Love of Nature

This past week has been rainy, and all sorts of little friends have ventured out within Bitty's grasp on his trips to the car and the mailbox. On Tuesday, I had to pick up several snails and a slug (argh!) and put them in his open palm. Can one love nature too much? He usually comments, "He's cute."

Only the smallest bunnies run out of sight when Bitty goes outside. Wednesday morning's small snake was pretty brave and curious, too. As we were heading to the car, I held him back and pointed out the little guy flicking his tongue at us by the passenger side door. Bitty made a move to grab him; the snake only had to think a few moments before doubling back into the bushes.

Creatures beware, he has no fear of you, and his love may squash you flat.

Other People's Crafts

Wow, it's been almost two months since I last posted. I could blame it on travel, work, or Bitty's potty training (which is going pretty well), but that would be inaccurate. There is one culprit.

The Public Broadcasting Service.

Namely, the Craft in America series. I've been gorging on episodes from my Apple TV while cross stitching. It may be close to becoming a problem. I've alternately wanted to quilt, work with wood, and buy a pottery wheel. The artisans are amazing! My husband accurately notes that I'd have to focus on just one medium if I hope to become as good. Details.

My favorite snippet so far showcased the Moulthrops in Georgia. The woodturning is fabulous, but even better, the second generation artist is an attorney! So there's hope for me yet.

http://video.pbs.org/video/2152624359/

http://www.moulthropstudios.com/index.html

And the quilting. Oh. My. Goodness. http://video.pbs.org/program/craft-in-america/

It's easy to see how I've been completely waylaid.

Springing Forward: Make the Rainbow

I'm pretty sure I heard snickers in the next Costco aisle as my husband and I debated a twenty-five pound bag of rice, but I was resolute. I had a Pinterest pin to achieve! (I think of them as Girl Scout badges.)

I think I've found rice's marketing issue- all nutrition label and no colors or characters. 

I found a Spring/Easter/St. Patrick's Day craft in which small treasures were hidden in rainbow-colored rice. I found a quick, easy way to dye the rice here: 

http://www.powerfulmothering.com/how-to-make-color-rice-for-sensory-play/

Two cups fit into a quart bag, then I gave it a couple of hours to dry, since I didn't have the room to really spread it thinly on the parchment paper.  I'm torn on whether to separate the resulting "chunks" of rice before or after pouring into the container next time. I gently broke my rice apart afterward.  

In the roasting pan, I layered two more cups of white rice on the bottom before sprinkling candy into the middle for Bitty and his friend to find. Then I curled the parchment paper into a funnel and did my best to pour the colors into a rainbow. The finished product wasn't too bad!

My babysitter took lots of great pictures; Bitty and his friend spent almost two hours playing in the rice. That's like half a day in adult-time! After all the candy was found, trucks and trains filled the void. 

Stop that Train! New Cousin Edition

This weekend we went to see my sister, brother-in-law, and new niece, the first baby in our family since Bitty. He was uninterested in the prospect of seeing a baby until they got home from the hospital and he was able to hold her.

Then he felt like this.

And this. 

As she continued to cry, he comforted the little sweetie with the songs that never fail to make him feel better: "Rock-a-bye Baby" and "Misty Island Rescue." 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1683981/

Stop the Train!

Now I realize what people mean when something is a blessing and a curse. This past Monday, we woke to a thin sheet of ice powdered with snow covering the deck and a lawn of crunchy, frozen grass. I kept my sweet Bitty with me after my day at work was cancelled, and I let him sleep in as I did some much-needed laundry.

When I went in to wake him, I told him there was snow outside. He hopped out of his toddler bed, shuffled to the window, and immediately noted, "It is wintertime on the island of Sodor."

Thus began my excursion to the smog-covered island-state. Over the course of the day, we played trains on tracks, in water, in flour, and outside (for a whopping three minutes). At nap time, he gave me a hug and called me his "little train," which I'm sure is his highest praise.

The funniest part of the evening, however, was putting him to bed. After a recent potty training breakthrough, he received some vinyl wall stickers shaped like Sodor's engines. He wanted to give his trains a hug at the end of the day, and I agreed, thinking that he meant his Pillow Pet or his die cast vehicles. But no, he hit the wall, eyes closed and smiling, splayed like a perp who just met an overzealous cop. After the stickers got kisses, as well (and all the stickers- he cannot be accused of favoritism like that Sir Topham Hat), he quit stalling and and got to sleep.  

Winding thru Winter: In Stitches

I love seeing old samplers on Antiques Roadshow and thinking about all the time it took to construct them. There's such a neat historical aspect; the medium says, "I was here."

http://www.historicnewengland.org/about-us/whats-new/museum-of-fine-arts-exhibits-sampler-from-historic-new-england2019s-collection

Almost a year ago, I picked up a copy of Jo Verso's "Picture it in Cross Stitch" at Goodwill. It sat in my shelves, and I'd bring it out and flip through it occasionally, wondering if I would ever have the time to do a family sampler of my own. Then I decided it didn't have to be a massive piece to be important!

So, with some 18 count Aida and a graph printed from StitchPoint, I designed a piece for my brother's birthday from the charts in the back of the book. 

http://www.stitchpoint.com/eng/tool/grid/_intro_graphpaper.php

It was so much fun to decide on the color scheme and accessories. I took some liberties with the caduceus to add some color and represent his time at the University of Tennessee. 

Ms. Verso's book has great instructions on finishing, ironing (because I carried it around everywhere), and framing. 

Let's get healing!

Ms. Verso's book is available at the Main Branch of the Nashville Public Library. 

http://www.library.nashville.org/

Found some beautiful, elaborate charts here- where else can you get fifteen years worth of entertainment for seven dollars?

http://www.carriagehousesamplings.com/favorites01.htm

While perfect is the enemy of the good...

Sometimes you have to know when to call it a day.

Squashed tomato house. It sits by the train tracks, but so does everything else.