Pond Project, pajama pants, and other weekend work

This weekend we went to the lovely Sanborn Park in Saratoga, which is filled with ancient redwoods, salamander ponds, and natural gnome homes.  Our objective was to do research for Zaahir's school Pond Project.  We went with some other second graders and their siblings and had a grand time! 

     

Zaahir drew some great pictures of pond creatures which I'll have to share another time since his project was due today.  I am so glad that we went to the park, and that we didn't rely on internet for the research.  We used our bird and butterfly books and a book about bugs and one called Pond Life as references for drawing the pictures and to find information that we couldn't find out from our brief observations. 

Pajama Pants: this weekend I finished making pajama pants for Ahmad, from an old shirt of my husband's.  I used the pattern from Weekend Sewing, and strategically cut the right front piece to make use of the pocket.  I copied the pattern onto freezer paper and ironed the freezer paper on to the fabric which made it a lot easier to cut out.  The pattern and instructions are very clear and easy to use.  Now Ahmad has some nice, cozy winter jammies!               

All this week Zaahir has been sanding a small shelf that a teacher at school was going to throw away.  I snapped it up and brought it home for Zaahir so that he could have a place to put his treasures, away from smaller paws!  Early Saturday morning he woke me so we could paint it.  He had chosen a beautiful bright blue paint, and he took his time painting the first coat. 

     

The rest of the weekend was pretty busy.  Hopefully we can finish painting it today, and put it up tomorrow evening.  Watching my son work so hard and spend so much time on this personal project and on his pond research paper made me realize that I don't have to throw the t.v. away or have fights about it every day.  I only have to provide engaging, creative alternatives, and the desire to watch t.v. melts away!

Last weekend, Zaahir and Ahmad drew pitures on muslin fabric, for a table runner that I hope to finish for our Eid Al Adha dinner (November 26th this year):       

 We were all busy bees this weekend!

There's something about a table runner...

...that makes me feel at home.  When I was little, we often had table runners on our table, especially for special occasions, or we used them as dresser scarves.  I still have one that my grandmother made me, embroidered with flowers and edged with crochet - it made me feel so grown up to receive table linen. 

Table runners instantly dress up a table or buffet.  I had a lot of fun making a table runner/dresser scarf for myself a couple of years ago:     

      

  These are the individual fabrics: 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

I recently finished a table runner for my cousin and her new husband.  I pieced it similarly to the one above, but then added hand stitching to secure the layers and as a decorative element:

 The individual fabrics came from a fat quarter collection from purl:

  It is hard to see the hand quilting in this picture, but I used an olive green DMC linen thread that matches the green in the striped fabric. 

I like the look of the thread, but I wouldn't use it again for a quilting project because it breaks more easily than cotton and so it is hard to pop knots through to the inside of the work.  The thread is lovely for embroidery though. 

Next project?  A runner for Eid Al Adha with drawings by the kiddos, a la Amanda Soule.

Potholders that work!

After getting burned one too many times, I threw my commercially made potholders away and made these:

I made some for my mom years ago, and made these in the same way - with thrifted fabric napkins and old towels for batting.  But the ones I made for my mom had more complex quilting and binding.  These I made using the directions for the coasters in Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts, with the addition of a little fabric hanging loop.  I am very pleased with the way they turned out - they are flexible and not too heavy, and I haven't burned my hands once since I started using them!

Baby Shoes

This weekend I finished the shoes to go with the sweater that appears in the October 8th post.  So fun and quick to make!  I can't wait to see them on my baby cousin!

Ma Vie en Orange

I always think of October as the "orange month": orange leaves, orange pumpkins, and the monarch butterflies come back to California.

This weekend we went to the Welcome Back Monarchs Festival at Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz.  The park is one of our favorite day trips during the year, but on this day, the kids get to do art projects, learn about Monarch migration and the ecosystem in the park, and eat hand-churned pumpkin ice cream!

Walking down the wooden boardwalk into the quiet redwood and eucalyptus forest, we saw hundreds of butterflies flitting over the canyon.  The butterflies were enchanting, the kids were thrilled, and the ice cream was divine! 

 

We made pumpkin cupcakes the night before, and frosted them with caramel buttercream frosting in the wee hours of the morning.  We used the banana cupcake recipe from the February 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living, but I used roasted pumpkin puree instead of banana.  Ahmad preferred the cupcakes unfrosted, but Chef Zaahir declared that "The caramel buttercream really brings out the pumpkin flavor".  That's my boy!

When we had visited all the booths, we were off to the beach where my mom took Zaahir and his best friend to play in the water, while Ahmad and I burried rocks and made castles.  Then we went to the nearby Seymour Marine Discovery Center and played with these:  

But Ahmad's favorite animal was the Leopard Shark:

Monday Dinner...Butternut Squash Soup:

 

I boiled the pumpkin skin and pulp from the pumpkin I roasted for the cupcakes., together with a few cloves of garlic, for a soup stock.  Then I strained it and added 1/2 a large butternut squash (peeled and cubed), 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed, some salt and pepper, cumin and cinnamon.  I blended it when everything was soft, and then added some cream and heated just until it started to steam.  Yummy!   

Life (in Orange) is good!