Weekend Plans

Though we have already been seeing signs, the official first day of Spring is this Saturday, March 20. Probably not coincidentally, the Portland Farmer's Market opens their season at PSU this weekend. I cannot begin to tell you how very, very excited I am. SO excited. I-get-all-wiggly-in-my-seat-as-I-think-about-it excited.


In preparation of our first trip to the Farmer's Market this year, I have washed our shopping bags. I sewed these bags last year and love them. They were based loosely on the ones that every store now offers for a buck. I wanted something more durable, and something which didn't make me a walking advertisement. My bags are made entirely from upcycled fabrics and are sturdy and very roomy, so they get lots of compliments from the baggers at New Seasons.

These are some of the produce bags I made to go with the shopping bags. There are two sizes. The larger is great for big heads of leafy lettuce. The smaller is perfect for just about everything else. These are made from cotton kitchen towels purchased at Ikea. They make me SO happy, because using them means that we don't come home with a pile of plastic bags every week. These have also drawn praise from the lovely people at New Seasons, and from vendors at the market. It makes me so proud, and I can't help but blush...


I love to wear aprons down to the Farmer's Market. Not only do they make me feel a bit like a farm-girl, but they have pockets for keeping my change. (Don't you hate fumbling for change when there's a line? And there's always a line.) It's been on my mind to make this smock for trips to the Market this year. I think I'll make it from this happy fabric, picked up at Fabric Depot this winter. The pattern can be found in A is for Apron. It will be a while before the weather warms enough to go without a jacket to the Market, so I have some time to pull this together.

In addition to our trip to the Market, I've been trying to think of other ways to celebrate the start of Spring. Maybe we'll go outside and blow bubbles, using the mixture from this recipe. It might also be fun to find a windy hill and fly our kites. I know that Ryan would like to hang our screen door... What are your plans?