something blue

i'll tell you what, we've got a good thing goin' over here on dixie street. our neighbors are to-die-for. and i dare say, they feel the same way about us. yes, they are talented, funny, warm, smart, politically like-minded, generous, appreciative AND they have a boy close in age to cosmo (they are just now starting to play together really well), PLUS awesome teenage boys, who babysit! we all seem to understand the value of good neighbors. when we make something yummy to eat, we share. when they have a bonfire in the back yard, we're invited. when they need an hour of childcare, on short notice, we're happy to do it. you get the picture.



recently, said neighbors were given a hot tub. yes, i said GIVEN. apparently we are not the only ones fond of this delightful family. once they got it all set up and bubbling (between our houses), they made it clear that we had an open invitation to use it. we take them up on it frequently. the other day, cosmo and i, and their little boy, had a wonderful play date in the tub (with the temp turned way down for the wee ones). but mostly i like to slip into it on cold nights, with steam rising, and gaze up at a star filled sky. thanks neighbors!

something borrowed

continuing with robin's blog carnival (albeit, a day late on all of them), i submit to you something borrowed. i borrowed the idea (and template) from family fun magazine, and the materials are "borrowed" from the trash. it's a coin purse made from an orange juice carton! i like the clever use of the cap to keep the purse closed.



it's quite easy to make, the trickiest part is the accordion folds on the sides, because at certain points, you are scoring and folding against already existing creases. but, it works quite nicely, if you score heavily with a butter knife (or, if you are lucky enough to have a bone folder, use that. mine has sadly disappeared). the instructions say that a craft knife is optional, but i don't know how you'd make this without one. in fact, i am not sure how i'd even live without my trusty exacto knife. not happily, i can assure you.



next i'm making one out of a half gallon half & half carton. given how important half & half is to our everyday lives around here, i have a feeling i'm going to like it best of all. cosmo suggested we keep our bus money in there. great idea.

some new things

valentines!



these are valentines for cosmo's classmates, and a few relatives. i'll call the work a collaboration. we spent some time, over the past few weeks, punching out hearts from various papers i'd selected (some valentine-y, some not). i did some, cosmo did some. cosmo practiced his scissor-work on a drawing he'd done on pink construction paper. he assembled all of the collages himself. though i applied most of the glue, he picked out what he wanted from our collection, and he decided where to put it. sure, i orchestrated the whole thing, kept him on task today, until we had 14 new cards to bring to school tomorrow, but mostly, cosmo made these valentines. i am quite impressed with his creations.

some/thing old

i'm a little behind with robin's blog carnival (robin of the other mother). in celebration of freedom to marry week, i'll post.

something old
something new
something borrowed
something blue

today, i'm posting something old. i found this quilt at an antique store in our neighborhood. it cost me $35.



it reminds me of a hand stitched quilt my great grandmother made, which i no longer have. the one my great grandmother made was only two colors: pink and white. this one has, as the petals of the flowers, samples of wonderful patterned fabric (is that flour sack fabric?) i know very little about quilts. but i know what i like in a work of art. the art that i have in my home needs to be something that i can study for years and years, and always find something new--or a new way of looking at it. this quilt fits the bill. we have this on our bed, and i just love looking at it. it makes me think, and it brings me pleasure.