it's an aprony april thus far

I think I've gotten myself tangled up in some hard-to-meet expectations. Ever since test-running this new chef's get-up in my classroom, all they can say is "Are we going to have a chef's outfit for baking cookies? And one for baking bread? And one for preparing snack? And one for making granola? And one for cracking nuts? And one for making tortillas?" One child wanted to do his math work in the chef's costume. Hey... now that's a good idea. It might add a bit of pizazz to tax preparation process.

A few of you might recognize this apron from the earlier version that I sold briefly as a PDF pattern. It's been jazzed up with an appliquéd kangaroo pocket and will be available in various sizes. A smock-style child's apron will also be part of the same pattern - I'll post some pictures of it in a few days' time.

Things are getting done here, but why does it seem like the "getting done" occurs at the speed of poured molasses, while the passage of days happens at the speed of light? I must be getting older. I'm reminded of this every time a child says to me something along these lines:

Meg, do you remember when, a long, long, time ago ... when I was REALLY little, and we made ornaments to put on our Christmas trees?

Why, yes. For me it seems like last week that we were making holiday decorations in the classroom. Oh boy. I know what this means. Measuring time as I perceive it, we will be moving back to the US in a little less than a week.

Holy Crimeny! I'd better get to packing!

gravity experiment goes curiously awry

the culprit assesses the situation from high ground

Aside from this riveting feline-style scientific experiment, what in the world have we been up to this past week?

The week began with an overnight trip to big-city Chihuahua where we stocked up on gouda cheese, cashews, olive oil and red wine (all of which we consider vital to our gustatory happiness, but which we can't find here in Creel.) Upon return, we were greeted by red and orange blinking lights on our modem. In other words, bad news. For days, our internet connection cut off every 10 minutes or so. Several visits from Telmex technicians later, we apparently are up and running once again.

Fortunately for me, this lack of access to the 'nets helped me to buckle down and get all of those instructions written and diagrams drawn for the Elsie Mae and Lola aprons. And there's more - but that's a surprise, and you'll have to wait until I have pictures to show for it!

I've also immensely enjoyed your comments and ideas about homemade/thoughtful/non-commercial gift giving. If you haven't had a chance to read through the comments yourself, I highly suggest it - it's a great resource for future gift-giving.

Off to sew things ...

Meg

and celebration number 27 passes quietly

For posterity's sake, and the little old lady me, I thought I would record the bit of requisite gluttony that occurred yesterday in honor of the vernal equinox and my 27th birthday.

The day passed with a nod and a smile, devoid of all of the hubbub generally associated with birthdays. All of our friends are out of town for the Easter holidays, and Patrick and I enjoyed the quiet day, sipping a rare coke from recycled glass bottles (so much tastier this way - why do we stand for all of this PLASTIC? Plastic toys for children, plastic food containers, etc. Have you watched this video yet? If not, then consider it my birthday wish!)

The dearest birthday gift I received this year came from my Mom, in the form of a short email, describing our first meeting. I must preface this with a bit of a birth story - I was born by emergency C-section after three days of labor, in an age where medical technology hadn't caught up with the most pressing needs of mother and child to connect right after birth. My mother was under complete anesthesia, and I was born at 7:28 P.M. I'm sure it was even a while before I was put in my father's arms, as they washed, bundled, and did whatever else they deemed "necessary" for a newborn before handing her off to bond with family. Nonetheless, my Mom's description was lovely:

I have a memory of our first eye to eye contact that I cherish. Bundled tightly in a soft blanket you were placed in my arms at about 4:00 in the morning. Your eyes were wide open and you seemed to be ready for conversation. I brought you close to my face and told you how happy I was to finally see you and hoped I would be a good mother to you. Your little mouth puckered an "o" and your eyes seemed to open even wider. I was dumbstruck by the realization that we had been "talking" for many months and that while you grew and rested under my heart - loved sight unseen - nothing had prepared me for the outpouring of love that funny little face evoked!

I'm touched beyond the scope of words that my Mom offered me such a thoughtful, immaterial gift this year. Patrick and I have a bit of a tradition of "gifting" in non-traditional ways ... by turning commercial holidays on their heads and using the occasion, instead, to find little extra ways that we can express our love for each other. For example, yesterday I was the recipient of breakfast in bed and a heavenly shoulder rub. In the past, we have written out "coupons" on index cards, which could be "redeemed" at any time. Here are a few examples from a batch that Patrick gave me on our first anniversary, right before we moved to Mexico. (And yes, Amelie is actually an anniversary gift!)

Do you eschew the commercial, the contaminating, and the mass-produced for thoughtfulness and homemade gifts? I'd love it if you could leave a comment and share your ideas and suggestions for giving more meaningful gifts for parents, partners, and especially children. Who knows - perhaps our small efforts will make an impression on our own children, friends, and families, and we can stamp out at least a small patch of that omnipresent commercial wildfire, fed by corporate marketing to children. If you have a chance, read this article that was published around Christmastime. It's certainly food for thought.

xo,
Meg

seeing green

Okay, who let loose the frolicsome leprechaun? Really, I can't think of another reason why it would have snowed in Mexico on Saint Patrick's Day.

Needless to say, the outside environment was not so generous in its showing of green. I had to look elsewhere. I found a bit of the sought-after green in my kitchen, in the form of a reusable grocery bag ...

... whose contents, with the help of that same impish leprechaun, eventually morphed into some delectable Irish soda bread (recipe here.)

So let's talk Irish, shall we? I have not a nip of Irish blood in my veins, but I've been hankering to be Irish for a long while now.

It all started when I was 18 and I got into Notre Dame. For four years, I could officially claim to be Irish without anyone raising their eyebrows. Suspiciously soon after my Irish-ness expired when I graduated from ND, I married a Mr. Patrick McElwee. Some might claim that the shotgun wedding was simply my way of hanging on to my Irish (better) half for good. I took his last name largely for the Irish mystique. Oh, yes ... we did consider hyphenating or coming up with an alternative name, but we figured that Anderson-McElwee or Andlewee just didn't work. So wee McElwees we shall be, the whole lot of us.

Patrick is as genuinely Irish as they get. He looks the part. His father was barely born in the US, and I was fortunate to have known his late grandmother, who always sang "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" in her dementia. No joke! Here's a little video that Patrick and his siblings put together last year, soon after her passing:

Patrick has many more Irish stories, old and new. Consider this one - he is a proud descendant of Michael McElwee and Nial Shiels, The Fanad Patriots, who gained their fame by killing their abusive English landlord.

In Patrick's formative years, he had his two elderly Irish great uncles living with his family. He's also visited Ireland on several occasions, during which he 1.) was on a bus with cousins while everyone started raucously chanting "IRA! IRA!" 2.) his great aunt, when asked for directions by British soldiers, gave them directions to march straight into the river, unbeknownst to them, of course.

I could go on about this whole Irish business, but let it suffice to say that I am proud of my adopted heritage, and yes, in case you were wondering ...

we do dance the jig.

never in a million years part two. the cat speaks.

Dearest Very Large Animals Who Have Warm Laps,

Amelie here. I thought I'd bring you up to date on the latest news from the Amelie-Timoun Kingdom, since Meg seems to be a bit preoccupied with all of the new things that Patrick brought back from his trip to the U.S. in Timoun's traveling bed (I think they call it a suitcase.) There's this new thing that she's been sticking in my face - she said something about a camera lens. She's been babbling on in that odd language of yours about the magnificence of the low aperture number that allows her to take photos with an awesome depth-of-field in low-light conditions. Yawn. It's time for me to take a little nap. Here are a few more pictures to keep you occupied while I doze.

Okay, that was a nice nap. Thanks for your patience. I know you humans like to be doing things all the time and neglect your hourly naps. Personally, I don't understand how you get through a 24 hour day without sleeping for 16 hours of it. You should try out my circadian rhythm. I think you'll like it.

Well, I really should get to the point because before you know it, siesta time will once again be upon us. Meg wanted me to tell you that she had a lovely time reading through all 347 comments with your name suggestions for the new apron, and that she has finally settled on a name! While my own vote was clearly for Amelie, she ended up picking Elsie Mae.

A big congratulations to Melody, who suggested the name Elsie in honor of her own great-grandmother. Meg went ahead and slapped Mae onto one end because she "just couldn't resist!" Humans. You all are so funny about your naming obsession.

Goodness me! It's nap time again. I must curl up immediately into a ball. Wishing you all a purrfect evening!

Paw print,
Amelie

my february ten

I've decided to follow in the footsteps of dear Amanda and squeeze out some of the sweet juice that February has offered thus far. It would be so easy to take my bow and head off right stage instead of facing the rest of formidable, frigid, ever-funky February, but I think it would be more effective simply to kill this month with compliments and kindness. February, you weasel of a month - you are no longer my foe!

1. Let's begin with another tribute to naturally pink food. This beet, apple, pineapple and walnut salad is the perfect marriage of root and fruit. Adding fresh cream makes it a thing from the fluffy clouds above. The children, who were drawn in by its deceptively unnatural bright color, dubbed it "delicious" and served themselves second helpings. Plus, to prolong the color appreciation, the beets give you pink pee. And there is, quite possibly, nothing cooler than pink pee when you are four years old.

2. The ray of morning sunshine that graced my kitchen windowsill with it's camera-loving warmth. Now I know that if I want to photograph anything inside my house in natural light, I have to take advantage of this fleeting moment between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. (Precisely when I'm not in the house, but rather at school. Why was I not in school this morning? That's a long story involving a sick cat and the busting of a window when someone broke into the house. But, eh ... let's stick to the good parts of February, shall we?)

3. The incredible reception of the new patterns. Wow. I most certainly was not expecting this! After two weeks, the aprons are already into their second printing! Emmeline Aprons and Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bags are popping up all over the planet, like the one above, photo courtesy of Monokultur in Austria. And you love them! I'm couldn't be happier, and I certainly hope that you will start sharing your creations over at the flickr group.

4. These guitar lessons, found through the inspirational parenting blog, Blue Yonder. For years (we're talking since college) I've been wanting to refine my guitar skills beyond the standard chord realm. Perhaps this will be the push that gets me a finger-pickin'! Patrick's been working on his jazz improv on the piano, and with a few minutes of technical practice every day, we might just be able to start that band. (To my future children - I'm so sorry that your parents are the Duke and Duchess of Dorkdom. Perhaps you should consider picking up the banjo, harmonica and fiddle so that we can be the nouveau generation of the Trapp Family singers?)

5. The glad tidings in the mail, from the incredibly sweet and thoughtful Dee, who sent me the most scrumptious package full of chocolate! I would have taken a photo, Dee, but the a chocoholic got to it before I had a chance to recharge the camera battery. Ahem. Dee also included some lovely vintage trims and incredible cuts of fabric. Thank you so much!

6. Five months and counting until we're back state-side. Five months until we're much closer to family ... five months until I can buy all the spices that my little heart desires ... five months until my windows are properly sealed and my roof is properly insulated ... five months until we can go out to eat at an Italian/Chinese/Thai/Indian restaurant ... etc. I think I need to commit to chanting the "enjoy the present moment mantra" with more frequency.

7. Discovering this site for affordable, quality linen. I could never stomach buying linen before, but you can't turn your back on their prices. Thanks to Amber for passing on the info! (And if you haven't yet, check out the lovely linen items in Amber's Etsy shop.)

8. The lanky shadow produced by the low-angled February sun.

9. The comic "stubby bather" effect in the warm waters of the hot springs.

10. The joy with which children embrace the outdoors, no matter the season, no matter the month.

the color of love

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with a feast of wholesome red and pink foods? Watermelon, strawberries, hibiscus tea, and perhaps a mango or two, if they are handy.

Valentines Day is just a subtle whisper on the north wind down here in Mexico. With no Hallmark, no florists, and no candy hearts, Valentines Day is a chill deal. I must say, I don't envy all of you who were "required" to make 20+ valentines for classroom events. Although, I sure wouldn't mind some of these cupcakes - please and thank you! I can even eat them in style on my plate.

May you celebrate love and friendship wherever you are.

to the one I love

An early Valentine.

Dear Patrick,

Seven years ago today, you invited me out to dinner. During that dinner, we had a flawless, invigorating conversation. At some point in that conversation, I told you very firmly that the last thing I was interested in was dating anyone. Thanks for being persistent in your wooing, and doing it all with your wry sense of humor and keen intellect. Your persistence was well placed. I think it only took me two more weeks to fall head-over-heels in love with you and get that tingle that shot up my spine when you walked into the room.

We've gallivanted across Europe together, learned two foreign languages together, lived on a negative income together, lived without a dishwasher and washing machine together, cooked together, lived in Mexico together, gotten lost while hiking (without water) together, been sick together, been to funerals of loved ones together, but most of all, we've laughed A LOT together.
Perhaps that's why you married me in the first place. You probably thought to yourself, "Hey, this girl laughs at every joke I make. That's pretty nice. I think I'll marry her." But really, even as we get old and saggy, I'll know that I picked a winner. A guy who can make me laugh at every turn of the road. Your wit is unmatched, my love.

For more of the "How did you do that with your hair?" series - A study of Patrick's hair and its interaction with water, click here.

Let me try to be serious for a while, which is hard to do around you. Here's what I think of you - you are a genius - a clear-thinking, logic-loving, mathematical wiz. You have a head full of facts that makes you a conversational gem. You are respectful and calm. Wise and thoughtful. You care about justice, and feel obligated to do something to draw attention to the plight of the have-nots - those who form the forgotten backbone of this capitalist system that benefits not them, but the few for whom they clean house.

You have a love for history, and are passionate about learning from it in order to make informed decisions about present day economic and political situations. You work to produce amazing videos such as this one, to get the word out to our unfortunately myopic society:

You are leading us on to our next adventure, having been accepted to study for your PhD in Latin American History at your top choices, Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. You're an incredible and patient teacher. I know this because you've tried to teach me theoretical calculus. I say "tried" because I simply didn't want to do any homework. You, on the other hand, were fascinating to listen to.

You play the piano while I sing along, you cuddle up to me as we watch our physics course, you bake incredible whole wheat bread from scratch. You are my best friend, and I love you.

These past seven years have been incredible, and I can't wait for more.

Love,
Meg

let me tell you 'bout the birds in the trees ...

You know that little 50's tune, right? If not, I apologize for my seemingly boring post title. :)

I didn't mean for six days to pass since my last post, but the hard drive on our desktop has run amok. I still have my laptop, but Patrick has commandeered it to do his work. Fortunately, we were able to back up most of our files - but this one-computer-between-two business means that I will have much less time in front of the screen. I plan on compensating by focusing on my behind-the-scenes work and snatching some precious moments to put up posts when Mr. Montessori By Hand is sleeping.

I have this little twinkle bouncing around in my head - a bit of a crafting series, so to speak. Stay tuned - it should be fun!

Also - be sure to check the children's book list from time to time, as I'm constantly adding new titles. I added a button in the side bar so you don't have to go fishing for that particular post whenever you are looking for something in particular for your next library trip. Hope you find it useful!

xo,
Meg

back in the saddle again

After a bit of monkey business,

and flying through the air with the greatest of ease,

we have returned home refreshed and ready to take on 2008.

More pics from our Honduran holiday here.

What a year it has been. The blog was just a spark in my imagination a year ago. There were no thoughts of writing sewing patterns. Patrick's grad school application deadlines seemed eons away. And who would have guessed that my parents and all of my in-laws would be vacationing together on a Caribbean island?

Most of all, I would never have been able to fathom the joy that has come from being a part of such a warm, supportive community of creative people, incredible parents, and inspired teachers. Thank you for sharing your ideas and your heartfelt notes, your hilarious anecdotes as well as your doubts and questions. When I was away from the internet during my vacation, the fondness I feel for all of you came to the surface - several weeks is a long time to be away from all of you fellow bloggers, readers, and flickr friends. I found myself yearning to read your posts and wondering how your holidays have been. A general feeling of warmth and a certain smile always accompany such thoughts. I've come to consider you all friends - very precious friends who keep me inspired, motivate me to get things done, lift my spirits when I'm feeling down, and keep me connected when I'm feeling alone here in rural Mexico. I look forward to sharing the upcoming year with you - it's challenges, frustrations, and triumphs. It's adventures. It's silliness. It's going to be a big year, what with moving across a border, Patrick starting grad school and me looking for a new job. A year of changes.

Know that whatever 2008 has up its sleeve, you all will play an integral role in all that will be wonderful about it! Thank you for reading, my friends!

broadcasting live from honduras

Well hello there! Here we are - communing with the birds and skipping in the sand. Warmest wishes for a Happy New Year from our family to yours!

planes, trains, and automobiles

Watching an airplane go by

Needless to say, I've lost that innocent wonder of those large, metal bird-ish machines. Or perhaps it's not the bird-ish things themselves, but the bureaucracies that tame them.

You've seen Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, right? I think it's about time for a sequel, starring Aeromexico as the main antagonist.

Back in July, we purchased tickets to fly to Roatan, Honduras tomorrow. Last night, Aeromexico called us and told us that our flight had been canceled. What?!? You're telling us this 30 hours before we were planning to leave for the airport? Oh yes. We'll fly you there tomorrow instead. All you have to do is beam yourselves to Mexico City within the next 7 hours. WE LIVE FOUR HOURS FROM THE AIRPORT, AND THE LAST FLIGHT TO MEXICO CITY HAS ALREADY LEFT!!! Oh. Well then. We'll see if we can get you on a flight on Saturday. Let me see (type type type type ... endless typing ...) No, we're sorry, that flight is full. You need to get us to Honduras! Both of our families will be there and, without us, it's sure to become a tropical version of National Lampoon's Christmas vacation! Type type type ... okay, we can fly you to another city in Honduras on Sunday. Oh, why thank you, benevolent ones. Okay. You're all set, you just need to pay us now. WE ALREADY PAID YOU ... !@^($!@#%@#!!!!! Oh no. You just reserved. We had your complete credit card information but we just didn't run your card. WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!? Oh - by the way, this flight was canceled on September 21st and we just never told you. IF DANTE COULD CREATE A MORE NEFARIOUS CIRCLE OF HELL ... Okay, because I realize that my life would most certainly be in danger if I were talking to you in person, I will not charge you extra money for this ticket. We think we should get a discount, because you are, after all, eating away our vacation days, you unfeeling bureaucratic automaton. The same price. Whatever.

Meanwhile, the beleaguered soon-to-be-travelers call up a Honduran regional airline to buy more flights from this "new" destination, Tegucigalpa, to the island of Roatan. Content to actually be arriving in Roatan on Sunday, the aforementioned future travelers retreat to their bedchamber, weary and $250 poorer.

Calling Aeromexico this afternoon: Um, hi ... we just wanted to verify that we have a flight from Mexico City to Tegucigalpa on Sunday. That's not possible. We don't have a flight that day to Tegucigalpa. !@^#(@#^$!!!! YOU AUTOMATONS ARE INSANE!!! WHO CREATED YOU?? No, the flight you are reserved on is going to San Pedro Sula (the original city.) Oh my. Oh my my my. Okay, thank you, you ever-so-helpful and cheerful bureaucrat.

That's where our story (hopefully) ends. We were able to get the regional airline to change our tickets and fly us to Roatan out of San Pedro Sula instead.

Must. Lay. On. Beach. I just hope that come this weekend, no more flights have been canceled!

Posada

One of the most notable Christmas traditions in Mexico is the reenactment of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, when they were denied rooms at various inns and finally found shelter in a stable.

During the Posada, a group with candles (representing Mary and Joseph) go from door to door singing a little tune and being "refused" until they come to the end of the pageant - the final home - where they are finally offered a place to stay.

Nowadays, the word Posada is synonymous with "Christmas Party." Perhaps the most important part of the party (for the children) is the breaking of the piñata and the ensuing sugar-fest.

Feliz Navidad a todos!

on being soggy

Dear me. I just about need galoshes so I can puddle-jump from one room to another. Notice the water dripping down the back of the chair? Just one of many dribbly areas. If only the rain would turn to snow .... there's no precipitation like snow, you know?

Lest you fear I'm drowning in a soggy torpor - here's a glance at a bit of behind-the-scenes work that's been going on here during the whole pattern-making process. Miss Emmeline has been sent out to my wonderfully generous testers, and the Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag is in the works.

My apologies for being such an apron-donning bag lady, but it seems as though that's what my life is all about nowadays. What else is a girl to do when she can't go outside to play? Write patterns, you say? Okay! (Although it's so tempting to just curl up with a good book and wave adieu to the real world ... )

A warm and cozy Monday to all,
Meg

fire up the wood stove

The prelude.

The snow.

The wood pile. Oops!

thanksgiving leftovers

The best Thanksgiving leftovers of all time! Come to find out, I'm not the only American- Montessorian expat who enjoyed some Domino's home cookin' instead of turkey. Be still my salivating taste buds.

May I speak frankly about Thanksgiving dinner? I hate to offend, but I must say that I have never, EVER, enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving meal. First off, my vegetarian sensibilities kicked off at an early age, and I always felt bad for the bird. Second, gravy makes me gag. Third, I SO dreaded the days upon days of really icky cold turkey sandwiches and football games. Umm ... hello, my name is Meg and I'm a Thanksgiving party pooper.

That said, there are some wonderful things about Thanksgiving - family, pumpkin pie, and Martinelli's sparkling apple cider. And the fact that, once Thanksgiving passes, it's gung-ho Christmas decorating time!

So yes, it made us a bit sad yesterday that instead of sipping apple cider with all the fam, we found ourselves in Chihuahua City taking care of my husband's immigration documents. Which, I might add, is just about as fun as spending the day at the DMV. But it all worked out in the end, (no) thanks to American cultural hegemony. For what did we find 8 hours south of the Texas border in the middle of a desert? Domino's pizza! Rock on.

tour of rural mexico

for more, hop on over to flickr

Fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Every morning, afternoon, and evening. That pretty much sums up our weekend getaway to Urique. To tell you the truth, we didn't do much else other than pick, squeeze, and drink grapefruit juice - but that was the whole point! No internet, no crafting, no thinking about anything other than the present moment. We brought our yoga mats, enjoyed our books, and stayed up late talking about a hodge-podge of subjects. Nice.

If you happen to be presented with an opportunity to visit Urique, we highly recommend staying at Entre Amigos. Be warned - you will never want to leave, and will begin making arrangements to retire somewhere nearby.

Thanks to those of you who took advantage of the sale over at my Etsy shop. I am leaving the sale open until Wednesday night, as my sweet Grandma has offered to ship off any extra orders.

Hasta muy pronto,
Meg

i wasn't joking

I really am holiday obsessed. Here's a halter apron that emerged from the sewing machine today. The fabric is from Reprodepot, but I bought it way back in July, when I stocked up on creative supplies on a visit home to the states.

Speaking of which ... my fabric supply is dwindling. Time to start ordering enough to get me through the next six months. My dear, sweet mummy will be hauling a duffel-full of fabric, books, and patterns when we meet up this Christmas in Roatan, Honduras. Ever been? While I'm partial to snowy holidays, I can't complain. Plus, the whole lot of us will be there - Patrick's parent's and three siblings (one of whom is a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras,) and my mom and dad. Nothing like killing two families with one stone. Hmm ... perhaps that idiom doesn't quite fit the bill? We are loving children. Really. :)

Posts will be short and sweet this coming week due to my parent-teacher conferences, but you will most certainly be hearing from me by Wednesday with your swap partner info! Swap entries close at midnight tonight.

xo,
Meg

just a spoonful of nutella helps the mexican food go down

What are you in the mood for - Mexican? Thai? Ethiopian? I can't wait until I can ask myself that question without having it prompt a moan. Have you ever tried diversifying your palette with little more than pinto beans and a few pesticide-laden veggies on hand?

Of course, it isn't all bad - I did find this lone jar of Nutella at a local store, which I proceeded to devour like a famished dog. Chocolate is hard to come by. We have, on rare occasion, found a bag of unmarked chocolate chips hiding amongst the tortilla chips. Taking this to be a good sign, we began to ask for chocolate chips when we couldn't find them on the shelves. They had NO clue what we were talking about. The woman at the register actually showed us chicken bouillon and said, "Si, es chocolate." Umm ... okay, so she was crazy. Whatever. The chocolate chips had a vague taste of "been sitting around a Mexican grocery store for 10 years so start to taste like the grocery store" thing about them, anyway.

Most of the time I try to make the best of the situation, but come winter, the prospects get considerable worse if you are a Moosewood snob at heart, like myself. You mean the only vegetables available are carrots, an occasional tomato, and iceberg lettuce? Going grocery shopping can be pretty depressing, let me tell you! Especially when all of you lovely bloggers are constantly raving about a newfound wonder-recipe using all organic ingredients, or posting saliva-producing photos of your latest baking pursuits. Am I the only one who got totally envious when I downloaded Amy's recipe cheat-sheet? Gosh. I'm pretty sure this means that I am due to gain about 278 pounds once I move back to the US and sign up at a local organic co-op.

Just a quick update - I have been receiving so many sign-ups for the Holiday Traditions Exchange that I can no longer respond to each one! Just look for an email from me sometime before Nov. 14th, which will contain your swap partner's information. If you don't hear from me by the 15th, then go ahead shoot me off an email.

P.S. Watch this for a good laugh. It's also perfect for inducing cheese ball lust.

i'm swa(m)ped!

Such good news - I have over 120 wonderful people signed up for the Holiday Traditions Exchange! Keep those sign-ups comin'. This is going to be so much fun! Just a few remarks - if you simply left a comment on the post but didn't email me directly, please go ahead and send me an email. Remember that Blogger doesn't provide me with your email addresses. Also, if you sent me an email to sign up and didn't receive a direct response, know that I received it and you are good to go. The beginning of last week was a bit crazy, so my apologies for not being able to confirm with everyone.

Keeping in the spirit of the season, I wanted to be sure to give you a heads up on this swap, in case you are feeling super festive. Be sure to make your decision soon - sign ups end on Friday, November 9th. I found out about the swap last year while milling about on Flickr, searching for holiday decorating ideas. I was a few weeks too late - and I made a mental note to be on the lookout for it this year. Make 8-10 ornaments, receive 8-10? Sounds like my kind of thing. I would love to (eventually) be able to decorate my tree exclusively with unique, handmade ornaments. White lights (do those eco-friendly LED lights come in white?) and lots of red, green, and aqua.

Yes, I do have a comically full plate - but truth be told, I wouldn't be able to put aside such great swapping opportunities simply in order to hold onto my sanity. Sanity is so overrated. Plus, the act of creating is quite relaxing - unless you are writing a pattern, that is! ;)

In my moments of sheer self-indulgence and utter procrastination, I've been ogling the the following handmade goodies: these aprons by Handmade Hostess; this print by Jen; and these adorable ornaments by Lauren Alane. Perhaps if I lost some more of that wretched sanity, all of these things would be mine. Humph. Like I said, sanity isn't always all it's cracked up to be!

The yo-yo's are calling (the fabric kind, sillies ... )

xo,
Meg