When you don't know what to do make a pie

Same old song.  Still unpacking, stepping over paint cloth, putting some things back together but can't do it all yet because the kitchen cupboards still need to be painted and I'm going to do it. They and all wood surfaces in the house are Coca-cola brown and I'm having it all painted white so it takes multiple coats to cover but the kitchen will be blue.  Soft? French? Periwinkle? A shade darker than soft? I can't decide on the right shade because I know the color on the chip will look different on the cupboards. I'm also a bit afraid of doing the job because I don't want to mess it up and have to fix it and live in a state of confusion even longer.  I think probably when all workers are out of here and I'm  alone again I'll start.  Then I can focus. Maybe a nap first, though.
Carpet in the living room, built in bookshelves and a half wall to be built hopefully next week.  When THAT is finished we move forward quickly.

I didn't know what task to tackle this morning so I decided to make pie crusts! When it's all too much, do something different, right? Strawberry picking starts this week. It's been raining a lot the last couple of days and that's not good for ripe strawberries, but I'll be at it first thing.  I love to pick my own fruit.  For me, that is summer.

I baked four pie crusts and put them in the freezer so the pie can be made and eaten quickly when the time comes.  

 For awhile I collected rolling pins and decided to use this one today. I think it's from the 1930's. You unscrew the cap, fill it with ice and that helps the dough stay cool.  Collections can be a bit of a curse when it comes to moving them. You kind of wonder why you started. 

I've always loved Lois Ehlert's books.  They are for little little ones, so if you have a toddler to preschooler, these are great.  Her medium is paper.  All of her books are illustrated with her paper cuttings.  The graphic designs are perfect for applique and the last couple of work years I kept thinking someday I would make a quilt with one square depicting one illustration from each of her books. 

 I started with Top Cat.  It took longer than it should only because this past year (it's been a whole year since this odyssey started)  has been so busy with packing, purging, moving and other quilt projects that had to come first so Top Cat sat in the bottom of my basket longer than I wanted.

Last week I took the girls on my day with them to Friend/Grandma Marilyn's and we sat on the porch and stitched a bit.  I put the finishing touches on Top Cat.  I'm going to put tiny black buttons on the eyes....when I find my button jar. I know it's in a box somewhere. I'll embroider the whisters.

The technique was simple.  I drew the templates right from the page of the book so they are true to size. I took pics of the page so I have a color reference.  I really would love a complete set of her books.  What a treasure that would be.

I think I'll do Boo to You! next.  Love that Boo cat!  But Snowballs is my favorite of all. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf is a staple in all Kindergarten classrooms.  If you think of it next time you look for a book for a preschooler, look for Lois Ehlert.