Think outside the bolt

This summer I bought a beautiful vintage linen tablecloth, thinking "I'll find a use for it someday." It was the wrong shape for my table, but I just had to buy it. The crisp, heavyweight linen was in pristine condition. I loved the embroidered details and the scalloped edges.

A few weeks ago, I realized what I was going to do with the tablecloth: make a sling! I cut the fabric to feature the embroidery and detailing. I had enough to make two mother-child sling sets. Here is the end result (I am wearing a medium length sling):

On the adult sling, the decorative edge goes along the top rail, then curves gently along the tail. On the child's sling, the decorative edge is at the bottom of the tail.

 Sold as a set for $60. Only 2 available.

If you've been wanting a ring sling, why not think outside the bolt? Use fabric from your wedding or bridesmaid's dresses. Give a beautiful curtain or wallhanging a second life. Scour thrift stores, garage sales, or consignment stores for table linens or vintage fabrics.

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Homely stuff

I'm getting a major case of nesting--not the hormonal type, just the mental kind in which I want to get everything done NOW because I know there's not that much time left. So we finally finished painting the dining room. While Eric was out of the country during spring break, I made an executive decision and picked paint colors. I knew if I waited until he got back, we'd never decide on something. I wanted to get the whole room done before he got back, but it took a lot longer than I expected. So late night we put on the final coat of red paint. The top is a warm champagne color with a Ralph Lauren topcoat called "Candlelight," which gives the walls shimmery, iridescent look when the light hits right, kind of like crushed velvet. You can see it a little bit on the first picture, although the camera doesn't pick it up very well.

Spring is finally here, and we've been spending a lot of time outside.
My neighbor gave me the tumbling composter that you see behind Zari. She noticed I was composting and said "Do you want ours? We don't use it any more." Yes please!

Goofing around

Recent thrift store finds: baby sweater for $2 (I couldn't pass up on the giraffe)
A vintage embroidered luncheon set (4 place mats and 4 napkins) that just screams 1960s. Still in the original box and wrapping. It was a bit of a splurge at $20 but I couldn't resist. The picture is a bit washed out, but it's cream linen with robin's egg blue embroidery.

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Week 5: 19 miles

I ran 9 miles today (1 hour 40 minutes) in 50 degree weather. I was too cold starting out and too hot at the end. Go figure.

Some recent pictures, including my amazing garage sale find: a wooden high chair for $1!

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I love garage sales

I found all sorts of treasures today, including:

• a walnut desk for Eric's home office, $20 (he's been using a cheap laminate desk)
• an oak Mission style children's rocking chair, $6
• 3 framed pictures, $6.50 (I will spray-paint the frames black and put my own pictures in)
• a pair of black slip-on leather shoes, $1 (I've been looking for shoes like this for a while)
• a silicone bakeware set, $3.50
• a wooden truck set, with a detachable trailer, $1.25
• a fold-out metal luggage stand like you see in hotels, $0.50 (for the B&B)

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Fun in Arizona

I've been having a blast visiting my friend Jen in Arizona. We went to the Applebee's nurse-out last night with over 100 other people. Even though the sun had set, it was still over 100 degrees! There were several television stations and reporters present. Zari and I made it on channel 5 news last night (twice, if you watch carefully!), and we're on their website too if you click on the breastfeeding feature! We also made it onto the local Fox news. I've also found some newspaper articles about our protest from the Arizona Central and the East Valley Tribune. Note the preponderance of ignoramuses on the AZ Central comments section. Sigh...breastfeeding is not like having sex in public, or like smoking in public, or like peeing in public. It is a legally protected right.

Jen & I (and babies!)

Brief editorial comment: asking a woman who is breastfeeding in public to leave or cover up is analogous to asking an African-American person to please sit in the back of the bus, because someone else is offended by their presence in the front. It doesn't matter how much someone is offended; all citizens are legally protected against racial discrimination. As are breastfeeding mothers. End of discussion. Doesn't matter how much you dislike it, it's against the law to prevent a mother from breastfeeding in public.

We hit the thrift stores yesterday--Goodwill had a 50% off sale on everything in their stores--and I found several nice outfits and pajamas for Zari, plus a pair of sandals and a small backpack. I also found this hiking baby backpack at a consignment store. Zari really likes it, enough to fall fast asleep in it while we were making double chocolate cookies from my all-time favorite chocolate cookbook I Want Chocolate! (ps--you can search for the recipe on Amazon. I don't usually add the milk chocolate chips; I find that the cookies are plenty intense and chocolatey without them.)

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