Sing All You Want

Moving Right Along

2012-01-24T21:17:00.002-05:00

I've been working quite a bit on some products for "my shop on Etsy" (I intentionally referred to it in this way after reading this post). I have some finishing touches to add to my items, photos to take, and need to finalize my logo, but I'm almost there!

In the meantime, after sewing so much stuff for my shop, I've been itching to make something quick for me/us. I kept coming back to that stack of fabrics I pulled a week ago for a potential bag. But, I was in a pillow and triangles mood. So, I came up with this.

I like the mix of color with black/white and the abstract prints with the florals. It's kinda funky and fun! The background is yarn dyed Essex linen which I fell in love with after using on some bags for my shop. Super soft stuff! While I was making this I was imagining a giant patchwork throw with these prints, backed in the linen, turned, and hand tied. Hmmmm...

I quilted the triangles with opposing parallel lines and left the rest of it alone.

The print on the back (and also used on the front) is one of my recent favorites, from Paula Prass's Botanika. The piping is from Hope Valley. I have to admit, I got so excited I rushed a bit on this pillow and didn't do the best job with the piping and closing up the whole thing. It's a bit puckered in places and a little overstuffed, but I still love it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday Musings!

2012-01-15T22:13:00.002-05:00

We had a great weekend here! A definite highlight was the little goofballs' first time on the ice. Wowee, it was a bit tougher than they thought it would be, but it was fun!

I got so much great feedback on my little list-takers - thank you! Ever since then I've been feeling like diving into a whole bunch of new sewing projects. I spent some time over the weekend looking through my sewing/quilting books for some inspiration and fell in love with a few things. Mostly things for me (oops!).

I am really loving "Patchwork Style" by Suzuko Koseki. I would love to make a bigger version of this bag:

And, I pulled this pile of fabrics as a starting point:

I also was really drawn to this patchwork blanket and love the rickrack over the seams. Just going to file this one away.

I also got "Scrap Republic" by Emily Cier for Christmas after reading so many great reviews here. After looking through it, my immediate reaction was that it would be a fun book to work through from start to finish. There are 8 quilt projects and they seem to increase in complexity, amount of scraps required, and size as you work through the book. I love them all. So, when I find that magical free time I might get started on the first one.

Tonight, we are just relaxing and watching the Golden Globes. I enjoy taking note of movies and shows to watch. I feel pretty complete if I have a great show or two that I watch regularly. We don't have cable so we do a lot of Netflix streaming and renting. We were pretty disappointed after streaming the first episode of "Homeland" for free online and then discovering that the others aren't available...ahhh, what a compelling first episode! I've been hearing great things about "Downtown Abbey" so maybe we'll try for that.

That's about it for our weekend. Hope yours was great!

Take Notes + Better Photographs

2012-01-10T23:57:00.002-05:00

I'm one of those write it down kind of people. I learn best and remember things better when I write them down somewhere. Which is probably why I was drawn to make these list-takers. Those typewriters by Melody Miller's are pretty perfect, huh?!?! Makes me want to open them all up and take notes.

The pattern for these "list-takers" is by Jennifer Casa (available here). Fantastic pattern and I totally enjoyed putting them together! The creative opportunity that comes with quilting something small is really fun.

Open them up and they look something like this. I made them a little less wide (~1" less) than what the pattern called for mainly to accommodate a Kindle in the left pocket. Mine fits nice and snug in there. Just a little bonus for those people that like to take notes while they read. Now I just need to find some buttons for closure. I made these for my "future endeavor" (shop, craft fair, bribing friends, ??), and will definitely be making more!

Today I spent some time playing around with my photography options. I want to have more consistent and better photos of things I make, but I feel like I have a few things against me in the photography department: a) I really just don't love taking photos, b) our camera (which is a Sony DSLR) is unpredictable (some sort of sensory unit in it is broken and it is really tough to center things), and c) our house gets very little natural light (hello, pine tree central!). So, today I took photos inside and outside, a few different times of the day in a few different spots. It was an experimental kind of venture.

Personally, I really favor fun and evocative photos. Like this...

When I got my iphone, I immediately fell in love with the camera on it and instagram and all of those super cool apps. My favorite picture as of late is the one of Joe jumping on the bed that I posted here. I love it in all its blurriness. But, when it comes to handmade things, particularly those I'd like to sell one day, I need details, like this stitching...

Anyway, all of this is to say that I think my dorky photog tests worked out well and I am glad I took the time to actually experiment with things. Now I have a plan...outdoors on our deck, in natural *slightly overcast* daylight on top a lovely white sheet of paper. So, that's what I'll be aiming for. But when it comes to cats and humans and life, I'll be keeping it real!

This Weekend...

2012-01-08T23:00:00.001-05:00

...We celebrated! I won't name any names, but someone in this house is now in their upper 30s *gasp*!

...We ate ice cream cake on a spring-like day.

...We surprised a good friend at her going away party even though I'm not ready to admit she's going away.

...At said party, all the adults confirmed while watching me attempt Just Dance 3, that I, in fact, have two left feet.

...The kids told me I'm an awesome dancer! Whoop!

...We doted and obsessed and prayed (yes, prayed) for our poor, aging, lethargic, unusually quiet cat who was clearly "very ill".

...We woke up amazed that the cat seemed fine...back to his ole obnoxious self (those darn 9 lives!).

...I smiled at my latest crafty finish - these quilted "list-takers" (pattern here). Another small batch of goods done!

...I got a little of everything I could possibly need in a weekend!

Getting Going

2012-01-03T22:14:00.002-05:00

Our Winter break ended today. It was so wonderful, even dropping off a slightly sassy, over-sugared 5-yr old at preschool, I wished we were all still home. But, all good things must come to an end.

So, even though I said I wouldn't, I made a list for 2012. Some goals, dreams, and simple things I want to start doing. And, I stuck it right at the top of my blog so I could be reminded of these things often. Take a look, if you like.

One of my bigger dreams is to start selling some wares. I still haven't decided my specific route, but I've decided to just start building a small inventory of goods. As it turns out, I think I like having this sense of focus and productivity in the sewing department. Yesterday I made these soft zipper pouches. I love how they turned out and can't wait to try out some other things I have on my mind.

Life is quickly filling up again but it feels so new and refreshing right now. I feel like there is a lot of positive energy in the air and I like it!

Twenty Twelve

2011-12-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

I can't help but think of this picture of Joe when I was consider my sentiment for the New Year. He was jumping on the bed and eating a cookie at the hotel we stayed at earlier this week when we took a quick trip to the coast. He was happy and carefree and for those brief moments there was no agenda and there were no rules. He was somewhere that was completely new and exciting for him.

Every year I look forward to the new year for some of the same reasons...a fresh start and new goals, but, most importantly, a new length of time. It's like the beginning of my new 365 day work week. In 2012, I feel ready and excited to make some new things happen in my life, some things I've been thinking about for a long time.

I predict this year is going to be big! Mark and will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary and we'll be sending our first off to kindergarten. We are hopeful that we'll have some exciting house projects on the horizon and an opportunity to make right the family vacations we missed in 2011.

I could make a long list of things I want to accomplish but I don't know how interesting or useful that would be. For the most part, I just want to DO more than I did in 2011. And better, of course. : ) Cheers!

A Christmas-ish Quilt

2011-12-29T16:12:00.001-05:00

I finished this quilt just before Thanksgiving, but was trying to find the right time to share it here. Over the past month, it sat on this chair and I noticed how well it blended into this little corner of holiday cheer (which I created to show off the kid's artwork). So, anyway, I've come lately to think of it as a Christmas-ish quilt. (Excuse the terrible iphone pic!).

I started this quilt back in May after pinning this one from Anthropologie. I loved the diamond orientation, the large scale cuts of fabric, but especially the solid diamond borders that frame the interior of the quilt. Love that! I knew from looking at it that it was really just a big log cabin block set on point, with even width borders for all the corners.

When Anna Maria Horner released Loulouthi, I knew it would be perfect for this design. I also used a couple of prints from Innocent Crush. I was stuck for a good while trying to find the right color solid to use for the diamond border. And, then so conveniently, Anna of Noodlehead shared her Loulouthi quilt. I knew the bright gold solid (which is Patricia Bravo's Empire Yellow) was just what I needed. Bingo!

For the back I simply pieced a few scrappy strips between larger white solid strips.

I quilted it with straight lines crosswise to the diamond shape. And, I bound it in one of those awesome Stockings prints from the Loulouthi collection. I think it measures around 60" square, but I honestly don't remember.

This quilt should have been a breeze to put together, but somehow or another with all of those large cuts of fabric, the whole quilt top got totally stretched out and skewed. Probably cutting big pieces on the bias or poor handling - or both. Whatever the case, I had to take the top apart and put it back together again. And, then it was originally supposed to be a LOT bigger, and had wide white borders around it. But, I didn't like that so I took them off and used them for the back (thus, the pieced backing). Long story short, I had a major case of the "I'm so sick of looking at this quilt, it was supposed to be easy and because I don't know what I'm really doing it has become a major pain-in-the-you know what". At the end of it all, I honestly couldn't decide if I liked it at all. (By the way, I think I have a complex, because I totally do this same thing with cooking...if I smell something for too long or it becomes much more complicated than I anticipated, I inevitably loathe it...weird, I know.) Anyhow...this quilt grew on me over the holidays, sitting in that corner like a piece of art, just like my kid's artwork hanging on the wall. It fit right in and made me happy. I think I could even make another now!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T22:25:00.001-05:00

Today was about as perfect as a day could be! We did our traditional Christmas Eve hike, we decorated cookies, and we celebrated the true meaning of Christmas!

Maggie sang at church and her picture of the nativity scene that she drew at preschool made the cover of the church bulletin today. We are proud and very blessed parents.

We are enjoying this special time and the company of Mimi and Pepa (Mark's parents). Tomorrow will undoubtedly be magical!

Wishing you and yours a warm and blessed Christmas spent with those you love!

{ One Day at a Time } Cutting it Close

2011-12-22T22:41:00.000-05:00

My Mom knit Christmas stockings for all my brothers and sisters (7 of us!) and all of her grandchildren! That's 23 stockings people! Here are our stockings that she knit all hung up. Aren't they wonderful?

So, a few years ago she got me a kit to knit one for Mark so that we'd all have "matching" knit Christmas stockings. I started last December and actually got quite a bit done, but then put it down until a month or so ago. This stocking knitting is tedious stuff. I have no idea how she sufferred through so many of them. I picked up some new techniques making this, like the colorwork on the santa, which I did completely wrong the first time. And, I've never actually knit a sock or added embellishments.

We laughed a lot over Thanksgiving about how ginormous this thing is! I think I've become a little bit too relaxed of a knitter and my gauge is getting too big. More loot for Mark, I suppose. That is, if I can finish it, um, tomorrow. I still have a couple of letters and the seam to sew up and need to add some "bling" (sequins and such) to it. It will make me happy though to see all those handknit stockings hanging together. Thanks, Mom, for making something so special for all of us!

{ One Day at a Time } Oh Rats

2011-12-21T21:54:00.001-05:00

Joe's new favorite sayings include "Oh, wats (rats)", "Oh Brova (brother)", and "Good Gweef (grief)". Sound familiar? Charlie Brown, anyone? Well, I definitely felt these sentiments today when my peppermint bark flopped. : ( I was so looking forward to this holiday treat after making it last year. But, somehow I managed to screw it up....Oh, Rats!

Today wasn't a total flop though. Mark and the kids helped me a make a couple of batches of thumbprint cookies (my personal fave!). And I made some of Mark's favorites...snowdrop cookies. We will decorate cutout cookies on Christmas Eve!

Ah, well, things just flop every once in a while. I remember the year my Mom asked me to make the corn casserole for Christmas dinner and I forgot to add cornbread mix and what we ended up with was something like corn soup. Easiest. casserole. ever. We still laugh about that. So it goes!

{ One Day at a Time } Finally Family Time

2011-12-19T23:53:00.002-05:00

It's finally here!! After a month of craziness, I'm ready to slow down, just hang and be a family. The never-ending birthday festivities are done, the great five year old room remodel is done (well, sort of - more on that larer), most of the shopping (and wrapping!) are done, two handknit gifts for unsuspecting people are done, and I gave up on Christmas cards about a week ago! So what's left?

Well, hopefully some more walks like this:

Where we discover reindeer prints.

Probably a trip to the movies (Muppets for sure!!). Some cookie baking. Definitely some peppermint bark making, although peppermint hot fudge sauce is also calling my name. Some what-shall-we pig out on Christmas Day meal planning. Hopefully some baby holding (yes, that's our new niece little Riley). Just a little bit more decorating. While singing, of course. And, lots of togetherness like this. And for the record, this is the closest we got to a Christmas card photo.

Five

2011-12-14T21:04:00.002-05:00

I got to spend some unexpected extra time with you these days leading up to your 5th birthday. And, you leaned on me a bit more than usual since you were sick. I took notice of those pieces of you that are inherently you, and those bits of you that are new. Mostly, I think that you are a happier girl each and every day. You have always loved growing up, thinking and talking about the next big thing. You couldn't have been happier to turn 5 today, and we couldn't be happier to have you as our daughter. Love, love, love you sweet Maggie Lowe!

{ One Day at a Time } Swooning and other Stuff

2011-12-06T18:17:00.001-05:00

Oops...missed a couple of days here. It's okay though because I was busy sleeping and eating fried chicken and honey with some girlfriends. All good things!

Just a quick post today to show what's been keeping us busy. I've been working on some giant, GIANT pillows for Maggie's bedroom (which is getting a major surprise updo for her birthday next week!). They are based on the Swoon quilt pattern. I knew I couldn't pull off an entire quilt, so I decided to do pillows. I kinda love them!

The kids and I had Glitterfest 2011 here on Tuesday. I cut shapes out of felt and the kids painted them with glue and doused them with glitter! Simple fun, and very messy!

Some people liked more glitter than others....and did not want you to say one word about it!

Later that night "Mr Elf" found all the glitter pieces and hung them on a garland. Such a clever little guy, that elf!

And now the sickies are entering our house. : ( My little Joe-man has an awful cough and cold. Lots of down-time and snuggles and 1960s Spiderman shows. More opportunity to sit and reflect, I suppose!

{ One Day at a Time } A Laugh

2011-12-04T21:27:00.001-05:00

So, in all honesty, I haven't done a good job of "taking time to reflect" these past few days. Life, beyond the holidays, has been a whirlwind. But, I did have a REALLY good laugh just now when, out of part desperation and part curiosity, I Google-d "gifts for parents". I couldn't help but look at this list that someone made on Amazon for their "retired parents"...it includes "The Clapper" and a giant remote control, but the thing that really got me laughing was the waterproof mattress pad. And, the comments by the list-maker are quite amusing as well, albeit a bit harsh.

Now, having laughed really hard at something that perhaps was only funny to me, I think I want to reflect and laugh some more.

{ One Day at a Time } A Walk in the Woods...

2011-12-03T22:25:00.001-05:00

When life seems crazy and your 3 year old is going through a "Daddy phase", go for a walk in the woods to pick up pine cones. And try your hardest to listen to and understand every word he says. You'll both be glad you did.

December { One Day at a Time }

2011-12-02T19:16:00.001-05:00

I walked into Target on Tuesday to get one thing, and I experienced a scene of people, chaos, and lines that made my heart start pumping. It was, apparently, the holiday lunchtime madness. After picking up that one thing, I found myself in the toy aisles scouring for ideas, feeling suddenly panicked that we had not purchased one gift yet. Then I paused and remembered that it was still November...still November! This year, more than ever, I feel the need to pause and reflect each day during this busy holiday season. So, I've decided to try to spend some time here every day this month, reflecting on each day.

Today we put up the tree and decorated. This tree came home with us from West Jefferson, where we spent a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family. Decorating the Christmas tree is such a nostalgic experience each and every year. Undoubtedly, we all found comfort today in picking up an ornament and recalling the past.

Sewn for a Baby to Be

2011-11-13T20:09:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned Riley here before...she is our new niece that should be here any...day...now (tick-tock, tick-tock). : ) All of us...Maggie, Joe and Mark included, absolutely can't wait to meet her! We already talk about her like we've known her forever. I can't begin to imagine how excited her parents, Mark's brother Scott and his wife Christen are.

Christen asked me a while back to make a pillow for Riley's room and I was so excited. I was even more excited when she told me she wanted to use this Square Dance panel, from the Little Folks collection, for her cribskirt (which her Mom made - it's beautiful!). This is my probably my all-time favorite fabric collection and one that I've been collecting since I first started sewing. I have used it quite a bit, on all kinds of projects, and think it's awesome to work with.

Christen gave me full reign over the pillow design, so I decided to do a dresden plate. It has a girlish and vintage appeal to me and I knew that something with these characteristics would fit well in Riley's new space. I had never sewn a dresden plate before and was surprised by how easy and fun it was! I just happened to find this little crocheted doily piece to use for the middle. I picked up a little stack of them at Suzanna's Antiques (one of Christen and Scott's favorite shops).

The quilting was so fun. Although it was a smaller project, it was probably the most enjoyable quilting experience I've had thus far. I just quilted around each plate/petal (whatever they're called) and then echoed it on the background linen (essex linen in sand) a couple of times. The piping is another detail that I love, as it frames the whole thing and gives it some pop.

The back was done with a super soft Folksy Flannel print and has an envelope closure with a little scrappy detail.

I'm happy Christen (and Scott) will have a nice comfy cushion for those precious moments rocking and holding baby Riley. And I remember so well those late winter nights up with my baby Maggie, and covering up with a warm blanket that a neighbor made us. So, along with the pillow I made a quilt for them (and Riley). It's just a simple patchwork quilt made with 4" sqaures, again from the Little Folks collection. I didn't measure it but it must be about 35" x 42".

I quilted it in a loopy meandering pattern. I intentionally quilted it densely, thinking that it would make it more sturdy. It does take away from the softness of the quilt, but not too much. I used the same Folksy flannel print on the back as used on the pillow.

I bound it in a solid pink voile. The very day that I finished the quilting and was planning to bind it, Rachel at Stitched in Color posted this clever zig-zag binding tutorial, so I decided to give it a try. It was super fast and easy and I think it fits this quilt perfectly. There were a couple of tiny spots where I didn't catch the binding on the back, but I just went back over them.

The kids and I took these goodies to Christen one day last week. She looks amazing!!! And, Riley's room looks so perfect...so much like them...filled with handmade things from people that love them, vintage pieces, tons of books, cherished toys, and amazing pictures and little details all over the place. I was so happy to contribute something to this space. Can't wait to meet you Riley!!!

During Quiet Time

2011-11-09T22:29:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday mornings, I have 4 hours all to myself while the kids are at school and "munch bunch". It is really the only consistent quiet time I have during the week. I like to spend it doing the things I love the most...Listening to music, sewing, taking time to drink a cup of tea and make a yummy lunch. I am definitely someone who needs a bit of my own quiet time, but I'm not very good at doing nothing. Sometimes I have an agenda and sometimes I just fiddle around all morning. Music really brings it all together for me...like this song this one that were part of the background of this morning. The rest of it went something like this...

Sunday Reflections

2011-11-06T22:06:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, I took some time to look back through my blog posts from the last couple of years. So many things came clear to me...but the bottom line is I love blogging. It is so rewarding to have those bits and pieces of life on record. I was struck by how different aspects of life play on each other and how seasons shape our lives. Some of my favorite blog posts were totally random but a good solid frame of reference made them totally significant. My "Sunday Reflections" posts were often like that, so I decided to try to start getting back into the swing of them.

Today we fell back, ushering in shorter and eventually colder days. I happen to like this shift, at least for a little while. I think it slows us down a bit. But, it definitely makes for a small window of time to get outside with the kids in the afternoons. So, last week I did my best to get us all out as much as possible. There was some swinging (and hand-holding) and some park trips. Maggie made a friend one day and promptly taught her how to gallop around the park (on Bullseye the horse, of course). Straight-up running is so overrated to her. ;-)

The kids and I also went to our favorite museum one afternoon and said Hello to all of our favorite animals. Joe is getting more and more interested in dinosaurs. He loves to go up to every sign and ask me the name of each dinosaur. Then he repeats it, and gives me a look like "if you know what's good for you, don't laugh or even smile at the way I pronounced that word". He insists a T-rex is just "T-rex"...no tyrannosaurus nothing, Mommy. And, right now, I don't argue with that kid.

It was a perfect Fall day, the museum was very quiet, and we enjoyed feeling like we had it all to ourselves!

Saturday, we met with a bunch of friends (my Mom friends from Maggie's old preschool) at a park for a family field day. It was soooooo fun! Potato sack races, tug of war, mummy wraps, bean bag toss, food, friends... All of the kids had a blast!

We started talking tonight at dinner about thankfulness. I put a bowl on the table and told the kids we could all write down or draw things we feel thankful for and stick them in the bowl. It sparked all kinds of interest. They are decidedly thankful for our cats, Lewis and Clark, although I don't think the feeling is mutual. : ) I'm thankful for those long, beautiful Fall days we had last week and for the time I spent recalling and writing about them here.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:10:00.001-04:00

It's a wet one out there! Fortunately the kids didn't seem to notice. And, they've had a multitude of Halloween events this weekend to make one rainy trick-or-treating night seem like no big deal. This year the theme was rotating costumes for different events (sigh). But, these, which they wore to a friend's party last night were my favorite! Batgirl and Spiderman, of course.

Mark discovered a new talent - face painting! He did such a great job! We also dressed up for the first time in YEARS. It was an idea I had at the last minute, thus the costumes suffered a bit. But, I think we did a decent job. We went as two members from Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem band...

Anyone get it? Anyone?....Anyone?....You know, these guys...

It was fun pulling it all together, and I think Mark looked pretty great, even sans saxophone. I think I needed a mask to pull off Janice (or a facelift!). But, it was fun anyway! Happy Halloween!!

Some things that made my day...

2011-10-08T22:51:00.001-04:00

:: Farmer's Market + Fall Goodies!

:: Ladybug Screams = Silly, Scary Halloween Faces

:: Lunch, Outside at Lilly's Pizza

:: Perfect Fall Sunshine...

:: The return of my sewing machine + learning to paper piece + becoming a Farmer's Wife again!

:: Campfire night + smores!

This day couldn't have been much better....

Knitting Fever

2011-10-05T22:32:00.002-04:00

Maybe it's because my sewing machine is in the shop getting a tune-up, or maybe it's the onset of Fall....but I've been knitting like crazy! It helps that I have a fabulous yarn store about 5 minutes from my house. And, a recent class I've started there has opened up my mind to the possibility of designing knits....more on that below.

First, a recent finish....a Honey Cowl in Malabrigo Rios. This was my first time using Malabrigo yarn and it was wonderful. I did an "in between" size that only used 1 skein of yarn and ended up about 7" wide. I finished this cowl just in time for our cold camping trip, and wore it all weekend! It's just long enough to double up. (Ravelry link here)

Next, I pulled a couple of yarns from my stash and started this Big Lace Scarf from "More Last Minute Knitted Gifts".   I'm using Cascade 220 wool and a mohair and the combo is giving it a little Halloween-ish feel. I like it! (Ravelry link here)

This is the project that has me excited, though! On Sunday, I started a 2-part knitting class to learn how to design my own fingerless gloves. I had some definite lightbulbs going off in my head during this class. It immediately opened up my mind to the possibility of designing knitted items. I chose this superwash Minnow Merino yarn. I've been loving purple lately (or else Maggie is rubbing off on me) so I picked this lovely deep shade. The top of the glove is a horseshoe lace pattern, and the rest is ribbed. At the next class, we'll learn to add the thumb gusset and finish them off. I can't wait! (Ravelry link here)

I have a few other things in my knitting basket, but they aren't quite as enticing as these fun Fall knits.

We went, we camped, we froze...

2011-10-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

...aaaaand we came home early. But it was the best, cold, windy, beautiful, reminiscent, perfect family trip we've had all year. We've been trying all year to get away - just us, as a family. Every trip we planned was canceled or postponed for one reason or another. It's been a bit frustrating to say the least. This weekend seemed like our last good opportunity to go camping this year, so we jumped on it.

We went to Rocky Knob Campground, Virginia, a place Mark and I fell in love with years ago. While the weather was not so reminiscent, the setting definitely was. Colorful and crunchy leaves were all around. The campground was empty and we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. And without intending to, we picked the exact same camping spot we picked 6 years ago!

As a family, we hiked the beginnings of the hike we'd done on our earlier visits to Rocky Knob, up the hillside across the parkway from our campground. We promised the kids they'd see some cows on this hillside, and we didn't disappoint.

It was very windy and cold. The clouds kept darkening, but it didn't dim this little girl's spirits.

Thankfully we made it to "our tree"....a tree Mark and I (and Dulcie!) sat by years ago to take pictures and take a break. I love this spot so much, Mark gave me a framed picture of it years ago. And here we are again, two kids later. : )

After our hike, we got smart and hopped in our car (with heat) and headed to Floyd, Virginia. We ate lunch at the Floyd Country Store. I had heard and read about this place - the music, the culture, the Friday Night Jamborees. It was such a cool place, and so charming! We got there just in time for their Saturday afternoon Americana music.

The kids seemed to enjoy being there...

There may have been a bit of bribing...

After our visit to Floyd, we stopped at Mabry Mill and then headed back to the campsite. The kids played in the tent for a while and I took a nap (one of my favorite things to do when camping!). The kids were so disappointed when we told them we were heading home early. It makes me happy to think they love camping that much! Every time we go with them gets a little easier and a little more adventurous.

My First Quilt

2011-09-22T21:09:00.001-04:00

Recently, I shared my first quilt at the Triangle Modern Quilt Guild meeting. And, it occurred to me that I never shared that quilt here. I basically taught myself how to quilt, and I'm pretty proud of that. But, I have to credit my Mom for planting the seed. She convinced me a few years ago that we could sew a quilt top for my sister, when she had cancer. I barely knew how to sew, but she cut all the fabric, gave me the pattern, and explained to me how to piece it all together. We did it - we made the top and a friend of my Mom's quilted it for us. It was a lap size attic windows quilt using some large-scale chicken prints (my sister lives on a farm). We gave it to her when she was through with treatment and cancer free!

Somewhere in the midst of piecing that top, I needed a little help (and maybe some inspiration), so I went to the web, and stumbled across some modern quilt blogs. That was it for me. I knew I wanted to make my own quilts.

It took a couple of years to pull off my own first quilt, though. I started this quilt a little over a year ago, cutting the fabric while I was waiting to buy a new sewing machine - one that I could make quilts with (go figure...). I finished this quilt in May. It took me a loooong time to put it together, partly because I had a million little things I wanted to make once I got my new machine and partly because I just couldn't get the nerve up to start doing it. I'm so glad that I did it! I I love, love, love this quilt!

It is FAR from perfect. There are plenty of points that don't line up, the quilting stitches are way irregular, and then there are these little jagged spots in the quilting where I started and stopped the free motion quilting. I specifically wanted a larger meandering pattern as opposed to dense stippling on this quilt. And, I thought it would be easier for me, since I wouldn't have to move around as much. Yeah, not so much. It was still pretty tough.

I'm on my third quilt now and quilting continues to challenge me. I think that's a big part of why I like it though. I also love the way a quilt brightens and changes an entire room, just sitting on a couch or a chair with all of its imperfections. And, then there's the sentiment behind quilts. I recently went to my sister's house and saw the quilt we made hanging on her wall above her couch. Either she really, really loves giant chickens on her wall or she finds comfort in the sentiment behind this quilt. Or perhaps both.

Remembering

2011-09-11T22:11:00.000-04:00

I'd been planning to write a blog post to catch up on the end of our summer, but every time I sat down to write it I couldn't gather my thoughts. We had fun these last few weeks of Summer. We checked some things off of our summer list, like going down to the Eno River to splash and picnic one day, and going to a Durham Bulls baseball game. I just couldn't recall those events enough to really write about them. I can recall my general mood in August. I can recall feeling hot and bored at times with those things we'd been doing all. summer. long. I can recall feeling anxious that both of the kids were getting ready to start at a new preschool...Joe for his first time. I can recall feeling excited for Fall.

It's funny how a whole month passed and I am having trouble conjuring up concrete memories. But, so many of us can recall in great detail the morning of Sept 11, 2001. I was 24 and engaged to Mark. We lived in an apartment together. I was a newish engineer in my first job out of graduate school. My boss came down the hall and knocked on my door mid-morning and told me an airplane had hit one of the twin towers. I was shocked, but admittedly unsure how to react. Do I get up and gather with everyone else or do I sit here and keep working? What exactly is going on? I couldn't comprehend. I can remember very clearly the expression on his face, one of fear and horror. He walked away but to turn around seconds later and say something like "you should get up and come in here to see this with the rest of us". And, so, we all huddled around a small static filled TV watching it all unfold. Some of my colleagues discussed whether the towers would collapse and the thought of it made my stomach turn. That night I found myself alone in our apartment, as Mark was in class. I sat on the couch and watched and wept. I recall a flood of emotions...disbelief, overwhelming sympathy for those lost, fear and admiration for the heros. I also remember thinking a lot about what the future would be like. How would it change us? How would it shape the fate of our unborn children?

And here we are ten years later. So much has changed. Our lives are bigger and greater in ways that I never could've imagined! I think I will always be able to recall that day in great detail and I will always mourn for those who lost and are still suffering. But now I know, without a doubt, that there is SO much good in this world!

A Plea...

2011-07-21T21:45:00.001-04:00

Maggie was getting pretty antsy for her fairies to visit her garden again. As the lady in charge I have to space out their visits. So, Mark and I've been encouraging her to make something for them or send them some kind of message to let them know how much she's missed them. She couldn't quite figure out how to do that, so earlier this week, I helped her out. She got these window crayons from a friend for her birthday, and I was saving them for the right time. Turns out the right time is right before we're having our house powerwashed and painted (good thing too, because those things stain!).

Anyway, we started with a message..."Dear Petunia and Marigold, Thank you so much for bringing those notes. Please come back soon. I miss you both! Love, MaggieJoe".

I love how she signs everything "MaggieJoe" and that her J's look like C's. So cute! Almost as cute as the smiling moon she drew just above the name.

Joe got involved too. They are more and less his fairies too. : )

And, Maggie drew the cutest self portrait.

It might not surprise you to hear that the fairies came that very night and left Maggie a letter! She had to turn around three times and say "I Believe" and she didn't hesitate for a second. She and Joe also worked hard on building a birds nest for a little egg the fairies left.

Ironically enough, the day after we colored our whole window for two little garden fairies...we had a conversation about another fairy. The kind that will come when a certain little girl loses those TWO wiggly teeth!!! I remember when she was not quite 4 months old and those little teeth popped in...it should not surprise us so much that they are starting to wiggle...they've done their duty. But, we just wish she would stop growing up so fast!

To Joe: On the Eve of the Eve of your 3rd Birthday...

2011-07-07T22:08:00.000-04:00

We had a special afternoon together, and I cherished it as one of your last days of being just 2. We were just on our way home from dropping Maggie off at a friend's for a playdate and you fell asleep in the car. As I carried you to your bed, you laid that big ole head of yours so sweetly in the nook of my shoulder and slumped into me. I could swear when you do this that you are still a baby. You do not usually wake up while I'm trying to lay you down, but today you did. You quickly popped up and asked me to play with you. You wanted to play with your "guys" (your little Toy Story figurines that you love the most).

We played for a bit and then I asked you if you wanted to help me make pasta sauce. Stir the "soup"...yes, yes! We went to the yard and I let you cut some basil and parsley. When we got inside you sat so sweet and still on the counter picking the leaves off the herbs for me. Happily working away, content to just be involved.

And since you worked so hard, I let you spin the salad spinner. You find delight in silly things like this. "I do dat again, Mama?" you asked, over and over again.

And as a treat for that, I gave you the last little cupcake leftover from your party with friends the day before. I put a candle in it and we sang Happy Birthday together. For you. Even though your birthday is still a couple of days away. You asked me if you could blow out your candle all by yourself. You betcha!

I think you relished in the fact that it was just you and I having this little impromptu celebration. And so did I.

And in your typical fashion, you left a huge mess of crumbs...from a two-bite cupcake.

It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon with you and celebrate the last of your 2-hood. You are so sweet and charming. You take your time and think about things before jumping right in. And, as long as you can help, you don't really seem to mind what it involves. As we were on our way out the door to pick up Maggie, I accidentally bumped you, knocked you over, and caused you to hit your head on the wall. I expected a flood of tears and drama, but you snuffled a bit, looked up at me and said very innocently "Mama, you got to watch out for me, k?". You bet I will, bud....forever and ever.

Distracted by cuteness...

2011-06-26T20:59:00.000-04:00

These are definitely the cutest thing I've ever sewn! And they were a welcome distraction from a couple of other big sewing projects I've been working on. They were made for a sweet little girl who has not yet made her entrance to this wonderful world. Baby Riley is going to be so loved by so many!

Riley is going to love doggies, because her parents do! So when I saw this cute print from Sherbet Pips, I knew it would be perfect for her.

The pattern is "Quick Change Trousers" from "Handmade Beginnings", by Anna Maria Horner. By the way, I love that word, "trousers". It always makes me giggle. Anyway, they are fully reversible (yay!) and came together really quickly.

The details are what I love most about these pants - the back yoke that goes over the little baby's bum and the cuffs. So sweet and so fun to sew!

We can't wait to meet you Riley!!!

Dad...

2011-06-18T21:44:00.002-04:00

It's your turn!!!

You may be wondering why I started your Father's Day tribute post with a picture of a snowy gravel road. Any idea where this is? It's that road you told Mark and I about that begins in no-mans-land Idaho and ends in West Yellowstone, Wyoming. It is, quite possibly, the most memorable road I've ever driven on. When I saw this picture, I thought about how we share a love for places like this road, and Tofino, and amazing sights like the full harvest moon rising over the ocean.

You have a way of telling stories of places and things. I love your stories of college in Idaho, or traveling around the country as a boy scout, summers with your Grandparents, and so many more. I have to admit, the lecture on "Terephthalic Radicals" at Pizza Hut was a just a bit over my head.

I love that you are a calm, laid back person, but you still have a child-like silly side - yes, you do! Let me be more specific...How about when we were little and you would give us those long squeeky kisses on our cheeks when you would get home from work? Or, the way you make a big entrance when you come out of your bedroom in the morning when the kids are visiting? The occasional tap dancing? Picking up every Christmas gift and announcing "It's a bowling ball!" And, there once was this grandfather who dressed up as a wizard and sat on the beach, all for the pleasure of his grandchildren.

I've always felt pretty lucky that my Dad looks like Harrison Ford! : )

This picture has sat on my bedside table for as long as I can remember. It was taken when we went to watch Pam in a sailing race at ~~Jordan~~ (whoops, not Jordan!) Kerr Lake (by a newspaper photographer and it made the paper). I remember sailing the catamaran around with you that day. It was pretty windy and rough on the lake and we had to tuck our legs under the straps on the boat and lean back off the boat. Later on we sat out on this point by the tree and watched the race. I don't know why, but this picture has always been very special to me. I like to think that it keeps me grounded.

So thanks Dad...for telling me about that road, for being calm and silly all at the same time, for taking me places, and teaching me things. Here's to you! Happy Father's Day!

Recently...

2011-06-11T14:57:00.000-04:00

: : We've been really busy.
: : It's been way too hot for early June.
: : The weather has been my excuse for everything...feeling overly tired, needing lots of cold adult beverages.
: : The real reason for the above is more than likely that my children are exhausting me.
: : They are both VERY chatty these days. And wild.
: : This one is a ham.

: : That's my polite way of saying that his personality is blossoming.

: : He probably accounts for about 80% of that fatigue and 95% of the cold adult beverages.

: : On the plus side he does a fabulous rendition of the Swedish Chef on The Muppets.
: : My kids are obsesssed with The Muppets right now.
: : I'm ignoring the fact that some of the material on the old shows is completely inappropriate for an almost 3 and 4 yr-old, because it's waaaaaay more entertaining than modern day kids shows.
: : And, the Swedish Chef was always one of my favorites too.
: : I've become obsessed with two new things: Justin's Chocolate Almond Butter and Dry Shampoo.
: : And, I have been listening to Ryan Bingham nonstop.
: : The hydrangeas in our yard have been making me smile.

: : Maggie's fairy garden looks amazing too.
: : Unfortunately, she has been coming into our room at 6 am every morning to say (in one of those voices where she is trying really hard to whisper but it is actually louder than talking quietly)..."MOMMY, LET'S GO SEE IF THE FAIRIES CAME LAST NIGHT!".
: : I finished my two blocks this week for the Farmer's Wife Quilt...4 blocks done, 107 to go!
: : My blocks are all over the map in terms of color.
: : I decided from the beginning that I was going to just go with whatever colors inspired me at that moment and focus on individual blocks as opposed to the whole quilt.
: : It felt very liberating to have this attitude about this endeavor.

: : Then, I got the book in the mail and noticed that all of the blocks in the finished quilt are set on point (duh!).

: : Ack, I did not design my first two blocks (here and here). to be set on point.

: : But, it's all good, because of my aforementioned "liberating attitude" about things.

: : But, darn, I really prefer the way a lot of the blocks in the book look on point as opposed to straight. Ugh...you know where this is going.

: : If I'm going to make 111 of these, I definitely want to piece them consistently so that they can all be placed on point.

: : Who cares if the colors are all over the map....(ahem).

: : Off to fix my first two blocks.
: : Happy Weekend, friends! : )

The Farmer's Wife Quilt

2011-06-04T20:15:00.000-04:00

A couple of fantastic quilters whose blogs I love to read have started a quilt-a-long to make The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt...and I've decided to play along. The quilt is inspired by letters written by farmer's wives in the 1920s in response to this question (posed by The Farmer's Wife Magazine):

"If you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experience, have her marry a farmer?"

The quilt itself is made up of 111 - 6" blocks! Instructions and templates are given in this book, along with the stories themselves, which I imagine are going to be as entertaining and enlightening as making the quilt. This is going to be a nice slow-paced quilt-a-long...2 blocks per week.

This is the first time I've done a quilt-a-long and I'm very excited! I'm pretty new to this world of virtually sewing with others...I've never done a swap or a bee. I literally just finished my first quilt about a month ago (and still need to blog about it)! I'm pretty picky about what I "sign myself up for", but this QAL is so unique. I love that every block is different and hope this will help me with my cutting and piecing skills. I love the tradition of the quilt, even though I plan to make it with modern fabrics.

I already made the first two blocks!! From the start, I decided I wanted to challenge myself to be bold with my fabric choices for the blocks and not to think too much how all of these 111 blocks are going to look together in one big quilt at the end. I might regret the latter, but we'll see.

This is #23, the Contrary Wife block.

And Block #2, Autumn Tints.

And there are tons of other fantastic blocks made by others over in the flickr group. Only 109 more to go...phew!

"All it takes..."

2011-06-02T14:19:00.001-04:00

"...is faith and trust. But the thing that's a positive must. Is a little bit of pixie dust..."

Do you believe in fairies? We do, oh, yes, we most certainly do! Two fairies in particular...Petunia and Marigold. They discovered this lovely little garden that resides on our deck last weekend.

Nana says the first thing the fairies need is a house. A nice mossy little cottage covered with pebbles.

Then some flowers, of course.

A nice little fence to keep things in their place.

Some stones to walk on and a little pool (shell) to bathe in.

Someone small to tend to the garden. And someone wise (that lady above) to give the Mom (me) fairy letters and treasures to be put out! Petunia and Marigold came right away to their new abode and left behind some goodies for the "tender" and her little brother. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it was almost as magical as Christmas morning. And, while at the moment they can't seem to come back quick enough, we look forward to many more visits from them!

Thanks Nana for teaching us all to believe!

When we stayed home...

2011-05-23T22:39:00.000-04:00

...we picked the first of our small garden's bright red strawberries.

...and ate them on the spot.

...we had good friends over for a cookout and campfire and whiled away the evening hours listening to four little kids play a spirited game of hide and seek in the backyard.
...we listened to our little cherub, Mags, sing her heart out at church once again.
...we took time to talk and plan and re-schedule our summer.
...and at least one of us, slipped...

...and slid with delight.

And, we forgot about that vacation we were supposed to be on. And, we all took care of ourselves. And, minus a few minor slip-n-slide injuries, it was perfect.

Two for Two - KCWC Days 3-5

2011-05-13T22:29:00.000-04:00

Yup, I ended up just where I thought I would. Whew,what a week. Two kids with strep...blah! But, two new clothing items sewn...yay! And, Joe got his shorts. They came together ridiculously fast...and sloppily. Thank goodness you can't really see that hem, with all of the madras stitching that was already there. But, they fit and he loves them. And, that's really all that matters right?

And, let's face it...bellies really are cuter than shorts, don't ya think?

I probably won't do much more this weekend. I find myself at the end of this week needing to refocus on other things, like going on a special playdate to the museum with my girl tomorrow and maybe doing a date night in with Mark tomorrow night, since in the midst of this icky week, our 9th wedding anniversary came and went. I'm feeling like Sangria, what about you babes? : )

One for One - KCWC Days 1 & 2

2011-05-10T23:06:00.000-04:00

It's Day 2 of the Kids Clothing Week Challenge, and I have finished one skirt for Maggie. One. But, it's one cute skirt, if I do say so myself. I used the Simple Skirt tutorial over on Made. It really is so simple! I had to laugh when I saw this post where Dana talked about making one in 17 mins - wow! I feel like challenging myself now to see how fast I can make one...without distractions of course!

Anyway, Maggie snubbed her nose at the fabrics when I showed them to her last week, but once put together in this cute comfy skirt, she says she loves it! Score!! Both fabrics are lightweight - a seersucker on the bottom and a super lightweight swiss dot (??) fabric for the top layer. I found both at Joanns...score again! After some debate, and advice from the flickr group, I added the orange bias tape to the hem on the tom layer...so glad I did!

I call Days 1 and 2 in which I made one very simple skirt a total success. Anything to get my girl doing this

and this, is worthwhile. : )

Now, I get a LOT of grief from the boys in this house for not making anything for Joe. The truth is Joe gets loads of hand-me-down clothes and Maggie does not. But, I don't want to hurt my little guy's feelings so tomorrow I'm going to attempt to make some shorts for him. And, if my slow pace continues I might be two for two by the end of this week. We shall see...

Speechless Sunday

2011-05-08T21:57:00.000-04:00

Mom...

2011-05-07T21:41:00.001-04:00

:: Growing up, my friends always thought you were the nicest Mom ever.
:: When I was little I remember asking you if we were rich (not really understanding the term). You always told me we were "rich in love". I love that you taught me that and I will never forget it.
:: Whenever I hear Paul Simon, I think of how you had that picture of Art Garfunkel on our refrigerator because you thought he was "so cute". Hmmm...

:: You are undoubtedly the college basketball goddess. I can't think of another female on this planet that appreciates and knows more about college basketball than you.
:: I almost always forget to ask Mark those questions (usually related to basketball) you tell me to ask him when we're talking on the phone. When I do ask him, he always laughs and says something like "Oh, Penny....". He usually has no idea what I'm asking.
::I always regret that I didn't begin asking you for gardening advice until I was in my late 20s and Mark and I bought our first house.

:: This will be me one day, even though we always picked on you for doing so.

:: I think your paintings are fantastic, and I hope you keep it up!

:: As a teenager, I might've felt a very slight twinge of embarrassment when you would sing in church.

:: That said, I love that you sang anyway, you played music (even Willie), and you encouraged me to make music. Thank you for taking me to every violin lesson, every recital, every concert and camp. I may not play anymore, but it truly changed my life.

:: You make THE best apple pie! : )
:: I thank you for convincing me that together, we could make a quilt for Pam, when she had cancer, even though I could barely sew, and knew nothing about quilts. I loved doing something special for someone else, but I had no idea what it would do for me.

:: I loved having you around when Maggie and Joe were born. You have a calming and confident spirit around babies that I think is amazing. I suppose that's why you had seven. : )

Thanks Mom for all you do! Happy Mother's Day! I hope you enjoyed this little tribute of sorts...you're next Pop! ; )

A Bright Future

2011-04-27T19:53:00.003-04:00

Last week and Easter weekend were a little rough. First the tornado scare, then Mark was sick with strep throat and had a penicillin reaction, Maggie got the stomach bug on the eve of Easter (and didn't make it to sing at church or wear her lovely dress), and my back was completely out of sorts. But, so it goes...I began to feel my momentum shift a little today as I thought about all of the bright things on the horizon.

:: Firstly, May brings vacations!! Yes, 2...aren't we lucky? In just a week, the kids will hopefully be doing some of this. And just two weeks later we'll be heading west for some fresh mountain air. Can't.wait.

:: So, this is fun...I finally got around to joining our local modern quilting guild just in time to see that they are doing a field trip this Sunday to Spoonflower. I had no earthly idea that Spoonflower was right down the road in Durham. What a treat!

:: Speaking of quilting, I FINALLY got around to starting to baste this one...my very first biggish quilt ever....today!!!!! This quilt has been a very long work in progress for me and since I hurt my back I've been waiting for "the right time" when I felt comfortable enough with my back to lay it all out on the floor and baste it. Yeah, that right time isn't coming any time soon. There is no way I can possibly justify getting down on my hands and knees on the floor for an hour, two, whatever to baste this quilt. So, I decided to just baste it on the countertop, and it will work perfectly fine (ahem)! I cannot wait to finish it up!

:: I'm already thinking a little about the Kids Clothes Week Challenge I signed up for over on Elsie Marley. I did this last year...sort of. This little pile will hopefully turn into a few wearable items for the kiddos for summer. I'm thinking of a simple skirt or 2 for Maggie, some shorts for Joe. I have no idea what to do with that knit fabric on the bottom...hmmm.

:: Shifting from sewing to music, we have tickets to see Mumford and Sons in early June. From what we've heard they put on quite the live show!

:: And, as simple as it sounds, I can't wait for strawberries. I have two very capable pickers this year and I plan to put them to work. : ) I even have a small patch growing in our own back yard.

Nothing is better than a bright future, eh?

Feeling Thankful...

2011-04-23T12:05:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to say today, right now, I especially love these three.

Of course, I always love them. But lately, I've been overwhelmed by how patient, kind, and caring they all are. And, I've appreciated the way those little two keep themselves happy with the simplest of activities. I feel so very blessed to have them!

A Dress

2011-04-21T21:04:00.004-04:00

Unlike the unloved pillow, Maggie LOVES the Easter dress I made her! Hooray!!! It began as just a simple skirt, but evolved over a week into this lovely little dress.

I didn't use a pattern, but rather referred to a few I have and sized it off a current dress of Maggie's. Consequently, I made this dress about 3 times over again. I spent most of last Saturday waiting on the storm "stress sewing". But, it was worth it!

It fits her perfectly, not just in size, but in style. It's pretty enough for Easter, but comfy enough for a stroll around the woods...which she's already done. I didn't even iron the darn thing after washing it and before taking these pictures!

The only, slightly glaring, issue with this dress is that it's a bit of a squeeze for her to get on and off. I planned for elastic around the waist, but when I put it in, I just didn't like the look (it was too bulky). So I made the bodice more fitted and just decided to make it work with 3 buttons on the upper back. A longer zippered back or side or more buttons would have been much better, but I didn't plan for that. So, instead I've taught her how to wiggle into and out of it...something that every little girl should learn (ahem).

This was fun and I definitely learned a lot from putting it all together, but I think I'm officially dressed out. Maggie would wear this dress everyday if she could. And, as far as I'm concerned she can!

Sunday Reflections

2011-04-17T21:52:00.008-04:00

It has definitely been a week to reflect on. Yesterday we witnessed some pretty wild weather, with the massive storm system and tornadoes that came through Raleigh. We are so thankful that we are all safe, but our hearts go out to those that did not fare so well.

Although a tornado didn't touch down close to us, there was definitely a point in the storm that we knew we needed to go to a safe spot. So, we huddled down in our crawl space for about 20 minutes during the worst of it. Maggie was really confused about going down there, so I told her it'd be fun and "we'd tell stories". She was so excited she begged me to go down right that minute. Once we got down there, we played that little game where someone starts a story and someone fills in the blank...or, something along those lines. I think the story of "Pierre the prince" who "lived in a kingdom" and rode a "donkey named Lightening" who had two friends, "Lisa the horse" and "Oinky the pig"...will forever remind me of this day. I keep with it in my mind a little picture of us sitting under the house...huddled all together.

A very different type of memory for sure than this beautiful morning I spent with the kids down at the lake just two days earlier. It was so quiet and relaxing and it felt almost surreal at moments. Like when I began to notice that there were butterflies everywhere...as in 20 or 30 of them flitting around us.

And the enthusiasm of the kids running down the trail to get there, laying their "friends" on the tree to watch as they played in the sand.

And searching for sparkly rocks.

Climbing trees...

And reflecting a bit.

But for some reason what I remember most about this day is another story. When we were walking back up the trail to the car, I said "see ya later lake..." which sparked a slew of bye byes from the kids...."bye bye butterflies", "bye bye birds". Then, there was a long pause and I noticed Joe had stopped and was staring back at the lake. Then he said "bye bye sticks". It was so cute and so like Joe.

Here's to a new week of stories....

On Kids and Pillows and a Contest...

2011-04-11T17:49:00.005-04:00

Today was kind of a blah start to the week. I woke up with sciatica pain again, after feeling a little better last week (sigh). That leads to a fairly low key day in which my brain goes a hundred miles an hour about a million things that I really can't deal with. I find myself looking down at the parts of my life and days that require bending and grumbling about them. And because I'm neurotic and can't let them go, I pick at them bit by bit...which is at least doing my mind some good. Twenty minutes of weeding in the garden is better than nothing. Then I lay on the heating pad for a while and try to write a nice composed blog post, but since my brain isn't working, it ends up something like this...

Joe is still sleeping on his chair every night.
He says he's "scared" in his bed.
There are a lot of jokes about the fact that he started sleeping in the chair the very day I introduced to him a "very special pillow" I made for his bed.
I'm not gonna lie, he hasn't exactly warmed up to the pillow.
But, scary...a pillow???
What do you think??? Don't answer that...

It says "fly" because his room is full of airplane-y kinda things.
Maybe he is taking this literally and "flying" to the floor or the chair at bedtime
Earth to Laurel, he's just 2 1/2.
I also made Maggie a pillow and she does not like it one bit.
I know because she said "I don't like it" and made this face when I gave it to her.

I admit, this scene was re-enacted.
It went something like, "make your sassafras face, the one you made when Mommy gave you the pillow".
She is sweet as can be, but she knows what she likes and what she doesn't, and she makes it clear...often by poking out her lips like that.
She is so much like me, sometimes I think she is me.
I stole that line from an episode of Parenthood.
I wish it were Tuesday so I could watch a new episode. One of my favorite, relaxing parts of the week are Tuesday nights of Parenthood, with a glass of wine and a knitting project.
Anyway, back to Maggie's pillow...Since I know you're dying to see the pillow that invoked the pokey-lipped response, here it is...

I ordered that little ballerina fabric at the last minute because she was into ballet at the time and I just knew she'd love the little dancers.
She strongly dislikes the color red, which is the color of one of the little ballet girly's skirt.
Good gravy...
Before I forget to give credit where credit is due, I shamelessly copied these pillows when making Maggie's....well, more or less. Among other things, Anna makes lots of fantastic pillows.
Anyway, Joe's pillow was my own creative endeavor...so much for that!
Did I mention there is a pillow party going on right now?

Rachel, of Sitched in Color, is hosting this fun monthly contest.
There are SO MANY FANTASTIC PILLOWS...go check them out!
I am entering Joe's fly pillow.
Here's hoping it gets better reception!
I've been planning on making each of them quilts, but I think I'll hold off for a bit.

Even after all of the work involved, the whole pillow conundrum has given us a lot of laughs.
That's a good thing.
I feel better now.

Pillow details: Both pillows are standard size (20" x 26") with an envelope closure on the back. I appliqued the "fly" letters on the center panel of Joe's pillow, then quilted concentric rectangles around the panel. Maggie's pillow has straight line quilting slightly offset and on both sides of the patchwork seams.

The table needed a little something...

2011-04-07T14:57:00.003-04:00

to brighten it up a bit! So, I made these...

I had the idea a while back when I was working on my first quilt (yet to be finished...but soon!!). The quilt starts with 9-patches. We have some round placemats from Kohls that I love, so I had the idea to cut a circle from the 9-patch and make patchwork placemats. They are done with fabrics from Denyse Shcmidt's Hope Valley line, which coordinate really well with our new and improved kitchen! I admit I didn't love this fabric line when I first bought some prints from it a year or so ago, but now all of a sudden I love it!

I quilted them with straight lines on a diagonal at 1" intervals. I was pretty intimidated about sewing the circular binding on, but it was no big deal at all.

The backs are Kona Coal, perfect for spaghetti night. : )

For what feels like forever now, I've been testing myself with smaller quilting projects...potholders, pillows, and now these. I think I'm ready to take on a real quilt now...I think...

Our Home : : The Kitchen

2011-04-05T20:15:00.005-04:00

Would you like to take a tour of our new kitchen?? Oh, good, I thought so. This new and improved kitchen has been a year in the works. There are several things I love about this kitchen:

It's bright and cheery...we really went out on a limb painting our cabinets a bright robin's egg blue and our walls a cheery yellow...and we're so glad we did!
It has some very special pieces that have been handed down from both Mark's and my families.
The floors are grey, the countertops are grey. OUR CATS ARE GREY! Those fur balls that they deposit throughout our house - can't see em! You have no idea how happy this makes me.

So, here is the most lighted view I can get in our house (which isn't much). The table was Mark's parents' dining room table. I'm sure I ate at this table the first time I went to visit Mark's home in NJ. And now his parents eat at it with us when they come to visit - pretty neat! It was passed down to his brother and wife and then to us. It is perfect for us! It fits well, it's really great for kids and artwork and huge messes, and equally great for memorable meals. I will admit, we're talking about painting it (or part of it) white. It is a little dark with the darker floors, but we are definitely keeping it around for a while.

The floors are cork tile. They are really groovy (and were apparently big in the 70s). I think I came across them when I was browsing "green kitchens". They look like tile, but they're soft and textured, and eco-friendly.

Here's a decent closeup:

I get so many comments on these kitchen chairs. I recovered them with an oilcloth fabric by my favorite quilting fabric designer Anna Maria Horner. The fabric is from her Little Folks line and I have bits of it scattered throughout our house...in curtains, bags, baskets, soon-to-be Easter dress (maybe...), and hopeful quilts. In fact, our paint colors were mostly derived from this line of fabric. Anyway, back to the oilcloth...it is AWESOME! Why, you ask? Wipe-able kitchen chairs. Even Sloppy Joe's messes can be cleaned up. And, of course Lewis approves.

This is a nice little side work/storage area. Both the butcher block island and shelf are from Ikea.

It has all the obvious kitchen-y things and then a few nostalgic pieces. That clock is our "Mountain Moose Coffee" clock Mark and I bought on our trip out west when we visited Jackson Hole. It reminds us of the great adventures we had on that trip.

This is our cookie jar. Duh....Were it not for its history, I would have nothing to do with this piece in our kitchen. It was our cookie jar when I was a kid. Knowing my family, it was often full and quickly emptied. When my parents moved out of their house and downsized, they had a "giveaway" (or 2) to pass along things of theirs they didn't really have room for. This was one of those "someone HAS to take the cookie jar" acquires. I love that he has joined our kitchen.

Just down from the cookie guy, is another piece of history. This one, I adore. This is a spice rack built by my grandfather (I think, ack?!) and embroidered by my grandmother. The embroidered part opens up to more spices. At some point in the process of painting our kitchen and cabinets, I had a random vision of this spice rack hanging on our wall. I knew the colors would match perfectly, and they do. I called my Mom on the phone, assuming it had been passed along already and she said she had just seen it days earlier. And so it became ours...

Being a crafty person now, I'm often amazed at the detail of the embroidery and I stand and stare at it. Another reason why I love handmade.

This is where I hang most of the time. I made the cafe curtain over the kitchen sink with some fabrics from the Little Folks line.

I have to say, this kitchen of ours is a much improved place to hang. It is comfier on my feet, easier on the eyes, and finally done! And, Joe's little toes approve of it too.

He can be pretty creative too...

2011-04-01T20:10:00.003-04:00

I didn't mean to dis my sweet little boy by referring to his sister as the creative one. He's creative alright. Just take his new sleeping style. Every night this past week has been the same. We tuck him into his bed, turn out the light and say Goodnight. A few minutes we hear the thump, thump, thump of him wandering around his room trying to find just the right spot...to take a rest. It has become one of our favorite parts of the evening to wander upstairs and see what spot he's chosen and whether he decided to leave his pajamas on or off. Last night it was right by the door and clothed...

Cute, huh?

And he was holding onto "pidaman" for dear life.

Such a sweet, sweet boy. And, fortunately one of those kids you could practically drag by the ear to bed and he wouldn't budge an eye. Of course, my favorite part is picking his limp self up and putting him safely back in his cozy bed...often wanting to pause for a few and sit and rock him, pretending he's not just 3 months shy of turning 3. He's my snugglebug, no doubt.

And he's not just creative at bedtime...

My Creative One...

2011-03-23T14:24:00.006-04:00

Mark and I have been blown away by Maggie's artwork recently. Not just the art itself, but the stories that go along with them, or the stories she tells when she's creating something. There are a lot of stories and in that little girl's head!

Recently, at preschool, her class talked about the story of David and Goliath. Maggie came home from school very excited saying "Mommy, do you that big giant Goliath?!". That afternoon, she drew this picture:

It probably doesn't need much of an explanation, but the big guy on the left is Goliath. And of course that's David on the right standing on the "5 stones". I'm not quite sure if Goliath is holding a stone or catching one that David threw...a little deviation from the story there. But, I know that I was totally impressed when I saw this. Usually when she's drawing a picture like this, she tells a story as she's drawing and often merges characters from her real life into the story. Like "Hey, Caroline, do you know David?....Yeah (Caroline responding), I know that guy...". Cracks me up!

She can get lost in artwork and her own conversations for hours. It is definitely her outlet. Sometimes I have to peel her away to go outside and get some fresh air.

I can't help but admit that I would love for her to grow up and be a "creative type". It is fun to think of going to her first art show one day, reading her short stories, or maybe seeing her in a play. Of course, all I want is for her to be happy!

Happy Spring!

2011-03-20T20:58:00.006-04:00

A new season, a new look here on my blog. I think I change my blog header more than I actually post, but I hope to change that trend soon. I've been trying to come up with a new blog "name" for a while now. I wanted something more abstract, yet meaningful and symbolic. This morning, I was listening to some music and a line in a song randomly caught my interest..."Sing all you want". I loved it immediately. I like to think of it as living a full life, making your voice heard. Mark, Maggie, Joe and I sing a lot in our lives, in this house...literally and figuratively. And, I want to remember those moments!

So, here we go...let's start with the singing of Hallelujah Mark and I did when we FINALLY had our kitchen countertops, sink and faucet replaced last week. I think I mentioned a year ago that we began upgrading our kitchen, including painting the walls and cabinets. Last week we finally ditched the old laminate countertops, grimy sink and just about to snap off faucet. I believe a few before and after shots are in order...

Before:

After, ahhhhhh:

I cannot tell you how happy these countertops have made me. And the faucet that doesn't wobble when I turn it on. And, the shiny sparkly sink....ahhhhh! We spent the weekend eating every meal in, enjoying our new space and fighting over who got to clean up the kitchen (kidding, that'll never happen). We have one more step to essentially finish our kitchen...the floors, which we hope will be done in a couple of weeks!!

Amidst the home improvements, we've been enjoying some really beautiful Spring weather. It's been so warm, Maggie has taken to ditching her shoes outside. And, consequently, we are going through bandaids like nobody's business.

Joe has taken to wearing backwards baseball caps. Wolfpack, of course. And, helping Daddy practice softball (since he's playing on the church team this year).

Both kids love to play on this giant log pile we have in the woods. They pretend they're on a pirate ship, and search for animals to save. They have pretend telescopes and cameras to seek and find the animals. All this on a pile of wood!

In other news, my back is about the same. I'm anxious to start physical therapy this week. With my lack of exercise, I've found some other things to fill my time, namely knitting and sewing...hope to share some of that here this week! Happy Spring!

Perspective

2011-03-13T16:36:00.004-04:00

Last week I really hurt my back. For about 24 hrs I couldn't stand up without Mark helping me...it was brutal. A subtle pain in my back followed by a coughing attack led to me spasming around on the floor like a wet seal. I'm pretty sure (and Mark assured me) that it was extremely entertaining to watch and I have laughed thinking about it since. I'm doing fine now. Well, I have an issue with my back that is still bothering me and might for a while, but in reality I'm fine.

This incident has put things in perspective for me, something that I think I've been needing. So far, I have found 2011 to be kind of frustrating. For no particular reason, I've found myself having a harder time getting up and going, pondering things for way too long instead of doing, staying up way to late and not sleeping well, just feeling unbalanced.

Perspective started to hit me last week when Mark went back to work. The kids were so, so, so awesome all day, every day. They played together all day, on their own...more or less happily. One day they covered our large kitchen windows with yellow sticky notes with little scribbles on them...messages to people, they said. They planted sugar snap peas in our garden for me (since I didn't want to bend down). Even though I was laying down a LOT and not really playing with them, they seemed to like the fact that they had my full attention and that I was relaxed. I wasn't running around trying to clean up the house, take care of things, doing who knows what on the computer (ahem).

Perspective also hit me when I slowed down my own life. I started stretching a couple of times a day. I went to bed early. I didn't go many places in the car because it bothered me to drive. I took my time doing everything.

I also got more organized than usual. I made lists, ordered my groceries online, and tried to tackle as little as possible in the most efficient manner.

And, I asked for help...a LOT. I couldn't believe how giddy Maggie was to retrieve things for me. Mark, maybe not giddy, but well beyond supportive.

I feel so much better having put a lot of big things in perspective. Mark and I accomplished so much over the weekend, without really doing a lot. I feel like I finally cleared whatever has been clouding my mind for the past couple of months. Here's hoping I can keep things in perspective.

Mark took these pictures today and I just loved them all.

A New Year, A New Boy?

2011-02-06T21:55:00.001-05:00

Joe started 2011 with a bang. We took his pacifier away on New Year's Day. Or I guess I should say we kindly sent all of his pacis to the little babies that really need them. I was not looking forward to this day. Joe has always been very attached to his paci and bear. Case and point:

Those two have always been a pair - the ultimate tag team! So, on New Year's Day, I casually said to him at bedtime, "nope, no paci tonight...you're a big boy". To my surprise, he threw his bear aside and ran into bed, giddy as can be. We read our books, sang our songs, I lingered for a few minutes with him, and that was it. Night, night. Then, silence...not a tear, not a wail...he went to sleep. It was too good to be true! Mark and I were giddy...another "transition" off without a hitch.

Weeeeeell...not so much. Instead, that boy who has always been our awesome sleeper (thanks to the "tag team") started coming out of his room a million times, skipping his naps, losing a lot of sleep. It took a good month or more to get him back on track. He is still skipping his nap, quite a lot. And, sadly, he has kind of lost interest in bear (sniff, sniff). I guess those two were kind of a package deal to him. All that said, he never shed a tear over that paci.

Something else has happened since we "pulled the plug", so to speak. He has really, really, grown up. He talks a LOT, asserts himself, makes his opinion known. These past few weeks he's started wanting to do more things by himself. He has always wanted to do everything Maggie does, but now he wants to do more. And, just today he learned to ride a bike!

We are SO proud of him! Not because he learned to ride a bike, but because he worked soooo hard at it.

I love it when little personality traits pop out of my children and for some reason I especially love seeing them handle things in a completely opposite manner as I would. I don't expect my kids to "be like me" nor do I want them to be. I just think it's interesting and exciting to see who they're becoming! I'm pretty sure that I would've bawled my eyes out in the midst of an unexpected paci intervention. And, I love that he didn't. Granted, he made us all work overtime to help him get through it...but, he never cried or whined. And today, we literally watched him over the course of an hour focus on those little legs until they made go. He may be a complete slob, but he's a tough little guy! That paired with his winning smile and he's going to go places for sure!

Make That Four...

2011-01-11T22:18:00.006-05:00

...snowstorms...this Winter. Yesterday we stayed home, thanks to a small dusting of snow and a nice sheet of ice right on top. It is inevitable that when the words ice storm are mentioned in our house I am reminded by Mark of my history with ice...There was the ice storm in 2002 (?) when we lost power for a week. I had an infamous meltdown. We were so worried about our poor big furry Maine Coon cats freezing to death in our apartment that we took them (and ourselves) to my sister's house so they could warm up. Thank goodness they didn't freeze their furry little tails off...ahem. Then there was the fluke-y ice event in 2005 (?) when I spent the night in my office (on the floor), because the whole entire city was stuck in a massive traffic gridlock for hours and hours on end. Fun stuff.

Yesterday was different. We spent most of the day inside playing, while Mark worked upstairs. Our wonderful neighbor, Donna, dropped off a huge craft kit for the kids last week..."just something she thought they'd enjoy on these cold winter days", she said. And, boy, was Maggie excited when I suggested we try it out. We painted rocks and made a snowman, complete with a pink hat, out of modeling clay. We have hardly made a dent in the projects we can do with this kit.

At the end of the day Mark thought it would be fun to try out the sled we bought last week with the kids. I wasn't sure about sledding on ice. I elected to stay inside until I looked out the window and saw how much fun they were having. I remember as a kid attempting sledding on trash bags and in mushy snow - it never worked. The combination of our nice grassy slopes and a bit of ice to slicken it up made for the perfect sledding in our yard. I REALLY enjoyed myself. We all did. So much so that we didn't want to go inside.

So, I think I'm ok with ice storms now. Give me a kind generous neighbor and a cheapo plastic sled and I think we'll be alright.

A Brief History of December...

2010-12-30T21:30:00.005-05:00

It really feels like December was it's own year...and one of the best years we've ever had! Mark and I just spent a night away in Blowing Rock, NC and talked a lot about how blessed we are and how we both feel like we have just lived through a perfect time in our lives. Over the past month, we've enjoyed 3 snowfalls (!), celebrated our newly turned 4 yr old (!!), watched that 4 yr old sing like a little angel not once, but twice (!!!), decorated spaces, things, cookies, enjoyed the magic of Christmas and each other, enjoyed very special time with almost all of our family members. We spent so much time this past month talking to the kids about the magic and spirit of the season, making lists (and watching Maggie change her mind a thousand times about what should be on that list) and somehow it all happened just the way it was supposed to...

Scenes from the perfect rainy day...

2010-10-14T20:33:00.005-04:00

I haven't been able to get into blogging lately. I've been focusing on a lot of new things and finding it hard to find the time to sit down and do this. But today was such an unexpected, awesome and soul nurturing kind of day...I felt that I needed to honor it! I love days that surprise me.

It all started as a rainy (stormy, actually) Fall day. It is SUCH a relief that Fall is here. This summer was brutally hot and long. We have been busy getting back into the swing of things and it had been a while since we just had an unorganized, unplanned kind of day. I decided to see how long I could keep the kids happy just staying home, playing in our jammies. We made wax paper placemats with leaves we picked up in the yard the day before. I peeled a bazillion apples and started a big ole pot of applesauce (yummm). Then we headed outside to splash in puddles.

Joe really wanted to whine. He didn't want to admit that this could be fun.

But, then he saw Maggie splashing her heart out.

So, a change of heart, he had. We rarely walk on our street, unless we're going to see "Aunt Donna" (our closest neighbor). We can't really go anywhere from our street, it's short and right off of a busier unsafe road. And, there are no sidewalks in our neighborhood - actually, we don't even live within city limits. We love our somewhat rural locale...but it's nice every once in a while to feel like we can leave our property on foot and find something fun to do. Even if it is just a gigantic puddle on a rainy day.

We also discovered that one of our neighbors had some perfect waxy Fall leaves. Our yard is packed full of pine trees and the few leafy trees we have don't make the best leaves for crafty stuff. So, home we came with a heap of Fall color.

And then Maggie and I made pie crust. Because you know pies and leaves go hand in hand right? Apples actually...we were back on the apples. I can't believe I made pie crust from scratch. I've been a Pillsbury Ready Made gal for a long time. But, it was feeling like a homemade kind of day and I felt I needed to go with the flow. And I'm so happy I did!

Somewhere between the pie baking, the applesauce cooking, and the kids napping (at least one of them), I worked on quilting. I'm trying to learn how to do free motion quilting and these were my practice pieces. Free motion quilting is the term for that puzzle piece looking stitching on the top of the fabric - also called stippling. I think I'm getting there!

And, when I get there, I'll be turning this into a pillow top.

So, back to those leaves. What's a kid to do with a bunch of thick waxy leaves? Make a crown of course! Joe did NOT want to put this on until he saw Maggie with hers on. Puddles, crowns...are you seeing a pattern here? Thank goodness for a big sister who convinces him some things really are cool.

Maggie on the other hand jumps right into character...whoever that may be.

So, together they played king and queen of the damp and drippy forest. And we all feel back in love with unexpected, awesome and soul nurturing kind of days.

Summer Traditions

2010-08-12T20:30:00.006-04:00

A while back, I read a discussion in a parenting book or magazine emphasizing the importance of traditions in families. In particular, it suggested that from the age of 3 up, children would begin to anticipate and remember traditions. I think I was reading this around the holidays, right after Maggie turned 3. When I get drawn into a topic in an article or book, I tend to get REALLY drawn in, and take things way to literally! I remember feeling a bit of a panic after reading this little discussion on family traditions. "What if when Maggie is 18, she remembers that when she was 3 we didn't have ANY family traditions!!!!" Yes, these thoughts really crossed my mind. Then, I slept on it, came to reality that there was no way I could figure this out this year (esp since we weren't even going to be home for Christmas) and decided we would figure out all of our traditions next year.

Fast forward to today. I decided to make smoothies for snack this afternoon. Joe was napping, Maggie was doing her own thing. Not long after I started the blender, she ran into the kitchen with a big smile on her face, looked at the blender, mumbled something to me which I couldn't hear, pointed to the back door and ran to grab her shoes. She knew it was time for "smoothies on the deck". Aha! A tradition, I thought! Even though it was a bazillion degrees outside, I knew we always drink smoothies on the deck. It started back in the Spring and has been a "tradition" all summer.

So, then I realized...many, many traditions just become. And, often, the unplanned ones are the best. I admit I knew this all along, but I just wasn't looking for them. When I looked back through photos I found that this summer has been full of little traditions - things that the kids have come to rely on. Like, waiting for the hot days to pass and running in the late afternoon rainstorm.

Or playing hopscotch.

Or just being buddies.

Here's to many more traditions that just become!

And then he turned two...

2010-07-11T20:57:00.005-04:00

I don't feel that I need to do much of an introduction, since I just recently gushed about him. But, our little guy turned two on Friday! He has definitely started to have some two year old type moments recently. But, this past week...the week filled with birthday celebrations and anticipation, he was as charming as can be.

Mark and I have laughed and smiled thinking about how he stomped his feet in excitement, squealed and danced spin moves when he opened his gifts.

As with every birthday that passes, we wonder where the time went, and we're reminded to cherish every moment. Happy Birthday sweet Joe!

Day Out With Thomas

2010-07-01T20:13:00.004-04:00

It's finally time to talk about Part 2 of our camping adventure. And, while it seems like eons ago to Mark and I, this adventure is still very fresh in Maggie and Joe's mind. Just tonight at bedtime, I asked Maggie what her favorite thing about today was and she answered "going to Tweetsie Railroad to see Thomas". She tells random people in stores and her buddies how she saw Thomas and Emily (actually, we fibbed and told her the Tweetsie rail car look alike was Emily), but "NOT EDWARD". Maggie has a hard-core crush on Edward the tank engine. She gets giddy when she sees him in the books - literally squirming and squealing like a tween...it's a little creepy.

But, wait? Joe is supposed to be the one who loves trains. And, he does! Poor guy got his very own train table and a starter train set for Christmas just to have to share it all day long with his big sis. She does fix the track for him though! For months he just lined all of his little guys up and circled the track over and over and over again. Now, he's starting to speak up a little about his favorites and acting out scenes from the books. So, two big fans we have!

I couldn't help but think that his must've been a little bit overwhelming to little people. I mean, there was Thomas in the flesh. Not a dressed up version, but, the real deal - a train on real tracks!

And then we climbed on board one of the passenger cars behind him and he pulled and puffed us up the track...as if we were on the Island of Sodor.

And, out of nowhere there were Sheriffs and Indians putting on a show.

They were no doubt a little stunned and confused by the whole scene. But they definitely enjoyed it! We took in as much of Tweetsie, a true old-timey, bare-bones theme park as we could. Sno cones, a carsousel ride, an extremely frightening (for me!) ride to the "top of the mountain" on cable cars, a funky mountain style petting zoo (where Maggie decided to indulge in some goat feed - yes, she did!), and of course, lots of train and people watching.

Then, to round out our visit we met with the ever charming Sir Topham Hatt (*snickering*). They might have fallen for Thomas, but Mr. Hatt was a bit awkward.

All in all, it was a really fun family outing. So, apparently we are a camping family AND a train-loving family! I see many hours around the train table, more Thomas stories, and hopefully many more train rides in our future!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T21:26:00.006-04:00

To Mark...thanks for helping raise the coolest kids around! You are the spirit of our family and we love you!

To my Dad...thanks for always being so cool in so many ways! : )

Camping Days

2010-06-07T20:58:00.003-04:00

Last week Mark took the whole week off - yahoo! We hung around at home for a few days, worked on some house projects and then took off for a big family adventure - camping! We had camped for one night last fall at a site on Falls Lake, very close to our house. We called that our "tester". It was pretty much a success with the kiddos, so we decided we could handle a few nights of it. This time, we headed up to Blowing Rock, NC and camped at the Julian Price Park Campground. We timed it so we could take the kiddos to Tweetsie Railroad to spend a "Day Out with Thomas"....more on that later.

No doubt the camping spot you choose can definitely make or break your trip. Weather too. We lucked out with both. We found a great spot right on Price Lake with our own little private nook by the lake. The kids loved that little nook.

We got a family size tent right before our trip and it worked out great.

Joe never figured out that you're supposed to sleep on the air mattresses. He thought it was his own little backcountry bouncehouse.

We made some GOOD food on this trip. When we used to camp, Mark and I would spend so much time hiking, meals were minimal. This time, we had fun with it...even made blueberry pancakes one morning! But, at the end of the day, there is just one food that really matters - marshmallows. I think Maggie said the word marshmallows about 100 times in 10 minutes. No. Joke.

During the day, we mosied around the park, spent some time in Blowing Rock, and drove on the parkway. We also enjoyed a couple of short hikes in the area. First we went to Linville Falls and hiked to the Upper Falls. It proved to be a beautiful spot to stop for a snack and some nice pictures.

The falls were awesome! I admit I'm pretty uptight when it comes to some aspects of nature...I really don't do heights, or raging waterfalls, or little ones leaning on walls to observe raging waterfalls. Thankfully they were only briefly interested in the waterfall and I held my breath.

Probably one of my favorite moments of the whole trip was the walk back from the falls. Maggie danced and sang the whole way back. She has recently taken to watching Robin Hood, as in the 70s animated Robin Hood. She was humming and marching and swinging her arms around to the tune of this:

Oo-de-Lally:

Robin Hood and Little John
Walkin' through the forest
Laughin' back and forth
At what the other'ne has to say
Reminiscin', This-'n'-thattin'
Havin' such a good time
Oo-de-lally, Oo-de-lally
Golly, what a day
Never ever thinkin' there was danger in the water
They were drinkin', they just guzzled it down
Never dreamin' that a schemin' sherrif and his posse
Was a-watchin' them an' gatherin' around
Robin Hood and Little John
Runnin' through the forest
Jumpin' fences, dodgin' trees
An' tryin' to get away
Contemplatin' nothin'
But escape an' fin'lly makin' it
Oo-de-lally, Oo-de-lally
Golly, what a day
Oo-de-lally, Oo-de-lally
Golly, what a day

It was priceless and when I came home and actually read the lyrics I thought, "wow, how appropriate!". I am continuously amazed at that little girl and everything that comes out of her.

In summary, I think we are a camping family...which is a good thing!! Maggie loved it, Joe is still a little on the fence. There were definitely some lessons learned from this trip. But what we'll really remember was slowing down, disconnecting, and enjoying each other.

Summatime

2010-06-01T20:25:00.004-04:00

I feel like I have come full circle with summer. As a kid, I loved it. What kid doesn't?? No school, pool time, vacations, lightning bugs, playing into the night ("kick the can" anyone??). However, the older I got the less I enjoyed it. It became "the months of hot and sticky", frizzy hair, sunburns, and most recently feeling like I was staring out my office window at sunshine all day long. Enter kiddos and my distinct privilege of being able to stay home with them. All of a sudden, summer seems so grand. We hardly have to get dressed in the mornings. We play outside, we're always dirty, we blow bubbles, we plant flowers, we fill things with water and make a huge mess, we swing and slide. And as I write this, I'm sitting on the deck having a beer - I see deer wandering in the woods, I hear tree frogs and birds, I'm surrounded by beautiful blooming things. Life really is grand! I think she gets it...

And we haven't even been to the pool yet...

Dear Joe,

2010-05-30T21:49:00.003-04:00

I wanted to take a moment to tell you how very much you are loved! Your sister has really been stealing the show lately and, well, I feel a tad bit guilty that in recent months I've only blogged about your less appealing characteristics. You are a sweet, charming little boy and I want you to know it!

Let me tell you a little bit about yourself...you love choo-choo trains. You dance spin moves anytime the Thomas theme song plays. You love smoothies. You eat smoothies with a straw from a cup without spilling a drop...you eat yogurt with your hands and then cry because your hands are dirty. I don't get it...I just feed you lots of smoothies. You win the blue ribbon for sleeping like a champ. And snuggling. You often choose hanging on my leg while I cook dinner to a little TV time. You give big, big hugs and wet open mouth kisses. You know the letter "O" - I didn't believe it, but you do! You take your time in life....I really, really admire that.

Maggie is your best friend. You adore her, but she REALLY, REALLY adores you. Every morning her favorite thing is to run in your room and say "Hey, little buddy!". The lady at the Y told me that when I leave you two there, she constantly looks and asks for you. She thought it was sweet...so do I! Don't forget to thank her one day for teaching you to talk. Daddy and I would like to take the credit, but you are so much more responsive when she asks....hmph!

Thanks for being my little buddy this year while Maggie was in preschool...I will really miss you next year! I loved our library outings or quiet walks or just watching you play with your trains. I know you hate shopping carts and grocery stores, but a Mom's got to run errands! You were always such a trooper while Mommy had coffee with friends at the bakery. Don't think I didn't notice how you charmed the ladies behind the counter with your sweet smiles...it's no wonder when we walked in the door every week the first thing they said was "Hiiee, Joe!". Smitten, they were!

You are growing up so fast and becoming more of a little person every day. You have opinions about things and are finally speaking up about them. Just stop eating off the floor, and I think you'll be perfect!

"I'll eat you up, I love you so!"
Love you bud,
Momma

Done and Done

2010-05-21T09:11:00.007-04:00

I did it!!! I sewed an hour a day for a week to make kiddo clothes. I made 3 dresses for Maggie - one is too big, one is too small, and one is completely improperly sewn and....adorable! Put it on a sweet little 3-year old singing and dancing her heart out at her end-of-year preschool program and you've got two VERY proud parents.

Watch out world...

Here I come!

But, let's face it, she could've been wearing a trash bag and she still would've made us laugh and smile. Just see for yourself...

Here's another one for you..."Leaning on the Lord's Side". And if you think the title is funny...it gets even cheesier...try "skiing on the Lord's side".

So along with my sewing challenge, another year of preschool is done. Boy, am I happy it's done! I'm ready for summer, family time, vacations, picnics...freedom! Maggie had a great year in preschool but there were times when I felt like she just deserved to have a little more fun! We're going to do our best to make sure that happens!

Interruptions

2010-05-11T20:53:00.008-04:00

In our house, a strawberry is a "dabee" thanks to Maggie coining the term way back when. We picked two big buckets full of juicy red (and organic!) sweetness on Monday morning.

The outing was a constant reminder of the time we went dabee picking 2 years ago when I was pregnant with Joe. It was kind of weird...the day, the perfect weather all felt the same...but there was a new first timer. He caught on fast!

Maggie refuses to eat a berry at home. She says she "only likes them in the field". And, boy, did she love them!

It's hard work taking in all that fresh air and sneaking/stuffing berries when Mommy's back is turned.

Yesterday Mark and I celebrated 8 years of marriage! Wowza!!! Eight years???? Really??? Doesn't seem possible. Then again, it felt like eons since we'd eaten at one of our favorite and perfectly authentic Mexican restaurants for dinner. And, we were so happy to see that the kids loved it too! Lucky us!

Two days and all of these wonderful interruptions and I'm almost done sewing Maggie's first dress. She's flitting around in it right now. I just need to hem it and it'll be done! I wish it turned out a little more full, but other than that it's pretty cute. Here's a peek for ya...

And, finally, a conversation:

Maggie: "Mommy, you member (remember) when you and Daddy get married?"

Me: "Yep, of course!"

Maggie: "You wear a pretty white dress?"

Me: "Yep!"

Maggie: "I'm gonna wear a white dress one day"

Me: [sniff, sniff]

The Blogger's Chest

2010-05-08T09:58:00.012-04:00

Ever since I started blogging, I've found that I'm constantly logging ideas, memories, moments that I plan to write about, but I just can't find the time to do it. So they sit there, on my chest, nagging me like the plants outside drooping for water, or the 4 loads of laundry piled by the washer, or the little girl crying "Mommyyyyyy, i want some milk, i want some milk, I WANT SOME MILK!!!". At the moment, my blogger's chest is full and heavy. And, there are just some things that I HAVE to write down. Things of old, things of new. And I do plan to write about them...but not just yet!

First off, I'm going to take on a little challenge which I hope to blog about over the next week. Over the past 6 months or so, I've become obsessed with sewing. It is my one hobby/outlet that I love to do whenever I get a break from the kiddos. I remember when I first played around with my sewing machine...I picked it out as a birthday gift the year I had Maggie, thinking maybe I'd learn to hem a pair of pants, make a curtain...that kinda thing. It sat in the box until literally the day before I had Maggie. I had nested the whole house to pieces and decided it was time to figure out how to use this thing. So, I called my dear neighbor down to help me. She told me first things first, we had to learn to wind the bobbin and thread the machine....okaaaaay. So, there we sat thumbing through the sewing machine manual trying to figure this all out...the whole time I was sitting there I was having contractions. I was very uncomfortable and just couldn't deal with the technical terms being tossed around and I recall thinking..."sewing is just NOT going to be my thing...this is way too complicated...we can't even thread this stupid machine....". Well, we got it threaded and I sent her home and later that day called the doctor about my contractions. The next day Maggie arrived. : ) It took about 3 years for me to really get it...and now that little baby is a twirling girly girl who loves dresses! I've been planning out dresses in my mind that I would like to make for her, but I just haven't been able to make that jump. I read a lot of blogs for inspiration and one of my favorites, mentioned Meg and how she's doing a kid's clothes week challenge. The challenge is to sew an hour a day, making clothes for your kids. Cool, I'm in! I will be happy to successfully make one thing that fits, but if things go well, she might just hit the jackpot. I didn't forget about Sloppy Joe either...he's got a pair of shorts on the list.

So, there you go, a long-winded explanation about blogging/sewing to tell you that I'm going to sew some clothes for my kids this week. The point is that once I get through this week, I'm gonna get back to blogging and get all of that "stuff" off of my chest.

Before I go, I can't forget that today is Mother's Day! My Mother's Day gift was an entire day at home to myself, which I enjoyed yesterday! It was really nice!! Today I really just wanted to be with my family and well, be a Mom. Maggie was, quite frankly, pretty rotten today. I won't tell you how she treated me on Mother's Day, but it wasn't pretty. She's in a funk and she'll get out of it I'm sure. It really doesn't matter, because I am blessed to have her. I can't imagine a greater life than being a Mom to my two little munchkins. And, I am forever thankful to my Mom for showing me the way! Happy Mother's Day!!

Princess in the Woods

2010-03-31T20:43:00.007-04:00

March Madness

2010-03-27T20:14:00.006-04:00

Well, I was doing a great job blogging there for awhile, and then came March. Basketball certainly hasn't kept us occupied, but house projects, spring fever, and one little newly non-napping chatterbox 3-yr old have. :) All good things!

I couldn't be happier for the arrival of Spring. Even on the chilly days, we are all spending so much more time outside. I love being outside this time of year...so much space for the kids to explore, yet no mosquitos yet. And, I love showing Maggie all of the little things popping up around the yard.

Isn't it nice that the kids can finally bare a little skin outdoors?!?!

And, run, run, run!

Last year, Joe was mostly an observer, riding around on my back or sitting on a blanket. Now, he's big enough to explore on his own!

He's so proud of his big-boy-ness!

And, back to that "chatterbox" I mentioned. Wow, is she growing up fast! She's more or less dropped her nap in the afternoons. I was feeling distressed about it at first (no more downtime for me), but now I really enjoy the time with her. She's found some new quiet things to do, so I can still get a few things done around the house. And, it gives us some one-on-one time to work on things that are tough to do when Joe is around. She LOVES audiobooks and will sit and listen to them over and over again.

And, it's a nice time to do some big girl crafts and practice things like cutting and learning letters. And from time to time she just wanders off into the "other room" (which in our house, translates to "not the kitchen") and talks and sings and dances like she's in her own little world!

I mentioned house projects. Our goal for 2010 is to work our way around the house and update all of the rooms with fresh coats of paint, and a little updating/redecorating. The biggest update we're doing is the kitchen and we've been working on the painting since mid Feb (sigh). We are ALMOST done though - putting the final coats on the cabinets this week!!!!! I think Mark and I will both be happy not to have to put on our painting clothes for a good month or two. Instead we'll be putting on our yard work clothes!

The only way we've gotten the house projects done is spending most of our weekends this winter taking turns getting the kids out of the house for chunks of time. Saturday mornings were spent doing swim lessons with the kids at the Y. Joe finished his class a few weeks ago, and Maggie just finished yesterday. Both of them LOVED their classes. That's Maggie on the left end of this lineup of very cute kiddos. This is the first activity that we've done with her where the parents get to sit and watch - oh, the freedom!!

And, here she is swimming with Coach Bonnie! My favorite times were when Bonnie asked her to kick her legs and she thrusted them out of the water very gracefully like a sychronized swimmer and then she would turn her head around to check herself out. So cute and so Maggie...unfortunately not going to keep her afloat, but she'll learn!

Amidst all of this craziness, these two are still enjoying the heck out of each other's company!

Well...most of the time! ;0

Sunday Reflections

2010-02-14T21:50:00.008-05:00

We just got home today from spending a wonderful weekend in Davidson with my parents. The kids had a great time bonding with Nana and Pop! Maggie was her usual busy, giddy self, doing puzzle after puzzle after puzzle, all the while keeping us entertained. Meanwhile, Joe just wandered around smiling and paused a bit to snuggle with his Pop.

It snowed while we were there....yes, again! However, this was the perfect snow. The kind that sticks around just long enough to admire it's beauty.

And, Mark and I made our first trip to Ikea and got all kinds of good stuff for our kitchen and house updates. I guess it was kind of like our Valentine's date. Speaking of Valentine's Day, here's Maggie wishing the world a good one...in her skivvies. : )

Sleeping Beauties

2010-02-11T14:10:00.003-05:00

Taking these photos was a little risky, but so worth it...Enjoy!

The Ultimate Slob

2010-02-09T20:13:00.008-05:00

Meet Joe, sometimes known in our house as "The Ultimate Slob", or "Jaba the Joe". If you've ever had the pleasure of sharing a meal or snack with him, you've probably witnessed his unique eating habits. Typically it goes something like this: kicks his feet up, puts food in mouth, moves it around a bit, spits it out, picks up another piece of food, just when it hits his tongue, decides he'd like a sip of drink, spits food out, takes a sip...and more of the same.

Some of that spit out food lands on his tray, most of it lands on his shirt.

I told you he likes to kick his feet up!

He also loves to pick up the spit out food and either throw it on the floor or stash it in the corners of his chair. Here he is dropping his chewed up orange on his leg. He literally dropped it on his leg pushed it down his leg saying "Wheeeee!".

And here's what I'm left with - a bunch of half-eaten oranges and granola bar remnants. Along with a very messy floor. And, yes, in case you're wondering...the second I get him down from his seat he's diving into that food on the floor for Round 2.

Are you completely grossed out yet?! I am! Everyday! But, he does it with such grace and at only 18 months he says "More....Peeeese..." in the sweetest little voice. I guess I'll keep him. : ) I just hope he cleans up his act before he starts dating!

And then there's Maggie, who is nice and neat....as long as she's allowed to eat from the margarita salt bowl.

Sunday Reflections

2010-02-07T21:43:00.006-05:00

Two words: cabin fever. Look it up on wikipedia and you will find:

"Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, forgetfulness, laughter, and excessive sleeping, distrust of anyone they are with, and an urge to go outside even in the (less miserable) rain, snow or dark"

Yep, we all have had a bit of the fever around here lately. Restlessness...yep. Irritable...um, a little. Forgetful...always. Laughter...often. Excessive sleeping...definitely NOT. Distrust of others...hmmm. Going outside in bad weather just to get the heck out of the house...yep!

However, in the midst of all of this, something really sweet has been happening...the two munchkins have started becoming best buds. I hope it's not temporary. I love seeing them hug over and over again, running circles around the house, playing choo-choos together. Someone asked Maggie this week if Joe was her brother or her boyfriend and she answered "boyfriend". She's also informed me today "Mommy, you are NOT my best friend, Joe is my best friend!" For the past few months, she's been telling us over and over again what she likes and doesn't like...all of a sudden she's started telling us what Joe likes and doesn't like. Joe is usually the one that initiates all of the hugs and he calls Maggie "Melmo" or something like that. It is cute and it warms my heart.

This week looks promising weather-wise. Still cold but sunny. We can handle that! Just don't say the "S" word!

Sunday Reflections

2010-01-31T22:29:00.004-05:00

We started this week busy, sick, and stressed. Then the snow came and slowed us down. I am thankful for that!

Snowed In...

2010-01-30T19:56:00.007-05:00

The first day of being snowed in is always fun, then people get antsy. So, I think I'll post now before my mood changes. Although, if I'm really being honest with myself, I haven't been in the best of moods today. The kids and I have been hunkering down around the house a lot lately. I'm yearning for summer...tank tops, flip flops, and green grass. On the other hand, today was purely about family time, which was really great!

We ventured out in the snow twice. Joe was a little unsure, and top-heavy. ;0

We munched and snacked a lot.

Mark helped Maggie make a felt snowman - "Sparkly", since the snow just wasn't good for making the real deal.

And, my personal fave, we snuggled in front of the tube and streamed free videos from Netflix! Mark and I watched an awesome movie called The Visitor last night (Thanks Nana and Pop for the recommendation), and the kids watched "Monsters, Inc" today. I've been trying so hard to talk them into watching "Muppets Take Manhattan" but so far it's a no go. Man, I used to love that movie.

I'm pretty sure tomorrow will be more of the same.

Duck, Duck, Goose

2010-01-28T20:44:00.007-05:00

I'll just cut right to the chase. Maggie had her hands in goose poop today. She thought it was finger paint. I have to admit, it really did look like finger paint. Blech! We were taking a walk at the lake. The things most Moms carry with them on walks, like wipes, were in the car about 1/2 mile away. Again...Blech! I confess I was too busy trying to get a picture of my happy little boy to notice what she was up to. I'd say he's feeling better, don't ya think?

Prior to the poop incident, the kids enjoyed feeding the ducks and running on the boardwalk. It was a gorgeous day out and seeing them so free and happy made me smile. Here's a little video of the munchkins.

We are prepping for a major snowstorm headed this way. We could get a foot of snow! I'm not sure how to feel - yippee or yikes?!

Sunday Reflections

2010-01-24T20:17:00.005-05:00

This is going to be short. Last week was not one I care to reflect on...much. Joe was really sick. We hope he's on the mend now, but we're still waiting on some bloodwork to confirm his infection hasn't spread. He had a grueling trip to the doctor this morning, but he was smiling before bedtime tonight and he ate rice and chicken at dinner, which is unheard of! I'm thinking things will look up tomorrow.

On a sad note, Mark's grandfather passed away this morning. I, personally, did not know him well, but I had the pleasure of spending time with him and Mark's grandmother on several occasions. He was a very kind man and I when I think of him, I think of this picture of him and Mark's grandmother with my grandfather that was taken at our wedding. I remember how welcoming they were to my grandfather at the wedding and how happy they were to be a part of our day. Oddly enough, my grandfather passed away 4 years ago this past week. I think of him often as I'm sure Mark will think of his.

I will end with that and a wish for brighter days to come.

YOU MUST CHILL!!!!

2010-01-19T13:56:00.012-05:00

First of all, Joe has been sick this week. A bad cough, fever, and the occasional vomit...ick! : ( I took him upstairs to change his shirt this morning. He was crying and upset, because I pulled him away from throwing applesauce all over the floor. So, while I'm changing him, this all transpires:

Maggie (at the gate at the bottom of the stairs yelling over her brother's histerics): Mommyyyyyy, I NEED HELP!

Me: What do you need sweetie?

Maggie: I need you to pull my sleeves up!

Me (thinking I could give a crap right now): You're a big girl, I know you can do it yourself.

Maggie: Mommyyyyyyyyy, I NEED YOU TO PULL MY SLEEVES UP!!!

*Long period of no response from me. Lots of continued screaming from Joe. Maggie repeating that line OVER AND OVER again in an increasingly frustrated tone. Probably at least 15 times, maybe 20.

I finally come downstairs, get down to her eye level, take a deep breath, and spill out a bunch of parental mumbo jumbo about how Mommy was trying to help Joe, explaining to Maggie that she needed to be patient and ask for help nicely like a big girl. I don't really remember what happened but all I could think of was the "You Must Chill" scene from "Say Anything" (one of my all time faves!). If you have seen that movie, you probably remember the scene. Basically, Lloyd Dobbler (played by John Cusack) is the "keymaster" at a party...a very drunk guy comes up to him after the party screaming for his keys...Lloyd grabs him by the shoulders and yells "YOU MUST CHILL!". I couldn't find a video clip, but here's an audio (#11).

I think that line goes through my head about 50 times a day right now in dealing with Maggie. Ok, maybe not 50, but a lot. I'm pretty sure I've tried it on her just for fun and got something like "Mommy, you so silly." in response. I'm thinking I might try the Dr. Evil zip it approach next:

Please excuse my sarcasm in this post. Parenting is hard. Little people have their own personalities and you have to learn to embrace them and deal with them the best way you know how. Sometimes, a little humor helps! No matter what, we love our spirited little girl with all of our hearts!

Sunday Reflections

2010-01-17T20:36:00.003-05:00

Ideally, there should be posts between two "Sunday Reflections", but apparantly this isn't my ideal blog. I'll get there...

For the next few months, I'm going to be watching my friend Beth's daughter Gaby, who is one of Maggie's best buds, on Friday mornings while Beth teaches. I've actually done it the past two Fridays, and this past Friday Beth's older daughter Rose also joined us. Maggie adores big girls. She is always googling over them at church and the park. It's so funny to us how she gawks and gives them the up and down. She and Gaby get along great, but Rose is just so ooh, la, la (haha!). Case and point...this picture of the three princesses.

Saturday, I took the kids to the Durham Museum of Life and Sciences while Mark painted. That place always keeps both kids happy and that makes me happy. They especially loved the train ride this time. Both kids are really into Thomas the train right now (Joe got a nice set and table for Christmas).

They also love the little farmyard area. Here are all the sheepy headshots - I love that one of them is named Mutton!

This is Max the cow. He is an ongoing topic of conversation around our house. Maggie loves him!

Maggie in front of the butterfly house.

They really are becoming great buddies.

This is another section the kids love where there are all different kinds of drums, bells, and little wooden sticks to bang on them. Maggie says "Mommy, I play those instruments?!?!".

Joe loves it too.

Oddly enough, the highlight of our week was our on-a-whim family hike we took on Friday. Before Mark and I had kids, we "hiked" almost every weekend. Mostly, short trips with the dogs at the lake near our house. It was one of our favorite things to do. We dream of having a hiking family and try to take the kids out on the trails as much as possible. But sometimes the more you try and force your kids to do something, the more they resist it. Which is what happened with Maggie. She went through a long phase of let me just plop myself down on the dirt in the middle of the trail and refuse to move. We even tried to carry her, but nope, she wasn't having it. On Friday though, she discovered trail markers...yep, the little circles painted on the trees! She had a blast running along the trail to find the next white circle and lo and behold...we hiked! It was a really short hike, but she was really into it. Joe even walked a lot of it! It was a beautiful afternoon and a great time for all of us.

Sunday Reflections

2010-01-10T20:13:00.014-05:00

This is the first of a new recurring blog post you'll see from me. This is where I get to reflect on the past week and all of the tidbits of life in our house that fall through the cracks. Maybe it'll clear my head a little. The kids are growing up way too fast. Personalities are most definitely blossoming on a day-to-day basis!

The kids were easting breakfast this week and Maggie turns to me and says "Mommy, you're my Valentine's Day." Wow! Talk about a nice start to my day. She talks A LOT these days. It is equally astounding, adorable, amusing and um, annoying. I'm just baffled at how many words can come out of a little person and simple responses like "Yes, Maggie, I'll get your milk" or "What a beautiful picture, Maggie" are never enough! She also started calling me "Mr. Mom" this week. I felt much better once I heard her calling Mark, "Mr Dad" and Joe, "Mr Joe".

This was Maggie's first week back at preschool, so I got to get back into my one-on-one time with Joe. All he really wants to do right now is explore. He's hasn't shown too much interest yet in any of his Christmas presents, but say the word "outside" and he's running to get his shoes and sitting by the front door. Unfortunately, it has been really cold so we haven't been able to do too much outside. I did start a music class with him this week. It was a little weird to say the least, but he didn't seem to notice. He's in such a happy place right now, learning to communicate in all shapes, forms and fashions. He loves to imitate, like in this scene from Christmas where the guys were shooting hoops toddler style. The hand gestures are just priceless, don't ya think?

Ok, so I've admittedly digressed from the "past week", but I had to include at least a few photos. Let me get back on track...Mark and I have been working on our big initiative for 2010...home updates. Since we moved into our house, we have done very little updating, excluding the kids' rooms. It is time! Mostly we're just painting...every wall, every piece of trim, every door....sigh (I hate painting!). So this past week we finished the foyer....it was beige and dirty and now...it's ORANGE. We love it! I will add a picture soon when we finalize everything. This week we begin work on the kitchen where we're painting cabinets, walls, trim, and eventually putting down a new floor, countertops, and sink. Right now it's white - everything is white - mix that with two messy kids, a dirty dog and two cats and ugh...

So, aside from the usual stuff I do, I became obsessed with Japanese fabric this past week (ugh...I do not need another obsession!). All thanks to stumbling across this blog. I foresee some new handmade items for our kitchen inspired by some of her things. : )

Well, that's all for this week. If you've made it this far, you're probably either Mark or my Mom!

A Tribute to Mark

2010-01-07T15:18:00.008-05:00

Today is Mark's 35th Birthday! I've been thinking for the past week about writing some profound post about the New Year (and, oh yeah, I also forgot to post about Christmas)...but, I thought it'd be nice instead to post a little tribute to Mark today! Because, well, we all love him! I think my millions of readers out there deserve to know how great of a guy he is. ;-) The thing about Mark is he has a tremendous spirit. He is positive about almost everything in life and he has boundless energy. When you have children, you notice how certain people bring out different characteristics in them. I've noticed when Mark gets home from work every night, my kids start to speak a different language...Maggie speaks in this goofy low tone and says things like "come on, man" and uses words like "sneakerdoodle" and "kookabadook". Joe squeals and shouts and does his dinosaur growl. Kind of reminds me of the time many years ago that Mark was screaming "Who's laughing now?!" at an NCSU football game, being the only "smart" person in the stands wearing a rainsuit in the middle of a torrential downpour...make that a hideous jolly green giant rain suit which we gave him major grief about bringing to the game. Those of us laughing histerically at him sort of forgot about the fact that we were getting drenched. That's the contagiousness of his spirit in action. So, even though I know he probably doesn't like all of this attention, here's to you Mark! Happy Birthday and thank you for your spirit!!!!! We love ya!

Happy Birthday Maggie!

2009-12-13T21:00:00.009-05:00

Three years ago today we received the greatest early Christmas gift ever...our sweet Maggie Lowe! Maggie is such a fun loving, free spirited little girl. She loves to dress up like a princess and romp around like a monkey and sing at the top of her lungs. She really, truly loves the little things in life - like flowers and stuffed animals! She is happy and full of life....and today she is 3! Here's to you Mags!

Lucky Ducks!

2009-12-13T20:43:00.004-05:00

Santa came early this year and brought something extra special for Maggie and Joe...a brand new playset in the backyard!! Needless to say, they have been loving it. Along with lots of swinging and sliding, Maggie likes to pretend she's in Neverland, plotting scenes from Peter Pan. She, of course, plays Tinkerbell...Daddy is Peter Pan, Mommy is Wendy, and Joe is Captain Hook! I'm just waiting for the day I see her trying to fly out of the tower. ;-)

Ta Da!

Nice outfit, huh?

Little Captain Hook loves the slide the most!

Peekaboo!

I'm Baaaack...With Scenes from Thanksgiving!

2009-12-01T14:08:00.010-05:00

Enough's enough...From here on out I will be a better blogger! That's all I have to say about that. Our Fall has been fun, but instead of playing catchup on everything we did, I think I'll just start fresh. So, here goes...

This is probably not going to look like your average Thanksgiving post. No pictures of turkey or pumpkin pie or people with swelling bellies. How about we discuss a favorite little stingray named Mr. Ray, a birthday party for a princess, and kids running wild on the beach? We did the feast but we did it in style at the beach with Nana and Pop, and Sarah, Chris and Miles. It was a great weekend and one that reminded us of all we have to be thankful for! Enough said!

One of the kids' favorite things to do at the beach is go visit their friend Mr. Ray at the park. Maggie especially never tires of saying Hi to him.

This is Ray:

Maggie and Joe saying Hi.

Joe loved splashing in the water.

After visiting Mr. Ray, we took a walk down the boardwalk over the marsh. What a gorgeous day and a cute little munchkin!

Maggie's birthday isn't for a couple more weeks, but we decided it would be fun to have her party at the beach. She had her best buddies Joe and Miles there and of course Nana and Pop and her Auntie Sarah and Uncle Chris. We had princess decorations and balloons. She loved every minute of it!

Blowing out the candles is serious business!

Playing with her new Groovy Girl bed.

Yippee - a new princess bike!

And last but not least, we can never get enough of running and playing on the beach!

Duke Gardens

2009-09-07T20:44:00.004-04:00

We have been falling strangely in love with the City of Durham and all it has to offer. Over the past few months we've spent time at the museum I talked about in the previous post, hiking and festival-ing on the Eno River there, and even went to a Durham Bulls baseball game last weekend. This morning, on a total whim, we decided to go check out Duke Gardens (in Durham, near Duke University, of course!) and were completely blown away! It was such an amazing place...a really natural setting...somewhere you could escape and wander down gravel paths endlessly, or just hang out in the open spaces with the terraced gardens and ponds. The kids LOVED it. Well, Joe slept through most of it, but Maggie loved running along the little paths, checking out the ponds with the big lily pads, and of course she adored the flowers! We were a little worried about the weather, but it turned out to be a nice cool overcast morning.

Pretty roses...

Mags

Sniffing the flowers

I thought this one was cute of her jumping up and down with excitement!

Awww, a little love from Daddy.

The little guy sacked out.

Awwww.

Stay tuned: next weekend...we're going CAMPING! Woohoo!

Our Favorite Museum

2009-08-25T20:22:00.003-04:00

Maggie asks me almost every day to go to the this museum where we are members. It is a fantastic place where we have spent hours upon hours this summer. Her favorite parts of the museum are the animals. She especially loves the donkey, owls, and beaver (who we've named "Benny"). Yes, an odd bunch! Joe loves it too! With so much space to walk indoors and outdoors and so much to offer, it's the one place I can easily take both kids and know we'll have a great time. We spent the morning there today and I caught a few quick pictures:

Here's Maggie so excited to see Benny.

Saying Hi to the owl.

This gator came right up to the glass and showed us his teeth...yikes.

Arts & Crafts

2009-08-11T20:03:00.010-04:00

We've been doing quite a bit of arts and crafts lately with the heat and boredom of August. Maggie's favorite thing to do is watercolor painting. We're constantly having to buy new paint because she uses up all of the purple. Joe is also starting to color with crayons some! And, as a bonus, he doesn't immediately put them in his mouth! Here are some pics from today:
She asks me to draw things and them paints them in.

Here are some of Maggie's projects. She did these cutout and painted shapes with me. Then she made "Rainbow Dreams" and "Maggie's Farm" with Mark. Ummmm, can you tell who has the creative spirit in our household?? I'm trying to be more of a right-brain person, but it's tough for an engineer turned stay-home-Mom! : )

Down by the river...

2009-08-09T19:58:00.008-04:00

We took the kiddos for a little dip at the Eno River State Park in Durham this morning. The shade and water kept us nice and cool from the blistering temps. It was a really short hike from the parking lot to this spot on the river. Maggie loved the little hike, climbing on all the rocks, and throwing stones in the river. Joe was just along for the ride. And, for once Dulcie got to come along too!

The Annual Wright Family Beach Trip

2009-08-06T13:53:00.016-04:00

We recently got back from my family's annual beach trip to N. Litchfield Beach, SC. Before leaving, I came across some old photos of beach trips in years past which I had scanned. This is one of the most famous family beach photos! I believe it was taken by Doug's friend James Pittard in 1980 or 1981??? Should you ever visit the Statue of Liberty, you can look us up and find this photo!

My family has been going to N. Litchfield Beach to vacation in the summer for many, many years (I'm thinking at least 40??). My parents discovered the area when they drove along the coast looking for the ideal beach to spend their vacation. In the early years, we (well, maybe not me, but certainly some of my family) camped quite a bit at Huntington Beach State Park (just North of N. Litchfield). Then, we started staying in a small rental house at the South end of the beach named "Restabit". Sadly, there aren't too many "old" houses in N. Litchfield that haven't been knocked down and replaced with gigantic double decker mansions. But, Restabit is one of them! I was pretty young when we stayed at Restabit and therefore, don't have too many memories, but I always drive by and check it out every year when we go to the beach, as if it were an old house I grew up in. Here are a couple of pictures in front of Restabit. There is certainly a lot more development around it, but the house itself doesn't look much different today.

Mom at Restabit.

I may be all wrong but I think this is Mom w/Sarah and Dad with Jamie, Mary Kate, Pam, & Bill.

Most years, one of us was allowed to bring a friend to the beach....friends grew into girlfriends, boyfriends, and now spouses and children. This year, the children outnumbered adults! Needless to say, we no longer all fit in one house (well, we could probably fit in one of those double deckers, but they, um, just don't feel like a beach house). So, we divide ourselves among two houses, one of which is Nana & Pop's beach house "The Cove". There have been so many traditions that have come and gone over the years...playing at Pirate's Cove, crabbing at Huntington, ghost walks at Atalaya, scavenger hunts, and soccer matches, but the beach itself remains very much the same. And, it is fun to see our kids fall in love with it just as we did! I look forward to this beach trip every year and am thankful to my parents for starting such an awesome tradition!

This year was great, however we really missed those who were not able to join us. There were two clans of cousins - the little ones (7 kids age 5 and under) and the teens/almost teens (4 girls age 10-14). Maggie and Joe both loved the beach, but hanging with their cousins was the highlight of their week! Joe was the perfect little beach baby. By the end of the week he was crawling into the waves fearlessly over and over again. Maggie loved dancing around on the beach, ahem, usually but not always with clothes on. She learned some of her first wrestling moves, thanks to cousin Will! It was a fun and relaxing trip for us! Last but not least, some photos:

First things first: Joe's 1st Birthday!

2009-08-02T20:51:00.007-04:00

The summer has gotten away from me, so now it's time to play blog catchup. What better post to start with than the biggest event around our house this summer...Joe's 1st birthday!!! This past year may have been crazy and hectic, but we couldn't imagine a more perfect addition to our family. When people ask me what Joe is like, I tell them he's "charming". I don't think there is a word that describes him better. Joe had two birthday celebrations; one on his actual birthday with just us and another a couple of days later with family. The first cake run didn't quite pan out as we'd hoped, so we're glad he had a second shot at it! Without further ado, here's to you Baby Joe!

Birthday #1: Mark surprised the family and took a vacation day from work (yahoo!!!!)! We took the kids for a ride in Joe's new red wagon. He loves ducks so we took him to Lake Lynn to feed the duckies. Maggie loved the wagon ride as much as her baby brother.

Here they are saying Hi to the duckies!

When we got home we had cupcakes! Here's the story behind all of the tears...Joe gets very anxious if he sees Mark or I getting food prepped for him. He can't stand the anxiety of waiting for food, I suppose. So, on this day we made the mistake of prepping the cupcake in front of him. Poor little guy was overwrought by the time it was ready.

Then we plopped it on his tray and he just sat there poking and staring at for a few minutes. It was big and unfamiliar and he was not in the mood to figure something new out.

Finally we gave him some help getting going. He enjoyed the cake but not with his usual gusto. There was a lot of stress over something so delicious. Nothing like a birthday boy with big tears in his eyes! We couldn't help but laugh a little!

Birthday #2: Thank goodness for a second round at cake! We had a birthday party celebration for Joe a couple days later with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. He was the perfect birthday boy, wearing his hat without protest, and loving his balloons.

He loved having some buddies at the party...Maggie.

Miles

Molly

& Will.

This time we did it right and there were no big tears of anticipation with the cake.

He didn't mess around, just picked up the whole piece and shoved it in!

He knew everyone was laughing at him, but he just kept going. He barely came up for air.

I kept joking that it looked like he was teething on the cake.

Round 2 was definitely a success!

We LOVE you Joe-bo! May you forever charm us with your sweet smile!

Cooling Off & Picking Flowers

2009-06-03T21:54:00.006-04:00

We've been without air-conditioning for a few days now. Fortunately, our house is fairly shaded and stays nice and cool. But, the past two days have been in the mid 90s, and it was starting to get pretty stuffy. The next best thing to a pool here, for the kids, is their water table. So, I put them in their bathing suits, filled it up with bubbly water, and brought their Little People friends out to play. Maggie had a blast lining all of the people (and animals) up on the edge of the table and knocking them in. As always, Joe just loved watching her and splashing around a bit. He doesn't really like to crawl around in grass so he just braced the edge of the table and wouldn't budge! Here are just a few shots of the kids at play.

Maggie's favorite daily outdoor activity is to deadhead all my flowers. Some of them are meant to be picked, others, um, not. But, she always asks...."Mommy, purple one??". She loves to collect them in her bucket. I like to think that she's inherited her Nana's love of and skills for gardening...at least I can hope! Here she is at work.

Spring Beach Trip

2009-05-21T20:25:00.013-04:00

After a long winter, we finally got to get away as a family! We went to Nana and Pop's beach house. The weather was perfect! Maggie and Joe both LOVED the beach. We also took a couple of trips to Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park. The photos tell the story of this trip...

Joe was a little unsure of the beach at first and didn't want to go off the towel, but after a few days he was all over the place! He loved playing in the little shallow tide pools.

Joe loves climbing over anything, so this pile of sand was perfect. He went back and forth, back and forth...

Awww, what an adorable beach girl! : )

Maggie's highlight of the trip was splashing in the waves with Daddy. She kept shouting "more water Daddy, more water!!!!"

She's also really into giving kisses right now. Sorry I couldn't resist these!

Our trips to Brookgreen were fun. We love the Children's Garden there. Somewhere in the blog archives is a picture of little Maggie looking at this fountain. I can't believe how much she's grown!!!

Maggie was very interested in the Spanish moss that was "Patricia's" hair.

A cute little kid-sized tunnel.Check out this alligator and turtle sunning together!!!

We never make it very far without needing a piggy-back ride.

According to Maggie, this was "Uncle Scott doing storytime". : )

This was on our second visit to Brookgreen. They were setting up for a wedding.

Awwww, love this guy!
And this girl too! This picture is SO VERY MAGGIE.

Finally, the last highlight of our trip, we visited the environmental center at the park, and took a nice walk. Please excuse the rugged look!

A rare family shot!

Sorry for the very lengthy post, but I loved reliving this trip!