The Trip to Oregon!

Over the weekend Nate and I traveled down to Oregon to visit his family.  We got up at 5:30am (!!) to fly into Eugene.  Nate's dad picked us up at the Eugene airport and we made the 3 hour drive through beautiful country to Medford where Nate's Grammie Janet lives.

Quick stop for  brunch, then back into the car that felt like a shuttle from Star Trek!  It had onboard GPS computer that would talk to us.  Creepy and cool at the same time.

The sweet little green house on Clover Lane is where we stayed.  This is the house where Nate's dad spent part of his childhood.  Two bedrooms, one bath and a spacious backyard in a quiet little neighborhood.  Each night as I fell asleep with the windows wide open, a chorus of chirping crickets serenaded me.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  

I  had hoped for a weekend that would be relaxed and lazy.  Sitting about with Nathen's family chatting.  It turned into helping get more of Janet's things into boxes for Goodwill.  She recently moved into an assisted living facility because she has small strokes and just needs a little more help caring for herself.  She can putter about just fine, it's remembering how to do the little things in a day that are troubling.  

I am very comforted to see how well cared for she is by Nate's family.  Aunt Cathy loves on her just like my mother cared for grandparents.  Gentle bullying because they need it and won't ask for it.

She had a minor stroke while we were there and it was hard to watch her sons watch their mother change into a woman who needs their care.  It was all so old hat to me; elder care has been a part of my life for the last several years that my taking care of Grammie Janet was second nature, but was remarked upon by family.  I am happy to take their hands, carry and fuss over elders, they've all loved and cared for young people that it shouldn't be any trouble for us to fuss a bit over them.  Regardless of if they are family or not.  Alright, on to another soap-box...

I played around with taking pictures through the lenses of a broken Brownie Camera (It was a No. 2A Folding Cartridge Hawkeye Model B) made sometime between 1926 and 1934.  Very cute little thing.

Finally Bob and I dismantled it for the lenses and felt very cavalier for our treatment of this artifact of early photography.

I was given many, many utterly adorable pictures of Nate as a little boy.  I'm being good and not posting too many (he doesn't like it) but I must leave you with this one.  It's too sweet!  In retaliation Nate guarded a ceramic hand print his dad had made as a child to give to his mom.  Bob may or may not have tried to help the ceramic hand have a tragic accident before it reached Sue.

I took home many pictures that no one needed or wanted.  I believe it is a reflex that comes from growing up in a family that is very genealogy oriented.  I couldn't let the stories fall into the trash.  The above picture is of Nate's paternal grandparents, Janet and Bill on their wedding day.  They married in 1951.  She was only 16, and so very pretty.

I also got to take home Grandpa Bill's wedding band, seemed to be fitting since I have her wedding ring too.  If Nate wasn't allergic to nickel he could wear it.

The Elephant Dress made its debut for dinner on Saturday night.  I still have some tweaking to make on the fit of it.  Our plans to see Henry V at Ashland were thwarted by misreading the tickets, but it worked out just fine.  We were pretty bushed anyway so we went out to dinner at a local pizza/salad joint called Kaleidoscope.  Very good food.

We found some relics of hair care in the bathroom.  It actually smelled kind of nice.

And so, early on Sunday morning we departed sweet Clover Lane for probably the last time (my first and only) and made our way to Eugene for a family picnic with Nate's mother's side of the family.

We met Nellie.  She is absolutely sweet but gives new meaning to the phrase "dumb blonde," for a dog, she got herself wrapped up around all the table legs and posts in the picnic lodge.  She then whimpered when she couldn't reach her family.  I spent much time giggling at her and helping get her untangled.

Nate tried to nap...

...Bob was about ready but didn't take one.

I soaked up sunshine by the river.

It was a good trip over all.  I am very glad that we went to spend the time since we're not sure how much longer Grammie Janet will be with us.  She is at that stage in life where she's just tired and is ready to go to sleep one night and not wake up in this world.  So I am glad we had the time to hold her hand and stroll along with her.  

I'm only sorry I didn't take more pictures.  My usual camera is on loan to a friend so I was armed with the iPhone and several processing apps.  While I am happy to have such a good little camera on my phone, I miss having an SLR that I can play with.

Edit - Many thanks to my personal editor for pointing out my gross grammatical error and making sure I spell things correctly.  xo

"Window" Shopping

I've seen these lovely clogs on lovely ladies around the blogging community as well as around Greenlake and I did a little poking around to see what was available (and how much they cost!).  I wear Dansko (and Sanita) clogs all the time since they help my back and because I work in places where I'm standing a lot.  I would love to give one of these babies a whirl (I think the blue ones!) and see how they work for me.  Enjoy!

Swedish Hasbeens - "Brick Me Up Heel"

Lotta from Stockholm - Peep Toe Clogs

Lotta from Stockholm - Highwood Mary Jane Style

Thrifted Curiosities

This is going to be a weekly round-up of things I've either found and brought home or passed up this time around.

I bought this little switch plate to spiff up the bedroom decor.  I used the existing screws and simply placed the other plate in a zippy bag for when we move out eventually.  Little mods like this can help transform your living space more "yours" while still staying within the requirements of your apartment managers.

This salt and pepper set made me giggle.  It wasn't too expensive but I wasn't sure if I would actually use them.

I tried coloured jeans for the first time and I'm rather hooked.  There was a green pair that I really wanted, however it wasn't in my size.  Perhaps I'll hunt up a white pair and dye them.  Simple and easy way to spiff up outfits!

These were a yummy linen blend but several sizes too large, someone else will get lots of good wear out of these.

My treat this round was to bring home these cute little flats with an ankle buckle detail.  I already have one pair of black flats but they are quite flat whereas these have a little more arch support.  And, really, who can say no to $4 shoes!?  Not I!

Frock Update

I've been busy stitching (and photographing) but not blogging about all the wonderful yumminess that is coming out of my sewing machine.

First project was The Anchor Dress

Revamped from a beloved bathrobe that starred in a play many moons ago, this languished in my closet until I decided to turn it into a dress.  It's really hard not to wear it almost every day!

Sonya calls this stitch the "chicken foot" because it's like a bird foot.  Makes me smile.

The Cornflower Dress

Yet another length of material that has been patiently awaiting my summer break.  This was just itching to be stitched up into some soft summer sweetness.  It's been hemmed and is awaiting the zipper to be stitched in.  I really must do that.  The rain has dampened my desire to sew summer frocks...

AT LAST!!!  The Elephant Dress!!!
Yesterday I purchased the zipper and fussed it in last night!  Fits like a dream and despite hesitation about elephants giddily rampaging all over my body, I am extremely pleased with how this has turned out.

What's next?  Oh the possibilities are simply endless!  I've got some black and white stripe, cute almost 60's floral, green bamboo with golden dragonflies, pinky-mauve in a Art Nouveau style...the list goes on.

I also have a pile of vintage upholstery fabric that I got from school (Thanks Carl!).  Once washed, it has softened considerably from it's former stiff shiny state.  Some of it is going to become clothing for me, and what I do not use will be given to friends and put up on my Etsy.

Thrifting Finds...and things left behind.

I've been doing rather a lot of shopping in ye olde thrift stores lately and wanted to share some of my finds with you!

Firstly there is Rupert, the patron cat of crafting.  I have yet to mount a hook in the ceiling for him to hang from, but he is sitting quite happily on my sewing table for now.

Then there is this sweet little tea cup that simply had to come home with me.  It lacked a saucer, so I kept setting it on the lonely ones until we found one that suited it.  Oddly enough it's a Pottery Barn saucer which feels so 1950's when combined with the cup I keep thinking it's older.  I must admit, every time I go thrifting, it is incredibly difficult to not purchase all the lonely tea cups.  Just the ones that have no mates, the ones that have no set to go with, just sitting there with the other orphaned tea cups waiting to be adopted.  I keep wanting to open an Etsy shop called The Teacup Orphanage where sweet lonely little cups go to find happy, loving families.  I am restraining myself because I'm not sure I could store all the cups until they were shipped.  Someday.  When I have space.

These plates were so awesome!  I have a bit of a thing for the way a plate sounds.  It may seem odd, definitely my particularity about certain sounding plates.  I think it's because I like the way plates sound in period films, that certain clack sound rather than the higher pitched tinkling of say, Corningware.  Stoneware is lovely, and some china.  These sounded lovely.  20-22 plates, two bitty torueens, one large tureen, two HUGE platters and one normal sized platter.  *sigh*  Lovely things left behind for someone else to love as much as I.

This marvelous piece of furniture would be a fabulous way to store crafting supplies.  It has a secretary desk that folds out so you could even have a little work station that tidies itself when you need to take a break!  How cool would that be?!  I didn't even care that some of the window wood-work was gone.  It gave it more charm to me.  Clearly this piece has a story and had adventures.  

Well, those are the thrifting finds and leavings.  I should do this kind of post more often because I find many interesting, bizarre, and amazing things!  Excepting the teacup and saucer these were all from the Capitol Hill Value Village.  It's awesome!

Neil Gaiman

I love this man.  He is on par with Sir Ken's ideas on allowing children to simply be creative.  Listen to his words.  They are not only honest, but they are true and wonderful and humorous.  He makes me want to write again, all day long.

Listen to him.  He is wonderful.

Neil Gaiman Addresses the University of Arts Class 2012

A Little Pet Peeve

 Tempera is a paint that used to be powdered pigments mixed with egg.

Tempura is food dipped and fried in a yummy Japanese batter.

We should all work a little harder at keeping these tricky things in their proper places.  I'll have to take pictures of the mis-labeled bins at school.  They make me giggle.

Love,

Anna xoxoxo

The Undershaw Petition

Looks like the former home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is in danger of becoming developed!  Please take a minute to read over the Undershaw Preservation Trust Website and if that gets your colour up please sign The Petition!

I am a long-time lover of Sherlock Holmes and his clever deductive reasoning, and it always saddens me to see history torn down to make way for progress.  Sometimes this is how things must go, but I prefer to save the history if and when I can.

Also, if you haven't seen Jeremy Brett's penultimate performances as the immortal Sherlock, you must, right-this-minute go find them and fall madly in love with the brilliance that is London's only consulting detective.  I know I did.

Summer Mood Board...

The Terrible Burden of Youth

Being young can be an awful thing sometimes.  This morning we received a call that Nate's Grandmother is moving into assisted living.  This came completely out of left field for us, she is in decent health, but there was no forewarning for my honey that this life change was coming.

I have been through this several times in the last decade and it comes as no surprise to me that our grandparents are moving into this stage of their lives.  It is our generation that is going to loose theirs right now.  It is just a matter of time.  And that is the tragedy of being this age at this time.  We are ushering out a generation and welcoming new roles in our lives.  My parents will eventually become grandparents to my children.  I will take the role that my mother has held, time will pass.

When you're a child, you don't think about time in the same way as adults do.  Adults understand the concept of death, of life, of change.  Children watch holidays, they make memories, they think that these traditions will never change.  Then they do, and life is disrupted until the child comes to the understanding that nothing is permanent.  At that point you fight the idea, it bothers you because it is foreign and unpleasant.  Until the time when you accept that death is the mirror of life, that it is perfectly natural for people and things to die, and that you accept that nothing is permanent, the concept will bother you.

I accept that someday I will be the adult taking care of my elderly parents.  I will watch them age, become infirm, do fewer things, and eventually die.  I don't like to dwell on it, but I refuse to ignore it.  I accept that I will have to help my love care for his parents when their time comes.  I tell myself to be strong and to treasure absolutely every second of life as it is right-this-minute-now.

That is why I love the rain, I love hearing the sounds of life; children laughing, birds singing, my lover breathing in the bed beside me.  I let it move through me and I make it part of me and I love it all.  I don't love death, but neither am I afraid of it.  It just means that it is time, that the string of life is at it's end and that is just how it is.  It means that the time has come to move onwards in whatever journey the human spirit takes, whatever there is beyond this corporeal life, regardless of what you call it; heaven, the afterlife, etc, it is something greater.  It has to be.  I believe it.

Sorry for the heavy topic, but it was on my heart.  

48 hours

I have two days of school left before the end of the semester...it's rather a giddy feeling coupled with weariness.  I so look forward to one week of lounging about in pajamas doing next to nothing.  Then I'll begin cutting into yummy fabric and stitching up a storm!  Until then, there are essays to write and evaluations and reviews to attend. 

Wishes

I have many wishes at present.  I wish school were done for the year.  I wish it were warmer.  I wish I had a flying monkey to help with work.  Some wishes can't come true right-this-minute-now, but others, like these will blossom once the 2nd week of May is upon us.

During my President's Day sale steal, I happened upon this darling pattern,

Of course, I was eyeing the cutie-pie dress on the bottom (I'm much more of a knee length girl) that it wasn't until I got it home and was slowly looking it over that I realised there was an option for a tie back version! (View D)  So many dresses were in my head!

I have a bunch of cute prints that I've been hoarding as I go thrifting for when school is over and I can sit and cut them out, and stitch them into lovely things to wear!  There was a class field trip that I tagged along to this morning.  We did the local fabric run, Pacific Fabric in Northgate, Display and Costume, and finally to Nancy's Sewing Basket in Queen Anne.  If you have never gone, you mustmustmust visit!  The staff is so friendly, the selection is absolutely lovely, and they have a ribbon room...full of ribbon to make your head spin!  At Nancy's I found many yummy fabrics, but this one in particular made me swoon and giggle.

Little pea green elves running about with their Persian Elephants and balloons!!  I'm a little giddy.  This is probably going to be a tie-back dress (view D above) for summer.  Or I'm going to use a button on the back and cut an interesting shape for the open back piece.  Either way I cannot WAIT to make and wear the hell out of this lovelyness.  See what I mean about the wishing?  I wish this dress was done and waiting in my closet...soon my lovely, soon!

Alive!

I am surfacing, finally, only to have to duck under again.  Spring Break has a few hours left.  I was ill for most of it, again.  I did get to see my Mumsy AND go thrift store shopping.  I really must get better at taking pictures of these adventures.  She had pho for the first time and loved it.  

I have many projects coming up, and like little children, they all want my full attention.  I must delegate and attend to them one at a time, at their allotted time.  Five weeks till semester ends!  I count the days.

In other news, Stanley finally got a sleeping sack.  It is soft and white just like him.  He tried it out before I was finished though, and got stuck.

Mother's Tea will be minimal this year.  I have no time to make anything.  If I had a week, yes, but I do not.  So it's off to the closet and costume storage to pull things that will (hopefully) work.  This is a last resort idea.

The darling Midori-san gave us a kimono and obi tying demonstration weeks ago.  I still need to post about that.  

In the mean time, I shall try to take pictures as I go through the day.  Sometimes I get intimidated by pulling out my camera, and other times it is because my subject will move when they hear the thing turn on.  I like natural pictures, not contrived or posed ones.  Those have their purpose, but the natural ones are my favourites.

Back to the books!  Cheers sweets.  Sewing and knitting and regular drivel will return.  I promise.

xoxo, Anna