swiss chard

proof that if we grow it, they will eat it. today i had to say, "stop eating the swiss chard". for reals.

celebrating the last of winter

the snow is (finally) melting. i am starting to see the blades of grass that have been hidden for months now. i can smell the cold rain falling. this has been a long winter for this california girl. spring is coming... i am longing for spring with my whole self, but mindfully trying to savor these last days of winter. when my mind wanders to thoughts of gardening and bulbs blooming and no jackets, i try to pull it back to today, now. to help me rediscover the love for days spent (mostly) inside i pulled out a few favorites last week.

finger paints. this changed our whole afternoon. it was freeing and fun. calvin loved making everything turquoise. he liked the impermanence of making letters in the paint and then then painting over them to make new ones. maeve loved swirling the paint around and around.

button sorting. this was a spur of the moment idea and it turned out to be very entertaining. she sort and then dumps and repeats. she then carries it around like a little suitcase.

so for today we are enjoying out last few days spent (mostly) inside, seeing old things with new eyes and new possibilities. i am enjoying the closeness of my little ones as we share the same space, as i know once spring is here and we head outside, we will have much more physical space between us. for now, we can still enjoy hot cocoa and the occasional winter song (maeve asks for frosty the snowman daily), warm soup from a friend and flashlight fun after dinner. this california girl is going to savor these last few weeks of winter, be present and mindful of how fast they will go.

christmas crafting IV: bookmarks

calvin made these little bookmarks for a few special readers in his life.  we made them just like the ones we made here.

i love his little drawings right now.  he adds little details that are very important to him.  after he drew on the linen with fabric marker, he picked out a fabric that he thought the recipient would like and we sewed them up (he sat on my lap).

that is the last of the chirstmas crafting posts.  and it is only january 22...

christmas crafting III

calvin loves to write letters, so when i saw this little letter holder in amanda's book i knew i had to make one for him.

i used a barnyard waffle weave fabric that i have had forever on the outside and an alphabet print for the lining.

i chose to add divided pockets to the original pattern to organize the envelopes, cards and pens.  i got the envelopes and cards from paper source.

calvin loved it and has already written some letters.  in an age where most correspondence takes place electronically, i hope calvin continues to handwrite letters as he grows.  in the last six months or so,  his writing has changed dramatically.  he now can write all his letters (sometimes with a small reminder...) and wants to know how to spell everything.  he also will say or write a string of letters like, "mommllivvvvin" and ask me what that spells.  i love love love watching his sense of language develop.    

more christmas crafting

sam and i have a tradition of giving each other an ornament each year.  we like to search and search for just the perfect, little, sometimes quirky ornament.  this year i found these little houses here and i just couldn't resist.  i took liberty with the idea of an 'ornament' but sam loved them just the same.  

maeve got a stocking this year!  last christmas somehow passed us by and little miss moo did not have a stocking.  i was determined to remedy that this year.  i had pink and green fabric fabric that matched the stocking i made calvin a few years ago so i decided to use it.  i wasn't sure about the whole matchy-match thing but i loved how they looked hanging together on our mantle.  i used the martha stewart pattern found here on her site.

snow day already called for tomorrow!  we are supposed to get 12 inches!  i am looking forward to an impromptu relaxing day at home with the little ones...

apple picking 2010

we went apple picking a few weekends ago.  this is our fourth year in a row of apple picking so i think it is now considered a tradition.  an autumn tradition that i know i will look forward to each year.  i will especially look forward to the apple pie, apple cake, apple sauce and apple butter!

busy busy busy

being a teacher, september is always a busy month full of transition for us. but as october is beginning, we are finally finding our rhythm.

i have been having fun making bento style lunches for the kids. i was getting tired of packing the same old thing and i began to search the web for some new ideas and stumbled across bento box lunch ideas that looked fun. i love the lunches by another lunch. i am finding it that it is a creative outlet for me that is very useful, something i have to do anyway (and am enjoying much more that i used to) and not too involved (at least not as much as making a quilt...).  plus the kids love them!

this was cal's lunch on the first day of autumn. see the little bear head? that is an egg! i found these egg shapers at our local japanese market. i used little cutters i have had to make the cheese into fall leaves. carrots with hummus on the right and some fall colored crackers by the bear. the sandwich is dinosaur shaped, i know not super fall, but that is the only sandwich cutter i own.  (fyi... the lunch is packed in an ecolunchbox)

we are trying to make the most of this colorful season by getting outside as much as possible. it is our family favorite and something we look forward to and talk about all year long.  we are taking a fall nature and art class through the local extended education program.  it rained for the first class so we were indoors.  i have high hopes for next week though.

3.5

my little boy is three and a half today. i could not be more proud of the little man is he is becoming... curious, smart, loving, kind and adventurous. i am so lucky to get to watch him discover this big world and how he fits into it (and even his small attempts to change it).

yesterday when we were deciding what treat to make for his special day he said he wanted chocolate cake. i asked him what goes into chocolate cake and he replied, "lemon juice and lime juice that I squeeze and bread." hmmm....


happy half-birthday my dear boy!

blueberries!

:: cal finding the perfect berries ::

:: cleaning our berries ::

:: making blueberry jam ::

:: eating loads of berries! ::

we went blueberry picking with some friends last weekend, and we have been relishing our bounty all week.  we made blueberry jam, which turned out way better than two years ago (which turned out very thick...).  i decided to use the strawberry jam recipe from this book because the strawberry jam i made last month was the best. jam. ever.  it calls for three cups of berries per one cup sugar but we did six cups berries per one cup sugar, which is what i did with the strawberries too, and it was perfectly sweet.  

i also made blueberry sauce (which trader joe's carried and was a family favorite for pancakes and waffles, but they discontinued it :( and all i could find at other markets was blueberry flavored syrup... yuck!).  i found this recipe and it came out pretty good too, not exactly the same as the tj's one, but it will do!

i love picking our own berries!  i love that we get to enjoy our berries all year long and remember the sunny, summer days of berry picking!

{this moment}

inspired by soulemama.

{this moment}

inspired by soulemama.

{this moment}

inspired by soulemama

mother's day

calvin made a gift for me at school this year for mother's day. he was so proud of his work and so excited to give me his gift. he made the entire present. inside the tissue paper wrapping that he had painted and stamped, i found flowers that he had picked out and then planted in a can that he had decorated.

then he attached this handmade card. he had watercolored it and then attached some flower petals to the front.

inside i found a sweet message that made my mother's day (well this and the fact that i got to sleep in until 10! woo hoo!).  i love how he is just discovering that writing has meaning and he attempted to write letters that convey meaning.  the teacher in me is beside herself with excitement!

happy mother's day!

worry doll

cal made this 'worry doll' the other day and i can't get over how cute it is!  i love the little purple eyes and mouth barely visible above his large white beard and i love the long red pipe cleaner arms.  calvin announced that worry doll moved in with the farmer and his wife to help out with the farm.  so frickin' cute!  

i spy with my little eye

i made an i-spy quilt for calvin.  it took me awhile... it was originally going to be a christmas present... then a birthday present... finally last weekend, it became a just-because present.

due to a bad storm school (my work) has been closed due to no power all week and it has been rainy so this quilt has been a major source of entertainment around here.  so perfect timing in the end.

he loves it.  i love how he describes the square he is spying.  today he spied one square "with hundreds of tea pots" when the square actually has about 20 tea cups.  i like to try to use vocabulary that he does not necessarily know to see how he figures it out.  for example, i spied a square with a lady in a red kimono and he picked up on 'lady' and 'red' to find the square and then we talked kimonos.  he can't contain his giddiness when i get close to the square he spied.  

first day

yesterday was calvin's first day of preschool.  i was filled with sentimental emotions the night before (how did my little baby boy get so big?) so i decided i need to do something, more specifically make something.  calvin needed to bring a little pillow and blanket to preschool with him for nap time so i decided to make a case for the pillow to match his blanket (he decided to bring the quilt i finished for him the night before he was born).

when he woke up in the morning, excited (read: very early) to go to school, he saw his pillow and love it.  he loved the turquoise part the best, because anything turquoise is the best (so says calvin...).

when i picked him up, he has so much he wanted to show me... from moon sand to a doctors kit to bikes in the gym room.  his first day was full of new things and new friends and a comfortable familiar blanket and new matching pillowcase make especially for him by mom.

28::24

looking for butterflies in the middle of winter

28::13

28::9

this boy is three. he is concentrating on making a really good birthday wish. when he concentrates his tongue sticks out. i love that about him.

28::8

one big cookie.