one::
This week is all about Lists. I even have "Make a Packing List" on my To Do List. I do love a good list! And this week's list is all the more exciting because it's the very thing that is going to help me get out the door. By the end of the week, I'll be in Portugal! With a dear friend at my side, as a 40th birthday and just plain life celebration. I'll be back just before a birthday and then Thanksgiving and then the holiday rush. So I already have my "Upon Arriving Home" list started. But do you know what I do NOT have for a list? A Portugal list! We are (quite unlike me) flying by the seat of our pants on this trip and have yet to make an itinerary! I'm excited to pack light (never have I done that before) and figure it out as we go. That said, any and all recommendations are welcome - we'll be in Lisbon for a few days and then probably journeying south for a few days more before departing from Lisbon nine days after our start. Adventure awaits!
two::
One thing I just cannot leave to chance or fly by the seat of my pants on....is my travel knitting. And as per usual, I'm stumped. I want something that won't be too bulky in space (so, fingering weight?) and that isn't too complicated but also not boring. Perhaps a small shawl? Because I need another shawl? Hmn.
three::
Oh the life of the youngest child of five, exposed to so much more than her older siblings ever would have been allowed to even know about. And so it is that this dress up play by Annabel is 'something creepy and gross and scary!" Yes, that's "dripping blood" face paint on her legs and arms. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Creepy and Gross and Scary is absolutely NOT an adorable five year old wearing Liberty fabric. It's best that she figure that one out on her own, I suppose. Until then....isn't she so scary?!
four::
This little girl is in need of some new dresses. No, I really mean it! She grew like one of my garden weeds this summer, and most dresses are acting as shirts more than anything these days. And her sister's hand-me-downs, oh Ada! My awesome farm girl didn't exactly leave a lot in a hand-me-down state. So there is some sewing to be done some time soon! Tell me, what are your favorite girl's winter dress patterns? We need some 'down-sleeves' as she still calls them (and don't you dare correct her!).
five::
The 2017 Taproot Wall Calendar, featuring art by Jessica Roux (our 2016 cover artist) is live! This was such an amazingly fun project to make happen, and I'm so glad to see it and hold it at long last. Her work is just so beautiful and it makes for a lovely calendar. I'm happy to be spending 2017 with it on my wall.
six::
Our next issue goes to print this week, to be out in the world later this month! Ah! A very long night of last-minute details lies ahead for a few of us. And then our Holiday Pop-Up Shop goes live on Small Business Saturday, November 26th (save the date!), all while getting ready for some exciting 2017 changes. It's a busy and exciting time of year for Taproot! Can you believe next year will be our sixth? Amazing!
seven::
That's a sweet little owl that Adelaide made, and a pegasus bag I made for a 5 year old's birthday party recently. It was unicorn-themed and I hope they forgave me for taking liberties with a pegasus. Because, oh gosh, that fabric is one of my favorites! And this was my last little scrap of it.
eight::
There is a sweater blocking in front of the wood stove today. Blocking is one of my favorite words. Followed by buttons. Which is another favorite word. Today will be a good day.
nine::
A few new books have come in the mail of late that have already proven to be enormously helpful in the kitchen. Nourishing Meals is new to me but so is gluten-free cooking, and this book has given me some great new meals and ideas for keeping us all happy. And then Cynthia Lair's updated and revised Feeding The Whole Family releases this week. That book was such a guide to me in my early years of feeding young children (it came out conveniently just when my oldest son was born!), and I'm thrilled for more from her - and with photos too. Hooray for kitchen inspiration!
ten::
Are you tired of hearing about my beets this year? Oh gosh, there are SO many more still to get that I'd really like to pull before I leave later this week. Fingers crossed I can make that happen. And if not, well...I might just have to let it go. The list is never quite complete, is it? And that's okay.
. . . . .
And with that, friends, I wish you all a wonderful start to your own week, and much success on your own lists, or in letting go of them, whatever the case may be!