Bread Lust

I guess I've already written about Bread Lust before, because it popped up in my blog titles- before I could finish typing it in. Only the bread lust I was talking about then was the non-glutenous. This morning my bread has gluten and rosemary and olive oil. It is quite delicious with some garlic hummus. It is a difficult, slippery slope of gluten- I'm climbing these days- with strict orders to eat eat eat gluten before my endoscopy.



Hazel woke to yet another large piece of baby toy-furniture... the jumperoo. Although our babe's feet do not yet touch the ground, she played enough this morning to seriously conk herself out for a good, long nap.

Zach has started configuring his action figures on what was once, my mother;s niknak shelves. He too has strict orders, only from me. Anyone who is a lover of action figures or married to a lover of one- the heat is not their friend, and once one falls they all start. So the strict order is a line of fishing wire to keep these guys (ahem Wolverine, I'm talking to you) in place. Zach happily obliged.

Our new place has become a life-size game of Tetris, which I love playing and am pretty good at, while the old place is a graveyard of yet-to-be-packed items, fur balls and loud neighbors. However the new place does have a train coming through a million times a day/night ( does this count as a loud neighbor?) How did I ever sleep as a child? I guess the same way I do now and the way Hazel will for the next year- deeeply!

With not too much to report- I'm back to the daily grind..Hazel,laundry,dinner (turkey meatloaf & garlic mashed) and maybe- just maybe some sewing & product shots- along with a few hopeful sketches of new new things to come.
xo

Whirled Days

Things have been a little crazy. We are still half in at my parent's house and half out of the apartment- how is that for optimism? My sewing machine- sits in it's new spot atop of my old table, now in front of a bright glass sliding door. When we moved it there I pictured myself happily sewing away a mass of fabric & projects and watching the cardinals feed. But I haven't had time for much sewing. In fact a pile of pinned projects is stacked so high it almost covers the machine. But I need to come to terms with being a full-time mama. I think I need to change my point of view and realize- Hazel is my job- raising Hazel and if I find time for Hobocamp- it is a plus. With that said I need to find cracks in the day for so many things that need nurturing- like my relationship with myself and Zach. You read so much about husbands & partners feeling left out or neglected when a baby comes and I would hate for that to be our case. I know I've neglected a lot that has to do with my own well-being and I have to try and work at that.

Yesterday she had her last of her 4 month-old shots. I broke them up once a week or a little longer. For her 2 month shots, I wasn't happy with her getting them all at once. She had a low-grade fever for a week and I could never tell which was making her feel that way. Of course I had to weigh her and she is 25 inches long and 13lbs 4 ounces. Always with the 4's. 7lbs 4 oz when born.

I also had an appointment with the gastro doctor who I originally went to in the beginning of this madness (which is going to be a year in July).I've also lost 40 pounds in 4 months (without trying) (I don't know if this is a good thing?) but I certainly had not expected to lose pretty much all my baby weight(I was 200 lbs on the day of) plus 10 extra lbs by this point. I am going to get an endoscopy. The gluten-free diet which seemed like a great idea at first, doesn't seem to be helping my symptoms. So we'll see how it goes. I must eat gluten-foods till the procedure. At first, armed with Imodium, I thought mmm bread! But when I tried some it was so doughy I couldn't eat it! Imagine that!

So amidst all this craziness- Spring has sprung and flowers & trees are in bloom. I found some time to plant my seedlings and pick up a few plants. Still more planting to be done. Until the true frost is gone- every night I'm carting the seedlings back into the bathroom for safe keeping.

Today is Wednesday, our car is down at the dock by the ferry landing- so we'll spend the day at home. There is so much to do I need an ultimate to-do list- that way I can check things off here & there and get a great feeling of accomplishment!

Happy Wednesday!
xo
M

For The Weekend

I leave you with this link to our friends over at Topless Robot- thank you for sharing, Rob. Because one can never ever have too much Hello Kitty anything! Have a great weekend & enjoy the spring weather.

blue skies, barfy burgers, girls!

SPT 4-23-09, originally uploaded by hobocampcrafts.

That saying is from " You Can't Do That On Television" which is what I grew up on as a suburban tween. A crush on Allister and looking up to Moose was how I spent my young life- oh and wondering what it would be like to be slimed.

Today I bundled us both up in our best farmer gear and trekked into the yard to replant/repot some things and put some seeds in containers. I'm trying to grow the following from plants- strawberries, cilantro & basil and seeds basil,winter squash,3 kinds of pumpkins, cilantro, wildflowers, parsley, scallions,chamomile and carrots. I'm really excited. Armed with You Grow Girl as my bible. Alas it was too windy and cold to start much of anything. So we went back inside my spirit a little spent- but looking forward to a gorgeous weekend.
xo

Best of the Best

Excuse me while I take an Earth Day break and introduce you to a delicious dressing for salads, peaches,mushrooms and anything else you can think of.
Meet Brianna's Dressings. Although I've never actually met Brianna and I've only tried the Rich Poppy Seed dressing, I tell you I had to hold back from drinking this stuff. I first tried it when I was preggo, last summer when our local health food store- offered it as a sample and immediately purchased a bottle. Then today while at the market I was reintroduced to it. YUM I tell you- YuM! vegan- veggie- gluen free and just lovely & light- perfect for the springy/summery days ahead.
Happy Birthday Earth- thank you for your wonderful bounty and creatures galore. xo

Source of My Inspiration

I haven't made anything yet- but my head is buzzing and as soon as I can I'll sketch it out.

I had just started college, I remember being at a new friend's house and there I found one of the most ground-breaking books I would ever read. by SARK The cover alone, is friendly and bright and just designed like no other book I had ever encountered. It then turned out one of my roomates had heard of SARK and was a huge fan (thanks Amber). I remember we even married ourselves one day by the pond on campus. I devoured every book available and when she came to our little college town's independent (now defuncted) book store Ariel, we got to meet her and have our picture taken with SARK herself, it was pretty amazing. So yesterday when I listened to an old CraftCast interview with SARK I was so psyched! It brought back a renewed creative spirit in me. Inspiring me in a deep way I have been yearning for. I promptly took a hot bath and dialed SARK's Inspiration Line. Just when I had practiced what message I would leave, I got a message that her box was full! Oh well, I'll call again another time. Either way the message she left was amazing and really made me feel like she was talking to me one-on-one. I know I sound a little silly. Sometimes a little silly goes a long way. Have a great,inspired day.

Lucky Laundry

I never thought much of luck till I met my husband. I felt lucky we hit it off- lucky he gave me a second date (even though he was the one to stand me up for coffee)and I felt lucky when we got engaged. I also know how lucky we are to have our little girl. But aside from that it seems that without bad luck, we'd have no luck at all. I won't go into every reason this reigns true- you'll just have to trust me... so Sunday morning I was hanging clothes on the line Check out Project Laundry List, I thought I saw something white fly by- but didn't think much of it. Then a few minutes later I noticed on little Hazel's bare foot- sat a load- a gift from the birds above- she had been pooped on. Lucky girl.

Yesterday, I started planning our garden. It might be a little late- but I'm going to try to start with some seeds indoors as well as some strawberry plants, cilantro & basil. Today will be a catch up day. Laundry,sewing,folding and switching out winter clothes for spring.The bedroom is finally in order, new bed- new mattress-ahhh. Now I just need to comfy it up a bit with blankets & pillows. Tomorrow is a doctor appointment for baby,a possible stroller walk and maybe new Crocs (a present to me- for me). Seeing as I started this post around 7:30 am and it is now almost 5:30pm- I'll say good day.
xo

The Haul

Even though we arrived later than my rummage sale-plan called for- we still were in time for major haul!
Here is the rundown followed by pics:
1 vintage Pooh Bear & Christopher Robin curtain panel

1 dark denim jacket almost never worn- but super soft
1 pair of dark denim jeans (same)

1 vintage gauze dress

3 skirts (2 vintage- 1 linen H&M)

1 vintage nightie (which I want to shorten)

2 vintage summery robes

1 kids apron ( Hazel)
1 handmade coffee mug (scissors)

6 super soft cotton shirts (for reconstructing and such)

1 pr of men's bathing trunks (Zach? - reconstructing?)

3 pair of cargo khaki shorts ( for Zach)

this all came to 17$ Pretty amazing seeing that a lot of it is expensive brand names-that I would never pay full price for- yippee!

Well tomorrow is a big baby/child consignment sale- so I hope I find a few things there too- then maybe one or 2 summer accessories and this mama is done- for reals- except thrifting. I never even shared the haul from 2 weeks ago- maybe I'll get to showing my vintage $2.00 suit one of these days!
Have a good weekend thrifting/crafting/snuggling.
xo

First of the Season..

Rummage Sale! One of my favorite places to go- is the United Methodist Church in the town I once lived in. Now I'll bring Hazel and see what's new. More reporting later. Today will be a double posting day!
xo

Pouches- Not Just For Kangaroos Anymore

The world is full of stuff. So what better way to carry your stuff than in other stuff.( this intro reminds me of George Carlin) Also it doesn't hurt if the stuff you are using is pretty adorable and made by a rad person to-boot. A crafty mama with a new kidlet of her own, sews these thoughtful little pouches. Please check out AwesomeAsAOne . Allegra (crafty mama in charge) chooses sweet fabrics and adds these little touches that are just perfect. Her quarter pockets and gum pouches.. um amazing! She's taken an already cute pouch and just added a wonderfully quirky and handmade element- which is what crafting is all about. These are perfect for a night out or everyday- just always remember to restock! There is nothing more insulting than an empty Wriggler . But for now these babies arrive with gum included! Also check out Allegra's blog, AwesomeAsAOne blog where she features a new awesome item daily.
So show Allegra and AwesomeAsAOne some love and find the perfect pouch for you or a friend. BTW Mother's Day is coming up, why not give her the very best and give handmade?
xo

Still Toasty After All These Years

I like people with interesting socks. I've been building my collection since my teens- I learned early from my mother and have started finding neat ones for Hazel too.

Zach has the best sock collection. Some exciting like a map of the Underground in London - silly beer bottles- a growing skull selection-and an awesome array of stripes. He also has the warmest, toastiest winter socks. Wool and warm and perfect for rainy-day toes. Perhaps it is in his blood, you know being from New England and all.. maybe there is a toasty sock clause I am unaware of. Well on nasty days, I always reach for his dresser draw of warm woolies and today is no different.

Last night I colored my hair. An auburny tint- just enough to cover my grays and whites?! Whites?@, yes! Thanks Hazel! I used a natural plant-based dye called Naturcolor. It has been over a year since I've had any color and although I like this red- I instantly kinda wished I hadn't dyed my un-dyed hair. But it did make my bad hair cut look 100% better to me. So I guess I'll grow it out and then try to leave the color alone and let it go natural again and figure something out about the dang gray & whites.

In our space, I'm starting to add our own pieces.

Just a little something handmade, to hang over the changing table. I traded my handed-down changing table for the top of our vintage dresser. This way Hazel's clothing is all inside and easily accessible one-handed.

I managed to list this this morning. It still has not gotten any easier to work and care for Hazel. Her sleep schedule is wonky and didn't nap for more than 20 minutes yesterday- but she went to sleep at 7:30 last night which was a nice change.

Who knows what adventures today will bring.

Slowly

I'm slowly listing a few springy/summery clutches to the shoppe..soon enough. The last one is upcycled from a wool-vintage-kilt. yum.



This past weekend was spent in Westerly eating butternut squash soup and gluten-free brownies with my in-laws. We hit no traffic either way- so the gods chose to give me an attack-which made me sick for hours. Today I learned about the horror that is carrageenan from a woman at Whole Foods- oh happy day. ( I found rice milk from Hain does not have carrageenan in it)

Hazel has started going to bed a little bit earlier- however she's up around 3ish or 4ish- up by way of moving around a lot in her crib- still in a sleepy trance. So I feed her and then we go back to sleep- luckily she'll usually snooze for a few hours more. I guess it is all relative and will eventually work itself out.

A few pictures from our weekend:


Hazel wearing her Easter finest and eating her Easter finest.



Every night when Zach gets home I have so much I want to accomplish- and so little actually gets done. There is so much that has to get done ( feeding-bathing-rocking Hazel) that all the other frivolous stuff takes the back burner. I'm in awe of those who can actually get a task done-start-finish.

As we are slowly moving into our new home for the next year or so little by little special parts of our lives make it here. A rocking chair, a basket of board books, a favorite pair of shoes, a coffee bean grinder ( now used for grinding flax seed) and yes in this precarious order. Our apartment in which we are moving from still looks inhabited aside from some awkward, lonely corners. We've so much to do. Hopefully by Saturday we'll have a bed to lay our weary bodies. We can only hope.

Old Love and Curtains

Our moving in with my parents has played a big toll on two lives spent in a house for nearly 50 years. Furniture has been moved/given away/put in storage. Closets emptied-rugs rolled and so on.

Our belongings have been finding their way into our new space slowly and we've been incorporating new/old stuff too. My mom has been going through old pictures she's had forever. In one ( which I'd love to scan- but she'd probably kill me) she is wearing a gorgeous tealish-green dress with thick straps and silvery-gold strewn throughout. Her dark hair coiffed into an up-do with a few pieces naturally around her face. My father in a button-down dapper shirt with his arms around her. My father looks either very happy- slightly drunk or both. My sister is staring at them with a Barbie in her hands and the gorgeous tree decked out in silver icicles in the background. It is picturesque at least to me. I guess seeing pictures like this makes me feel left out. My sister is 18 years older and my brother 15 years my senior, so when I see these photos I am flushed with many emotions.. by time I was born my siblings were old enough to be too cool to be around their baby sister. I'm glad though that I'm getting to see this way of life even if it didn't involve me, yet.

While major purging is going on, there is also a flow of my mother's hand-me-downs making it into our new space. She gave me a bunch of pillow shams and some almost-finished matching curtains- which I plan to finish tomorrow and put up in the bedroom.

This weekend we'll be spending Easter with Zach's family. It has been a little while since they have all seen Hazel and now that she is rolling over constantly!! (yes) and eating her rice cereal (like a pro) I'm sure she'll be a lot of fun to be around.

Projects to be worked on-so much to do.

Do When You Can- With What You Can

Blah blah blah we're moving...blah blah it's Spring..blah blah blah ..I hate bugs. Flying ants-beetles-citronell ants- yup we've got 'em. Now if we just had fleas I'd start a circus!

With that said- tomorrow kicks off the start of moving our furniture into our new home for the next year or so. This time we are really putting most of it into storage and just keeping the essentials and a few books and favorite pieces around.

Since our camera is caput (sp?) I started a Facebook account for Hobocamp Crafts. Trying to feel productive even if I can't take pictures and post them.



Have a great weekend~

Milestones

In hoboland I just celebrated my 31st birthday- today Hazel is actually 4 months. We've started her on rice cereal and she seems to really enjoy it. I even managed to get the new camcorder working to take a 20 second tape of her eating. I then realized how much I hate hearing my own voice-gack! I've been nursing H out in public (very covered for my own comfort) which is something I never thought possible. This May will be 3 years we've been selling on Etsy and 5 years since the creation of Hobocamp. So much has changed. Handmade has come a long way and everywhere you look there is a new shop popping up. I find it very exciting and sometimes daunting- because I know in the last year my production has slowed down- due to being pregnant and now being a mom to Hazel. Which means to me- I need to give Hobocamp a face lift of sorts- rejuvenate myself and look at things from a new pov.

With our impending move- things are even more scattered and finding time to sew has been a challenge. I've found doing a little here & there is what I have to offer myself now. Sewing one full project start-finish is kind of a distant memory. But that is okay- once I find my groove again, I think I'll find myself enjoying the process much more.

Tonight is honey-mustard tofu, mushroom-cilantro risotto and a hot bath- then followed by laundry folding and project sewing- and maybe some Office laughs and baby toes. Oh and maybe some hubby cuddling if we had our couch here.