Yarnicity

so, i believe i mentioned in my last post that i received an open-toe embroidery, or stippling, foot for my sewing machine. i finally got around to trying it out yesterday, and i here display the results:
First, i applied a spray adhesive to a special dissolving mesh, and proceeded to arrange the yarn on it. then, using the foot, i embroidered the yarn onto the skirt of the jumper i was making.


Then, I washed the mesh away with hot water, and sewed the rest of the jumper.

the effect is cool, but the process is a bit labour intensive.

Question o’ Today: More sleep, or more fun? choose.

broo-ha-ha

as promised, some hallowe’eny pics of kids and moi (since i decided at the last second that i just couldn’t handle being left out). also, the fam has declared that they would like to dress as these guys next year:
with, of course, agatha and edmund as jane and michael. yikes. guess i should start on that NOW.

Anyhoo, here are the photos from our great hallowe’en night–the weather was perfect, the company awesome, the neighbourhood safe and friendly. all in all, a great night. however, we gave out so much candy that there is none left over. which, i suppose, is good. but feels disappointing, nonetheless.

Question o’ the day: Is there a treat from your childhood that you really miss? is it no longer available? do you reject it for health reasons? what do you wish you could add to a treat bag, to make it perfect?

Near……………..Far………Near………….Far

Sometimes, I do feel a bit like Grover (and not just b/c i have shaggy curly hair and a funny, nasally voice). Our summers tend to be a bit zany, as we shuttle back and forth between MilleyLand cabinage, and CantRanch in the Cariboo. Loads of fun, and adventures big and small. (I should say, however, that by this time in the summer, i am a wee bit exasperated trying to locate all things packed/unpacked.)

As we are about to embark on our first Staycation as a family, i thought i might re-cap the last few weeks, memorializing some of the best of summer.
Like peach and blackberry cobbler (Keats blackberries, Cant recipe):

mmmmm….peach cobbler…..mmmmmm….(also, it was served with 11% french vanilla yogurt…mmmm….yogurt….mmmm) i think you get the idea.

Next, kids who only want to take silly pictures:

then, some epic time on the water:

some quiet time, making bracelets (and dying hair):

and, generally soaking in atmosphere:

Question o’ the day: What’s the best outing you’ve been on in the city/place in which you currently reside?

summer rocks!

in case it wasn’t immediately apparent, i think summer kicks the arse of all the other seasons, and i’m not afraid to say it.
behold, a small gallery of summery goodness:

Been making lots of things, going on lots of (relatively) successful outings, and spending time chillaxin’. I should note, however, that at this particular juncture in the summer, that the children have somehow managed to form a juvenile Fight Club with each other, the first rule of which is clearly, “Don’t tell mom and dad we’re in Fight Club”. the neighbours have been treated to a wide variety of screams as of late, as both older and younger milley attempt to outdo each other for annoying and/or mild violence. (“Please don’t hit your sister with the shovel.” “I asked you not to shout words that scare your brother, so that he screams and runs away.” etc.) just in case you thought that this was one of those “my life is a photo shoot from Martha Stewart” kind of blogs. which it so clearly isn’t.

enough about me; what about all of you? Question o’ the day: have you had a ‘golden’ moment so far this lovely summer? If so, what was it? If not, what are you hoping it will be?

ciao for now…

Kiddie Coaster

It’s been a week of small things: small things that frustrate, and small things that bring joy. i think that’s my favourite kind of week, actually. it’s a bit like riding a kiddie roller coaster: little spills and chills, and nothing that permanently rearranges your insides. (p.s. btw, i actually like REAL rollercoasters to do the latter. the bigger the ups and downs the better.)

inelegant analogy aside, there was some midwinter loveliness in our house. My oldest orchid decided to bloom, beautifully, after a full 5 yrs. of nothing doing.

I made up a couple of successful knitting patterns, and created a scarf and handwarmers for myself. believe it or not, i found it very tricky to actually make something for ME. i agonized in the yarn section of michael’s for a full 45 min., picking up and rejecting a multitude of skeins, trying desperately to plumb the depths of what I would actually want.

okay, so i wasn’t entirely successful in shopping just for me. i bought enough yarn for Agatha and i to have matching scarves and more handwarmers.

On the kid front, Agatha (finally!) lost her first tooth, a ‘pre-loosened’ one, that has been swinging in her gums for a few months now. The tooth fairy dutifully came, and, according to Milley tradition, left a loonie in the bottom of a fairy-dusted glass of water. needless to say, the little toothless wonder was thrilled, and edmund ran into the room bearing a kleenex, begging for someone to pull out his “first loose tooth”.

today, we have agatha’s first ever ballet lesson at a new community centre. she informed me last weekend that she wanted to take, quote: “real ballet” this time, not one of those classes where “we just run around to music”. we’ll see whether the repetitive structure of “real” ballet actually suits her…. oh, and edmund starts “Tiny Tot Tumblers” gymnastics on Tuesday. pretty excited for that as well.

Had many good visits with friends this week: selena and barrett, lisa and aurora, les rigolos and riva, the milne-martenssss. feeling pretty fortunate to have such good friends, and to look forward to seeing more of you soon. went a little crazy for the knitting ladies, and made a very tall cake (thanks, rigolos, for the butter, and laura, for the cake recipe.) turned the new recipe into a white cake as well, which worked out better than i expected.

As for the “little spills” of the week, the things that didn’t go so well, well, at the moment, since i’m reliving all the good times, i can’t really remember them very well. which, like i said before, is possibly the best measure of a week.

Question o’ the day: did you make any New Year’s resolutions, and, if so, what were they? how are they going?

back to basics

Remember when i used to post about days at home with the kids? doing crafty things and going for walks? well, i think i’ve really been missing having that time. today i kept agatha home from school (she DOES have a cold, after all), and we’ve been trying out some of those formerly favourite activities. we’ve (as in, jaegen and i) decided to make this a bit of a monthly thing for Agatha, since it seems that she, and everyone else, could use a low-key day at home. so far, it’s been what a day with kids always is: some ups, some downs, and some neutral times.
We did a bit of painting with acrylics on canvas board:

We went for a walk in the chilly sunshine. (with mixed results. nice to be out in this weather. not so nice that the children seem to have forgotten store-appropriate manners, or how to watch out for other people or for their hot chocolates. edmund+hot chocolate= whipped cream and chocolate syrup spray all over wall)

glad to be back in the warm glow of our little house, thinking about a late lunch and a snooze for the kiddles. aaaahhhhhh…..

Question o’ the day: if you could get anything for christmas, what would it be?

Beards ‘n’ Halos

No, it’s not the name of some ‘alternative’ nightclub. it’s the stuff of pageantry, my friends, the KitsChurchChristmasPageant2009. Behold, the psalmist’s harp:

somewhat cunningly fashioned from salad containers, painter’s tape, gold spray paint, and pipe cleaners.

Next, the more straightforward laurels of Caesar:

Now, i didn’t create the following, but i did know where to procure them–in grey, black and brown no less. (same place i get everything wacky and wonderful. dressew.) And, i couldn’t resist modelling one, just so you could feel its full, prophet-y effect. boo yah.

there, the week concludes on a somewhat higher note than it began.

Question o’ the day: if you had to be in a christmas pageant, who would you want to play?

Der Mom….

thought you might appreciate this card agatha made for me last week:

Speaking of cards, we’ve been working on Agatha’s birthday invitations. i do so love moving around little boxes of text and graphic on the screen. seriously, i do. once printed and folded, agatha took great care to draw a different design on each envelope. it’s so great to see that obsessive nature really begin to flourish.

i think that’s it for today, folks. i have made 4 angel dresses and an entire donkey costume in the last two days, but, surprisingly, haven’t yet paused to take photos. ah, the sarcasm. i will try to get edmund to pose in his new fuzzy suit tomorrow, which shouldn’t be too hard, since he put it on at about 4:30 p.m. and only took it off for bedtime. now, if only i could get so enthusiastic about the stuff i actually need to do.

Question o’ the day: what is your favourite christmas song/carol?

It’s Done!

Agatha’s first book is finally (after 4 days) complete! All hers from conception to publication, I give you

Ellie the Pig’s First Day of School
by Agatha Milley

Question O’ the Day: What was your favourite self-started project as a kid?

testing my resolve

today i assembled  the cake for edmund’s third birthday party.  it did not go as planned.  in fact, as you are about to see, it had some serious structural and artistic difficulties.  nevertheless, since i am dedicated to bringing you an authentic version of my life (smirk), i have recorded the various foibles and mishaps in a timelapse.  fortunately, there is no voiceover (i hope you like the track i chose instead).  though, if you look carefully, you might notice the air turning slightly blue at certain junctures in the protracted procedure. to jaegen, i have offered several apologies for my foul mood as i wrangled with the fondant behemoth.  however, enough with the inelegant preamble.  i give you:  ChocolateFondantCastleCake2009

(you’ll note that, despite my whinging, edmund and his cousins were quite pleased with the result.  this, i suspect, has much more to do with the liberal helpings of jello, and sprinklings of candy, than with the structure itself.)

Question o’ the day:  what is your favourite kind of birthday cake (or treat)?