Materials & Methods

Calm before the storm

2009-06-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

What have I been up to the last 4 months? Well, I can't decide if it sounds like a little or a lot (although I am definitely in shock that 2009 is almost half over...I think I need to spend more time in waiting rooms so that time doesn't move so quickly), but here's what I've been up to...

...traveling, including to Hawaii (Feb/Mar) to visit my sis and enjoy a week of couple time (thanks, grandparents!),

to Oregon (Mar/Apr) to visit my family,

to California (Apr/May) for work and to give a seminar...

...sewing sewing sewing - lots of Picnic Pouches (reusable snack/lunch bags), PUAG blankets/play mats, and custom lunch bags, among other things...May was the busiest month yet for Cascade Lemonade...

...and writing writing writing - parts of 3 manuscripts/thesis chapters, innumerable grant applications, etc.

Calm? Well, I guess it's all relative, but I definitely feel the anticipation and anxiety of the upcoming summer field season. Wednesday, we leave MA for 2.5 months (11 weeks, to be exact) in CA, where I will be coordinating a summer research program for 10 undergraduates, advising 2 graduate and 1 undergraduate research projects, and finishing up my own Ph.D. research....in addition to trying to be a halfway decent parent and spouse and daughter, etc. It's sounding like kind of a tall order right now, especially with the packing only barely started, so I'm glad I've been able to relax a bit over the last month - save up my energy. I've had some time for frivolous fun like making collages...

reading (finally finished 'Dune' and just started 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy')...

and taking a short family vacation to Cape Cod.

Now, it's just a matter of crossing the last 'to do's' off my list and getting to the airport and onto the jet headed west...!

Happy New Year (reprise, in February)

2009-02-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's February, and I am just now getting around to checking in with last year's resolutions and putting this year's down in blogdom...but first, here's a wish list I put together with my fave items for spring...

I am obsessed with tights and big earrings...and so far, I have held myself back from purchasing any of either! Several of these items are on Etsy; see my favorites for sellers.

Now, onto...

2008 New Year’s Resolutions (in black = done, red = not done)

1. sleep 7 hrs/night - check (usually)
2. improve my posture
3. do a pull up
4. read a paper a day - i'm going with 'check' here, even though my list only contains ~75, I reviewed hundreds of papers for a review I'm writing
5. submit 2 papers - check (as long as you count co-authored)
6. analyze and review all existing thesis data
7. give a guest class lecture - check (and I only did this because it was a resolution!)
8. take Caden backpacking - nope, despite our best intentions! we had to cancel plans for illness...and ended up just car camping this year
9. go camping in the northeast - check (2 nights at Rangeley Lake in Maine)
10. update Caden’s baby book - some, but still lots more to do!!
11. make a pdf pattern for my lunch bags - check (and I've sold about 100 copies now!)
12. make a play mat - not done yet
13. make Caden’s Christmas stocking
14. make improvements on the house - check (new roof, baby!)
15. call someone once a week - check, weighted by several calls/week since Nov, when my dad broke his leg

2009 New Year's Resolutions

(I've decided 15 resolutions is excessive and am narrowing it down to 10 this year...)

1. Make Caden's Xmas stocking
2. Submit 3 (first-author) papers
3. Do a pull-up
4. Write a short story
5. Pay off VISA's
6. Build up savings for a 'rainy day'
7. Shift sleep schedule from 1-8 am to 12-7 am
8. Improve my posture
9. Go camping at least 3 times
10. 'Use what I have' for all Cascade Lemonade crafting (thrift and vintage purchases ok)

Anyone have resolutions they'd like to put down in writing in the comments? I'll check back with you next year and make sure you're accountable! ;)

December

2009-01-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

The first part of December was a blur. We returned from the West Coast on December 1st, and I immediately jumped into prepping for the Salem High School Holiday Fair - on Dec. 12 - that benefits the school's music and drama programs. Although turn-out was only so-so, I had a lot of fun, chatting with my booth neighbors, listening to the music groups perform, and having a couple friends drop by.

The weekend before Christmas, we got about 16 inches of snow in 2 days - perfect for cozying up inside and crafting in the sun room, with a nice view of the winter wonderland. Here, I'm working on a monogrammed pillowcase for Caden's friend, Mabel, who invited him to her princess birthday party (and the party did go on, despite the weather!).

The second half of December was, for once, extremely slow-paced and relaxing. Even though I almost dreaded Christmas without family, I ended up realizing why some people purposely stay home at Christmas and why my mom always said she loved the days right after Christmas (I never understood that as a kid!). We spent our week's vacation (Caden had a week off of daycare, so we mostly both stayed home) doing 1 work task (making a poster for a meeting, reviewing a manuscript, etc.) and 1 home task (cleaning, organizing, filing, etc.) and working out at the YMCA every day. We spent the rest of the time doing whatever the heck we wanted: watching movies, playing games (a friend loaned us Blokus, which we played almost daily for a week), sewing, reading, etc. It was great, and it took about the whole week for us to finally feel relaxed!

Here's a shot of the most beautifully wrapped Christmas present, from my college friend, Martha. The wrapping cloth doubles as a table linen and is reversible for use in multiple seasons. She even safety-pinned on a little linen gift tag! Inside was a pattern and (robot) fabric to make Caden a little apron for helping out in the kitchen. A fun project for the New Year!

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!!

November Catch-up

2008-12-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

November was a whirlwind - 2 countries & 4 states in 4 weeks. We spent about 3 weeks on the West Coast, starting with a work meeting in Vancouver, B.C. (Caden's first time in Canada). This was the view from our hotel room - we could also see the water - and it was such a trip, especially on weekday evenings when you could look across into people's offices. Talk about a fishbowl - it made me feel like I'd entered a sci-fi movie!

The month ending with a work trip to California and (supposedly) the last of ~20 years of our traditional Thanksgiving in a lodge at a Methodist summer camp on the Oregon Coast.

Caden and I stayed out west for the ~10 days between our scheduled activities to save ourselves 1 cross-country trek and enjoyed spending time in the town I grew up in - Corvallis, Oregon. My sewing projects were fairly limited, but I did finish up Tanja's quilt (see previous post) and make a custom applique onesie for my cousin (who was thinking his boss might like something more than the 'baby carrots' and 'baby back ribs' he gave him at the baby shower!). I also found a few cross-stitch patterns that have got me planning Caden's Christmas stocking, which is likely to not get made until next year (since we're at Xmas - 12 days right now). And I finished a draft of a manuscript/second thesis chapter, which is exciting!

I couldn't help thinking about another 'future project' when I saw this beautiful view

out of this window...

Yes, one of the best views in the house is in our tiny 1/2-bath off of the kitchen. Someday, we hope to (hire someone to) renovate the kitchen and add a breakfast nook. Aah, dreaming!

October catch-up

2008-12-09T10:15:00.001-08:00

I'm playing catch up in all aspects of life right now - sewing projects, work, home. I haven't even unpacked my bag from our month on the west coast yet, and we've been back over a week! Here's a start at catching up with reporting on my projects!

In October, for the first time, I made Caden's costume completely from scratch (since I couldn't find an all-white 2T footsie!). He was Max from Where the Wild Things Are. Here he is at his school Halloween party, carrying a pasta server as his mischief-making tool...

Project #2 was a baby quilt for my friends Tanja and Dan. They live in Burkina Faso, Africa, hence the safari animal theme. I was really happy with the pattern and how adjacent blocks made kite-like blocks on the bias. With the exception of the yellow fabric, I had most of the materials on hand.

Tanja came back to the states to have her baby, so I got to see her and give her the quilt in person. Little Leah was born the day after Thanksgiving. Here's a darling picture Tans just sent of her on the quilt. It's so gratifying to see something you've made keep a baby cozy!

Early fall and Indian summer

2008-10-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

After the Melrose Fair last month, I've been gradually posting my huge inventory in the shop and taking a little break from hardcore crafting (although I can't stop cold turkey; I have a constant 'to do' list of custom requests and holiday gifts!). The month has still flown by, though. We were gone 2 of the weeks (1 week in California and last week in Maine). Both trips were work-related but lots of fun - especially last week in Maine. Now I know why people say 'Aaah, Maine!' The Maine coast was gorgeous, and we had a good mix of blissfully sunny and rainy/windy/cozy-up-inside days. One of the best parts was that the 3 of us were together for a week straight - Matt was teaching in a field course, I brought my computer work on the road, and we still had plenty of time for sight-seeing. It reminded me of how much time we spend, normally, commuting between home/work/childcare and keeping up the house. Oh ya, and cooking; the teaching assistants for the field course prepared the meals. It made coming home seem not so relaxing, but at least we got home on a Friday with a whole weekend ahead of us!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our fall activities...

Apple picking at Russell Orchards. So far, we have some applesauce and apple pie filling made and frozen, plus five 1/2 pint jars of peach chutney that I canned the night before we left for Maine (at midnight!).

Our first New England clam bake! Lobstah, corn, potatoes, clams, and hot dogs. Caden was in seventh heaven, and I was amazed at how the boy who is skeptical of zucchini and potatoes dug right into the clams and lobster! I wish I had a picture of him chasing the girls with one of the cooked lobsters!

Our first night in Maine at Pemaquid Point lighthouse.

West Quoddy Head lighthouse, near where we stayed at West Quoddy Station. Just a gorgeous location! See what I mean about blissful weather? I wonder if this will be the last time this year that we sit outside without shivering?

Pitcher plant in bog (aka muskeg - my Alaskan husband felt quite at home!) at Quoddy Head - so neat!

The one day I don't have any pictures of was last Sunday. We had an 'Indian Summer' day here on the North Shore - sunny and warm. We spent the whole day outside, picnicking on the deck, reading, playing, and working in the garden - basking like lizards in the very last patch of sun as the sun went down.

Now, it seems we're transitioning to late fall - it's currently 40oF outside/58oF inside. We're going to have to turn the heat on, again, pretty soon - it's almost stitching-under-a-wool-blanket-with-a-cuppa-tea season...

Fall Festival

2008-09-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, the 14th, was my first big (read: $100 fee for half of a covered booth) festival - the Melrose (MA) Victorian Fair (last winter, I did two very small holiday craft fairs). I sewed like mad in the weeks leading up to it and, still, Matt and I were awake until 2:30 am the night before, packaging and packing. We awoke to a drizzly morning, and only missed 2 (unsigned) turns en route to the fair. Set-up was pretty crazy as we had to adjust to avoid drips from the continuing rain. Fortunately, there was a bank awning directly behind the booth, so Caden set up a play space there and was wonderfully behaved all day, even without a nap. I shared the booth with Arian (we did one of the holiday fairs together last year), and it was great to have someone to chat with and get second opinions on displays, etc. It was also fun to catch up with Johanna, from Kaya's Kloset, who encouraged me to do the fair in the first place!

The rain stopped soon after the fair started, the fair was well-attended overall, and I had some fabulous customers and positive feedback on my things. The best-selling items were, #1: Pick-Up-and-Go Blankets, and #2: Teensy Cases. In the end, I only sold about 10% of the inventory I'd made (I was aiming for 50%) but I was glad to cover my booth fee. I sensed that most people came to the fair for the promotional freebies and free entertainment - as I plan to bring Caden back to as an audience in future years! And now, if I do decide to do another holiday fair, I have my set up all figured out. I finally completed a design I've had in my head for awhile: this denim 'jeans pocket' display for my Teensy Pocket Cases. I strung it in the frame from an antique kids' chalkboard, that we mounted to the wall out of the frame.

And Matt made up this awesome display board for my iron-on letter appliques (these were also a popular seller) from scraps found in our basement!

Now I have more inventory than I ever have! So I feel prepared for the holiday season and can put my feet up (and work on some other projects) for a bit, all while slowly getting all of the items photographed and posted on Etsy.

Melrose Victorian Fair Countdown

2008-09-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Just over 1 day left until the Melrose Victorian Fair/Fall Festival! I've had a busy week juggling 'work' work, solo care of Caden (Matt has been in Santa Barbara since early Tuesday), and building up my inventory - starting from practically nothing, it feels like! - for the fair on Sunday. I've almost reached my inventory 'goal' but I haven't made any of the labels or tags or displays, so I pretty much need to spend all of tomorrow doing that. Hopefully Matt will be well rested after his red eye flight tonight (haha) to hit the ground running and help me prep tomorrow! Here are some pictures of my 'inventory building': bonbons in progress with Pick-Up-and-Go blankets in the background

and several of the 43 Teensy Cases I now have made...

Back to making 1-2 more Ribbon Rainbow Mobiles, then pencil cases!

What I did this summer (on the west coast)...

2008-08-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, we returned to Massachusetts after 6 busy weeks on the west coast. Even though our time there was so busy that we didn't have time for many of the outings we'd looked forward to (walks in Sebastopol, blackberry picking, etc.), it was still really satisfying to see what we *did* get done! Monday, before we left, I gave a research talk at the lab, and I actually started to feel a story coming together from my PhD research. Interested? Read the research segue below...

Every week we were in CA, these 72 little tanks (half of them pictured here) held PVC plates with a different species of sea squirt or bryozoan at 3 different temperatures. By taking pictures of individuals before and after the week-long experiment, I can calculate how much they grow. Interestingly, for the 3 species I've looked at so far, they grow faster at higher temperatures, and invasive species tend to grow faster and/or survive better at higher temperatures than native species.

Our west coast trip wasn't 'all work, no play', as we went on a special 1-week trip up to my in-law's home in Petersburg, AK that we'd had scheduled for almost a year. My parents came with us - their first time there - and one of the highlights was an amazing whale watching trip on Matt's dad's boat. It was also really wonderful for Caden to have a week with ALL 4 of his grandparents! And, in CA, I've been holding off on reporting on my one larger-scale crafty pursuit as it's not quite finished yet (and a surprise gift) - more on that in a future post ;)

Back to MA...

Transitioning, again, from CA to MA actually hasn't been too difficult this time, especially because we've returned on Labor Day weekend giving us a chance to catch up on sleep and family time. Hopefully I can stay motivated, research-wise, to get my experimental results analyzed and written up here in my next few months at the computer. In my free time, I have lots of plots and plans! First, I am doing my first big festival craft fair in no less than 2 weeks!!! Arian and I are going to share a booth at the Melrose Victorian Fair, and I am scrambling to build up my inventory. I'll certainly blog with pictures of my progress and would love suggestions of what to make with my limited time. Second, I have had my invitation to be a tester of Spoonflower (a design-your-own fabric company) in my inbox for a while now, knowing that if I so much as open their site, I will be hooked. Third, Halloween is just around the corner when you're a mom with a 2-year old's costume to make - yikes! and finally, once this craft fair is past, I'll have to revisit my new year's resolutions to see what I've forgotten. In the meantime, must. focus. on. craft. fair.!

First Pattern

2008-08-23T00:29:00.001-07:00

I continue to be a very busy bee keeping my research experiments going here in California - plus preparing for a lab seminar on Monday and to head back to Massachusetts on Wednesday. I haven't had much time for my fun pursuits over the last 6 weeks, but I did manage to cross one of my new year's resolutions off the list: I completed my first sewing pattern, for my Mylarkey Lunch Bag! Before we left, I photographed all the steps of lunch bag construction, and I had time to write up the 'protocol' right when I got to California (when I was waiting for all of my research supply orders!). I also listed the pattern in the shop before I had actually completed it. Once it sold, that was some real motivation to get it finished (since I agree to email it within 48 hrs)!

I've also started offering do-it-yourself kits for the lunch bags - which include the pattern and all of the necessary materials - because a few of the materials are somewhat specialized (especially the Insul-Bright insulation and wide velcro). And guess what! The 'do-it-yourself' kit was featured by Etsy on their daily 'Etsy Finds' email called 'Lunch time!'. This daily email apparently goes out to a list of about 14,000 Etsy-ans! That was quite flattering, and business was hopping that day! Here's the text from the email (there was also a photo of the lunch bags):

August 13, 2008
This fall, say goodbye to boring brown bags, take-out containers and the small mountain of sandwich bags you use every week, and say hello to handmade totes, lunch sacks, and other unique food receptacles on Etsy.

Complete Do-it-yourself Kit - Mylarkey Lunch Bag

Get crafting and make your own lunch tote with a kit by cascadelemonade, $12.

I've been saving up ideas for blog posts, so hopefully you'll find me updating more frequently from here on out. For now, I'm headed back to working on my talk...and maybe I should get some shut-eye to prepare for another ~7 hours looking through a microscope tomorrow!

Whirlwind

2008-07-20T22:24:00.001-07:00

What a whirlwind the last week has been (or maybe it was the last month...or perhaps the last year). Last weekend, I flew down to Washington D.C. to go to the wedding of my college friend Amy (top) and spend time with my four closest friends (from left: Erin, Tanja, me, Amy, Martha).

One of the highlights of the wedding was the cupcakes, mousses, and mini treats they served for dessert. Beautiful and delicious!

It's always hard to know when the 5 of us will be able to all get together - the last time was when the girls flew out to California in May of 2006 to meet the newest baby, our little Caden. Now the next baby is on the way - Tanja is due in December! And the day we all left D.C., Tanja flew out that night for her new home in central Africa (Burkina Faso).

When I got back to Mass., we had just about 2 days to regroup and pack for our summer field season in California. Along with work deadlines and house maintenance projects (including some fairly major demolition in the attic), we slept about 3 hours the night before we left!

When we arrived at our old home of Sonoma County and our base at the marine lab, we had to really hit the ground running in terms of getting research supplies together and experiments started. All of a sudden, my schedule of working 9 hrs and sewing 2-3 hrs per day shifted to working 13 hr days. Even though it was a bit of a shock to the system, it's nice to be back to fieldwork after 10 months of primarily computer work. Here I am cable tyeing 'plates' (PVC tiles) to 'racks' (hardware shelves) which were later hung from the sides of the dock to attract little larvae settlers. Caden 'helped' :)

After 4 days of looking longingly at my crate of crafting supplies (bringing the bare minimum took up 1/3 to 1/2 of my luggage), I finally opened it up during a free hour this morning. I'm looking forward to spending the summer doing some little projects, including appliques and hand embroidery.
Now I'm off to bed at a record time of 10:50 pm - 2 hrs earlier than our usual in Mass. Matt is getting up at 5 am for fieldwork, so I think I'll get up with him and do some morning sewing. Me, sewing in the morning? Revolutionary!

Give me an I-D-E-A

2008-06-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

You'd think with the way my 'to do' lists are looking these days, I could just shut down the 'idea factory' for awhile. Nope! I'm overwhelmed by both! Here's what's on my list:

Work = I just submitted a review manuscript yesterday and am now planning for fieldwork in California (we leave in just over 2 weeks); status: on track
Cascade Lemonade = need to make 6 Mylarkey Lunch Bags (possibly 9), possibly 3 Kathy Jewelry Cases, 1 Trio Set, 1 custom wallet, and a Teensy and Mini Moo Set...in the next 2 weeks; status: on track...barely
Home Decorating = need to make 1 duvet cover and a couple pillows for the guest room and kitchen curtains, preferably before Thursday when we have visitors arriving; status: here's where it starts to get shaky!
Plus...packing for 5 weeks in California (+1 week in Alaska), gifts for Caden's teachers, getting back on my 4x/week work-out plan...

(an example of one of my recent projects: this custom jewelry case)

Despite this busy-ness, as I often find when I'm multi-tasking, I have more energy than usual! And ideas just seem to keep multiplying. Here's my latest:

Vicarious Travel

I dreamed this up while commuting and working out a few weeks ago. I've always thought it would be cool to take an online quiz that would spit out my perfect trip - the same way you can take quizzes to figure out your political party, religion, and life expectancy...but even better! I've decided it requires an actual person, otherwise the results are inevitably cruises or tours that have paid advertising costs to come up as my 'perfect getaway'. The name 'vicarious' comes from my always living vicariously through others' travels; in the past, I've written up full itineraries for friends and acquaintances travelling to New Zealand and Europe, two of my favorite travel destinations. Since I don't travel as much now as I did in my 20's, I thought it would be fun to combine this travel consulting with my crafty pursuits, especially book-making (which I haven't done much of lately, I've been on a sewing kick). I've put the idea up for grabs in my Vicarious Travel Sets.
Here's how the customized travel guide works:

Step 1: Matt and I came up with a travel questionnaire that I'll email to customers after purchasing the set. It includes questions about destination, lodging, transportation, activity, and budget preferences and requirements. The traveler's job is to fill out the questionnaire and give any info they think will be helpful.

Step 2: I sift through online and print information, and rely on personal recommendations, to make trip suggestions, collated in a .pdf file

Step 3: I print out the .pdf and make a mini travel guide...so for less than the cost of a travel guide, the traveler has a fully customized guide!

Step 4: Hard and electronic copies of the travel guide are sent to the traveler, and it's up to them to critically evaluate the suggestions, including checking out websites (all given in the guide) and making their own bookings.

Step 5: If travelers send me a postcard from their trip, they get a coupon for use on future Cascade Lemonade purchases!

I can see lots of ways the travel guide can be customized...

Ariel has a budget and weekend in mind, but not a destination...I would come up with multiple options...

Becky is going to a conference in Lalaland and needs ideas for a nearby side trip and activities...

Corinna buys the set for her friend Dalia who just got engaged and is trying to decide where to go on her honeymoon...

Edith has her plane tickets for a week in Hawaii but no itinerary or lodging reservations...

Fiona has no time to travel *now* but is dreaming about where she'd like to go when she retires...

...etc!

Just my latest wild idea...following my 5th grade idea of selling poems to neighbors for 10c each to fund a visit to a friend who had moved cross-country (I don't think I could comprehend the cost of a plane ticket then)...and my 5th grade idea of posting signs advertising a dozen daffodils for $1.50 (wasn't my mom surprised when she got the first order by phone; lucky for me, she still helped me pick, package, and deliver them, before we took the signs down!)...I don't remember ever having a lemonade stand, but I do have a philosophy about them: always, always stop and buy a cup!

More ideas in the pipeline: a cookbook of healthy desserts, travel guide with the best bakeries (might have to be a little more narrow than just 'in the USA'!), and lots more ideas for the Cascade Lemonade shop, including more iron-ons, like this custom patch I just finished.

Stay tuned!

Dad's Day

2008-06-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Now it's time to give you a little peek into the craftiness of the other half of my parent team: Dad (now, to Caden, Adad) Bruce. Whereas the women in my family tend towards textile arts, the men - including my Dad and Grandad (more on him in a future post) - are and have been the wood-workers. I have so much respect and admiration for wood-working because of the natural materials, physical labor involved, subtle artistic touches, and utility and lifetime of the products. Dad has built lots of things out of wood - shelves, benches, picnic table, 2-story garage (!), chicken house, 'nut' guest/playhouses, tool sheds, etc. Here are a few glimpses:

Caden identifies items in our home by who made them. About this candlestick, he would say 'Adad make it'! Whenever electricity goes out - which it seemed to do a lot more back in CA than here in MA (thank goodness, it's colder here!) - we'd always light this candle and set it in the middle of the room. (Note: I realize those little S'mores figurines are totally cheesy, however I love them! I have about 10, but try not to display them in overwhelming numbers.)

Here's a bowl, turned from a burl (walnut?), that Dad gave to us in 2006 when our little Caden Burrell was born. For Caden's first 2 years of life, we kept all of his little memorabilia in it - hospital bracelets, etc. Now we use it for decor...but it's still too special to put candy in just yet!

This is his and my mom's most recent project - the cabin that they are building, almost completely by themselves, in the mountains at Wallowa Lake, Oregon. So far, my contributions to the project have been sanding and finishing a couple of the big, exposed, interior beams and helping to stir and pour the cement for the front step. Isn't it charming?! I love the exterior stovepipe - and you can see their tab trailer in the background. Dad currently lives out of a larger airstream trailer and travels around Eastern Oregon during the week, doing work as an agricultural economist and swinging by the cabin when he can, in between weekends back home in Western Oregon.

Dad and Mom resumed work on the cabin fairly recently, after repairs were made when a tree fell through the roof during a windstorm last fall (see slides 15-19 here). Although it's still a year away, I'm looking forward to spending a week at the cabin next summer (2009) with all of us siblings!

Here's one of Mom's creative vignettes on their mantle at home in Corvallis: a wood tree turned by Dad and one of her ceramic cottages (that I mentioned in my Mother's Day post).

Dad and Mom are such a great team, and we kids are so thankful to them every day, not just on Father's and Mother's Days!

New logo

2008-06-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

This month, with my Creme de la Creme Collection, I'm excited to debut my new logo! It was created by this Etsy seller; I posted an Alchemy request, and she sent me this logo as an example. I fell in love with it - I love the texture and how she interpreted my original logo (which I sketched out and my husband designed in Powerpoint).

Here are my new promotional supplies, including business cards and address stamp from VistaPrint and a logo stamp and recycled packaging stamp from another Etsy seller.

It's fun to be a little more professional. I had been making my own cards and addressing envelopes by hand, to save money, but I decided not to worry so much about that because Cascade Lemonade is primarily a fun hobby, not a money-making venture. If it were the latter, I could work about 1/3 the hours at a bookstore as I spend sewing!

Notes from my Nest Sweet Shoppe & Giveaways

I'm flattered to be featured, this week, as Notes from my Nest's Sweet Shoppe. Check it out and comment, there, to be entered in the $10 giveaway. And speaking of giveaways, the winner of my springtime 'who's reading?' giveaway was ikkinlala, a math major and crafty gal in British Columbia. I'm preparing a little care package to send off to her tomorrow (I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise by posting pictures).

Any comments on my Creme de la Creme Collection? Are there particular items you'd all like to see made with these lovely fabrics?

Creme de la creme collection

2008-06-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow (yes, so soon!), I'll begin posting items for my Creme de la Creme Collection. Here's the skinny: I have a new logo! And new business cards, sewing labels, address stamp, and logo stamp. Yay! To celebrate, I'm going to sew up some things made with the creme de la creme fabrics from my collection. Yes, I've been holding out on you! Almost all of these fabrics are vintage, and many are unlikely to be in my shop again (unless this kind of fancy strikes me in the future!). Here's a sampling:

So here's how the collection release will go: I've collected 33 of my very favorite fabrics. (Almost) every day and (almost) always at 3:33 pm (EST) I will post items made from a different one of these fabrics for (about) the next 33 days. Can you tell that 3 is my favorite number?

Here's an example of my new Pencil Pouch design that I will be sure to make a few of (the fabric on the left is one of the creme de la creme's - I have just enough to make 1-2 more items before it's all gone):

Hope to see you in the shop at posting time - remember, 3:33 pm (almost) every day. Good night and sweet, lovely dreams!

Trip to my old stomping grounds

2008-05-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I got back to my new home (Swampscott, Massachusetts) from a trip to my old homes of Oregon and Walla Walla, WA (where I went to college). I had a wonderful 4 days with friends and family: soaking in sunshine, hitting all the fabric stores I could, and enjoying some introspective 'alone' time (Matt and Caden stayed back in Mass. since it was such a short trip). First, I spent a night en route with my good college friend, Martha, and her family. Sofia and Conor seemed to like their new pillows and insisted on sleeping with them the first night they got them.

Then I swung by my Aunt & Uncle's in Pendleton for lunch, where I met up with my parents, and we all headed up to Walla Walla to meet Sally; our 3rd sibling, Jerry, met us there on Saturday. We did some summer clothes shopping at Macy's, ate great food, drank Jerry's home-brewed 'Yardwork Ale', screened Sally's senior film-making projects (including these commercials - one she stars in and one she directed), played frisbee in Pioneer Park, and attended Sal's Whitman College graduation on Sunday.

I picked up some yummy new fabrics from quilt shops in The Dalles, Pendleton, and Walla Walla (and mom brought somefrom the quilt shop in Sisters). Check it out: $40 of impulse-purchase fabrics (not pictured are lots of outdoor nylons that Mom brought me from the Rainshed in Corvallis and 'basics' from JoAnns - all filling 1/2 of my luggage)! I justify it by my Cascade Lemonade sewing and that I like to support small-town shops :)

Since I've been back, I sent a shipment of whale-theme Sack It bags off to the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center. They will be selling them there, with half of the proceeds a donation to the center and half to help cover a whale-watching trip for us and my parents up in Alaska this summer. It's a fun way to mix my professional (marine biology), hobby, and family interests.

To come...

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in my springtime giveaway drawing, held on June 1st! My limited 'Cream of the crop' Collection is tentatively scheduled to be released starting June 3. I promise I'll stop stalling and give details soon!

Spring flowers and 'who's reading?' giveaway

2008-05-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

Although our first purple crocus bloomed on April 1, spring didn't seem to really arrive until the end of April/beginning of May. My studio is half (well, expanding to about 2/3 or 3/4!) of our sunroom, so I've had beautiful views out to our blooming tree, purple and (soon) red azaleas, tulips, and, at the edge of the yard, a bright pink bleeding heart. I am so ready for spring!

This past week, I've been busy stitching up gifts for various friends and family members to deliver while I'm in Oregon and Washington this coming weekend. My sister, Sally, is graduating from Whitman College in Walla Walla (also my alma mater), and it's supposed to be 90 degrees there this weekend! I'm hoping all this soaking up of sun and some extra rest (I'm travelling solo, only my 2nd trip away from Caden) will give me lots of extra energy to burn when I get back to Massachusetts on Monday. I have a week of sewing to do (Sack It bags for the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center, Pencil Pouches for Earmark to sell at the San Diego Farmer's Market with their pencils and stationary, and a couple custom projects) then I will be ready to unveil...

...my special limited collection...

...in celebration of my new logo design! I'm so excited - more soon!

Springtime 'who's reading' giveaway

I'd love to hear from those of you that regularly read or just happen upon my blog. Sooo, because I'm so curious, if you leave a comment between now and June 1, you will be entered to win a surprise care package, full of Cascade Lemonade goodies and finds. Please, when you comment, make sure that there's some way for me to track you down to get your mailing address. Looking forward to hearing from you :)

Like mother, like daughter

2008-05-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I'd share some pictures and stories about my mom, Joanne, who - as you'll see - has been one of my main sources of inspiration. I finished my latest mom-inspired project today: a late birthday present for my good friend's daughter, Sofia. It's a toss pillow with an applique from a picture of a mermaid that she drew us on a Christmas thank you note.

Here's a picture of both the applique and original drawing - I'm going to start offering custom appliques from your child's or your own artwork in the shop. And here's where the idea came from...

The school bag that Mom made from my drawing! She must have made when she was about my age, before I headed off for my first day of kindergartern. It's appliqued in ripstop nylon (she was making a lot of nylon windsocks then) and is even monogrammed on the other side, in what I think was my childhood writing. It has been so well used and loved!

The bag inspired my recent Marigolds Mini-break Bag. Although they are constructed a bit differently, the shape and materials are the same.

This quilt is the largest project mom worked on for me. It has 12 embroidered squares (some of the embroidery designs were from her grandma's collection, as I remember) and lots of vintage fabrics, some of which I have little pieces of in my collection (I had fun looking for them as I photographed this today).

A recent project was this cross-stitch for my wedding. Neither my mom nor I knew that we were both working on cross-stitch projects for the other! She opened mine - a mountain cabin scene in a Scandinavian style - at the rehearsal dinner, and she said all she could think was, wait, this is what I'm making for you! I love that so much of it is self-designed, like the waves and little marine animals on the bottom.

There are lots more that I don't have good pictures of, like a tailored, butter-soft black wool coat that got me through my first northeast winter, a few clothing items that she designed back in the 70's that I wore for college functions, and other masterpieces that I haven't been able to get my hands on (like her ceramic works, especially a village of ceramic houses, including mill and covered bridge - I'll try to remember to snap some pictures next time I'm in Corvallis).

Lessons

The Notes from my nest blog (which will hopefully be featuring Cascade Lemonade in the next couple of weeks) is having a Mother's Day bash (lots of great prizes and links!) around the question 'what did you learn after becoming a mother that you didn't know before?' Well, of course there are lots of answers to that question, but one of them is that I feel like I understand and respect my own mom, and all mothers - and fathers, for that matter - more now that I realize the responsibility, time, amazement, happiness, worry, sadness, and love that comes with becoming a parent. Thanks, Momma Jo!

Hither & Yonder Collection - Spring 2008

2008-05-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Although its been in the shop since May 1st, here's an introduction to the 7 new designs in my Spring 'Hither & Yonder' Collection:

Sally Forth Sundries Pouch: My absolute favorite design of all was the last that I made. Even though I prefer working with natural materials, I think the vinyl pockets make these look pretty snazzy. This first one is made from a retro denim that I got at the Legacy on my last California trip. It has serious attitude - there are such random, bright designs on it, like lightbulbs, toothbrushes, zippers, eyes, frogs, etc! It's designed to be big enough for even full-sized toiletries like shaving gel.
And another one made from a heavy-weight fuchsia nylon I bought at the Rainshed outdoor fabrics store in my hometown of Corvallis, Oregon.

The Marigolds Mini-Break bag has already been sent off to be used for lakeshore trips in Michigan. The handles are a retro 80's webbing that my mother-in-law shared with me. I think the colors are so 2008, too - fuchsia, turquoise, yellow. The 'Marigolds' are an imaginary travelling/singing duo that my cousin, Meg, and I always dreamed of starting (complete with a VW bus!).

The Prairie Ponderings Mat is water-resistant, padded, and insulated, designed to be used by people from age 0-120...as a changing pad, nap mat, minimalist backpacking sleeping pad, and sitting mat. It's named after my dad's 'Prairie Ponderings' updates of his experiences as a community economist on the MN and OR prairies.

These are the designs that I've had in my head for a year now and finally wanted to create - the Hither Picnic Pouch (insulated, reusable food pouch) and Yonder Picnic Case (a picnic placemat and tote in one; sized to fit on an airplane tray table). This set is made of a vintage fabric from my grandma's collection that still had tags attached!

Finally, a couple fun little things - the Misty Leah Transparent Mini Zipper Pouch (named after my sis-in-law)

and ZuZu Luggage Tag (a smaller version of my ZuZuum Tags) - isn't this Alexander Henry 'Lemon Blossom' fabric (I call 'Spring flowers') fresh and cheerful?

Stay tuned for updates about my next collection - coming sooner than you'd think!

Opening in Boston ... and deadlines

2008-05-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we went into Boston for the OAK grand opening. It was great to actually see the store in person and to see my items (Mylarkey Lunch Bags and Teensy Pocket Cases) displayed. I was surprised at how close it is to the swanky shops of Newbury Street - just a couple steps off on Gloucester Street. I hope to do some of my deliveries there in person so I can check out more of the shops and restaurants in that area. And Caden loved seeing the swan boats and playing in an excellent neighborhood playground nearby.

Today, I'm trying to meet 2 self-imposed deadlines: finishing a draft of my first thesis chapter (and manuscript, hopefully for publication) to send to my advisor (mid-day update: a few things to double-check and still need to write the abstract!) and posting my spring Hither & Yonder Collection in the Cascade Lemonade shop during breaks (update: about half of the items have been added, the rest are yet to come this evening). I look forward to celebrating with ice cream sundaes tonight. :)

OAK Boston

2008-04-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

Cascade Lemonade is now available offline! At OAK ('One of A Kind') - a boutique in Boston that sells all handmade items. OAK is having a grand opening this Sunday, April 27, from 2-6 pm. It is located at 31 Gloucester Street (a block away from the shops and cafes of Newbury Street) - check out the OAK blog and OAK website for more information. We'll be there - probably on the early side so we don't throw Caden's afternoon nap schedule too off-whack. Also, if you look here on the OAK blog, you can see some of my items on the shelves - Mylarkey Lunch Bags on the top tier of one of the ladder shelves and Teensy Cases on the bureau. Hope to see anyone local then - just look for the 2-year old towhead!

Is this Mylarkey still on the shelf or has it been snapped up? I'll find out on Sunday!

Spring!

2008-04-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

At the end of March, we headed out to California for 10 days of fieldwork and catching up with friends and family (who came down from Oregon). Once again, we were all sick, bringing Caden’s tally for the winter season up to 6 stomach bugs, 2 fevers (4th/5th/6th diseases? - these were how it started in October), 2 pink eye infections, pneumonia, 2 bouts of ear infections, and a chronic cold. When I threw my hands up at the doctor’s office this last week (she diagnosed Caden with more ear infections), she was completely unconcerned. Apparently, kids his age who go to daycare are expected to be sick 10 times a year. From checking blogs of our friends who have kids his age, it seems we are not alone. I still say, this is insane. Enough!!

Catching up on my thesis work, with Matt's help

Fortunately, we did enjoy a couple sunny and healthy days in CA (Easter being one of them), and we were excited to get news that a friend (a researcher at the lab there) is expecting a baby in September! I knew I’d packed my knitting needles and some baby yarn for a reason, so I made up these booties.

When we got back to Massachusetts last Tuesday, we found the first real sign of spring here in the northeast – a crocus blooming at the bottom of our front steps (look close!). We planted a few bulbs when we moved in last fall. We are looking forward to daffodils pretty soon.

I’m going to try to start adding more little posts, instead of saving up ideas for big ones (like I have been), then only finding the time for those once a month! For future posts, things on my mind are: healthy and green living: lunch containers (plastic? Metal?), natural and organic home and health products, where to get carbon credits, how to support renewable energy, and why are some calico fabrics now labeled as health hazards (CA prop 65)? If you’re wondering about some of the same things, stay tuned! I’ll sprinkle some of my thoughts and findings in future blog posts.

Happy spring, and here’s to the healthier season of the year!

BookMooch: the best thing since sliced bread

2008-03-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

The website Bookmooch recently joined my personal list of favorite things, right in there with rhubarb, daphne, Jimmy Buffett, and my ultra-light backpacking stove. I discovered it a couple months ago. I had just finished reading ‘Secret Life of Bees’, which I enjoyed but didn’t feel the need to hang onto. Except for travel, reference, and science books, we pass most books on to friends and used bookstores. I said to myself ‘I wonder if there’s any sort of online book exchange’ and, voila, Google introduced me to BookMooch.

How BookMooch works
First, you open a BookMooch account. I feel very comfortable saying that BookMooch is totally legit, there will be no spamming. BookMooch works on a point system. The only money involved is the cost to ship your books to people who mooch from you. You decide whether you will ship internationally, or there’s an option to have potential moochers ‘check with you first’ if they’re not from your country. Second, you create an inventory (books you are willing to give away) and wishlist (books you would like to receive if/when they become available). You receive points by: listing books in your inventory (+0.1), sending a book within your country (+1), sending a book internationally (+3), and leaving feedback when you receive a book (+0.1). You use points to: mooch a book from someone in your country (-1) or from someone in a different country (-2) or to donate to charity (any amount). How does BookMooch itself subsist? It is linked to Amazon, so every time a purchase on Amazon involves access through a BookMooch link, BookMooch gets a kick-back.

My experience so far
I’ve sent out 3 books, to Illinois, the U.K., and (‘Secret Life of Bees’) to Trinidad & Tobago, and will send a fourth book to Japan on Monday! I’ve mooched 4 books: ‘Time Traveler’s Wife’ (an amazing book), ‘Inkheart’, ‘Cat’s Eye’, and ‘Dune’ (haven’t read it in ~15 years!). I’m still waiting on ‘The Blind Assassin’ and a travel guide to Oahu. I like that BookMooch sends me an email notification if a book on my wishlist becomes available, so I don’t have to check BookMooch regularly. It’s also possible to browse available books by subject, title, author, etc. Or you can browse a BookMooch members’ inventory and mooch multiple books at once to save on shipping. I’m completely sold! Now I wish I’d saved my books in the past so I could accumulate points. Because I never know when a copy of my great-grandmother’s biography (‘White Woman on the Congo’) might show up in Timbuktu! Check it out (see link on my blog), and mark me as a ‘friend’ so I can watch out for books on your wishlist, too.

Valentines and birthdays

2008-02-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

This year's Valentines and birthday celebrations have been slowed down a bit by recurrent (daycare-acquired) illnesses chez nous, but hopefully we are all in recovery mode. Caden and I collaborated on making Valentines for his daycare class. He did the fingerpainting:

and I made some simple luggage or bag tags, then cut his paintings into little notes to slide in behind the vinyl window. They were a fun, colorful project and only took a couple evenings to put together.

The day before Valentines Day, I went into Boston for a graduate research presentation and reading discussion group on the Northeastern campus, then to see Jane Lubchenco give a seminar at Harvard. Despite the pouring rain, it was a really fun 'field trip', and I returned home to these 'tweats' (sensu Caden) that Caden and Dada had spent the evening preparing (note: the plate of brownies was initially full!).

The next day, Matt had to go to Boston for a faculty meeting, so I had time to finish his Valentine (a Swedish woven heart card like those below, with bracken fern and pinecone fabrics) and make some golden tassies tartlets with lemon curd and whipped cream. Alas, no pictures, but they were delicious!

That following weekend, I went to a baby shower for work friends expecting their second baby. I made this nylon-backed lawn blanket/play mat out of irregularly-shaped flannel Hawaiian prints I found at the Legacy last year. Once I added a coordinating navy border, I was happy with how it tied together! It was definitely my fastest quilting project yet, completed in just a weekend!

Finally, I'm excited about this pincushion Matt gave me for my birthday last week. It's from lamplightdesigns (on Etsy) and is extra big and weighted with lentils - I can't wait to use it!

Applique-que-que

2008-02-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

I've enjoyed designing some applique projects over the last couple of weeks, many of them with a Valentines Day theme. I had fun letting the materials inspire me. As I was sifting through fabrics, I came across one with peachy pink waves that I picked up at the Legacy (my favorite all-donation craft store that supports a local senior center) last time I was in California. I'm sure I felt guilty about getting it because I didn't have a plan for it at the time. Well, once I saw it again, I started envisioning all the little appliques that could float along in that pink ocean - not hard for a marine biologist! I've only completed this one project with it so far - a Love Boat pouch that's up in the shop.

Last weekend, I tried making sewn greeting cards for the first time. I was immediately hooked! They are the quickest and most satisfying little project I've come up with in a long time. Four of these are still in the shop...but they will be on their way to my friends and family for Valentines Day soon...

I also tried out some fancy stitching around the edges, but it's tricky to make it look nice where the stitching joins at the end. Janae just featured this pink leopard card for her blog's Fabulous Finds Friday.

And here's the project that started my applique fest - a birthday bikini pouch for my sister, who's moving to Oahu this summer to work with Teach for America. It was inspired by the darling pouches made by Lori Marie of pretty lil things.

I came up with the pattern for the bikini top, and it took a few people a bit too long to understand what they were looking at, so I think I'll need to work on this if I ever make another one as a gift.
Back to working on a custom order lunch bag - with an appliqued monogram!

Better late or never: to-do list strategies

2008-01-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

Over the past year or two, the wonderful realization that I don’t have to do everything on my ‘to do’ list has started to dawn on me.

I remember first realizing this when I was almost at the top of an uphill hike: I didn’t have to go all the way to the top if I didn’t want to, and not reaching the summit didn’t have to leave me feeling disappointed in the hike or myself. I knew I could make it to the top, and that I might be missing out on a view, but that in some cases forcing myself to keep going wasn’t necessary and could even detract from the experience. Not to say that there haven’t been times I’ve pushed myself beyond the ‘fun’ point and then had it all be worth it for the view and satisfaction, but knowing there are alternatives now leaves ‘going on’ or ‘turning back’ both as viable options.

Sometimes it’s better to do ‘to do’ things later or, even, never! A friend’s postdoc advisor suggests making 2 ‘to do’ lists: one of ‘must dos’ and the other of ‘maybe dos’. Since I am a huge list-maker, I’ve found one method that works for me is to fold a piece of paper into quarters, then use the 4 quadrants to make lists of things ‘to do’ (1) today, (2) this week, (3) this month, and (4) at some point. In a quick web search, it looks like ‘to do list strategies’ is a popular New Year’s topic, and that the most common suggestion is to prioritize and start with the highest priority. This strategy works best for me as far as grad school. In contrast, when it comes to sewing for the shop and custom orders, I always start with the smallest, easiest projects, because remaining tasks feel less daunting when I’m done with the easy ones. Finally, one great suggestion I read is to identify your most and least productive times of day and plan tasks to match your focus level. For me, this means reading papers first thing in the morning and doing any web database searches after lunch and in the afternoon.

Last month, just before Christmas, I was overwhelmed by keeping up with custom Cascade Lemonade orders, preparing for a meeting with my advisor in California, and other family holiday activities. I ended up leaving several ‘to do’ items for later or never, including making many gifts and a wreath for our front door. This weekend, I finally got around to making the wreath, from greenery and dried flowers clipped from our yard, so now it’s a Valentine’s Day wreath!

Crazy and upside-down cakes

2008-01-25T19:47:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of my favorite quick cake recipes, both picked up during my time with the Whitman College marine biology class at Friday Harbor Labs. I think this may be the only class I know where the teaching assistants not only set up labs and advise projects, they also plan and prepare 3 meals a day for a week. Hence, the super quick, easy, and tasty recipes. The Crazy Cake comes from Mandy, who TA-ed with me, and the Peach Upside-Down Cake comes from my TA the previous year (who was also a white-water rafting guide), Ben. Enjoy!

Crazy Cake

We just made this with Caden’s help – his first experience baking a real cake! It’s perfect for baking with kids because it’s vegan, so no raw eggs to worry about. And once Caden tasted the batter, there was no keeping him from it! The lack of eggs also means it would be great for camping – just mix the dry and wet ingredients and carry in a Ziplock bag and small plastic container, respectively. Bake in a dutch over or foil packets? If it doesn’t bake through, you can just eat it as ‘molten’ chocolate cake! Finally, it’s cholesterol free when made with canola oil.

Ingredients
3 c. flour
6 T. baking cocoa
2 c. white sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
¾ c. oil
2 T. vinegar (we just used white wine, but any white or red would work)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. cold water

Directions
Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in 2 separate bowls. Combine. Bake in a 9x13 pan (no greasing required) at 350 F for 30-35 minutes. Delicious when served warm.

Peach Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients
Store-bought cake mix (yellow or white)
Ingredients called for on the mix box (eggs, oil)
Can of sliced peaches in juice (‘regular’ size for a square pan, ‘family’ size for a 9x13 pan)
Brown sugar (optional)

Directions
Grease a 9x9 or 9x13 pan. Drain peaches into a liquid measuring cup, and reserve juice. Sprinkle brown sugar in the pan if a crunchy topping is desired. Arrange peaches in the bottom of the pan. Prepare cake mix as directed (on the box) *except* use the peach juice in place of water (adding extra water, if there’s not enough juice). Pour batter over peaches, and bake as directed. Cake will take extra time to bake due to the added juiciness of the peaches, especially in a 9x9 square pan (up to an hour). When a toothpick comes out clean, let cake cool a bit, then either serve straight from the pan or invert onto a serving dish. Fabulous when served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

If anyone tries any variations on these, please share! Bon appetit!

New Year 2008 - First post!

2008-01-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Since this is my first post, I thought I'd start off with an introduction, after I explain my thinking about why start a blog at all?

The short answer: now that I’ve come up with the idea, my brain won’t stop composing entries until I do.

The long answer: my initial impetus to starting this was as a forum to share craft projects and ideas with other ETSY community members. Many Etsyans have fun and beautiful blogs that I enjoy reading and that, I also think, make their homemade products more desirable because of the ‘behind the scenes’ window into the crafters’/sellers’ lives. But a devoted craft blog just didn’t seem right for me, partly because I couldn’t reason adding another craft-focused project to my schedule. I also thought about my online ‘persona’: did I want to be known as a crafter only, diluting my sciency Google hits? I started looking at blogs written by my ecological colleagues and found that they include entries such as political commentary on science-informed issues, statistical advice, references to quirky studies, and scientific equipment tutorials. When I searched for ‘science craft blog’, I got…nothing. I didn’t even try adding ‘how to balance work and family’ to the search. Voila – a niche!

Me, my blog, and I
I am: a mom, graduate student, crafter, lover of the outdoors, native Oregonian, California resident, living in Massachusetts. In my head, I am constantly dreaming up new craft projects, family trips, and research projects. I am also frequently contemplating how to meld the disparate facets of my life – namely, family (always my number 1 priority), science (or ‘work’, although it fortunately rarely feels like it), and hobbies (especially outdoor pursuits and crafting, which sometimes shifts to feeling more like ‘work’). Is it possible to concurrently be an effective and productive scientist with a satisfying family life and while devoting time and energy to creative and physical pursuits? I look forward to exploring these goals and questions, sharing ideas I’m dreaming up, and providing a little window into *my* multi-faceted life. Maybe I’ll spark some academic, creative, or domestic energy in *your’s* !

Family (last Christmas Eve 2006, on the California coast)

Science (sea squirts and bryozoans are squishy but beautiful!)

Crafts (my biggest project yet - my one and only full size 'Snail's trail' quilt)

I've enjoyed reading other bloggers' New Year's resolutions, which has prompted me to share my own. In 2008, I resolve to:

1. sleep 7 hrs/night (up from my typical 5 ½ to 6)
2. strengthen my back/improve my posture (more weights and yoga?)
3. do a pull up (this may be my most challenging resolution, but if I can go from failing the ‘sit and reach’ in elementary school to one of the more flexible members of tae kwon do in college, then I trust it can be done!)
4. read a paper a day (I’m determined to read all 365, so I already have about 15 days of catching up to do)
5. submit 2 papers (I’ve set a self-imposed deadline of February for the review I’m working on – my first thesis chapter! Not sure what the other will be, but hopefully I’ll find it when I…)
6. analyze and review all existing thesis data (yes, I mean all)
7. give a guest class lecture (maybe in the marine invertebrates class next fall - ?)
8. take Caden backpacking (we took him camping twice his first summer, but not at all last summer – we were so busy with moving!)
9. go camping in the northeast (since we’re new here, we’ll have to find out what time of year is the best combination of warm temperatures and low bug densities)
10. update Caden’s baby book
11. make a pdf pattern for my lunch bags (high up-front time commitment, but would be nice to have and hopefully pay off eventually)
12. make a play mat (I’ve been planning this since I opened my Etsy shop and have yet do actually do it!)
13. make Caden’s Christmas stocking (Puffy paint on flannel just doesn’t have the same cozy feel – but this resolution will be tough, too, because I’ll have to find/design a pattern that I think he’ll like through adulthood – phew, tough task!)
14. make improvements on the house (we have a punch list maybe 50-75 items long, so it shouldn’t be hard to cross at least a few things off the list…maybe the roof? We updated the electricity from fuses to 200 amps soon after we moved in last year)
15. call someone once a week (I realize that I get so busy, I don’t make enough of an effort to communicate with friends and family, 95% of whom are across the country from us)

15 seems like a reasonable number to me, although my husband sounded shocked at the length of my list. Maybe posting these will actually make me accountable for them!