Porch Steps

Reading

It's ironic that all I want to do today is sit around and read this book -- which is very domestically focused -- when I am surrounded by so many real-life domestic things that I could actually be doing. In other words, I'm having one of those days (weeks? months? more?) during which I'm more interested in reading about domestic life than participating in domestic life. 

My little still-sick child is watching an "old school" episode of Sesame Street right now, circa 1975 -- I got the DVD this weekend. What's funny is that at the beginning, a disclaimer appears on the screen, basically warning that the old-school episodes were intended for a previous generation and might not be appropriate for today's preschoolers. (!?) It actually advises that they be viewed by adults. I feel irresponsible that I am letting her watch it unattended ... but really? It's Sesame Street! Honestly, I seem to be physically unable to sit down and watch TV with my children.

_________

Update: My lack of supervision backfired. She's traumatized that Snuffy was invisible to everyone except Big Bird for the entire episode. Apparently that was the main story line -- none of the other characters believe Big Bird's friend exists, and they repeatedly scoff at the idea. I can now remember how frustrating this was to me, as a child. (In modern episodes, Snuffy is seen by everyone.) Darn it. Maybe I'll have to rethink the old-school Sesame Streets ...

Greens, Purples

I'm home with a sick Charlotte on this gray Monday. Fingers crossed that she'll make a full recovery before Thanksgiving ...

This is a project she did one afternoon a couple weeks ago, and I thought it turned out nicely, although I wish I had a better photo. I'm too lazy to re-photograph. I saw versions of this idea on a few different art blogs, and it seemed like potential fun ... although also potential boredom. I wasn't sure. At any rate, I taped some paint-sample cards (what do you call these things? paint chips? I'm blanking) at the top of two pieces of paper, and then told the girls to try to match the colors and draw a design below. Interestingly, Avery got irritated and quit partway through -- this might have been due to afterschool fatigue -- but Charlotte absolutely loved it. She took her completed project (entitled "The Paint Pot") proudly for show-and-tell at preschool, and she's been asking to do another one ever since.

Practicing

While I am waiting to come up with my first "real" sewing project, I've been doing some little things, just to make sure I don't forget how to use the machine. A few haven't worked out -- making cloth napkins out of scrap material, for example, seemed extremely simple but proved tedious and annoying. I've dropped that project, for now. I also made an apron out of a dishtowel (generously donated to the cause by Jeanne) using Amy Karol's guide, but ... eh. It's blah. It looks like a plain old dishtowel with strings. Maybe I'll add a pocket using another material? Partway through this project I remembered that I'm not a very aprony person; this is causing a lack of motivation.

But I do love cute kids' clothing. Appliqued t-shirts are all the rage these days (MiniBoden, etc.) so I made these for A and C, using some plain shirts we had on hand. They are kind of messy-looking, with unfinished edges, but I'm okay with that. In theory I wanted the girls to share both shirts -- I used a size that's in between -- but Charlotte doesn't like the tree shirt, so that plan didn't fly.

Charlotte's shirt:

Another view (with a drip of water on her chin that I really should have cropped out:)

Avery's:

I also made a sleeping bag for David, one of Avery's many dogs. I let Avery select the material out of my pile of limited options, and she fully rejected my suggestions, so ... David will be forever in a holiday spirit. While sleeping, at least.

And that's what I've done so far. One barrier to the whole hobby: The girls have realized that, contrary to their initial impression, it's not particularly fun to watch me sew. They whine a lot about it -- especially Charlotte. My dreams of sewing in the afternoon while she peacefully colors or plays on the floor for hours have faded fast. (Who was I kidding?) I'll have to fit the sewing in when I can, when the spirit moves me. Too bad I'm not a nighttime project-worker, like normal people. 

Mount Vernon, Rain

Here is what George Washington's famous home looks like on a very rainy, very cold day, while herding a group of very talkative first graders through the mud.

It wasn't the most successful of field trips, but it was an adventure. I love the six-year-old spirit.