this week's library book

We just returned from our first Back to School night, so this week's library book seems especially appropriate for this time of year. Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry Allard and James Marshall. (And I just realized that Mr. Marshall is also the creator of another favorite series of mine, George and Martha.)

Miss Nelson is a sweet soft spoken teacher who has lost control of her classroom. The children don't obey any of the rules, they shout in class and won't sit in their seats, so Miss Nelson does not come back to school the next day.

"Great!" say the children. "Now we can really be terrible!" They wad up their spit balls and start making paper airplanes. But then their new substitute teacher arrives.

Miss Viola Swamp is a different kind of teacher, mean and impatient. She barks orders at the children. "Where is Miss Nelson?" they ask. "Never mind that," yells Miss Swamp. "Open those arithmetic books!"

After a few days of Miss Swamp's harsh tutelage, the children are desperate for Miss Nelson. They try to find out what has happened to their sweet teacher. And a few days later, she returns. Happy to have their teacher back, the children are now perfectly behaved. Only Miss Nelson knows the real identity of Miss Viola Swamp, but smart kids who read this book sometimes figure it out as well.

I read in this interview that the character of Miss Viola Swamp is based on a teacher that illustrator James Marshall had as a child. Mr. Marshall recalls... "When Harry (the author) and I were doing Miss Nelson is Missing, we devised the scenario so that a wicked substitute arrives on the scene. And Harry said, “I want you to draw the most awful teacher you ever had.” Well, it took me five seconds to get Viola Swamp down. She’s the spitting image of my second grade teacher, who is still alive in San Antonio, Texas. In April I saw her in the supermarket in San Antonio. I was pushing a cart and around the corner came Viola Swamp! And I felt my knees weaken. There she is! She has seen the book and she finds it very amusing, so I don’t feel too terrible." So teachers, watch out!

nesting

I'm over at Kirei Nest today, answering a few questions about wedding gifts, dishware and house guests. The photo above is from Martha's house in Maine and is the reason I collect only white dishes. She calls it "The Great Wall of China". (And it's even more impressive in person!)

sugar cookies

I'm often asked for the recipe I use for sugar cookies, and have never felt comfortable sharing it because it's not a recipe I created myself. I learned it from my old roommate Kristin, who learned it from our friend Angie who learned it from her mom. Well luckily Angie recently shared the recipe over on her new blog. I've tried several sugar cookie recipes and this one is hands down my favorite. Once the dough is chilled it rolls out beautifully and the cookies will keep their shape with a nice defined edge.

I've made these often enough that I have a little routine: 2 days before the party you make the dough in the evening and let it chill overnight (I always double the recipe). The next day you roll them out and bake them, (they only cook for about 8 minutes, and you pull them out when they are just the tiniest bit golden brown) then let them cool. Frost them that evening (the night before the party) and let them sit overnight so the frosting can harden. The day of the party you can package them as favors, or serve them as part of your buffet. But make plenty, people tend to eat more than their share!

school bag

C started kindergarten last week, and his teacher informed all the parents on the first day of school that she prefers bags to backpacks, especially for kindergarteners who are still learning the art of zippers. (And they have these big manila folders the kids bring home which don't fit very well in a backpack.) Clearly a bag needed to be made.

Forgive the wrinkles, this bag is clearly already in use. I used my favorite bag pattern from Lotta's book Simple Sewing, with gray canvas on the bottom and some Heather Ross fabric on top (a heavier home dec line called Rabbits and Race Cars). C picked the fabric out himself, what five year old wouldn't want a bag with race cars on it? I love the little tow trucks and ambulances as well. (Thank you Heather for making a race car print that doesn't look like a Nascar ad, I love you for it.)

I added the letter C using the applique technique Heather teaches in Weekend Sewing, where you sew the letter to lightweight fusible interfacing and then turn it inside out. (Visit the Purl Bee for a better explanation of how this works, they used it on their Thanksgiving table runner last year.) C is not the easiest letter to turn, but I think this technique is much easier than traditional applique, though I still need a little practice.

I love seeing my son as he runs off to class, his school bag on one arm and his lunchbox in the other. So far kindergarten is a big hit. I was a little nervous sending him off to school without any friends (he didn't know anyone in his class). C is a friendly boy, but he can be a little shy around new faces. But he's doing just fine. "I made a new friend at school today Mom," he reports back to me at the end of the day. "That's great buddy.. how did you do it?" "Well I just did what you said Mom... I said Hi! My name is C. What's your name? And it worked!" I love this kid.

outdoor movies

Drive-in movies are one of my favorite things, but they are almost extinct. Seems like all the ones near me have been transformed into weekend flea markets, which makes me a little sad. There's something magical about watching a movie outside, so this summer we've been showing a few movies right in our backyard.

My husband made the screen out of an old queen sized flat sheet, stretched across some spare wood he had in the garage. The support legs in back fold in, so we can pack it flat and leave it in the garage when it's not in use. Luckily my brother happens to have a pretty good projector, which hooks right up to the computer so we can play directly from a DVD. You'll need some speakers too, we used two sets and it was nice and loud. And it's always nice to let your neighbors know in advance what you're up to. We try and start our movies right at dusk, so they are over by 10 PM. We bring all our blankets out to the lawn and spread them out, luckily it doesn't get too chilly here in California.

All my brothers and sisters came to town the first week in August and one night we gathered at my house and watched a movie outside. The kids were bundled with blankets, arm in arm with their cousins (there are 12 in all). Most of the adults gathered inside the house and talked and played cards. Bowls of popcorn were passed around. A few of the littlest children fell asleep under the stars. All around, a lovely night.

secrets to a happy marriage

Joanna, over at Cup of Jo is off on her honeymoon. While she is away she is posting answers to the question "What's the secret to a happy marriage?" I've loved reading everyone's little ways of staying close. Check out my answer today.

This photo is from a little trip John and I took to Philadelphia 2 years ago, our first trip without the kids. A Man Full of Trouble was a popular tavern during the Revolutionary era. A parrot, a monkey, and a cat? Well that does sound like trouble.

and so it begins

Forgive my absence here, we've had a busy couple of weeks. We took a road trip with the kids to celebrate the last week of summer and got back just in time for one last perfect day at the beach before school started on Tuesday. We've barely had time to unpack our bags.

It has been a week of many firsts. Bee's first day of preschool, C's first day of kindergarten, Bee's first dance class (which she's taking with her cousin, and yes, those are tap shoes! Can you think of anything more exciting than a bunch of three year old's tapping their hearts out?)

And C is starting soccer. He picked up his uniform last night and has his first game this Saturday, it should be entertaining, especially because he has no idea how to actually play soccer.

And one more first... my friends Angie and Kristin of Blonde Designs have started their own blog. We were all art directors at Martha Stewart at the same time, Angie on Living, Kristin on Weddings, myself on the Kids magazine. But we actually met back in college when we went to study abroad in London. These girls are super talented, and I've already been inspired by their blog, as you can see from the photos above. Welcome friends!