Random: Sharing

It has been warm here! My sewing mojo is very limited!  I have been sitting when I came home from school this week so far! Most of the time, I turn on the music and just sit and read a little! It feels like the summer is coming to the end, but still try its best to bring out the sun out and makes everything sweat and allows us to enjoy the last minutes of it!  S has been back to school a week now! Please read her little rhyme! It will make your day I promise!! I knew she is having a great teacher when she started writing this rhyme!!  Isn't this funny and cute? I wish to keep it, but I have these images to keep in my folder! 

The illustration is wonderful! These possum bunnies are adorable! Did you notice the four corners? They are different bunny smiles if you wondered! Inside the tree cave there are three more bunnies in case you can't see it clear! Today I went to lunch with S at the school's lunch room! This is one of favorite part of being a mom! Do you happen to know I have a different name?  I am { stella's mom} when I am in her school? All the kids called me {Stella's mom}. It is funny to start with, but I love it!! It feels very comfortable and good! I have many little boy/girl friends. Since the school is very small. I have known most of the kids now. I got to met some new students today! They are very sweet kids! I love going to lunch with S, so I get to know the friends that she talks about when she comes home. I can finally can match their names and faces! As you know, lunch room is loud! They have so much to talk about even little things!

Yesterday when we got home there was a package in the mailbox that I saw from the parking space { very close to our door}. I can't think of anyone sending me a package! Slowly I walked out the car door and moved to our door! Open the mailbox and read the mailer's name! my goodness! It is Jackie aka{choleandme}. Quickly I put the key in the key hole and open the door! Dropped everything on the floor and open the package! Jackie sent a surprise package for me!  {BIG Thank you to you, Jackie}. You are too sweet!! I will add these to the scrap quilt that I am making and will use these for some other projects.  You made my week sweet and happy!!

These are woven/canvas fabric that I pulled out! I am making these into simple grocery bags! I have been swapping food/ veggies with my friend here! Each time, we seem to use different plastic bags for swapping! I plan on making swap for goods bags for us! It will be nice each of us get one or two!

I really am looking forward September to come! It is the month that we will slowly entering the season and the month that S and I can still hangout before mid semester arrives! 

Stay cool if the heat is in your area! Stay warm if the cold is in your area!  I shall make my last jar of raspberry tea this weekend! S is hoping an apple pie to be make/bake!


xxC 

Random: Sunday

The air was cool maybe cold would be a better word for it when we woke up this morning. The sound of kettle whistling sounds great in the cool Fall weather. The kitchen was warm while preheating the oven. We spent the morning in the kitchen; baking, making, and cleaning.  We devoured the rest of pumpkin cake that my friend sent home with me on Thursday! Yes, it is all gone now! 

It is a perfect day spent at home with our favorite pj and drank lots tea throughout the day.  The machine was busy most of the day and I did a little patchwork piece. This would go to my scrap quilt pile. It is growing larger each time when I added some small pieces together.

The kindly friend gave S and I  two new tea cups the other day! We gave them a try today! It is a perfect size for green tea! Yes, green tea only! I will reserved this cup for the green tea! I love handmade ceramics cups! Perhaps you also have a certain cup that you use for certain type of tea/ drink you drink/use! During the Fall and Winter season I prefer cups without handles. I could hold the warm cup in my hands and that help warm up my body.

S is into the drawing and storytelling lately! We have lots drawing hanging around! It is interesting to see details that she added on. I just love these hanging lights in her picture!

xxC

Random: Weekending

Banana pudding bread was made bright early this morning. While it was in the oven our home smelled like cinnamon and sugar! I made myself a cup of Saturday coffee { extra dark and used the largest cup I have}.  I can't tell you how much I love baking! It is almost another way of quilting, only baking is adding ingredients, but sewing needs some subtractions and addition through the process.

I wasn't able to do much sewing this week unlit this afternoon! When I came home this week all I had in mind was sit and drink lots tea. S had a lot to share since school started and I listened.  She is hoping to bring some homework home, but first week of school likely was organizing and getting everyone ready! 

The class I taught is a 2 and half hours course. I stood and walked a lot during the class time. After a nice summer break my legs got really lazy! It will take me another week or two to get adjust! It looks like I have a small class this year, which would allow me to get to know everyone better! I have learned students are more engaged if they are encouraged or given positive advices throughout the semester.

I have been saving these plastic spools. I am not sure what to do with them! Do you keep your empty spools as record of your process in sewing? or do you throw them away? I have threw a lot away, but not this year! I pulled them out this morning and set them on the able. I have a little cleaning time here. Everything is not in its place. The fabric corner I had became fabric mountain. It is crazy that I had to asked S where is my rotary cutter twice when it was under a little stash fabric in front of me. 

Somehow I am not very eager to start  new projects. I would like to finish a few w.i.p projects first. I have few quilts in mind and few little projects in mind. With my last year's study I will need to take it easy! I like to let you know that I won't be able to blog as much as I like. Majority of the time will be spend in the school studio and focus on my MFA exhibition that's coming up in less than 6 months. For the exhibition, I have two completed pieces, three pieces in progress and one  piece still is unknown. I like to show you these works, but they cannot shown in the public before the exhibition.

S and I are enjoying sweet tea and dark chocolate in this early Fall Saturday afternoon..  Soon will be pumpkin soup and bread time!

xxC

Random: Wednesday

The story after the {haircut} was the mail carrier came right after S went in and clean herself up. It was an amazing parcel from {Kerry aka verykerryberry}. This is our second fabric swap! We both have lots love about feedsack fabrics! She also included some fun fabric for me.   Am I such a spoiled  by her?

These special chocolates are being saved for Saturday's celebration of first week of school.  S was amazed the parcel was from U.K.  She loves the Harry Potter books and wants to go to London someday! It is one of city that has been listed on our {where to go list} and hope will be very soon! We'll needed to wait S is a little older, so we can enjoy the backpacker style. It is the best way to travel from my past experiences. We get to know people from the local area and enjoy the local dishes. We have done it last summer when we visited Japan and had the best time ever!

Washi tapes are one of my collections. My friend just return from Japan and bought these for me as gifts. I love love all of them!  The blue washi tape in the middle has similar theme to the one fabric print Kerry sent. 

S was invited to a birthday party yesterday! She had fun hitting the Pinata and got lots treats home! The haircut looks good on her! I think one of the biggest fear for her is she gets nervous not able to see what's going on in her back! I might need to find another mirror next time when she gets haircut!

Today she is officially moved into the 3rd grade classroom! It is making me a little sad, but happy at the same time! I walked her to the school door and she was so excited to see her friends. I gave her a big hug and she ran to her friends! School bell rang and I saw her was chatting with her friends into the building. I left.., but this time I didn't have tears as I had last few years! I trust her to be independent and knew she is ready!

xxC

Random: not an easy job!

Each summer S gets a haircut before school starts. It never been an easy job for me! She refuses to get haircut as always. Tears and fits... .. It took us 2 hours to get the hair cut this morning! Once the first cut is made she is fine! My little distraction to her is sharing me childhood haircut stories! She found them interesting and always feel so good that she has a mama who does her haircut!  Of course it is not perfectly done! Head tipping, turning around, looking sad { do I  need to get a haircut?}. Some courage to her and promise she still can tie a pony tail up and piggy tails.... tears became laughs and the best of all... we both agreed she looks so grown up after a haircut.....  this is the start of our Monday morning.. I love it!

xxC

Sew Sweet!!

Do you love sweets?  I {LOVE} sweets! These are the special kind from Ayumi's SP quilt along- {Dishy Treats}. You need to have some of these sweets and I promise you they are {sew sweet}! I actually pretended all my school works were done and started {Dishy Treats} on Friday morning and didn't leave the chair till later in the afternoon. After I got up, I was covered with threads again.. This time, I had  lighter top on. S and I took a big walk together after my big sweet treats! She kept telling me how she loves these ice creams.

Bunny, this is S' fav..  I saved this piece for the last! Can you tell why? The bunny's eye scared me.. I am still trying to get the right look of smaller pieces.

This ice cream dish turns out a little busier than I pictured! I have big love of vintage printed dishes and though the retro print would go with the bowl. I need some solid fabric after making these blocks. I put a note to myself and have already started looking for some solid fabric.

This is matcha｛抹茶｝flavor ice cream! I love matcha cake, matcha cookies, matcha ice cream.. anything matcha. I always get them when I visit Japan or Taiwan. I also have tried lavender flavor ice cream when I visited Sapporo, Japan in 1999. These two flavor of ice cream are very unique.

 

This is Jello-O in a very unique combination! From the left to right: chocolate, lemon, green mango and top with strawberry! Does this sound not so delicious?  I love the bitter chocolate flavor, sweet sour lemon tasty, and the crunchy green mango texture. Now, I have need to giggle myself a bit for the silly flavor I created!

I have enjoy { S.P. quilt along} so much! I can't wait what Ayumi brings for September!  Have you visit the {Flickr pool} lately? It is really sweet! I promised S to make a set of {dish treats} for her when we can sit down for one weekend, so she can pick out her colors and prints! She wants a pillow like this and this.. I will be busy making these happen before Christmas arrives.

xxC

Random: Weekending

It has been a busy, sweet, and productive week here! Lots sweet parcels arrived this week! The big parcel from our family arrived. It contains lots treats and loves! Letters to S and me were enclosed with all the goodies!  These airplane shaped cookies are sold when I was a kid. I am surprised they still make them.  My sister found them  in the store and got some for me.  I remember mom always bought them for me when we went to traditional market. I always felt I am the special one!

S' recent favorite drink is Green tea with lots sugar! I like my tea just plain! A few cups Green tea make me feel so relax and good! Do you like green tea? I love the settle and calm favor of it!  I try to brew a tea pot in the morning and another tea pot  later in the afternoon. I didn't like grape juice until I found the concentrated kind lately, so I can add as much water as I like. 

This week surely have gone faster than I like! I have a new semester nerve in my head for last few days! The first day of class is always {unknown}! ... nervous, but a good one!

I finished another 16 log cabin blocks, so I have 42 blocks in total now. My plan is 100 blocks by this Fall then I can have a new quilt to snuggle with! Then soon it will be time to think about S' 9th birthday quilt. It is still unknown.. She can't decided what she has in her mind! Each time is different, but mostly she talks about adventures and discovery the new world.... I might have a fabric line in mind that would fit perfectly to the theme if she still talks about sail to the seven seas.

The sunlight has gotten shorter, have you noticed about it? We live up in the north, so the daylight still pretty long, but lately I have discovered the sunshine has gotten soft in the noon hours. Early evenings I can feel the warmth from the sunlight since the temperature has been cool.  I can smell the Fall is slowly apporching us... Sweatshirt is on and tea is ready.. sewing machine is on.. S is calling... I shall get busy...

xxC..

Random: Today and tomorrow

I giggled so hard yesterday morning when the mail man knocked on our door. I am expecting lots goodies that are coming on my way. I keep calm and got up my seat. S hurried to the door and open the door. She checked the label of the package and turned her head around and looked at me. It is for you, Chase! What is it? I smiled with a giggled in my heart, almost a little evil smile.   Quickly I open the box and started to adore my {Chicopee} from {Denyse Schmidt} new collection. I got my collection {here}. I love the bold colors and graphic design that she has on her fabric as always! I started to count each print and realized I missed order one print! I will have to make another order to make it a complete collection. I have been good lately! I ordered few prints from here and there, but have been saving for this collection. I started to cutting them into fat quarters, so I can have a small collection in the drawers that I organized  paper piecing projects and Farmer's Wife quilt along project.

While I was working with the log cabin yesterday. I started piece larger patchworks together. I decided to turn these patchwork into a lap quilt. I still have a long long way to go! It would be awesome when this quilt is done.  Today is a good day to get more scraps piece and set them aside!

It is cold! Low 50's when we woke up this morning. I was under 3 quilts and S was under 2 quilts and other baby quilts. It is the smell of Fall.. almost a crisp smell in the morning! We are layered in long sleeves and jackets now! I made myself a cup of coffee and ready to work on the course syllabus that I will be teaching next Tuesday. Lots information to add in the new syllabus and lots older information need to be revised.  All the sudden summer is near to the end and everyone is getting ready return to school.  I will pop in again when all is organized and all is in the right track!

xxC

Random: Sew slow!

{Sew Slow}! The log cabin project is putting away for last few weeks. Finally today lay them on the floor and just check to see how they would fit together! I haven't finalized the layout, but though the light and dark contrast grouping is fun! I might try different layout once I have few more blocks.  They all needed a good iron press and small trim on the edges.  Sew far, sew good!?

Are you still in the Farmer's wife quilt along? Here are the blocks that I have made so far, 46 blocks. I still plan on making all the blocks then assemble them together! It sure makes me feel happy to see them put together.

I need to get back to it again! I have been skipped some of complex blocks and work on the simpler ones. I could see myself dive into this quilt once I finish school. I plan on hand quilting this quilt and probably would make it a wall hanging rather than using it for the bed. I found quilt along projects have been wonderful for me! Datelines make me nervous! I love taking time and move my way to the end. Also enjoy visiting others' creation!

After my {Popsicle block} I ordered the August {Dish Treat Blocks} right away! Don't you just love these sweet treats? I am so curious about how this quilt would turns out! I can't wait for the September block to come, but before that I shall have my August block finish!

The sky is cloudy and cool these days! I started drinking hot tea rather than cold iced raspberry tea. I miss the sunny summer days, but I really like cozy Fall season!  This week would be the very last week to return to school. My goal is have a productive week... sew carry on!

xxC

Random: Off the topic

Food that reminded me of home!

 Pumpkin flowers are my new summer love food! 

 荔枝　｛Li-chi}.. it is a summer fruit! Sweet and juice. 

 Peel off the skin and eat . Spit the seed out! 

 A little stash of fabric! 

We took a short road trip today instead of being home! I didn't get the chance to sew at all today, since the road trip was very important to me! After talked to my family on the phone I was so hungry! I couldn't sleep! I had hundreds of different food came in my dream, but I was still very hungry when I woke up! The hunger wasn't physical, but the mental kind. The kind of hunger is hard to describe! Maybe craving is the better word?

We went to the Asian market and did a big grocery shopping. It was very dangerous when I went with a hungry mind!  I bought more than I normal would buy. Extra veggies and extra treats! Of course extra coffee that's  made from home! It was the flavor that's calling me! The flavors from the memory! When we came home I started cooking. The big dinner gave us 100/100 satisfactory; physically and mentally. Nothing extra fancy went in to food, but the right ingredients fitted in the empty stomach. 

Even though I have been out of my home country for so many years, but I can't tell you that something called{ hometown food} can't never go away. It is so important to me! Whenever I go visit my family. I would start a list of food that I must eat while I am there. I am glad S  likes the flavors that I introduced to her. She has bits of memory from her babyhood and visits that she has done from  last couple of years.  

I am satisfy from the food that I made and will carry these food energy on and on..  

xxC

Random: Weekending

Cool temperature, craft fun { kiki got a new outfit from S}, and some summer rain! Love the real letter arrived my mailbox instead of inbox. Love seeing these airmail envelopes showing up once in awhile.Love seeing these stamps that written in the language that I knew all my life and love seeing these postal stamp marks shows the date and place that was being mail.  I think I am feeling a bit {homesick} today! I shall pick up my phone and give my family a ring!

xxC