12.22.2009

winter solstice



ours was filled with marshmallow making. we packaged them up with some hot cocoa and delivered a little solstice gift to neighbors and friends. we were lucky enough to have our first snowfall a few days ago, so a snowy walk ensued. then we snuggled up and read this, a favorite series around here.

happy winter!

12.15.2009

rush and packaging


today and yesterday's reflections:

best rush of '09: giving birth to my daughter. seeing her little face for the first time was amazing and unforgettable.

best packaging: a couple months ago we received a wedding save the date and i loved the envelope and design of the card, modern and classic. i can't wait for the actual invitation...
I also love the jars for the apple sauce we made.

12.13.2009

relaxing continued...

sam granted me another day of pampering. he took calvin to lunch and christmas shopping while maeve and i hung out at home. i did a bit of christmas sewing and wrapping and just laying around. then when he came home he made my most favorite dinner... vietnamese spring rolls! they are a bit labor intensive so he doesn't make them that often, in fact the last time was february of 2007 when i turned 30. they were delicious, just as i remembered them to be. once again i am so very blessed.
today's reflection:
the best change i made this year to the place i live is adding a new resident. we are so very lucky to have her. and today was a huge day in her little life... for the first time ever... she rolled over.

12.12.2009

relaxed

sam surprised my sister and i with a day at the spa today. massages and facials. it was my first facial ever... and well, let's just say it will not be my last. i feel so very thankful that even though our lives are brimming with to-do's (especially now during the holidays...), i have a husband that remembers his wife likes to be pampered, just a bit. i am so very blessed.

today's reflection: best new food
crock pot meals have to be my favorite new food. a student that i had when i taught second grade gave me one as a thanksgiving present one year and i never used it much, but recently it has made a resurgence. it all started with this delicious and so easy recipe that i found: crock pot salsa chicken. sam has also been into cooking indian food and he is getting really, really good. so that is sort of a new favorite too.

ps. in the picture maeve has on a hand knit sweater and hat my friend lynn gave her. i love the color and the sparkly buttons. thanks lynn! i dream of being such a skilled knitter one day...

12.11.2009

gifts



i made these little reusable bags for calvin's playgroup friends. each gift consisted of a large sandwich size bag and a smaller snack bag. i also included a napkin and bamboo spork. i lined the bags with PUL and sewed aplix to the tops so that the kids can easily open and close the bags themselves. i had all these supplies on hand (but originally bought from verybaby) and used fabric from my stash for the outsides.

i especially love how the napkins turned out. my friend made a blanket f0r maeve that had giant ricrak going around the outside. it inspired me to do medium ricrak as a border for the napkins. it added a little bit of color and fanciness. i put some organic cotton terry on the back of each napkin (also from verybaby) for added thickness, to clean up any messy faces or spills.

hopefully they will use get some use out of them. calvin has been using my prototypes for the last couple of weeks and i have washed them a few times to see how they stood up. i am happy to say that the bags are still perfect. calvin has loved using them and they came out of the wash ready for more use.

today's reflection: the best place
i would have to say home this year. there is no place like home.

12.10.2009

reflections


i am going to try to do this. i know it is already the 10th, but hey, i am usually late to the party. in the midst of all my crazy gift making and wrapping, i think it will be nice to take a moment and reflect on the amazing year i just lived.

so today:
what album(s) really rocked my world this year? wilco: the album and bon hiver: for emma, forever ago (which actually came out last year but it was new to me this year).

i am putting the finishing touches on the presents i am making for calvin's playgroup friends. i hope to post pictures tomorrow.

11.30.2009

deep in the heart of autumn

{our leaf pile}

{calvin's tree: a japanese maple}

{planting tulip blubs, which hopefully will keep their promise and bloom in the spring}

oh how i do love autumn.

11.20.2009

maeve's bird mobile



i used this pattern. it was so easy and she loves it! and i love it. we spent quite awhile yesterday just staring at it, twirl round and round.

i also spent quite awhile staring at these striped legs. the tights are hand-me-downs from a friend's chicken costume. i find them hilarious and so, so cute.

handmade halloween


i know halloween was a few weeks ago, but i never posted about these great halloween decorations that calvin made. we shaved some old crayons with scissors, calvin sprinked the shavings on waxed paper and then i placed another sheet of wax paper on top and ironed them. once the wax melted, we cut out pumpkin shapes. calvin drew a face on each one and then we hung them in the window. we also did bats and leaves but i never got pics of those unfortunately. this was a super easy, use what we had on hand project. i love how they turned out!

11.13.2009

martinmas!

these are the lanterns we made for matinmas this year. we just used jars, tissue paper and glue. it was very easy and calvin actually did 90% of it. he has carried it around everywhere since we made them. i overheard him singing "this little light of mine" today as he was playing with it. i only wish i had a video camera with me.

10.31.2009

happy halloween!

max, king of all the wild things wishes you a wonderful, candy-filled halloween!

10.25.2009

halloween cards

it has been pretty rainy here so we have been indoors more often than not. stamping is one of calvin's favorite things to do, and he asked to make halloween cards the other day (he actually asked to make halloween thank you cards because it seems that whenever we write cards they are thank you cards and i am afraid that he thinks all cards are for saying thanks...) so we dusted off our halloween stamps and set to work on cards that were not thank you cards.

i love that his drawings are starting to be recognizable. here he drew several pumpkins (some upside down because sometimes the paper was upside down...) and the tall thing in the middle is a birdhouse. earlier in the day we put up a birdhouse that we bought at the agricultural fair awhile back. we (sam) put it just outside our dining room window and as we were sitting in the dining room making these cards, calvin looked out and drew the birdhouse and the branch it is hanging on. i loved watching him draw as he looked at his drawing, then out the window at the birdhouse, then back to his drawing. he is starting to understand that his writing can have meaning, which for a literacy teacher, be stills my heart.

10.14.2009

crown

i made this little pink and yellow birthday crown for miss charlotte who turned 6 months old this month. in my family we celebrate half-birthdays (a small celebration, usually just family, but you get to wear your birthday crown) for the yellow i used 100% wool felt and for the pink i used a blend, because that was what i had on hand in pink and, well, charlotte is a pink girl, i think, so i wanted to use pink. oh how i do love the 100% wool felt better though. it is so soft and thick, but a bit pricey. i used my own pattern that i created for calvin's birthday crown.
as i look at the picture though i realize i need to work on my embroidery stitches. maybe i will do some embroidery for christmas (i know it seems early to be thinking about the holidays, but i want to make most of my gifts and that requires time and forethought and more time, so i must start now). i found these tutorials here and here to get me started. now to find the time...
happy half-birthday charlotte!

autumn cooking and craft

calvin and i made the maple nut granola from feeding the whole family a few weeks ago for my mom. she was coming for a visit and she loves yogurt and granola for breakfast. my mom didn't love it, but calvin and i sure did. it was delicious! great for breakfast, snacking or even dessert!

i also made the emerald city salad from the same book. as i was making it, i wondered if it would taste too earthy because it is mainly wild rice and kale. i loved it. calvin loved it. even my mom loved it. it was a terrific and very healthy salad to have it the fridge to put on the side of anything. my mom and i even put it on tacos.
my sister took calvin out for a walk and they collected some fallen pine cones, leaves and acorns. then they drew pictures of their collection. such a simple and wonderful idea. (the stick colored pencils came from my aunt, they were perfect for this project!)

9.27.2009

a trip to the nature center

::sleepy sheep::

::guinea fowl::

::squash and pumpkins::

::leaves starting to turn colors::

::bee on a flower::

the nature center in our town has certainly changed in the last week. autumn is here. calvin collected about 50+ acorns, feathers and leaves. we don't have space for a 'nature table' so i created a nature box for him. every leaf he sees, he squeals with delight, "oh mom look at this one! it's really special." we had to have a talk about how he couldn't collect every leaf, acorn and feather... we had to leave some for other kids to discover. this satisfied him for a moment, but still he kept on collecting little bits here and there.

we start a class there this week that centers on autumn flora and fauna, with a bit of storytelling and art thrown in. i can't wait!

i have been doing a fair amount of sewing and knitting lately. i hope to share some of that soon...


9.21.2009

goodbye

as the last day of summer comes to a close, i am taking a moment to reflect on the busy season it was for us this year and anticipate a glorious autumn. this was the summer of maeve. we anxiously awaited her arrival and then once she came, we have all spent our days watching, kissing, loving her. calvin did get a few (less than usual) beach days in, he could never have enough. we also spent some lovely evenings dining by the shore. we have had loads of family visiting, which is always such a treat.

but autumn... my favorite season now that i live in new england. the trees are already starting to change and show hints of the bright oranges, yellows, golds and reds that are to come. we are looking forward to more family and friends coming to visit us. the cool crisp air during the sunny days and cold, cold nights are already here. i have some major sewing and knitting in the works because autumn always inspires me to create.

goodbye summer... hello autumn.

9.12.2009

birthday

it was sam's birthday a couple of weeks ago. i like to cook, but he loves to cook. he loves to make new and different recipes and he loves eggplant. i don't love eggplant. but for his birthday i was determined to find an eggplant recipe to make for us all that was tasty and everyone (including me...) would eat.

so i made rigatoni with eggplant puree. it was delicious. seriously. calvin and i ate eggplant happily (plus my sister and nephew too). sam said it was the best thing i have ever made.


sam also loves nectarines so i made a nectarine galette. it was my first time making anything pie-like from scratch. everyone loved it! i especially loved the almonds on top. fruity and nutty together is so good.

sam is one amazing guy. he works so hard at his job and then makes the most of every moment he spends with us. he cooks, he cleans and makes me feel special every day. happy birthday babe!

9.05.2009

agricultural fair



i love small town fairs. pie contests, duck races, prize winning collections, seeing friends. a perfect afternoon.

9.01.2009

letters to friends

calvin is really into 'writing' letters lately. i have had loads of thank you letters to write lately having just had a baby, and so i let calvin write his 'thank you' letters next to me while i am writing mine. after he does his drawing and writing on each card, he gives them to me and i write down what he says about each one on the cards. i try to write verbatim because what he comes up with to say about each letter is so random and such a two-year-old train of thought.
them he slips them in an envelope, i address them and he gets to put on the stamp. he loves stamps because, to him, they are just special stickers. he loves (i love watching him) carefully put the stamp on each letter and then walk his letters out the mailbox. then he usually asks me if we can go to the person's house we just wrote a letter to and watch them get it and open it.
up goes the flag. i am grateful to have someone who shares my love of mail.

cute aside story... calvin was playing the other day with his wooden food and his lunch box. he had packed the lunch box full of all sorts of food, but among the food was a taco. on the top of his lunch box he has a label that says his name. he looked at the label just as he zipped the food inside and acted like he was reading it. he said, "dear taco, i want to eat you. love, calvin".

8.27.2009

nursing pillow


i whipped up this nursing pillow once i realized that i could no long function with just one. the second child gets nursed anywhere she needs to be... at the breakfast table, in the car, in the hammock, out by our little pool... so i needed one for upstairs and one for downstairs. calvin leads the way most of the time and maeve and i follow him so we never quite know where we will end up.

i used the pattern in simple sewing for baby by lotta jansdotter. i used fabric and batting from my stash. it only took about a half hour to sew up, but it took a couple of days to stuff. i used almost two full bags of cotton batting... and i hate lumps so i tore it into little tiny bits before i stuffed it in. the shape is a bit different from the 'boppy' brand nursing pillow, but i like it. i wash the whole thing when it gets spit up on (almost daily...) and it washes great.

8.23.2009

flowers for mama

my boys went outside to do some yard work the other day and came back in with these. calvin was so excited to give them to me. it had been a hard and tiring day... these made me forget about all of that.

8.15.2009

2.5

calvin was two and a half last sunday. he is growing so quickly right before my eyes. he loves the word 'why?" at the moment. i mean seriously loves it. he is so curious about how things work and why things are the way they are. sam started having little talks with him as they snuggle off to sleep. these talks consist of calvin saying "talk to me about ______" and then sam talks about whichever subject calvin chooses and calvin inserts about 100 whys. last night i got the chance to snuggle with him and he asked me to talk to him about football. football? i gave it my best shot, but after a few unanswered "why's" calvin changed his mind and said, "ummm talk to me about daddy." that i could do. these talks have spilled over into our everyday conversations. calvin found a cicada shell the other day and looked at me and said, "talk to me about cicada's." then came the why's...
he has been a wonderful big brother. he is so gentle and loving to maeve and he has so many plans to do with her and things to teach her when, as he puts it, "she grows bigger and bigger and bigger".
he is very into the crystal that hangs in our kitchen window making rainbows while we eat breakfast so for his half birthday he wanted a rainbow cake. luckily i remember seeing one here. he loved making it and eating it! sam put one too many sticks of butter in the white cake recipe so it sorta tasted like a big sugar cookie... fine by calvin.
happy half birthday calvin!

8.13.2009

maeve

she is four weeks old already. it has been crazy in some ways (but in not in the ways i expected it to be) and so amazing. she is a very mellow baby, which is so great in a second. she has the cutest scratchy little voice. she coos quite often (i think she is chatty like her mama). she especially coos at her brother. the is something magical about siblings. calvin loves her and kisses her constantly, all over, which i guess we all do...

here is a pic of her in the outfit i made. the pants are a perfect fit. they are roomy enough for the bulky cloth diaper and so soft. i want to make a few more, but i am still searching for the time.

7.14.2009

more waiting, more sewing

here are a few more sewing projects that i have had a chance to finish since little miss has not arrived yet...
the martha stewart baby kimono (free pattern here). i love how it turned out, but the pattern is a little hard to follow and has some missing parts... but now that i have figured it out and done it once, i am inspired to make a few more. i think i will use snaps this time instead of ties for ease and speed of clothing changes. i made the smallest size, but hopefully the kimono style will fit for awhile.

and calvin got a new pair of pajama pants. i used a pair of pants that fit him well as a pattern and the method in simple sewing for baby by lotta.

so back to (waiting) enjoying each moment until baby arrives. maybe i will get some more sewing in, who knows...

7.08.2009

a quilt



:: front::


::back::


::binding::

the quilt is done except for a few stiches on the binding that i plan on finishing tonight. i love the pink and green together. the colors and fabrics were not what i had initially had in mind, but after putting together countless fabrics in different ways this is what i ended up with and i couldn't be happier. now it just needs a wee babe to wrap itself around.