Remember the story about the little red hen who makes bread by growing, harvesting, and grinding the wheat, etc? That's me, but with plastic, and no, I didn't kill the dinosaurs.
I did make a batch of coin purses from nearly start to finish this week, and wallets are not far behind. Here they are, displayed like the Easter candy they resemble. Yum!

Those of you who read my blog regularly mat have noticed that I was unusually productive this week. My parents decided to forgo a more tropical climate this spring break for a brisker UP visit that included grandbaby-snuggling.
Their visit has reminded me of the benefits of a more traditional multi-generational household. It is incredible the things I can get done in a day when someone can just hold the baby for even a few minutes!
Seriously, my husband and I chose not to have children until we would really be able to raise them ourselves. It was very important to us that one of us be able to be with our child all the time, not relying on daycare or a nanny for many reasons, not the least of which financial. We both were so excited at the prospect of parenthood it seemed ridiculous not to enjoy every minute of it.
I have not regretted that decision for even a second, but I am occasionally in a quandary as to how I can run a household, care for a child, and run a business all at the same time.

I understand much more clearly now why generations past stayed in their hometown, often buying a house down the street from their parents when they were ready to settle down. I have certainly missed my family when I live far away and enjoyed their company when I live nearby, but with the arrival of a child the roots feel so much deeper.
It probably helps that my parents fully support all of my (and my husband's of course) parenting decisions- I know not everyone is so lucky.
Don't get me wrong, the community where we live has turned out to be a fantastic place to start a family. Everyone here loves babies and pregnant women and fathers and families, and we have found so much support, encouragement, kindness, and generosity that I am overflowing with gratitude. But. When my house is a complete disaster and I can't find my pants and the baby is only happy when I am both looking at him AND touching him and NOT doing ANYTHING else and I HAVE to get the diapers in the washer because there are NONE LEFT, it's a little less embarrassing to call on someone you've known your whole life.
Alas, I do not think my parents have an interest in moving to the UP and we are not in a relocate-y time either. So, I will be driving the 2 hours south to see my In-Laws A LOT this summer and attempting to craft some kind of family of my own up here. I have discovered an absolutely wonderful community of other new-ish families here and have benefited immensely from knowing these incredible women and children (and I don't know many of their husbands, but I assume they are also great) and I look forward to strengthening my own ties within this community.th

I accomplished a lot of things that had remained on my to-do list for far too long during this brief, intense, working type of vacation. It feels good- I miss my little guy after only spending 15 hours/day with him. I am also bone-deep exhausted. The little man doesn't sleep his normal sleep of champions when there are such interesting people to look at and who will indulge his every whim. That, combined with me doing some other kind of (however minor) physical labor, leaves me thinking that the best Easter plans would be to stay in bed ALL DAY!

I did not do my usual cooking for the masses this week as my parents have been visiting. This is exciting for me on so many levels.
1. I didn't spend all day Sunday cooking
2. There are people who will not only cook with me, but even FOR me this week!
3. I get to eat things that can't be prepared several days in advance like... PIZZA!
Fred and I made pizzas tonight. We made one nightshade-free one for me with pesto, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and olives. We made one nightshade-laden one for those who need not abstain with tomato sauce, red bell pepper, red onion, and mushrooms. Our local Keweenaw coop has crusts and grated pizza cheese in bulk, making prep work a snap! I whipped up a batch of pesto (I'd post the recipe, but I make it different every time, just using whatever I have around) and we were pretty much ready to go.

Up until pizza time, I was turning these-

Into these!

That's right, I'm plugging away on a new batch of wallets and coin purses! I spent the morning cutting out my surface designs, the afternoon fusing them on, and the early evening cutting pieces. Hopefully tomorrow I can spend some time sewing!

Friday's post will bring pictures of my studio reorganization and some reflections on more traditional family life.

All three pillows for the upcoming gallery show I'm in are done! Two days early- hooray!

I just finished a batch of my new bracelets. Wahoo! They are made from recycled T-shirts and I've had so much fun making different color combinations. Finally my brief hair-braiding apprenticeship is paying off. Find the first one on my etsy shop now and look for a new one every day this week!

My little guy is growing up a bit too fast for my taste. He is convinced that he can (and should) eat everything that his Dad and I eat. He is sitting up and grabbing and yelling and laughing and I'm starting to feel like he's not a baby anymore...
Don't get me wrong, every day is more fun than the last and I absolutely love all the new things he can do, but I'm starting to understand the women who are constantly "missing" their babies.

Today, the little guy was SO crabby, I just about lost my mind. I've been sick all week with a scary weird voice, certainly not at my best, and am totally spoiled by my easy-going, happy babe. After 2 1/2 straight hours of fuss fuss fuss, I found myself in tears on the kitchen floor begging him to please be quiet for just one minute.
He did not comply.
So, I decided to make him something. My mother-in-law got us this great mobile base a while ago, and it has been featuring family photos, but I thought I'd make something really beautiful to hang from it.
Check out my easy mobile tutorial to see how I did it.

This is it, the solution to my many T-shirt scraps! A beautiful 5-strand, multicolored braided bracelet. At the moment, the ends are sewn together, but after a few hours on the internet, my husband found the name of the fixture I was looking for. A ribbon clamp! This very minute, some are being sent to me. I will try them out and report back.

Unfortunately, I am super wiped now. I must rest, Let's all enjoy our weekends and hopefully, you will find me fully refreshed come Monday, ready to regale you with witty tales previously untold.

The little man and I spent a beautiful two hours outside this morning, walking to the post office and bringing a certain someone his forgotten lunch. I put together a nifty hand-me-down stroller from a bandmate of mine (while V looked on in amusement) and we hit the road! It was sunny as all get-out, but only 37 degrees, so when we got home I heated up some tomato-free chili. Yum!

Yesterday I received 100 zippers in the mail. Yahoo! I'd been eagerly anticipating their arrival so I could start making my new upcycled coin purses! They're just the right size for ID, credit card, and some cash for a purse-less night on the town (or for a mess-free diaper bag.) You'll be able to find the first one on my etsy shop tomorrow!

I've been thinking, I originally started cooking for the week to save time (which it does) and my mind (also does), but there have been other benefits I've found.

-Saving Money. Always popular. We eat all natural and organic and local when we can, which can get spendy, but cooking in such large quantities has cut our grocery bill in half. That's right, I said in half

-Less Waste.  Face it, we all know about the starving children in Africa, it's not always enough to make us eat all the half-servings of random leftovers. When I use up all the ingredients I buy, and I cook exactly 10 portions, we see way less waste in the compost and in the garbage.

Happy Monday morning folks! We're getting a bit of a late start today, the little guy and I slept in until 10:30 - kind of unbelievable. I've got some new products, some old products coming back, and other good stuff to write about today, but first, by request, a link to the oatmeal casserole recipe I use. It is adapted from a recipe given to me by my sister-in-law, who somehow manages to cook healthy and delicious food for five children. Obviously, everything she does is amazing.

Old Product Coming Back - Yay!

Any of you familiar with Rispok's very first products will likely remember my fused-plastic wallets. That's right folks, I'm hoping to have more wallets ready as early as next week! I've been out of stock for nearly a year (I know, bad business) due to morning sickness and later giant, pregnant bellies, but I have hired out my piece fusing and am thrilled to be back in production.
The coming months will see a return of billfolds and zipper pouches and new products like cosmetic bags and change purses.