january, february...

These photos are not very good but they get the point across...I made some fabric swatch cards for a friend's birthday. I enjoy making cards for gift and especially love putting a few added details on them with stamps. " The tag says "Gratulerer Med Dagen" which means "Happy Birthday" in Norwegian. My friend is from Norway and now lives in Charlotte with her American husband and they are expecting a baby boy in 4 weeks! 

I am also eagerly waiting for another friend of mine to have her baby. She is due on Valentine's Day and the baby has already descended to the correct position (his/her head is down at the pelvis) so it could be any day now! For their baby, I made my first real quilt. I used an assortment of colors and patterns for the patches since we don't know if it is a boy or girl. I hope to take some pictures of it one of these days. It has inspired me to experiment more with quilting. I don't really want to make stereotypical quilts (and want to escape the instant image we get when we think of quilting...i.e. grandmothers) but I do want to take the basic patchwork concept and apply it to not just blankets but an assortment of things, not just blankets. I especially love the log cabin block/square...

via quilt dad

I also think that this maybe something I want to pursue and eventually start selling on etsy, etc. I have yet to find something I really want to spend my time making and perfecting and trying to sell. There are plenty of things I enjoy making but there hasn't really been something I want to create into a product to sell. I may have just now stumbled upon something...

Also my friend who is about to have a baby any day lent me a lovely and very inspiring book...

Patchwork Style

Besides quilting and waiting on babies to be born, Jeremiah and I have finally picked out a camera to purchase. There are plenty of really nice cameras I would love to buy but we have a very limited budget so we have done our research and picked out a point and shoot that has gotten good reviews. We have a little more saving to do and then hopefully I will have a brand new camera to take as many photos as I want so this blog will be busting at the seams with them and not just words (or half blurry photos)! 

Nikon Coolpix S8100

It is time to start planning our garden for the spring! Also I want to make a braided rag rug for my living room. I found a rather easy video on how to make one.

happy valentine's day!

snowy days call for soup. 

this is a soup concocted from the few items in my fridge. 

poor man's veggie soup

a few garlic cloves

1-2 small red onions

2 large carrots

2 cups frozen corn

a couple handfuls of fresh spinach

6 cups water

salt, pepper, oregano, basil, chili powder 

mince garlic. chop red onion. cook over med-high heat with oil until translucent. chop carrots into large pieces. throw into the pot with onions. pour in water and bring to a boil. pour in corn. bring to a simmer. chop spinach and throw into pot. season. cover and simmer until all veggies tender and then a little more. tastes even better the next day.

christmas.

                          

presents for family members.

an abandoned church in amelia.

dusk.

the gun holder jeremiah built for his father.

happy new year!

christmas in amelia.
it is dusk. the night is coming.
i am sitting in the parlor. the christmas tree is all aglow.
the ground outside is covered in snow.
it is cold. the wind has been blowing all day.
i can see the outline of the bare trees against the faded colors of the sky.
i see blue and purple and gray and yellow.
it is so beautiful to look out from the windows of this old home onto the snowy ground and winter woods.
this house is over a century old. it was once a hotel.
how many eyes have looked from these very windows onto very similar landscapes?

i wish i had pictures to show you.

as of late.

we had a few friends over for dinner last night. 

it was lovely. 

here some photos from the evening.

intertwined are a some shots of our backyard at twilight. 

merry christmas to all!

exhausted.

today finds me tired and feeling pulled in so many directions. this is not new. it is a growing trend that makes me wonder did i always feel this way or is it my age?

i feel a weight of responsibility i haven't felt before in my life. my parents and elders were not exaggerating when they said adulthood was hard, and that school life was easier in comparison.

not only do you take on bills to pay off, a home to care for, a marriage to sustain, you also take on the weight of "figuring out" what to do with your life, who you are & what you are about.

i am a struggling little sheep at the moment.

maybe this is the perfect season to refocus.

veggies from the community garden down the road.

lemon balm, lettuce, & cilantro.

crates i found on the side of the road.