Bluebirdbaby

Salt Pond

The sun was out, the little one and I were anxious for a day outside, and we were both in the mood for some treasure hunting. Yay for Salt Ponds! After a lovely morning of hanging around town, the little one and I decided to go on an adventure. While at the Salt Pond, we ran into our friends (one of which is an almost eight year old that the little one adores!) who taught us all about hermit crabs, fairy shrimp, Eider ducks, and periwinkles. And boy, we have the bucket of treasures to prove it! (Nothing living...I promise.)

Follow a couple of hours of that with a trip to the ice cream shop, and you have one fantabulous afternoon! Yay for sun. Yay for friends. Yay for salt ponds. And double yay for really good chocolate ice cream!

Words From Sasa :: You and I

Sasa wrote this post after a lovely fourth of July. It is just now getting on here because of our hectic week! And I'm thrilled to say that he took ALL the pictures!

Last night was wonderful.  We went to a friends house to watch the fireworks over the river.  It was the perfect spot, on a second floor balcony high above street, overlooking the harbor. We could look down and watch the crowd milling about and listen to the music coming from the wharf.  The sky was clear and the air was sweet and we had each other to hold onto. Then the nearly full moon came up, and it felt as though the whole world stopped and it was just me and Erin smiling like kids at how perfect summer can be.

The weather has been so wild: so much rain and fog and then ferocious thunderstorms.  Yesterday the sun came out for the first time in a month, just long enough for us to go to the beach and drink in the light and the warmth. And then a wall of dark clouds appeared to the north and the wind became fierce. For a while we just laid there and watched the clouds getting bigger and darker and closer.  And then there was a pure animal understanding that it was going to pour, and as one, everyone on the beach packed up and fled. 

By the time we got home the sky was light and by the time we rinsed off the sand and salt, it was sunny again.  It is amazing to me how quickly things can change. How sun follows storm,  how clouds follow clarity,  how time follows eternity. And yet there is something always there, aware and present to notice every thing. From the simple joy of seeing the moon again for the first time, to the frenzy of fireworks filling the sky,  it is all there for us. And for me,  I am so grateful that it is always Erin there, sharing the joy of being here together. Through everything that happens the real fireworks is being able to turn to her and see a huge smile of amazement light up our world.  No matter what is going on outside,  it feels like the sun is always shining.

Etsy Update :: Sweet Dreams

Remember that pillow I made ages ago for the little one? Well, many of you requested some for the shop and I made a mental note to make that happen some day. I got the urge to put a few together using different color combos, and really adore the end result.

The little one uses her pillow every night. It's become a security object for her, so it gets a lot of use. The original pillow was stuffed with organic cotton, but after a couple of months of use, the cotton was squished down and flattened out. And after a stomach bug we survived a couple of weeks ago, the pillow was subjected to six washes in two days! So for these shop pillows, I opted for something a bit more washable and a desired fluffiness. After much debating, I used poly fill. The end result is great and they are so comfy!

I embroidered "sweet dreams" on each pillow and used coordinating cotton prints and vintage or Japanese trim on the fronts. I really love how they came out and whether they're used for decoration or for sleeping, they will add some color and fun to any room!

So go check them out in my shop! And stay tuned this week for some words from Sasa and a giveaway this Friday. Yay!

Bench Monday....again!

Sorry about the lack of updates! It's been a busy, busy weekend and looks like an even busier week. Expect a shop update at 2 p.m. EST tomorrow (7/7) afternoon.Yay!

It's Monday again.
All alone, but that's okay.
Sasa is working late on Mondays now.
The little one comes back on Wednesday.
I worked today and have much, much more work to do at home.
I'm thrilled this photography thing is taking off, but now I need to find the time to do it!
Lots of sewing tonight for my shop update tomorrow. I hope I can get it all done.
Birthday party tonight for our friend too.
And, of course, some cuddle time on the couch with wine, chocolate, my dude, and a movie.

I hope you're all able to enjoy some sunshine today. Gosh, it's so very nice. I swear, us Mainer's will never take the sun for granted again!!!

Making Do

Thanks for all your great suggestions on my last post. Rainy days can be cozy and fun when spread out throughout the summer, but day after day of rain can put you in a rut! So out came more crafty things, a little "switcheroo" in the living room (moving toys around always inspires play!), and lots of doll play. She loves these little clothespin dolls we made with her months ago.

And here's a sneak peak at my next shop update. I'm getting there...I promise! I will be updating on Tuesday of next week. Yay!

Enjoy the holiday weekend. I hope the sun finds you wherever you are...!

More Rainy Days

So, I guess we're dealing with some seriously rainy weather. I think we last saw the sun for a full day in early June. That seems forever ago! There have been no trips to the beach, no picnics by the river, and no bike rides through town. It's cold, wet, and dark. So what's to do when you're dealing with day after day of this stuff? Well, head down to the big city for a trip to the museum! We had lots of fun and even forgot it was raining outside.

Here's hoping the sun will come out soon. I'd love to know what you all do for rainy day activities??! We're running out of ideas!

Oh, and stay tuned for an Etsy update. Woohoo!

A Little Vintage Love

So our kitchen has kind of been stuck in this "prepped to paint" stage forever. One crazy weekend last winter, we tore down all the wallpaper. The plaster walls underneath were so bad that they kind of scared us to go any further. They sit unpainted and kind of "crumbly" now. I'm waiting for the day we save up enough to have someone come in and prep and paint (any locals up for a trade?!) and turn our kitchen into something I'm really proud of.

For now, I've learned to deal by adding color in other ways. I'm going for a 40's and 50's retro look in our kitchen. I'm on the hunt for a salvaged (or repro) diner counter top with that metal edge. I've got the cupboard paint color picked out and can't wait to dive in and make it all happen. But...time is an issue. So the kitchen sits unpainted and for now I use my crazy obsession with colorful Pyrex and Fire King to make the room shine.

So Saturday, my friend Mandi and I headed on an impromptu thrifting trip and ended up finding some great flea markets and little antique places to stop at. We both scored a bunch of dishes for a crazy cheap price. We were pretty much giddy with excitement (okay, so Mandi chooses to keep her giddiness inside, but I know it's there...) and she even insisted on snapping a picture of my giddiness. It's pretty obvious, eh?

So for now our kitchen sits as is, but I think if I fill it up enough with crazy colored vintage goodies, we might forget it needs to be painted anyway!

And just so you all know, I am still working on the things for my shop update. Hopefully by the end of the week they will be ready. I will announce it here before I update the shop!

A Rain Break

The rain stopped yesterday. Yes, I did say stopped! The sun came out in the afternoon and the humidity followed. Before the sun emerged, we wanted to take advantage of the lack of rain and went for our favorite walk with friends. The girls were so cute....giggling together as they ran barefoot on the sidewalk, stopping to pick up rocks and to inspect worms, while us mamas rejoiced to finally be outside, yet grumbled about the humidity and our frizzy hair.

We made the best of our rainless afternoon and evening by taking many walks, playing out in the muddy yard, and enjoying several games of frisbee. The humidity was so relentless that the little one was easily coerced into the tub with some cool water for some "swimming" ("like a fish!" she says) and ended with a soapy hairdo that had her giggling and requesting "take my picture, mama!" So, naturally, I obliged.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend. Let's hope it's a sunny, dry one!

Rainy Days

I don't know about where you all are, but here it's been raining for days. Or maybe weeks? But it feels like months. And it's not that light drizzle with warm weather either. Oh no...it's on and off pouring with cool temperatures.

Here's a little glimpse of our rainy days and the little things that help us stay entertained ::

New flip flops (two sizes too big!) that are just begging for hot weather and trips to the beach.



The little one has been fascinated by rings recently, so we took her to a funky little store to pick out her own. She chose this blue stone and was so thrilled to have a ring that fit her perfectly!

Coffee :: hippie style. We've  been looking for a cheap French press for ages, but haven't been able to find one. This reusable "coffee sock" works great and produces just enough coffee to keep Sasa and I going until we get our daily lattes a bit later.



The chickens are getting bigger and bigger. Penelope and Bernard are really getting along and are pretty close, but Roxanne tends to get herself in trouble with Bernard a lot. They're quite entertaining to watch and the little one and I go to visit them in the barn during the day to say hello.



And finally, what all of us feel like doing (except the little one!)...

I hope you're not dealing with as much rain as we are! Enjoy the rest of the week. I hope to have a shop update next week. Yay!

Happy Swing (?!) Monday!

It's raining.
Been raining for, like...ever.
Looking forward to seeing the little one tomorrow morning.
Salad and fish tonight for dinner.
Yes, I have my glass of wine already.
Sasa is working late again. I miss him.
I woke up to bacon and a latte. He rocks.
I'm looking forward to some sewing before dinner.
I have a date with my dude, a good movie, and some chocolate on the couch later tonight.

Does a swing count for Bench Monday? I hope so...

My New Dress

Sasa's sister took a trip to New York recently and brought me back this wonderful book. I was so overwhelmed with the number of things I marked to make out of it. Every page is full of beautiful and simple styles. The one problem? It's in Japanese. All Japanese. I know I tackled this shirt, but that was out of a book with step by step instructions in full colored pictures. This book has a few drawings, and that's about it.

So I picked one of the easiest (looking) dresses and after some initial confusion on how to find the actual pattern pieces amongst the jumbled pattern pages, I turned this dress out in a little under two hours.

I used some light-weight denim chambray I had been saving since last summer for myself, and an Amy Butler print I received in a fabric swap from Ella for the bias and ruffle. I've found that I really like Japanese patterns. Just two winters ago, I found myself using one of my very first patterns (in English!) and had so many problems that I enlisted the help of many experienced sewers. But in Japanese? Well, you have the basics and a template to work from, and you get to make up the steps yourself. And for me, that's way easier!

And the vintage boots? Well, let's just say that somebody loves me...a lot!

Thrifting :: A New Season

June in Maine means sunny days, ice cream, walks by the water, and yard sales! Sasa's mom and I headed out one Saturday for a day of yard sales, and boy...did I have good luck. I walked away with a bag of vintage lace, a vintage children's poster, vintage tins, and the above bowl. The above bowl had me completely giddy. You see, I found one (that Jade-ite Fire King) at a junk shop two summers ago for a mere ten cents. I had no idea it was worth so much. I found two more bowls at an antique store for the hefty price of $80. The bowl above did not break the bank and now Sasa and I can each have our own. (It's our favorite bowl for everything.)

A couple of weeks ago I stopped at a little antique store just outside of town. It looked a bit run down from the outside, but once I got inside I couldn't stop drooling. There seemed to be plenty of goodies from my favorite eras (40s and 50s) and I swear I would have taken just about everything home. But yesterday I stopped again with a friend, and we scored this awesome hamper for the little one's room. I've been looking for a big basket for ages, trying to avoid the plastic hamper ugliness, but I couldn't find one. So this hamper made my day and I think it looks pretty swell in her room.

I also got some great trays for our kitchen walls. After we get the walls painted, these will go up on display. I love the colors. (These are the colors we plan on painting our kitchen!)

And last but not least, there was this basket. This basket was shoved in a corner, buried under tons of stuff. I saw a bit of the red gingham and had to uncover it. I squeeled with delight as I pulled it up from the pile and promptly told my friend it was coming home with me. I mean, not only can I dress up like Dorothy next Halloween now, but we also have the perfect picnic basket to go with our picnic blanket!

So yea...there was a whole lot of squeeling going on, a whole lot of "ooohs" and "aaahs", and a whole lot of really good deals. Let's hope the rest of the summer is just as succesful!

Love Is Real

So now let all the light that collects on your plants keep you warm, make you
smile
And I will be there with this pen in my hand to record all the while
You'll be laughing so loud that the house will shake with sound
And everything will be as new as the day it was found

And I'll send you all the world green and blue in a box through the mail
You can open it up, hold it right in your hand and be glad that it's there
And be glad that you're there

Catching up on my 365s while I have the chance. I've got some awesome vintage finds to show you all soon, and have a new dress in the works (with materials from my stash...yay!) that I can't wait to share!

Bench Monday :: All Alone

Another one, because it's just so darn addicting...

Bench Monday.
Sasa's working late.
The little one is away.
I have 2,000 photos to edit from 3 separate shoots. Gah!
I love red wine before dinner.
These red chairs make me happy.
This apron looks silly.
My slippers are so disgusting, but I love them.
Greek is what's for dinner tonight. Love that hummus.
I'm in a crafting rut. There isn't enough time in the day (or money to buy material) to sew more. But I have a load of projects to finish for other people (hemming, mending, etc.) just nothing worth mentioning here.
Another open mic night is in the works with this song.

That's all folks!

A Night At the Alley

Friday night we headed off to the bowling alley with some friends. I had found the little one some bowling shoes last fall at a thrift shop, and although she had no clue what bowling was, she loved the shoes. Friday night we finally put them to good use!

She is an expert bowler already. She carefully selects a ball, heaves it into the air and watches as it lands with a thump on the lane. All six of us would stare in bewilderment as the ball would slowly inch towards the pins, veering off to the gutters, then pulling through at the last moment and knocking down numerous pins on its way out. We would all clap and cheer and jump, and she would grin her biggest grin and grab another ball.

Then we discovered the jukebox and the disco music. Armed with a bag full of quarters, we loaded that baby up with enough songs to last an hour. We all got crazy and silly and by the time we were dancing the "Chicken Dance", we pretty much had the whole bowling alley staring at us and watching us dance. Then we hit the arcade for some air hockey, pinball, and pool.

I think we can expect more trips to the bowling alley. It seemed to be a hit with everyone. And just a note to parents...I think they charge by the number of times the button is pushed to clear the pins. So our "one string" turned into six somehow. I guess that's easy with a 2 year old who just happens to looooove buttons!

It's a Good Day for Everything

I wish I had more appropriate pictures for this story. But these photos were taken today after we decided it was a "good morning for a trip to the playground." Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me on our kite flying expedition. The last one is an oldie, but my favorite.

This afternoon we found our kites in the outdoor toy box. We decided a trip to the cemetery was in order for some kite flying. I put the little one in the Ergo and off we went. On our walk down, she squeezed me tight and said, "Mama, today is a good day for kite flying!" I felt the humidity creep under my clothes and was wishing there was more of a breeze. I said, "I hope so, sweetie. We will definitely try."

We got to the cemetery where the big field is and I tried so, so hard to get that kite up. It just wasn't windy enough. The little one was running all around trying to get her "baby kite" to fly. I think she was having just as much fun trying as she would flying. She looked over, out of breath and halfway across the field, and yelled, "Mama, it's a good day for flying kites, isn't it?"

Just then a cold front moved in. I was suddenly shivering in my sweater, jeans, and wool socks. The wind picked up and I could hardly keep that kite under control. It flew up and up and up. It kept going until it seemed like our entire little town could see it. The little one beamed and we took turns holding the string. I looked over at her and said, "Hey sweetie, it's a great day for flying kites."

We flew that kite for two hours. We rolled down the hill through the buttercups and daisies. We searched for four leaf clovers. We pretended we were dogs and ran on all fours. We stopped at the pond to throw rocks and look for frogs. And then I carried her back home, with her arms around my neck and her head nuzzled into my chest. As we approached the house she looked into my eyes and said, "Thanks for the good day" and kissed my lips.

No my little one, thank you for the good day.

Everyday she teaches me more and more about life, about living, about joy, and about myself. Everyday I get to spend with her is amazing and I am so very thankful for every second we are together. I am the person I am today because of her. Motherhood has pushed me out of my shell, it has made me more compassionate and loving, it has taught me how to be comfortable with myself, it has taught me to believe in myself, it has taught me what's important, and it's taught me how to live life to its fullest. How could anyone ask for more?