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Hello there! Want to know more about our family and life? Read on...

Our Family:

My name is Erin. I'm the author of this blog, the mama to Elisabeth born in September of 2006, and the wife of Stephen. We live in midcoast Maine on 8 acres in a solar home. We strive to be as self-sufficient as possible. Our home is a timber-frame structure built in 2000.

We plan on adding chickens, ducks, and goats to our little homestead in the spring and summer of 2008. We are also currently planning a cooperative vegetable garden project with nearby friends. Our goal is to produce as much of our own food as possible.

Stephen does computer programming and web design for a living, but his heart lies in woodworking and music. He loves to build things (houses, decks, toys, furniture, and much more!) and I'm currently bugging him to open an Etsy shop with things like this for the little ones.

Elisabeth is a spunky little toddler (often referred to as the "little one") who thrives on social interaction, music, and explorations in nature. She was born with numerous food allergies/intolerances and continues to live gluten/wheat/dairy/soy/egg/nut-free. We love to answer questions about allergy-free cooking! Her favorite activities are reading, going for rides on her trike, eating snow, visiting the local bookshop to see all her friends, and chasing the cat around the house. She is the inspiration for all the clothing I design and the model too!

I am a 20-something mama who loves to sew, read, cook, write, and live simply. I am currently gluten-free (strongly suspecting Celiac's Disease) and becoming more adventurous in my gluten-free baking. I'm pretty passionate about "green living" (yes, I am one of those people who will wash plastic baggies and reuse them) and buying locally.
My former creative outlet was as a jazz trumpet player (maybe one of these days I'll drag the trumpet back out...) but I found I needed a quieter activity while the little one was young. I borrowed my mother's sewing machine shortly before I gave birth and dabbled in making cloth diapers. Not having any immediate success (I am awfully impatient), I put the sewing machine away until one day my colicky baby stopped crying and I found I had a moment to be creative again. I haven't stopped since!

My Shop:

My Etsy shop was opened in the summer of 2007. My main focus is children's clothing that is practical, stylish, and comfortable. I create all the patterns I use from either scratch, or from vintage patterns I have modified. I use all natural materials, and also try to use vintage or repurposed fabric as much as possible.

My Camera:

I use a Nikon D70s. My favorite lens is my 50mm. I use this for all portraits and those shots I really want a good depth of field. I also have a 17-80mm lens which I use for outdoor shots. I use the program "Aperture" by Apple to adjust things like exposure, sharpness, and saturation. You can see more of my photos on my flickr page. I'm always happy to answer any photography questions.

My Blog:

I started my first blog three years ago, but recently switched to Typepad in the fall of '07. I love writing. While many people don't understand the concept of blogging, I will say that it has changed my life in many ways. It has made me appreciate the small things that would have gone unnoticed: green moss growing on a rock, hot tea on a cold day, curling up with a warm blanket and good book, the little one's contagious laughter. Taking the time to notice these things and writing about them has brought more beauty into our lives. There are many nights I find I can't sleep unless I write. So most of my posts are written late at night, when the house is quiet and I can relax on the couch and transform my thoughts into words. I enjoy this immensely. And I appreciate every single comment I receive. I do my best to respond to all of them either by e-mail or in the comments section. All of you readers mean the world to me. Thanks for visiting!