Bluebirdbaby

Polarn O. Pyret Giveaway!

With the little one attending a nature based school, proper outerwear is very important. I'm always on the hunt for warm enough jackets and snowpants, raingear that actually keeps her dry, and everything in between. Polarn O. Pyret always has the greatest clothing...the quality is remarkable, the sizing is always just right and fits for two seasons, and the most important thing is the little one absolutely adores the colors, fit, and designs.

Polarn O. Pyret was kind enough to send us a set of rain gear which we immediately put to good use. Today it was overcast and drizzly, so we put on our new rain gear and headed out into our new backyard (yup...that's our backyard!!) and played on the shore.

What lucky girls we are, eh? The ocean in our backyard and awesome new rain gear! Polarn O. Pyret is also offering one lucky reader a $50 gift certificate. Just leave a comment and tell us what your little one's favorite season is. I'll draw a reader Monday at 10 a.m. EST. Good luck!

Holidaying

Well, I love getting things out in the open. Writing, processing, getting it all out there...it all helps in taking a step back and really observing the situation and how you'd like to proceed with it. Nothing has changed except my attutide about it. I've always made the best of whatever I'm given, but even with doing that I can still feel mournful for what I know could be. But, enough of that! It couldn't BE because it ISN'T! So I am making the best of what I've got while accepting that it's exactly what it is, and could never be anything else.

That probably sounds like much more nonsense all written out than it actually is in my head. But there it is. Thanks for being there through it all. This space is such a gift.

We've surely been making the best of our time this holiday season. Lots of baking, present making, cookie delivering, tree decorating, and holiday music singing (shall I mention the night the little one and I had an impromptu caroling experience? we skipped merrily while singing around the neighborhood like silly people in the dark!). And there are the things like the Christmas cards that will never be finished or even make it in the mail (how about New Year's cards?!), the tins of treats I wanted to make and deliver, the presents I can't afford, and all the rest that just aren't meant to be. And that's okay. Because with what we have, we are having so much fun with it. And that's the best.

I haven't even been capturing all our daily activities with my camera. Taking even a second away from those moments seems like too much. Sometimes I pull my iPhone out and capture the goodness. So above is all the goodness from cooking baking (twice!), packaging, delivering, and holiday cheer around town. We have been having so much fun...!

What have you been up to this holiday season?!

her request

Our little town had an annual Christmas parade this past weekend. The little one and her friend got to ride with Santa in the wagon. Then it was off for hot chocolate followed by waiting in line to sit on Santa's lap. The little one asked for a "kitten" (oh my) and her friend asked for a surprise, despite my urging him to ask for a skateboarding ramp for the neighborhood.

I am so grateful for our wee town and all its quirky little festivals. There does seem to be quite a bit of them. Sometimes Sasa and I joke that it feels like we're living in Stars Hallow. All we need is Luke's Diner, and it would be complete!

For weeks I've been finishing up this season's wedding work, and with one wedding left to complete, I feel like I'll be a whole new person soon! I've got some really awesome shoots coming up that I can't wait to share. And so many creative ideas. I love having creative ideas. Living with such a passion for creating and noticing and dreaming is a wonderful gift. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming (how will I ever do it all?!), but for the most part it is extremely invigorating. Do you ever feel like that?

The photo above was taken at the local library during the Santa visit. It was one of the only times I've ever asked her to pose for a photo, or to sit in a certain place. The light, the symmetry, the colors were all just too much. Putting her in the middle just blew me away. I love it.

Go here to see more Santa pictures!

Happy Monday, my friends! I'll be back with some sweet links...

 

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!

A Fall Morning Walk

We decided to take advantage of the cool morning and bundle up in our sweaters and hats. The balance bike is still getting a tremendous amount of use, even though she rides a "big girl bike" now. Purple Violet had to come, so mama rigged up a little baby seat in the front. It worked perfectly.

The little one was so happy about having a passenger. We ended up taking a nice long walk through town (on top of three others today) and ended it with a hot cocoa date with some friends. I can't tell you how excited she was about the whip cream. Mama is usually a tad careful about the sugar consumption. But it was quite a treat.

We spent the afternoon collecting acorns and chestnuts. The little one wants to make chestnut horses, but we need a few more before that. So we're keeping an eye on the tree next door, waiting for some to fall. Although we've talked about saving lots of chestnuts and acorns for the squirrels who need them for the winter.

We also got out some of our fall reads. I've updated the list to the side with some of our favorites. I think I've read "Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip" dozens of times these past few days. She just adores that book, and I do too. I  love how she is pulling all the Elsa Beskow books off the shelves these days. They are such gentle reads inspiring lots of imaginative play long after they've been read.

And, of course, our nature table needed a little lift! What are some fall reads you are loving? Also, I'm craving a good novel about farming. Any ideas? I just can't wait to get some goats (and bees!).

Happy almost Fall!!

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?!

The Pumpkin Festival

Over the weekend our little town was flooded with guests for our annual Pumpkin Festival. Gigantic pumpkins are rolled in, which are then carved, painted, and made into all kinds of different things. There's a parade, games, face painting, special treats, and so many fun things to celebrate the arrival of fall. So our weekend was full of celebrating!

I hope to have some wedding photos to share with you soon! It was a fabulous wedding, with an extra fabulous couple, on a pretty darn fabulous farm. Doesn't get any better than that!!

Enjoy the start to your week!

Our Morning

I used to do a "day in the life" in pictures on my old blog. My readers always liked that and it was a fun way to document exactly what happens around here, and fun for me to look back and see too. So I snapped some shots of our morning together. Stephen is away for a while, so it's just me and the little one until my mother comes up to visit. We are having a blast, just us girls.



I co-sleep with the little one for half the night. She starts out in her crib (which is pushed up against my bed) and ends up with me. This morning she amazingly slept until 6 a.m. and woke me up with a big, wet kiss.



Then it was off for the first play of the day. Starting with the kitchen, of course. Isn't that light something?!



Blueberry pancakes were on the menu this morning. The little one helped me stir and mix, tested the blueberries, and had the first pancake with her requested "extra" blueberries and maple syrup. Note the messy kitchen and dishes I must wash after I get off the computer...





It was soon out the door to get more duckling supplies (who knew I would have to fill two water jugs four times a day for those silly ducks?), a much needed green tea at the cafe and a visit with all our friends, then it was off to the farmer's market. That first picture is the parking lot at the farmer's market! Beautiful, isn't it? We got some greens and fresh chicken and spent some time running around the grass and listening to the fiddle player.





On the ride home I spotted dozens of seagulls soaring through the sky. I knew the alewives were running, so I quickly pulled over and grabbed the camera. It was amazing to see hundreds of alewives just below the water. The little one yelled "fishy, fishy!" over and over again. I had to juggle holding her (not a toddler-friendly place, mind you) and the camera while trying to snap shots. We watched the seagulls swooping down for a little snack and collected some rocks to bring home.

That was our morning (all before 11 a.m. anyway). Wasn't that just thrilling?! I'm attempting to work on a patchwork picnic blanket this weekend. I have never, ever made anything remotely close to a quilt and I will be making this up as I go. Any tips? I promise you'll see some crafty stuff around here soon. We've just been so busy with the garden, the ducks, and well...life. Thanks for continuing to read what I have to say in this little space. Enjoy your (long) weekend!

(Oh, can I mention that I stumbled across a 1980's Mercedes lime-green diesel sedan? Can I mention that I really, really want it? And that I will convert it to biodiesel, which has been my dream for a couple of years? Seriously...lime green, vintage Mercedes, biodiesel...what more could a crazy girl want?!)

Beautiful

I really can not get over how beautiful everything is this time of year. With temperatures in a very comfortable range, we have been enjoying the little bits of time we spend outside. Unfortunately, living in Maine means the black flies come out in May (and just keep getting worse as time goes on at our house), so you won't see many pictures of the little one playing in our yard. Now we have to drive to town to be outside, or even better...to the beach!



But today we went into town for story time at the library, and after it was over it was off to explore the lovely flowers around the building. I couldn't help but snap a few pictures, although my white balance was off, so I had to adjust them a bit. But look at those flowers! Amazing.



Hopefully the flies will let up soon and the days will grow warmer so we can let our ducklings outside to enjoy the warm sun and plenty of greens. You should see them...already DOUBLED in size! Speaking of ducklings, I'm off to clean their cage. Enjoy the rest of the day!

It was a fun night

The dress held together, my bag went for over the asking price, I didn't eat a single morsel while I was there (I had no idea what the ingredients were and I wasn't going to risk it), wandered around taking pictures, listened to some great jazz by the "Midcoast Monster," bid on two gorgeous handmade cutting boards (oh, how I love tiger maple) and ended up being lucky enough to take them home. It was a really fun night.

Out

We woke up to a chilly morning yesterday. It didn't deter us from our (almost) daily trip in town. Even being an introvert, I have found that I need to get out daily to be energized. It gets me motivated for the day ahead and I'm more productive. The twenty minute drive never becomes a chore for me. Lately the little one has been using the "sunglasses" her cousins gave her when the sun is in her eyes. It's amusing to peek back and see two pink hearts staring at me.

The music for the road is always different. Yesterday was a Steely Dan kind of day. I've played their music countless times in combos and have fallen in love with their unique sound. This song was a favorite of mine; I not only played the trumpet, but I also sang. A lot of fun and many good memories.

The drive is mostly pastures with farm houses here and there. We point to the trees, to the houses, to the birds flying above, and slow way down when we get here. We have to almost come to a complete stop to say "hi" to the cows and make an insane amount of mooing noises. Only then can we move on...

I've never really enjoyed driving, and having a little one that usually needs to be entertained while on the road doesn't make it any easier. But there's something about this drive that is meditative to me. The rolling hills, the people who always seem to be outside regardless of the weather that offer a wave and smile, the cows busily munching on their piles of hay, the frozen lake, the dips and turns through pines and meandering through fields of snow. It's all so peaceful and certain. It's always there; no matter what.

So the drive has become a relaxing and soothing activity. The little one knows exactly where we are and where we are going. She starts mooing 100 ft. before we even see the cows. I'm sure the drive has become a stable and expected part of her routine as well. When we finally reach town there is much clapping in the back seat, followed by enthusiastic pointing as we pass over the river. She knows what comes next.

A Weekend Trip

I've mentioned our love for the local bookstore plenty of times in the past. The Maine Coast Bookshop is a great little store with a terrific selection of books, and for a nice bonus there's a cafe attached. The little one and I usually head in there every day or so, mostly because it's the only place she just loves to be. We can spend a good two hours in there and I still have to chase her around to get her coat on before we leave. Yesterday we all took a trip in to get a hot chocolate and do some book browsing.

One of the best things about this great local store is the people who work there. Above is Lisa, one of Elisabeth's most favorite people. They have a special bond and Lisa is always the recipient of many hugs and kisses.

I really believe in supporting local businesses. Sure, I can browse Amazon and get plenty of books at a discounted price, but where's the fun? There's no real experience in doing that. I can't physically flip through the pages, read excerpts, or ask the staff what they thought of it. There's nobody to recommend a good book or a smiling face at the checkout. Who exactly am I supporting when I buy a book off of Amazon anyway?

So now I do only my browsing on Amazon or other blogs, then special order everything at this bookstore. Plus, there's the fact that the little one thinks nothing is better than running around in a store full of books all day. She browses, rearranges, interacts with the lovely staff, greets customers coming in from the cold, runs to the cafe to give Lisa a hug, plays with her favorite toys, and generally just has more fun than anywhere else. We've actually stopped going to playgroups because she likes the bookstore more.

Stephen enjoyed his mocha, chili, and a good book while I sipped my hot chocolate trying to keep an eye on the little one. After a good two hours of chasing her around a large store, I am usually in need of a rather filling lunch. She has certainly perfected the art of running.

One of her favorite things to do is push this cart around the store. She's usually pretty good about not running into anybody, but mama tends to help a bit turning the corners.

Another favorite would be the Folkmanis Puppets. I have a feeling we'll end up with one in the near future.

And, of course, there's the street watching where she points to every big truck going by and likes to wave to the people on foot.

After we said our goodbyes we went to Renys for a balloon. This provided about five minutes of entertainment in the car before she was out like a light.

A perfect Sunday morning, if you ask me.