and the boy is four!

This is the quilt I made him for his birthday. It has some of our favorite fabrics in it that I've previously used to make things for him. Mostly though, it's Michael Miller Dick and Jane collection which I bought last summer and never used. I'm so happy that I was able to use almost all of what I had, and only had to return about a yard to my stash. It was a productive project on that account. I am really building up quite a stash of fabric and it is getting out of hand. This was a bit of a PITA to complete, especially the binding, but I am just so happy with the way that it came out. Took about two weeks, start to finish. I have a host of other projects that I want to work on next; such as a quilt for the new baby, one of my sister's baby, a new diaper bag (and maybe one for her too), etc. But right now I am a bit burnt out at the machine and am taking a break.

Spring is arriving here. We planted some pansies this week and they seem to be taking off. My MIL will be coming for a few days and I am so looking forward to it. She is an awesome cook and happily will cook for all of us the entire time she is here. Delightful! Also the town wide garage sale is this weekend and i am optomistic that I will scout out some cheap baby gear to add to our collection. I am looking for a swing, a bouncy seat, and if I come across a jumper I will snatch that too. I gave away those three things to a friend about a year ago...she passed them on to someone else who also passed it along; and alas...now they can't seem to be located. Lesson learned!

Cleaning is necessary...need to work on that next!

what we have been up to recently:

I think that I am learning it is really, really hard to maintain a blog. Especially along with running a household, raising children, and all the other things that go along with life. My hat goes off to all the amazing bloggers out there who do all those things, and still update regularly. Great job!

here's what we've been doing for the past few weeks:

making bird feeders from toilet paper tubes, peanut butter, and bird seed.

reading a lot of books.

staying in pajamas all day long (heavenly).

and a little bit of crafting too!

santa stopped by

and these are some of the things he dropped off!

Getting ready

Even though the flowers still look pretty (although not as nice as this picture conveys - we've had frost every morning this week and they're starting to look quite floppy)...I'm slowly getting into a holiday frame of mind. I've got a zillion things to make/get/cook/bake for the season and I'm just getting going now.
Here's a preliminary list:
6 aprons
Many dozens of cookies
6 scarves
4 coin purses

Of course, as the magazines start to arrive my brain will overload with additional projects and crafts I hope to create, and then the list will grow. But this is enough to get me started, don't you agree?

Finding Fall

I am tired...and of few words tonight. So, some pictures

things I love: water

I took my boys to a lake not far from our home last week. It was quiet and tranquil with only a few other moms and their kids there that day.

My little ones were really kind to one another (mostly) and I enjoyed watching them play together, and muse about how their fraternal bonds will change over the years. It made me miss my sister, whom I haven't seen for a couple weeks.

Especially with all the craziness and stress of our chosen hectic life, it was especially important to have a day with my kids spent enjoying the beautiful Earth we've been given...and the beautiful family we've been blessed with as well.

On the upswing

Things are improving over here...the weather has really been amazing, and we've been outdoors most of the time. Our schedule is fairly hectic the next few weeks, because I have quite a lot of clinic hours to do for school. This will take place pretty much every weekend until mid-September. It is hard work, but very gratifying. But the time spent with the boys has been wonderful, and today was no exception! Lots of laughter and happiness. R. told me the other night at bedtime "I miss you when you at school mama.". Oh baby, I miss you too.

have you seen this baby?

See, this is my older son, R...and he doesn't look like this anymore. Nor does he act quite like this anymore either. R. and I are deep in a power struggle these past few weeks, and my love and I aren't really sure how to get out of it. Every request, it seems, is met with defiance. His little brother is often at the receiving end of his frustration. Toys are thrown, voices yell, doors slam - and overall, it's not been a happy place to be.

This is not to say that we have not a happy home. Throughout the day, we read books, sing songs, exchange hugs and kisses, and more. This is why I've been feeling so confused. At times, I really feel like I've got the supermom act down - I try to provide a lot of opportunities for creative expression and open ended play. So this unacceptable behavior (and I say that phrase, OVER and OVER each day lately) is really, shall we say, ticking me off. M too. It's embarassing, even more so when it's in public. And boy, is it wearing me out.

Manners and discipline are very important to M. and I. We don't run a military school here or anything, but I like the way "Yes, ma'am" sounds. I also like it when children thank their elders and refer to them by last names. These are antiquated formalities, I know - but I think that they evoke a feeling of respect and gentility. I still refer to my elders as Mr. and Mrs. So and So, and I think I always will.

So, any tips to share on getting through this phase (and I do hope it's just that)? Or am I destined to be raising an unappreciative preschooler who will grow in to an unappreciative adult?

Beth's Blessingway

Today was a blessingway circle for my dear friend Beth. She is expecting her third child in a few short weeks, and this beautiful gathering of women was a powerful experience. This will be her first homebirth. I had never participated in a blessingway before, and was honored and emotional throughout. The journey of mothering is such a personal path, yet this special ceremony connected each of the women in the circle, as well as reminded us of our connection to our own maternal lineages and that of our ancestors throughout time.

During the ceremony, we adorned Beth's belly with Henna and created a birth necklace for her to wear during her labor. Each woman contributed a bead and shared a piece of wisdom as she strung it on the necklace. There were other special elements, each with its own power. It was a beautiful experience and one that I hope to share again in the future. Isn't it a gift to be a mother...what a blessing!

a day in our life

Playing at a park near our home

Driveway painting with hosta leaves
Checking on the garden

Spring Skirt

I know how much my love enjoys seeing me in skirts, and as I feel that I neglect him far too often since becoming a mom, I've resolved to try to wear them for him more frequently. So here's one that I made this week out of some pretty fabric I plucked out of the Wal-Mart remnants basket for $1.50! It's got butterflies all over it, and I think it's lovely. The skirt is soo comfortable and I see more of these in the future!

steps to planting a tree

First, engage one preschooler, one toddler, and two hot and sweaty parents in said tree-planting activity.

Read lots of books to inspire excitement and motivation.

Start digging.

Parent #1 realizes that it will take him a long time to dig a hole "two times as wide, and double the depth of the root ball".

Parent #2 pulls out the big guns.

Yup, I rented a backhoe for my sweet one to drive. The boys were caught between excitement and hysteria. The thing was LOUD. But, we were determined to plant our meek little apple tree and finally give the baby's placenta a proper home. (yes I recognize that almost 17 months in a freezer is not appropriate. But - hey - we've got our hands full here!)

Next step: break child labor laws and encourage all availabe civilians to participate in the filling of the hole. This made for a sweet family activity, and I found myself crying a little bit (despite the heat. and the sweating. and the whining of the little ones). Planting a tree together is such a special thing...and even though we likely won't live in this home forever, I hope that this tree will be a marker of our time here...and the family we created here.

So here, is our humble tree:

Still Got It

Just when I thought the sling nap days were over (so over, in fact, that I scrapbooked about it...which I did because I really believed our littlest one was finished with them), I get the wonder of this. A sweet, quiet, head on the heart kinda moment. Everyone says it, and it really is true - these days go by too fast.

and now we are three.

Our big boy turned three a few days ago. I'm just becoming accepting of the fact now. In this picture, I think you can see so many parts of his active toddler personality...see how he's not totally smiling? That's his way of asserting his independence, since Mommy just said "Okay, everyone smile!". And the way his shoulders are raised, they make him look just a little bit taller. And bigger. Wow. It's remarkable to me that three short years ago, my love and I were just embarking on this amazing journey of parenting. We've grown up so much. And our baby has too.

It Might Be Love

I may have had some mild success with this one. However, while I might have sewed them, the Easter Bunny took credit for them. Dontcha just love that?? Regardless of who gets the praise, I can't begin to convey the joy that M. and I feel when we get to share some of our own holiday memories; and create them again for our wee ones. It brings us many smiles, and I think it also brings us closer together as a couple. It's fun to share these parts of our lives that we each did not witness for the other. After all, our childhoods shape such a large part of the adult we become, yet most of us do not get to experience our partner's early years.

It's amazing what a few pieces from the scrap bag, a couple hours of insommnia, and Hillary Lang's fun and simple pattern can create! The boys seemed to love their Wee Bunnys (pattern here) and I admit to feeling not a small twitter of pleasure at their reaction.

But as I update this I feel sadness and weakness in my heart, with the news today coming from Virginia Tech University. What is there to say?

Wishing you, and yours, peace tonight.

Tote Bag Love

There are many days when I find it remarkable that I am able to sew anything at all. The only way I'm able to do it, would be that it takes me days and days to finish something that in theory, should only take an hour or so. I mean, it's not like I'm working on anything complicated, like this, or this. But anyway. The totes. The Thomas the Tank Engine one is lined in Thomas fabric and will be a birthday present for my sweet Big Boy who is turning 3 (eek!) in a week. The other one does not have a designated recipient yet, so maybe it'll be for me. I like the pockets on the outside (good to slide a library card or short list in) and they each have a pocket on the inside as well. Fun!

Taggie Blankie

I just made this new taggie blanket for a friend who's due any day now with her third baby. She already has two little boys at home, so I think a lot of people have their fingers crossed for a girl ;-). In any event, the colors were so lovely and the texture so soft, that I made one for my sweet baby boy as well. He loves it and has now become a "blankie" baby! Now, neither of my boys took to either the pacifier or their fingers. Bottles were a no-go also. Robert does have a softie dog that he sleeps with, but he's not particularly attached to it and never takes it out of his room. However, Matthew has fallen for the blankie. It now comes almost everywhere, and when he is sad or tired he clutches it. So sweet.

Whew!

Can you say "overwhelmed" five times fast? I feel SO frazzled and overwhelmed these days. School is really challenging me in many different ways - philosophically, as I make decisions regarding my belief systems with natural healing; intellectually, as I struggle to memorize loads of Latin terminology; and emotionally, as I try to balance missing my babies and not being able to put them to bed two nights a week. I miss them terribly while I am at class. My beloved's aggressive travel schedule has also been wearing on us (it's coming up on a year now). So - we are delighted to be heading off to a family vacation in Orlando, Florida! A friend had a condo available to be rented, so we snatched up the opportunity and cashed in some free flyer miles (M's got a lot - guess that travel is finally paying itself off!!).

Here's to a few more naps in the sun....

Winter Wonderful!

Winter is REALLY here! This is the snowman that we built this week. According to the weatherman, he'll be around for awhile!

Have fun in the snow with your loved ones :-)

Baking Day

We are planning to go visit my beloved's aunt tomorrow for a little lunch that she is having. She is 83 and is also his godmother. She really knows the secret to long life, and one of her favorite sayings is "Life is short - eat dessert first".
Hence, cookies were needed! These tasty ones are so delicious and we love them very much. The recipe makes quite a bit of dough, so I usually bake two sheets worth and then freeze the rest. Here's a tip - if you spoon the dough on to a cookie sheet and freeze it for an hour, you will be left with frozen individual cookies (just like the ones you can buy in the refriegerated section of your grocery store). Store those in a Ziploc bag, and then pop them directly in the oven as you'd like them! Warm, fresh baked cookies whenever you feel the urge. Just bake for an extra minute or two.


Minnesota Munchers
Makes about 48

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup toffee bits
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two cookie sheets. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in milk chocolate and semisweet chips, toffee bits and pecans. Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire racks.