a little inspiration

Today I got rid of 4 trash bags of stuff.  Last night I spent my time from dinner to bed time clearing up our office space.  I got rid of so much, but there is a lot left to go.  For now I am basking in the ability to walk around and open all the closet doors (I kid you not.)  When my fabric table and area is cleared up I'll take a picture.  I feel so close to that happening (now that I can get there.) We moved from a 2160 square foot house to 1180 square foot apartment in November.  I've already mentioned we got rid of a lot of stuff , but it wasn't enough.  Many will see that as a huge down size (and they are right!  Half the space.) I wanted it though.  I knew the place we were in before was just too big.  In jettisoning the junk I've learned that I had attached all these silly rules to ownership of things that I had no idea of before I read Everything That Remains . I had no less than 4 sets of place mats and probably 6 table...

Oh, my!  The weather, people, the weather!  Schools here are starting Saturday make up days now.  You know it has been crazy. Yesterday we were able to go outside and enjoy the not-so-freezing and not-much-snow-left super dirty muddiness.  Where it is actually pleasant to feel the things around you with your hands and with a few extra layers even a little little can crawl around without needing bread bags taped over her legs.  (I kid you not.) Emerson dug around a little and you could see under the leaves and dirt the plants are almost ready to start growing.  You could see the moss starting to fuzz up.  I am trying not to rush through, but you know, Spring is so much more alluring than the mud and snow.  And with a baby on the cusp of toddler-hood I know she'll be so excited to be down on the ground more. She is at the very-nearly-walking phase where you often turn around to find them taking a few steps surreptitiously.   An...

{this is an old picture that captures how I feel at the end of each day so perfectly...} I made cookies this weekend.  We never do this.  Sugar isn't our friend in this household.  But Papa needed to get out of the house by himself and so I bribed the boy into staying home with me by saying we'd make cookies.  I found a flourless peanut butter cookie recipe but it had way to much sugar.  Otherwise it was perfect, easy, fast, simple.  Yes.  So, I adjusted it a little and it came out great.  We also added two chocolate chips on each one.  You know, we are living large! There are no pictures of the cookies- not because they are all gone, but because I don't generally take pictures of food. :)   Ingredients 1 cup natural peanut butter 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 large egg, lightly beaten Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the racks in the upper and lowe...

Its been a long time.  But since it is Friday...

In our house chapter books have just been started.  This is so exciting we all are jumping for joy.  Sure, Anjali is looking at the same books we've been seeing the last four years (which is oh so sweet), but E is on to something completely new.   We started with with Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh .  He is obsessed.  None of us go by our right name anymore.  I alternate between Mrs Frisby and Isabella, John is Justin or Nicodemus, Anjali is Cynthia, and E is any of the characters depending on his mood.  He tells people when they ask his name, "Nicodemus" or "Mrs Frisby" or "Mr Ages" without a blink.  All our little stuffed friends get in on it too.  We've read through it twice.  When we got to the end the first time he wanted to start over right away.  I love reading this way too, a really good book just sometimes needs a second, closer reading.  John hates this and I don't think he'd ever watch the same movie or read th...

This place we chose to live in on such short notice has surpised me over and over with its beauty.  The sounds of birds in the morning, the sounds of children playing all afternoon.  Flowers and freshness and friendliness all wrapped up perfectly to be a balm to the soul after such a big move.  With the exception of the spider population which seems never ending and widely varied all the flora and fauna has been delightful.  A wild turkey in the yard today, some baby opossums hanging in the tree the other day.  And the planting here are so lovely I just wanted to share.  To be able to really spend some time outside the house has been a dream come true.  To have great children for E to play with, a blessing.  Surrounded by beauty.

This is a skirt I am sure I never wrote about because it turned out way to big.  I just took the elastic in 5 inches though and now it is as dreamy as I envisioned.  A double layer of vintage voile with vintage lace trim. I did the side seams french even though they have a slight curve.  It is loosely from the pattern in Simple Modern Sewing. The bag is from this post , which is always pretty high up on the hit list.  I was looking around at all the items still in rotation that I've made in the last five or six years.   This bag , one of the first (the first??) gets used daily at the gym.   These towels are looking pretty bad but still are holding up. (I miss that kitty.)  This pillow case is often on E's bed.  There are other things floating around, clothes and linens and quilts.  I love that so much, being surrounded by lovely handmade items full of effort and mistakes.

I can't believe it took me 32 years to realize that a fabric shower curtain was the way to go.  Pair it with these curtain hooks and you have something super easy to keep clean.  I blame that I had a shower with glass doors for it taking so long for me to figure out this simple solution to one of life's constant problems. :)   Anjali is finally big enough to wear the dresses I made at my sewing retreat and now I am itching to make more things for her for the Fall and winter.  She is growing so fast- too fast!  Already wearing 6 month clothes and sitting in the jumper and giggling and being so funny and screachy.  I just want to eat her up every day. Emerson gets better every day too.  More and more peace finds the way into our daily lives and I couldn't be more grateful for it.  I try to be more peaceful.  I try more loving approaches.  And now that I am not so totally exhausted by constant fighting I occasionally succeed....

Our transition to a family of 4 (or really 5- because Morai cannot be left out) has been better in some ways than expected and harder too. I have been feeling great, and except for my midwife telling me to stay in bed over the weekend, have been surprised at my bodies ability to recover so quickly from such a fast birth.  (or any birth for that matter!)  I've been in love from the first second and I think the hormonal cocktail of the first little while makes me a much kinder and gentler version of myself and I think that works well for everyone. :)  Unless I don't get fed- then all bets are off. Anjali has been a sleepy baby like her brother was so we aren't so sleep deprived most days.  And with all the help around the house we are even keeping up with the mountains of laundry!   Emerson has been so sweet and loving toward his "baby Sissie", always worried about the noises she is making and singing to her during diaper changes.  Offering...

Tomorrow night John and I are planning on our last planned date forever. :-)  Indian food and a show.  I am going to see if I can still fit into my skinny (maternity) jeans.  I've been wearing nothing but old navy fleece pants and a maxi skirt for weeks now. It has been raining for days here.  I usually love the rain but this isn't stormy or that warm, just endless drizzle.  We saw blue sky for a few minutes yesterday and I didn't put on my sunglasses because I was enjoying squinting into the little bit of sun.   Today is 38 weeks.  I've been having contractions every night for the last week and keep thinking, maybe, maybe...  But probably we are waiting it out.  In a few days I will be more pregnant than I ever have been since E came in the middle of week 38. I've had the energy to finish a few things this last week and at my awesome craft group with childcare, where I get to go every other Friday, I plan to put all the buttons on the c...

Moving is overwhelming.  Not always in a negative way, sometimes it feels just plain good to be stepping into this big change.  But always, it is sooo much, packing, cleaning, visiting, calling, scheduling, running... I look forward to spending the weeks after the move in some kind of suspended animation.  Getting all the important things unpacked and putting away the other tasks for the ever indefinite "later."  Renting for a little bit allows us to ignore things like painting or hanging pictures or any renovating we might have thought we could do (ha!) The internet will allow us to put in orders for things and watch them show up in a truck driven by someone else.  All the important things will be there already.  Us.  By Thanksgiving we should all be home together there and have a week before John starts his job where we can just be together and explore our new world. And life will turn into something so different as the year closes out.  Bef...

Our little guy has been coughing non-stop since he went to bed last night.  All day yesterday it was building.  All night he called for Papa any time Papa tried to sneak away.  Almost all day today E has been playing, cuddling and coughing on his Papa.  Thank goodness for having your very favorite person around when you are sick!  I am a little afraid of what it will be like tomorrow when John goes to work. I've been re-arranging and sorting and throwing things out all day.  Why, you ask?  Well, because we are moving!  We are packing up this troop and taking the show on the road.  Okay, not quite, even if it does feel like we are managing a circus.  We are moving a few states away.  Next week I am going to go down and look at houses.  I am excited, terrified, overwhelmed, and a little shell shocked.  It is something that we've been planning for about a year so for things to finally fall in place seems somehow wild. H...

I've never really looked forward to winter.  I mean, I spent the first years of my life in Haiti and can still remember the first time I saw snow and thinking that that was just crazy!  And when you are young and in school you are programmed to look forward to summer.  I always looked forward to warm sun on my skin, the chance to get off the schedule. This year is different.  In the middle of this winter we are expecting a new addition to our little family.  I cannot even begin to express my excitement.  After experiencing the disappointment of a miscarriage it is amazing about ten times over to know a new life is growing inside my body. Honestly, I've struggled so hard to believe this was true.  That it is really happening and not just a delusion.  We saw the heartbeat at 8 weeks and I heard it at 12 weeks.  After hearing it I began to believe, to trust.  So now, here I am, dreaming of cold days full of entertaining a nearly 4 yea...

We are working on a new schedule.  No. Sleep.  Till Brooklyn!! Ahem, I mean, no more naps.  Why? You might ask.  I can tell you that staying up till 10pm with a bouncy child and then getting up early with a cranky pants child is just no good.  No good at all.  Especially as I am neither a night owl nor a morning person.  (How does that happen?  I really just need a half hour of being awake before I am responsible for anyone's life.  That doesn't seem like so much to ask... does it??) So- no more nap.  So we are avoiding any car rides in the afternoon and getting woken up right away if randomly he does manage to fall asleep.  Which makes him GRUMPY.  But that is okay.  I am keeping my eye on the prize.  If he is asleep by 8:30 I might get a chance to read for twenty minutes before I pass out.  :)

  Some days just line up to be perfect.  The friends, the weather, the watermelon, the bands.  Perfect.  I'm going to try for a picture everyday for the rest of May.  It is a good practice.  And soon I will share more pictures of the birthday things we made and the happy three year old himself.

Stockings were hung with care.  And glitter too.  I've found that, recently, sparkle has become very important to me.

We cleaned and rearranged the living room.  I think it is a success.

If you wanted to see what we did you can check it out over here .

Thursday came and went.  I'm still waiting for that post for you all so when it gets here I will put it up. In the mean time things have been fast and fun here.  Readjusting.  Learning new skills.  Finding our rhythm again. He has discovered scissors.  And gotten more interested in drawing.  Look at those papers.  Multiple colors and lots of lines.  This is very new.  Before it was one or two lines and then eat the crayon or marker.  The scissors are his favorite.  It seems to be going around right now.  Soulemama and Meg from Sew Liberated are also posting these kinds of images.  He tells me, "I need cut." and "Trimmy, trimmy, I need trimmy." And of course, stickers.  He is able to take them off the sheet and place them all by himself now.  It is quite amazing really.  When you watch someone trying this for the first time and you see just how hard it really is.  Amazing these things we do ever...

First- thank you all for your kind words about Zo.  It has meant a lot to me to be reminded how many others loved her. So many things have changed here in the last couple weeks.  On the evening after the Bug's party our black cat, Sydney, went to live with my mother-in-law.  He has been adjusting into her household and sounds like he is very happy there.  And of course, Zo.  That leaves us with just Sebastien for a fuzzy friend.  Turns out, Sebastien isn't really a quiet, mild mannered, deaf Persian cat.   He is actually a very loud and looking for rubs kind of cat.  Even more amazing, my allergies to him seem to have subsided completely!  I always knew I was allergic to Sydney's saliva and that he would groom Sebastien.  I just had no idea I wasn't actually allergic to Sebastien at all.  Can you imagine?  For 12 years I thought I was allergic to this cat and it was really the other one all along!  So anyway, now they ar...