Bluebirdbaby

Wine

Well, the wine tasting was a hit. I swear, I've never sipped so many kinds of wine in one night in my entire life, and I really wish to never again. Ten kinds of wine is much too much for one palette to handle! But it was a night filled with good wine, good people, 8 year aged cheddar (seriously...what could be better?!), and followed by some relaxing on the couch with my love before bed. It was a perfect evening!

I hope you all are well. The little one returns tomorrow morning and I just can't wait!!

Friends Rock

Just some goodies that friends (and you lovely readers!) have sent my way. Thanks so very, very much. Mail makes me so very happy. And the little one too! She's received some sweet treats as well!

And look at what arrived on my doorstep a few weeks ago. It arrived in the middle of one of the days the little one was away and I missed her so. This sweet little leaf ornament was sent by Lisa, of Lisa Leonard Designs. Elisabeth's name is engraved on it. She rocks. Her jewelry rocks. And her sweet little family rocks too! Thank you so very much Lisa. You really made my day!

I love my friends!

Like This

Our day kinda looked like this ::

The morning started with seeing what the sleepy fairies brought the little one. Sasa went to work super early for our town's yearly "Early Bird Sale" which meant whoever could wake up and go shopping in your pajamas at 6 a.m. got quite a deal. The little one and I were semi-early birds, but we still had to get through our morning routine before we left. Sasa? He was up at 4:30 today! Poor guy!

We had a visit from one of our favorite friends who joined us for painting day. We introduced purple today (guess who requested that?!) and painted quite a few pictures. We had applesauce bubbling away on the stove and all sat down for a nice snack after. The little one loves to "turn" the sauce in the mouli mill.

We were headed to the big city tonight for a special family dinner at my mother's house. The little one got nice and clean before we left and ended up spending an hour and a half in the tub! Just long enough for me to read through my new camera manual and figure out that silly video recording feature. I had no idea it would be so  much fun!! Maybe you'll be seeing videos soon...

And we enjoyed a lovely evening at Baba's. Now we're home, ready for bed, and off I head to work tomorrow bright and early.

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

30 Days of Happiness :: Fairy Parties

What can I say about today? It was amazing, wonderful, magical, and just sweet (and I took too many pictures!!). The little one will turn three years old on Wednesday, and since I will not see her until Wednesday night, we decided to honor her today instead. We started the day with a breakfast celebration, complete with her new birthday outfit, crown, a small gift, and her three year birthday ring. Sasa made a terrific breakfast, and Baba (my mother) was there to celebrate too.

The outfit fabrics were chosen by the little one and we worked on it together over the last three weeks. The shirt is an Oliver + S pattern, slightly modified. I was surprised she picked out these colors, but she was very excited about the Little Red Riding Hood fabric and somehow we made it all work. The best part was she was excited to wear it today!

The theme for our small celebration were fairies. Fairy houses, fairy tea, fairy dolls and books, and fairy snacks. We set up the little table in the yard with pumpkins and bags I had made for the children with fairy dolls inside. The little one helped me make each fairy doll: gluing on their hats, felting the wool, and picking a fairy name for each one. She also told me the colors her friends like the best, and we made bags and fairies to suit each child's favorites.

The little one received many loving gifts including a basket filled with embroidery goodies perfect for little hands, a hand-painted tea cup, a necklace made by a special friend, and so much more. Really, it could not have been a more magical party!

After tea, we set off to make our fairy houses around the yard. Sasa had collected many perfect fairy house building materials on a recent kayaking trip and we had a wagon full of things to choose from. The kids made beautiful houses and I think the fairies who live in our yard will be so excited!

Elisabeth has recently learned how to take pictures using my camera (gulp!) and she is quite good indeed. In the next week I will be setting up a flickr account for her and you can view all her photos there. Really, they are very good!! The above are just a sample...

Then it was cake, which was a gluten-free chocolate cake the little one requested with "stripes and polka-dots" on it. Sasa made up the recipe and it was absolutely delicious. The little one has been talking about this birthday cake for months now, and it was so special to finally see her with it. She had a "ginormous" piece and loved every bit of it.

And last but not least, her special present. Sasa's Pop has been working on it for a while now, and his mother has been busy furnishing it. The dollhouse was a big hit (with all the kids!!) and I'm sure you will see many more pictures of it in the future!

Sasa and I are completely wiped after a day full of fun, fairies, celebrating, and friends. It was so very magical and amazing. I'm glad we will have this memory for ever and always. Happy Birthday, my sweet little one. You bring so much magic to my life! I love you. xoxo

Beach Days

We've been enjoying lots of beach days lately. This was a fun day last week that was spent with friends, good food, lots of laughs, cold Maine ocean water (which didn't keep any of us from swimming!), sand castles, and beach mermaids. Follow that with the yummiest ice cream you could imagine and, well...that's one good day.

We're off to the big city for a wedding, dinner with one super cool chic (more on that later), and a sleepover at Baba's! Yay for weekends!

We hope you enjoy yours as well!

Blooms and Bowling

:: Weekend blooming, yard work, and chores ::

:: Weekend bowling, dinner with friends, arcade games, and pool ::

Now I'm off to finish some sewing projects. I hope your weekend was full of joy and laughter!

Find Joy In the Unexpected

Last summer I came across a talented artist whose jewelry I fell in love with. Have you ever seen Lisa Leonard's designs? I was browsing through her site and came across the above necklace with the quote, "find joy in the unexpected" and thought no necklace could be more perfect.

It arrived in the prettiest little box. The little one was so excited to open it and see what was inside. Lisa is very wonderful to work with and so sweet. Her blog is quite inspiring as well and I love seeing pictures of her delightful family. I love the dreamy quality to her photographs.

The best part about it? The necklace kind of makes this sweet little jingle sound when I walk. It's kind of like how I would imagine "joy" sounding like. The little one often requests to wear it as well and had it on for a full day before I persuaded her to take it off for bed. And I love having the reminder that joy is everywhere...even where we least expect it!

A Visit to the Farm

My friend (and coworker) is building a house and invited the little one and I over to see the progress. Her parents live on a big farm with beautiful gardens, apple trees, four pigs, two horses, and chickens just down the road. So we spent some time at the farm exploring. I was sent home with a stalk of brussel sprouts, kale, and beets. Not to mention our weekly trade of duck eggs for garlic and potatoes. I think I'll have a happy belly all winter long!

The little one especially loved discovering the toys inside that were tucked away in a corner. I've noticed a huge difference in her play since she started preschool in September. She is more engaged and happily plays away for long stretches of time. I've also noticed that the less toys there are, the more she plays. I'm thinking about going through a lot of ours and dwindling them down to a few. Most just sit in the baskets or on the shelves unused. Blocks, her new ukulele, her wooden farm family, and her cars are the most played with. Everything else just seems to go unnoticed! Has anyone else found that having less toys encourages more play?

And we have been regularly putting on performances for anyone who will listen of this song. This is the very song I sang the other month with the guitarist at a local barn gig. The little one insists I play the ukulele while she bangs away on her mini piano. So far she's received some very enthusiastic clapping for her talents. Maybe she'll join me on stage next time!

Alpaca Farm

First off, I must admit that I just stumbled across Picnik.com. Am I the only one who didn't know about this fabulous program? I've never had Photoshop, so being able to add some special effects to my photos is beyond exciting. So you'll have to bare with me while I go a little overboard with the 70's photo look.  Perhaps I'm way behind the times here, but I've been seeing it all over flickr and loving it. So now I'll have my fun. Although Typepad cuts the right side off, so you'll have to click on the photos to see the full version.

We made the trip to a local alpaca farm this morning. The kids had fun watching all the alpacas, which after being shaved looked like rather large poodles. The little one enjoyed her first "juice box" and finally got the hang of it after watching the other kids. We also met up with her best bud, who the little one was so pleased to see. Now we're just trying to escape the humidity...

A Special Shirt

Late last fall, I stumbled upon a beautiful skirt on flickr made by Jimin of Smallville. I was immediately drawn to her classic designs and marveled over the quality of her items. The first outfit I ever made was last summer and my sewing skills madly needed help. I really didn't even know how to get better. I kept trudging along, hoping with time the stitches would look neater, the patterns more professional (I made my own because I was too intimidated of others), and somehow I would figure out that darn serger. When I found Jimin's clothing, a sense of professional quality emanated from each photograph and it was clear that a lot of time, love, and careful attention to detail went into each and every piece she created.

Jimin and I soon struck up a friendship online and she was always willing to answer my questions on sizing, garment construction, and pattern making. I valued her advice and she inspired me to really improve my sewing; something I really needed for the direction I wanted to head. So thanks to her, over the winter I got busy and my sewing grew by leaps and bounds. I studied the way store bought clothing was put together, cut up cheap shirts and pants to study the shape of the separate pieces to get ideas for my own patterns. I bought some patterns to take apart and saw how the shape of each piece changed as the sizing got larger. I traced the rise of a favorite pair of the little one's pants and used that as a guideline for making my own. I went through yards of muslin, sheets of paper for writing patterns, a basket full of scraps for mastering the serger, and read all I could on constructing your own clothing. And I honestly wouldn't have done the majority of this without being inspired and supported by Jimin.

So when her spring line came out, I knew immediately that one of her beautiful purple shirts had to find a home here. It came in a lovely package, complete with some fun "extras" and was worn by the little one right away. It fits perfectly. The craftsmanship is amazing and the details were all so obviously lovingly created. Elisabeth loves her new special "purple shirt" but I think I love it more. Thanks Jimin, for all your help and inspiration.

You can find her Etsy shop here!

Welcoming Home Friends

Our neighbors just returned from their yearly trip to Cambodia to do some amazing work with the foundation they started. I hope to interview them soon about their work for a future post. They truly are a very inspirational couple and we've been so lucky to have them as friends and neighbors. I decided to put aside my work in the green room for some baking while the little one was napping. I used my favorite gluten, sugar, soy, dairy, egg-free chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's amazing and always produces delicious results.

Can you read that recipe above? I hope so. I'm much too lazy to type it out. Basically you mix all the wet ingredients separately from the dry. Combine and stir well. DO NOT taste the batter. It is absolutely revolting and you will never believe the cookies will actually be edible. I use this mix which I think provides good results. I also use agave nectar or honey in place of sugar. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes or so.

They look like real chocolate chip cookies, don't they?! They taste a lot like the real ones too.

So when the little one awoke, we packed up the cookies and a card I made (using a photo of Fred's lovely woodpile) in her favorite basket, grabbed a cookie for the road and bundled up.

We took a lovely walk down the road to drop off the "welcome home" basket. The little one insisted on her bike and not the stroller or carrier. Thank goodness it has a handle for me to push it. We had a great visit with Fred and Kitty and heard some fabulous stories about their trip. And to top it off, they loved the cookies and didn't have a clue they were gluten-free until I told them.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the winner of the Bluebird Bag giveaway!

Just Like Us

I think one of the most amusing things about having a little one is the imitating that goes on. She watches us ever so carefully, during times when we think her attention is elsewhere, and then surprises us by doing the exact thing we were doing minutes ago. Yesterday I turned around from my pancake making activities to find her reading the paper. Her face, the pose, everything about this just made me want to laugh and cry in the same moment.

She has this imitation down to a "T." Complete with reading out loud and turning the pages. She points to pictures and reads the captions underneath. She puts the paper down and sighs, picking up her mug of water, and then goes right back to reading. Obviously the pancake making activities were put to a halt and I ran to get the camera. Oh, these are the moments I hope to never forget.

Due to the carbon monoxide fiasco, we had the pleasure of getting to know a lovely neighbor. While at her house with the little one we not only discovered she collects buttons, but that she also adores thrifting. She graciously gave me a bag of vintage buttons (and another bag made its way home yesterday) and we made a date to go thrifting at two of our favorite local spots.

So on Tuesday we headed out for a little thrifting fun. I finally (after months of searching) found a chenille bedspread in absolutely perfect condition. The price tag couldn't have been better either. It's all washed and ready to go on the bed. I'm anxiously awaiting our next trip already...

A Walk In the Woods

Please note that the time of my shop update has changed. Have a lovely weekend!

A Bit of Randomness

Yesterday, the marvelous Rhea came over for some chatting and tea. I call her the "marvelous Rhea" because she really is quite marvelous. She knows me well and as soon as I whipped out my camera she asked, "is this going on the blog??" Rhea is a terrific graphic designer and has agreed to completely rework my logo for the shop, including business cards and some free gifts to include with my Etsy sales.

I'm really excited about it all and hope to reveal the new look with the next update of my shop. Hopefully that will be towards the end of the month. There's so much crafting going on here, but I want the next update to be a surprise. I'll show you snippets here and there in the coming weeks so at least you know something is going on in the green room.

The following are completely random photos I've taken around the house lately. I guess quite fitting for a Friday, where the craziness from the rest of the week seems to melt away in anticipation of the weekend. Ah, Saturdays...lounge pants, pancakes, a good book, a movie, some snow playing (and eating), and visits to our favorite little book store to see friends and have my daily soy mocha.

A hat the little one found buried in Stephen's office. She dragged it upstairs and placed it on the floor in front of where I sit on the couch. I found it after she had gone down for her nap and chuckled as I read the visor.

A mobile that was my sister's, then passed down to me, now passed down to the little one. It sits in our living room where the sunlight streams through the window most of the day.

A glass bubble I thought looked brilliant in the sunlight.

My favorite dried flowers that I never tire of.

I hope your weekend is full of creativity and laughter. Stay warm! See you back here on Monday.

Girls' Night Out

For a couple of months now, some local crafty ladies and I have been getting together for a girl's night out. I've always found it difficult to find people I can truly connect with, but since moving to this area I have found the greatest bunch of very talented, intelligent, and fun-loving women. We always have a blast and there's never a shortage of good food and laughter.

Saturday night was our holiday party. The boys were invited too, although they spent most of the time warming up by the bonfire outside. (Did you know you could buy a burn permit online with your debit card, just minutes before lighting the fire?! Very cool.) We exchanged gag gifts, the ladies did a holiday ornament swap, and we just hung out chatting and eating the night away.

We warmed ourselves by the wood stove. It was a particularly chilly winter night and a bad storm was expected to hit any hour. I kept peeking outside expecting to see snowflakes falling, but they held off until early morning.

We discussed sewing, life in general, babies, houses, and Maine winter gear. Above is the marvelous Rhea sporting her leg warmers. If I knew how to knit anything other than a scarf I'd make myself a pair. I can see these becoming a must-have accessory in my wardrobe this season.

And introducing our littlest member of the group. He's always sleeping and we joke about never seeing him actually awake. It's so calming to glance over and see a sleeping baby in the midst of all the talking and laughter.

I really feel honored to have found these wonderful ladies. The welcomed break from parenting and life's stresses is always much needed and much remedied by the fun we have together. I look forward to many more nights like these in the future. Thanks gals.

The Aftermath

Three stuffed bellies.
Lots of dishes.
One very sleepy and worn out babe.
More than enough leftovers.
Feeling pretty darn good about making a gluten-free Thanksgiving dinner.
Did I mention lots of dishes?!

 

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and that your weekend be filled with fun!

A Swap

About a month ago, I realized that the little one's head had gotten so big that she no longer fit in any of the winter hats we had for her. I have always wanted to knit a hat. I've knit 3 scarves but think my knitting ventures may just stop there. I love the idea of being able to bring the knitting with you wherever you are, but really...when I am not chasing after a very fast toddler when we're out? I don't think knitting and chasing mix. But I attempted to knit a hat for her, and after more tries than I care to admit, I gave up. Then I commissioned the talented Grace to knit one for me. Being the kind person she is, she was willing to do a trade. Perfect!

She had commented on the clutches awhile back, so I came up with something unique. First I made this one using a freezer paper stencil of a tree I drew. I added little birds (because who doesn't love birds?!) and used an orange button that I have been saving for something special. But then I remembered that Grace loves pink. Maybe I will put this one up in the shop if anyone is interested.

So then I created something different. I used brown canvas to contrast with the pink Joel Dewberry fabric. I put some lining inside to add some bulk, since this would be used for a clutch and wallet. I wanted it to be sturdy. The button came from Alewives, my favorite little fabric store.

The freezer paper stencil of the girl flying a kite was modified from something I found on one of Rhea's notepads at the store. It took me three attempts at cutting out the small details, but I just love the end result. And, of course, it had to be pink. I used the acrylics I had on hand mixed with a fabric medium I bought at the art store in town.

I added some pockets inside for credit or business cards. I desperately want Grace to open an Etsy shop because she is so very, very talented. So I designed a little mock business card for her and stuck it in the pocket. She thought that was quite funny!

And I couldn't just leave her wee ones out of the swap, so I included two market totes. A cherry one for Elle and a tomato for Jem. I'm sure they'll get lots of use out of them.

This was my very first swap and I had so much fun. I can't wait to receive the hat for Elisabeth. Grace is a talented knitter and sewer, so I'm sure it will be amazing. Enjoy your goodies Grace!

The Morris Farm

Yesterday we took a trip to the Morris Farm in Wiscasset. It's just a quick drive from our house and I've never taken Elisabeth there before. We met at our friend's house and walked to the farm with the little ones in their strollers.

When we arrived, there was a baby chick in a cage by the door. Elisabeth immediately spotted it and remained fascinated by it for the next 20 minutes. No fear, this one. Stuck her fingers right in the cage and let the chick peck her.

The chick seemed as amused by her, as she did by it. It came up to her when she knelt down to see it and didn't leave after discovering that she had no treats in her hand. I told Stephen that our plans to get chickens next spring is a must-do.

We walked around some more and saw sheep. I later learned that they have a spinning class next month at the farm, undoubtedly using their sheep's wool. I plan on looking into that further...

And two horses came to say hello on the path. Elisabeth acted as if they were just a really big Mac (our dog) and gave them both a pat on the side.

We checked out the goodies.

And lastly, we looked at all the pumpkins. Elisabeth had her eye on one, but we would have needed an extra stroller for the ride home.