Eckenrode Family

Sharing a Root Beer Float Again

We sat in the afternoon heat sharing a root beer float. I told him about the summer he was in my tummy and how he'd ask for a root beer float and wouldn’t stop until I’d had one. He asked how I got it to him. Then he told me he wanted to go back in my tummy.

The Weekend

This weekend we worked feverishly to finish planting the garden and putting up the electric fence in an attempt to keep out the deer.


I also worked on testing a pattern for Patterns by Figgy called the Tee for Two. We worked all day Saturday and Sunday digging in the dirt and I am so happy with what we got accomplished. While the garden looks beautiful there are weeds next to our house that are beginning to match me in height. Spring in a new house forces you to prioritize and right now the garden is at the top of our list. We'll tackle those five feet dandelions soon...

I was excited to test this pattern because I've always wanted to sew with jersey knit but wasn't sure I could.
I'm so happy that I now have a pattern that I can use to customize tshirts for my kids. This is one item of clothing I'm sure that they will wear.

Kids Clothes Week Challenge

Here is what I got accomplished this week during Kids Clothes Week Challenge. I also got about 8 other projects cut out and ready to go. These are more of Oliver + S sandbox pants made into shorts. I love the fit of these shorts and the construction was easy and fun. I think these will be my go-to pant and short pattern. Miles put his on this morning and has been wearing them ever since. Ben opted for some sweat pants. Oh, well maybe some other time...

The Mohawk

Clutching his picture of David Beckham Miles went bravely into the hair salon. He sat there with a smile plastered to his face the whole time he was getting his haircut. This is the first time I’ve seen the back of his ears since he was an infant. I love that he has an opinion now about his appearance and is expressing himself through it. I think he looks awesome.
I did finally finish a project for the Kids Sewing Week. The other three pairs are waiting for the last few steps so I should have them done by this weekend. The pattern is the Oliver + S sandbox pants but I shortened them to make them into shorts. This is the 3^rd time I’ve made this pattern and I love it. The fit is great.  I asked Ben to try them on this morning and after a minute with them on he took them off. I asked him if he was going to wear them today and he said, “Um no. I’ll wear them in the summer.” I said “It is summer.” He said, “Well, I wear them in the spring.” I said, “It is spring.” So, I don’t know if they’ll ever get worn but here they are nonetheless. The other pair I made for him are made of a soft, lightweight denim that they picked out. Up next are the flannel pajama pants they picked out so I have more hope that they will be worn…

This Charming Boy of Mine

Today was raining and dark. I took my morning shower and upon walking into the living room past Ben I heard, “You look beautiful.”

Later after dropping Miles at preschool I was in the kitchen with Ben when I suggested we turn on some music. He said, “Dance with me.” 
(Charming boy with cute bunny. . . does it get any better than that?)

Then after we danced he sat having a snack and said “Here I made you a necklace.” Handing me an invisible necklace that he pretended to make, “It has a heart on it and it says ‘I love you.’

Kids Sewing Challenge: Day 2

I'm happy to report that I have been keeping up the challenge of spending at least an hour a day sewing clothes for my kids. The progress has been slow going and there are no projects to show for my time yet. All of my time has been spent cutting patterns, tracing and cutting fabric.
I just started actually sewing last night. I have all of my projects cut, so hopefully I'll have something to share here soon. Currently I have four pairs of Oliver + S sandbox pants (transformed into shorts) on the sewing table and I'm doing them assembly line style. My hour is squeezed in after the kids go to bed. Hopefully I'll be back here soon with my kids in these shorts!

Weekend

We finally got some things planted in the garden today and I finally found myself back in the craft room sewing. With most of the weekends full of rain, we’ve been waiting for the right time to begin planting and with the pure blue skies up above, we dug into the dirt and planted shallots, garlic, strawberries, asparagus, swiss chard, spinach, potatoes, rhubarb and onions. I’ve been amazed at how much prep work has been involved with a garden this size leading up to actually putting the seeds and seedlings in the ground. Hopefully next weekend we can plant the rest of the garden.

This week begins the Kids Sewing Challenge at Elsie Marley where the challenge is to spend at least one hour each day sewing clothes for your kids. I’ve spent the last several days just tracing patterns and cutting out. I still have more of that to do and now I have a pile of cut fabric waiting to be put together.
I have very ambitious plans that include 6 pairs of shorts, 4 pairs of pajama pants and 2 hoodies. I know I won’t get all of this done in one week but hopefully with the momentum I’ve got started I can finish these projects I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

I had a wonderful Mother’s Day today. I got up to find Tim placing a nice hearty breakfast on a tray to bring to me in bed. Then Miles kept sneaking away to the craft room to make me things. One of his surprises had real flowers glued to it. So sweet. After dinner Tim took the boys out to play baseball and I went into the craft room to sew. But after a few minutes of watching my boys play in the yard I couldn’t stay inside and I suggested we go for hike. So, to end this great day we took a hike in the woods just before the sun set. 

Superhero Powers Fight Virus

The last couple of weeks Tim and I have been battling nasty colds and now it seems the boys have caught it. Miles ran a temperature of 105 last night and it was so hard to see him so uncomfortable. It is at these times though that I get to see what a great dad Tim is. He steps in and becomes so nurturing and has great instincts on what to do. He hovered over him, rechecking his temperature and doing what he could to make him comfortable. Then he gave his spot up in bed, laid Miles down next to me and then he took the couch. Today Miles and Ben have dressed up like superheroes and I hope they use some of those special powers to rid this house of the virus.

I’ve been trying to get into the craft room almost every night to prepare for Kids Sewing Week over at Elsie Marley. The goal is spend at least one hour each night in the second week of May sewing for your kids. This is just the push I’ve needed to get back in the sewing room. I have plans to make pajama bottoms, several pairs of shorts and even a hoodie for each boy.

Wish us luck on fighting this virus. A little luck and some powers from Batman and super B should do the job.

Nine Years

This weekend marked our ninth wedding anniversary. Although we didn’t plan ahead for a babysitter and I got a terrible cold, we still managed to have a nice day. We worked side-by-side in the garden moving dirt into the newly built raised beds. It was nice to stop and reflect on who we were nine years ago and to ask Tim if he thought then that he’d be here now where we are. Of course he said no. A dream has manifested for us that I don’t even think we could have come up with that day in our twenties. Here we are now, moving dirt, realizing this dream of beginning to be more self-sufficient by growing what we eat; living next to a woods with miles and miles of hiking trails; and listening and watching our two beautiful boys playing nearby. It feels like all of this has become reality because of that day nine years ago. We continued to celebrate our marriage and our family all weekend.

We went to this families first ever tball game.
We went hiking and like usual Ben found the perfect walking stick. Can you see where his brother cut his hair while they were playing barber shop earlier this week? There is a big chunk of hair cut from the front and a big chunk from the back. Luckily his hair is wavy enough that it’s not too obvious.

Earlier today Miles set up this “Dog Sale.” By dog sale he does not mean he is selling dogs, rather selling bones for dogs. He has found all of these bones (and more) in our yard and surrounding woods. It was a great weekend. I can only imagine what the next nine years will bring for our family. I feel so lucky to have gained all that I have these last nine.