A Rainy Fall Friday

Hello to Friday and to YOU! It’s rainy, a little windy, and chilly here in New Hampshire today. So I’ve settled the kids in with the PBS Kids App, brewed another pot of coffee, and am settling in to share a few things with you.

So much of my time and energy is taken up by homeschooling and I realized that I hardly ever document that here! After we finished schooling this morning I was able to spend a little time prepping for next week’s activities. It’s still so much fun for me! I never did a blog post sharing our curricula for this year and I doubt it’s going to happen at all. Perhaps I’ll manage a wrap up post at the end of the year? Either way – everything we’re working with has been a good fit and what a relief! My favorite part? Making a list for the library!

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I’ve been thinking a lot about how food adds to the coziness of a home. You might know that I resent cooking every day — I always feel like it takes me away from something I’d rather be doing. But I’m trying to think about it as an opportunity to add another layer of cozy in our lives. The smell of good food cooking is an important part of a happy home! And, of course, a healthy family. So I’m trying (again) to bring a renewed focus on meal planning into our week. Wish me luck!

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I’ve had a lot of late night sewing progress this week!! I didn’t make it to the basement every night because sometimes I’m totally wiped by the time I get my oldest settled into bed. But I made it down often enough to see a few a things through!

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I finished handsewing another Mandolin quilt block. That brings my total up to 5 — only 15 more to go! I really like this newest one. The yellow and the coral play well with the more neutral center hexagon and the light blues/pinks in the triangles and diamonds between the squares. I’m running low on Liberty fabrics and am trying to decide whether I should just splurge on a giant rainbow pack or continue to buy just a tiny bit at a time. The debate of my life!

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I sewed a cross stitch project bag this week. I wanted a bag for my Fall cross stitching, but I don’t really have seasonal fabrics. Luckily I found this Tula Pink fabric in my stash: squirrels make it fall-like, right? This bag finished at about 11×13, so it’s plenty big enough for pattern books and to hold everything I need for my current project! I’ve been bitten by the bag bug, so expect to see more of these in the coming weeks!

I finished blocks 8 and 9 on my Bloom Quilt. They are very similar but won’t be near each other in the quilt – block 8 will be at the end of the second row and block 9 will start the 3rd. The placement of the pieces is still a bit wonky, but I’m getting more and more confident when sewing curves, which is exciting! And I’ve ordered the 8.5″ square ruler so I’ll be able to trim up and sew on borders next week. There are only 20 blocks in this quilt, so I’m almost halfway finished with piecing the blocks.

I made a start on A Mighty Acorn, which is a pattern in the Winds of Autumn booklet by Blackbird Designs. I am thrilled – this is my first real project with linen (32 count) and I was very nervous that I wouldn’t be able to work out the counting while stitching 2 over 2… but it’s working out (thanks to this lovely magnification visor). I am SLOW – this is 3 sessions of work – but that’s okay. I figure it’s a better financial value if I take a very long time with it!

I decided not to center the design on the linen when I started it because I think I might be able to use some of the sides for smaller projects. I’m hoping it will all work out okay.

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And now I’m being pulled away and won’t be able to share anything else, so I’ll save the rest for our next check-in. Until then – I hope you find countless ways to stay cozy!