A Quilt for a May Baby

This quilt began as the Six Times the Charm Quilt from Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner.  After sewing together the triangles for the quilt pattern, it just didn't look right.  Yes, it was all going according to plan, but, really.....i dislike following patterns when sewing quilts.  I like to make it up as i go.  So one evening i decided to take my triangles and cut them up into squares.  From there, some natural muslin was added to box each square out.  Then it was finished with a top-stitch, zig-zag border.  I loved the process in which this quilt took shape.  I used all scrap fabric from my bin, which was really fun!

At the end, i was pleased with the result.  Now it seemed like a quilt that baby Riendeau would like, a quilt that fit Jackie's style.  Her baby shower was yesterday, and she totally loved it.  Success! 

More to come in the next post about other baby homemade's for her shower!

Coming Home

After being away at a conference for a few days last week....

Coming home was a breath of fresh air.

Oh how i love being home with my loves.  I was greeted with the first edition of Taproot!, which i read from cover to cover, enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun on the porch.

Being 80 degrees out, i brought my seedlings up to the porch to catch some afternoon rays.  When i went to bring them back inside, i noticed that my basil had germinated!

Spring beginnings

March 18th-  i started my seedlings.  It seems funny, but i did this outside on my porch and in the sun, as it was 74 degrees out!  We have been having the strangest weather lately.  It was in the 80's all week here.  When i would get home from work, i would move my seedlings out in the sun, as it was warmer on the porch than it was inside! 

I planted basil, beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers.  I figure that the rest of my plants i will just put the seeds directly in the ground when we start the garden.  (which may be sooner than expected!).

Yes, it has been unseasonably warm causing our lawn to turn green, sandals to be warn, picnics on the porch to be had, charlie bathing in the brook and our time shifted outside.  Perfect :)

Spring in New England.  Ha!

This.

This year, spring came early.  We began tapping our sugar maples in the middle of February.  One of the wonderful things that this business brings is the unknown.  In our annual edition of "Maple News" we read as old-timers predicted what the season would bring.  Some said it would be short, some said it would be the best.  Others said, "we'll just have to wait and see..."  Sugaring depends on a very particular weather pattern.  From year to year, you simply cannot predict what the season will bring.  This spring came in strong & fast.  We were greeted with 40 degree days in the beginning of February.  Although i welcome the sun and the warmth that comes with it, i do depend on it coming in the middle of march, not the middle of February.  Yes, this season was short & sweet.  So each time we boiled, we took it all in.  The company of neighbors & friends.  The kids getting muddy in the brook.  The hikes along the lines to check for leaks.  The sweet steam filling the sugar-house to the brim.  And finally, the pure maple syrup we taste & enjoy.  There is nothing like this time of year.  The natural changing of the seasons is something we rely on.  Something that we can trust and count on.  Yes, Spring came early, so we tucked away our winter nighttime routines and greeted the sugar-house with snacks, stories, beverages & bluegrass. 

This?

This is what spring is all about in our family....

For Charlie

This guy?  This pup here gets so much love.  He is also the best  model when i practice with my new lens.  These shots were taken back in January.  When we still had snow on the ground.  When we weren't knee deep in mud.  Yes, before spring came in the beginning of March.  What a warm winter we had!  

My next post will be exploring our sugaring season this year :)  

Stay tuned, but for now, enjoy my pup.....