who I would find

I arrived in the forest of New Hampshire

and then I noticed there was something different about these woods

so I took a walk down to the dock 

and set an intention to soak it all in

I looked around at each cabin with it's coordinating dock

and wondered which one was mine and who I would find there

I worried I wouldn't fit in or make connections

on the first night, I returned home late after classes and presentations 

to find a spinner-mama-of-four that inspired me with her tales of mothering, 

a talented blogger, a bad-ass photographing Aussie, one of the smartest women 

I've ever met who will hopefully someday be elected to the House of Representatives 

and two great friends (that are also very good at embroidery)  

we promised ourselves we'd go to bed before midnight, but it was rarely before 2 a.m.

each cozy cabin was historic and simple

a working ice box kept our drinks cold 

with ice harvested from the lake in winter, then stored here 

when I wasn't in class, I was on the dock with my knitting, new friends (although one of them was my bestie going back many years), and great conversation 

on the last night. glowing blocks of ice lead the path towards 

a magnificent Art Fair full of gorgeous wares

and then it was over

 like the luna moth that eventually flew away, so did I
looking back, I am left with

 the memory and luxury of endless hours of laughter
with the woman I feel most comfortable sharing my stories
from the past and the present
all of them and more
a very dear friend

 the surprising quirky humor from my sweater twin, Christine

 (who you may remember seeing here as the inspiration for knitting the antler pattern)

the moving poems of Sarah 

that will have me thinking and dreaming of that

  secret diary she found written by Ester Small in 1886

the artwork by Colleen who encouraged me to work harder and more intensely than I have since my early art school days on an altered book project that pushed me into new territory

the delightful wise cracks and one-liners from Liv and Cheryl that continue to make me chuckle

as I sat on our cabin porch awaiting my ride to the airport, 

my last scene at Squam was full of love, friendship, tears

and the deep, calming feeling that a shift had occurred in my life

I had found more amazing, creative and talented women to add to my tribe

Serious about Turkey

 

My man was absent from bed for part of last night, losing sleep and overrun with thoughts of cooking the bird.  I love that about him.  He is serious about his turkey and his crazy collection of kitchen tools.  While everybody was in their this morning using them, he announced, "This is the day when I get to use all of them, see how much fun it is!"  Look how excited he is about his new flavor injector.  Sometimes you need to insert your marinade directly into your food.  I can't wait to eat his meal.  Don't worry, I've got the log-legged kitschy table runner complete with fabric handprints and all.   See my inspiration collection here.  Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 

 

Let the crafting begin!

I wanted a super cute laptop case and my daughter wanted a dog sweater.  I never know how our sewing projects will turn out.  Sometimes patterns can be frustrating to follow (or is it that I start modifying too much?)  Last week, the nice lady at the sewing machine repair shop showed me how to properly use my machine (finally after 4 yrs!) and was excited about two patterns that seemed easy to follow.  I think we were successful.

The dog tolerates it when we wrangle her into her new warm double-layered reversible sweater and I love my laptop case.  But I love it even more when my daughter takes matters into her own hands and shows me how well she knows her way around my sewing machine.  With confidence, she whipped up a knife pouch for her Papa's belt (I love that he is always the recipient of her crafts.)  Let the crafting season begin! 

Much more than a hunch

Here's the story of a lovely lady,

 

who was bringing up three very lovely girls,

 

Here's the story of a man named Brady,

 

 

who, was busy with three boys of his own,

 

 

'Till the one day when the lady met the fellow and they knew it was much more than a hunch,

 that this group would somehow form a family,

 

 

 Please meet Carol and Mike

 

 

They are the proud parents of six kittens, Marcia, Jan, Cindy, Greg, Peter and Bobby (I can't stop, it was my absolute favorite show as a child!) as well as the newest members of our toy family.  Certain sewing patterns that look just right for me (adorably intermediate) must be made.  There was no holiday nearby and I couldn't wait for her birthday, so my daughter received Mama Cat and her Skirt Dwelling Kittens as her airplane gift when we flew back east in August.  As I was making it for her, I realized little brother was going to need a little something too.  So, Papa Cat and his Overalls Dwelling Kittens was made! My favorite boy kitten is Super Cat, the one with the cape.  It's a sweet pattern and the only problem was that I didn't realize how small the kittens would be at 2 inches tall.  This is how I found them this morning, after my daughter had put them to sleep in the barn.

 

I love how Mama and Papa cat are different skin tones and how he sleeps with his arm on top of her, I can totally relate!