Felted Garland

While Joshua was still in Portugal for work I found real wool in the Japanese dollar store (a dollar for wool is awesome) They all came with 3 colors in each pack and I nabbed them all. I've loved the felted ball garlands I've been seeing but didn't want to pay for one- enter dollar store. Easy to make and a fun way to spend a husbandless rainy afternoon.

step 1 : get a bowl of warm water & 2 tbs of soap

step 2 : rip off a palm size ball of wool & pull it into a big fluffy ball

step 3 : dip the ball of wool into the soapy water and start to roll it
around in your palm until it is half the size

step 4 : wipe off your hands and roll the ball a few more times



step 5 : keep makin em until you use all your wool

step 6 : let them sit overnight to dry out
step 7 : using an embroidery needle & thick thread to string all of the balls onto
step 8 : hang it up & enjoy!

A Clamming Expedition

This past weekend we took a ferry over to Whidbey Island with our small group and went clamming. It started pouring down rain all morning but as we were unloading for the beach it stopped and we got to dig rain free. We've never dug for clams before so it was fun to be taught and fun to see water squirting from the rocks and sand to run over and dig hoping to find the clam that did it. There were 3 different types of clams and we were only keeping one kind so we had to decide which were which. The thrill of finding one was exciting, but sometimes it was just a "sander" (full of sand). I think we all truly enjoyed it. Something about being outside all day by the ocean digging around with people you love made for an amazing morning.

 (I was feeling optimistic about sunshine, so I was wearing the wrong type of hat :)

We all headed back to a cabin on the island to whip up salads and steam the clams. We spent the rest of the day lounging about watching the waves out the windows and talking. There's something beautiful about not having a timeline and just getting to chat after a day of being outside.

I was told the clams were tasty, I touched one to my tongue and chickened out :)