Vermont - Revisited

I knew when we left on Friday that it would be well worth the trip once the 6 hours of driving were behind us and we woke up the next morning in Woodstock, Vermont. The sun was shining the next morning and it surely did not disappoint.



There is something magical about Vermont. It seems that when you cross the border, life slows down, values change...It's noticeably different. The town of Woodstock reflects this concept very well. There is no Walmart, no Target or Starbucks..there is a general store that has everything from kitchen staples to fly fishing supplies..toy stores with wool rovings and Waldorf dolls. It's obvious that life is different up there.



It really has me thinking about my own values. I often find myself poking around online for similar things..but they just don't have them here in New Jersey..not even in Princeton, where there is a really nice toy store that we like a lot. I find myself questioning where we really belong. I think Joe and I both realize that New Jersey is really nice for now..because we've got some strong roots here, but in the long run? Perhaps it isn't.



In the meantime, we'll make the best of what we've got (which is pretty good if ya ask me!) and keep our sights on better places in the future!

Vermont!

We are headed off to Vermont this weekend! I'm hoping for a relaxing weekend in the beautiful town of Woodstock, VT! Some friends of ours have rented a cottage for the weekend and we were invited to stay. It should be nice! We might even catch some music at moe.down while we are there! Happy travels this weekend lovelies!

The Rail

One of the things I like to do in my spare (haha, spare!) time is see live music. It's ingrained in me.



We even try to take Patrick once in a while, as he loves to dance just as much as his mama. But something has changed since I became a mother, and I'm not really sure what spurred it. Perhaps it is my love of photography, even though I can't always bring my camera in with me. Perhaps it's even the fact that when we go, I've got a Mom's night off and I like to step it up to the next level for the few moments that I can savor.



Never the less, I keep finding myself riding the rail and dancing my feet off! I find the whole endeavor invigorating and refreshing, and when it's all over, I'm ready to go back and be the loving mama I try so hard to be.

What do you do to refresh and renew?

Weekending!

The warmer weather has us outside constantly!



Of course this thrills a little someone to no end. I swear, he'd LIVE outside if I let him!

There are signs of Spring all over!

Crafty Storage

As my little guy gets older, I'm constantly exposing him to art. As a lifelong crafter, I'm sure many of you agree, creativity is so very important! Of course, I also like to keep it all organized as well, especially with so many different options to choose from!

Can you guess what's hiding here?



Or maybe this view is better for you....



You guessed it! Markers!



I also made a lovely little pouch for his crayons, although he prefers the markers right now, they needed a home other than a ratty crayon box as well.




Of course, both of these options make the markers and crayons very portable, so I'm sure in our summer travels, we'll be bringing them along for the ride. How do you store your children's art supplies?

Rain Rain, Go Away....

...come back another day!




It's been doing lots of raining this weekend, and a certain little someone is just recovering from a weekend illness of cuddling and sleeping! It's been rough here in the trenches, but things are finally starting to get back to normal! I thought it might never stop raining! Today, the sun finally broke through, things are starting to dry up, and things are looking up too!

Bring on the Green!

Perhaps because I'm Irish, perhaps because I miss the greenery of the woods, maybe even because St. Patrick's Day is coming up, the last project I started on my old sewing machine was this pillow case. I've got several pillows like this that needed some fresh life, and I'm working on the others, but I was so excited to actually finish this one on my new sewing machine! It was my first lesson in precision. I couldn't believe how amazing the stitching was, how even, how smooth - like butter - they were! I'm so please with how this pillow cover came out that I'm excited for the rest.



Has anyone ever washed something with wooden buttons? That's my only concern. Perhaps I'll be handwashing this one when it needs it!

Oh, and Katie Cat says hi too!

Across the Nation

I recently joined up with the Great Postcard Exchange over at Aimee's blog. Being a lover of postcards, I was quite excited by the prospects of getting them from all over the great United States! In fact, we'll be getting one from every state in the next year! That's a lot of postcards!



After we received the first one, from Alabama, just the other day, I decided that I needed a more permanent home for all these beautiful postcards once we display them for a while. I used the tutorial from Amanda's book, Handmade Home, to create an envelope for all these postcards. Of course, I got to use the new machine. It sews like butter!

Dream Machine

When I first walked into the sewing store, I really didn't know what I'd had in mind. I just wanted to look at what was out there. I didn't think I wanted an embroidery machine, after all, I have one that I don't use very often. I really thought I'd see a whole variety of machines that day, and then I quickly realized: buying a sewing machine today is much like buying a car! Only certain dealers carry certain brands! Well, after seeing a few interesting Brother and Viking machines, I decided I needed to really explore my options, especially considering my limit was now being thrown past itself! Over the course of the week, I visited several other stores, seeing Janomes and Berninas, but it kept coming back to me.



The Brother QC1000 seemed to be the best bet for my money with good reviews! Apparently, Brother has been making strides while I'd been hiding under a Kenmore!



Of course, this machine is well above me. It's beautiful and I love it and I'll surely grow into it, which is great! I feel like I've just had my eyes opened to something I never imagined before!



This machine is so precise! It's capabilities are endless! I remember when just changing thread or reloading a bobbin seamed like tasks. This machine changes everything. I've already started dreaming up all the things I'm going to make with it!

Washcloth

Knitting has never been my strong suite. I've tried several times and I can get it, it just doesn't ever appeal to me. Then I wonder if I'm doing something wrong that I never get faster and can't imagine getting through a big project like a sweater or blanket! I've only ever made scarves and hats, but this time I'm determined to give it a fair shot. With a broken sewing machine, I had some time to knit. I had this great yarn that I felt was well suited for a wash cloth. Wash cloths are in high demand around here, and although we were gifted with many little baby wash cloths, I'd like to knit some more! I really like the feel of this one! It's perfect for wiping up messy little faces!



Did I mention I'm self taught? I've found Cyberseams to be quite helpful. Their videos are easy to follow, and I can repeat them fifty times if I need to. I'm a lefty, but I've found that I've been successfully knitting right handed, which makes sense since I cut right handed as well.

Sewing Woes!

I'm so very devastated! My sewing machine is in severe disrepair and the cost to repair it supercedes the very cost of buying it in the first place! It was my first real sewing machine that I've had for 15 years..so last night, I made a visit to the local sewing store. My, have machines changed!

I need help! Got any suggestions? The Brother QC1000 is really a nice machine, but do I really need all that jazz? I'd like to get more into quilting, and I'd really like to get a nice machine. I'm absolutely sure I'll get good use out of it!