A Book Review and A winner!

Well, more like a shameless promotion of a wonderful little book actually ~

One of our most favorite authors has recently had a new book released and, I'd say, its a darling...a little keeper...

Emily and Daisy by Elsa Beskow:







In this sweet little story that the under 7 crowd is sure to find charming, you'll be following the adventures of Emily as she sets off to mind the family cow. Our kiddos were delighted and a little surprised to see some helpful elves rounding out the story. All this dressed up in some of the sweetest vintage pictures out there. A little note to parents, this tale has a bit about responsibility as well as a little lesson on boastfulness.

If you get a chance, enjoy!

After years of having dozens upon dozens of books on hand, just in the last year or so, we have pared down our shelves quite a bit by keeping the best and most loved (McCloskey, a variety of fairy tales, Old Mother West Wind and other nature stories as well as some other faves we will share in the coming weeks) and borrowing any entertainment type of books from the library. After all, they really do enjoy the same stories over and again and it was more me who wanted the variety ;)

Oh, and our winner of that Little Miss Handbag?
Jill!
Although, I did notice that you have 2 little boys...hmmm, if you would like me to make this more of a satchel just let me know! ;)
My email?
woodspritemama@yahoo.com

Next Friday (we were a little late with the drawing this week, ahem...) we will have a little wool stuffed cuddle doll up for grabs ~ pics to come Monday!

Congrats and Happy Weekending!

Summer Reads & Friday Freebie!

One of our favorite reads is the Faraway Tree Stories (along with The Wishing Chair, same author) ~ wonderful fantasy fun, just perfect for summer.

We also take advantage of the abundant wildlife opportunities. These Yesterday's Classics books by Clara Dillingham Pierson are fun for learning about the local ecology (we just happen to share much of the author's environmental splendor). Another nice series is Arabella Buckley's books... by Pond and River has a nifty little idea for making pond nets with natural materials. Some others in the series are Trees and Shrubs, Birds of the Air and Insect Life ~ all good summer fun for the 8+ crowd who are looking for a deeper understanding of ecology.

Oh, and our Friday Freebie? How about one of those sweet little bags from last week (or was it 2 weeks ago?). Either way, the little miss handbags - perfect name for them! Good Luck :)

Birthdays

And some considerations...


Such as, would it be fun to be a birthday photographer?
I think so. Most definitely. Being around all that joy?
My, that would be good.



Then, considering the small fact that I have been known to make some non disposable, natural birthday packages for folks...how about combining the two?

Just considering, of course...

And, I would have a long way to go with learning more about photographing and this little camera in general (ahem, still haven't read the manual ;)

All in all, just some fun thoughts for a bit...



Happy celebrating!

Left Behind

And found again...

No, this is not about children and the grocery store parking lot. It is however a bit about children and perhaps a lot more about motherhood. If the two can be separated...

This weekend I decided last minute to go to a reunion.
Highschool reunion?
Umm, no...
Family reunion?
Ummm, well, no again.
So....?

This was...a nightclub reunion.

Yes, you read that perfectly. This mama to 5 drive herself an hour and a half south at 10' at night to hang with some old friends for about the same amount of time and then turned around and drove back home for that same said hour and a half.

And, it was worth every second.

How amazing is it to see a room full of people in their 30's, 40's, 50's and even 60's completely in sync with music? Unspeakably.

In relation to motherhood. What did I take out of this? Connectivity for sure. How we (ourselves as mothers, our children, our communities) all benefit from mothers being connected to all aspects of themselves. The multifaceted balance of beauty and imperfection that we all are. Leaving any of those facets behind seems to possibly leave a little less of us to offer.

Here's to reconnecting...

(and thanks for the nudge friends, xo)

Time Alone...

The other evening I had some time alone.

Without sewing.

Without running errands.

Without cleaning.

Just being.



It had been so long since I did, well nothing. It was only an hour and the majority of it was spent just feet away. Yet, that was all it took to be so restorative. The quiet. The calm. A minute or two to complete some thoughts that had been kicking around my head.



Only an hour and then I was ready to come back home. Before coming in, I stood in our driveway, leaning against our van for a bit listening to the pre-bedtime sounds drifting from the open window. Jazz music, organizing the tooth brushing ritual, the readying of pajamas... Simply put...I loved hearing it all. Such a different experience to hear it from the outside rather than being in the midst of the pre-bedtime frenzy. Somehow, it seemed so much calmer from that standpoint. Then I realized, it is that way (well, much of the time at least ;)..most of the frenzied feeling comes from me trying to get it all done and get them into bed. If I just placed myself in the moment and let go, I think I would feel that wash of gratitude I felt while leaning against our van. Gave me a little something to think about...



Like how our 5 year old gets super silly right before bedtime. It struck me, that's how she is choosing to connect with me, one last time before drifting off. This may not be the way I would choose for us, but it is the reality...and rather than trying to change it into something else (more calmer? more bedtime "appropriate"?) I could embrace it and connect. So on and so on for my other loves as well. I wonder how many moments I've slipped through, not seeing because I didn't recognize it. Just a little tweak in perspective I guess...

Oh! And our winner this week? Glad you asked!
Congrats mamak!
Send me a little note, writeus4@yahoo.com with your address and your picnic lunch will be on its way!
Thanks for playing along and I hope folks can come on over and play again next week as well!

Sprucing Up...

Lest y'all think our days are mightily lazy...we have been sprucing up a bit - that is, between the favorite shirt finding, snack making, shoe tying moments of our life, of course ;)

About 8 years ago we moved in and, aside from ripping out the carpet and putting in new flooring,...we haven't done much really. You see, this was meant to be just be a temporary landing spot, not our home. We thought this would be a fun place to live for a bit, cozy, the water right here, quiet, great for the then 1 child and brand new baby to play...Then slowly, eventful day by non-eventful day, or really, moment by moment of first crawls, steps, words and all the loveliness in between of growing into a family... this did become home. Although we have flipped and flopped and had the "should we stay or should we go now" (hmm, I hear a tune in there somewhere) a thousand times, we have just decided that yes, we are staying. For an indefinite amount of time that we plan to make the absolute best of. So, we decided to actually move in. You know, make it our own. Oh, the plans we have...decisions, decisions.



One major point being - a mud room. You can imagine the mess in spring and winter, right? Boots, raincoats, snowsuits - oh my! Honestly, it can be a little overwhelming without a spot to keep all that contained in. So, we are thinking...

We will see where that leads.

For now, we are focusing on getting this house painted and maybe even some shrubbery along the side of the house. The little things...making it more our home.

Locally organic

We spent mid morning with friends touring the lovely Winterberry Farm. Mary is one busy mama and her farm is truly a beautiful labor of love...