Well, we knew it was coming. We've been spoiled by an abnormally mild Northern winter, but the deep freeze has finally arrived.
Today it is -35, with a windchill of -44.
This morning, as I let the furry ones out for their morning wander, the cold air took my breath away. I started to cough, and my sensitive front teeth started to ache. The air was crisp, and the sound of the house, creaking with cold, sounded especially loud out there in the dark.
Back inside, the littlest one asked if she could wear a cozy sweater today -this, the girl who usually insists on wearing short sleeved t-shirts year round, and skirts with no tights.
The older one reluctantly put on a sweatshirt over his tee as he got ready for school, and I gave him the heads up that he would most definitely be having "indoor recess" today.
The Big Guy started the truck and we could hear it whine in protest. I was very grateful that our Monday schedule allowed me to stay home this morning instead of doing my usual 8:15 run to the school.
It's a day for staying home, if you can, and for staying warm. To be "in, lookin' out", to quote my grandfather. It's a day for knitting, reading by "the fire" (in this weather, even our electric fireplace counts!!), and for being cozy. It's a day for comfort food, and lots of hot coffee.
It is Winter, doing it's thing... where it does it's thing best!
Oh, my poor, poor, neglected blog!!
Like a lot of bloggers I know, every once in a while things outside of blogland get good and busy, and the daily, or even weekly posts get put to the wayside. That has certainly been the case at Pattycake Manners!!
I would love to make a declaration that I will make more of an effort to blog on a regular basis, along with all those other New Year's plans, but I'm not really sure that it's something I can stick to. So, in the interest of being more realistic, I am going to try my best to hang out here a little more often. I've been feeling really inspired by some of my favorite blog friends, and I really do miss this space. We are settling in to a new routine, and I would really like for my blog to have a place there.
Speaking of new routine, I've started a new job since Christmas! I am now the Teacher's Assistant at our local cooperative nursery school, and am loving working with a wonderful bunch of three and four year olds, two days a week. I have a truly lovely coworker who I enjoy spending the day with, and together we alternate between laughing at, and pulling our hair out over the antics of our little charges. I must say, it's great to be back in the work force, on however small a scale, and with a little more careful planning, the day-to-day running of our home seems to be managing without me for a few days a week, just as it should.
In other news, I'm also super excited to say that my Etsy Shop is finally up and running!! November was a blur of sewing in order to have a great stock of handbags for the local craft fair at the end of that month. The craft fair was a success - I sold some things and got to talk to lots of folks who knew of my work. Once it was over, I concentrated on finishing up a few Christmas orders and some personal sewing projects, and once the holidays were over, it was time to get things rolling! The shop, www.pattycakemanners.etsy.com , now has a selection of handbags for sale which are ready to ship, along with a couple that are made-to-order. My good friend Megan, of The Adventures of Moosegirl took some photos with good lighting (something I can never get the hang of!), and I must say that it is pretty exciting to see my work "out there"! Please stop by and check it out!
I'm also super pumped about the stacks of beautiful Spring fabric that are waiting patiently for me in my sewing room. I've got some new patterns that I'm looking forward to trying, as well as a few old favorites that always seem to be snapped up as soon as I make them!
In short, it's been busy around here!! But blogging more often is certainly on my to-do list, so I hope to see you back here soon!
So, did I tell you I opened my little sewing shop?
Well, I did!! For the last couple of months I have been sewing and knitting away making oodles of pretty bags and funky scarves. And I'm having such a wonderful time!
The plan was to open an etsy shop to sell my wares, but things started off with such a bang just through word of mouth and overwhelming support from family and friends, that I have decided to hold off on opening the etsy shop until the new year.
At the moment, I'm working on filling Christmas orders and prepping for the local craft fair coming up in a few weeks. I'll have Autumn Slouch bags, Town & Country totes, Peek-a-boo totes, and Winter Magic scarves in 13 beautiful colors (super cozy too!)
For a peek at what's happening at Pattycake Manners - The Shop, pop on over to my facebook page. And if you'd like to stay up to date with what's going on, be sure to hit the "like" button!
My, oh my...where on earth does the time go?
When I wrote my last post, the plan was to get back into a steady blogging routine. Then the reality of our "new life" set in. We have one little guy who is now in school, one little gal who is now in preschool, we have after school sports, weekend swimming, oodles of play dates, and just a whole lot more goin' on than we ever have before.
My little sewing business, "Pattycake Manners - The Shop" is well under way, and while I'm holding off on opening my Etsy Shop, I've been overwhelmed by all the support I've received from family, friends, and friends-of-friends in these early stages. I've had lots of orders, I am finding my groove, and I'm super stoked to be gearing up to participate in the local craft fair in November.
We've been in our new home for just over two months now, but it feels like we've lived here forever. Our new town rocks! And we've had my Mom visiting from Cape Breton for the last couple of weeks, which also rocks!!
Needless to say, this new pace is taking a toll on my late night blogging sessions. But such is life, right?
And now I see by my trusty calendar that we are about to flip to October! Which means Christmas is headed straight for us!! For the latest installment of the Christmas Calmdown, and a little kick in the pants, why don't you pop over to Nesty and see what Kim is saying about it all today?
Today I'm joining in with Ginny of small things for her weekly Yarn Along, where we share what we are both reading and knitting. It's been a while since I took part, but with things now settled after the move, I'm finding more time for two of my favorite hobbies.
I'm currently reading 'A Woman in the Polar Night' by Christiane Ritter. It's one woman's account of spending the winter in remote Norway. I picked it up at a great local bookshop, and while the book does not take place in the Canadian North, I'm still able to relate a bit to her experiences. I'm loving it, and am a little sad that I am nearing the end.
On the needles I have my first mitten!! Well, truthfully, it's my second attempt at my first mitten. I really thought I could handle not working on something while we were home to Cape Breton in June, but after a week or two I found myself in a yarn store asking for a simple no-brainer pattern and something colorful to have in my lap. I ended up making a cute set for the Littlest One - a scarf, hat, and now the mitts. I might have also picked up yarn to make a second set for the Older One...maybe ;)
