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Starting Sewing (and a Phone Pouch)
Sewing is a really great skill to have. You can take simple scraps of fabric and transform them into something new and usable. Six years ago, looking at the creations of others on Pinterest, I felt inspired to expand my sewing skills beyond basic handstitching. If I had a sewing machine I was sure that I could use it to easily whip up some of those amazing creations. So I asked Cal for a sewing machine for Christmas, and that is exactly what he got me. It felt so full of possibilities. I could envision plenty of future projects with it. I remembered using the sewing machines in Family and Consumer…
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Isolated? – Myths of the North Country
The White Mountains and the Notches that pass through them form a natural barrier between the North Country and the rest of New Hampshire. Driving through Franconia Notch, the interstate narrows to one lane in each direction and the speed limit drops to 45 mph as the road winds between the mountains. It is easy to see where one might get the idea that it is isolated up here – and if you are someone who needs easy access to a major city at all times, it just might be. As someone who had no desire to be in a major metropolitan area, the North Country is perfect for me.…
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Littleton Farmer’s Market – Tuesday Tour Guide
Farmer’s markets are a great local asset and Littleton is lucky to have a wonderful one right here in town (in addition to other farmer’s markets all over the local area). The Littleton Farmer’s Market is impressive. It is now in its 20th season – far longer running than most Farmer’s Markets I am familiar with – and has 43 different vendors this year. They are located in a great spot just over the covered bridge that runs behind Main Street, and are open on Sundays from June through October between 10 am and 1 pm. Living in DC when Ryan was little, one of my favorite things to do…
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Littleton Farmer’s Market – Sunday Snapshots
The Littleton Farmer’s Market happens every Sunday from June to October. It is a great way to spend a day! For a more detailed post about this great Farmer’s Market, check back on Tuesday. This blog is participating in the Sundays in my City link up. To see photo posts from other bloggers’ communities, click the button below.
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Cal’s Homesick Houstonian Salsa
Anyone who has spent much time at my house knows that Cal does most of the cooking, especially when we have company. He could talk about food for hours and is always experimenting and perfecting his recipes. One of his simplest and most popular recipes is what he calls his “Homesick Houstonian Salsa”. He usually makes the salsa mild for me, but when we have company, he will generally make a mild and spicier option. This salsa is always a hit, and is especially delicious when it is still warm and freshly made. Cal’s Homesick Houstonian Salsa recipe Cal’s comments: Salsa is one of the healthiest things you can eat. …
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Myths of the North Country – Life Does Exist North of the Notches
Littleton is a town that sits “North of the Notches”. The Notches refers to Franconia Notch, Crawford Notch and Pinkham Notch, the mountain passes that contain the main thoroughfares between the North Country and the rest of New Hampshire. There are a lot of misperceptions about life North of the Notches and to hear many New Hampshirites talk about it, you wouldn’t think anyone would ever choose to live this far north. There is this kind of myth in New Hampshire that northern New Hampshire is this frozen wasteland with bad schools and no money or jobs, that is completely cut off from civilization. There is a belief that everyone…
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Pine Hill Trail – Tuesday Tour Guide
The Pine Hill Trail is one of my favorite places in Littleton. Located only a few blocks above Main Street, the trail allows residents (and visitors) to have the best of both worlds. Here it is possible to live in the heart of a walkable and vibrant town, but also walk down the street and spend the day hiking and exploring the woods. Pine Hill Trail is not the most impressive trail in the area. We are after all, in the White Mountains with hundreds if not thousands of amazing trails right at our doorstep. Yet, it is still a really great trail, and it is so nice to not…
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Pine Hill Trail – Sunday Snapshots
Living in the White Mountains, there are countless hiking trails all around me. Here in Littleton, we have some great local trails right in our backyard. Pine Hill Trail is one of those. It is a one-mile, fairly easy hike. However, it goes by some cool local sites and connects to the more extensive PRKR MTN trails. Saoirse decided to try hiking on foot instead of my back for the first time ever when I went to take pictures of the trail. It is a very manageable hike for her, but she decided she was more interested in picking up sticks and playing with acorns. We didn’t make it very…
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Lunch Cards
When Ryan was in first grade, he kept asking me to send something special in his lunch box. He even brought home a book about napkin origami from the library in an attempt to get me to try it. My origami skills are non-existent, so instead I started sending him notes. My original notes were very simple, basically saying “Have a great day! Love, Mom” with a smiley face. I couldn’t keep sending the exact same note every day though, so I expanded the notes to jokes. Every night after Ryan went to bed, I sat down and Googled a kid joke (usually related to something he and I had…
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Back to School
Ryan started fourth grade on Monday. It really seems like they grow up overnight, check out the difference between the first day of third grade and first day of fourth grade. I can’t believe I have a fourth grader already! When he was just a little preschooler, school seemed so big and scary. Each year he has grown more and more and become increasingly independent. Usually Ryan likes a little bit of extra support and hand holding. Not this year. This is the first year that he didn’t ask me to walk him to class. In fact, I asked him (several times actually) and he was insistent that he wanted…
