Bluebirdbaby

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!

A Morning Walk

The little one and I headed out on an early morning walk today to collect some fall treasures. There were chestnuts, money plants, acorns by the handful, pretty leaves of all colors, sticks for magic wands, and the last of the dandelions. The little one got to make a wish.
We raced through the cemetery (one of our favorite spots), running up and down hills for a good 30 minutes, watching geese fly by and leaves fall around us. We gathered everything we could to fit inside her tiny little basket that has accompanied us on so many adventures in the past.
We smiled and giggled and rolled down hills. We had so much fun neither of us wanted it to end. So we stayed out in the cool morning air for quite a while, soaking up the beauty that autumn brings us.

These are the days I hope to remember forever. The days where we giggle and cuddle and say, "I love you" so many times it could make my heart burst. The days where the simplest things brought the greatest joys. These are the things that little ones bring to our lives. And we, as the adults who know them, are so very lucky to have that pleasure. And I will never take it for granted. I will forever be grateful for every single moment. I am so lucky. Thanks, little one. You bring more joy than you'll ever know.

We are heading to the big city for some fun! Have a great weekend!

30 Days of Happiness :: Making

We all spent the day making. It was a wonderful, wonderful making day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the air was warm with a tinge of fall, and we started the day with a great breakfast on the porch complete with a latte delivered by my two loves. How perfect!

We started the morning with a stone for Roxanne. We wanted to paint a special rock for her for the spot she was buried. Sasa found this nice flat rock in our backyard, and the little one and I painted it this morning. I really like the finished result and it was a great way to add something special to our goodbye.

I've been working on pants for the little one. She's grown a good two or three inches since last fall and all of her pants are much too short. So she helped me pick out fabric, told me what she wanted, and I set to work. Her favorite color is purple (as of this summer), so now everything has to not only have stripes or polka dots, but it also has to be purple! So that kind of narrows down our choices. She gladly opted for purple elephants when I told her no purple polka dots could be found, and I turned out these "jammy pants" in about an hour. I drafted my own pattern and was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I made a test pair and altered the rise from the original, but finally worked out a great pattern I think will last until next spring! Yay!

While we were working away on pants and rocks, Sasa was making a sweet little tea table for our yard. He had this put together in no time at all, and it was perfect for play, snack, and dinner! Add some buckwheat cushions, a couple of yards of oil cloth, and it is just the perfect little dining spot! I foresee many tea parties in our future...

And the final "making" of the day was some homemade pizza. Sasa (the baker of the household) has finally perfected his gluten-free pizza crust. And oh my...was it delicious!!! The best pizza I've had in my entire life! And the little one (who can be pretty picky) ate two pieces! It was amazing and we are so thankful for such a fabulous baker in our household.

We hope you're enjoying the weekend!

Surrounded By Nature

Before our move to town, I wondered what it would be like to leave the woods behind. I wanted the little one to grow up surrounded with the natural world around her. I wanted her to hear birds, see wildlife, dip her toes in ponds and rivers, and roll around in the grass.

We're in our first summer season in our new home, and I can honestly say I had absolutely nothing to worry about! Our home is surrounded by beautiful fields of buttercups and lupines. Our 3/4 acre yard is full of amazing flowers that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and all sorts of wildlife. There are chipmunks and squirrels who visit daily.

We wake up to the sound of birds in the morning and go to sleep listening to mourning doves and owls. We take a daily morning walk and evening walk; both full of nature and a little bit of town life too. It's the perfect balance. We can walk five minutes and we're at the river, which is home to horseshoe crabs, oysters, and jellyfish. We walk five minutes in the other direction and we're in fields of flowers, listening to birds and crickets sing their songs.

I've never quite seen anything like this little town; so full of typical town busyness, but bursting with the wild things of nature. We are so fortunate to be here. I wake up every morning feeling so lucky, smiling as I lay in bed listening to the robins and finches. I'm so thrilled the little one can be a part of it all.

All In a Weekend

The first lawn mowing, flowers blooming everywhere, a high of 70 degrees, tank tops, shorts, bare feet in the grass, playing the guitar on the back porch while soaking in the sun, swinging and sandbox playing after dinner, long walks, a bit of sewing, lots of spring cleaning, writing some new tunes, taking lots of pictures, another trip to the big city for a great concert, homemade coconut milk ice cream, the first sunburn of the season, waking up early to get to work, pumping up the bike tires for the seasons first ride, smelling that freshly-cut-grass smell, creating a new c.d. mix perfect for summer days, and just enjoying every little bit of sun and warmth this weekend had to offer.

Scenes From Outside

It's definitely warming up around here. There's seeds to be planted (we're planting the seeds to coincide with the lunar cycle), a new yard to be explored, a play area to set up, and a deck to be enjoyed. Dare I say I even got a bit of a sunburn yesterday while lounging outside?! Oh, how my body was aching to be at the beach. The windows were opened, spring cleaning was underway, and everything seemed so alive.

But today we're faced with another cold front, forcing us to drag back out the scarves, hats, and mittens. While the finishing touches were put on the new sandbox, the Easter eggs were boiling away inside. And now I'm off to make a special Easter skirt for the little one.

You'll notice a bit of spring cleaning here too. A new banner to celebrate the sun and warmth, and a relatively new menu underneath for easier navigation.

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Happy Easter to all of you!

A Lazy Day

It seems as though most of the week is spent running here and there, rushing around getting meals prepared and the house cleaned up, squeezing in nap time and getting to bed at a reasonable hour, and all the things in between. It can be exhausting and it's not until Thursday comes around that I remember to breathe and slow down.

Thursday is our wide-open day: no plans, no play dates, no story time at the library. We simply do whatever we feel like. It may entail a trip to the big city, a lazy day at home, or hanging out in our little town. There's no telling what activity the little one will want to partake in, but it always starts at the bookshop cafe for some whip cream and hot chocolate.

With all the previous rushing about, we both seem to really appreciate the slowness of Thursdays. Falling into a rhythm of play and housework; of helping one another side by side or breaking off into our own activities. There's lots of dancing, music (we are loving this group lately), cooking and baking, and eating. And whatever we tend to do, it is much enjoyed.

We always end the day with a special meal and homemade ice cream for dessert. The little one gets extra cuddles and stories at night (she's really loving this book right now), and I sing songs while she settles into bed. Her favorite songs? Well, that would be "Lobsterman's Wife" and "Red Robin", of course!

I hope you are all enjoying this Thursday too!

Settled

I'm pleased to announce that we are all settled, the house is completely unpacked, we have found our new rhythm (yay!), and painting begins this weekend! We didn't buy anything new for the house, except for some essentials in the kitchen, and found some amazing vintage items. You'll catch a glimpse of them in the pictures above. It seemed like the universe was totally working with us on finding the perfect items to fill the house with. The little one's play area is filled with all thrifted items (I scored the wooden doll carriage and Waldorf doll, both practically brand new, for an amazing $38 at a junk shop. What it was doing there is beyond me...) except for her new train set. I took a few big pieces from the old house (a couch, dressers, and a bed), but mostly the house is filled with secondhand items. It feels so good buying used.

The little one adores this house. Living in town within walking distance to everything is beyond amazing. The best thing about finally being settled is that our rhythm is back. Bedtime is a piece of cake again, naps are going well, there's a lot less crankiness and more playing happening, and there's more time and energy for everything.

It was so fun to read through your house comments! I'm thrilled to hear that you are just as excited as I am to see the redecorating/painting process. Anyone in the area that would like to come over and help??! Stop by anytime this weekend!

The New Digs

So, the closing was today. The home is ours! We spent a couple of hours in the house tonight, just soaking it all in and unpacking the few boxes that my friend's parents had brought over while we were at work. It's the quirkiest little house ever and I'm so in love with it. I've never felt more at home than in this house. Even when it's empty, it feels remarkably similar to the home I grew up in. With the large windows overlooking town and the high ceilings, it brought back many memories of my childhood.
So much of this house was left untouched over the years. It was built in the 1850's. It has no light switches, so we need to fill it with lights. Unpacking in the dark was rather challenging! And it doesn't even have a shower...just a big clawfoot tub! The wallpaper and vinyl flooring will be all ripped up. The first thing I did was take down all the curtains.
The entire back yard will be converted to a veggie garden, with a small play area for the little one and a fenced in area for the chickens, goats, and ducks.
My friend and I spent three days last week traveling from thrift shop to flea market to antique store to Goodwill to Salvation Army, and found some absolutely amazing vintage finds that I can't wait to share with you! So stay tuned for redecorating and house updating info and some sewing too! I can't wait to get my machine out again...

Click on the photos for more information.

And thank you all so much for your continued support and sweet comments. I've never been so at peace before. I feel like my entire life has been spent in a tense state, and all of a sudden I am sighing a big sigh. And I think I will forever continue to do that. I am so content and so happy and so in love with my life. And I have a tremendous amount of faith in the universe and all the goodness in the world. I feel incredibly lucky. So thank you for joining me on this journey. I'm glad I can share it all with you!