Eye Spy Quickie....

Rainy day fun...

For the kids and myself - such a good excuse to need to sew. "Just a minute...Just let me finish this up so we can play I spy..."

Now, of course, we don't need a new mini quilt to play eye spy so I will need to amend that statement with them later but, I just had such a hankerin' to sew and, after all, we did had these scraps handy...

And I spy we did...

Snippets...

Of a week...

A week where the sun visited us for just one short day - a day we grabbed and made the most of. Some hiking up a nearby mountain in the damp humidity with friends (felt a little like a rain forest honestly), some berry picking in the hot sun (although these pics were from some berry picking in the misty cloudiness of another day this week) and lastly, some much needed lake time.

The kids were completely enthralled by that pig - not a small potbellied cutie, oh no, this guy was the larger farm style breed. He lives, of all places, across the road from the entrance to the mountain trail. He seemed about as curious and cautious about the kids as they were about him...

A Dream...

We were in a cozy, seemingly familiar apartment, it was early night maybe 8ish..I was standing in the kitchen talking with someone and heard, "Hi Mom..." . I turned and there he was. Maybe 4 or 5. Platinum blond hair, huge brown eyes. In my dream, I knew something was different. I knew that in reality, he is really 15...

That this time in this kitchen was somehow...a gift.

I said, "Hey..." and picked him up. This one who was carried everywhere til he was 5. He put his small arms around my neck, so casually. All was completely normal for him. This was no dream. Just a regular day.

We sat on a kitchen chair, him on my lap, facing me. I rubbed his hair, looked into those huge eyes filled with open love. Ran my hands along his small arms casually dangling at his side. We talked about his day...about getting ready for bed. I kissed his forehead, pulled him close so his head was on my chest, my nose buried in his hair, my arms wrapped around his back and we just sat there. I breathed him in and was completely content. He slowly sat up and looked at me, smiling...

Then I heard small, familiar voices "Maammmaaa!"...but, I didn't want to wake up. I didn't want to leave him. I struggled to stay there but, in a wink he was gone and I was in our home, in my bed with two little girls, calling for me. I opened my eyes and was instantly buried by emotion.

Funny thing is, I don't pine for the past. I think I have done pretty well with accepting that my babies are growing and have watched in amazement, gratitude and at times, a little anxiety as they have unfolded into their beings. I believe this is why this dream was such a shock to me... I hadn't realized how much I would give to have one of those days again. Just minutes of a time when my oldest was 4 or 5. Honestly, its not like we didn't have time when he was younger. This is not a feeling of regrets, of wishing I had done anything differently The emotions that came after this dream, I think are the opposite, because I had so much time to love, read, talk and be content...after having a sample of that again, I wanted more. I wanted that time we had back.

Part of me knows that what I should do this instant is run to every one of my children, scoop them up and just love them. Rub their soft hair, kiss their heads and be completely content. And I will this day as I have before and as I will for many tomorrows. Yet, even after having experienced this dream, I understand that while I may intellectually understand that these days and moments are heart wrenchingly fleeting, I won't fully understand until years later just how precious they are.

Still, I feel that this is how it should be...otherwise, how could we reasonably function, really? When we are in these moments that we'll later treasure, yearn for at times, we can have no idea of just how intense the longing for these ordinary moments may be. After all, if we did, we would sit on the floor and ogle our children for hours, don't you think?

I am sure that I am not doing justice in any way to what this dream gave me. It was as I said, a gift and just like those moments I lived with my boy in reality, this dream will fade in time and become so much of the flotsam and jetsam of our days... And all is how it should be...still, I am left in awe and gratitude for those moments so full of ordinary beauty.

Sending some love

To Nicaragua...

Lovely Eren has organized a drive of dolls through Craft Hope...that's where these wee ones are headed...little ambassadors of love.

While these small tokens won't change the heartbreaking circumstances of their young friends, the children who receive them will hopefully feel even a drop of the love these dolls carry with them on their journey... That we know of their plight, that we do care, that while we can't immediately alleviate their situation, we can show love.

It seems that message is so important in situations that are so breathtakingly heart wrenching...that we not look away. That whatever discomfort we may feel by learning of what others suffer, is nothing compared to the day to day pain that the people living those lives must experience...turning that uneasy feeling into a show of love is a gift we can give so easily.

If you'd like to send some love into the world via some crafty goodness, it's not too late! There is a drive for some more goodies headed to India...more love to share.

Sand and Sea

We are just starting our beach season here. Usually, these guys are in the water in April but, we just haven't quite been there this year. Honestly, the thought of all four at the beach with little 'ole me was a bit daunting... so yesterday was their first lake dive...the report?

Cold.

Other reports? Well, littlest one did not like the water...and we are talking just the shallowest edge where sand meets water...you know, the haven of wee ones? The first of our babes to refuse water play...this may make for an interesting summer! The sand however, with all of those bits to potentially choke on? Let's just say she was in her own little bit of heaven.


And we still have the beach to ourselves...at least for a bit longer...


A little bit of sand love...


Last week we made it to the coast - it had just been too long. Having spent years waking up to the air heavy with salty mist, I think I may still be transitioning to inland life. Far too many months pass before we are oceanside again.






Yet now, I get to wake up the woodsy smell of misty forest and birds chattering.

Still a pretty good deal, I would say.

Whether it be inland or oceanside, here is to more beach days! Summer at last. (Well, almost ;)

She likes orange...

For a special graduate ~
Amazingly finished in time...well, the morning of her graduation.

A stacked coin inspiration in hopes of abundance in love, health, happiness and finally, peace and contentment. Wrapping her in love as she travels along her new path.
In times of quiet or solitude, may she remember how loved she is...

Singing in the rain

I love it when they ask to go out in the rain...



and find shelter where they pretend to be hiding from the storm, even when they are just feet from the front door...



I especially love that they still stop to notice how everything looks different in the rain...shiny and new



Btw, those are some finished pants, happy day ~

Hankerin'

Crafted up some "Bits of Goodness' for the playfood swap ~

Super simple but my kids sure like them so I figured some other little ones might too...

Ginger and Lemon Cremes anyone?



How about good old pb&j?



Or maybe some Tea Cakes?




All made with wool felt and stuffed with more soft wooliness.
Hope you enjoy, little friends!

Whirlygigs

While doing the dishes, I looked out into the backyard to watch my girls and saw them running around, laughing and trying to catch things so small that I couldn't see them.

I just had to find out so I joined them.

Soon our eight year old was joining us to watch maple seed pods spinning from the sky.

He was even inspired to try and recreate some of his own. After a few tries he discovered that it was the rounded tip that gave them their twirl...


Magical, simple little gifts.

Rethink that

Sometimes as parents we have to ruin all the fun, just for our own sanity ~
We have a crawler now... correction, we have had a crawler now for months. A crawler who is now also a stander and can reach up to pull all manner of basket filled goodness from the shelves.



And for months I have been chasing down chokables from her mouth and refilling baskets...
What is that Einstein definition of insanity about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?...Ummm, yes - it was time for a change.

So today, we whipped up some zippered bags to hold the goodies in. We tried just popping the bags onto the shelf but it looked messy so we placed them in their old baskets instead. This way, the kids can dump them into the baskets if need be and put them back in the bags when they are through.


I had a little helper who enjoyed picking out the fabrics for the bags...and some for a quilt for herself...




Little one still enjoys pulling the baskets from the shelf and now can even enjoy the jingling sounds from the zippered bags as she jangles them about.

Happiness abounds.

Under our noses...

While playing in the yard...

The last of our bleeding hearts...

Mosquito muncher...

Surprise strawberries! We made a little stone wall around them so we would remember not to step on them

Ctitter hunting...

A little exploring and we didn't even need to leave the yard ~

Choices

What has mightily been a bane of my existence (how lucky am I that this should be it!) - let me introduce...
This couch:

Aside from the loud....err, personality of the fabric...which I could possibly live with...if it were not for the fact that it's completely worn on all the seat cushions and the arms - these cushions are constantly sliding down off the couch. This hand me down from our in laws does have some charm though. Its length is such that we can all - yes all sit on this baby at once. A definite plus for sure. It is also very comfy (that is, when the cushions are properly placed of course).

A while back, we bought a cover at the thriftstore and called it good - it was a tradeoff...the cover hid the horrors beneath but the cushions slid off constantly and were hard to adjust with the cover on.

Hence the pining for a new couch. Usually we go with used for most everything but a couch (unless we knew where it was coming from) was something we were a little reluctant to do used. Still I looked - and never found. So, we started looking at new ones. For months. Yet, I just couldn't see the sense in spending all that money for a new one. I felt....guilty. I mean, that's a lot of meals, a lot of medication, a lot of something necessary for some folks, somewhere. This couch was not necessary...but oh so wanted ;)

We came up with a plan. How about, we would reupholster this old couch and use the money we would have spent to do some good with? It was a plan - and it all came together. We found some fabric that wouldn't show too much dirt over time and was sturdy for, get this - $1.99 a yard.




Yes, we do love our Marden's here folks. This was also on clearance hence the incredibly low price...I bought the bolt. Well, what was left of it, 14 yards. So for under $30 - and some time and effort we will have a new couch. Oh, and that money we were redistributing? Housing deposit for a young friend who worked their tail off to get into a good university and just needed a little help. Such goodness all around.

So now, we have all the cushions covered. Now just to tack the sides and back. Think I might need some help for that one...just a little ;)

WIP Summer

Graduation is just around the corner for a few young people I know ~
For one especially dear to my heart, a little something to wrap her in love when she is away...


Then something for ...hmm...not sure yet but I am totally diggin' these colors ~


As you can the see, the bobbin situation has been taken care of and I have been happily stitching along since.

Roadtrip

Simple, short, sweet.

We had a lazy day Saturday and the overcast sky didn't add too much to our energy levels. Still, we wanted to get out and do something a little fun so... around 3 o'clock we decided to hit the road. Where to? We didn't know so, we let fate decide.

Each of the kids (baby excluded ;) took turns choosing a direction. From the time we hit the main road, it was all about "left" or "right". We ended up far in on a rain soaked dirt road where we found a quick flowing little stream that we explored for a good hour.



While we were there, the clouds broke and the shafts of sunlight shining through on those rain sprinkled leaves was heavenly...

Next stop? Left or right? This lively method (to be sure there was much discussion at every turn) took us to a nearby town where they found this cool wall to climb,




...I know, the shoes...incredibly impractical but ridiculously cute nonetheless...

Not to mention a rushing river to watch while eating dinner



I guess it's never too late to change course...