2 - bruschetta

I have wanted to make bruschetta for two years.  I don’t care much for tomatoes but tomatoes in things like fresh salsa and bruschetta are my jam.  I love them.  Bruschetta reminds me of my grandparents when I was in Michigan with them years ago i would make it as an alternative to my grandpa just pouring vinegar all over tomatoes.  

We recently got a Hello Fresh Bruschetta Burgers kit in our meals and I seized the opportunity to make the bruschetta.  This was okayish.  The balsamic vinegar included in the kit was not my favorite and honestly you needed like 25% less.  But I am crossing this one off.  If my tomatoes in my garden ever ripen I may make more or maybe I will make salsa instead.

29 - Geocaching & Hiking

We started some geocaching this last week it’s like a hike + finding things.  And this really made things more interesting for my kids.  It’s also helping them read maps and decipher how to describe things in relation to each other.  They love that some of them have little trinkets inside.  

I downloaded the geocaching app and so far we have only found geocaches available for free within the app. We do plan to meet up our friends to geocache with them sometime soon.  

I am counting this as one of our hikes for the year too because I have lost count of when we took them and when we didn’t. 

21 - quilt repaired

The quilt I keep on my bed has binding come undone.  It was hand sewn and probably poorly.  So I replaced it with new binding.  The new binding is much brighter pink but it was fabric on hand but I don’t dislike it.  

The quilt is mostly vintage sheets - both the flower prints and yellow are sheets so it’s sooo soft.  

Jones was my photographer and this one is so big I couldn’t really even hold it.  I need to find a tree in our yard I can hang quilts from. 

Up closer. 

From 2011 when I finished this quilt. 

40 works of art 1 & 2

One of my things on my 40th list was making 40 works of art.  I have wanted to do more experimenting with mediums for a while.  I considered making 40 works of art and sending them out to friends for my birthday but that never materialized.  So instead i am making 40 works of art and I may send them to friends, I put them in art boxes, I may figure out another solution instead I don’t know yet.  Anyhow here are the 2 I am labeling them on the back so they are numbered.  

Thea did this one with me we were experimenting with painting with textures rather than brushes.  I think we used cardboard, plastic, sponges, screws and maybe other things.  It turned out pretty fun.  She made her own which she almost turned into mud mixing all the colors together.

The second I did on my while my kids were playing actually.  I just picked three colors and painted it.  I have been really into neon colors and had this neon yellow from my failed neon yellow chair project.

1 - MOVE

Did I ever mention we moved? 

Back when I wrote this list we were still toyih with the idea of moving across the country to colorado.  I still wish we could have done that.  But cost of living + the house size we needed made it more of a pipe dream.  

We placed an offer on this house before the Pandemic was a thing even.  

So many times I questioned if we should proceed with buying our new house.  Does you still buy a house in a pandemic?  But one thing we learned from sheltering in place in 1000 sq feet was we NEEDED this.  It’s been such a blessing in so many ways.  We love it.

6 - 40 before 40

Last summer I started the 40 selfies before I turned 40.  And I finished it the night before I turned 40.

None of these are perfect photos of me, most of them I have messy hair or bags under my eyes.  But they are me, celebrating my last year of my 30s if you could call it that.  

40 List

I made a list for my 40th birthday.  I had planned to go on a trip with my friends but in a pandemic that seemed ridiculous.  Then I wanted to have a day without my kids but that didn’t happen either.  Babysitting in a pandemic is ridiculously impossible, when you are a single mom it’s ever harder.  I miss it sooooo much enough of that wallowing.   So instead I made a list of other things.  Things I like I want to do. I refined this list down from 30+ items.  

40 birthday list

Make lemonade

Watch Hamilton

40th Jar

40 works of art

40 donations

40 Take 3 trash pickup

Work on Secret Garden

Drink lambic Framboise

Send Cards

Hang Art

Thrift Store

Geocaching 

One thing I didn’t add was that i wanted to resume writing here more.  I still want to do it but i couldn’t quantify how much, just that i wanted to.  

I already got a jump start on my list too.  I picked up this trash:

I started my jar:

I made a donation actually two:

I made lemonade (which was so delicious):

Edited** this item was actually on my list for 2020 too.  I have completely forgotten and lost track of my list since this pandemic has derailed all things.

The big 6.

Last week this kid turned six.  If there had been no pandemic We were supposed to have gone to Florida and Legoland and then come home for a big a Lego party.  But that did NOT seem safe so instead we landed on him inviting a friend fishing and swimming at the local lake.  His friend brought his sister and mom and auntie Kathleen came.  Anyhow it was a good fish party.  

He caught a giant catfish which snapped the line before we got it in.  But we saw it and it was big.  I am glad I didn’t have to unhook it and touch it, the worms were bad enough.  

Even though we hit the lake before noon it was really much busier than it has been in years, people mostly kept their distance with a few exceptions.  

It was a good weekend and for maybe 20 minutes I was out in public and not worried about social distancing and then someone would get close and I would yell at my kids to give someone space.  Ugh.  

I bought him a trampoline and some legos and we had his favorite meal of Mexican.  

Anyhow happy birthday to my fun, loving, clever boy who loves the color red, wants to be a lego master builder and wishes the neighbors cat was his.

Easter

Easter this year was not perfect or ideal.  We did church online, we didn’t invite anyone over, we had meltdowns.  I didn’t make bread or pie because of other priorities and fits.  

But we really do have so many things to be thankful for and need to keep be pointed back to god in this time.  He will ease our fears and anxiety. I must say it’s been helpful for me to do a short devotional before prayer time in the morning and then at bed most nights. 

Photo above shoes one of the dioramas we made of Jesus’s tomb I love how they turned out.  

24 Cross Stitch 100daysofkatiesxstitch

I ended up doing 100 days of cross stitch.  So far I have made this little portrait of my family - I plan to add a border but I am not sure what I want to be so I left it.

I started a triangle cross-stitch but I don’t love it.  I think I might change it up later but I also put it aside for now.  

Now I am working on this Bee and Flower cross stitch.  I am planning to add another bee and maybe some fun butterflies too.  I don’t have any patterns I am just kind of loosely getting inspiration from other cross stitch and nature.  

I look forward to continuing this project.  I have wanted to cross stitch for a while but never bought any cloth so this has been a fun 10-15 minutes of craftiness in a time that seems to be extra busy and crazy. 


If you want to follow along on Instagram it’s hashtag #100daysofkatiesxstitch