where we are: the balance between work and play

this is often the normal state of our living room. small toys scattered across the floor. parades of cars or fairies or playmobil folk. blocks and bits of paper and acorns. 

i knew i had some sewing to do today and also knew that my mind wouldn't settle into it unless i reigned in the chaos.

this is the way i prefer the living room!

 
i did the tidying and sweeping while tristan ate his snack on the deck, just outside the living room door.



i tried to mentally prepare tristan for the fact that i was going to spend some time sewing, that he could play beside me, or help me pull the pins out, or rest on his bed for an hour with a book. he claimed that he was cool with it.

for a while when i was measuring and tracing he kept hiding things on me: the yardstick, my disappearing ink pen, scissors, anything he could get his hands on. and then i gave him some fabric to cut up. from there he wanted to cut up cardboard. i gave him some paper plates, which he chose instead to draw on. he was quite industrious with his stack of plates, and explained all the scenes to me.



i am definitely in need of some activity ideas to keep the young boy engaged and satisfied while i sew. i've got to get busy! i am going to be selling wares at the holiday market this year, and am way behind on production.

what do you do at home when you need to work and you are the primary caretaker of a young one? i have some tried and true ideas, but am looking for more!

this is the blanket i was working on, completed after the kids went to bed. i didn't have enough of the fabulous flower burst fabric, so added in the toile (at least i think it's toile! it's from a fancy sheet i found at a yard sale a long time ago). the back is a soft buttery chenille.







after meeting my goal for the day, we went for a romp outside.

we have a fairy hut we've been working on in the side yard. it's an enchanting place to be, and there is a beautiful mat of bright moss growing on the floor of the hut. we enjoyed our warm afternoon puttering around the fairy hut with loki the cat close by. i looked up in wonder at the tall trees that fill our yard and sent up a heartfelt thank you. we are in good company!