Bluebirdbaby

Harbor House

Thank You

I love hearing from my readers and I love how I get so much support when I need it. The comments on my last post made me feel so much better. I woke up this morning in the best mood, turned up the little one's favorite station and danced and danced. After I finished that, I took a very, very long shower. Top that off with early morning sewing, some duckling fun, chocolate before coffee, and a lovely picnic by the river with a friend and I am glad to report that I am savoring each minute of my alone time now. I'm sure by tomorrow I'll be anxious to see her, but for now I am enjoying myself.

I'm having fun playing around with my new camera remote. I've always been too shy to take self-portraits, but I have fallen in love with some of the very clever and artistic self-portraits I see around flickr. I was inspired to learn the art form myself, but it's really much harder than it seems. Just getting my head in the frame is a feat!



So I went to visit my "future" car again today, just because I had the time. It's not quite as lime-green as I remember. Perhaps more of an avocado? But I still love it. I admit to having to wipe some drool off the hood. I'm just that in love with it. (Okay, there was no drool, but I was close.) I ordered this book after many people recommended it and conversed with Sara from the Live Lightly Tour who recommended a good DVD. (They were supposed to make a stop at our house last fall, but it never worked out. You should check out their website. It's very inspiring!)

I have some sewing projects in the works. I made a skirt for myself from my own pattern, but alas...I decided I didn't look good in it. So it will probably be available in the shop soon. I'm very excited to add some adult clothing to my shop in the future, so this is a good start. And also, I am working on a very fun, and very exciting giveaway for my blog in the near future. So I'll keep you all updated about that.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

I Miss My Baby

I dropped off the little one to spend three days with Stephen at the family summer home. I thought I'd be jumping for joy once I got home to a quiet house, but all I can do is think about how much I miss her and how absolutely weird having a clean and quiet house is...

Ducks!

Well, you'll finally get to see pictures of the ducks. Two weeks old and they're already huge. Every morning we wake up to find bigger ducklings downstairs. Crazy how that happens. With the warm weather today, I decided to spend part of the morning constructing a pen for them outside. You should see me with chicken wire and a staple gun...





I still can't tell them all apart, but for now Ping is the largest duck and Charlotte is the duck that likes to be close to me. They are so curious and fun to watch.



Here is the ladder *I* made using scrap wood and duck tape. I even used a Japanese saw to cut the wood at an angle and used three different sized nails for my particular needs. See, I told you you'd be seeing some craft stuff around here soon! I have to fix the ramp to get up because I ran out of wood and right now it's too steep for them to climb. But it was a fun project and I'm proud of the end result!

Off to plant more seedlings. Enjoy the sun!

All In A Day's Work...

Dancing and playing with "Baba" who came for the weekend. Any local readers out there, the little one absolutely adores the station 104.3 (music from the 60's and 70's) and I actually like it too.



Family painting time. The little one was much more interested in handing Baba paint brushes dripping with paint, but she did complete a rather lovely painting. (Notice I have a remote now! You may be seeing more of me...)



Yesterday, in between rain showers, we had two and a half yards of loam delivered for our new raised beds. At 6 p.m. yesterday, I stood outside in full black fly gear (sweating to death), shoveling loam into the raised beds. Despite the crazy weather, we managed to get them both filled.



That was a lot of loam! We came inside after this manly task was done (remember, Stephen is away) and promptly grabbed a beer and some chips. My biceps are huge now and I think that's all the exercise I'll need for the next month. Tomorrow I'll be planting the rest of our seedlings and try to get a pen up for the ducks who are anxiously waiting to roam the green grass. I guess the patchwork picnic blanket will have to wait...

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend! (And I did call the Mercedes owner and it looks like it might be a possibility! I am ordering a DVD about biodiesel and a book, but does anyone know of other good resources to check into? Stephen's a bit nervous about ditching my 2002 Subaru Outback for a 1978 lime-green mercedes, but I say nothing could be better!)

Our Morning

I used to do a "day in the life" in pictures on my old blog. My readers always liked that and it was a fun way to document exactly what happens around here, and fun for me to look back and see too. So I snapped some shots of our morning together. Stephen is away for a while, so it's just me and the little one until my mother comes up to visit. We are having a blast, just us girls.



I co-sleep with the little one for half the night. She starts out in her crib (which is pushed up against my bed) and ends up with me. This morning she amazingly slept until 6 a.m. and woke me up with a big, wet kiss.



Then it was off for the first play of the day. Starting with the kitchen, of course. Isn't that light something?!



Blueberry pancakes were on the menu this morning. The little one helped me stir and mix, tested the blueberries, and had the first pancake with her requested "extra" blueberries and maple syrup. Note the messy kitchen and dishes I must wash after I get off the computer...





It was soon out the door to get more duckling supplies (who knew I would have to fill two water jugs four times a day for those silly ducks?), a much needed green tea at the cafe and a visit with all our friends, then it was off to the farmer's market. That first picture is the parking lot at the farmer's market! Beautiful, isn't it? We got some greens and fresh chicken and spent some time running around the grass and listening to the fiddle player.





On the ride home I spotted dozens of seagulls soaring through the sky. I knew the alewives were running, so I quickly pulled over and grabbed the camera. It was amazing to see hundreds of alewives just below the water. The little one yelled "fishy, fishy!" over and over again. I had to juggle holding her (not a toddler-friendly place, mind you) and the camera while trying to snap shots. We watched the seagulls swooping down for a little snack and collected some rocks to bring home.

That was our morning (all before 11 a.m. anyway). Wasn't that just thrilling?! I'm attempting to work on a patchwork picnic blanket this weekend. I have never, ever made anything remotely close to a quilt and I will be making this up as I go. Any tips? I promise you'll see some crafty stuff around here soon. We've just been so busy with the garden, the ducks, and well...life. Thanks for continuing to read what I have to say in this little space. Enjoy your (long) weekend!

(Oh, can I mention that I stumbled across a 1980's Mercedes lime-green diesel sedan? Can I mention that I really, really want it? And that I will convert it to biodiesel, which has been my dream for a couple of years? Seriously...lime green, vintage Mercedes, biodiesel...what more could a crazy girl want?!)

Beautiful

I really can not get over how beautiful everything is this time of year. With temperatures in a very comfortable range, we have been enjoying the little bits of time we spend outside. Unfortunately, living in Maine means the black flies come out in May (and just keep getting worse as time goes on at our house), so you won't see many pictures of the little one playing in our yard. Now we have to drive to town to be outside, or even better...to the beach!



But today we went into town for story time at the library, and after it was over it was off to explore the lovely flowers around the building. I couldn't help but snap a few pictures, although my white balance was off, so I had to adjust them a bit. But look at those flowers! Amazing.



Hopefully the flies will let up soon and the days will grow warmer so we can let our ducklings outside to enjoy the warm sun and plenty of greens. You should see them...already DOUBLED in size! Speaking of ducklings, I'm off to clean their cage. Enjoy the rest of the day!

Green On Our Walk

We went on a lovely walk today down by the river in town. The little one loves to pick dandelions, so we always end up taking home a bunch. The leaves just emerged last week and it has been so lovely looking at green everywhere. (Not so lovely for the allergies though...)

We want to shout out a goodbye to our good friend Bobbi! We miss you already!! (These "flowers" were for you Bobbi, but somehow never made it out of the car...)

In the three minutes it took me to put groceries away...

Amazing what can be accomplished in the short time it takes for me to put groceries away. You might not be able to see the dark purple ball of yarn that was unraveled and dragged across the entire house, wrapping itself around chairs, toys, and table legs along the way. But trust me, it's there.

Scenes from the (new) porch

And a trip to the farmer's market this morning resulted in an impulse tomato seedlings purchase. They're a heck of a lot bigger than our tiny ones and the little one has decided that they look terrific in her kitchen.

Enjoy the weekend!! See you next week.

Make Way For Ducklings!

Our ducklings arrived this morning and I picked them up from my friend's house this afternoon. They are the cutest things ever. I've already named them all: Ping (okay, that was a given), Molly, Francis, Lola, Charlotte, and Astrid. The three left are going to another home tomorrow and I will let the new owner decide their names. Now if I can just remember how to tell Astrid from Ping...

I'll try to get a video up on flickr by the end of the day. They are busy little things. I guess I would be too if I spent the last two days on a truck. The photos aren't superb, but the very bright and very red heat lamp does not make my camera happy.

Thanks for all your support on my last post! I definitely plan on keeping up this space and will certainly include how the music portion of my life is going. I hope to have a giveaway in the next few weeks to thank you for all your kind words, so stay tuned!

Indefinite Hiatus

Well, guess who got bit with the music bug again? Yup, that would be me. Being a former musician, who was completely and totally immersed in music until the birth of the little one (my last gig was two weeks before the birth!), I knew there would come a time when I would long to pick up the trumpet again. My life has been spent putting every single ounce of energy I have into one key interest at a time. Those interests would shift now and again, but music has been one that I've always been incredibly passionate about. I have never felt more myself than when I have my trumpet in my hands.

It's been hard for me to "get back into it" solely because of the reason that motherhood takes up a tremendous amount of energy and time. I couldn't imagine trying to do both; that's just how "into it" I get when music is in my life. But I've been feeling the shift for more than a month. (Okay, I admit...seeing a chick trumpet player at the Ani Difranco concert in January was just so much motivation.) But trying to figure out how to be both a mother and a musician is still something I've yet to solve. My idea of being a musician entails hours of practice a day, playing gigs, taking lessons and classes to finish my degree (almost there...), and so much more. But instead of getting overwhelmed and realizing that I can't quite make it back to school, I've decided to just continue lessons and put in as much practice as I can. Hopefully, gigs will soon follow.

So, with the way my mind works, I have to close the shop for an indefinite period. I'll finish up the custom orders I have and take any orders that arrive before Saturday, when the shop will officially close until further notice. It's nearly impossible for me to fathom running a shop and getting back into music at the same time. I've also toyed with the idea of getting a part time job this summer, so the little one can spend time with other children at another mama's house while I get some much needed social interaction with people actually my own age. I'm realizing that we're both at a point where this would be benificial.

I apologize if it appears that this has come from out of the blue. I guess I've been thinking about it for a while, but when the trumpet emerged today and those first few warm-up notes were played, I knew I had to do everything I could to put my all into it. Music is a huge part of me that has been dormant for so many months. I'm glad my interest in music has sparked again and I look forward to seeing what will become of it. Hopefully, you will too.

Being A Mother

(Photo from last Mother's Day)

Motherhood was never something I saw in my immediate future. My plan was to adopt in my late thirties, thinking I'd be this very independent gal who traveled all over the world touring (with a band) and never really had time to settle. So when I found myself married and pregnant in my early twenties, that future that I had envisioned since childhood suddenly broke into a million tiny pieces and floated away. But I was okay with that. I knew motherhood would open up a whole new world of possibilities.

I didn't realize that with becoming a mother, the identity I had always known, the person I had become, would suddenly disappear as soon as my screaming daughter was placed on my chest after a long and painful birth at home. The person I had grown accustomed to, who I had finally learned to accept and found comfort in, was suddenly a sleep-deprived, lactating, worried, anxious woman who now had an added appendage that was never there before. It took months to grow into my role as a mother. It wasn't love at first sight and there were many rough times before I could really settle into my new role. I often found myself longing for the person I was before.

But with all the evolving and adapting over the last 19 months, I will say that I wouldn't change a thing. The person I have become, who I have grown into and grown to love, is way more interesting, insightful, creative, loving, and compassionate than the person I was before. To have the honor of spending everyday with this marvelous, captivating, and amazing little person who has so much to offer the world, is a remarkable gift. I find great joy in being her mother and the gift of motherhood is something I will be forever thankful for.

I hope you enjoyed Mother's Day. See you around...

Latest Additions

A new toy for Stephen. (Love how flickr lets you add videos now. I'm sure you'll be seeing some videos of the little one soon...)

I'm finally getting this into the shop. I was so surprised after trying it on Elisabeth that the fit was not much different from the original. It definitely fits better, but I thought the yoke would sit lower, so I have to fiddle with it some more until I get it just right. But it will be in the shop tonight!

A Good Beach Day

Happy Birthday Papa!

It was Stephen's birthday today. I'm a little late posting pictures, but the celebrating began around 7 p.m. The birthday banner was up (the little one loved that), the chocolate torte was made (gluten-free, of course), and the gifts were wrapped. I think he enjoyed the evening. Happy Birthday Stephen!

Five and a half hours later...

The little one is spending her first weekend away at Baba's, so I have been working ever since I woke up this morning. I changed the yoke from the original vintage pattern and added more height to the straps, but with no model to try it on, I'm not quite sure if it's perfect yet. This is the final design, complete with vintage trim on a navy linen/cotton blend. I think it looks quite handsome! It will be in the shop next week along with the spring floral jackets.

Enjoy your weekend!

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, it's been ages since I've sewed. I actually had to dust off the sewing machine! We had a rainy day here on Monday and a chilly day yesterday, so I was more motivated to get back to business. With my goal to dress the little one in mostly handmade this summer, I decided to test out a new pattern on her. I bought a vintage overall pattern a couple weeks ago because I really wanted to add a pair to my shop. All the overall patterns I've seen are essentially the same thing, but I liked how this one had a solid top bib, instead of the entire front being made from two separate pieces.

This pair was made out of the salt and pepper denim (I have loads of this because of an order mix-up) and some vintage buttons. The vintage trim was one of the freebies in my Sew, Mama, Sew order. I think they're cute and they fit perfectly. The fabric is practically impossible to photograph. These photos really don't do it justice.

I wanted to add some to my shop, with a slightly modified fit in a lovely linen. My friend Heather gave me the idea when I asked her what would be good for some little lads. I loved her idea of having a linen pair of short-alls for the boys for special occasions! Does anyone know the copyright laws on vintage patterns? I was under the assumption that they were okay to use if you altered them a little. This is from the early 70's and the package has nothing stating "for personal use only". If it is legal, it might take me some time to get these in the shop. The pattern is one size and I think I would offer these from 6 months-2T, so I would have to do some resizing. But if anyone knows the copyright laws on vintage patterns, I would love to be informed! Thanks!