thing thursday

i made a quick stop at the thrift store today before taking tristan to the library. aside from the melt down he had because i wouldn't let him hold the glass car that contained cologne, it seems like it was a successful mission. my main focus was on finding tashi some more light cotton blouses for summer bug weather. but i can't just look for one thing when i'm at a thrift store. focus is simply not possible.


i found an awesome big richard scarry picture book in german! dan speaks a decent bit of german and tashi is learning it at waldorf school. so inevitably the german language will be part of tristan's life too. but this is a great book for anyone hoping to learn some german vocabulary. it covers everything: household items, foods, animals, musical instruments, flowers, birds, every possible vehicle, numbers, the body, and so on. it will be entertaining hearing dan read it in his most exaggerated german accent.






i also found a pretty cool book about the moon.





i acquired a couple of sweet cups that probably should be filled with something topped with whip cream & chocolate bits.


and finally, a few pillow cases. the possibility of more fabulous bed linens lay before me in a big heap, but i really didn't have the patience to dig through the tangled mass that filled the huge bin. i really wish this particular shop had a better way to sell the linens. but every once in a while there are a few decent things at the top of the pile.


here is tristan who has been insisting on wearing one of my gloves all day.


and this is what we had for dinner last night, tamale pie. yum!

handmade tuesday

i seem to have distanced myself a bit from sewing in the post holiday funk of january and february. there was a patchwork curtain and some fleece yoga pants for tristan, but i think that is about it. as we transition into spring (which is a one step forward two steps backward transition for sure), i am feeling the urge to create. so little by little i am making this and that.

i recently made an apron for a co-worker's daughter. it is just like the very first apron i made in december. here it is marvelously photographed in my car, where the light was really weird.


i didn't manage to make tristan any gifts for his second birthday, though tashi did. she made him this super cute bird.


and i did manage to make a garland for his party. i want to make more and more!



today i knew i didn't have much time left in his nap, and decided a few bibs were all i could squeeze in. tristan is short on bibs these days. the fabrics are not anything i would necessarily pick out to buy, they came to me in a pile of fabrics and craft supplies i acquired through freecycle.



i used to have theme days for the blog. i think i will reinstate a day to share handmade wonders, whether they be simple meals or extensive sewing projects.

the spring has sprung

for the rest of my life i will probably remember march 25th as the day my water broke.


it was a little bit hollywood, climbing out of bed around 6:30am and having a sudden gush hit the floor, followed by, "daaaaan, i think my water broke!"


it was five weeks before my due date, so a big surprise for sure.


with tashi, my water didn't break until i was in transition, and we think my midwife gave it a little poke when she was checking me. with tristan, my labor didn't begin until almost 20 hours after my water broke. and it was a fantastic natural labor, a vaginal birth after cesarean, delivering a healthy six pound baby boy into my arms five weeks early.


and though his birthday isn't officially until tomorrow, today is my day to remember the journey that brought this remarkable boy into our lives.

go. out. side.

tristan often includes adorable pauses between each of his words. daddy. come here. mommy. come here. go. out. side.

and the time has come, i do believe, to spend as much time outside as possible. before the oppressive heat of summer. in between the much needed rains.

raking our yard is a massive chore. we live in a little forest where leaves are plentiful, and, well, we can be a little slack about raking. there were the first rounds of autumn raking. and now the spring rounds. today i concentrated on a woodsy rise in our yard where there is a small circular trail, a bench, lots of periwinkle, azalea and rhododendron bushes. while i piled up the leaves, tristan ran back and forth through a puddle in our driveway. he spent a good 45 minutes loving that puddle.







the daffodils are awakening. birdsong ripples like a garland from each branch. bugs are beginning to creep about. each sign of life a reminder of our fortunate existence.

may every flower that unfolds in our country's springtime represent a family that safely escapes the tragedy in japan.

when there are big things, it's the little things

earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear meltdown * class warfare * old white men who would like to burn women at the stake * dictatorships overthrown * (or not) *

as so much turbulence unfolds, it's hard to imagine the future with optimism. at what cost will we finally reach a highly evolved place as humans? or is it all downhill until our extinction?

for the moment, i will focus on the little pleasures.

the peacefulness of folding laundry while my toddler sits on his potty and reads.


a good pot of soup that he devours. swiss chard, sweet potatoes, french lentils, carrots, yes!


spring. hallelujah! spring!



lovely knit things made by my mom. what could be better?




winning a vintage fondue set on a blog give away? cool!!!

small vintage things found at the thrift store. . . sweet!

awesome kid books:








a bright little tablecloth:


a small boontonware bowl in a favorite color. tristan eats fruit from it as i type.


and an old sheet that i'm considering making a skirt from, or some wide flowy housepants.


perhaps the biggest small thing, is my new and improved doula website, thanks to my husband. it still needs some tweaking, editing and additional information, but it is a huge improvement on the one pager i had up for so long.

yes, it's the little things that might keep us focused on what is bright, peaceful and hopeful in the now. we can then turn to the big world with a calm heart and a steadfast commitment to making it a better place.