Cozy Toes

Lilla recently outgrew all the knit and crotchet slippers made for her and all of her socks are slowly yet steadily losing their mates. This babe is in need of something toasty that stays on her wriggly feet! I thought about just going to the store and finding something ready made that would work, but I like to go about such things in my own obtuse way. I had been ogling this little slipper pattern for a while (and hoping to make it before summer arrives!), but you know how these things go, right? Since my knitting needles and crochet hooks seems to be on hiatus, sewing a pair seemed far more doable, plus I could use that favored material of mine- felted woolen sweaters.

Well I finally made a pair of "Bitty Booties" in soft green wool, but they didn't stay on very well and I abandoned the idea of decorating them (thankfully). I decided to try again and modified the bootie into a boot by adding an extra piece of fabric that would help cover that barren section of leg displayed when Lilla's pants ride up. And this is what I ended up with:

They are reversible and the pattern from the sweater served as decoration. I like how they came out...but they don't stay on great either. Hmmm I guess it's back to the sewing machine for some more adjusting. Or maybe I will just break out the knitting needles.

And I still haven't made the "baby legs" like Laura made, but I hope to get around to it one of these days so Lilla can be rockin' and cozy- like Miss Payson.

Laundry Action

Call me silly, but I get a ton of joy from making things...all sorts of things from the frivolous to the mundane. I also love to save money. So you can imagine the bells that went off in my head when I stumbled upon this recipe for making liquid laundry soap. It satisfies my need for potion mixing, environmental friendliness and thrift. We just finished the last bit of the first batch I made, so I'm off to make round 2. Try it, it's fun- especially if you find yourself battling multiple loads of laundry a day like I do, which is neither environmentally friendly nor fun.
You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax.  

The Soap:  The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha.  It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle.  The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote.  Any of these will work.  If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar. 

Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda.  They are not the same thing.  Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate).  It is a white powder.  Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders.   The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda.  I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store.   Many people have a hard time finding this locally.  I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com.  I would also suggest asking your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you. 

Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate.  It is a white powder.  It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team.  It comes in a 76 oz. box.  You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle.  Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online.

The Recipe

Now that you have assembled all the needed ingredients here is the recipe:

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above 

½ cup washing soda 

½ cup borax powder  

~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  You use ½ cup per load. 

A room of her own

For months, no years, Ava has been asking and wishing to have her room painted and decorated in her colors of choice. Since we rent this house, I've always quietly dismissed the idea as not worth the effort/money because we are *supposedly* moving soon. Well, after 3+ years living here that excuse is getting old. We had been hoping to buy our own home for many years (um, since we moved to this area 5 1/2 years ago), but that is another long, drawn out story to save for another day.

I do keenly remember being Ava's age and really wanting my room to be a certain way, but that was never a possibility growing up in such a large family. So to get to the point of this little story, a few weeks ago I decided I would finally go for it and redo my sweet girl's room. The hitch was, I wanted it to be a total surprise and also to cost less than $50. I love the cheapskate challenge!

For the last couple weeks I have been stealthily gathering the supplies and secretly getting ideas from Ava about how she would like her room "if" we could paint it. Her colors of choice? Hot pink and light green.

My first goal was to find some bed linens in pink, but oh no, not light pink. Apparently Ava HATES light pink! No easy task, I must say. Four stores later, I hit upon some hot pink 100% cotton (a must in my opinion) jersey sheets (Target $20). I quickly realized I was not going to be able to buy a comforter and still stay in my price range, so I went to Joann's fabric store to get fabric for making a duvet cover ($15). From stash fabric I sewed simple muslin curtain panels,made a few fuchsia colored cloth lampshade covers, and covered a cork board with some hot pink fabric.

Then off I went to the paint store. Our local store has a whole selection of Benjamin Moore paint "goofs" ranging in price from $1-$4. They call them "goof gals" (as in gallons) and a"goof gal" is exactly what I felt like as I picked up some yellow, white and blue for mixing up into a gallon of green.

Next up, arranging a sleepover for Ava and getting a helper for me- my kind sister Lea (thank you!) . So on Saturday night, Ava went off to her friend's house for a sleepover and Lea came over ready to paint. With Lea around, the paint job was painless, quick and I daresay fun. We moved around the existing furniture and dressed the bed and windows with the new fabrics. I finally went to bed at 3am exhausted, but anxiously awaiting Ava's return home and her reaction in a few hours.

Though the colors are loud and the room offbeat, I think Ava was pretty thrilled when she came home to find her room totally made over. I'm so happy we pulled it off.

Bag of Tricks

Lilla has had an amazing spurt in development as of late. During the last month she learned to sit up with ease and figured out how to get into a seated position from her belly. She also pulled herself up to standing. Today she blew a "raspberry" (is that the right way to say that?) And she just learned the "classic crawl," but doesn't usually go too far. For a while she had just been dragging herself, rolling and pivoting to get around. Oh there are so many things she'd like to get into....She may just pull a Rowan and be walking at nine months old.



The poor little miss has four teeth arriving all at the same time and we've been plying her with all sorts of good eats. So far she's tried mashed bananas, brown rice, broccoli, apple, carrots and peas. "Tried" is a relative term since most bites end up coming right back out. I've never been a fan of the jarred baby foods, so I simply mush up a little of something easy or a plain bit of our meal.

Not too sure about that bite of carrot...

Sweet Music

Can I just tell you how much I love the Elizabeth Mitchell children's CDs? Years ago when we lived in the Boston area, my friend Carolyn, shared her "You are My Flower" disc with me. I was stunned by the sweetness of it and quickly scooped up the "You are my Sunshine" disc, as well. I loved the fun little ditties to sing along with Ava when she was just a little thing.

Well, the other day at the library I noticed that Miss Mitchell has a new one out and of course I had to bring it home. Described as having a "hip alt-folk rhythmic and harmonic feel," it's been on repeat now for days... Check out "You Are My Little Bird." It covers Bob Marley, Gillian Welch, and Velvet Underground songs, as well as Woody Guthrie and international tunes. I love it (did I say that already?)

Does any one else have a favorite kid's CD...especially one you find yourself listening even when the kids aren't around?

Happy Birthday Dear Laura!

Happy Birthday to my gorgeous sister Laura. Hope you have a wonderful day...and many more! "Maitelance!" (you know what I'm talking about.)

Rowan and Eliot

Just before Rowan fell asleep last night he said, "Next year, the thing I want for Christmas is for Eliot to be my brother." Just a little bit of a tall order, but I can understand why... Eliot is one imaginative and free spirited child and has been Rowan's close friend for the past four years. We met Eliot's family through his big sister Clara who is incidentally one of Ava's best friends. It's funny, the two boys have been friends for so long and play together so often that they may as well be brothers. They are so SERIOUS about their play and can spend hours making "set-ups"- elaborate little villages or castles or forts for Playmobil figures. With an array of dress up clothes at the ready they quickly become pirates, knights, cowboys or sheriffs, to name a few of the regular characters I see around here. They consult each other as to whether they are enacting "olden days" or "now times." For the two of them, a five hour play-date just never seems long enough.

Spring?

Mrs. Thaw came to town and it looks positively rosy out there. The kids and I had a great walk around the neighborhood in the 60+degree weather. The creek was rushing madly and the air smelled deeply of earth. I'm afraid this this little spring tease is throwing me off track as by the calendar winter has only just begun!

Poor Lilla was "overheated" in her little coat (well, according to Ava....)
Rowan stomped in every bit of remaining-and extremely dirty- snow!
When the snow does fly again, we'll be reading one of our favorite new books, Ollie's Ski Trip which is filled with Elsa Beskow's reassuring words and beautiful watercolors.

On Holiday

Snow and wind whistle outside. A new year is here and we are snug and cozy back home again. We spent the Christmas holiday with my family on the lovely Cape. Somehow it seems so long since our last visit but really it has only been a few months. Though I like where I currently live, I always feel the tug toward Cape Cod- my childhood home. My parents still reside there and most of my many siblings live within an hour and a half or less. Perhaps it is also the sea, its endless tide ever drawing me near.


Christmas brought presents galore, entirely too many sweets (but oh those brownies were too good) and much joy in seeing all the family. How fun for all NINE cousins to be under one roof (and challenging to get a picture of them all together)! And so sweet to see the four littlest ones scrambling around on the floor.

I thought the matching pjs were fun, though by the expressions on their faces, I'm not sure they agreed.

Mild weather gave us the chance to savor the solitude and beauty of the winter beach-scape. I especially appreciate the Cape in the off-season.


I even visited with a few friends that I hadn't seen in years...so nice to catch up with Shirley, Sam and Kate. I'm afraid Lilla did not approve of my outing and cried in protest while I was gone.

Of course with the delight of seeing family and friends comes the tinge of bittersweet because eventually we must say our goodbyes and make the journey back to our far off home.