Bluebirdbaby

Very Short Monday Links

Phew. It's Monday. Oh, and what a Monday. So packed full of wonderfulness and craziness as Mondays always are. I really didn't think I'd make this Monday link thing this week...our friends just left and it's late and I didn't get a wink of sleep last night (randomness that happens once every couple of months!) and I'm tired. But here I am! Yay!

Did you notice I got bangs? Oh yes...and I am totally enjoying them. Best decision I've made in a long time, hairwise, that is. And I got organic hair mousse, because my hair dresser said my hair is too thin and needs volume. Me and the mousse had a rough couple of days, but now we've become friends. You see, I'm a "towel dry without brushing" kinda gal. Mousse is that extra step towards actually doing something about my hair. But we've made peace and it's all working out.

Thanks to Diane for taking this pic! You see Diane?? You rock! (Had two lessons yesterday...both with very talented and awesome ladies...)

So since I did not sleep at all last night, here are a short list of links. I'm off to crash on the couch with Sasa...

• a reader left this link last week and we are really digging the song
• Janelle is crazy and awesome and wonderful. This video is intense and crazy, but she is really amazing. I want her dance moves. I stumbled across this video late last night and Sasa and I were just like "What?!!! But cool!"
• I really really want a ballet sweater.
• the little one broke my mouse, so I am officially 100% using my Bamboo tablet. 
• we had Mexican tonight. yum.
• we're having a Mad Men Valentine's Day party here. oh yea. I want to get Sasa this :)
• this photo really moves me
• and this one is so cute!

That's all I've got this Monday! I'm off to lay on the couch and relax with my love. Happy Monday everyone! I'd love some vintage Mad Men links or ideas for our party!!!!

 

My Girl

Found these today from last fall. She is beautiful. I am constantly marveling at her cuteness and beauty that's all rolled into one.

The other day she asked me what "bouquet" meant when we were reading a book. That night while laying in bed, she was half asleep and said, "Mama, when it is springtime I am going to pick you a bouquet."

Oh man, so sweet. And such lovely thoughts in the midst of all this snow and cold.

She is a sweetie, that one. A beautiful, adorable, loving, sweet little one.

Action Shots

Don't let that face fool you, she was so happy to be in this sweater. (Not so much about the posing.) Thanks for all your super sweet comments on my beginning knitting skills! I am so thankful for knitting. For the first time in my life I can actually sit down for longer than a second or two. Let's just say I have trouble staying still for too long...

The little one is so excited to learn how to knit. She keeps asking and asking. A good compromise for right now was learning how to braid (she's also working on whistling and spelling). So that's just what we did! She braided herself a little necklace to wear to match her sweater. So super cute!

Today was a mellow day. We were expecting a big storm, but it passed us by. We were planning on hosting our homeschooling playgroup this morning, but I canceled in antipication of the weather. But one sweet family still showed up and the day became filled with fun, good food, and lots of play. Follow it up with an awesome acupuncture session, and that's one good day.

I started knitting an infinity scarf. I figured I would wear something like that more than a long scarf. Problem is, after 241 cast ons and four rows into it I'm desperately trying to keep it from twisting, I think it has anyway. How do you keep all those stitches from twisting?!

Be well, my friends! I'll be back soon enough. Happy weekend!

A Fisherman Sweater for someone small

Well, I finished it. I finished it today in the midst of two dogs running around and a small child pretending to be a dog...so make that three. But in the midst of all that dogness, I finally completed the sweater I started in December. It's my second sweater and this one I made without any help! So that was very satisfying. The little one has been watching me make it from the very beginning and has been patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) waiting for it to be done.

It was a sweet moment when I finished it this afternoon and she came over and excitedly said, "It's really finished mama?! Really?!!! Can I wear it now?!" Oh man, so super sweet. So she put it right on. I didn't get any action shots of it, but I will soon enough. She picked out the yarn color...a "mermaid green" which was a refreshing choice after all the purple we've experienced the last two years.

I still have to block it, but for now it's still looking good and keeping her extra toasty in this crazy cold weather we've been having. Next up? A fancy scarf for mama from this book!

All notes on the sweater are here!

(Oh, and I'm SO not sore from spinning last night. BUT...I will be after the step aerobics class I took tonight with the same pal. Man, it kicked my butt!)

It's SO gonna hurt

Yea...that's my Monday link title. My friend got me to go to a spinning class tonight at the local gym. I agreed because it's been over a week since I've been able to run. I mean, I really can't fathom getting up at 6:30 a.m. to run in -10 degree weather. Just ain't happenin'. So spinning made the list, and let me tell you...it totally rocked my world. It's been about 6 years since I've attended a spinning class (I did it regularly back then) and I so wish I could afford to keep it a regular occurance in my life, because I LOVED it! But my friend told me that my bum is totally going to hurt tomorrow. So we'll see. This is my post-spinning-class-look. I look pretty darn happy, don't I?!

In other news, nothing much has been happening in the lives of the Bluebirdbaby family. We've been enduring cold temperatures, eating good food, sledding, and trying to stay warm. I did, however, just find a bunch of new tunes that I love, which means a new mix for our household. So much fun. I love making mixes. What's on your mixes right now?

Okie dokie...the links!

• i'm going to play DJ for this week. I sent Sasa this one and he loved it. So it's both of our picks for this week. Yes, we kind of love BEP.
• but i seriously can't stop listening to and watching this one. love love love it.
• and while we're all on youtube, i am addicted to this video lately. i'm not sure why. maybe it's my secret desire to be on stage dancing and singing. mostly dancing. but singing would be cool too. and yea...there's the whole "I get to wear an awesome dress thing". So Dirty Dancing 2, totally sign me up, okay?!
• and because i can't seem to get enough of music lately, i'm also addicted to this song.
• please keep in mind that a lot of this music is on my "workout" mix. but you can often find me dancing to them at night after my work is done. (did i mention we lack curtains?! oh my.)
• Sasa made me an amazing salad and homemade French fries for din din tonight. add a glass of wine to that and you have Heaven.
• this print rocks my world.
• this bag rocks it even more.
• beautiful. reminds me of the ring Sasa had made for me by these lovely peeps. only mine is a gorgeous big pearl.
• started a marketing class for a local business I've been doing photos for. they've hired me for their marketing too! yay!
• this brings me peace
• love these tones
• doing some work for this lovely lady and just have to say that she is awesome
• the little one and i are attempting our first quilt together. a couch quilt. so fun.
• this is good for life, not just parenting.
• i have a quarter of a sleeve to go and i'm done!

And now I'm off for another glass of wine and some chill time with my love. Happy Monday everyone!! leave me some link love!

Around the House

We've been busy the last few days. Snow, cooking, baking, visits with friends, sledding, cozy fires, and so much more. Here's a little glimpse from some scenes around the house...

Started my day with a cup of tea and a peek at the Fedco catalog. Making lists and dreaming of more raised beds for more greens next year. So much fun to think of summer while buried in snow.

This print reminds me of our home...always people coming and going. Always food to share and soup on the stove.

The little one requested her art corner back, which was prompted by a move of her play kitchen setup to enlarge her new "home" (the playstands). She's been drawing, and painting, and creating, and displaying it for all to see.

I've been baking bread weekly. It's nice to have an official bread baking day again and makes soup days that much yummier.

Mr. Pickles is hanging in there with all the canine commotion. He surfaces every now and then for some cuddles and sunlight. He makes me happy.

When we had yet another snow day this week which pretty much shut down town, we get around via sled. It's fun to use the roads as our own personal sledding path.

I had a little fir tree growing in that pot on the left. When I brought it in late fall it didn't make it, but up popped a dandelion and some clovers. I love love love it. We have yellow dandelions blooming just about every other week. Such a fun reminder of summer.

The little one...she is getting SO big and her hair is so very long and beautiful. She wanted to cut it last week, but then realized that it wouldn't be long for a while again, so she opted to keep it the way it is. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Snow snow snow. This is the scene from my computer desk. I love looking out at the snow falling against the windows, with me cozy and warm inside.

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you enjoy every minute of it!

The Winter Beach

The beach is equally as fun during the winter as the summer (although swimming is a wee bit chillier). We visit the beach pretty often in the winter. It's a nice place to let the dogs run free.

This was Pepper's first visit to the cold, cold beach. Fly's getting too old to chase the waves like he used to and Pepper was way more interested in finding decaying sea matter than anything else, but she did enjoy her first beach experience.

Oh, and that face makes me almost forget how absolutely rascally she is. Almost...

xoxo.

Dress Up Monday Links

I've had a few (okay, more than a few...) requests to bring the Monday links back! It's not that I haven't wanted to post some Monday links...it's just that I haven't had time. Mondays have turned into our social night (in which we stay out way too late) and any attempt at blogging at night has just not worked. But here I am! So yay for that, right?!

And here I am in my "custome" for a pretty awesome Valentine's Day party I'm planning with some friends. (Um, J and A...we need to get planning!) But I knew the first thing I needed was a costume! My friend dropped off this dress for me (love it), the matching vintage velvet purse was my grandmother's, the hair clips were an attempt at a finger wave which actually did work by the time I removed them, and the cigarette is not a cigarette, but rather a pen. I won't even tell you how much time I spent in Photoshop trying to add fake smoke, which looked absolutely ridiculous so I removed it. So, what do you think? Is it pretty acceptable Valentine's Day attire?! Sasa and I were trying to set the tone for this picture as a run-down French hotel back in the 20's. So fun. I've always had this feeling that my mother and I were supposed to spend our lives on stage dancing and dressing up like this. It's not too late, right? Broadway, here we come...

Okay, enough about dressing up and onto the links!

• the little one and I are addicted to this. I know I've linked to it before, but gosh...they just have so much fun.
• have you seen this? Sasa's sister sent it to me this morning and I love it!
• i want this book.
• Peg and Awl rocks
• I'm diggin' this sponge holder (is that dorky?!)
• can I please move into this kitchen and bake bread all day long?
• this is the little one's bestest friend. and this was like 4 years ago. she's a cutie.
• Oakmoss...I am also moving in with you and drinking tea all day while staring at your sweet little home.
• this is super cute and I love the tune.
• I've fallen in love with Hem. So glad I found her.
• oh my oh my oh my oh my
• have you ever felt like you were born in the wrong decade? yea...that's me.
• i didn't sleep a wink last night because of intense nerve pain in my neck and down my arm. excellent. i just took a homeopathic remedy which has helped a wee bit. i can now look left without turning my whole body!
• i got this for Sasa for Christmas. he loves it.

Okay, that's all I got. I'm off to visit a friend. (Ha! I pushed my social obligations until after my Monday links were done! That's how much I love y'all...)

Happy Monday everyone!! Leave me some link love too!

 

Cozy.

This cat knows the coziest spots in the house. Poor Mr. Pickles is not thrilled being outnumbered by canines. In fact, he's taken to lounging in the little one's room all day and night...sleeping. He comes down for snuggles and food throughout the day, and we go up to give him snuggles and treats. He's the mellowest cat I've ever seen.

But this photo just reminds me to slow down, curl up somewhere cozy, and just be. Thanks Mr. Pickles for showing us what life is all about!

Happy Sunday!

Welcome, Baby Stella

My sweet friend had this lovely wee one at home two days ago. I got to visit today and can't wait for my next "baby fix." Little Stella is a pretty special being already. And so very well loved.

Congrats Ida and Travis and Nathalie! We love you!!

Sponsors :: Broward Patch Camera Straps

After much thinking and debating, I have decided to open up my blog to sponsors this year. I put so much time and effort into this space, and I love every minute of it. But our wee family could use any support I can give them right now, so I am opening this space up to small business owners, handmade goods artists, and products that I myself love and use.

If you are interested in submitting for a sponsorship, please e-mail me at ewallacephoto@gmail.com and put "Sponsor" in the title.

..............................................................................................................................................................................

That being said, our first sponsor is Jen from Broward Patch! I am in love with her camera strap designs! The fun fabrics, awesome pairing, and quality of these straps instantly caught my eye. She was so sweet to send one to me for my friend to test out. And, oh my, Maria loves it!

I asked Jen to tell us a little more about herself and here's what she had to say...

I actually accidentally got started with my Etsy shop and never really imagined that it would take off in the way that it has!! I started making straps for a couple of my photographer friends and decided to just post one or two on Etsy to see how they did. They sold immediately and started getting requests for more straps and in more colors and it's just sort of grown from there. I have been very fortunate to be featured on some awesome blogs and sites which has really helped get my work out there.
I am a photographer but very entry level. I lust after true photographer's work and can't wait for the day that I have time time to actually sit down and learn from some of them!! I am sure with two young boys in my house that time will be very soon from now:)
Our family is great and full of changes right now. We just had our second son on December 17th. Our first turned two on December 24th so its been a very big and busy month for us! Right now, our days are filled with feedings, dinosaurs, dirt and snacks and we couldn't be happier or feel more fulfilled!!!

Jen is offering 15% off for Bluebirdbaby readers with the coupon code "Bluebird15"

So go check out her shop here! Thank you Jen!

a snow day.

I love days like these. Over a foot of snow in less than 12 hours. We were housebound, and I loved every minute of it. All three of us (well, five including the indoor animals) warm and snug in our wee house. There was dancing (The Nutcracker, of course), granola making, bread baking, shoveling (lots and lots), many many many rounds of wet snowpants, hats, mittens, scarves, coats, and boots, book reading, sewing for Purple Violet and her new horse, and an evening sitting around the table joking and laughing while knitting and sipping wine by candlelight.

I love how snow, especially lots, will completely calm a town. You walk out your door and there is...silence. All around, silence. There are no cars, no sounds of chatter. It is silent. Like you are the only one in the world marveling at the white wonderland before you. It's magical and my favorite part of winter.

Tomorrow we're prepared for more sledding, more snow fort making, more baking, and more snuggling. I can't wait.

 

the everyday

There's comfort in the everyday. When the world is shifting all around you; when nothing is constant...there is one thing that remains constant: the everyday. And I love the everyday.

There is such comfort in waking up, going for a run, coming back to shower and dress. Then it's downstairs to cook breakfast. You eat, then clean. Washing dishes by hand is such a blessing. The meditation of the whole activity brings me such peace. The floors are then swept. Laundry is put in the washer. Then it's off for an activity. Morning snack preparation, clean up, wash dishes.

Lunch. Cook. Eat. Clean. Sweep. Wash. Afternoon: dry clothes, fold clothes, tidy up, start dinner, prepare afternoon snack, clean up and wash dishes, quiet time with some knitting and stories on the couch, outside time, then back in.

Dinner. Eat. Clean. Sweep. Wash. Repeat day after day after day.

I used to find these daily tasks tedious. In the last few months of constant shifts, I have been finding my peace in these simple doings. They are grounding, they are constant. They provide that break from the unknown and fill my soul with just what I need.

Washing the dishes has become an escape; a healthy escape from what is sometimes the overwhelming uncertainty of our days. It is always there, welcoming me to come and just be, even if just for a moment. And sometimes a moment is all we need.

 

the big.massivelyexciting.crazywonderful.superawesome news!

Okay. So...yea. I'm NOT pregnant. The big news is I've spent the last 5 months designing a new site and blog, rebranding myself, new logos and marketing materials, working with a kick-butt graphic designer, marketing myself as a "destination photographer", and getting everything ready for the launch which is NOW! Phew! It feels so good.

You will notice a name change. Yes, another one. This one is here to stay. I won't go into why I decided to change this stage in the game, but "a love supreme" is me. Totally and 100% completely me. Sasa chose the name and after a few days of thinking about it, it really grew on me and I knew it was it! And it's a John Coltrane album you know. (A really good one.)

I've started advertising on new sites geared towards DIY-ers and handmades and quirky couples and creative, artistic people and it's all coming together. I am psyched. I love this work. I love doing this and feel so fortunate that it's possible for me.

 

Owning a business is a lot of work. It's been a rough road. It's seasonal, especially here in Maine. Winter is tight and oh so hard. But I have put every intention out there to the universe that this is going to be awesome and amazing and such an incredible journey. And I feel very lucky for it all.

I'll be working with an assistant (currently still accepting portfolios) for all weddings. So if you're interested, send me an e-mail (ewallacephoto@gmail.com...until my new one is up and running in the next few days!).

Also, my online one-on-one lessons will be available soon. I am finishing up the informational booklet. If you are interested...please e-mail me. And for those of you who already have, you will be receiving some information shortly!

I also created a Q&A on Formspring where you can ask me questions (photography related or otherwise!) and you can find that here!

So that's my news. I'm beyond giddy to share with you! It's been so much work and so much love.

Please visit the new website here.

Please visit my new blog here (and leave some comments/blog love!!)

I'm on Facebook here.

I'm on Twitter here.

Please visit the unbelievably creative and talented Sarah's website here. (Um, she's amazing and lovely and wonderful and I would give her a big smooch if she didn't live on the other side of the country!)

So that's my awesome news!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! Happy Monday!

 

hello.

I'm not really here. Or, at least, I shouldn't be. My t0-do list today is insanely long, which always happens on Sundays (my only full work day). I'm always optimistic it will all be finished, but usually two or three things get crossed off a list of a dozen or more. And blogging here? Yea...not even on the list. (Neither is sneaking into the kitchen every ten minutes for more chocolate chips...oh well.)

But I finished my hat. And I had to show y'all. It was fun. I love the yarn I chose. A perfect color. I had eight rows left when the puppy got a hold of it and ripped it out. So I got behind. But I finished it yesterday in the midst of kids running and "galloping" all over the house. It felt good. All info on Ravelry here. Now I need to finish that sweater I started a few weeks ago...And this is all to show you that if I can knit, anyone can knit! Seriously...I am a beginner and I was baffled by it my entire life. Didn't get it. Never thought I would. Thanks to an awesome friend (Ann!), I got over that fear and now I have three hats, two scarves, two sweaters, and a Milo vest to show for it! Yay!

Oh, and yea...the hardwood floors in the living room rocked even more than the playroom. They are wide pine boards, just like our kitchen. Can't wait till they are refinished and all shiny! But for now, we are enjoying their aged look immensly. Anything is better than that carpet!

And want to know what the little one has been up to for the last six months?! Horse play. And pretty much nothing else. Horses horses horses horses horses horses. My head is spinning from all the horses. These are on loan to us from a friend and the little one adores them. We had to braid their hair this morning to get them ready for a show.

What are you all up to this weekend?!

Friday Fun

Well, someones birthday was pretty awesome. I cooked a super yummy breakfast, we enjoyed a day at the beach, and topped it off with a macrobiotic potluck that night. (Sasa has a great recipe coming soon!) Happy Birthday Sasa!! We love you!!

The little one and I are big fans of elderberry syrup during the cold winter months. Our budget is really tight right now and elderberry syrup is expensive. I stumbled across this video on youtube and decided to make our own. So one afternoon we got all the ingredients and made our own little batch. I have to say, next time I will just use ginger. The cloves and cinnamon give it a "potpourri" kind of taste. But it was very easy to make and I have almost a pound of elderberries left, so there will be many more batches!

I try not to take many pictures of the rug that covers two-thirds of our first floor. It was here when we bought the house and scared to find out what was underneath it, we just left it. There were other pressing things needing to be done (like, um, a shower...). So the rug, now covered with stains, making it look sort of polka-dotted, got pushed back on our list for over two years now.

Sasa can tell you it's been a constant source of agony for me. The stains staring at me in the face everyday, the constant vacuuming, the dog and cat hair woven into it...but in the last couple of months I've made peace. Then yesterday, Sasa announced he was going to rip it up. Well, okay then. No rug is better than a rug I have to make peace with.

So he ripped and ripped some more. We found the usual crazy linoleum underneath (yes there were masks involved and plastic on the doorways), and then under that there was wood. Wood in good shape. Hooray! So the wood is staying, and after we save up to refinish it (likely in the summer) it will sit as is, with some area rugs on top.

The little one had the best time mopping. Actually, she's mopped the kitchen, the bathroom, her bedroom, and the playroom in the last two days. She's a cleaning machine I tell you!

And now, the living room is next. Enjoy your weekend everyone! I'll be back next week with some super exciting news! (No, I'm not pregnant...)

A Handmade Holiday

Wow. Thank you so much for your thoughts on my New Year's post. They meant so much. Each day this year, I have woken up and chosen to live with intention and gratitude. It's been lovely! I really believe 2011 will be a much easier year for us and I'm so looking forward to it!!

I've intended to get a handmade holiday post up here before now, but life was just crazy. Things are slowing down after all the festivities, parties (except for Sasa's birthday which is TOMORROW!), friends visiting, road trips, etc that come along with the holidays. So finally here's a glimpse of the handmade goodies...

Santa and his elves worked really hard this year. They even enlisted the help of Sasa and Grandpa! So together they all finished these magnificient playstands! Our budget is insanely tight, so thinking about buying presents was just out of the picture. I'd say 85% of them were handmade! Yay! These playstands are just amazing and the little one adores them. She saw them in a catalog (why, oh why must toy companies bombard our mailbox for weeks leading up to Christmas?!) and said she'd really like to have a cozy place of her own. So we made that happen.

The silk was the only thing I had to purchase. I collected mini baskets at thrift shops and filled them with acorns, acorn caps, chestnuts, pinecones, and other woodland treasures.  She LOVES these. She uses them to play store and cooks soup with them. I traded my amazing friend who raises sheep for the sheepskin. I just love it.

The playstands are used everyday, and are made into everything from a fort to a store to a stall. There is no end to what her imagination can do with them.

And remember the note she left for Santa? She really, really, reeeeeaaaallllly, wanted a horse. Well, Santa and his elves and Mama worked hard on one for her. His name is Woody. He even has a leather bridle and reins! She was so excited...she rides him all over the house.

Well, that was our handmade Christmas! Did you do any handmade holiday goodies? If so, I'd love to hear!!

Peaceful Beginnings

I had this whole post in mind about 2010; about how I couldn't wait to see it go, about how it was filled with horrible news, hard days, stumbling blocks, and more hardships I care to ever write about here.

But then, on New Year's Eve, I found myself sitting in a circle of friends and family at a cozy little farm. Just sitting, laughing, eating, drinking, listening, and being. In that moment, I chose to love 2010...hardships, struggles, and all. Because that moment is really what life is all about.

It's funny how life seems to play games with us. How much can we deal with at one time? How many times can we be hit with devestating news in a single month? Or how just waking up in the morning can be the biggest effort of the day? And yet...we are always still standing. Always. Because it's what we do.

In the midst of the mess, there are friends inviting you over for a drink and a good cry, random acts of kindness that make you believe in the good of the world once more, and the unwavering love of a single human being who wants nothing more than to love you. And those things are all amazing.

And life, no matter how hard or trying it may seem, really does rock. Gratitude, living in the moment, and love are the most important things we can do for ourselves and others. They really are what life is all about. And I pretty much guarantee you, if you live with intention, gratitude, and love...life will really love you back.

So here's to 2011. It will be an amazing year, full of love.

xoxo.