Bluebirdbaby

Thankful For...

I'm so thankful for friends. I'm thankful for being surrounded by like-minded people. People who live their lives with passion, creativity, and fun. Sasa and I (and the little one) have never had such a busy social life, full of people we love and nurturing friendships. We had the pleasure of dining with friends over the weekend. It was a night full of good music, creative conversation by creative people, and such delicious food!

I'm thankful for yummy and nourishing food. Sasa made a chicken pot pie after I told him it was my favorite thing to eat as a kid. I never thought a homemade pie could beat the comforting taste of Mrs. Budd's chicken pies that I grew up loving, but I should have known...Sasa always makes things better than I remember them ever being. It was a keeper recipe for sure and he's going to share it all with you soon!

I'm so very thankful for the little one, her joy in life, her amazing energy, and her love of anything and everything that involves being social! She was a cat all night. She scared my friend's cat away with her enthusiastic greeting, but that didn't matter...she just became the cat instead. She even dedicated a few Rolling Stones' songs as "tail chasing songs." She is a delight, and she sure does love life! Such a pleasure to witness!

What are you thankful for today? I always love reading what you share!

eleven :: 30 Days of Beauty :: outside play

I shot these photos last week, but am just now getting around to sharing them. It was a beautiful afternoon, full of outside play (I think we did indeed spend the entire afternoon from lunch till dinner outside!), throwing sticks to Fly, "bowling," treasure hunting under the magical treasure tree (it's true...there really are treasures under it!), and trying to rescue balloons from a neighbor's branch. There were so many giggles, smiles, and moments of love. It was an afternoon I hope to never forget.

This month of February is almost over. We never received any snowfall, we've had sunny days in the 50's, most recently pounding rain with gale force winds that swayed our house so much I thought I was in a ship at sea, and there are mud and bulbs everywhere. It's so odd to see February come and go like this. So unlike a typical Maine February (full of snow!). It's almost as if we were cheated. Or somehow winter is over and spring is already here, even though we all know full well that snow must be on its way soon (right??!). But however you look at it, I will say that will all the outside play, the sunshine, the sweater-only weather, and stomping in mud puddles, it melted the February funk right away. And I'm certainly not going to complain about that!

Enjoy the last two days of February!!

ten :: 30 Days of Beauty

I know, two posts in one day, but I couldn't resist. This scene is just way too beautiful for me not to share. I cuddled up on our new chair with a good book this rainy afternoon while the little one was completely absorbed in some castle play based on our night time storytelling. It was a beautiful moment; one that involved complete imagination, excitement, and much storytelling on her part. I wanted to capture every moment of it. I love these open-ended toys. I love how they inspire more creative play. I love how they are all so beautifully and lovingly handmade. And I love that she is lucky enough to be surrounded by these beautiful things in our home.

I hope your afternoon was just as imaginative! I loved peeking at all your beauty. Thanks for sharing!

nine :: 30 Days of Beauty

Last weekend we took a walk to one of our favorite spots. We ran, we played, we jumped and skipped, we fished, we found a horseshoe crab and a heart rock, we watched the sun sparkle in the water and the waves lapping the shores. We skipped rocks for a good hour, took in all the beauty this little spot had to show us, and then started the long walk home. Close to our house the little one looked up from her seat in the stroller and said, "I love you mama and Sasa sooooooo much." So sweet. So beautiful. Such a perfect little afternoon.

I'd love to see some more of your beauty. Leave me a link in the comments!

Movie

It's goofy. It's fun. It's just for the little one (who is at her Papa's right now). It's the second movie I've ever made (you saw the first). And I winged the entire thing. There was no plan. So it's just silly! And I really don't sound like that. But enjoy!! (Did I add enough disclaimers?!)

Oh, and please join me over on Facebook! I created a group for e. wallace photography. I'd love for you to spread the word!!

Monday Style

I woke up this morning with a semi-headache again, which left me in a "I really want to wear sweats to work" mood. However, I really wouldn't have been inspired to take a picture with unwashed hair, sweatpants, and a grungy old shirt, so I put on more appropriate clothing for work (and you!) and came up with this. It was comfy. Oh, those linen pants...I adore them. The entire outfit was thrifted too! Cost me less than $15!

And thank you, thank you, thank you for all the photo book love! I am going to work on it a bit more, add some things I missed the first time and get it in my shop! Yay! I'll announce it here when it's ready.

And here is what I'm loving this Monday...

• this song. and oldie but goodie.
• it was windy today (hence the hair blowing in my face)
• holy moly. that's all I have to say about that.
• Aren't these great? Those polka-dots! Ah!
• I'm really feeling like I want to make some movies. I've been coming up with so many ideas in my head. Ya know...quirky little two minute videos. I'm thinking of making one tonight...(I think I'm starting to like the video feature on the D90 now!)
• We watched this last night. One of my favorite videos EVER. There's something about Audrey's energy that I connect with so much. And her style? Love it.
• Sasa sent me this. Teehee! I love the third one down. It's a saying we used a lot in high school.
• I think I'll send him this one.
• inspired by her.
• I am definitely doing this to my vintage Schwinn.
• Did you all know about Photojojo? Apparently I'm waaay behind. The lovely ladies last night informed me of this wonderful site. Go check it out!
• I'll take this. Yes, please!
• Sushi tonight! Look for a sushi tutorial on Sasa's blog soon!
• I'm in love with kombucha again. Especially ginger.
• Loving this video and song. Can't get it out of my head. They are so clevah.
• How awesome are these boots? I want to get them for Sasa, but I think I'd go broke...
• I want this skirt.
• I decided to take Feverfew on a daily basis for my migraines. Have any of you taken it, and if so, did it work? I'd love to hear feedback!

I'm off to make a video! What are you loving this Monday?

eight :: 30 Days of Beauty, Thrifting Love, and Clickin' Ladies

Oh my. What a week. What a week I had between Sals and a new antique store up the coast. I scored most of the above at Sals, all for under $10. The ladle and glasses were purchased at the new antique store for under $12. Nothing is more beautiful than the colors and vintage lines of old kitchen wares.

And if the thrifting Gods hadn't shown their light down on me enough, I ran into this beeeautiful chair mid-week. I instantly fell in love, but thought...nah, we have no place for a chair even though we need more seats! But after literally dreaming of the thing that night and waking with a rock in my stomach, I knew I had to go get it. And get it I did. And I love it. So very, very much. It's the perfect reading chair. There's nothing better than the little one and I cuddled up together reading books under a blanket. It's just perfect. It's getting a lot of use already, particularly from Kiwi. I won't lie when I say I'm on the hunt from a similar couch, although that's what I started out trying to find a year ago. Seems fitting the chair would come first. I'm hopeful a couch will follow.

And I want to shout out to the gals that joined me for my first photography workshop tonight! Hey clickn' ladies!! We had so much fun. And they were well fed. I can't wait for the next one. I made a mini information book. I think I'll offer it for sale on my BigCartel site if people are interested. What do you think?! Thanks to all who came!

I have so many beautiful pictures I'm just waiting to show you of our spring-like days. It's been just gorgeous. What did you all do this weekend?

Paper Dolls...The Modern Way

The little one is really into playing with dolls. Mostly the dollhouse variety, but our clothespin dolls are still going strong. But after being inspired by this clever blogger, I decided it was time for a new kind of doll. A doll we could dress up!

The little one named off a list of people she just had to make a doll out of, starting off with our neighbor who has the cutest cats. We pulled out mama's ginormous bag of fabric scraps and set to work.

It was so much fun. Seriously. We made a crazy amount of dolls, including a Fly dog, a large Kiwi cat, and Belina (the chicken who just loves to be noticed). She's having so much fun with them, as am I!

For anyone who wants to try making them, we used heavy card stock, I just cut the clothes out freehand and glued the back with a glue stick, and taped popsicle sticks to the back. Super easy and the play you get out of them will last for hours!

I'll be back this weekend with some thrifty finds! Happy Weekend!!

seven :: 30 Days of Beauty

It's been warm here. Much warmer than usual. I'm trying not to be freaked out by the climate change, complete lack of new snow in Maine in February, and green grass and bulbs surfacing. So we're making the most of it. We took two long walks today, played outside all day, and spent a morning at our favorite little place. The little one has so much fun here. Everything was so beautiful :: the bare maple trees against the gray sky. The wheat colored grass and dried leaves. And when the sun came out we just soaked in all the beauty we could! 

Here's a little story about how our morning went...

The little one loves to walk. She walks and walks (sometimes gets a shoulder ride) and commands Doggy Fly to go this way and that. She requests "races" with me and Fly until we finally reach our destination. Ever so often, she stops me for a photo op. This was one of those moments. Ah, the cuteness is just too much!

Close to our destination, we had to collect leaf pets. They were put in our bag we brought along and later came home with us.

She can hardly wait for the gate and ends up climbing the fence. Mama decided to enter the proper way through the gate, despite the disapproving look from the little one. Then it was off to play chase.

A good game of chase is always followed by some ice cream. She picked this ice cream spot out when she was a bit over two years old and it's remained her spot ever since. How she can tell the difference, I have no clue. So this is her store and today she was offering "rainbow drip and vanilla chip." I ordered the rainbow drip. I highly recommend it.

Then it was off to gather sticks for our fire in the zoo. The zoo has a fence around it and the animals were getting cold, particularly the giraffe. So we gathered sticks for a good twenty minutes.

We built the most enormous fire that was sure to keep all the animals nice and toasty. She had to use some grass to get it started and seemed to have the entire thing under control, so I just sat back and supervised.

She ran and ran and ran some more. Mama chased and chased and chased some more.

We said hello to our friend the maple tree and asked when it would be tapped for maple syrup. Then we hugged the tree and thanked it for being so beautiful.

And before I knew it, in mid-chase, she announces, "Mama, let's go home and see Sasa! Okay?!" So we walked all the way home, pretty sure we were the luckiest gals to have such a beautiful little spot to come play.

That's how our morning was. How was yours?!

six :: 30 Days of Beauty

The little one and I spent an afternoon recently making some art for our walls. The stairway walls have remained empty since we moved in. I had visions of fabric hoops, a plate wall, or a hodgepodge of random prints tacked up, but finally settled on the perfect thing :: artwork by the little one.

I had three really great blank framed canvases from a friend. I was saving them for a year until the little one was old enough to paint them. So we got out the acrylics, chose three shades of blue, red, and green and set to work.

They came out really well. I think they look quite cheery and brighten up our stairway. The little one told me the story of each thing she was painting, and although one would never look at the red painting and see our cat Kiwi playing with a feather, or Doggy Fly chasing a ball, I'm sure that somewhere in that mess of paint, they are there. Because the little one always knows exactly what she painted and why.

It's fun that they are so much more permanent than a piece of paper. I imagine her walking past them when she's much older, remembering the fun afternoon of painting and the surprise of displaying them on the wall after they had dried. I love her artwork and feel so fortunate that I could display them for all to see!

Happy Tuesday!

Fashion Monday and All That Jazz

Well, here's my Monday outfit. Gosh, I love this! Today's outfit was a big thank you to Poppy who "saw this vest and knew it had to have been made just for me" and oh my...I absolutely adore it! The skirt was from a local store, as well as the scarf and hat. And the boots, well...you've heard that one before!

Here's some Monday links ::

• have you seen Sasa's latest recipe? I'm eating them as I type and they are SO good! I just ate four...
• this video completely cracks me up. their whole two seasons crack me up actually...
• this stuff is the best. I rarely wear make-up, but their powder foundation is awesome. (I get my from a local shop, so check yours!)
• Anthropologie has their new spring stuff out and I am in love. This skirt? Amazing.
• this song and video and arrangement is marvelous
• this shirt makes me drool
• loving this and this and this from the group!
• my migraine lasted fourteen days, but now it's gone. yay for that.
• the little one would think this skirt is the greatest mama skirt ever
• check out this wall. clevah.
• I have officially given up coffee. I may do decaf once in a while, but I'm making friends with peppermint tea.
• I'm really into collages lately, mostly for decorating. Melissa is totally inspiring me.
• I think I will move right into here.
• I want this!
• Sasa is making a stir-fry tonight. Woohoo!
• I purchased broccolini for the first time ever. Yum.
• I'm going to try to make pudding tonight with coconut milk.
• this is quite possibly my favorite song, favorite jazz trumpet player, and favorite recording ever
• watched this over the weekend. Audrey is way too cute.

Hit me with some links!!! What are you loving today?!

The Big Night

We attended a very sweet little event in our town this weekend. I was the photographer for the event and set up a "prom picture" type venue to take couples' pictures. It was so much fun. Another photographer stepped in to take a picture of Sasa and me. So here we are, saying "Happy Valentine's Day!!"

And the dress I ended up getting? Well, it's really one of the first pieces of clothing I've purchased at a really big box store (Target) when I was frantically searching for a back drop for this event. I ended up walking right past this little number and was hooked. It came home with me and I adore it. The shoes and jewelry followed shortly thereafter.

My mother curled my hair for the event. That was the best part! It came out really well. Thanks Meghan for your curlers!! They were super easy and I think it may be a bit addicting. There's nothing like having curly hair in a matter of minutes.

And the price of buying a dress accessible to millions of other people? Well, you're just bound to run into someone wearing the same exact thing. Such happened last night. Luckily, it was a good crafty friend of mine and we joked about it the rest of the night. We couldn't resist taking our picture together. So there's a big smooch from me and Liza just for YOU!

Happy Valentine's Day!!! I'll be back tomorrow for my weekly list of randomness.

five :: 30 Days of Beauty

Well, we hosted another wine and cheese tasting. It was so much fun. I'm avoiding wine and dairy (and coffee...oh my) because of an insanely long lasting migraine I've had, but I was able to tolerate a few sips of the whites. Wine, cheese, and friends. Nothing beats that. We chatted and laughed until the wee hours of the morning. So much fun.

And now...for my beautiful finds!

Friday mornings :: a slow start, reading and cuddling in bed, tea on the stove, pancakes on the table covered in homemade blueberry sauce and garnished with a paper white (the little one's idea). Yum.

Her style :: Seriously...she rocks. She gets the layer thing from her mama, of course. But the triple layer of stripes?! Completely her own doing. She looked gorgeous today. This is her "party outfit" apparently. She wanted to where it for our dinner party tonight. You should have seen it with the pink wooden clogs she was wearing earlier...!

Leave me some beauty links!! I'd love to see what you all are finding! Happy Weekend!

four :: 30 Days of Beauty

Oh, so much beauty today. It was everywhere. And all we had to do was look in our own backyard. The little one and I spent a couple of hours playing outside where we found all sorts of beautiful things! I am really fond of the dried plants and flowers that are all about. The colors and textures are really lovely. Take a look...

(The little one is picking up her mama's heart rock finding talents. She finds heart rocks in the craziest places...on top of snow banks, in mud puddles, on driveways. This one was found under a grove of pine trees. I seriously bet this was the only rock under those trees, and I'd be darned if she didn't spy that it looked like a heart!)

As you can see, it was quite lovely out there today. A bit chilly, but just warm enough to spend hours outside exploring. Who knew there was so much beauty in the midst of a chilly, not-too-snowy winter?!

And I think these words are beautiful. One morning, two tea bags, and a great big thank you to the universe for sending them my way.

three :: 30 Days of Beauty

A little bit of sunshine :: I found this lemon on the table. It reminded me of the sunshine and I thought it was beautiful. I love all things yellow.

Signs of spring (!!!) :: mud on my boots. I walked home from work through the swamp and got a bit muddy. Later I took a long walk in the sunshine around the neighborhood and noticed that sweet mud smell. It was really lovely. I know it's a little sneak peak of spring and I am totally enjoying winter, but it was nice nonetheless.

And to everyone who wants to join, please do! The flickr group will be there always, there is no deadline or rules, just post away! And check out this song...I think it's beautiful.

Teal and Stripes

Well, I finally got me some teal tights. And dang...do they feel good! Not only did I get teal, but I got magenta ones too. And while I was looking for tights I found the perfect dress for our fancy night out this coming weekend. And then I found the perfect earrings, which later led me to the perfect necklace, and after I ended up in front of the perfect shoes. I can't wait to show you all. Oh, by the way...anyone have good hair curling tips?!

Now, onto the links!

• love this and her description of the making process
• there's something about the site of buntings that make me giddy
• eeks! I would fall...for sure.
• love this store where I would surely buy this
• the group is good and going strong! Thanks to all who joined. I love this and this.
• I'm, once again, in my Greek loving yogurt phase. The Fayeh is my fav with honey to dip!
• Dinner tonight is mashed sweet potatoes and kale chips.
• Have you seen these guys? Very fun!
• My favorite song of the week is this. Can't get enough of it.
• love this little corner
• we actually watched the Super Bowl last night (okay, the fun beginning part and part of halftime, then us gals went next door to watch a movie and let the guys do their thing)
• this movie was very entertaining.
• this is so fun
• I like this a lot and these too!

What are you loving this fabulous Monday?!!

two :: 30 days of beauty

Paper whites. They've bloomed. There are more and more each day. This is the photo that inspired the button and my new banner. I can smell them as a type this. They are so beautiful.

And thanks to a reader's suggestion, there is a flickr group for you all to join! You can find it here.

Thanks to all who are joining me! I'm so excited to see your photos!!! xoxo

A Photo Challenge :: 30 Days of Beauty

Every winter, in the midst of shorter days, lots of snow, and cold weather I find myself in a bit of a photography rut. It's not that there aren't things to photograph, or I don't have my camera with me everywhere I go, I just find myself having a harder time seeing the beauty out there...everywhere!

So in an attempt to skip over this yearly rut altogether, I decided a little photo challenge was in order. Until spring is here, there will be 30 days where I capture something beautiful. It could be something as simple as a steaming coffee cup, frost on the window shield, or paper whites blooming in a window. The 30 days need not be consecutive, just enough of beauty thrown in here and there to keep bringing me back to the fact that winter is indeed cold and dark, but beautiful nonetheless. I mean, just look at that sunset!

Will you join me? Please, oh please?! I've created a button just for you! Paste the following html on your blog and follow me in a journey to beautifying winter! Yay!

<a href="http://bluebirdbaby.typepad.com/bluebirdbaby/2010/02/a-photo-challenge-30-days-of-beauty.html" target="_blank"><img src=http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8712/30daysofbeautybutton10.jpg border="0" alt="30 Days of Beauty"></a>

And let me know if you're joining. I'd love to see your photos too!

Seasonal Crafts and Lots of Food

First off, I had the pleasure of chatting with Eileen of Little Acorn Learning last month. You may have noticed their button in my left hand sidebar I added recently. Little Acorn Learning offers monthly guides, full of information about seasonal crafts, poems, songs, activities, recipes, and gentle educational information for kids of all ages. I had the pleasure of reviewing the January guide and found it so helpful. It helped rhythmically guide the little one and I through our days with activities and songs. I highly recommend this program to parents of all ages! So please check out their website and blog for more information. We found it to be a wonderful help and I think you will too! Thanks Eileen!

Today was a lovely day full of crafting and lots of food. We started the day with a Valentine's craft. We plan on sharing the heart love with our family and friends. We started embroidering these hearts and sewed them up, filled with some flax seeds and lavender and topped off with a festive ribbon for hanging. Fun, cute, and thank goodness I have a big wool felt stash! (A "must-have"item on hand for crafts, if you ask me.)

Later we made banana bread. It's one of our favorite treats. We substituted agave nectar for sugar and added a wee bit more banana and it turned out perfectly! The little one loves to help bake and she is getting so good at it. We're working on leveling measuring cups and spoons before pouring them into the big bowl. She is getting good at picking out the correct ingredients too. But her favorite thing is greasing the bread pan. She does an amazing job, I might add!

We've also been enjoying a lot of these lately. Satsumas come into this house and are quickly devoured before the day is through. And the sunny orange color never fails to cheer me up on these winter days. Amount consumed today :: nine. I think that's our current record (for just the little one and I), but I have a feeling we'll beat it soon.

And lastly, a birthday present for a sweet friend. She is building her first home and I thought some new napkins for her new kitchen would be a great gift. Happy Birthday Kat! We love you!!

Changes and Whiskers

I've been slowly working on my photography site, making little changes here and there and I think I've (temporarily) settled on a new look. I hope to have a professional redesign it soon, which would be lovely!

I've got some exciting gigs coming up. Hopefully I can share a bit with you soon!

And I leave you with the most hilarious picture ever...Sasa with "whiskers!" As the little one would say, "That silly Sasa!"

Hope you all had a terrific Wednesday! Until next time...

Happiness

Ever since happiness heard your name,

it has been running through the streets trying to find you. ~Hafiz

There's so much to be happy about. So much to be grateful for. Happiness was starting a special art project with the little one last week. It's finished and ready to be displayed. (More later!)

A little practicing. It's always nice to feel the keys beneath my fingers. The little one and I have been playing so much lately.

And fresh flowers. I had these delivered to the little one at school as a special surprise. It was the dreariest of days and I thought some flowers for her and the school would cheer everyone up. They are still going strong and brighten up her little toy corner here at home.

Other things that are making me happy :: Hafiz, sunshine, good wine, really good cheese Sasa got for tonight, kale, my hair growing, friends, family, laughter, sweet dreams, mangoes, satsumas, the color yellow, and (of course) chocolate.

What's making you happy and grateful?

Weekly Gig

So here we go again...another round of crazy outfits and fun links! Woohoo! I had to include two pictures today. One is of today (red vintage dress) and another is from yesterday. It's warmed up by about 10 degrees (still not above freezing), but it feels so much warmer that I broke out the cowboy boots. It felt good. So, onto the links and random bits!

• I am totally in love with this song (Oh, Dave...you are so good)
• This and this and this make me happy
• She just rocks (I agree that she exudes cool.) Have you seen her live in Paris stuff? Amazing!
• This family inspires me so. They are too cute!
• Love this song
• I want this. Badly. Sasa and I both agree we need one.
• Words don't even describe how I love this styling.
• Found her via Artful Blogging and am loving everything I read!
• We watched this last night. It was gooood.
• Reading something new. Love it.
• Got to work and received a sweet little surprise....the cutest bluebird pin ever. Friends rock.
• I could never pull this off but it's cute!
• This is pretty for a fancy night out with a black pencil skirt.
• Sasa gets home in 24 minutes. Yay yay yay! I think we'll have another easy dinner of roasted kale tonight.
• I'm convinced that butter and mayonnaise make life worth living (or food worth eating anyway...)
• I'm craving greens. I want to try this soon.
• My cat just BIT my computer screen. No joke.
• I finally got my D70s fixed after the tragic shutter death. Yay for two cameras on photo shoots!
• He is so crazy amazing.

And my friend and I were up to something insanely fun yesterday. I can't wait to share more about what she's up to! More later....promise.

What are you all loving this week? Happy Monday everyone!