Day: April 18, 2008

An Apron for Miss C.

Marie Haigh15 Comments

I love aprons. I wear them while cooking, painting and gardening. I own two vintage aprons and 2 ordinary aprons. Approximately two weeks ago, I decided that I needed yet another apron. In my desire to support the indie artist whenever feasible, I chose this pattern.

So, here I was about to embark on a fifth apron for myself, when it occurred to me that my niece’s 5th birthday was fast approaching. Last I knew, my niece, Miss C., did not have an apron. All little girls should own aprons. One is necessary to properly host a tea party and to partake in bake-a-thons with grandmothers. Plus, Miss C. will be entering kindergarten in September and an apron might save a handle full of shirts from all the messy arts and crafts projects. It’s impossible to save all of them.

With only a week to spare, I biked down to my nearby fabric store and picked out the most bright and vivacious fabric I could find. Three rows away, I found an equally bright pink fabric to use as binding.

I am very pleased with how the apron came out.

The specs for those who are interested:
Simplicity #4692
Size 5-7
100% cotton used
Binding was handmade
Minor alterations: V-neck made higher and area from neck to waist widened

The back side:

I’ll let Miss C. show off the front side.

Miss C. looks darling in just about everything so I can’t take much credit for the apron looking good on her.

Dan and I attended her birthday party on Saturday. Though I have no pictures to show you of the party (our family photographer has not uploaded them yet), I wanted to share with you a story about the day. Miss C.’s parents, my BIL and his wife, have gently reminded Miss C. that she needs to open the accompanying card to each present before she can move onto the next present. They have been reminding her since she was young enough to understand. On her birthday, when given a present, Miss C. would first go in search of the card. Then, she would open the card and hand it to her father to read. She would sit quietly and listen while he read the card to her. At the end of his reading, he would mention who had signed it. Miss C. would look up at the person who sent it and smile at him/her. THEN, she would open up the present. Or sometimes, she would forget to open up the present, and instead go in search of the next card. It was such a delightful and endearing sight to see.

Photo of Miss C. taken by Matt H. Thank you!

Jake’s Announcement

Marie Haigh4 Comments

Parental guidance: One animal was harmed during the making of this post. Though the pictures are not graphic, they are suggestive coupled with the text.

If you are still reading, Jake has an announcement to make.

“Yesterday was a WONDERFUL day! I crossed one more animal off my “Things to Catch Before I Die” list”, says Jake.

The List:
Squirrels were crossed off the list twice over (earlier this year and last year).
Yesterday, Jake crossed ‘rabbit’ off the list.

Let me start from the beginning of the story. After dinner was had by all (Jake and the humans), I let Jake out to take care of any business. As we were walking outside, Jake took off towards the left side our our yard. He came back towards me moving very slowly and with something in his mouth. I think I gasped and backed up a step or two away in horror. Thankfully, Jake didn’t see my reaction or he might not have done what he did next.

He laid this animal down in front of me, inches from my feet. I could see now that it was a very young rabbit. For reasons I will not state, I knew instantly that this rabbit was dead. Jake, certain that the rabbit was safe in my possession, ran back to the scene of the crime to see if there were any more rabbits to bring to me.

The scene of the crime:

At this time, my neighbors to the left of me called me over to explain the whole story. Before I relay the information to you, I feel I need to remind you where I live.

We live in a suburb about an hour north and west of Philadelphia. It is a small town (technically a borough) that has been a town for over 200 years. When Jake and I go walking every morning, every single block is lined with sidewalks. I’m trying to stress that we don’t live in the country. We live in a town minutes away from two major thoroughfares.

So, you can imagine my shock when my neighbor, Mr. B, goes on to explain to me that the poor rabbit had been killed by a hawk. Mr. and Mrs. B had been sitting on their back porch watching the hawk enjoy his prize. Jake interrupted the meal. The hawk couldn’t fly to safety and carry the rabbit away. Mr. B stated that it tried, but failed.

Jake is not a killer; he’s a retriever. And as you can see, he is a very good retriever. The squirrels crossed off the list above were not harmed. Both scurried away once Jake laid them down in front of me. Though the baby squirrel he caught did require a bit of training. It didn’t know how fast it should scurry away. The first time, it was a bit too slow. The second time around, it did much better.

A very proud Jake:

Jake wanted me to let you know that he received two treats for his good work and lots of praise.

Today, I am still whirling over Jake’s act of loyalty and generosity. Nobody else has given me a dead rabbit.

Dan said he didn’t know I wanted one.