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it was crazy warm this afternoon. no hats or coats required. a perfect day to amble through the woods and visit our little creek.


i thought this little triangle of fallen limbs could be the beginnings of some sort of fort.




it's a modest creek, but much appreciated. there are actually some deep pools that could make decent toddler swimming holes. i have fantasies of making some sort of little brick or stone platform on the bank above, where we can sit with chairs in the summer and sip cool beverages. except that when the neighbors come roaring by in their atv's, the sounds of the forest and trickling stream are swallowed, and the air fills with exhaust. that's what happened today.





but it was quite nice while it lasted.


luna cat enjoyed it too.

puzzles & plates

instead of asking for games lately, tristan has been asking for puzzles.







he is so full of sweet questions (often on auto repeat) and amazing observations.

there was a lot of light coming into the house today.



i scored some lovely vintage plates (franciscan oasis) from a freecycler. it's an incomplete set; i have seven saucers and no cups. but i have plenty of dinner plates, salad plates and the cutest little bowls. and a lovely serving dish.







the last thing i need is more plates. but i can't resist the vintage ones. sweet, yes?

tiny apron

i decided to make a little apron to go with the wooden toy food i gave to a small friend for her second birthday.



it's adapted from the apron instructions in bend the rules sewing. the tie fabric is from some vintage curtains i found years ago in a thrift store. the apron itself is made from some fabric i scored in a stash of freecycled fabric. something about the little red & white check patches said kitchen. i added a little ric rac.



i asked tristan to model it.



and here is the birthday girl with her awesome mama! happy second birthday lilah!

art is everywhere

and if you have a phone camera, you can capture it anywhere!

may your weekend be full of special moments in special places

dandy

my sister-in-law sent me a bunch of ties that she had cut up and used for a project. this was my first experiment with one. i satin stitched it onto a piece of old pinstripe sheet, and used chenille for backing.

picnik is closing in april, sadly. have fun with it while you can!

weather, or not

what a weird week of weather. what a weird season of weather.

this morning i thought i was driving into a hurricane.



a few mornings ago it was a magical world of fog and light.



can't we have just one eentsy weentsy little blizzard? just a tiny little one?

(photos with my phone camera)

buddha boy

tristan loves pulling games out of the game closet. he loves to look at all the chips, cards, figurines, dice and spinners. and then he (usually) puts everything back again. once in a while i find a random game piece in his cement mixer or pickup truck.

one day he pulled out othello, laid the chips down, and said, "it's buddha!" dan caught the moment.

random thoughts on an icy day

while we have had a couple of light dustings this season, and some seriously cold temps, i would say last night's little bit of snow & cold is the closest we've come to a winterish feel. things still have a thin layer of white and ice on them today. after a busy morning, we'll be firing up the woodstove this afternoon with lasagne in the plans for dinner.




the other day i made homemade granola for the first time. for months i've been wanting to try the recipe from feeding the whole family. i finally got my act together, picked up the ingredients from sugar and spice, a newish amish bulk goods store down the hill, and with tristan's help, mixed a batch and baked it. the granola turned out fabulously and i think will become a staple around here. i would like to try the slightly varied version amanda soule posted on her blog, from a first edition of the same book. the addition of a bit of orange juice sounds tasty, and i wonder if adding in the flour helps it to clump up a bit. delicious stuff, either way.



this morning tristan pulled a book off the shelf that i thought would be worth mentioning around here. my brother danny, who is currently teaching ESL in indonesia, sent it to us shortly before he departed. i don't think i'll ever tire of the illustrations in seasons by french artist blexbolex. serene, surprising, colorful, and contemplative, i highly recommend it.





especially on dark, wet, wintry days. like today.

boy toys (not that a girl couldn't play with them also)

sometimes i feel like my life is a page in one of those i spy or can you see what i see picture books. we just picked up the latter at a thrift store and the photos are quite fun to look through.


tristan is often too distracted these days to finish his food. what to do.


trucks. trucks. trucks. i love trucks!


uke. tiny fire truck. books. of course!


sweet things. (most of the books in the background of the last two photos are from dan's world history and history of science collections. aren't you dying to read sex and society in islam?)


the bucket of fairies is tashi's. but tristan enjoys them most now. and that small playmobil watering can is one of hundreds (thousands?) of small pieces we've been collecting since tashi was a toddler.


a house just isn't complete without a toy corvette that makes a peeling out sound. this was actually left at our house long before tristan was born by some friends visiting from out of town. tashi grew very attached to it. proof that boy toys are girl toys too.

sometimes i just have to give in to the chaos. including the chaos on my very own desk.

short days, quiet moments

it's a strange time of year. there is a feeling of suspension. we exist between one place and another.



we have many quiet moments.



spending so much time inside leads one to appreciate the small things



and the messy beauty of it all.



it was a mild day so we ventured out and built a fairy hut. it is a work in progress.





followed by a perfect dinner: yaki soba, so warming, so cleansing.



finding inspiration in the quiet unpredictable heart of winter.

a scattering of thoughts

just trying to pick up the pieces after the holidays. our tree is still up, but the stockings are packed away. i like to keep the light and twinkle and evergreen scent present for as long as possible.



uncle bagus sent tristan a toy circular saw for christmas. we didn't give it to him for a while because we just weren't sure. would it lead him to believe he could pick up any circular saw? would it be too noisy? a few days ago i was getting ready to take it to the toy store to exchange for something else when it occurred to me how much i admire carpenters. after a quick consultation with dan we decided to hand over the circular saw, or circlear saw as tristan likes to say with a twinkle in his eye. can i cut my pants off with it? was one of his first questions. he even holds it when he sits on the potty.



tashi turned 14 on january 2. four-teen. i really can't believe it. she is so sweet, creative, responsible and wise, i am really quite proud of her. i can only hope we remain good friends through her high school years. but if she keeps beating me at boggle, i may have to reconsider! we invited her classmates over for a celebration. dan lit a grand bonfire in the back. they listened to music and chatted. i love listening to these kids converse; they really are quite amazing.



after having an etsy shop for over two years, i finally uploaded an item. i plan to add more, but think that probably a baby blanket on etsy is like a needle in a haystack. we shall see. let me know what you think.

from 16 to 66

we have had a week of temperature extremes. i woke up on wednesday morning to 16 degrees. and today it is supposed to reach the high 60's. tristan and i spent the afternoon outside yesterday, and i finally caught up on some long overdue raking and hauling. it was amazing out, dry, warm, sunny. and just a little bit eerie.






i baked gingerbread muffins yesterday, and yum, they were very good.