Author Archives: Andria Kay Olson

632. That’s how many items I have in my reader. From four days. That’s how many I just marked as read, save a select few, without reading them.

So overwhelming some days and I can’t keep up. But it felt good to click that “are you sure?” button. Yes, I am. As much as I love reading what all of you are doing, sometimes I just have to remember it is my life that is important. Comparison can be a debilitating act. One I’m not up for participating in at the moment.

My sewing machine rests quietly in the basement. I haven’t touched it for almost four weeks. I haven’t even been down there to go through my stash and dream up projects. I haven’t baked anything delicious. My house is a wreck with an impressive back log of laundry. I have to do lists that never seem to get anything crossed off of them. I haven’t been on Facebook or Pinterest, and I barely check my emails.

I feel like I have nothing to share at the moment and it’s hard for me to write about nothing. So what have I been doing while I have been away from this space?

Naps. Gus has been a horrible sleeper and Evelyn isn’t much better. So when we can all nap at the same time, I go for it.

Visiting with family. I’ve gotten to see aunts, uncles, and cousins. We stayed out at my parents’ house a few times and it has been really good to see my brother Clifton.

I love being out there in the summertime. They live in the country and I must say that’s where my heart is. Quiet and slow. Open. We don’t really do anything but that is everything. I hope one day to have a place like that. But with faster internet connection. Is that possible?

Greenhouse hopping. My Mom and I have been hitting up some of the local nurseries for our annuals and such. Now I have to plant them…

Wow. I almost fell asleep typing that. Then I almost deleted it all. Then I realized that would be a waste of twenty minutes of my life. I’m all out of witty and insightful tonight. There are too many unfinished (or not even started) projects lolling around in my head taking up space for that. Maybe I’ll feel better if I make a pumpkin pie. That sounds good.

Things are already looking up with the prospect of pie. I’ll be back with some photo-heavy posts to send off the weekend. Promise.

Another week gone by and nothing more than the mundane to show for it. Oh well. Have a great weekend!

A little late, but that’s how things are going around here. A happy and sad weekend has left me with a heavy heart. Nothing too much that I can talk about but my thoughts are  fluttering around frantically, too hard to pin down. I hope the sun and warm weather come out soon. Some days I feel like I’m just surviving and those two things make me feel like I’m thriving. Not much different than any other living being, I suppose. But, you know. It still would be nice. I wish I could escape with my family to some where with palm trees and warm breezes that softly flap a skirt around my legs. Where sand clings to the rosy cheeks of my sun-kissed and worn out babes. Laughter by a pool. A grilled dinner you eat with your hands. Not too many bugs. Is there a place like this? Please tell me there is because then maybe I could pin one of those thoughts down and feel some peace.

I hope you are having a wonderful Monday and you are finding some sunshine.

I’m behind. I’m tired. I’m cold. I don’t have anything exciting to show you, just some little things.

Boys and trucks.

In the last couple weeks, if it has wheels, it’s interesting. And dirt is a plus if it’s available. My dining and coffee tables are covered with tractors, cars, trucks, trains, and planes.

I always find this gender and toys issue fascinating. Up until a few months ago, most of the toys in our house were of the frilly/pink/doll variety. Gus would play with them, just differently. He loves to put the baby dolls in the prams and strollers and push them around- he just does it at break-neck speed and tries to run over as many things as possible. Dog and sister included. Bonus points for smashing into mama’s shins or pushing it down the stairs.

*****

Thrifting.

Scored a Pyrex hot air balloon chip bowl. Now to find the dip bowl.

Also got these fun aqua and white kid-sized chairs.

A raucous game of “That’s MY Chair!” ensued when they were brought into the house. Sort-of like musical chairs except every chair is the toddler’s chair even if they can’t sit on all the chairs at once. That problem was solved when they figured out how to stack all the chairs together. Then it turned into a game of king of the wobbling mountain. This problem was solved by taking them down to the basement storage room.

*****

Flower shop.

Every year my Momma and I do a little flower shop hop. Last year we had both of the kids with us and it wasn’t much fun. This year we were going to go by ourselves but she was tricked by the crying faces at the window and decided we needed to take Evelyn along.

I think she found out it was a bad idea by the 400th time Evelyn asked to go to the lunch store with the slide (McDonald’s). We tried to go to one without a play area and she freaked. Drove an extra 10 miles out of the way to get her to stop crying.

It was a long day and we only made it to one garden center. New rule: if they can talk, walk, or have an opinion on anything, they can’t come. The only exception would be if they are content to sit and read and/or can pull a wagon full of plants.

*****

The weekend will be here soon. Last day of swimming lessons and a baby shower will be filling our time. Hoping to make some rhubarb jam, too! Do you have any favorite recipes?

I actually have a completed quilt to show you! This one is for my friend Holly who is having a little girl next month. It came out a little crinkly from the dryer so it didn’t photograph particularly well (that with the full sun) but it is beautiful.

I knew I wanted to make her a quilt and started searching for ideas. I came across Lizzy House’s The Colorist and knew it would be perfect! It was confirmed when I asked Holly if she had a particular design in mind, she said she liked this color wheel quilt, just not so rainbow-y. She wanted greys and warm pinks with limey green. The pattern calls for 30 different fabrics and I only had to buy a few new pieces to pull it together.

The pattern isn’t too difficult and It does come together quickly. The only bugger is the pinning. Two large circles get pinned together and trying to ease all of that fabric in was a little on the frustrating side. My final background piece came out a little bumpy. I started to panic but, thanks to the suggestions of some of the ladies in my guild, I wet blocked it and most of the bumps smoothed out. It came out to be just under 50 inches square when all was said and done. A great size for playing on and snuggling on the couch when she’s older.

I started spiral quilting it from the center and quickly realized that was a bad idea. So I ripped out those stitches and started over with concentric circles. Much better. Scott calls them racing stripes. I think they look like rings in a tree. Maybe fitting for a life that will soon start accumulating those rings.

I really love the fabric I used for the binding, from Pat Bravo’s Coquette line.

I like to add little quotes or sayings, even song lyrics, to the labels of my quilts. This one is from Saint-John Perse, “A world to be born under your footsteps”. And hand-writing them is my thing, too.

Hit the ground running little girl.

I can only show you a peak because this quilt is for a gift. It will be finished by the weekend and then I can show you lots of pictures. I’m really excited about this one!

I wish I had more to show and even more to say but my mind has gone all soft and it really feels like a Friday today. I really want to take a nap but Evelyn has given those up so I’ll just keep sewing. And show you pictures of my kids because they are really what I’ve been working on.

Happy Friday! Tomorrow is sewing day and I am so excited! I got my bolt of fabric back but I haven’t had the time to cut anything out so I’m hoping to get that done tonight. And I think I might make some fruit salsa and cinnamon tortillas to bring a long for snacking. I seriously can’t wait for this weekend. Some much needed time for myself.

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

So here is that little video I told you about. Evelyn singing “Part of Your World”. I’m warning you that this isn’t really even that funny, but it’s cute. Cute in that I’m her mom and I think everything like this is adorable. She gets a few of the verses jumbled and repeats one or two, but all in all she does pretty well. My favorite part is what she thinks some of the words are. “Wandering free” becomes “wandering freak,” “get some answers” is “get some dancers,” “out of the sea” is “out of the seed” or seat (not sure which), and although she doesn’t sing it in this version, the opening line is usually “look at this stuff, isn’t it meat” instead of “neat”. And, even after hearing it and having to sing it more than several times a day, I still think this is funny. Because I’m her mom.