My Sleeping Beauty

Last year I just about blew a gasket looking at Halloween costumes targetted for girls. Back in my day (when did I become old enough to say that??!?), we made authentically cool, extraordinary, unique costumes. Unlike the dreck (sexy/scary, polyester, "don't wash" bits of fabric barely sewn together) in your local Halloween shop or super store.
My little one was recently invited to a princess party and really wanted to be Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.
I pretty much knew from the beginning that I'd have to make the dress. First of all, I can't stand polyester. Second, the temperature tends to reach 100 in the summer here. And third, Disney doesn't appear to sell a realistic Aurora dress anymore. And Disney doesn't even pretend to offer it, now the dresses are 'inspired by' [insert movie title]. And sewing patterns to make a Sleeping Beauty dress are out of print.

Ebay to the rescue. For a higher price than I would normally pay for a pattern, I won an ebay auction for the  mini-Aurora dress pattern. Now I really hope she likes it right up until Oct 31, I have no interest in sewing an Ariel dress.

Vinegars and Oils, Oh My

Is this gorgeous or what? Hibiscus nettle vinegar... For my hair rinse. It probably doesn't stay in my hair long enough to give my hair any red... but I can hope.

Here's a blog post that covers infusing vinegar, oils, alcohol and honey.

 The pink bottle has vanilla steeping. My four year old and I paper-mached a glass jar to keep the vanilla shaded. And she painted it her favorite color. Unfortunately the little glass jar is probably a mistake... My hemp oil says to keep it refrigerated, so why did I put my prized lavender from my garden in there and promptly put it back into the fridge? Because I wanted to do *something* and I got two steps ahead of myself. Word to the wise silly - think it through before you do. Sigh.

Christmas goodies

I'm pretty proud of the Christmas gifts I've made so far. Recycled crayons. There are tutorials all over the place...

I had to do some shopping to find girly colored corduroy, I've been eyeing a pink pair of corduroy my daughter is growing out of. But since she's still wearing them, I wasn't allowed to cut them. This is your typical circle skirt. I used a button hole elastic for the first time.

Sugar!

My co-sleeping munchkin used the sidecar bed last night for the first time. The crib has been attached to the bed  for a long time, mostly collecting toys.  But for the first time she moved over there on her own and stayed for at least 8 hours. Sigh, talk about bitter sweet.
Perhaps that's why I went on a sugar frenzy this weekend... I whipped up:

• chocolate chip and date cookies based on the Gluten-Free Gourmand's Scone recipe
• experimented with orange coconut milk ice cream
• attempted candy orange peels - not a success, I guess next time I'll have to actually pay attention to the sugar temps
• chocolate coconut milk ice cream with double the maple syrup and 2 T arrowroot - super yum!
• and to add something really good for me, started my first batch of fermented carrots.

Note the still solidifying homemade chocolate candy shell over the ice cream. Clearly I have a sugar issue. But oh my, that ice cream is wonderful. The munchkin can't have eggs (or wheat or a few other things) and the spouse can't have pasteurized dairy, so I've had to alter my ice creamaholicism to special brands that are rather pricey and don't help our budget... So, I am thrilled to find a handmade ice cream that is actually edible with little 'ole me as the ice cream maker. Coconut milk seems to be a natural ingredient in 'ice cream', since it is full of healthy fat and hardens creamily when put in the freezer.

Farmer's Market Finds

What they say about Farmer's Markets is all true. Great fresh options with a good chance of being organic. And more variety than in your average grocery store. I saw at least 4 kinds of cherry tomatos yesterday. And purslane! I haven't found purslane in the yard this year, so I was excited to see a big bunch for a dollar.

The local farmers are bringing a lot of Asian veggies I don't yet know. I love buying something new, and with a few tips from the farmer, experimenting in the kitchen. Last year I discovered rutabaga - love them! And sometimes you get a surprise... The honeydew I bought appears to be an orange fleshed honeydew. I love honeydew, but not a big fan of cantalope, but I think I like this hybrid.

Then there's the olive guy... during part of the year he has olives cured with just salt. Right now his selections have vinegar, but we try not to hold it against him. The little one loves olives, so we buy a lot. The lemon peel stuffed olives were interesting. This time I bought Greek dried Kalamata olives. Very salty, but yum! I'm not too sure what to do with them yet, but they were nice chopped up and steeped in olive oil for an easy salad dressing.

Garden salad

I'm not getting as much produce out of my garden as I hoped. But the cucumbers are still growing and I'm getting enough cherry tomatos for a small salad each evening.

I had a run-in with red ants yesterday. They appear to be living under the stepping stones next to my raised garden bed... I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of them, I'd like an organic solution. Limestone, which is supposed to work like diatomaceous earth doesn't seem to have an effect.

Cucumber!

This is my first cucumber plant. Next year I'll plant at least two. I love how the little tendrils grab onto things so it can climb. And it seems to grow about an inch a day, which is just amazing to watch...

Isn't it cute?

And I haven't really had any trouble with pests. I picked a few caterpillars off one day, but that's it.

Genealogy

This is a little off topic... but my editor is letting this slide.

Findmypast (the British version of Scotlandspeople, the Scottish version of ancestry.com) is allowing free access to their documents on days England plays in the World Cup. For a poor genealogy buff like myself this is fabulous. Especially since the 1911 English census was relatively recently released and findmypast appears to be the only one of two place to get images.

Back to the photo. I've done a little research on my grandmother's cousin's father who was from England. His family remained in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England when he moved to the US after 1901. The photo is said to contain Florence Eliza Higgins (his sister), Lady Bingham and Fred Topsfield, on May 28, 1924. (I thought "Lady Bingham" and "Fred Topsfield" would be uncommon enough names to help me find more information... but apparently this Yankee doens't know the English.) The 1911 census image I acquired last night confirms that Florence married a Mr Clamp - which brings up another interesting British research issue - the marriage indexes are, um, annoying. The Higgins household includes the Higgins family members I'd seen in other censuses (censusii?) plus a young daughter Bessie Ingram Higgins (which confirms the mother's maiden name - Yahoo!). Mr Clamp is not there, but Florence Eliza Clamp is listed as married (not widowed), which is interesting. Altogether a productive 90 minutes of research.

Kitchen Garden: Growing Avocado Seeds

Many years ago, when I was a college student dreaming of my future garden, I found a book that described growing food from seeds and leftovers from purchased food. The idea stuck with me and I have successfully grown potatoes and garlic from sprouted food in my kitchen.
Now I'm trying out avocados. We eat about one avocado per day when they are in season, so growing our own would definitely be a bonus. I never liked the idea of impaling an avocado seed with toothpicks and after some googling I learned that A) avocadoes can grow in my area, B) you can grow avocados by putting the seeds directly in dirt, and C) you can grow avocados in water without impaling them.
My first attempt was a seed in a Medela freezeable breastmilk container (imagine a tall plastic beaker). Oops, the seed expanded and got stuck halfway in the beaker, no way to add water, no way to remove the seed without harming it.
Then I spotted all these wonderful small shotglasses and medicine cups sitting around the kitchen. The ideal situation appears to be a cup with V shaped depression, so the seed sits halfway down the glass, supported by the sides. Keep water approximately halfway up the seed. Add water, when air appears below the seed. Some sources say to plant in dirt when leaves sprout. But to avoid seriously messing up the roots, I'll try to plant before the roots look as scrunched as the far right has.


Unfortunately, I don't know which varieties I have growing... but it will be fun to see how many little trees I can start. We've found at least four varieties at our local farmer's market, including a tiny version (they are called "Mexican" something) with edible skins. Somehow I managed not to save a seed from those. I will definitely do that this year. Those tiny ones are so darn yummy. The far left and far right seeds look the same to me, but they are sprouting in reverse of each other. The left one barely has any roots at all, while the right clearly had more roots before sprouting up.
Unfortunately, avocados don't bear fruit until their 4th or even 10th year, so we may have left this home by that time, but I can hope to see fruit before we go.
Have you had success growing food from your kitchen?

Family cloth

When I can spare the time, I've been serging up some new flannel wipes. After almost two years, I'm upgrading, wahoo! I got a lovely flannel sheet with a plaid that perfectly divides into 6 inch strips. The t-shirt wipes didn't feel absorbant enough. I found myself preferring my flannel/velour wipes, but not the velour side. Although the velour is very pretty and soft against your hand, one's um other bits don't like it as much. Live and learn.
So... 6 inch double thickness flannel it is.

Patchwork Progress

I started a patchwork skirt back before Thanksgiving with the intention of finishing before Christmas. The actual patchworking went smoothly. I had a nice rythmn going: match pieces, stitch, serge, top stitch, assembly line style. It takes a long time, but I loved it. Every free moment I was at the dining table (aka my sewing station).

A few patchy things I learned in the process:

• keep seam allowence in mind when cutting the fabric, you probably don't want lots of really skinny patches
• work assembly line style - for speed
• don't plan out patchwork too much, the fabric has a mind of its own
• you will use lots of thread, if your top thread color is important, be prepared with at least 3 spools
• as a firt time patchwork fabric, corduroy is very forgiving
• corduroy is very thick, make sure your sewing machine can handle the layers you'll have to sew
• patchworked panels are thick and heavy
• don't give yourself too much waistline allowence, all that fabric will have to bunch around your waist
• if you insert pockets in your panels, take the height of the waistband into consideration
• if you insert pockets or other important features in your panels, remember to inset them enough, that it doesn't get chopped off in seam allowance
• if you want vertical strips to connect panels, either: have horizontal patches in the strips, or make sure the panels are very a-line (very triangular), see second picture to understand why.

Wool underwear

Back when I was in a frenzy buying wool sweaters to make longies for the wee one I picked up a sweater at a thrift store. Not just a wool sweater, a wonderful, soft, thin wool sweater. It was missing its tags but I'm optimistically positive it is Smartwool. I originally thought it would make a nice pair of summer longies, but hesitated and then discovered the little one is a naturalist in the summer. Well, she's probably a naturalist the rest of the year, too, but we keep her covered up.
Back to this wool I need to use... underwear, grownup underwear. It gets cold in our house in the winter. Wool is supposed to make great underwear, requiring less washings than regular cotton (umm, we'll see about that part, I'm a bit skeptical of the idea of rotating unwashed underwear). So off google to find directions for turning a wool sweater into underwear.
Perhaps my problem was using the term underwear instead of panties. Anyone else have an issue with 'panties'? I never liked that word. Anyhow, I found this post: Any Size Long Johns from Wool Sweaters Now that's an idea. A few odd seams in a pair of long johns won't matter if no one's going to see them anyway. And it combines another project I've been contemplating - something warm for under skirts in winter. Flannel bloomers had been the direction I was going, but wool long johns sounds even cozier... Now to find out if my sweater can cover more than just my butt.

There's Something About Rosemary

I love how easy it is to grow rosemary here, in the central valley. We have four bushes, the three in full sun are about 5 feet tall and 5 to 8 feet wide now. I love that it is evergreen and makes the yard look like perhaps I know what I'm doing.
We use rosemary to season meat and potatos. And I can usually get freecycle takers when I offer up clippings from the branches that grow in the wrong direction (over my patio).
I love the idea of being self-sufficient and growing herbs to use. So, I was thrilled to find another use for this wonderful herb... hair rinse. I've been trying to go 'poo free for a few years now. I made the leap for a few months, then felt guilty about the unfinished bottles of 'poo & conditioner, so switched back. Well, the Aubrey Organics products are all used up, and I ordered shampoo bars (from Chagrin Valley) - love them. And now I get to make my own hair rinse to help rinse out the hard water. I use Chagrin Valley's Vinegar Hair Rinse Recipe #2...
I have my shampoo bar and two sports water bottles in the shower:

• rosemary vinegar with filtered water
• filtered water to rinse out the rinse

When the house is cold I keep the bottles at my feet during the shower, to warm up the water a little before pouring it on my head. Some people use vinegar rinse rarely, like once a week or less, I use it after every hair wash.

New Twirl Skirt

I whipped up a skirt while the little one slept in, this weekend. It is your basic twirl skirt, made it from bed sheets. I used the dental floss method for gathering the fabric. It is definitely quicker than using two rows of stiching, it works best if the floss is not too close to the edge. The bottom ruffle was free - it was already there as the hem on a name brand sheet.
The top I made earlier using the peasant top tutorial.

Motherhood on a Budget

My daughter is 16 months old now...
Despite my resolution not to buy unnecessary commercial toys, we bought two big ticket plastic items this week. She's at the little mommy stage, carrying and kissing her plastic (ugh, that's a subject for another post) doll and her stuffed animals.
She's shown interest in bikes and riding toys when visiting other places. So, we snatched up a tonka truck for $10 on craigslist. She's also had lots of fun with the play kitchen at grandma's, so Dora's talking kitchen found its way into my car this week from another craigslister. The gal selling Dora's kitchen removed the batteries before handing my purchase over (um, can we say cheap?). But that's fine, I really don't know why a kitchen needs to talk anyway.
We probably have one more purchase ahead, because the little one is into everything. Climbing into cupboards, hiding under the table, under my desk, she even crawled into the dog's crate. So, we're pretty certain she needs a fort/house/tent. I realize the simple answer is a blanket draped over chairs, etc. But we don't seem to have the necessary sturdy furniture in the right room for that solution. A cardboard box sounds good too, until we think about the kinds of critters that live in this valley. So, we're watching craigslist, for a washable tentish item.
I suppose we could be hitting garage sales, but 7am is just too early for baby and I.

Cloth pads

After cloth diapering a baby some eventually run into the question... Why am I using disposable products, when reusable clearly works for baby?
I've already shared that I made the leap to cloth toilet paper a few months ago. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'll have to date the next roll of TP, 'cause I think it took me two months to go through one roll.
As for feminine hygiene products, I haven't had a chance to use them yet, but I'm creating a stash of 'mama pads'. I got six from Dagny's Promise and six from Keep Your Baby Close. I also have a LunaPad I bought from Whole Foods a long time ago (I liked the idea, but just couldn't put it into practise). How many pads does one gal need? I have no idea, but I have a feeling mama pads are a lot like cloth diapers, underwear or shoes for some ladies... they are just fun to accumulate.
Since my pocketbook is pretty thin right now, I'm finally getting around to making some pads. I found Adahy's circle pad pattern that appeals to me. It is easy to make, the pattern is free and if I hang it on the drying line it won't be hugely obvious just what it is. No, the picture to the left is not my work. Mine are still in progress.

Won a lottery!

I won some unpaper towels from Joli's Art on Hyena Cart. Yeah! I can't wait to try them out.
We recently decided to switch to cloth from paper towels (no more trees cut down for our kitchen counters, thank you), so three 'Burley knit terry towels' will be a welcome addition. We designated a drawer in the kitchen for various wash cloths, hand towels, newborn prefolds and bibs. So far, we've done pretty well, just using cloth to clean what would have previously involved paper towels.
One spill we haven't found a replacement for is broken glass. My recent rash of buttery fingers combined with tile floor has thwarted our non-paper pursuits. Perhaps some rugs in the right places... I'm off to find a lottery on woven rugs.

Going Green, Frugally

We used cloth diapers and homemade cloth baby wipes from the beginning. But there are more changes we've recently made that are happily both frugal and green.
Paper napkins are easy to replace with cloth.
We're working on switching off paper towels for cleaning. So far, my favorite for paper towel replacements are squares of doubled flannel.
Then there's toilet paper. The term used most often for cloth TP is "family cloth". If this is the first time you've encountered that concept, then take a moment, breath deeply. It takes a little time to get used to the idea. I waited at least a year before making the switch. Some people use cut up t-shirts, which is what I'm using now. But I think I'll be much happier with a combination of flannel and velour, like the wipes I made for baby. Cloth diapering mamas know that fabric softeners ruin cloth absorbancy. So, if you, or your t-shirt source, used fabric softener, your squares may not initially be as absorbant as desired. Some stripping may be necessary.
This article summarizes the changes you can make in the kitchen: How to Eliminate Paper Products in the Kitchen