Charlotte models her new "sleeping dress"

I’m not much of a seamstress. I do alright with hand sewing, especially when I’m working with a forgiving fabric like fleece, but I get impatient with patterns (or rather, with my clumsy attempts to follow them), and when I decide to dust off the machine, my ambition generally sets me up for failure. It’s always been this way, ever since my 7th grade home-ec class, when a set of festive holiday pillows became so frustrating that I stopped halfway; somewhere, my mom has two red and green pillows, bedecked with holly, that read “NO.”

Anyway, lately I’ve been so inspired by Amanda Blake Soule’s new book, Handmade Home, that I’ve braved my anxiety, set up my sewing machine next to the wood stove in the living room, and begun to work on all kinds of projects. The girls now have a set of fluttery purple flags hanging from their ceiling, my office is newly curtained, and the rest, well, they’re Valentine’s presents, so they’ll have to remain secret for a few more days.

In the middle of this sewing frenzy, my favorite monkey pajamas finally frayed through. On a whim, I took out my scissors and pins, and pulled together a Charlotte-sized nightgown. Don’t be fooled–it took a lot of seam-ripping, and in tight spots I turned off the machine and pulled out my thimble. But it’s wearable, and Charlotte is delighted. She’s been so happy twirling in her monkeys that I’m tempted to clothe the whole family in my pajama scraps!

Crafts, Family Crafts, Family, pajamas, recycling, sewing

Bea waters the mulch

I spend a lot of time with our daughters, and we’re usually engaged in some kind of adventure, but occasionally there are days that are exceptionally glorious. Friday was one of them. Our day, in recap:

Photos with Papa in the garden before work
Blueberry pancakes with (our own) maple syrup
Five mile walk/stroller ride to visit our favorite cow farm
Stop at Collyer Brook to look for animals and listen to the water
Macaroni and extra sharp cheddar
Transplant nine geraniums from window boxes (my Mothers’ Day present) to winter-over in house
Reorganize downstairs kids’ books–Charlotte suggests turning playroom into a library
Cut out construction paper dreidels, decorate with glitter and feathers, and hang in windows
Walk Godfrey, coming back through the orchard with a stop at the swing set
I milk goats, feed chickens, and sweep barn while the girls nap in their stroller
Bubble bath for the girls while I work on scarf I’m knitting
Jammie supper! Chicken and broccoli and ice cream dessert
Read Babar, The Trees of the Dancing Goats, and Babar again
Girls make mischief while I clean up the kitchen
After several trips upstairs and many goodnight smooches, the girls fall asleep
A very good day.

Family daughters, Family, fun, girls