This Vintage Chica

Simple Comforts and Bending The Rules

2009-10-19T16:19:40-04:00

It has rained for the past 5 days. And rained. And rained.

Which was really fine with me, since we were all feeling a bit under the weather anyway. No, we do not have the swine flu. But we've all had noses that haven't been working, and scratchy throats. One of us even got sent home with a fever, but I couldn't find it once he was comfy and snuggly in his bed. Yes, we have all been teetering just on the verge of being sick.

So, it's all been about comfort around here for several days. Comfort food, fires in the fireplace, and making things. We even ventured out to see Where The Wild Things Are...which we loved...more than loved. And sick or not, I'll take any excuse I can to slow down, curl up under a quilt, make a big pot of soup, listen to good music, play with legos, bake and sew.

Which is what we've been doing.

I had convinced myself that deployments would be easier when the boys were older. I would be able to talk them through their emotions. They would remember him more and it would make things easier. I was wrong. (This is where having a blog comes in handy) With S being away, and it being a bit more difficult than I expected, I've had to go back to my own advice.

I admit, the first time I saw the Daddy Dolls, they gave me the eebie-jeebies for some reason. I mean, I thought it was a great idea, but something just reminded me of the old ladies that have their fourteen year old cocker spaniels stuffed after their beloved friend passes on.

One night after my youngest went to bed talking about how much he missed his papa, I hopped into bed...looking forward to loosing myself in Amy Karol's new book Bend The Rules With Fabric. The first project I turned to was the Uncle Pete and Aunt Sarah dolls...a very similar concept to the daddy dolls I had seen before. We used Amy's directions, but chose to draw our own body in camouflage with sharpie markers.

Wyatt and I made a daddy doll the next afternoon. I am getting used to it. Oh, what we do to comfort these little ones. Now Daddy, or a "not quite as eerie ad I used to think" version of him, goes with us everywhere.

If you get a chance, check out Amy's book. It has lots of other great projects we can't wait to try.

For A Good Cause

2009-10-14T10:34:02-04:00

Last summer, I traveled to Nicaragua with some of the most wonderful people I have ever met...all so kind and compassionate. When you are in siuations that expose you to such pain and poverty and then hop on a plane and fly home...well, it is difficult. You come back with a lot of questions. What do I do now? how do I help? Can I even make a difference? Where do I begin to make a difference with such a huge problem?

For this group of team members, it all seemed to come down to one issue. Casa Bernabe, the orphanage where we "lived" for the week is a wonderful place. A place where children receive 3 meals a day, a loving caring staff to encourage and care for them, and the opportunity to go to school. "Casa" is not perfect, and there is still much to be done. But it was clear to our group that the orphanage is a light in a country full of much darkness. A safe refuge for many children. One problem, however is that because of finances, Casa Barnabe only cares for about 60 children when the orphanage capacity is around 100. That means that there are 40 children on the streets of Managua or in toxic homes or elsewhere that could be experiencing the safety and nurturing of "Casa". The only roadblock is funding.

This team just could not quite get over that fact and decided to do something about it. They set out to raise $20,000 to bring more children off the street and into safety and opportunity.

We attended the fundraiser this past weekend, held at a small local airport.

It was wonderful. It was more than wonderful. It was inspiring to watch people put those small little whispers of "I wish I could do something" into real action.

I am so proud to call these amazing people my friends.

I have been making a quilt out of vintage sheeting and linen to offer as one of the raffle items. But the team ended up doing a 50/50 pot split and not needing the quilt. So now I have this quilt that was made with the specific intention of donating it to help in the effort. I don't feel right about selling it, or even giving it away as a gift, since there was such a specific purpose in mind. Believe me, it did enter my mind.

My father is an auctioneer. And I grew up to the auctioneer chant of his voice. (happy birthday Dad) So, it seems like a natural response to auction this little quilt off here on the blog. I have never seen an auction done through a blog, but I think it will work.

Stay tuned next week for more.

Make Your Own Spider Web

2009-10-08T08:21:34-04:00

It's no wonder spider webs and spiders are such a main icon of fall festivals and halloween decor. They seem to be everywhere you look. Last year we had Charlotte if you remember. And we loved watching her spin her gorgeous webs every morning. But her offspring were not quite as intelligent as she was and the few we saw this year chose to live next door...with a new neighbor that did not appreciate their handiwork as much as we did. Despite Wyatt trying to convince them otherwise, I am pretty sure an exterminator was called and well...we won't think about what happened next.

Instead, this summer we have had a few new spiders. Orb weavers still, but this time they were a bit different, but equally fun to watch. Possibly brown orb weavers.

After watching so many webs being built, we thought about making our own webs. I was telling my friend Kari about a pre-school craft I remember where the teacher cut slits on the sides of a paper plate and the teacher let the children weave black yarn in and out of the slits and across the plate to make a web. We didn't have any paper plates at the time, but necessity is the mother of invention.

What we did have was a few leftover boards from a shelf project and some nails.

This is what we came up with instead.

The boys have had the best time with this nail board and cotton string. I originally made it for my 4-year old, but the older boys have enjoyed it just as much and have now designed and made their own versions.

And of course, no spider web would be complete without a spider...a black widow.

For more detailed instructions on how to make your own spider web or how to catch a real spider web on black paper, check out The Magnifying Glass later today.

**I can see these nail boards being put up for a little while and coming back out as snowflake makers in a few months.**

Ian's First Crazy Quilt

2009-10-07T07:57:49-04:00

This little project as been done for a few weeks now, but I am happy to finally get a minute to share it with you.

Ian has been coveting a piece of vintage orange velour from my fabric stash for well over a year. And finally the stars aligned perfectly allowing opportunity and resources to collide. He knew he wanted to use the orange for sure, and chose a vintage roadster print for the opposite side. It took him a few days to figure out what color(s) the binding would be...and honestly, I was wondering how we would tie these two very different fabrics together myself. But Ian came down the stairs one morning exclaiming, "I've got it mom! Blue!" While in the sewing room finding the perfect shade of blue, we came across the brown print with the little stars. He liked that too, so we threw in a few pieces of it as well.

And isn't that how all the best quilts end up coming together. An inspiration piece to start, plus a few prints that may not really coordinate perfectly, but they make us smile. So we include them anyway. And in the long run, it all just works. Such is Ian's quilt.

He did almost all of the quilting on my macine. But believe me there was much guiding and assisting. His quilting technique brings new meaning to the words "crazy quilt".

Oh, and just so you don't get the idea that a boy who makes a quilt can not be equally tough as creative, here are a few of the outtake photos of he and is quilt.

You know...just so you don't get the wrong idea.

The Fall Garden Is In

2009-10-05T06:45:25-04:00

Right now it is 5:45 a.m. and I have the back door open so Scout can run in and out...able to announce to me that she has found the trail of the bunny that has been visiting our garden in the evenings.

It is cool and crisp you can literally smell autumn. I know many of you up North are already experiencing gorgeous Fall color. But we here in coastal Virginia are just beginning to witness the first signs...goldenrod in bloom, acorns on the oak trees, geese again flying overhead.

The past few weekends the boys and I have been reading the garden for the winter growing season. Last year, we had parsley, cabbage, and swiss chard that made it all winter. The perseverance of those plants had me wondering what else would survive the winter. With a little research, I found that the ocean, being slower to cool and warm than the air, provides some protection from the dipping temperatures that most of inland Virginia experiences. So we along the coast can grow year round. For you locals, Useful Gardensand their forum is a great source of information for those of us who can take advantage of this interesting geographical gardening opportunity.

So far in our little raised beds, we have...

kale, can't wait to try this recipe for kale chips
mixed lettuces
broccoli
peas
spinach
leeks
onions
brussel sprouts

From the summer garden we still have...

a few tomatoes, but they are quickly being devoured by tobacco hornworm caterpillars
green beans
cucumbers
the dill and cilantro have reseeded themselves, but not sure how big they will get before a cold snap gets them
rosemary
thyme
lavender
stevia, blooming now
marigolds and zinnias are still blooming away
and other herbs

From the photos above, you might almost think in was Spring again. New life, new growth, that gorgeous pale green color. Yes, I think I'm already in love with Fall gardening.

Make it a great Monday all. It is good to be back.

hello there friends

2009-09-29T08:25:44-04:00

"Naturally. How one hates to think of oneself as alone. How one avoids it. It seems to imply rejection or unpopularity. An early wallflower panic still clings to the world. One will be left, one fears, sitting in a straight-backed chair alone, while the popular girls are already chosen and spinning around the dance floor with their hot-palmed partners. We seem so frightened today of being alone that we never let it happen. Even if family, friends and movies should fail, there is still the radio or the television to fill up the void. Women, who used to complain of loneliness, need never be alone any more. We can do our housework with soap-opera heroes at our side. Even day-dreaming was more creative than this; it demanded something of oneself and it fed the inner life. Now, instead of planting our solitude with our own dream blossoms, we choke the space with continuous music, chatter and companionship to which we do not even listen. It is simply there to fill the vacuum. When the noise stops there is no inner music to take its place. We must re-learn to be alone."

Gift From The Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Well hello there my friends.

Its nice to see you. It has been a while, hasn't it? I didn't really mean to be gone so long. And I did not mean to cause anyone worry. Sorry about that. It has been a rough couple of weeks. But we are doing well. So now that we are well into our deployment groove, I promise to make this a more regular part of my weekly routine.

Over the past several weeks, my time has intentionally been spent being quiet, being present, getting comfortable with being alone. Present with my boys, present in my home. Present with myself...which is always the most difficult, isn't it? And I don't really mean alone in a sad, depressing sulking kind of way as I might have come across. I just mean that intentionally, I have pulled back, pulled into my shell as we must all do from time to time.

I have spent much of my time reading, writing, cooking, gardening, snuggling with my sweet boys.

Incidentally, has anyone read Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh? A friend of mine gifted me with a 1963 edition a while back. It sat on my bedside table for several months in a pile with other books I had good intentions of reading this summer. And shortly before S's departure, I picked it up one night. I read late into the night and woke up early the next morning to finish it. It is a book written by a woman not unlike all of us, looking for balance in a busy world. Looking for meaning in the day to day. If you have read the book, there is also a great interview of Anne's daughter on NPR about the legacy her mother left through the book.

Ahhh...it feels good to be back in this place.

Enjoying Him, Being Present

2009-08-31T11:05:08-04:00

I was all ready to post about the tomato soup we made and canned this past week. I was going to tell you about this book that was given to me by a good friend and is rocking my world. I could have told you about the little quilt Ian and I have been working on. Or the nature project Zane can't get enough of. But it just isn't happening. It all seems trite and false.

I mean, yes all of those things are really happening too. But there are bigger stories to tell here. Stories that I again hesitate to tell.

You see, this is one of the reasons things have been a bit quieter than usual around here. We're soaking in all of the Daddy time we can. Another deployment is quickly approaching. And so much I would normally post about just doesn't seem to work.

I went to the pre-deployment brief a few weeks ago. For you civilians, this is a meeting of everyone involved in the deployment: the commanders, the wives, the parents, the children of the soldiers that will be deployed and the support personnel. Those who hold so many lives in your hand give you numbers to call in case of an emergency. The jag attorneys remind you to have your wills updated. Everyone generally tries to give you the best support you can for the upcoming separation. Knowing full well that nothing can take the place of having a papa at home.

This briefing was the first one I have been to that they addressed social media. They encouraged families to put together a web page or a blog to keep in touch. But then discouraged giving any information about when anyone is leaving, when they will be returning, where they are headed, etc. Apparently, personal blogs have been a good source of intelligence information.

I have again set up a private blog, with password protection, where he can see daily updates on the boys. A space where they can send him a message and he can write back.

And really the details of future times and locations don't matter.

Gone is gone. And really, we know by now it is a choice to focus on the present. So we do.

And the now has involved lots of the beach.

Hurricane Bill and Danny have been stirring up some decent waves for our area. So we've been in the surf as much as one possibly can. And there have been other day trips to Northern Virginia, to Busch Gardens, to dinners with friends and the like. But even these seem a bit too precious to share.

These will be good memories for the boys to have of their papa. And for him as well. Memories that will serve us all well in the coming months.

The surfing photos above...this is how I choose to think of him. Doing what he loves most in the world. Calm and at peace. In the one place he hears from the creator. These are the images I will hold on to.

This is the photo that he will be taking with him overseas. He will not carry it on him. Instead, we will make him a pillowcase. That way he can go to sleep looking at their funny faces every night.

I hope you don't mind that I close comments on this post. I just want you to know that this will be the backdrop for tomato soup recipes and gardens and quilts for a while. And that these kind of family exchanges of preparing and saying good-bye are still happening. War is still happening. It is real. And personal.

I know you care. I really do. Thank you for that.

Much love to you my friends,

Summer Lovin': Corn

2009-08-20T16:15:13-04:00

When we drive through the countryside here, we see corn everywhere. So I knew it would grow in our garden most likely. I just wasn't sure if we had enough room to make it worth while. But even if we only got a few ears, the boys and I decided it would be a fun endeavor.

And it was.

We had read about the "three sisters" concept of growing corn, beans and squash. Renee's Garden has a nice description of the symbiotic relationship between the plants and how it originated. Even though we planted our beans a few weeks after the corn, the beans still outgrew the corn. And our squash, well the squash beetles got us for the fourth year in a row. I wonder if the Iroquois Indians had a remedy for those pests.

However our experiment came out, the corn was tasty...as all things are that are grown with your own hands.

We'll try the three sisters again next year.

Still At The Beach

2009-08-11T08:51:25-04:00

Been busy soaking up the summer the past few days here. With some public schools starting this week, we are feeling very lucky to still be spending time at the beach.

Posts still might be a bit spiradic as my keyboard has been soaked in lemonade...ugh! The a and s keys are not working, but thanks to the on screen keyboard, I can still peck out a post...any tips for cleaning up a keyboard would be appreciated.

Happy Tuesday!

To The OBX

2009-08-03T07:01:15-04:00

I turned the calendar to August this morning and had a quick "summer is almost over and I haven't done everything I had wanted to" panic attack. It happened to you too, eh?

Luckily we are off to the cottage in the OBX. No, we don't have a cottage. I wish we did. But I love just saying those words and dreaming about having a cottage (said in the most English of accents). I spent at least an hour last night looking up cottages on real estate websites. Oh, it would be so nice to say things like "why don't you just meet us at the cottage this weekend" or "you look like you need a vacation, just use our cottage". So nice.

But luckily I have a good friend who does have a cottage. And she has been so kind as to invite us down for the day.

The travel pillow above was put together rather quickly the night before I left for Nicaragua after seeing this tutorial over on the mayamade blog. I didnt end up following the tutorial. I did my own quick and easy version with a longer handle for throwing over my shoulder. It ended up working perfectly for the plane. Zane has snagged the travel pillow since then and it is already packed in the back seat of the car for today's travels. And I have orders for two more made from robot fabric and a camouflage print.

But that little project will have to wait until we get back. We'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully with sandy toes, sea treasures spilling out of our pockets and pink shoulders.