Bluebirdbaby

Cooking With My Girl

Cooking with my girl is one of my favorite moments of the day. She is really loving helping me with dinner, and is often in charge of the chard or kale. She's also becomming a master at making pasta sauce with all her herb additions. It's so fun to watch! That first picture? I asked her to "Look normal" and that's what she gave me. Ha! And she took the one of me with the chard. She was very proud of that one!

Today we made a simple play kitchen in the backyard for making mudpies and other delicious goodies from nature. Right now it's just a simple board, but soon we will make something more elaborate. We all took a trip after lunch down to the thrift store to get metal pots, pans, and spoons. We had so much fun! We invited some other kids from the neighborhood over for a mudpie making party. They were thoroughly enjoying digging in the mud!

What did you do today?!

Never Been Better

Is it Monday already? Really?! The weekend flew by with all that painting. The little one and I tackled the edging today. She is so so good. We got our painting groove on and danced to some tunes while painting the morning away. So much fun! So now I get to pick a color. Yay! I'm going to go with a really light gray for the hallway and the little office room. I'm thinking something along these lines. Then we'll sand the floors (I think we'll keep the hallway floor and paint it instead of putting something over it. Your suggestions were all so great! Thank you SO much!) and paint them an almond color. So fun to see this house transform!

It's been pretty chilly here lately. The wind has been killer. I've been upping my running to reflect the lack of snow and ice now, but the cold is rough. I've been adding speedwork and long runs into my routines, in hopes of running a few more races this year. And my body has never felt better. It feels strong and sturdy and healthy and amazing. Go figure I needed to exercise in order to gain weight. So here I am, at the end of a sunny, happy Monday jumping because I can and wanted to, and my love captured it for me.

Want some cool links?...

• we got tickets to see these guys. i am SO beyond excited. not only that, but look who's opening! ah!
• then my friend e-mailed me to see if I would go down to see them with her. so i said "Yes, of course!" and surprised Sasa with a ticket too. it's a musical extravaganza!! and i was just reading about her last week and she's going to be opening! so freakin awesome.
• i'm going tomorrow to get stamp making supplies. i have major stamp cravings. is that odd?
• how much do i want this for the little one's snack plate???!
• and why hello! perfect little yellow bowls for picnics this summer. (there will be so many!)
• when i'm with you, i'm happy
• enjoying this
• spring manifesto. yes.
• friends
• yellow
• awesomeness for my toes
• i've got some welcome packages to mail out tomorrow! yay!
• birds!!
• i just found a photo that my mother had taken of me in a studio at age 4. i am wearing a bluebird necklace. sweet, eh?
• then there was another photo. the awkward, gangly 8 year old me. in olan mills. on fake shag carpeting grass. with a meadow scene behind me on the wall. with a gap wide enough to fit my pinky through between my front teeth. oh yes.
• dipping dish!
• we want to do this this summer with found specimens.

Okay, I'm off to do some work for the rest of the night with a break for dinner with my man! What are you loving this Monday?!

Weekending and House Projects

This weekend just flew right by! We got ambitious and decided to rip up the remaining linoleum and carpeting upstairs. We have this weird little room that you enter just before you reach the master bedroom...we use it as a kind of walk-in closet, although I see my office someday being up there. It was painted this bright greenish color, and matched with the crazy linoleum floor we had some pretty bad feng shui going on. The wallpaper in the hallway is next to go.

So I emptied the room out (which took forever) and we got to work! The floor was ripped up, including the floor in the hallway. The little room is now primed twice and ready for color! It feels like an entirely different room. The little one had a blast in her little painting outfit helping us get the walls done. She actually did a lot of work! That top shelf in the closet? My vintage sheets. Crazy, eh?

The hallway floors turned out to be really rough. It's like subflooring and definitely needs to be covered. The carpet runner on the stairs is going too, but we need some sort of traction for a wee one and the dogs. I found these, but they are too expensive! Anyone know of something like this that is more affordable? Or how to make your own?

I'm going to look into cork, bamboo, and the wood laminate for the hallway floor. Any advice or suggestions? The little room I think we will sand and then paint. Then I will get some of these! I think I will eventually move my office up here, once we find a bigger dresser to hold the rest of our clothing.

It was a very productive weekend and it feels good to get some work on the house done. I love transforming it into our own little place. So much fun!!

What were you up to this weekend?!

In the Kitchen :: Ma Style

We just finished reading our first Little House book. The little one is absolutely smitten with Mary. She insists we call her Mary all day. Her trusty sidekick doll is now Laura. She and "Pa" went out hunting for bear today in the swamp. I couldn't believe it, but they got one! Not only that, but they dug up some potatoes, cabbage, and onions from the root cellar. We were going to have a feast "Little House" style.

So I set to work, cooking up the bear meat (it was really beef, but shhh!) and making a cabbage dish that everyone would love. Mary and Pa did have to run to the nearest store for some ketchup, but they went on foot. Then we set down to dinner, grateful for this meal we all worked so hard for (even if only in our hearts) and enjoyed every bit of it.

Mary is now asleep, after a special made up Little House story. I'm sure we'll wake up tomorrow and do it all again. I just love where imagination can take us!

Yesterday Hopscotch, Today Snow

Yesterday we cleared the sidewalk of the excess dirt from the winter.

We swept and giddily ran around with our sidewalk chalk drawing people, writing love notes, and playing hopscotch.

Then today we woke up to snow. Inches of snow. So we made the best of it. We giggled as we ran through the slush, getting our (so not snow boots) shoes wet, and ended the afternoon by making a snow family on our front steps. They are still out there, waving to all the passersby. They make me happy.

So we are trying to enjoy this last bit of snow, knowing that it won't be long before Mrs. Thaw really does her job (the little one asked all day for Mrs. Thaw to come and sweep away the snow) and it will be months before we get another snow day.

 

On another note, last night was a night full of work for me so I never made my Monday link list! So sorry. Next week for sure because I have some AWESOME links! Happy Tuesday everyone! Tell me something that is making you happy this week!

.cleanse.

I sat on the backporch this afternoon writing letters.

Sometimes giving yourself permission to slow down is a lovely thing.

I sat for hours, writing.

I allowed myself some extra rest this morning and then followed it with a 6 mile run.

First 6 miler since early last winter.

The roads are clearing, the snow is melting, the moon's craziness is slowly waning, and I'm feeling a need for some cleansing, just as Mother Earth is cleansing all around us.

The greens are on the stove, the rice is almost finished, and we are moments away from sitting down to reflect upon our day and enjoy a simple feast.

Happy Weekend to you! And Happy Spring too!

54 in March

Today I ran in a sleeveless shirt and what felt like too-short shorts (these pasty white legs felt a little modest after a long winter). It felt so good. I think my body had forgotten what it was like to run without my lungs practically freezing.

We spent the day mostly outdoors, but this morning we opened windows, mopped every hard floor in the house, put the blankets to air out on the line, then we sat on the back porch letting the sun hit our faces and make us feel alive again.

The world is changing around us...snow is melting and we are seeing bulbs pop up out of the muddy soil. Birds are chirping in the threes above, and the air smells like life again. We talk a lot about the root children waking up below the ground and how they are polishing all the beetles, mending their spring clothes, and helping to push up all the flowers right now. The little one is changing right along with it. Her bleached blonde summer hair has been too long out of the sun and is darker. Freckles started popping up on her nose today, reminding me of my sister. She's growing so fast and I'm constantly amazed by her maturity and sweet presence.

This afternoon we mended the chicken fence, then sat down in the sun to read more of our favorite spring books. "To Market, To Market" inspired a hunt in the stream for salmon which we caught and then "smoked" in some birch trees. We then headed to the farm (the local market) to pick some lettuce, an avocado from the tree, and dig up some garlic from the dirt. On our way home we collected our smoked salmon and headed home with our loot to make a delicious spring-inspired dinner. So much fun!

This evening we did some more fishing in the river. Fly got his feet wet in the cold salt water and we all walked home by the light of the almost full moon.

What a beautiful 54 degree day in March. It was surely enough joy to last a long time!

Late Winter Beach

It was sunny.

It was windy.

We felt the sand in our toes.

Found heart rocks and sea glass.

Uncle Max turned into a hungry beach monster and made the kids run and giggle.

We closed our eyes and pictured beach blankets and picnics and swim suits and sandcastles.

It won't be long before those are all real.

And we all can't wait.

xoxo.

A Little Bit of Mud

Our backyard is slowly looking less and less like the North Pole and more like a gigantic muddy swimming pool. Hurray for mud! That means that spring is coming. And yea...maybe we'll get snow one more time, but between the warmer weather, the absence of eight foot piles of snow, and the evenings staying lighter longer, I'm feeling really good right about now! Yay!

I was pretty daring today and wore a white eyelet dress over some layers (and under some too) and a pretty sweet leather belt I scored at Sals. It felt good. I still needed to top it off with a coat and hat, but it was warm enough to walk around for some photos without them. We are SO ready for spring. One more goofy pic here!

I'm a wee bit tired this Monday...I ate a whole lot of chocolate torte last night at a pretty late hour, which proceeded to keep me up until 2 a.m. Then I woke up early to run. So it's all hitting me now as I finally sit down for the first time today.

So let's move on to the links, shall we?

• i am totally addicted to this song. and the video is just insane!
• 70's party anyone?!
• anything with chard. i'm in love.
• so, so sad about what's happening in Japan. my heart goes out to all who are dealing with the destruction over the weekend. i feel very blessed.
• swoon
• i wanna go back
• in love
• oh my oh my oh my
• so interesting
• so freakin' cool

That's all folks! Happy Monday! Off to rest...

Around The House

Just some scenes from around the house this weekend.

I finished my dishcloth finally.

We washed the winter woolens.

My new thrifted blue jar makes me happy nestled next to a stack of inspiring books.

Then I tackled my Polaroid wall I've been meaning to do for ages.

 

And I finished my taxes today. So very happy about that.

I'm itching to take some creative photographs. I have some beach shots to share soon. And I'm working on a stop motion video. And I've been challenged to create a kick butt collage this week with two other friends. Looking forward to all that creativity. It is much needed towards the end of this long winter.

Hope your weekend was full of sweetness and fun. I'm going to challenge myself to do a creative Monday photo shoot for y'all tomorrow. Yay!

It's Jazzercise Time!

Sorry to be neglecting this space this week. We have all been jazzercising way too much. Ha! No, not really. But that would be fun, eh?

The little one has been wearing this leotard for four days straight (I have to wash it every night on gentle and line dry...oh my) with a variety of striped, polka-dotted, and regular ol' ballet tights. Sometimes there are tutus, sometimes not.

We have been enjoying visiting with Sandy's brother and his wife from California and have a terrific night of fun planned tonight. But I just wanted to pop in and say "hello" and "happy weekend!!!"

 

My Gunne Sax

Here it is! I absolutely adore this dress! I'm not sure why I was so drawn to the style...I think it's my secret desire to play the banjo in a bluegrass band. I want to travel around with my beat up banjo case and vintage suitcase, hitch hiking across the south in my awesome Gunne Sax dress. Hmm....

It's very comfy and I think will be a definite staple this summer. I did have some ideas of shortening it, but I think I will just leave it be.

I really was happy in these pictures...it was noon, bright sun, and the little one was having trouble with her zipper off to my side, so I was too distracted to smile. But I was smiling on the inside because I was wearing this sweet dress.

So now I'm going to go buy myself a banjo and audition for this group. (Well, at least I look the part!)

Post Party Monday

That's my "You can DO it!" pose. I spent about 4 hours in the kitchen washing dishes yesterday. And I got three hours of sleep. I was totally rockin' the lack of sleep though. Sasa and I both decided we've never felt better. We were ready to tackle any task, no matter how dirty or monotonous. So I loved washing all the party glasses (I think there were about 30, plus the many plates and bowls, utensils, fondu pots, and everything else that goes into serving finger food) and really enjoyed the meditative chores of cleaning up after a night of fun.

Sasa and I just got back from a fabulous dinner out on the town, and we are settling in for a night of relaxing in front of a good movie. And chocolate. Oh yes...we have a solid bowl full of chocolate from the fondu that I have been picking at all day. Yum. And dangerous.

Here are my links!!

• remember this song? huh huh huh?! would you ever, ever think that there would be doves and ninjas in the music video??! Our friend showed us this and we were on the floor laughing hysterically! 
• notice the new sponsor in the sidebar?! Ruche is so awesome. I ADORE their clothing and it's affordable! And their blog is amazing too...I really really really want to be one of their photographers!
• Please please please please please vote for them!! She's the daughter of a good friend and they really, really deserve this! (Just click on the stars...thanks!!)
• she's sending the little one some purple Chucks. Seriously...this blogging community ROCKS!
• i want to curl up in this sunshine
• eeks! true polaroid love.
• i got a new phone today. with a keypad. so i can text to my heart's desire. so much fun.
• i was so freakin' lucky to find the cutest Gunne Sax (that's not it...but you will see a pic of mine soon!) dress at a vintage shop. i ADORE it!
• i want a mini vintage greenhouse indoors. it would make the winter so much better...
• i want to make these gluten-free
• i went from craving chard and kale to craving French fries in less than a week
• i am really enjoying an after lunch "dance break" where I make the little one dance with me until we fall on the floor in exhaustion. so fun!
• diggin' her work immensely

That's all folks! I'm off to eat chocolate and snuggle on the couch with my love! Cheers to Monday!

How to Have a Mad Men Party

I've been MIA lately and for good reason...our "Mad Men Themed" party was this weekend and I spent most of the week prepping for it. I've been wanting to host monthly theme parties (an excuse to wear fancy dresses, I suppose) for a couple of years now, and we finally pulled one off! It was a lot of work, but it was just so much fun! So if you think you'd like to throw one too, I'll give you the 411 on how to do it...

First we started out with decorations...handmade pom poms (this tutorial was good and made us laugh), advertisements from the late 50's/early 60's , streamers, Christmas lights (maybe not so period appropriate, but nice nonetheless!), and vintage Life Magazines and books strewn around the coffee table and side tables. I also purchased vintage cocktail invitations off of Etsy and sent them with a hand stamped recipe card with a period appropriate hors d'oeuvre.

Next is one of the most crucial steps to creating an authentic "Mad Men" atmosphere...the booze. Yes, you need lots and the corresponding glasses to each fancy cocktail. We served four cocktails, all out of a vintage bartending book found here. My friend made cocktail stirrers out of wooden sticks and sparkly pom poms. And another friend was the designated bartender for the evening. Poor guy...he hardly had a chance to sit down! (Thanks Mark!!)

Next up...cigarettes! In this case, we chain smoked candy. I found a box of individual packs here. Everyone got their own pack and the rest were on coffee tables, the buffet table, and well...just about everywhere else.

We also wanted to be fabulous hosts, so we spent some time the past week hunting around for quirky books published in the late 50's. I took some old advertisements from the era and created a card for each guest. Then we wrapped them up with a pack of cigarettes. Everyone loved them!

The food was all hors d'oeuvres from recipes from the era, complete with two fondues (one cheese and one chocolate), a "jello" mold made by Sasa with agar-agar, and cocktail wieners wrapped in bacon (YUM). It was all delicious!

I had Pandora playing all night...we started out with "Sally's Tomato" station, then moved on to "Wives and Lovers", and as the party got really hoppin' we broke out "The Twist" (boy, was that fun!). For games we had Twister going, charades, and a slogan game. For the slogan game I took all the 50's and early 60's slogans from here and everyone had to pick one and try to guess which company or product the slogan was for.

And probably the most fun of the evening was this super simple photo booth I set up upstairs. Elisabeth and I made the backdrop...just a white sheet, a cardboard cut out of a city scape spray painted black with aluminum foil windows, and yellow stars above. Then I set up a camera on a tripod with my flash and we were in business. People kept disappearing upstairs throughout the night to be silly (and boy...there are hundreds of pictures to show for it) and it was just a super fun addition to the night!

By the end of the night (or maybe I should say morning?), we felt pretty authentic in our vintage clothes surrounded by all this Mad Men goodness. It really was just what we all needed in the midst of this long Maine winter.

So next party is either 80's or 70's. We're not sure yet, but I know it will be full of fun!

A Visit

We had the sweetest visit from the sweetest gals. Can you guess who??!

Yup, it's mainemomma!! Kristin is so great and I swear...those girls together were like two peas in a pod. HILARIOUS. They played for a good three hours and didn't want to stop!

Thanks Kristin! It was so much fun! xoxo.

Sauna In A Bowl

This whole winter I've been just throwing together pots of soup multiple times a week. I love it because no pot of soup is like another. Usually I use up whatever is in the fridge. This particular batch was quite tasty and my friends affectionately named it "sauna in a bowl" soup because it's rather spicy and made us all flushed. It was enjoyed by everyone and I decided to jot this one down to make it a keeper...

Sauna In A Bowl

• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 small head of cabbage chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced thinly
• 1 bunch rainbow chard, washed and chopped (including stems)
• 8 cups of chicken stock
• chorizo sausage, sliced thinly
• oregano and thyme
• 2 bay leaves

1. Saute onion and chopped chard stems in 2 tbs of olive oil in big soup pot.
2. Once that starts cooking, add in the garlic.
3. After the garlic and onion are cooked, add stock and bay leaves.
4. Add carrots, cabbage, and the rest of the chard.
5. Bring to a boil, then simmer until all veggies are soft.
6. Add spices and sausage.
7. Simmer until sausage is cooked.

It was delicious! I hope you all enjoy it too! I also thought adding some brown rice would have been tasty, but I was in an all veggie mood that night.

Enjoy!!