Quick Update: Prepping for the GGSE

In 6 months or less, I will be leaving for the Great Graduate School Experiment. In the meantime, I have been whittling away at my abundance of free time. Here are some tidbits about my life since I last posted.

Work

-Traveled to Las Vegas for a trade show with my mom's company. It was a blast seeing the lights and action of Vegas, and I really liked working at the show!

-Finally everything is in line for me to become a substitute teacher in the local school district. I have desperately missed working with children, and I'm excited to be able to serve my community in a new way! My first scheduled teaching position is the last week of October, but perhaps I'll find a few other opportunities along the way.

-The daughter of a family friend swims six days a week, and I've been helping to transport her to and from her swim practices. It's a blessing to help out a friend, and spending so much time driving also allows me to take in the beauty of fall in New England.

-November vacation camp with the recreation department is all ready to go. My co-camp director and I are so excited to be offering a two-day camp exploring the origins of Thanksgiving-- including a trip to Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts (my future dream job)!

-Still working to get my seamstress business off the ground. Some of my work was on display at the town library between August and October, and my dresses in particular were given a lot of attention. I have made plans to attend a few local craft fairs and markets, and hopefully will be selling some items before Christmas. Look for the Rainy Day Seamstress near you.

-I met and played with some of the children in that I hope to be spending time with come February. The kids are all part of an early childhood program at our local community center, and when my friend Lisa goes on maternity leave in a few months, I will be taking her place for a few weeks.

-Since August, I've been housekeeping for my parents-- cleaning the house top to bottom every week. It's a tough job because as soon as I've vacuumed the dog starts scratching, the cat sheds, the bird molts, and I have to get rid of the dust and grime all over again. But I actually like to clean and organize, so it gives me an opportunity to rid myself of excess compusivity.

-After speaking with the president of the local historical society, I have been given the opportunity to join the board and work with the society on a number of projects. It will be a wonderful chance to work in my field during my year at home.

Play

-In September I had the opportunity to visit some dear friends around the state. I will also be visiting UNH for homecoming this weekend. Hopefully I will be able to see a number of my school friends while I am on the other side of the state.

-I've been working hard to train my little Ollie bird. Since he came to live with us a little over a year ago, Ollie has been a bit wild. Unlike any other bird we've owned, Ollie would eat no "people food", would not perch on a finger, and did not talk or whistle. During the summer I spent hours talking to him, feeding him garden vegetables, and handling him on a regular basis. Within the last month, he has become (almost) a normal bird. He talks endlessly in my voice, scavenges for breakfast cereal and carrots, and will come out of his cage with hardly a squawk. Despite my family telling me that I'll end up a crazy bird lady, I'm very proud of all the work we've accomplished ;-)

-In my really free time, I have been sewing and/or plotting to sew all kinds of projects. It's just about time to think about Christmas, and I'm feeling prepared for the first time in years. Of course, part of that is that I don't have to take any exams or research any theses for the first time in my life, but still, it's nice to feel like I've got a grip on something.

-Although it's been dreary and grey for the past two weeks, I've taken every opportunity to work in the garden. We haven't got much left, but it makes me feel better to know that my beds and compost will be in good shape for the winter. Considering that I won't have much of an opportunity to garden in DC, I'm hoping that all the houseplants I've been repotting will be able to survive the big move. Most of our houseplants live on the porch during the summer, but I'm slowly collecting them in my room again as the cold nights settle in.

-I'm also spending a lot of time in the kitchen copying family recipes into my new recipe book, trying out said recipes, and preserving whatever has come my way. So far I've put up 12 pints mint jelly, 12 pints plum jelly, 26 quarts dill pickles, 3 quarts pickled zucchini, 6 quarts applesauce, and countless dried veggies, fruits, herbs and tea ingredients. I'm still planning on another 6 quarts applesauce tomorrow.

Wow. That's a long "quick" update. I'll stop now and leave the rest for another day.

Quick Update

Since the end of summer camp, my schedule has been somewhat less regular. It has taken me a few weeks to get into the swing of things. Hopefully I'll return to posting on a regular basis soon, but in the meantime, here are some of the things that I've been up to:

A good friend from school was encamped with her French and Indian reenacting group a few towns away from me. I joined her for a day of campfires, folk dancing, and 18th century bliss.

I have been sewing like mad once again. In addition to my own projects, I have also begun a little service for those in town who need a seamstress. So far, it is going well.

Harvest time in the garden! At least 8 lbs of potatoes in this basket.

My sister joined me for an evening concert in the park near our house. A few days later, she left for a semester studying in Spain!

Pickling time! 12 quarts of Kosher dill pickles in one day. Phew.

Pickles and jelly make for a very productive day.

After months apart, I was reunited with two of my best friends from school. We enjoyed a weekend complete with Ethiopian cuisine, a swing dance outside of Boston, pedicures, and an afternoon at the seacoast.

Looking forward to another few weeks of lovely adventures!

Garden Beginnings 2012

 We've barely planted all our vegetables, but the garden is going crazy already! The New Hampshire winter was so mild this year that most of our perennials are weeks ahead of themselves. The only downside is that with the mild winter, the squirrel and chipmunk population has exploded. I have to be very careful not to direct seed anything, because the chipmunks will swarm once I've left the garden. It's frustrating because half of what I've planted has been eaten before it could even sprout!

 In any case, we've got much of the same garden spread this year. Pickling cucumbers, peppermint, oregano, dill, edamame, summer squash, purple pole beans, sugar snap peas, lettuce, Asian greens, potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, rhubarb, horseradish, etc. A neighbor gave us an artichoke, which I planted near the compost. It's been in for about a month, and it seems to be doing quite well. I also transplanted some raspberry canes which were growing wild behind the garage. We'll see how things go with that experiment.

 I'm trying to diversify my herb collection, and in addition to my chamomile, mint, thyme, dill, chives, lavender, parsley, oregano, rosemary, basil, etc, I have added yarrow, lemon balm, and bee balm.

Project Wishlist

Recently I've found myself paging through knitting patterns, inspirational sewing sites, and books that I've been collecting thinking, "I could make that!". I've amassed quite a collection of bookmarks in my mind of things that I'm sure I'll get around to someday. But in the meantime, I'll have to content myself with a good old-fashioned to-do list.

Knitting:

• Mug cozies-- Scandinavian pattern for Lily
• Fingerless mittens for Ethan
• Mittens for Daddie
• Cabled headbands
• Baby sweater with locally farmed, dyed, and spun wool
• Socks!
• Fair Isle sweater
• Sweater with Scandinavian pattern
• Tablerunner for Momma
  

Sewing:

• New potholders-- quilted
• Quilt for Claire
• T-shirt quilt for myself
  
• New swing dress for Spring semester
• Undergarments! for swing dancing, etc.
• More farmer's market bags for Barb, Emily
• Aprons for myself
• Altering of old dresses
• Denim skirt
• Dog bed for Chessie
  

Other:

• Rag rug
• Hooked rug from scraps
• Tin lanterns
• Cross-stitch finished!
• Seal and label seed packets from last year
• Start seedlings for the Spring & Summer-- egg cartons
  
• Frame drawings
• Make more candles-- tapers, columns, and votives
• Homemade shampoo
• New batch of handsoap

I just know that as soon as I post this, I'll have another flood of things that I forgot to mention. But until then, I've got a good list to start from.

Garden Update

The 2011 Garden

Spring is in the Air

Here in New Hampshire, Spring comes late. I can hardly remember a year that all the snow in our yard had melted by Memorial Day, but this year, Spring was REALLY late. At school, the University canceled classes on April 1st, because there was too much snow and ice to clear from the pathways. Just last Saturday I was home for Easter and our daffodils (which had just begun to bloom the day before) were covered by an inch of snow by lunchtime. Fortunately it all melted off to reveal a beautiful Easter morning so that we could have our egg hunt outside, but we were a little worried!

As I finish up my semester here on the seacoast, Daddie has been working away to start my vegetables for the garden. He's already direct-seeded potatoes, garlic, onions, parsley, beans, peas, lettuce, and soybeans outside, while inside the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins are sitting on a heating pad in the bathtub to plant in May.

I'm so excited for pickling and preserving this year! I've been serving my dill pickles at every family function since last August, so it'll be fun to try some new recipes and stock up for the
coming year.

New Dresses!

Last week I experienced the wonderful holiday known to most college students as Spring Break. But instead of spending the days lounging on the sunny beaches of Cancun, I stayed put in New Hampshire and went home to 3 feet of snow still on the ground.

As much as I would have enjoyed the sun and sands, I spent my time engaged in classic New England winter activities such as sewing, baking, snowshoeing, and starting seeds for the garden. My latest sewing projects were a Regency-style dress for an event at school, a new swing dancing dress, and crinolines. With so much to do, it gave me a great excuse to get acquainted with my new sewing machine!

My Regency dress was a bit of a challenge (it took about 2 days to finish) because I created the dress design from a 1795 fashion plate and used the dimensions of a circa 1800 shift as the basic pattern from which to work. I wish I had been able to make a kerchief and cap to go with it, but I realized that not everyone cared about historical accuracy as much as me, and anyway, I didn't have any more white linen.

As for the new swing dancing dress, I am exceedingly proud of it. Two of my dear school friends (who are also history majors and swing dancers) recently bought vintage patterns from the 1940's to make new dresses. When they showed me the patterns, I couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if we all had 40's dresses. Alas, I didn't have enough money to buy a vintage pattern or enough time to create my own from scratch, so I compromised and bought a reproduction pattern made by Simplicity. The pattern was originally from 1950, and I used forest-green brushed silk with a silver nylon lining. Not a complicated pattern, but lots of steps!

I'm so excited to wear my new dresses!

School is Back in Session

It seems like ages ago that I last posted, and it really was, in the scheme of our fast-moving age of technology. Here is a brief recap of my wonderfully long (and blog-less) summer.

After leaving my position as an RA at the end of May, I moved back home for the summer to work as a camp counselor for my local recreation department. I worked through June at the local bakery (my fallback employment since Senior year of high school,) and helped my parents keep the house together as we anticipated my sister's graduation. Oh, the stress of two children in college. It had begun to wear on me before Claire had even received her diploma.

Aside from working at the bakery and keeping the family sane, I spent most of my time in the garden in June. Each day I would wake up, eat breakfast, dress, weed and tend the garden until about ten or eleven, then work on some project for the rest of the day until work. Within the first two weeks of being at home, I made a potting bench for the back yard, a tin lantern, a nesting box, and about fifteen candles.

As June wore down, Ethan prepared to leave for his summer math program at Hampshire College. We dropped him off on July Fourth, and immediately our family dynamics changed. It was strange not to have him around the house, eating all the cereal from the cabinets or playing Chopin on the piano, but we became used to it. Claire and I both started working the week after he left, but were briefly interrupted by a family reunion in Michigan. It was wonderful to travel this summer, as the previous summer found me away at sleep-away camp.

The Antrim Rec. Department turned out to be the perfect summer job for me, and I felt that I had made the right choice as soon as I started. I learned valuable lessons from almost every aspect of the experience, such as working with the kids, getting along with co-counselors, and balancing my home life with my work life.

Although most of my friends were working for the summer, I was able to spend a lot of time with a few of my dearest friends, which was more than I could have asked for. Barbara and I traveled to Maine with her parents and spent an unbelievable week on Eagle Island. Our adventures left me with an even deeper love and appreciation for her than ever before, and memories that will last me a lifetime.

Too soon, the summer drew to a close as camps ended, Ethan came home, and Claire began preparing for her great departure to Skidmore. I tried to take everything in stride because it was all happening so quickly, but the last night before leaving for school was still difficult. I wasn't sure I had made the right decision moving back to Hubbard and no longer being an RA. I was nervous that I wouldn't get along with my roommate, and that I would have a difficult adjustment to being back in school.

All my fears were proved wrong almost immediately. I feel so blessed to have been able to move in early, because I formed instant bonds of friendship to people I would have otherwise missed. My roommate is wonderful, and I feel as though we share bits and pieces of each others' soul. So much has happened in the past week, that I cannot even recount it, but I praise God for all that He has done for me. In the dark days that I experienced just months ago, I could never have imagined that He would bring me to this contentment in such a short period of time. He is so good to me!