The Battle for Middle Ear

What a week. After a full 7 days of head and chest colds, a raging fever and general misery, I woke up Easter morning with an earache. Seriously?!? I didn't even know adults got ear infections. They're awful! So I missed out on all the egg hunting and marshmallowey, chocolatey goodness and spent Sunday in an urgent care clinic. Lame. I'm happy to report I'm on the (slow) mend. But it's been a whole lot of comfort food and Doctor Who around here.

I miss you all. I still haven't found a comfortable groove in our new surroundings that allows for much time to myself. If any. It's getting old. But the weather is shifting and the days are lengthening. How can I be anything but optimistic?

Ancestry

Hi friends! You know I'm one for losing myself in a hobby. There's little I cherish more than being so involved in something (a book, a project, a subject, a song) that I feel compelled by it. Lately, even when I've intended to sit down and blog, I just get pulled into my latest frenzy - online genealogical research.

So far I haven't signed up for ancestry.com or the like, nor have I visited any archives (you know, in all my free time) to see any evidence first hand, but the internet IS AMAZING. Apparently I have some very adept and dogged researchers for cousins, distant though they may be, who have constructed long family trees and posted them online.

The details are not yet verified to my satisfaction. But what a fun ride I've been on. I HIGHLY recommend it. My whole life I've identified with my relatives who immigrated directly to the Seattle area post 1900, and here I may have discovered ancestors living in Massachusetts in the 1690s!!! They had epic colonial names like Mercy, Zedekiah and Remembrance, and get this... they were weavers!

Like I said, I'm not 100% positive that these records properly link all the way to me, but the threads are there. It's fascinating, to say the least.

Kids Clothes Week Challenge!

"It's one week (I'm sure you figured that out) where we commit to sew one hour a day for 7 days. Sewing clothes, of course, for our kids! Or other people's kids, but not your inner child and absolutely not your canine child." -Meg

Meg over at Elsie Marley is hosting the Kids Clothes Week Challenge again!!! It's the Spring edition, this go around. I loved participating last fall. While I don't count on being quite as prolific, at least I hope to get my sewing machine plugged in, for crying out loud. Besides, my little urchins could really use some Spring duds.

Unlikely Source for Decor Items

The trend of littering craft and fabric stores with garbage $2 made in China toys is no doubt as obnoxious to you as it is to me. It's a cruel trick, and I'd imagine a profitable one. But I do love a good mother son project, so occasionally we'll pick up these little wooden puzzles/ models. B, of course, is partial to the old fashioned vehicles.As it turns out, they're pretty cute, especially with a coat of red paint. I've been trying to incorporate more boyness into our common living spaces (after all, I'm the only girl here) and this little red biplane started a whole vintage machinery kick in the living room. More on that later. For now we have this excellent roadster puzzle to put together.

Inspirado

I Stumbled upon this while searching for Moomin goodies for the boys' room. It's created by a Russian designer, Maria Yasko. It's incredible! Of course now B wants something similar. Hmmm... gears turning...

The Brother Room WIP

I wanted to post a few pictures of the Boys' room, which B calls "the brother room." Keep in mind this is nowhere near finished - the baby needs a mobile, the walls need art, the crib needs cuter bedding and I'm dreaming of a mural on the closet doors - but it's come so far that it's worth posting.Beckett has been my partner in crime in this. He's picked out his own bedding and storage bins. He decided where certain things should be placed or hung. He takes a lot of pride and ownership in his room. Poor Jonesie doesn't get much say in such matters, but he doesn't seem to mind.
I know it's absurd to think of this room, with its bright flags and stripes and kites, as a blank canvas, but that's how it feels. The walls are painted and the basic color scheme is set and now it's time for me to add more personal touches. It's a bit of an Ikea showroom right now. Don't get me wrong, I love it so far and so does B, but it needs more us.Like I said, it's work in progress, but the fact that I couldn't even take 5 minutes to snap these photos without the brothers feeling the urge to play is, in my humble opinion, a sign of success.

WPA Posters

If I've posted this before, I apologize, but it's just too cool. The Library of Congress has a huge digital collection of WPA era posters online. They're all available for free download. So many wonderful images!

In other news, I'm feeling like my dry spell is coming to an end. I bought some new fabric and my pile of thrift store findings is ever growing. I still don't have a place to work, and all of my supplies are in boxes, but I'm optimistic. First though I'd like to post the boy's room. It's not done, but I'm not sure it'll ever be. You know how that goes.