Bluebirdbaby

twenty nine :: 30 days of beauty :: help from the root children

The root children were underground bustling about fixing their evening meal of dandelion soup, grass salad, and mushroom cookies. One root child was late and he came running down the tunnel with some exciting news. "Everyone, everyone! Listen to this! The little girl and her mama planted seeds today! Flowers and herbs and peas and lettuce. We must help them grow!"

All the root children clapped and shouted "hooray!" for they loved spring, and they adored helping the seeds grow. They made a plan to water the seeds first thing in the morning. They also give the seeds a hug, which the seeds love so much that it makes them grow faster. And when the seeds start to sprout, the root children dip into their magic seed dust to sprinkle on the seeds. The magic seed dust makes the plants strong and healthy.

So the very next morning they did just that. All the root children went to work watering and hugging the seeds. Some even told the seeds stories about the sun and blue skies, which made the seeds so anxious to sprout that they started growing faster and faster.

When the flowers and vegetables came up extra early, the little girl and her mama were quite surprised! The little girl didn't know how seeds could grow so fast, but her mama knew that the root children had helped. The little girl wanted to thank the root children for all their hard work, so she asked her mama what they could do for them. Her mama told her what the root children love, so they set to work collecting yummy things to leave the root children :: dandelions for dandelion soup, apple tree blossoms for their tea, a lily pad to use for their bath tub, and even a strawberry from the little girl's lunch. They set all these lovely things on a beautiful plate in the flower garden for the root children to find the very next morning.

The root children absolutely loved their surprises! They were so overjoyed that the littlest root child ran back to her bunk to find a special treasure; it was the teeniest, tiniest heart shaped rock that a beetle had given her on her first birthday. She ran back to the garden and placed the tiny rock on the plate. The little girl came out the next morning and found the tiny heart rock. She was so excited she ran inside to show her mama. She knew the root children had left it for her. She placed it on a windowsill by her bed where she keeps all her special treasures. Every night she would go to sleep looking at her heart rock and thinking about all the help the root children had given her. She already couldn't wait for next spring!!

This was a story I made up tonight for the little one before she fell asleep. Her eyes were closed by the very end and she fell alseep with a smile on her face. I'm pretty sure the root children will be helping out tonight after we planted her special garden with lots of yummy flowers. The peas were planted to grow up the chicken coop fence and we started some other seedlings as well. What a day! I love spring!

twenty seven :: 30 days of beauty :: a photo walk

I had the pleasure of going on a photo walk with a talented young photographer this afternoon. I captured these images on this blustery cold day. The little one and I just walked past this pond last week in light layers, the sun shining on our faces while we watched a turtle sunning itself on a rock. Not today. It was cold and chilly! We did all we could to keep our hands from freezing!

My 30 days of beauty are almost coming to an end. It has been such fun and I've enjoyed looking at all your beauty too! There's just so much of it out there. I think this will definitely be a yearly tradition for me, but don't worry...I'll continue sharing plenty of beauty here always!

twenty six :: 30 days of beauty :: the light

I love watching how the light moves through our home. I love how older homes were built with solar heat in mind :: all the big windows on the south facing side to let in all that warmth and light. Our bedroom gets a cozy dose of it close to dinner time. The little one and I headed upstairs for some bed jumping and discovered this scene. Sasa has been sick and in bed for days, but left it for some relaxing in the sun on our porch. His tea cup still on the windowsill and my favorite pillowcases cheering up the bed made such a lovely scene. I snapped this before the jumping began!

So what about you? What beauty have you all been finding lately? Leave me a link to your recent beauty finds! I wanna see!!

twenty five :: 30 days of beauty :: a picture, a song

Oh, the little one. She is quite something. It's hard to really describe her because she's just so darn unique and special. But a close description would be likened to Frances. You've surely read those books, yes? Frances is a smart, quick little badger who goes about her day singing all the while. The little one goes about her entire days singing. She's like a walking musical. Today she was making up songs about car rides, mangoes, chicken eggs, Kiwi cat, and restaurants, just to name a few. But one song stuck out. It wasn't a "little one original," but a song I was quite familiar with. She finished, then came into the kitchen where I was cooking lunch and said, "Mama! That was the song you used to sing to me when I was a little baby!" Be still my heart. Yes, it is. It was the song I would sing to my belly when she was the size of a lima bean. It was the song I sang as I felt her kicking inside me. It was the song I sang when I felt those first contractions before sunrise. It was the song I sang as she nursed when she was just days old. And I haven't sang it in months, but she remembers.

So tonight, after the lights went out and we were all snuggled in with her head leaning on my shoulder, I sang it again. Her eyes closed, and she nodded off to sleep with a smile on her face. Nothings beats that moment, this day, that girl, and that song. She is growing up so fast. It's a delight to watch her blossom and grow. What a lucky job I have being her mama.

And some things I am loving today ::

::Outside play with chicken accompaniment. ::

:: Happy Eggs! ::

:: Raw goat's milk ::

:: A vintage slip from the 20's I recently scored thrifting. It hangs in our room now because I love it so. ::

:: A little before dinner play on the sidewalk. We like to make the neighborhood pretty! ::

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

twenty four :: 30 days of beauty :: flowers and friends

At the dinner table each night we all say what our "most favoritist part of the day" was. Tonight the answers were, "I liked playing with my friends!" And, "Sasa coming home with flowers for us." And, "this moment right now!" It's a wonderful way to begin our meal and is a tradition I look forward to each night. My favorite part involved the above flowers. Sasa went out on his walk and returned with flowers for both me and the little one. Hers were naturally purple, and mine were happy colors. So sweet of him! He rocks!

The little one chose her visit with our friends as her favorite part. My mama friend is the most grounding and centering girlfriend anyone could ask for. I immediately feel more connected with myself and the world around me after spending time with her. The little one and her sweet girl spent the afternoon playing games, feeding goldfish, and having yummy snacks. It was a wonderful afternoon...one that I hope will repeat again and again over the summer. We are very lucky to have such amazing friends.

And Sasa chose dinner as his favorite part of the day. He loves when we are all together connecting. And we all connect so very well over delicious meals!

So now it's your turn! What was your favorite part of the day??

twenty three :: 30 days of beauty :: food

Oh, food...how I love you. I love your bright colors, the way you smell and taste, and the way you make my tummy happy. I think you are beautiful. And the people who make it? They are beautiful too. And the people who eat it? Definitely on my beauty list! Thank you for being so beautiful. And thank you for being so good!

Above are just some of the things we've been eating lately. I eat about three mangoes a day (the little one is right up there too!), Sasa is on a seaweed/medicinal mushroom kick, and the little one is loving smoked salmon. There's lots of potlucks, dinner parties, and picnics going on which results in a lot of extra yummy food. My tummy is happy. Really happy.

What is on your plate lately?!

twenty one :: 30 days of beauty

Kiwi. Asleep. In the most comfortable looking position ever. Add a cute cat to a fabulous chair and, in my book, you have beauty. Sasa and I constantly marvel at Kiwi's sleeping positions. They all look so darn comfy. She makes me want to be a cat!

And oh, today...today was so very gorgeous. Another cloudless blue-sky day full of sunshine. We felted eggs (more on that later), baked bread, went on a road trip to the most gorgeous place ever to have a picnic on a mountaintop and run through the fields. We always play the same game in the car on the way home.

It goes like this ::

"Mama, I love you!" 

"I love you too, sweetie!"

"Sasa, I love you!"

"I love you too, my small friend."

"Guys...guys?!! I love you!"

"We love you too!" (In unison.)

"No, I LOVE YOU!"

"No, we love YOU!"

And back and forth and back and forth. There's lots of love being passed around our car. So sweet. I hope it never ends.

Oh, and if we could we'd bring our wagon full of Happy Eggs around to each one of your doors! Thanks for all the Happy Egg love. But our chickens deserve all the credit!

thirty :: 30 day of beauty

Finding beauty at the beach is easy. There is just so much of it. We headed out tonight for a picnic at the beach because it was just so very lovely. The sun, the sand, the crashing waves, the food (yay! I'm eating again!), the company. We found two heart rocks and walked the beach hand in hand.

A lovely night full of beauty!

Thanks for all your well wishes. Tomorrow I hope to reveal my new photography site! I've been working on it for about 20 hours (straight, it seems) and I can't wait to show you all. Stay tuned!

nineteen :: A Little Peek

Jenny recently started up a little group on flickr called "Peek Into My Life." I love that idea...taking a photo that is pretty intimate, no matter how everyday-ish, that gives you just a little extra glimpse of the more normal and not so special moments of our days. So I started with this morning. Belina (my best hen friend) loves to join us for breakfast (and afternoon snacks) and this morning she was up and in the house as soon as the barn door opened. This is a typical morning...the three of us making breakfast, sitting down at the table to light our candle, say our blessing, and dig in. And, of course, Belina being a good vacuum and cleaning up all the crumbs. We try to hide the scrambled eggs from her sight...

And here is my baby. All bright eyed and ready for the day. She's such a cutie.

Happy Weekend!!

eighteen :: 30 Days of Beauty :: violin love

Oh, the excitement! Ever since her buddy came over with a violin two months ago, the little one has literally begged me non-stop for her own. She even picked up her ukulele and one of my knitting needles and pretended to play. She has played that ukulele/violin for two months now, everyday. I thought maybe the interest would begin to wane, but oh no...she's become more insistent. After seeing some other little ones put on a concert recently it was all she would talk about. So I searched and searched and luckily the universe provided us with a teensy tiny violin just her size. And a teacher to go with it.

Six days before we were scheduled for the violin pick-up and first lesson, she woke Sasa and I up twice in the middle of the night asking for it. We then made a handy dandy violin calendar so she could mark off the days until it was the big day.

So today was finally the big day. We celebrated, we had a "Happy Violin Day!" breakfast. We dressed extra special for our violin lesson. (She wanted me to make her a "violin shirt and pants" this morning an hour before we had to leave!) And we told everyone in town (for the fiftythousandthtime) that we were going to get her violin.

And she ROCKS it. Seriously. I mean, she had a good grip on the uke, but honestly...it's like she's played before. She carried it around with her all day: to the bookshop, to the bank, to the co-op, outside to play, upstairs to bed. She won't let it out of her sight.

The zipper on the case is broken, so we made some fancy bands to put around the ends to hold it closed. (Purple, of course.) Next violin craft on the list? A lesson bag for her music books! And a violin shirt and pants I suppose...

What an exciting adventure this violin thing is! I'm sure you'll be seeing more soon!

seventeen :: 30 Days of Beauty

Sun on our faces. Wind through our hair. Little peeks of greening grass underfoot. The sound of life outside. Birds chirping, chickens clucking, bees (yes bees!) buzzing, a little voice sending shouts of laughter and squeals of delight through the spring-like air.

The changing of the seasons always inspires me. It gives me hope, sets us free of the now monotonous winter rhythm of staying inside, and opens up a whole new world for us to play in. We are spending every minute outside. Lunch, dinner, and snacks are eaten in the sun. Books are read under trees. Laundry is hung on the line. Friends are out and about.

We race down the sidewalk, running from mailbox to mailbox seeing who can be faster. We speed down the street on tricycles and balance bikes, trying to beat cars that pass by. We watch as maple trees are tapped, as dry leaves and brush are cleared from front yards revealing bulbs poking out from the brown earth. Our house is coming alive with visitor after visitor. Friends stop in to say hello and bring flowers. (Thanks A!) Everything feels alive again.

Life is grand, isn't it? There are so many things that surround us on any given day that are enough to fill our hearts with love and joy. And to get to share it all with the two I love most? Nothing beats it. Especially because the three of us know how to appreciate it all so very well.

What does spring mean to you?

sixteen :: Progress

There's wood under all that linoleum. And it's pretty darn beautiful if you ask us. It will look much better refinished. The cabinets are the next to go. Oh my. Trying to come up with a temporary solution to storing my Pyrex collection will be pretty interesting...

Happy Weekend! I hope you are all enjoying some sunshine today!

fourteen :: 30 Days of Beauty

Oh my oh my oh my. The concert last night? Amazing. She is one talented woman. We had so much fun. I highly recommend you go see her if you ever get the chance. She is very inspirational!!

Okay, onto the beauty. Sasa and I had a great time on our day off yesterday. We stopped at an antique store on the way down and I found the cutest little chambray shirt with a peter pan collar. It was a "juniors" and is pretty small, but I think (hope) I can pull it off. Maybe you'll see it in my next Monday post! It's really quite beautiful. And the other is a beautifully hand knit, wool, vintage sweater given to me by my mama. I love it and it's super cozy! I love adding a bit of vintage beauty to my wardrobe.

And this isn't quite beautiful, but I took this earlier in the week. I set to work making dinner (kale, sausage, and white bean soup) and this song came on. It never fails to get me moving. Inspired by her dancing pics, I grabbed the camera, continued dancing and cooking, and now I have this silly little picture to share with you! So Happy Dancing Thursday to you all!

The winner will be announced tomorrow morning with a special treat the little one and I made for you today!! Yay!

thirteen :: 30 Days of Beauty

On the days I work, I often feel like the day is officially almost over once I get home. It's only been recently that I've really made a point to get out and enjoy that (now) two hours of daylight left. Mostly because the sun is out later, and also because I refuse to go from one work to the next with no break in between. So instead of jumping right on the computer and doing photo business stuff, I get out into the sunshine. And it's glorious! I go for a long walk, say hello to the chickens, throw balls for Fly and watch Kiwi do her "jungle cat" impression in the weeds, and soak in as much sunshine as possible.

I mean, take today for example. There was...

...a silly little chicken (Belina) who escaped, bathing in some dirt. She promptly stopped bathing and came right over to give me a nudge.

...bulbs already coming up. Hard to believe in early March!

...a beautiful winter sky.

So much beauty, all waiting there for me when I came home from work. I'm so glad I decided a little quiet time with nature was in order.

And stay tuned for a fabulous giveaway tomorrow morning!! See you then...

twelve :: 30 Days of Beauty :: Couch Monday

:: This morning ::

Well, I have a funny story to share with you. Remember the chair that I was just so giddy about? Remember how the chair giddiness only fueled my "I must find the perfect vintage-modern couch?" Well, let's fast forward to a week and a half after I got the chair. I was at a party with some friends. Two of my favorite crafty gals started going on and on about all the great finds they got at Sals (Salvation Army) that very morning. And one of them says, "Yea Erin...remember that chair you got recently? Well, we found a couch that kinda looks like it." My jaw dropped a bit. Turns out, the couch was the mama of my chair. They are from the same set. The couch wasn't on the floor at Sals yet, but tucked in back in storage. And the lady at the check-out didn't even mention it! Luckily, my friends rock. Mandi bought it, then ended up trading me so my chair could have its match. How sweet is that??! Okay, my friends are really awesome.

::This afternoon ::

So now? Our living room looks a bit more matchy and super sleek. And all that mustard yellow? Pretty sweet, if I do say so myself. Thanks Mandi! I owe you BIG time!

Okay, enough about couches...onto the links ::

• I'd love to find a table like this
• loving her processing
• this picture took my breath away
• this blog has tons of crafty ideas to do with little ones
• a new thrift store opened today down the street. yes, down the street! I went after work and let's just say my wardrobe is starting to look like it came straight out of this movie.
• we're going to see INGRID MICHAELSON this week. Oh my oh my oh my. So unbelievably excited are we!
• not only that, but we're taking a whole day this week as a "date day." just the two of us, doing anything we want, going anywhere we want, and eating whatever and wherever we want. So fun!
• these chairs are awesome. when does one decide that another chair in their house is not entirely practical?!
• have you seen this movie? it's too cute!
• was just introduced to the Dirty Projectors. Crazy awesome stuff. (The video is a bit strange!)
• my new fav Pandora station at the moment is "Sally's Tomato"
• miso soup and broccoli are on the menu tonight
• have you seen this video? I want to learn how to do that!! I think that will be my summer goal...

What are you all loving this Monday?! I would love some good spring shoe links, your favorite outfits, Etsy artists you love, and what in your life is making you HAPPY!

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!!

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!

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!

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.

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!