One after the other

When Grandma Libby visited over Thanksgiving, she brought something special for Cady Gray: Her portable sewing machine. Since she was upgrading, and since I've embarked on sewing this year with the usual interest from my daughter, Cady Gray got the benefit of a sturdy, small Janome 3128 of her very own.



As every weekend since then has approached, CG has asked me if we could sew with her new machine. There was only one big obstacle in the way -- my vision of a work area in the corner of her room, with a multipurpose table where the sewing machine could live and all kinds of work could be spread out when needed.



We went antiquing and flea-marketing a couple of weekends ago to see if we could make the vision happen. And there at our last stop was this used table sitting in a warehouse. Fifty bucks, said the man. We'll take it, we said.



That very day we started sewing. First some practice sewing straight, guided by stripes on fabric. The next day, armed with more scraps and the tail-end of a bag of lentils, and made a quick bean bag.



Before the next weekend arrived, she prompted me to start looking for a project we could do. I saw this felt garland project on a blog I follow, and I knew it was perfect. Straight to the sewing after cutting -- no ironing and measuring and clipping. And once I got CG started, she could sew as many miles as she wanted without supervision.



I pulled out this beautiful hand-finished circle-marking tool from the folks at WindFire Designs and started drawing circles for her to cut. As the circles piled up, she got more and more confident using the scissors we had gotten to be hers alone.



One right after the other. Maximum machine time, minimum fuss.



The garland piled up on the other side of the machine.



By the time she worked through the entire stack, the string was nine feet long.



And irresistible.



We hung it up near her ceiling, spanning a corner right above her new work table where the sewing machine waits for its next project. Thanks, Grandma Libby!

Relatively spooky

I had a long weekend due to my college's two-day Fall Break this week. And I saved up all the Halloween prep accordingly. Including the jack o' lantern!



We asked the kids whether they wanted two jack o' lanterns, one for each of them, as we've done in the past (mostly because in the past we've gone to pumpkin patches and let them each pick out a pumpkin--not applicable this year since Noel was going to get the pumpkin at the supermarket). As we suspected, Archer said one was fine. After reassuring Cady Gray that this meant she was in complete charge of the sole jack o' lantern, we were good to go.



More than 200 seeds came out of this thing. CG regards the counting of seeds as an important part of the Halloween ritual.



CG's design was inspired by a pumpkin she saw somewhere with a math equation carved into it. She picked her favorite equation and added nerdy spectacles and a big happy mouth just for fun.



I drew the line at carving out "HAPPY," especially since it was so close to the top opening, but executed the rest of her design exactly as drafted. It came out great!



Let others have their jack o' lanterns that are "scary" and "traditional" and "coherent as a collection of elements." CG's design couldn't be more perfect for this family.

What I see is so much more than I can say

Yesterday I posted a lengthy and photo-rich account of some overdyeing experiments. You can read it all at Toxophily, or if you aren't interested in the details, just revel in the eye candy.



But I know that what Noel and other family members are craving isn't pictures of yarn. So to go along with the above photo snapped as we were heading toward the exhibits at EcoFest 2012, here's a short piece of writing that Cady Gray brought home from school.

The Tye-Dye

Once upon a time, I went to Tennessee with my Grandma Libby. We Tye-Dyed one day with a tye-dye kit. We did three swirl patterns and two bullseyes. I did a freehand and one of the swirls. I did a swirl pair of socks and a pair of splatter socks too. We used a neon color kit, but we have a primary one at home. I hope I get to do it again someday.

Hold your head up, you silly girl

Today's post about uncharacteristic perfectionism is at Toxophily.



We're pausing here and taking a deep breath before plunging into vacation with family next week. After that it's time to flail toward the start of school like the Olympic swimmers in the 50 meter sprints. See you on the other side!

Just an old sweet song

Back from our trip to the place of Noel's birth, to the metropolis where we played and absorbed culture during our University of Georgia days, to the team that haunts our childhoods and commands our undying loyalty. Back from Atlanta, where we seized the excuse provided by a colleague's wedding to introduce our children to some of the city's riches. Here are a few highlights.



We got to experience two, count 'em, two Staybridge Suites about a mile apart! This photo was taken outside the first one.




Walking the downtown streets.




Archer utterly confused this attendant at the World of Coca-Cola's secret formula vault exhibit with a robotboy question.




Granny Lou and Papa were with us for a couple of days, and the kids worked hard to give them enough love to last until the next visit.




We may not have eaten very healthy, but we ate very happy, including this Johnny Rockets lunch ...




... followed by rock candy on a stick.




We got to hang with old friends from our UGA days.




These are the kinds of smiles that happen inside a Legoland Discovery Center.




And these are the kind that happen when you're in the home of Hammerin' Hank.




Look at that form!




He's trying to stretch it to three! Really testing the arm of that right fielder!




More old friends at the ball game.




Our tomahawk chop took a while to get coordinated.




Cady Gray insisted on keeping score.




An enthusiastic rendering of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."




Outside Staybridge Suites #2. It's a long story.




The Georgia Aquarium mesmerized Cady Gray.




Peeking at penguins.




There was even a fish for Archer.




CG picked up so many feathers for her collection that I was sure she would fly away on our many long walks.




Our friend Stephen probably wears suits frequently. This is the first time Noel's been in one in many a year.




MARTA was Archer's favorite Atlanta attraction. Goodbye, Peach City -- we'll see you again soon!

How tough must we be to ask for more now?

Today's post about a hat by choice it at Toxophily.



Normally I'd put a picture of the hat here. But CG was being very silly during our modeling session. Most of my shots feature the buck teeth she's growing more prominently than the hat. So here'a a throwback shot of her on the swingset last weekend -- reminding me of how many of those pictures I took of her swinging in earlier years. How she's grown!

Or as we will always call it, Toe Sock Days

We were pretty busy two weekends ago. Then last weekend we weren't busy at all, thank goodness. Which, if you know me and how much I love my no-responsibility, no-work weekends, goes a long way toward explaining why I'm just now getting around to posting photos from our visit to the 2012 Toad Suck Daze festival on May 6.



Arrival, incognito. Well, at least the movie star among us is keeping a low profile.




First order of business: Lunch. We considered the Walking Taco, but it lacked one essential qualification.




It was not on a stick. Unlike this cheeseburger on a stick.




Time for some rides! Archer's got his ToadBucks ready.




First up, the ever-popular and picturesque carousel.




And you can't go wrong with the super slide, as Archer demonstrates.




Archer also really likes this little Tokyo Drift-style speedway ride. Guaranteed peals of laughter when it whiplashes you around the turn.




All three of us were laughing and screaming on the Scrambler, which has been one of my favorites ever since my dad took a home movie that featured a close-up follow shot of my hat falling off in mid-ride.




Dad and Archer rode the ferris wheel. Far as we could tell from down below, that's the two of them in the turquoise car up top.




We've earned some dessert. How about deep fried Oreos and Hershey's kisses?




It was a really hot day for this early in the season. But no matter whether it's graduation weekend or not, you can't just let Toad Suck Daze pass you by.




If you have a movie star in the family, though, do take the precaution of attending on Sunday when the paparazzi can be more easily evaded.