JCasa *handmade

highlights

sunshine + big chess + knitting + white linen way way after labor day + best friends

improving vision + sewing + saturday NPR + re-opening the shop + superfun holiday fabrics + special goodies to share very soon

sorting through all the piles + twirling with my girlys to the brandenburg concertos + going for a quiet pedicure + meal planning for the entire week + grocery shopping coming in $7 under budget + baking a last minute tart with mascarpone, apples and blackberries + talking music and basslines with the hub by a crackling fire

and the best part is taking a few moments to think back fondly on all of it once again.  i hope your weekend was filled with highlights, as well - do tell!  xoxo

good things

:: really cleaning out the entire refrigerator for the first time (ahem).  mama pulled the whole thing out from the wall and spent over an hour removing the shelves and drawers for a much needed schmutz intervention.  yep, it was gross.  and now it sparkles.

:: an afternoon trip with my littles into the city to visit lucy otter and friends for the first time since fall.

:: stopping by the market on the way home for 5 simple ingredients to whip up a favorite nigella-inspired quick-cook.

:: finally sorting through the "share" and "sell" piles from my workspace-cleanout a few months ago.  (more on how you can get your hands on some of it in a few days.)

:: discovering an awesome fabric shop ready and willing to help me stock up on supplies for making spring wardrobes.  there was room on the shelves, after all.

:: finding one of the littles snuggled under the "hello, Fall" quilt i opted not to sell, reaffirming why that was the right move.

:: and then there is nibbling on breakfast of toasted flax seed bread with just the slightest smear of peanut butter after having already worked out and feeling really good about all that.  one foot in front of the other, mama.

what is your latest good thing?  xoxo

excuses, excuses...

day time ::

night time ::

just a few reasons why there has been little crafting as of late.  more to share soon, i hope.  i am determined, however, to complete work on andrea's playmats this week.... just as soon as i clean my studio.  again.  xoxo

happiness is...

* fresh air and long walks with my girls, hearing them discuss absolutely everything around us (often in a speak i do not fully understand) and seeing their hands link up as they call to the birds flying in the blue blue sky.

* time - for the four of us to spend all together and also a bit to myself to thrift and sew and knit.

* oh yeah... and then there's finding out i got a 100% in my course.  that would be me.  a hundred.  who would've thought?  kick ass, eh.

btw:  check me out at Etsy today - i'm in the Showcase and also will be listing two different styles of my new kidlet wall pockets in my shop.  come one and all!

saturday evening post

the past 5 hours were really loud

we're getting close

happiness is...

a cheap-o disposable camera in the hands of an artist.

thanks be to T for capturing the essence of it all for us.

lots more images of the show here, including a wee shot my perfect-for-any-occasion-from-baby-shower-to-rockin-out green shoes.

happiness is...

our show last night.  better than i could have ever imagined.  and for the first time, i wasn't nervous.  just went up there, feeling it.  we sounded super tight & the crowd didn't know what hit 'em.  it's been 2+ years since we played out and so much has changed in our lives.  the duo are partially to thank for my newfound self-assurance, of that i'm certain.  out to have fun.  not sweating the small stuff, you know.  best part - afterwards, dh gave me a smooch and said "the girls would be proud of us."  for sure.  and in about 12 years, our roles will be reversed.

**pics soon - haven't had a chance to deal with that yet.  now... where's my coffee?

happiness is...

music.  like rockin out in the basement with my husband wailing on his kit whilst the duo SLEEPS.  seriously, we have the greatest daughters in the world.  no denying these are our children.  occaisionally they might babble a bit through the monitor while we practice for the big show coming up, but they do not complain about the music.  in fact, they thrive on it.  and they are exposed to all types.

i love classical music, so we listen to our public radio station a lot throughout the day.  but we also have a great love for barry white and lou rawls and james brown in this house.  and then there is our favorite canadian sensation, sloan, of course.  gotta give the girls their daily dose of sloan.

but the funniest, is our recent discovery that if either of the girlies becomes slightly ornery/cranky/restless in the car, all we need do is queue up a little "hey ya" and they start clapping and giggling and squealing right along with 3000.  although, doesn't "hey ya" make just about everybody stop and smile and clap along?  shake it!

work (in progress) and play

friday again, and there's lots of stuff mid-process today. i'm about 80% done a halter (an original pattern) for the girls in the palest of pink blue sky cotton with a chocolate brown waist detail. then in my little workspace there's a deep blue pouch for my mom for which i still am seeking the perfect adornment; another katja for a friend's new baby girl in hot pink and chocolate brown blue sky cotton begging to be seamed & sent off; three little notebooks i sold as a PIF gesture on etsy; and then a little pile of fabric which just arrived from *splurge* reprodepot mmmmm. a skirt or two for me, more pinafores for the girls, some smock-style-bibs since they have become quite saavy at the classic standard-bib-rip-off-and-chuck move, and quite possibly a tote bag - so if you add it all up, it's really not a splurge after all, but rather more of a value purchase.

this week is c-r-a-z-y, starting with our date night to see Tom Jones on wednesday. pecks, black sparkly shirt, tube socks, inuendo and all that Welsh goodness. the tickets were dh's birthday gift from my parents and what a show. that guy has to be pushing 70 and still works it night after night. sure, his moves were a lot slower than the last time we saw him (and considerably less thrusty than back in the day), however, if you closed your eyes and just listened, there's no denying that voice packs a whollop. although, the constant stream-not-trickle of sweat that poured from his elbows starting with the fifth song may have been an indication to the powers-that-be that a wardrobe change might not be a bad idea next time. and yes, there were panties thrown on the stage as well. (i think it's in his rider.)

tonight is dinner with my high school friends (tomorrow is our 20th reunion, *gulp*), then a family wedding tomorrow (not attending the reunion), a baby shower for sunday brunch and then off to kids fest to see our friends' 3 year old son's first gig with his band "drums". i'm tired already just thinking of it all, but they are celebrations and our exhaustion on sunday will have us falling asleep with big smiles of delight and appreciation on our faces. like the one i have right now as i see the pic from earlier today - finally blew up the duo's pool and a whole lotta splish-splashing went down. life is good.

i hope your weekends are a bit less hectic but definitely as promising. xoxo

[originally posted on blogger :: 14-jul-06]