Snow sorbet

The neighborhood we live in is full of fantastic neighbors.  Living near these folks makes me actually reconsider my dream of a bit of land some day.  Sure we all live squished up next to each other like sardines in a can but we all get along and we are surrounded by green space and trails aplenty.  Truthfully I would like a place with some space some day but this is just great for right now.  I was talking to one of the older gals in our neighborhood while we were out playing in the snow.  She is a wealth of great ideas and I've gotten more than a few from her.  She told us she used to make snow ice cream with her kiddos when they were young.  We just had to give it a try.  We scooped up some clean snow (Yes i know it's probably not really clean but please don't tell me about it.  I just don't want to know) and stirred it up with apricot juice.  That was it: instant sorbet! The kids were in heaven.  Thanks Carol!

Seeds ordered!

I placed my Fedco seed order this week.  This summer's garden will hold all kinds of new experiments for me.  I will be working in a space that is roughly 15'x25'.  Most of it is deck and gravel.  I am trying to be thrifty and crafty in creating my planters.  Old freestanding, iron bathtub anyone...  I'm also doing a lot of research on growing in small places.  I'm planning on trellising my melons, cucumbers, squash, beans and peas, as well as some flowers.  I am going to attempt a version of the sunflower house in the book 'Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots' on our upper deck.  Hoping I can get some local restaurants to give me their used five gallon buckets to plant in.  Now as the snow falls thick I get to sketch and dream and wait for my box of gold to arrive.

Sewing with buttons

Lil decided she wanted to make a doll last week.  I helped with the pattern but she did much of the sewing. She also made a blanket for her doll.  Once the doll and blanket were sewn she decided she needed to keep sewing.  She picked through the scraps and button jar.  These little clothes were entirely her own.  I was rather impressed.  Did I mention she turned five a few weeks back?!  I made her a birthday quilt.  More on that to come when I finish quilting and edging.  

A dress from Carefree clothes for Girls

I love this dress pattern from 'Carefree Clothes for Girls' by Junko Okawa.  I've been eyeing it for a while and finally got around to it.  It was quick to sew up.  The time consuming bit was hand stitching on the patches.  Even that wasn't too bad.  I added gathered top pockets with a bit of a bias edge.  I'm of the opinion that girls clothes never have enough pockets.  My girls are forever collecting things in my pockets when we go for walks.  I figure if I give them their own maybe I'll stop finding rocks in my pockets... not that I mind too much.  I only had five red buttons and Lil loved this blue button.  I figured it couldn't hurt.  And yes she is carding wool in the first shot.  It is a favorite pass time around here.

Some not so great photos of a great sweater

 Made this Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket for my little buddy Eero in Michigan's UP.  I'd like to tell you a little story of why this sweater was fated to be.   I picked up a skien of this yarn last May in upstate NY thinking I'd make a pair of socks.  With all our travel this past summer those socks never materialized.  Fall rolled around and Eero was born and I found this yarn in my stash but I only had one skein which wasn't enough.  So I went looking for a nice variegated yarn.  I found myself here in CO in Hobby Lobby (which isn't my preferred place to shop for yarn but there I was) and what should I find but a skein of yarn that looked a lot like this.  It was on clearance and I decided to take a gamble.  Sure enough I got it home and it was the same darn dye lot.  Image that!  It took me forever to knit this.  There were other projects in between.  And it was close at the end.  I wasn't quite sure I'd make it.  In fact it was a matter of ten inches.  That was all I had left.  The buttons came off an old H and M sweater.  I love recycling buttons.

Trying my hand at four season gardening

We've been in our house here in Colorado since the 6th of August.  Having spent the entire summer traveling there was no time for gardening.  Since graduating college I've grown something every summer, even if only in pots on my front porch.  Well in late August I decided to just try and plant a few things.  It was actually quite a production as I had to clear the space to plant.  But we ended up with a tiny bed in the  corner of our fenced patio.   I'd read bits and pieces of Eliot Coleman's book 'Four Season Harvest' and so I knew I needed to get stuff going so it would be established by the time the days got shorter.  I've never planted in this part of the country so it's all been an experiment.  I know, I know I could have just called the local extension service but that would take all the fun out of it.  Besides it was a sunny, wonderful day, that day in August and throwing caution to the wind seemed like a fine thing to do.  The girls and I planted peas, green onions, carrots, chard, kale, spinach and greens.  We planted a small number of each just to see how things would grow.  Well the peas tried their best but just didn't make it to flowering before the cold weather set it.  Everything else was growing S-L-O-W-L-Y!  I covered the whole thing around early to mid October with 6 mil plastic and crossed my fingers.  I was a bit perplexed by my kale.  I'd never seen kale look like that and the leaves were a little prickly.  But it looked eatable... and it tasted eatable so I just watched and waited.  I checked a few days ago and realized they were in fact radishes.  I've never liked radishes.  Today we had our first harvest from that little garden (wish I had photos). Guess what it was?!  Yep radishes.  They needed thinning and so I took it upon myself to suck it up and eat 'em.  Turns out those small round globes of bright red on a cold, snowy November evening were quite a gift.  We also had a handful of spinach that was beyond delicious.  Even the four year old who abhors anything green right now devoured a few leaves.  The nights are getting colder so I covered the bed with a layer of leaves this afternoon.  We'll see how long this little experiment lasts.  It's been quite a bit of fun thus far.

The thing about furnace replacement....

is that sometimes you get to keep the boxes.  We had a grand time decorating our new box homes yesterday.  They've taken up residence (if temporarily) in our living room.  Our neighbor Mia helped us decorate.  

 Today we find ourselves making our boxes more homey.  Lillian has added hammocks out of play silks for her dolls.  Nonie is reading to her dolls.