a favorite children's book: miss hickory

One of the things I am rather passionate about are old children's books. I absolutely adore them! There are so many classics that I grew up reading that I hope to share with my own children someday. I do think that I am a child at heart. These books still make me so happy and inspired every time I read them over again. I used to imagine that the apple trees in our backyard could grow a little Miss Hickory. I even planned to make my own Miss Hickory doll, but somehow that never happened. If you are not familiar with this book, it is about a doll whose body was made of an apple twig and head of a hickory nut. How charming is that! It tells of all her adventures throughout the changing seasons. In the end she falls happily asleep into an old apple tree, becoming one of the branches and blossoming into spring. It is the cutest story with lovely little illustrations throughout. My copy is quite old and worn; you can tell many have enjoyed it through the years, which makes me quite happy. Do try to find a copy of this old classic if you can. I know that you will enjoy it even if you are no longer a child.

P.S. I found these instructions on how to create your own Miss Hickory doll! It looks just like the illustrations!

new prospects.

Hello everyone! That is, hello to the few of you who are still out there reading this space. I have felt like I haven't had a lot to blog about lately, so I have been a really bad blogger! Jed and I are going through a transitional period and there are a lot of decisions that need to be made soon. Jed decided to apply to other grad schools and got accepted to a few really great ones. One is in Houston, TX and the other in Boulder, CO. Pretty opposite places! And on top of that, Jed is being interviewed in Madison, WI for what looks like a pretty amazing job. I'm here now with him for the interview. I think I would love to live in Madison, but I also know that getting his PhD is probably a bigger priority right now. So we aren't really sure yet what we will do. But it is nice that we can both figure this out together! For now we are enjoying the ride. I must say, though, I could be very happy here in Madison. It is gorgeous. I've never lived in a place where the lakes freeze over solid enough that you can actually walk across it in the winter. Iowa always had cold winters, but not quite cold enough to freeze over lakes. The drive from Chicago was also really lovely with all the white snow covered fields. At least we have a little while yet to figure out what we will do.

In the meantime, I'm busy working on a new pattern for the shop! Yes, I've decided to branch out into making sewing patterns. I have been quite slow on it right now, but hoping I can have one ready for the summer, at least until we move to our new location! For those who are wondering, I'm getting this dress from the spring/summer 2011 collection ready and it will be available through PDF download. I still have a lot more work to do before it is ready! Also, I'll continue to sew items for my shop, but I am very excited to branch out into the pattern making world!

P.S. It's Jed's birthday today! He is at his interview at the moment, but we are planning a big celebration tonight. I'm so proud of him. He has been working so hard! I love that man so very much.