Mackinac Must Haves

Year-round life on Mackinac Island differs from mainland life in many ways, the main difference being the Island's ban on motorized vehicles. I know many people are fascinated about what year-round life is like here so I thought, over the next little while, I would show you a few of the things that I can't imagine living without. OK, that's a bit strong. Perhaps it would be better to say the things I don't want to live without; the things that just make Mackinac Island life a little easier.

With that said, this is my list. I didn't conduct a scientific poll, and there are lots island residents who have lived quite happily not owning a single item on my list, but for me, they're a "must have." It's kind of like disposable diapers and sippy cups. Millions of mothers raised countless children without them, I'm just thankful I didn't have to...

Mackinac Must Haves: Creepers

The snow, the ice, sadly it's all pretty much gone. In fact, I walked to and from work every day last week. It's a bummer because, at this time of year, we all feel like we should still be riding our snowmobiles. Walking is challenging because even though there isn't enough snow to ride the roads are still pretty icy. In fact there are some people who continue to ride just for safety. It is a lot easier to buy a new set of wear rods (metal bars to prevent wear to the bottom of the ski) for a snowmobile than it is to deal with a broken ankle. Which actually happened last week - one of my student's moms slipped and did break her ankle!

Since I've been walking, I'm glad I have these:

They slip on over your boots or shoes to give you some traction on the ice.

They're not perfect and you still have to be careful, but I don't know what I'd do without them. In fact, my YakTrax are definitely in the top ten on my "Mackinac Must Haves" list. I prefer the kind that have a velcro strap to help them stay on. I upgraded to these because when I wore my old pair, without the strap, one of them kept falling off.

They're calling for snow tonight. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be back on that snowmobile in the morning...

Homemade Superhero

It all started with "Superhero Princess Week" in pre-school. My daughter isn't a big princess fan, but I dutifully offered to make her a princess dress this past weekend. You should have seen her face - it was as if I had asked her if she wanted to eat an entire plate of creamed spinach! There was no way she was going to wear a princess dress to school. "Would you like a superhero costume instead?"Of course her answer to that one was "Yes!" So I quickly pawed through my fabric stash, and after hearing several choices she decided she wanted to be ...

faster than a running cheetah, able to leap into the canopy in a single bound - she wanted to be Jaguar Girl! A perfect fit for her, since these have become one of her favorites this winter.

I found several tutorials on line for making capes out of thrifted skirts, but hitting a thrift shop wasn't an option, so I had to come up with plan B. To draft my pattern, I started with a bib that I knew would fit around her neck. After measuring the length from her shoulders to her knees, I laid the bib over a large piece of white paper, measured down the appropriate distance, and roughed out my design. As for how wide to make the cape, I completely winged it. (My french curve was quite helpful for creating the curves at the bottom. I think I picked mine up at a thrift store for a buck or two, but I've found that it's quite handy to have.)

Here's the bib and my pattern. The bib is fairly large - designed to cover a messy toddler.

Here is my final pattern:


My daughter is quite tall for four and a half, so this size would probably need to be shortened if your child was younger or on the short side. (It also fits her six year-old brother.) One change I made to the pattern you see above is at the top. You've got to cut through the fold there to get the two little flaps that overlap to close the cape under the chin. I also clipped the square corners into more of a curve because I thought it would be more comfortable.

I cut one cape from my jaguar fabric and one from plain black to serve as a lining. Next I appliqued the J and the circle to the jaguar piece using fusible web. (I made the J pattern by printing out a capital J in a font I liked at size 450 and the circle is just a tracing of one of our dinner plates.)

To sew the cape I placed the fabric pieces right sides together and stitched around the outside, with a 3/8 inch seam allowance, making sure I left an opening to turn it. I turned it right side out, pressed it, edge stitched around the outside to give it a finished look, and finally I stitched on a velcro closure at the neck. Perhaps an hour and a half from start to finish.

The mask was quick and easy, too. I just traced the mask onto fusible web. Then I cut out the mask and a second mask, the same size, out of fabric-backed vinyl (left over from these boots.) I fused the two together, making sure the fabric side of the vinyl was going to touch my daughter's face. I used the vinyl because 1. I had it on hand and 2. I wanted something to give the mask a little stiffness. Heavy weight interfacing would probably achieve a similar effect. Next I stitched around the edge to make sure the two pieces didn't come apart, added the elastic strap, and that was it. I found the template for the mask here.

You should have seen her running down the hallway on her way to show her teacher. The teacher in me knows I should have stopped her and reminded her to "use her walking feet," but I decided the thrill of feeling her superhero cape flapping behind her was more important than walking - just this once.

Still

It's been six days and Bobby is still missing.

It's kind of like an elephant in the back of the room - it weighs heavily on each person's mind, but no one really wants to discuss it. It's a pretty emotional situation for a lot of people on Mackinac Island. There are only about 500 of us here year round, and while not all of us were friends with him, we all knew him. He was Bobby Roach; just an average guy - he had children, he was a volunteer firefighter, he worked hard, and he played hard. And while I honestly didn't know him well at all, Bobby Roach was as much a part of the island landscape as Sugar Loaf or Arch Rock. For many people it's hard facing the possibility that he - an employee, a good friend, and a loved one is gone ... forever; most likely through the ice late Friday night. The search has been called off and while we are all hoping for a miracle, the chances that we'll actually get one are slim to none.

The island will get through it, somehow we always do. We're a tight knit community and tend to pull together in times of crisis. We just seem to have had more than our share of them these past few years...

photo via

Missing In Action

I've had a pit in my stomach all day. You hear about things like this on the news, but you never think it will hit close to home. Until it does. And then it shocks you because those are stories you hear about on the news - not stories about people you actually know.

One of the islanders is missing. Yeah, missing. And while I may not have known him very well, I'm worried and keep hoping that he'll be found alive. No one has seen him since Friday night, and as soon as people realized that was the case, the search began. Pretty much all day Sunday the police department, the fire department, the Coast Guard, and just regular people searched; every inch of Mackinac Island (and as much of the ice as was safe) was covered by snowmobile, airplane, and helicopter, but with no luck.

For us the scariest parts of this is that his snowmobile is no where to be found. Which makes us all wonder - was he out on that ice by himself Friday night?

For each of the past two winters we've had snowmobile accidents that have ended in tragedy. I keep hoping that this story will have the happy ending we're all praying for...

Homemade Valentine's Day Cards

I saw these Valentines last year and immediately fell in love with the idea. They were cute, personal, simple, and best of all - homemade. I showed them to the kids, and while they didn't really care about the homemade part, they loved the idea of giving their friends candy.

The hardest part was getting a good photo - one with a hand in a decent position and large enough not to tear once the stick was inserted. Then I photoshopped in the messages, uploaded them to Kodak, and they arrived in the mail a week later.

I cut the slits above and below the hands with an exacto-knife and the kids are ready to slide the suckers into their hands tonight after dinner. I know these did end up costing more than other Valentine options, but the kids really like them and, of course, so do I. Plus, we don't have to spend forever signing their names on each one. At four and six, writing your name that many times is quite a daunting task. I liked them so much, I needed some for myself.

Despite the fact that they wouldn't be homemade, I am leaning toward these for next year. The science teacher in me adores them! Yeah, I know, I'm a geek...

Foiled

Sigh. I was supposed to cross the ice this afternoon. A number of the teachers had grand plans; we were going out to eat, to move cars from the dock parking lot to the ice bridge parking lot, and then pick up a few much needed groceries. However, things didn't quite work out...

Just as we were getting ready to leave the school, a parent overheard us making plans. He had just came across the ice from St. Ignace and warned us about the pressure crack.

"It's changing minute by minute due to the wind," he said. "When I headed to the mainland, earlier the crack was pushed up a bit, but nothing major. When I came home 20 minutes later there was about three feet of water on top of the ice around the crack. There's solid ice under it, but plan on getting wet and I wouldn't take a cutter. You might even want to wait to tomorrow."

He didn't have to make that suggestion twice. I'll take foiled plans over the alternative any day...

No Storm Here

The huge weather "event" seems to have missed those of us living in Northern Michigan. I'm not complaining mind you, Mackinac Island has gotten quite a bit of snow this year. Which, of course, we love given that snowmobiles are our main form of transportation during the winter months. I took this picture last week - the morning after our last snow fall. It looks so idyllic, doesn't it? Just a perfect, albeit incredibly cold, Mackinac day...

Safe

A glass from the Pharaonic Village

I've had quite a few emails and comments lately inquiring about my mom. All the thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated, but she is safe and sound here in Michigan. She left her teaching job in Cairo in May when my Grandma Mary went into hospice and did not sign a new contract to return this school year.

Karnak Temple in Luxor

And I'm so glad she didn't! I can't imagine how worried I'd be right now. Not worried that she'd be intentionally hurt - every Egyptian I met while I was there was friendly and kind, so I know she would have been well looked after. It would have been the not knowing that would have bothered me; without skype, email, or her mobile phone we would have been left wondering. I'm such a worrier to begin with that it would have driven me crazy.

Cairo as seen from the Citadel

I am very thankful I got a chance to visit Egypt; it's an incredible country filled with good people, good food and sights I still can't believe I got to see with my own eyes. But I must admit that I'm glad I'm not holding a $1400 plane ticket for this spring break.

Ice!

The first group of islanders crossed the ice this morning, driving the three or so miles from Mackinac Island to St. Ignace. They went slowly and stopped to spud as they went - finding between three and five inches of ice. (Actually, I'm not sure if they drove or if they walked.) And while I am certainly not ready to hop on my machine and head for the mainland tonight, I would be dishonest if I said I that the prospect of an ice bridge doesn't excite me.

I know it sounds crazy to drive across a lake, but if you don't live on an island, you probably don't really get it. I don't mean that in a rude way at all, it's just that most people don't live their lives tied to a schedule like we do. And I mean tied! In the summer it's the boat schedule; miss that last boat and you're not going home. In the winter it is the plane schedule; miss that last flight and it will cost you some bucks to schedule later one. When we have good ice it's the only time we're able to come and go whenever we choose, and that's a beautiful thing...

I took the above photo back in 2009. I crossed quite a few times in 2009, 2008, and in the years before I started blogging, but the ice was iffy last year so I don't think I crossed. I know lots of people are curious about the ice so I'll do my best to keep you posted...

Horsing Around

We are a jammy loving family. If you were to pop in one evening or weekend afternoon, it's likely we'd all be in pajamas. I love coming home from work and trading my tailored work attire for the comfort of a knit fabric and an elastic waist. PJs are just so comfy and warm - we just love 'em. Well, except for my daughter - to be honest she would prefer to be completely naked all the time - so it is more accurate to say that she settles for PJs.

However, for the last few weeks she has been choosing pajamas. I'm sure it's partially due to the chill in the air (our high today is supposed to be about -20 {about -28 C} so the house is only about 66 {about 18 C}) but it's also partially due to the pajamas. My horse-loving girl loves her "horsey jammies."

I try to make the kids pajamas each year for Christmas. Last fall I found a cute horse print flannel at Joann's, but somehow I never got around to making them. This year I got busy and made sure they were finished before Christmas. The pants are Butterick 5565 - a super easy pattern since each leg is only one piece, and the shirts are just a purchased t-shirt with raw-edge applique of the horses from the flannel.

This was my first time using flannel for raw-edge applique and I discovered something important. The flannel I used frayed much more than the calico I've always used in the past. In some spots it frayed so much I had to go back and restitch the horses because the flannel frayed right through the stitching line. If I ever use flannel for this again, I won't clip as close to the seams. Despite the repair, they're still cute and the kids love them. I've got enough fabric left, I might get a pair too!

Done

photo via

The big Mackinac news today is that the boats are done for the season. Apparently they couldn't get out of the harbor in St. Ignace this morning due to ice and decided to call it quits. None of us are very surprised - it's been so cold lately - we knew it was only a matter of time...

Mad Hatter

I've been trying my hands at hat making lately. Nothing fancy - just wool beanies lined with fleece. Of course, since I'm making them, they're made from recycled sweaters. The best part is I've finally found a use for the sweaters that don't felt well. When you go through as many wool sweaters as I do, you always end up with a few that don't come out quite right.

The more sweaters I felt the more I learn that all wool is not created equal, even all 100% wool isn't the same. Merino wool - too thin - I rarely buy it, all new wool - half the time doesn't do much, and of course, washable wool does nothing because it's been treated so that it won't felt. (Though I'm told if you dry clean it you can remove the coating, but with the cost of dry cleaning these days, I have yet to try it.)

These little beanies are super simple to make and I think I did all three in just a couple of hours. The felt pins were a snap, too. I just love how they dress up the hats just a little bit.

Again

Photo via

When my daughter was nine months old she spent three days in the hospital on IV antibiotics for a really bad urinary tract infection. That began our year and a half long battle with recurrent UTIs that included catheters, kidney ultrasounds, time at DeVoss Children's Hospital with a pediatric nephrologist, and finally daily doses of antibiotics. We were assured that these things usually clear up when a child was potty trained and three months after my daughter's second birthday, when she was only wearing diapers at night, she stopped taking the medication. We held our breath and hoped she wouldn't get another UTI. Thankfully she was fine.

And she stayed fine. We had to revisit the hospital each summer for an annual kidney ultrasound just to make sure her kidneys we growing normally. Which they were, so this past summer she didn't need to be checked. Which was nice, because it was the first summer of her life that she didn't set foot in a hospital. (Some of you may remember our hospital visit of 2009.)

Yesterday, after peeing four times in three hours and complaining that it hurt and the subsequent visit to Medical Center that afternoon, she has been diagnosed with another urinary tract infection.

Ugh.

So now it is back on antibiotics, the pediatric nephrologist's office gets a call and we go from there...

2010 Teacher Gifts

I love homemade Christmas presents; especially when children are involved. Every year I have my students make a present, usually a Christmas tree ornament, for their parents. My own children also make their gifts. This year the kids gave the important adults in their lives (teachers and babysitters) hot cocoa. I shamelessly stole the idea but tweaked it to make it work for our situation. In addition to the wordle-wrapped cocoa, we made stirring spoons.

Milk-chocolate-dipped-and-coated-in-candy-cane-pieces stirring spoons. Let me tell you how incredibly yummy the house smelled the night we made those. It was all I could do to not eat the melted chocolate while we were making them. They were super easy to make, though since they involved the stove and a double boiler, close adult supervision was a must.

First we got out all of our frustrations by using rolling pins to smash a box of candy canes. (Putting them in zip-lock bags kept the pieces from flying all over the kitchen.) I heated milk chocolate chips in a double boiler and then I helped the kids dip plastic spoons into the melted chocolate. After each spoon was nicely coated, we just sprinkled on the broken peppermint pieces and then set the spoons onto wax paper to cool. They loved it., and took it quite seriously. It was fun to hear them say things like, "This one is for Mrs. W, " and "This one is for Louann," despite the fact that they were all exactly the same.

We packaged the spoons in little goody bags, tied them with some pretty ribbon, and finished each one with a candy cane.

Finally, the kids put several baggies of spoons into a lunch bag. Not the fanciest wrapping, I know, but it was something the kids could do so they could really feel like it was "their" gift. My son did an excellent job threading the ribbon through the holes. He was especially proud when he wrote his teacher's name on her bag.

Next year, I think we might make these. All I can say is, yum!

Better Late Than Never

OK, perhaps a better title would be: Better Really Late Than Never. Life has been busy and hectic lately. (Kids, school, mittens, grandma, etc.) So much so that I missed out on some important posts. So, now it's time to play catch-up:

Somehow I never got around to posting about the kids Halloween costumes. So, being that Halloween was ages ago, I thought I'd better get to it. My husband and son decided to be Stick Men this year, and man did they look cool after it got dark! Once the sun set, their black clothes disappeared into the night and they really looked like stick people walking down the street. (That night they both had black face paint and black shoes.)

My husband created the EL wire part of the project, Meijer supplied the black sweat suits, and I hand stitched the wire to the fabric. It needs to be done by hand because piercing the wire with a needle will ruin it - or so I am told.

My daughter decided she didn't want to be a Stick Person but a pink dinosaur instead. She absolutely loves dinosaurs right now so it was very fitting. Please excuse my editing job on the photo below. Since I don't show their faces on-line, I tried my hand at editing out everything but her costume. Certainly not a professional job, but you've got to start somewhere, right?

I made the costume using this pattern, which was a snap. The shoe covers I did on my own, tracing around her tennis shoes to create a pattern. The bodysuit pattern called for interfacing to stiffen the scales, but I used peltex instead. She loves it so much, she won't met me take it out of her closet. And, occasionally, she puts it on and wears it around the house on the weekends. Good think I made it quite big. I had intended for her winter coat to fit under it (it can be cold here at the end of October, or in the case of last year the kids wore their rain coats under them) so it's going to fit for a long time...

Grandma Mary

Mary McNair
1920 - 2010
(I took this photo at her 90th birthday party in November.)

You may remember when, back in June, I wrote about my grandma going into hospice. Well, yesterday morning at about 6:30 she passed quietly in her sleep. And while I my logical side knows it's what she's wished for each and every day for the past seven months, I'm still deeply saddened by her death. I'm trying hard to be strong - for my little ones; I must remember they've lost a grandma, too.

That was the hardest part about it - telling my own children. My daughter began to cry immediately. "Grandma can't die," she got out between sniffles, "I love her." It took longer to sink into my son; he didn't start crying for a minute or two, but then sobbed, and I mean sobbed, for 45 minutes. Then the questions began:

"How did she die?"

"Did she what to be cremated?"

"Where is she right now?"

"Where will they put her?"

These all stem from the loss of our good friend last winter. Somehow I know that losing Karen helped prepare them for this loss, not that you can really be prepared to lose someone you love. But they, my son (who is six) at least, understands that dying means that person is gone and we'll not see them again. The book When Dinosaurs Die has been a big help as well. If you have children and you don't own this book, you should get it.

So we've been talking a lot about keeping Grandma Mary alive in our hearts and remembering all the special things about her:

How she let them ride on her scooter and how they loved to race up and down the hallway where she lived. How she always seemed to have a sweet treat for them when they visited, and most importantly, how her face lit up when they walked into her room. They brought great joy into her life and she loved them so very much.

I am trying to remember that despite how much my heart aches today, my children and I are the luckiest of all Mary's grandchildren. Of her 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, (who are spread out over six states and three continents,) my children and I were the only ones who got to see her on a regular basis. We were a part of her life and she a part of ours and the memories we have make the tears bearable.

Good-bye Grandma Mary. We love you. And while I know you were a staunch atheist and did not believe in an afterlife of any kind, if you happen to discover that you were incorrect I hope you have a comfortable chair, a very sharp pencil, and an unending supply of crossword puzzles from the New York Times...

Lucky

Some days I just have to pinch myself.

How lucky I am to live on Mackinac.

I hope all your holiday wishes
come true this year...

He Sees You When You're Sleeping

As I was culling the catalogue pile the other day, I came across these; two catalogues in which virtually every item had been circled. When I asked my son about it he told me, "It's so Santa will know what to bring me."

Apparently he thinks he's been really really good this year...

Handed Down

I love hand-me-downs. Love them; and this one has been quite popular lately. My cousin sent this beautiful doll house home with us last summer (along with a giant tub of trains.) The trains were an immediate hit, but the doll house has languished in my daughter's closet. She was so completely uninterested in it that I actually considered returning it.

I'm not sure exactly what happened, but something changed. Over the past two weeks or so the doll house has been incredibly popular - with both of the kids. Which totally makes me smile. I love toys like this; the ones that just beg the kids to use their imaginations; one minute it is a hamster habitat, the next it is home to a horse family. I wonder what they'll think of next?

Thank You

Dearest Santa,
Thank you,

thank you,

thank you!
Thanks to all this wonderful snow, Mackinac
is sure to have a white Christmas this year.

Sincerely,

Liz