastime. It's certainly food for thought.

seeing green

Okay, who let loose the frolicsome leprechaun? Really, I can't think of another reason why it would have snowed in Mexico on Saint Patrick's Day.

Needless to say, the outside environment was not so generous in its showing of green. I had to look elsewhere. I found a bit of the sought-after green in my kitchen, in the form of a reusable grocery bag ...

... whose contents, with the help of that same impish leprechaun, eventually morphed into some delectable Irish soda bread (recipe here.)

So let's talk Irish, shall we? I have not a nip of Irish blood in my veins, but I've been hankering to be Irish for a long while now.

It all started when I was 18 and I got into Notre Dame.  For four years, I could officially claim to be Irish without anyone raising their eyebrows. Suspiciously soon after my Irish-ness expired when I graduated from ND, I married a Mr. Patrick McElwee. Some might claim that the "shotgun wedding" was simply my way of hanging on to my Irish (better) half for good. I took his last name largely for the Irish mystique. Oh, yes ... we did consider hyphenating or coming up with an alternative name, but we figured that Anderson-McElwee or Andlewee just didn't work. So wee McElwees we shall be, the whole lot of us.

Patrick is as genuinely Irish as they get. He looks the part. His father was barely born in the US, and I was fortunate to have known his late grandmother, who always sang "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" in her dementia. No joke! Here's a little video that Patrick and his siblings put together last year, soon after her passing:

Patrick has many more Irish stories, old and new. Consider this one - he is a proud descendant of Michael McElwee and Nial Shiels, The Fanad Patriots, who gained their fame by killing their abusive English landlord.

In Patrick's formative years, he had his two elderly Irish great uncles living with his family. He's also visited Ireland on several occasions, during which he 1.) was on a bus with cousins while everyone started raucously chanting "IRA! IRA!" 2.) his great aunt, when asked for directions by British soldiers, gave them directions to march straight into the river, unbeknownst to them, of course.

I could go on about this whole Irish business, but let it suffice to say that I am proud of my adopted heritage, and yes, in case you were wondering ...

we do dance the jig.

horsing around (sheepishly)

We experienced a grand tour of the horse stables this past Friday. One of the dads in my school community gives horse tours in the area, and he kindly told us all about the horses and even "shoed" a horse in front of the children! They got to ride the gentlest of the animals - some even rode by themselves in a corral.

Another highlight of the day was the hilarious sheep "chase." A rope was loosely tied around the neck of a ewe (what a good sport she was!) so that when the end was pulled it would easily come off. Small groups of children were put in the corral with the ewe and were charged with removing the rope from her neck. I'm not sure who laughed more - the children or the adults watching them!

It was a nice way to draw to a close the first half of this second semester. Bring on the vacation!

xo,
Meg

love me some linen

Look what arrived in my Mexican P.O. box today! Amber and I did a bit of an exchange - a few sewing patterns for some of her knock-em-dead handwork. I'm hoping that having this lovely piece of Amber's in my home will help filter some of her embroidery mojo my way! You never know.

At the moment, I'm pleasantly paralyzed (creatively) due to the 10 yards of beautiful linen that I can finally call my own. I've waited literally years to find affordable linen. Now that I have it, I'm overwhelmed. There are SO many ideas floating about in my head, but I can't seem to lasso any idea in particular. Part of me is fighting the perfectionist that lurks beneath my more nonchalant surface ... why would I feel like I need to create a masterpiece as soon as the needle hits this wonder-fabric? Silly. So I decided to start with a pattern - a pleasant warm-up of sorts.

You already know how much I admire Hillary's work, and this "Quilting Bee" stitchette is just another testament to all that is wonderful about Wee Wonderfuls. I can already see the finished embroidery hanging on the wall of my new studio once we move to North Carolina!

I'm confident that once I'm done with the Quilting Bee I will be able to skip intrepidly into a future filled with original designs. Do you ever get this perfectionist-induced creativity block?

xo,
Meg

ode to the lola apron

Another apron, Meg?

Really now.

Don't you think it's time you joined A.A. (Aprons Anonymous) to talk about your little problem?

How could I stop myself? When I found this vintage apron for sale over at Joyful Abode's Etsy shop, I didn't think twice.

Isn't it lovely? The fabric has the feel of a soft bed sheet, and the circle pockets are just to die for. The voices in my head wouldn't cease until I had made myself another.

And I have a confession to make. As much as I love my two Emmeline Aprons, the Lola is, hands down, MY FAVORITE APRON EVER.  I don't know what it is. The fit is super. I love the retro flair of the bias binding and rick rack accents. I love it SO MUCH that I am looking for excuses to wear it. That frying pan? Yep. It needs to be washed again. (And you don't know how much I used to detest doing the dishes. Okay - maybe it's the Flylady that has had me on the right track as of late, but the Lola apron certainly deserves a hefty percentage of the credit.)

So. Pardon my effusive babbling. Of course, this means that Lola, along with Miss Elsie Mae, are both in the process of becoming printed patterns. The good news? Starting this Friday I have fifteen days off, during which I hope to plow ahead in this somewhat arduous pattern-writing process. Maybe if I tell myself that I can wear the Lola apron only when I sit down to write instructions? Now that is an efficient working plan!