Once they started swinging the hammers I just got so tired.  It’s like once they started I could finally relax.  Could have also been the fog that has been smothering the city for the last week or maybe it was waking up at 3am and not being able to get back to sleep.  After the inauguration party at Pete and Lori’s, it was off for another night of tossing and turning.

The last month and particularly the last week has been preparing for the remodel. This meant setting up a temporary kitchen in the basement. Originally I thought it would be away from the laundry room because the remodel is basically taking place above the laundry room, but the trade-off was no running water. So although I see all sorts of dirt drifting down on our temporary kitchen at least there will be water to clean up with!

2 cups white rice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

2-3 cups of finely chopped vegetables:

onion, carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini, etc.

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 cup cubed cooked pork

peanut oil

Cook rice according to the package directions.  When it is done, spread the rice in a shallow pan and place in refrigerator so it will cool quickly.  If you are not going to use in the next 1/2 hour or so, cover with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

Heat a wok or large frying with a small amount of oil.  When hot add the beaten egg and cook until just done.  Remove from pan.  Add a bit more oil and add the vegetables, constantly stirring them for a few minutes.  Add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover to let the vegetables steam slightly for 3 minutes.  Remove lid and let remaining water evaporate.  Remove vegetables to another plate.  Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil to pan and add cold rice, breaking up the clumps and heating it well.  Add the cubed pork and continue frying until hot.  Add the vegetables and the egg, thoroughly incorporating it into the rice mixture.  Add a good sprinkling of salt and serve hot.  You can also skip the salt and pass soy sauce on the side.

Serves 4

Note:  refrain from stuffing everything into the binder thinking you’ll organize it later.  99% of the work they bring home can immediately be recycled.  If you only have 10 or less sheets, then you’ll know which shining stars you should keep.

So anyway, the van’s floor mats take the most of the daily damage, especially with a five-child car pool, so I figured how much worse could they be if I washed them in my front-loading washing machine? The result: they look brand new! I would only recommend doing this is a large-capacity front-load washer and on a delicate cycle. I wash them in the hottest water and the longest wash setting possible, including a presoak. I just roll them up and stuff them in and add the usual amount on soap. I don’t think fabric softener is a good idea. Hang dry and they will look great!

If you don’t have a front-loader you could use one at the laundry mat though I don’t know how many options you have there and how the long the wash time is. Maybe wash them twice if they are really dirty I mean really, who washes their only slightly soiled car mats?

Here’s a picture of my booth at the West Seattle Street Fair two weekends ago. It’s really challenging trying to display all the different styles and fabrics without it looking like a mess, but this layout has been the best so far. Every year I keep changing and adding to make the booth more inviting.  I had many positive comments about my booth and it will be interesting to see how it is received at the Anacortes Arts Festival this weekend.

I just introduced my new clothespin bag at my last show and the comments were similar to the ones I’ve heard about my aprons:  “My mom has one,” or “I have my grandmothers.”   I’m betting that hanging your laundry will come back in style as the green movement gains momentum.  Dryers consume large amounts of electricity and there’s nothing better than sheets that have been dried on the line.  Here in Seattle the weather makes this a little tricky, but my friend Mary has made it her mission to consume less and hence hangs her laundry every week.  I made her a special clothespin bag for her birthday which replaces the plastic bag she was using to hold her pins and it looks darling hanging on her line.

The new Lori turned out pretty well though I think I will make it slightly shorter next time around. This is faster to make than the original design because you don’t have to turn out and press the scallop bottom and there’s no fussing with the gather top. I have a show at the Anacortes Arts Festival this weekend and I’m curious to see how customers respond to the new design. The Lori apron is usually what I display at the front of the booth because it’s always a draw for people, even if they end up buying something else in the end.

The original Lori apron was named after my friend Lori who is darling and the hostess with the mostess. The problem with this style, which is based on an original 1950′s pattern is it sits at the waist. Most women these days don’t know exactly where their waist is because clothing has moved it downward. When women try this apron on it my booth, they never feel comfortable putting at their waist, but it looks akward 2 inches below. The other problem with this style is its gathered waist, which makes it stick out from the hips and isn’t the most flattering style on women with hips or an ample behind. You can’t see the really lovely scallops at the bottom either.

The new design removes the gathers which will solve all the issues, I hope, by making the apron lay smooth against the body. The wearer will be able to wear it wherever on the waist she likes and hopefully the scallops will be more pronounced.

When I decided to redesign this style, I was going to make it one-sided, (currently it’s reversible), but after my last show I could see that women saw real value in the reversible feature, so I’ve left it as is. I hope to finish the new style tomorrow and post it here. Please let me know what you think