Bluebirdbaby

fairy woods

It's been a funny weekend. Probably others would call it a weekend full of unfortunate events. I've been meaning to post about "a year of choice" for a while now...letting you know more about how this affects my days and what it looks like. And I can honestly say that this space is all about choice. What you read here are snippets of our days. The things I love, the things that make life go round, the things that make us smile, the things that fill our hearts with love. It doesn't mean that there isn't a whole lot of struggle and, ahem, bad luck too. (Sometimes I think I'm jinxed!) But it's easy to get through it with this fabulous guy and amazing little girl by my side.

This past weekend was indeed a series of unfortunate events. It got to the comical level after two days, and when we finally sat down on the couch late last night to breathe, we looked at each other and giggled, joking that maybe the roof would fall through on our heads. But in the end, we caught something just in the knick of time and our cat will live, we still have another way to get around and we did get home finally, there are friends and family always willing to help, after hours of research I finally fixed my camera, and we are safe and happy and together. Which really...is all that matters.

So what does all this have to do with fairy woods?! Well, in the midst of all the unfortunate events, we all took a beautiful walk on an island with my mama and the two dogs. We flew kites, we walked through the forest, waded in the water, and came to the spot where there are hundreds and hundreds of fairy houses. We built a fabulous one. And I remember in that moment, looking at the absolute certainty on the little one's face that fairies would be moving in to our little fairy house that very night, I knew that this was the only moment that really mattered. And, to be honest, I'm not sure if it's from the sheer exhaustion or the hilariously poor memory I have, but really...it's all that I really remember. That one moment was so full of joy and love that it's going to be completely and totally stuck in my heart forever. Love that.

And yes, the little one got her first haircut. She loves it. We do too.

xoxo.

a little wednesday joy

Thank you all for your sweet words of comfort and support on sweet baby Silas. You must read further down in the comments to hear some of Kirsta's words and a poem her amazing mother wrote. Kirsta...you are an inspiration. xo.

And today? Today we enjoyed some milder temperatures and a day packed full of fun. It was a sweet little mix of out and about, and being home hanging out. Love that. Some days it's so hard to find that balance. Life seems to move so quickly

I've been enjoying the way our upstairs is evolving from a dated, wallpapered and linoleumed cave, to an airy space that fits us perfectly. I love walking through this hallway every morning and night.

Do you see the lone chicken? That's Daisy. She lays us the blue eggs. She escapes everyday, all day long. Flying in and out of the fenced run. The other chickens look through the wire longingly as she enjoys foraging in the yard. I kind of like having one chicken out and about...eating up all the bugs but not destroying my gardens. Yea...Daisy rocks. And her blue eggs do too!

Speaking of eggs...the little one loves checking on their laying habits all day long. She excitedly announces "Oh! Belina is laying now!" or "Oh man...Violet just won't get off!" When she finally gets all the eggs in her little basket, she's so excited about them she wants to eat them all right away! So cute, she is.

And Mr. Pickles. Oh, what can I say about this cat? I love him so. I'm pretty sure I'm still not a cat person. Nope. I'm, in fact, a Mr. Pickles person. This cat is unlike any other animal I've ever known. He's kind of like some zen master here to teach us a lesson on how to "just be" while being really comical about it at the same time. Love him. This is his favorite spot of late...on the back porch under the bird feeders...

Did I mention we finally found a second car? One that was in our budget? Sasa found this 1980 diesel Mercedes a while ago. We debated, and debated some more. Took it for a test drive and kind of fell in love with it. It came home with us last night. I'm pretty sure the little one loves it more than we do. I told her if we took really good care of it, it would be hers when she is old enough. (What I didn't tell her is she would have to pry it out of my hands first!) Now my car goes into the shop for a couple of weeks to get some major work done. It feels good to know we have a second set of wheels...just in case.

So...what's bringing you joy this Wednesday?

A Tribute to Silas

I don't really know how to put this. Just thinking of what this family has been through brings tears to my eyes. Trying to bring the life of a sweet boy justice in this space just seems impossible.

A dear friend of mine lost her little boy last month. He was 8 months old. He suffered a brain injury from lack of oxygen after maneuvering himself into a position where he got stuck in bed during a nap. He was in a coma for several days, but it became clear that the lack of oxygen to his brain would mean he could never recover.

Kirsta (his mama) says, "I sang "you are my sunshine" to him at the hospital. He loved music. He would stop what he was doing and listen. He figured out how to blow into an old recorder we had.
He had already started giving us hugs and kisses."

Kirsta has to be the strongest mother I know. I have followed her journey on Facebook...from learning about Silas's accident, to hospital updates, to the celebration of Silas's life that was held in June. I can't tell you how strong Kirsta has been through it all. Her positive outlook on life and her deep faith has inspired so many people.

I am really at an utter loss of words to explain how much this affected my life. Witnessing a situation that would have left me grasping for any kind of hope, and seeing how Kirsta was able to just accept the reality in such an amazing way, made me realize just how strong and loving human beings can be.

Kirsta, her husband, and two little boys are faced with a time of grieving right now. They are struggling financially, trying to deal with the aftermath of their baby's passing. If you would like to donate anything to the family, you can do so here.

Kirsta and family...my thoughts are with you daily. Sending you lots of love and strength. xoxo.

metta

May all beings be peaceful.

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be safe.

May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature.

May all beings be free.

 

For the world, for Norway, for you and me. A little Monday hope. xoxo.

the sea

This is one of the many perks of living where we live...the ocean. It's right there at our doorstep. Today I left hours and hours of work behind (aah!) to go on an impromptu coastal cruise with some friends. I snapped these with my phone. We were out on the water for 6 hours. I am sitting here hours later still feeling the room sway back and forth! Sasa got a killer sunburn, and I have to admit that even with my sunscreen application, I'm red too.

We went swimming in 62 degree water (I have a picture to prove it!), ate lunch with gulls and seals nearby, and enjoyed a snooze on the deck during the ride home. It was a fabulous (and much better than working) way to spend a Sunday! Hope yours was sweet too!

Morning, Noon, and Night

This morning was spent in the kitchen and the garden. It's funny how with all our dietary restrictions going on we have three separate breakfasts most mornings. Sasa sticks with quinoa and greens, the little one loves her eggs and toast, and I'm on a goat yogurt kick. After the dishes were cleaned and the laundry was hung, we headed out into the garden before the sun got too hot to do some weeding. I'm enjoying checking on the strawberries daily, and the bee balm (my favorite) bloomed late last week.

Mid-day found us walking to the library to return some books. I grabbed my outting essentials (back pack and sunglasses) and we set off for new books and to pick up Sasa for lunch. On the way back, we stopped in the garden to pick some chard for lunch and basil for pesto. During the lunch prep, the little one kept running outside to feed the chickens some veggie scraps.

The evening approached quickly after an afternoon full of reading and games in front of the fans. We kept checking on the popscicles we made earlier, drank almost all the cold beverages in the house and used up all the ice. As I was prepping dinner, I grabbed the only cold beverage left. The little one helped wash the potatoes while I picked squash from the garden. I made a summer squash and potato torte roughly based on this recipe (except I use rosemary, ommitted the flour, and added minced garlic instead of green onions). It was delicious. We ate outside on the porch, watching the sun slowly going down, and ended the evening with a final game.

And that, my friends, makes a day. It's fun to look back on it all. How the ordinary things can go by without notice, but when you really stop to make notice of them, you realize exactly how marvelous they all are!

So...what was your "morning, noon, and night" like?!

It's Tuesday, but who cares

So I didn't get to my link list yesterday, so some Tuesday links you shall get! Yay!

My friend wanted some photos of me in the dress she made for her shop, so Sasa took these tonight. I just love this dress...it's been perfect for the super hot summer days we've been having. I've also been drinking lots of iced tea. Tons actually. Like 4-5 cups a day. Is that bad?!

For the past three days I've put in more than 30 hours on the computer editing images. My eyes are going all googley and I'm pretty sure my bum fell asleep more than twice. But it feels good to be doing this work, and I've got one more day to go before the little one finally returns and we can have some fun!

I've been working so much that I've hardly had time to eat, but thank goodness my lovely man keeps me well fed with yummy lunches and dinners! He made kale chips tonight and a yummy egg and avocado salad. So now I have a happy tummy.

Okay, here are some links!

• this song makes me dance
• i'm also enjoying lots of oldies
• i want to eat this. yum.
• oh my CUTE!
• i want these for the fall. yes, these sweltering days have me dreaming of sweaters and hot apple cider.
• just because!
• awwwwww
• this lovely lady sent me the best package ever yesterday!
• have you seen this? it's a funky way to get your body MOOOVIN'! (and you kind of feel cool doing it...)
• have you "liked" my facebook page yet?! join me!
• i may just have to get these
• hello there, i'm moving in

That's all folks! What are you loving this week?!

California, Here We Come!

 

Just some favorites from a couple of weddings I've shot recently. Mosey on over to here to see more!

Also, we are flying out to California in August to shoot a wedding. Anyone have any must-see's or must-do's we should add to our list while we're out there? We'll be staying in Oakland and traveling down to Los Olivos for the big day. So anywhere around those places would be awesome!

And I have one more slot for a family shoot if anyone is interested! Please e-mail me at erin@alovesupremephoto.com!

I'll be back with more later! Happy Tuesday!

happy weekend!

It's Sunday night, we just got back from a date on the town (food and wine on the patio at a local restraurant, then the new Woody Allen film at the local theater which was fantastic!). We rode on our vintage bikes, me with my new chiffon dress and Sasa as his handsome self. It was kind of a magical evening, complete with snagging the movie poster and taping it on a friend's door, who loved the movie so much it was her second time seeing it!

But this picture of the little one this morning is my favorite thing about this weekend. We are out there drawing on the sidewalks every day that is sunny. This early morning it was already sweltering...the heat has been incredible here. This morning as we were drawing hearts side by side, I looked at her and just completely marveled at how much she's grown. Such a big difference between the 3's and 4's. She's growing up and it's funny that I'll never see anything but my little baby. She always jokes and says, "Mama...even when I'm a big grown up, you will still want to hold me, won't you?" And I answer with, "Of course! I will always try." And to that, she gives me a big hug and a kiss, snuggles in my arms for a minute, then runs off to play. What sweet thing this parenting journey is.

What was your favorite part of the weekend?!

 

Ice Cream on the Porch

This photo totally cracks me up! It's a common sight around here (minus the tutu). Ice cream on the back porch after dinner on our "new" patio furniture, just enjoying the sunset, swatting away the gigantic mosquitoes, and watching the chickens run around the yard.

What did you do tonight?

hello

Well, I just had an entire post written about how I really didn't have much to say at all, and how wedding season is in full swing and I've got so much work (thankfully!) on my plate that there's not much time for anything else, but then Firefox messed up and it was all lost! Ha...guess I didn't really need to say all that anyway!

My thoughts have been here. I've wanted to pop in and say "hello" and had every intention of sharing a Monday link list with you this week. But well...after 10 hours on the computer editing, I was pretty done.

The heat has been unbearable lately. We've managed to keep cool with many swims in the ocean and lake, Popsicles and ice cold drinks, and sitting in front of the fan during the day. Today the heat finally broke with a lengthy downpour. It cooled everything off and gave us an excuse to scurry inside to make a delicious dinner and settle in for an evening game.

These are the only shots I took today. My poor camera needs a break after the weddings, but I've become completely addicted to using my iPhone camera. Not so sure I'm ready to switch the photos here over to that though. But it's so handy...

I'm needing some super link love this week! What are you all loving around the web??!

Happy Weekend!

So this is my first iPhone pic...Sasa took it. We were out on a summer night bike ride with out vintage bikes. I couldn't resist posing, and I think this looks so 1970's it's ridiculous!

I found a vintage Peugeot bike for the little one at a yard sale yesterday. It fits her perfectly! Now I just need to get her a bike basket and the three of us will be cruising around town with our vintage bike trio! Yay!

Happy weekend everyone!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Yesterday, we braved the heat and headed out for an adventure to some organic strawberry fields. The little one has been begging me to make her a strawberry pie for weeks now. And part of our summer routine each year is to pick and store as many berries as we can to last us all winter long. It's fun to watch as the older she gets, the more involved she wants to be. Last year I remember carrying her through the blueberry fields, keeping her in the Ergo on my back as I picked. This year? She was picking for almost two hours right along with us. She was incredibly excited about the whole process and beamed with pride with each bucket she poured into the larger box.

We got home and settled into the numerous hours' work facing us. The 20+ pounds of berries needed to be washed, the tops cut off, most frozen for later use, two pies needed to be baked (one galette for her and one semi-Paleo almond flour crust for Sasa and I), and a batch of freezer jam needed to be made. We opted for freezer jam because we wanted to make a small batch of strawberry jam, since we don't use jam too often.

We sat on the back porch on our new patio furniture (thanks to Sasa for my early birthday present!) all afternoon and got covered in red juice. Lots went in our mouths, but most went in the freezer. The little one was so excited by the idea of eating strawberries in winter!

We ended the night with our strawberry pies and reading books on the porch. It was the perfect ending to an even more perfect day!

it was hot

It was a hot one. A really hot one. And yesterday was hot too.

I swam in the ocean three times yesterday (mind you, we live in Maine and ocean water is freezing) and today we packed up dinner and headed to the lake for a picnic and a dip.

We spent the day in our bathing suits, going between the shade in the backyard with glasses of iced tea and inside where the air seemed just a little bit cooler. The little one plucked away on her ukulele, serenading me during my snack time clean up. We picked fresh herbs from the garden to make a frittata for lunch, served over our greens and some homemade dressing. We ate outside on the picnic table under the shade of the umbrella.

Tonight we retreated to the lake, with my bag packed full of bucheron, salmon, and peas from the garden. The little one almost learned to swim, we played water tag, and watched the clouds roll in.

We returned home for an ice cream cone and the excitement of a thunderstorm. I rushed to get the laundry in, the chickens settled, and the yard toys picked up from a day of play. The little one fell asleep in an exhausted, hot heap on the bed with the lightning flickering around her.

It was a good day. Tomorrow another adventure will be underway! How was your Wednesday?

Oh, and if any of you are wondering how to get the shape of the giant beach bag, just go to my tutorial page here and follow the corner directions for the "everything bag". Easy peasy!

My Beach Bag

I have had an intense urge to sew for months now. Finding the time to do it has been impossible, although the little one and I have made our fair share of Purple Violet clothes recently. But I've been itching to make a gigantic beach bag for all our beach adventures this summer. I've had some leather scraps I wanted to use as handles and a bunch of leftover linen and ticking. The inside is a sheet I bought to make Sasa a meditiation cushion out of...I had lots extra and it was perfect.

So on the 4th of July, I finally got to it. It took me only about an hour. I was pretty excited about the results. It's HUGE! I tried it out today at the beach and fit two towels, a beach blanket, two books, containers of food, clothes, etc. and it could have fit so much more. Sasa said it's the "greatest bag ever" and I think I agree.

So yay for beach bags and many trips to the beach!!

Oh, and I got sucked into Pinterest big time. I love it. You can find me here. It's like all my Monday links in one handy dandy inspiration board!

Happy 4th!

I've been slowly turning our backyard into more of a gathering space in anticipation of summer parties, so after building a fire pit (Sasa rocks!) on Friday, we decided to have a spontaneous 4th celebration! Spontaneous or not, Sasa said at the peak we had about 35 people show. It was awesome! So much fun!

There were sparklers, smores (I made some gluten-free graham crackers for the little one and they turned out great!), hula hooping, scootering, dancing, singing, bocce ball, roasting hot dogs and burgers over the fire, and lots of chatter and fun! Oh, and the food...it was unbelievable!

We've already been asked when the next one will be...!

Happy 4th to you! I hope your holiday is fabulous!!