Blog Archives

End of Summer

8/31/2011

Summer Food!

5 had his first strawberry this morning! Alas, it was not a local strawberry, but at least it WAS organic...
As you can see, he enjoyed it.
In the last few weeks, we've started introducing foods that are more common allergens. We waited until he was 9 months old to start, and we introduce a new one each week, making sure he doesn't have any reactions to it.
This has made meal times a lot more fun, now that he can eat so much more of what we're eating. For instance, today he and I had strawberries and yogurt for breakfast, he had cheese and tomato sandwiches with Dad for lunch, and for dinner we had home made pesto pizza with spinach, broccoli, and mushrooms. Yum!

We've also been trying to squeeze every last bit of enjoyment out of our local produce before the winter sets in. A few days ago we had RAW corn on the cob for lunch! I'd never had it that way, but my husband worked on a farm for a while and convinced me that good corn is DELICIOUS this way. He was right.

Preparing for Winter (in the cutest possible way)

And lastly, yesterday I made possibly the cutest hat EVER for my sweet sweet babe. I've been seeing all these darling knitted pixie hats everywhere, and I finally saw one in profile and realized- hey, I could make that out of an upcycled sweater! And so I did. I think it's adorable, but 5 just thinks it's hot. You probably would not be surprised at how hard it is to get some good pictures of a baby wearing a winter hat in August.

I know I said I'd have pics of the quilt top today, but it was rainy, so I don't. Friday! I promise!

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Birthday Fun!

8/29/2011

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We've had some birthdays to celebrate in the last week. That's right, I am blessed to have many virgos in my life (I say this because I am a virgo, I'm told those who aren't don't always find us all that charming...). Now that all the gifts have been opened, I can share some of the lovely prezzies I shipped off last week!

Something NOT Textile related! What?

Today is my sister's boyfriend's birthday. I talked to her awhile ago about what kind of things he would like/ they need, and while I got lots of great ideas, almost NONE of them could be accomplished in a week or couldn't possibly be shipped to North Carolina. They do both like art though, and I have seen pictures of their lovely apartment and I thought they could really use some strange, Scandinavian-inspired papercut art. I was really pleased with how the piece turned out and once I mounted it on some nice creamy cardstock, I had a blast sorting through my 1948 wallpaper samples to find an appropriate background. I love this brown and yellow plaid, and I especially like that the pattern is not straight- it's a bit wonky. Perfect.

Collaborative Design!

My husband and I both work in design, but we RARELY collaborate. For his sister's birthday though, we wanted to do something really special- she is a really amazing person who has been so incredibly generous with us in every way possible and we always have a hard time finding a way to show her that.

So we moved heaven and earth and worked together on something.
It was pretty fun once we got past the yelling and the swearing (yeah, we're both really fun team players).
I can truly say that this design is Fred and I meeting in the middle and going somewhere fun and different.

My Attempt at Being "Cool"

Also for my sister-in-law, I made this crocheted necklace. I've seen a few of these about on the world wide web- cool and trendy texture-heavy necklaces with bold color blocking using both bright and neutral colors. Not exactly the adjectives I'm known for, but, my sister-in-law has good taste and I tend to think of her as the older sister I never had who will forever be cooler than me no matter what, so I brought my A game and I think it worked.

Some Little Handmade Note-y Whatnots

I used my trusty big circle punch on another piece of 1948 wallpaper to make some pretty gift tags for all my precious birthday goodies. They turned out so pretty and made me feel so birthday-fancy that I just had to include them in the gifty post.

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Sewing, Shopping, and Sighting

8/26/2011

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More Helping

I've been working a fair amount on the quilt the last two days. It's going quite well, perhaps in spite of all the "help" I've been getting. 5 likes to pull on anything he can get his hands on that comes from higher than he can see, so it's kind of like playing some demented sewing video game- get the fabric ready, turn your sewing machine on, and SEW the seam before the TROLLS rip the pedal out from under your foot! And make sure none of your fabric hangs over the table or the TROLLS will eat that too!

But really, the top is about half done. Pictures Monday, or perhaps Wednesday. There is no white.

A Slightly Embarrassing Confession

You're going to thing I'm completely insane, or one of those freaky Christmas-obsessed folks, but....

I made my xmas list today. Not for presents I want, but who I need to shop/make for and what my plans are.

Seriously, it's purely out of practicality.

I try to make as many of my gifts as humanly possible, and we do some family exchanges where you don't even know who you're giving to until November, so if I want to make nice things for gifts WHILE making nice rispok product to sell....
I have to start early.

I've been getting ready for the holidays early for years, but last year I was almost entirely done by November 1, thanks to nesting instinct, an October 27 due date, and a little bit of craziness, and it was AWESOME.
While everyone else is out shopping, and considering mass murder while being herded through consumer-dom and barraged with insipid canned holiday music, I can be home, enjoying time with my family, making truffles, explaining to relatives why I don't want a Christmas tree. So much better.

I will also admit that while I made my list today, I thought of the things on that list over the past few months. My husband thinks I'm completely nuts, but he doesn't get to complain because I do all of his shopping for him. Early.

Rispok Product Sighting!

This is Arrow. He lives in Korea. He's wearing a bib I made. I also made the teething necklace. There are lots more pictures of him, his hip Mama and Papa, and their sweet life in Korea on his Mama's blog Seoul Connection. You can find cool bibs I made for all the hip babies in your life at my etsy shop Rispok.

Enjoy your last weekend in August! Join me Monday for birthday fun!

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Big Boys do Cool Stuff

8/24/2011

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Helping Dad do Big Boy Stuff

Since 5 is now (obviously) a big boy, he wants to help Dad do EVERYTHING. He likes to help make breakfast, get dressed, take out the garbage, do crossword puzzles, but he LOVES to help brush teeth!
He likes to brush his own teeth, but it's hard because he doesn't have any. Dad's are more fun. Way more fun.

Let Me Just Show You One Thing Dad

Sometimes he's more helpful than others.
Sometimes he and Dad have some differing strategies.
Sometimes there is face scratching involved.

I Got it Dad

But mostly, it's just one of those special things that the baby and the daddy do together.

What kinds of things do the babies and daddies (or mommies) in your life do together?

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Longing to be Quilting

8/22/2011

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My family likes to sleep with the bedroom window open whenever possible. The main reason for closing the window is wind- we have a ridiculously big casement window which should really be illegal to sell in such a windy place.
The last few nights have gotten down into the 50s, leaving me cold and dreaming of quilts. They were already in the back of my mind since I returned home from Duluth to find the Marimekko scrap pack I'd ordered waiting impatiently for me to open it and do something fabulous. Like a quilt.
I have approximately 1 million other projects to do, nearly all of them decidedly MORE pressing than this quilt, but here I am daydreaming...
None of the following pictures were taken by me, click on the picture to go to the source site. Please enjoy my current obsession/inspiration.

That Cool Kid that I will NEVER be

from Denyse Schmidt Quilts

I LOVE these two quilts, but I will never be able to make either of these because I find it IMPOSSIBLE to buy solid colored fabric. Denyse Schmidt is a rockstar of the quilt world and her book Denyse Schmidt Quilts is my favorite and her techniques make me look much more awesome than I really am.

Closer

These fabric choices are much closer to something I would do, but I'm not really great with all squares all the same size. Too many straight lines = not a quilt I will make.

Almost There

I like these fabrics and the design is almost random enough for me- just a little bit weirder...

Something in Between These Two

I think that I will try to challenge myself and create a design that is a tiny bit calmer than the one above, and a squidge messier than the gorgeous one below. Yes. That is a good idea. (I ADORE the quilt below, but white fabric is even harder for me to buy that plain colored fabric).

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Breakfast Popsicles and Lunchtime Naps

8/19/2011

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Popsicles for Breakfast?

It's true, popsicles for breakfast. And other than their not being a "hot breakfast", they're great! I've had so much fun this summer with my $12 popsicle maker making vain attempts to kick my ice cream habit. Now I just have two frozen habits...
Anyway, back to breakfast. This latest is my most meal-friendly yet- I used 4 nectarines, a cup or so of plain, full fat greek yogurt, and only about 1 tablespoon of sugar, threw it in the food processor and then the freezer for 10 beautiful morning happy pops.

Just the thing for our last few hot summer mornings.

All things sleep-y

Today 5 took his first nap in a crib. I'm having mixed feelings about it. It's a big step (for me at least) and I thought I would honor it by talking about cosleeping and how we've dealt with sleep for the last 9 months.

Cosleeping is a fancy name for sleeping close to your baby, whether it be in a family bed (everyone in the same bed), or in a kind of sidecar crib, or some other arrangement. It is often part of what is called "attachment parenting", which is a fancy name for believing that you and your child know what's best for your family and ignoring other people's (often archaic and sometimes barbaric) parenting "wisdom". I find it to be using a lot of compassion and common sense. Some examples?

-Breastfeeding. The food that my body makes specifically for my baby is going to be better than something made in a factory in China. Also, just like you or me, my baby knows when he's hungry, I don't. So if he wants to eat, he gets to.

-Nobody likes to be alone. If you were brand new to this world, would you want to be alone in some contraption all the time? Probably not. My babe is near me all the time, whether I'm wearing him, sleeping next to him, or he's playing by my feet. I don't like to sleep alone in the dark, I could hardly expect him to.

Back to sleeping. Before we had 5, we knew we wanted to cosleep, but I was what you might call a "deep and thrashy" sleeper. So we set up a 3-walled crib right up against the bed. That way I could reach him when he was hungry in the night, but I couldn't crush him.
Well, he lasted all of five minutes in the crib- he was NOT having it. He slept between us and we discovered the amazing light-sleeper mommy hormones. He has slept in my arms every night since and it has been wonderful.
He can nurse all night if he wants and I don't even have to wake up. We don't have to worry about him not breathing, or being cold, or lonely, or scared. It's also about the sweetest thing in the whole world to wake up to that face. It could be coincidence, but he's been sleeping for around 11 hours a night since he was 2 months old and I get at least 7 hours most nights, sometimes more.

Naps have been a little different. For more than 6 months, he would only sleep in my lap. I didn't get so much done... Now that he's older, he sleeps more soundly. At first that meant we could lay down on the bed, I could nurse him to sleep, and then slink out of the bed. Now, I can actually pick him up and move him (like into a crib) and he stays asleep.

This whole crib issue only came up because 5 wakes up completely silently at least half of the time, leaving him free to explore the bed (and try to crawl off of it) without interference from pesky Mom. I've been checking on him every five minutes for months now and we've had some pretty close calls. This morning, I came in to find him at the head of the bed, having just thrown the alarm clock off the night stand and getting ready to throw the lamp off as well. That sealed it for me- this babe needs to be contained for his own safety.

If you're interested in learning more about attachment parenting, I would recommend The Attachment Parenting Book, but there are lots of good books out there now.

I would love to hear your stories about sleeping with babies!

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Home Again

8/17/2011

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We are at last returned from our travels and slipping back into daily life. 5 is happy to be home, but seems to miss having Dad around all the time. I have one more week in which to finish all my home/baby/birthday projects before I have to focus on making product again and here is the item I scratched off the list today:

The Scandi Man Tai!

As you may have read, I've been planning this carrier for a while, but I did all the cutting, sewing, physical creation of this piece today! It is a Scandi-style mei-tai made with man-friendly fabric. I used pieces of my dwindling stash of Ikea fabric that I brought back from Sweden a few years ago for the body and I think it looks just fab!

I followed this tutorial for the most part, but my straps are only 72" long and I used a much simpler construction for the body since I was using two heavier-weight fabrics. I LOVE this style carrier- it's good for front, back. and side carries, plus the length of the body (and therefore the height of the baby) is easily adjustable. Plus, I was able to make it reversible by simply using pretty fabric on both sides! Easy!

Feeding the Picnic Addicts

We got a bit hooked on picnicking in Duluth, so we just HAD to take our dinner down to the Houghton waterfront this evening. It was an absolutely perfect UP summer day- 75 degrees, not a cloud for MILES, the bluest sky you ever did see, and a nice breeze. And yes, that's a ski hill in the background. Should be a few more weeks at least before the runs are open though...

Future Marathoner

I remember in high school, the cross country runners would have to run all the stairs in the school as part of their training. I think 5 might have started his training already as he's decided he needs to climb halfway up the stairs every day. I guess that's ok, he makes sure I'm behind him before he starts and 7 stairs per day doesn't seem too strenuous for a 9 month old. I won't worry until he starts measuring his resting heart rate...

Join me Friday for a peek at the rest of the week's projects!

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Duluth: the Last Days

8/15/2011

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Hi folks! I apologize for the lack of post on Friday- Weebly was not working so great for me...

Beach Fun!

Five had a lovely time at the beach on Park Point, although there was NO swimming in water that cold! He doesn't really care as long as there's sand (and anything else he can get his hands on) to eat.
We got to watch about 30 sailboats disappear into the distance as part of the weekly sailboat races, so Fred was in heaven too.
I laid on the blanket. Good enough for me.

An Ode to the William A Irvin

Hello, beautiful ship, it's been too long- nearly 6 years. How we've missed you.

Your many levers and dials and gauges helped you traverse the Great Lakes accurately for 40 years.

Your living chambers may have seemed cramped and smelly for big sailors so many years ago, but they could probably rent for a small fortune to petite hipsters today.

Your galley was well known for being well stocked in its day, but now I drool over the ability to clean it with a hose.

Give me a long walk topside with my gentleman suitor (and our sleeping babe) and I'll be happy as a clam.

Thank you, William A Irvin, not just for a lovely hour and a half, but for a new mom-friendly motto. See you in a few years.

Damn Good Pie (and everything else)

I will sing the praises of one final restaurant. The Duluth Grill was possibly my most exciting find. The exterior, as a former Embers, was unimpressive, but the menu offered more choices for me than any other in YEARS.
I was faced with crippling and unexpected indecision. Usually a menu will offer me at least one, but no more than three possibilities for a dinner meal. The Duluth Grill had more than a full page.
They offered vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options galore, but the best part was all the locally-sourced, organic, or home made ingredients.
All their meat was grass-fed, the eggs cage-free organic, and the chocolate sauce was made right in their kitchen.
Every restaurant should be like this.
They offer health benefits to all employees working more than 16 hours per week. Hot damn!
After all this good stuff, the food was DELICIOUS! I was stuffed to the gills when we left, but I took some pie to go (for our picnic lunch the next day). The above picture is what they gave us. I know, right? Unbelievable. It tasted even better than it looks.

Goodbye Duluth! We hope to see you again in less than 6 years!

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Duluth: Part II

8/10/2011

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5 Would Like a Bigger Bed Please

The baby (and the mommy) are LOVING sleeping in a king sized bed! If we could fit one of these guys in our bedroom and still be able to shut the door, I would want one SO SO bad. I still kind of do, but in a more theoretical way.

Northern Minnesota Culinary Adventures

Yesterday morning, we got up nice and early (thanks 5), and walked just a few blocks to the absolute best Scandinavian restaurant I have ever been to for a DELICIOUS breakfast! The walk was so short we didn't even bring the stroller. Great, right?

Takk for Maten means "Thanks for the Food" and that is how you will feel.

We walked past this place, it's actually called Takk for Maten, our first day in town. It was so cute from the outside and the menu was so intriguing, we immediately scrapped any prior breakfast plans in favor of this little gem.
All the tables are set up like the picture above- directions for how to order, a vase of feather-pens, menu, and fabric covered book with ordering tickets inside.
The menu covers ground in Norway, Sweden, and even Finland with breakfast items like grilled lefse with bacon and egg, swedish pancakes, yeasted waffles, and cardamom french toast.

After waxing extremely poetic about the amazing delicious properties of lefse, Fred decided to get the bacon/egg/lefse combination. Lefse is like a Norwegian tortilla made primarily from potatoes, but better. I am an expert lefse griddler, but alas, can no longer partake as I cannot eat of the potato. The woman with whom we placed our order gave me hope though, when she informed us that traditionally, lefse is made from flour and ground reindeer horn- no potato!
I naturally ordered the item with the most whipped cream- the Swedish pancakes. Yum! I also had some tea they blend themselves with cacao, cinnamon, and orange, I think. Super tasty good.
This place was so fantastic, with great service, a designerly (but comfortable) feel, and kid-friendliness to spare, we had to come back today for a coffee/ chocolate-lingonberry milkshake break. That's right, I said chocolate-lingonberry milkshake. Combining the two was a special order, but it was delish. I hear their gooseberry shakes are good too.
If you live within 100 miles of Duluth, you have to come here. The end.

The Last Whaleback Ship in the WORLD (and minigolf)

We also visited THE LAST WHALEBACK SHIP IN THE WORLD! We did not play minigolf, though it was conveniently located right in front of the boat.
So, for those of you who are curious as to what a whaleback ship is, why there are no more, and why we would go see one, read on. For those of you who are not, skip to the end.
Somewhere between 100 and 150 years ago, people who do these things wanted to design a boat that would have a minimum of drag in the water. So they made a ship that looked like a whale. As I understand it, they worked great, but the people who worked on them thought they were ugly, so they stopped making them. They were called whalebacks or pig noses. My husband is the ultimate boat dork, so visiting this boat was mandatory.

Fortunately, the guided tour was not mandatory, because we will be touring the William A Irvin great laker tomorrow. For the second time.

Bridges and Pinko Burritos

We rounded out the day with a lovely walk through Duluth's extensive skyway system, crossing this pedestrian lift bridge, leading to the beautiful lake walk (you guessed it, it's a boardwalk that goes along the lake) and back to the hotel.
We had dinner in the former location of the Whole Foods Coop which now houses Burrito Union, home of the best Communist Mexican food money can buy. Seriously, very good. For any of you old-school Madisonians out there, it kind of reminded me of Porto Bananas.

Join me Friday for the exciting conclusion to the Duluth Report: boats, pie, and naps, oh my!

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Greetings From Duluth!

8/8/2011

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First Things First

Ok, we're here. Where's the ice cream?

That's not exactly how it went. First, we had a super delicious sandwich at Amazing Grace Bakery and Cafe, checked into our hotel (which is delightfully motel-y), and walked pretty much the length of downtown Duluth- ending up. of course, at ice cream.

This Portland Malt Shoppe, pictured below (btw, all photos, except where noted, were taken by my husband today), takes at least a pint of whatever flavor ice cream you choose and stirs it up with malt and whatever flavor you choose, and calls it a "malt". This is a little bit insane.

I ordered a marshmallow malt made with dark chocolate ice cream, and was not really sure what I was going to end up with. As you can see, I ended up with a whole lot of ice cream. It was delicious. Not particularly refreshing. Definitely fits in with my recent "sweet and exorbitant frozen calories" diet. I may never say this again in my life, but, I could have split one with Fred. I, in fact, could not finish the whole thing. Unheard of.

Vague Duluth Memory

I took this picture. It's the only one I took today.

My husband and I took a trip to Duluth together not long after we started dating. I remember having a good time. Apparently, that's about ALL I remember of the trip. Fred's been talking about all the places we went when we were here last time and for the most part, I have NO IDEA what he's talking about.
The one thing, that for some reason, I remember with pointless, excessive clarity, is the Family Sauna. We didn't even go in. Not last time, not now.
As we walked past it today, I started talking about what we saw in the window last time and how they had those brushes outside the front door to scrape the snow off your boots before entering...
Well. I guess Duluth was memorable after all.

Dinner at the Lift Bridge

After our multi-million calorie malts this afternoon, Fred and I were not really feeling a big dinner. Imagine that. We went to the Whole Foods Coop and got some veggie egg rolls for me and a wrap for Fred, plus some other tasty picnicky items, and went down to Canal Park to watch the boats, the bridge, and the moon.
It was lovely.
5 ate many grapes and stole a handful of my egg roll.
A boat came through, the bridge went up.
A good time was had by all.

Now it's time for all weary travelers to GO TO SLEEP!
Join me Wednesday for Part 2 of the Duluth Report.

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<<Previous

Summer Food!

Preparing for Winter (in the cutest possible way)

I know I said I'd have pics of the quilt top today, but it was rainy, so I don't. Friday! I promise!

Something NOT Textile related! What?

Collaborative Design!

My Attempt at Being "Cool"

Some Little Handmade Note-y Whatnots

More Helping

A Slightly Embarrassing Confession

Rispok Product Sighting!

Enjoy your last weekend in August! Join me Monday for birthday fun!

Helping Dad do Big Boy Stuff

Let Me Just Show You One Thing Dad

I Got it Dad

What kinds of things do the babies and daddies (or mommies) in your life do together?

That Cool Kid that I will NEVER be

Closer

Almost There

Something in Between These Two

Popsicles for Breakfast?

All things sleep-y

I would love to hear your stories about sleeping with babies!

The Scandi Man Tai!

Feeding the Picnic Addicts

Future Marathoner

Join me Friday for a peek at the rest of the week's projects!

Beach Fun!

An Ode to the William A Irvin

Damn Good Pie (and everything else)

Goodbye Duluth! We hope to see you again in less than 6 years!

5 Would Like a Bigger Bed Please

Northern Minnesota Culinary Adventures

Takk for Maten means "Thanks for the Food" and that is how you will feel.

The Last Whaleback Ship in the WORLD (and minigolf)

Bridges and Pinko Burritos

Join me Friday for the exciting conclusion to the Duluth Report: boats, pie, and naps, oh my!

First Things First

Vague Duluth Memory

Dinner at the Lift Bridge

Now it's time for all weary travelers to GO TO SLEEP! Join me Wednesday for Part 2 of the Duluth Report.

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Now it's time for all weary travelers to GO TO SLEEP!
Join me Wednesday for Part 2 of the Duluth Report.