Bluebirdbaby

What We've Been Up To...

It's been HOT here. Really hot. The temperature has been in the 90's and humid. We're trying to stay cool every way we can, which means sprinklers, long days at the beach, and swimming in the lake. Oh, and popsicles and ice cream. Can't forget those. But in the midst of the heat, we've managed to do some other things too...

We worked on the porch. (Gotta love the skirt tucked into the undies...!)

Had puppet shows. (Based on this story. Such a sweet and simple tale.) 

Ran through the sprinkler and swam in the kiddie pool for hours.

Made gazpacho for dinner.

Had lots of fun outside in the shade.

And dressed like a kitty!

That's what we've been up to, how about you?!

Raspberry Jam

It all starts with some good friends, a gorgeous farm, two sweet little ones, lots of red ripe raspberries, straw hats and picnic blankets, fields of buckwheat, and ends with...

... jars of raspberry jam. Mmmmm....yummy!

Raspberry Monday

Super quick Monday link post today...I have thousands of wedding photos to go through and edit...still trying to get a preview up for the lovely bride and groom as soon as possible. This is my "raspberry picking" outfit. We went with friends to pick raspberries today for jam making. I got 3 quarts before the little ones were ready to head down to the farm to visit the animals. I can't wait to make jam tomorrow! And oh, the humidity finally broke today. It was marvelous. I'm now watching a brilliant pink sunset from my living room window. The perfect ending to a perfect day! And the caution tape? A new deck (our old one rotted in a matter of a month!) that Sasa's Pop is building for us and it's GORGEOUS! We're so lucky and so excited! The caution tape is to keep people from falling over and 10 feet down to the ground...

Onto the links...

• i la la love these!
• i'm digging just about anything from here
• this photo is awesome
• this room is perfect
• found this song today and i'm in love
• i'm attemping my second sweater for the little one now. she chose "mermaid green" after much convincing that mermaid green was waaaaay better than bright pink....
• this video is SUPER awesome
• this has to be the happiest song ever. sasa and the little one and i have been dancing to this for a week now.
• how fun would this be to wear?!!!
• just met with another bride tonight...Summer, you are AWESOME! I am so excited about your big day!

Okay, I need to get to work! Happy Monday everyone!!!

Happy Weekend

Wishing you all a lovely weekend! I'm so enjoying all the lovely wildflowers in our yard right now. Here's hoping your day is full of flowers and sun too! I'll be back with another wedding photo sneek peak soon.

Faith

Oh my. Faith. What can I say about her? She was gorgeous, amazing, the cutest thing ever, fashionable, awesome, sweet, and super good with the camera. Her mama (of Salt and Chocolate) said they were going to be in Maine for 6 days and asked me if I would be interested in a senior photo shoot for Faith. Um, YES! As soon as they got out of the car, I knew it was going to be a fun night. Faith and her mama (Mary Beth) were the cutest things ever. I had a blast photographing Faith and even got Mary Beth to join in on the fun too!

We first went to a favorite walk of mine, taking them through the Maine woods (they're from southern Cal, so this was new to them!) and then later ended up in a gorgeous field at sunset. It couldn't have been a more perfect night. And the photographs I captured? Amazing. I am in awe of Faith's beauty, her poise, and her energy. She is awesome.

Thanks you two lovely ladies. It was a pleasure to meet you both. You are two beautiful souls. xoxo

See more on my photo blog!

Beach Days

We've been spending oodles of time at the beach. I rarely bring my camera (it's too risky!) but I happened to have it with me a couple of times last month. I've been waiting for just the right day to share these beach photos, and with the busy week we've had, today feels like the perfect day. There's not much else to do at the beach but slow down, relax, and breathe. These photos are nice reminders!

I'll be back tonight with some amazing photos from an absolutely gorgeous shoot with an absolutely gorgeous gal! Yay!

Hoopin' Monday

Oh my. I love hooping. I love it so very, very much. Thanks to her and her love of hooping, I discovered I loved it as well...and that many of my friends were now into it too! Last night we went to an awesome pizza party (complete with an outside wood-fired pizza oven) and I hooped for about three hours. My friends are the greatest. After pizza, hooping to awesome music, singing to the goats (hey J...we were pretty good, huh?!), a late night swim in the lake, getting lost on our way back through the woods (it was pitch black...you should see the bruises on my legs from bumping into stumps and trees!), and listening to Aretha in the car on the way home, I felt so very, very lucky for this amazing group of friends. I woke up smiling about it today. They are just so awesome. So thank you, dear friends. You all rock my world.

Onto the links!!

• this is Sasa's latest recommendation. i love it.
• sara sent me an awesome package today complete with a new hooping c.d.!!! she rocks!!!
• since we're on the hooping talk...check out this super funny song
• i scored a bunch of yoga tanks at a thrift shop today. yay! i am totally loving yoga and am adding it to my running regime. sasa (the yoga guru...did you know he studied in India?!) is teaching me some awesome routines.
• the little one is in love with the latest craze of silly bands. I don't understand them or want them, but she sure does. she's super cute with them...we buy packs and she gives them to everyone she sees in town and all her friends. she's left with maybe one or two. then we go back to get more. that girl...such a giver, and she sure has a lot of friends in this community!
• i love this idea and think i may attempt something when my needle felting gets a wee better.
• this is so amazing and perfect and dead on
• i've been making these like crazy
• this is so inspiring
• sweet
• how awesome are these balloons that flare and this picture?!
• i got my handsome man a new hat for the wedding. he looked pretty dashing, if I do say so myself. i think he is so darling and amazing and wonderful. have i mentioned lately just how much i love him??!
  
• love this shirt
• and this hanging fruit basket thing. this would look SO good in our new kitchen!
• sasa will be home in five minutes. yay yay yay yay yay yay! then it's salad from our very own garden!

Okay, I'm off to work. Happy Monday everyone!!!!

Ida and Travis

I love these guys so much! Ida is a dear friend of mine, and together they are well... just awesome! They tied the knot yesterday with a beautiful ceremony at the property where their house is being built, and the reception was in the town hall. It was all so gorgeous and perfect! Congrats Ida and Travis!!!

See more on my photo blog here.

Pants for my Girl

Oh wow...it has been a long time since I've made her clothes! My little one has turned into quite the picky dresser. Only stripes and polka dots, or one or the other, and pink and purple! Layers and colorful accessories, funky shoes and hats, even jewelry! (I wonder where she gets this from?!) Now it's blue too. Oh my! It was hard to keep up. Add to that some special sensitivities to certain clothing and it was hard for mama to make her anything. But I was inspired to make her some beach pants that would carry well into the fall and maybe even winter with some tights underneath. I designed them so they could also be shorts in a few years...so they should fit for a while!

I'm working on 5 pairs of these. This was the first fabric combo to be finished. She requested the tree fabric, which I adore because I've used this same piece of fabric for pockets on her pants since she was a wee babe. The ticking was my idea, and while she wasn't so thrilled ("Mama...these are boy pants!!!") I just adore them.

I'm thrilled she wore them all day today! It's nice to see her in mama made clothing again. I'll be sure to take pictures of the rest of the pants after they're done...you can be sure that pink and purple are involved somehow...I mean, I wouldn't want her wearing "boy pants" all the time, would I?!

The Days

Oh gosh, I am so loving our days. They are busy, but so peaceful and rhythmic. The little one has been more herself this week than I've seen her in a long time, and I am very thankful for that. I am loving every minute of it. Here's a little glimpse of our past two days...

Hope you're enjoying the week as well!!

Picking Berries

Oh, this family shoot was so amazing. Go check out more here!

Pressing Flowers

We gathered, prepared, and pressed flowers that we collected around the neighborhood. We thanked them for being so beautiful and for letting us use them for our project.

We waited over a week to check on the flowers. Tonight we pulled the layers out, one by one, carefully taking the pressed flowers off the paper and leaving them to dry in the open air for one more night.

What we might do with them, we're not sure. But I just know we'll find the perfect thing when the time comes.

Oh, I do love summer.

Why, hello there. It's me!

Oh my. I feel like I haven't done a post like this in forever! So here I am. I usually talk about fashion a bit, don't I? Well, let's see...I have totally given up jeans and dresses for the comfort of Patagonia. Seriously, I pictured myself in vintage dresses all summer long. But then, two months ago, I went to a super awesome Patagonia outlet sale and ended up with the most comfortable pants (pictured above) and the best ever yoga tanks (pictured above too!) that I wear almost everyday. Nothing beats them. No matter how hot, I am in those pants. Thankfully I have two pairs in different colors and numerous yoga tanks. I love everything that Patagonia stands for, especially the organic cotton and recycled materials. And at the check out, the woman asked if I needed a bag! That was awesome! I said no, and stuffed my goodies in my reusable shopping bag. So yay for Patagonia and making the world a better place! I've also been buying handmade and small, independent companies who make clothing out of organic cotton and hemp. Love it! So that's what I'm wearing these days...

Shall I share some links with you? I think I will!!

• this rocks! her patterns are awesome.
• this family...oh, this family. they are amazing and inspiring and so very beautiful.
• we've been swimming just about everyday now for weeks. i finally found a swimsuit thanks to Patagonia. i ended up with one like this.
• Sasa came home from work today with the best surprise ever...a salad spinner! Yay! He knows how to make me so happy :)
• I've been seeing robins everywhere I go lately. They fly with me on my morning runs, land next to me a foot away, and are just everywhere I look. I love birds!
• this show is awesome.
• I'm la la loving this dress.
• And this skirt.
• Sasa has been introducing me to all kinds of awesome tunes. He is like the awesomest music man ever. This was my favorite!
• I had a dream I was Chet Baker playing this tune last week. It was pretty swell.
• The little one wants running shoes. Um, okay...anyone know of running shoes in a size 9 toddler?
• I'm so envious of her garden. I think she is amazing.

Okay, off to eat freshly spun lettuce and cabbage/lentil salad! Yay for Monday link lists!!! Until next time...

A Family Shoot on the Coast

Go take a peek on my photo blog to see my latest shoot. These guys were awesome!

Running and Dirt

Well, I ran my first 5k (since my pre-little one days) race this morning. I placed first in my age group and was the fourth woman to finish. I was so excited! I credit it all to bacon. Bacon is my speedy run breakfast. It makes me run like the wind! Oh, and I owe a major thanks to my friend Maria for urging me to run even though I've been complaining of the worst ever past two weeks of running. I was anemic and started taking iron which is helping tons. But to be the fourth woman to finish the race and to be running alongside all these super fit guys who look like they do nothing but run? That was pretty thrilling. I had no expectations. So I was pretty proud of myself.

And guess who else ran in her first race? That's right! She ran the 1/4 mile race for the wee ones. She got a number and a t-shirt just like mama too! She did terrific! We finished (and I say "we" because she requested I run with her...) and she immediately turned to me and said, "Mama...I want to keep running! Let's run MORE!" As I passed out on the grass, she was still begging me. So we went home to run more and Sasa took some action shots!

And the rest of the day? Dirt. Sasa built more raised beds because our gardens are overflowing and we are planning on trying to make it through the winter on our very own greens and squash, so he had a dump truck load of composted loam delivered. If you ever want to know how to keep a little one busy for hours, just make sure 3 yards of dirt is available, two flower pots, and a kiddie swimming pool. Nothing beats it!

What do you have planned for this weekend?!

Yard Scenes

We spend a lot of time in the yard. A lot! If we're not at the beach, or the lake, or downtown with friends, we're out back. We're hardly ever inside anymore! So I've taken some yard scene pictures over the last couple of weeks. It's quite the hodgepodge, but here you have it...

So much fun.  Snap pea picking, sprinkler runs, dancing for the chickens, blackberry ice cream smiles, and knitting! And that purple sweater? My FIRST ever sweater? Totally done! The button was put on today. I am so excited to show it and as soon as it's cool enough for the little one to model, it will make an appearance here. That and the three pairs of beach pants I'm working on for her. Oh yes, all I want to do is create! And it's so much fun.

What are you currently working on?

Introducing....freya photography

Well, I did it. Finally. I've been wanting to change my business name for a long time now. It was so much work. We're talking marketing materials, business cards, checks, domains, e-mails, etc. Oy! But I did it. Freya is a name close to my heart. It really speaks to me and inspires that divine feminine energy that makes me feel strong, beautiful, and graceful. You can see the changes here on my site. And go check out a shoot I did this week with six wee little cousins on my photo blog. Oh my...so darn cute!

Here's a little sneak peek...

And thank you so much for all the kitchen love! Oh my! You guys ROCK! I'm so honored you all love it. We do, for sure. It's such a pleasure cooking (or uncooking as the case may be) in that room. Nothing makes me happier right now!

A Kitchen Tour

Okay, okay. I know you've all been waiting forever to see these pictures. But honestly, I wanted it to be perfect when I showed you! It's still got a few things left. The drawers and cabinets on the bottom need to be straightened and tweaked, and we are ordering some knobs for them as well. So I was going to wait to post the completely, totally, absolutely finished kitchen, but since I have no clue exactly when that will be, I decided to just go for it.

And a huge, big, enormous thanks to Sasa's parents who helped us with all of it! They are the best!!

Enjoy the tour...

Before

First project (rip off layers of wallpaper!)

Things are starting to be ripped out

The gutted kitchen

Welcome to our new kitchen! The chicken is from here. I love it. It reminds me of Belina. I got this for Sasa for Christmas. He loves it too! Print is from here.

We decided on open shelving to display our fabulous dishes. They really add so much color to the kitchen. We went with butcher block counters, which look amazing, but are hard to keep up with. We need to oil them daily so they don't get ruined. I love how the sink looks so awesome now.

I was collecting lots of vintage glasses for these shelves.

Sasa's Pop found the lights at a salvage shop down in Portland. They are unbelievably perfect!

I had been hunting on Craiglist for a hoosier for ages. I finally found one in New Hampshire, which I thought would be no big deal to get. It just so happened that my perfect hoosier was almost in Cananda! Sasa drove a super long drive just to get it. He rocks! And we both love it to pieces!

I love these trays. I find them at flea markets all the time.

Yay for Pyrex! I'm all done with Pyrex now. No more will fit. Do we use it all? No, but a fair amount we do! They make great leftover containers. We stored some bulk beans and grains up there too.

The wine rack and chalkboard was my crazy idea. There is a post behind that chalkboard which meant we couldn't extend the open shelving over. So we put that chalkboard on, which is actually a cabinet door and behind are some very narrow shelves for small bottles. The wine rack is so handy. Sasa wrote this little love note to me as soon as the chalkboard paint had dried. Aw! We'll eventually use it to label the wine.

And lastly, the little one's area. It's such a sweet little space. To the right of the door we knocked down a wall, put up another wall blocking two doors that were not in use, and our washer/dryer and refrigerator sit there with open shelving above for storage.

The floors were refinished after linoleum (layers and layers) and plywood was ripped up. The paint colors are both by Benjamin Moore. The blue is "Ice Blue" and the cream is "Mannequin Cream".

 

I hope you enjoyed the kitchen tour! I'll add a final photo when the knobs are on the cabinets. Let me know what you think!!

Happy Fourth

Wishing you a Happy Fourth! I'll be back this week with some photography updates and kitchen photos!