Archive for the ‘baby’ Category

reclaiming

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

it is time to reclaim!

“reclaim what?” you are wondering.

many things. with a search on craigslist and a $50 bill i am reclaiming my body, my love of exercise, and my desire to be outside. yes, my thighs are burning. yes, it feels like i sat on a rock, and yes, i will probably have helmet hair. but who cares? my kids are laughing, the wind is blowing in my face, and i am tearing down this hilly dirt road!

new-bike-trailer

i am reclaiming my “garden” from the snow! this little cold frame cris built me will give us mixed greens for dinner tonight! even though i left it open in the snow storm, the warmth it has gathered from the sun has been enough to save it.

i am reclaiming my appreciation. for the sun, mostly. but also for cris’s ladies (don’t worry – i only mean his chickens!) and these beautiful old barns where mine are the 4th generation of children to grow up here.

more-cris-ladies

farm-lilacs

barn

together, cris and i reclaimed our living room! after being gifted bunkbeds, we rearranged the kids’ room and moved some of their toys in. now we have a living room instead of a play room.

new-curtain

wyatts-bunk

place-for-isabelle

the last thing i have reclaimed? personal time. not a whole lot, but i have finally come to realize that i don’t have to do everything. i can ask for help. and, when i ask, not only does cris step up to the challenge, but he appreciates both the communication and knowing that i need him. wow!

so i’ve gone straight from work to girls night and let cris put the kids to bed. i got to cut out my next sewing project and visit with girlfriends. (i went to a tag sale last weekend and swam through a sea of vintage fabric. i thought the garbage-bag-full i purchased was enough, but now i’m having second thoughts… anyway, i cut into some of that vintage love for my pillowcases!)

pillowcases-to-sew

i’ve printed a bunch of cards to bring to local stores (scary!) and even printed some extras for a special friend’s birthday.

cards-to-peddle

and much to my pleasure, i’ve rotated the fridge display.

new-fridge-pics

yes, it feels good to recalim life!

(if you’re wondering…isabelle is 5 months old in that picture. i know, it looks like she swallowed the michelin man!)

Posted in baby, card, carving, farm, garden, happy things, kids, prints, sewing, vermont, wood block | 1 Comment »

the (non)birth-day (there was a birth, just not a day)

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

well, the birthdays were a lot of fun! we sailed through on sugar highs and clouds of tissue paper and gift wrap. isabelle tried to give some things back, because she was worried that people had “left [them] here.” she let her brother open a lot of gifts. when he asked her if he could open one more, she’d say, “yeah, sure wyatt.” soooo cute! and now that the madness is over, there is a nice little stash of newness to explore. here are some of the crowd favorites:birthday-crib

the baby cradle cris and i made together. we decided to use really thick wood in case the kids tried to rock each other in it. yeah, it happened that morning!

baby-ergo

this children’s size ergo backbapck, which we call a kangaroo (i know, pouch in the front). both of the kids love this and it is so sweet to see them bouncing around the house (literally) trying to get their baby to sleep.

nana-knits

nana’s hand knits were a huge hit! it’s so funny for a child to love a hat and mittens so much, but it also makes me so proud! i think the children see me knitting all the time for our family, and it’s just a part of their lives. they really value it (as much as they can, at least) and are so interested.  i love when they “help” me to knit by holding the yarn or one of the needles. so what if it takes 20 minutes to knit a few stitches?!

birthday-cupcakes

most of all, it was just fun to have our family all together.

wes-walks-us

walking with uncle wes.

reading-with-pop

reading with pop.

woods-walking

we got to go exploring with cris. he did some chainsawing…

wyatt-chainsaw

wyatt tried to do some chainsawing too.

isabelle-fort

and isabelle showed us her fort.

what a wonderful weekend! i love planning and hosting parties! speaking of which…the fun will continue! i’ve got a small knitting project for my brother’s birthday in a couple of weeks, cris and wyatt have birthdays in april, and i’m also planning a baby shower for a friend! horray for parties!

Posted in baby, farm, kids | No Comments »

the countdown

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

i love birthdays and holidays. they provide an end date for my crafty endeavors, a much needed deadline, and an event to look forward to. as the countdown to belle’s birthday pulls us closer to her invisible day (remember, she’s a leapling), i am finishing the details of her celebrations.

 

i quickly carvstrawberry-stamped this strawberry stamp to decorate the kraft paper i have to wrap her gifts. i’ve been looking through this book to review the strawberry cupcake and frosting recipes. i’m milling through the cabinets, making a checklist of ingredients.

baby-pear

but most of all, i am looking in awe at my “baby” who (it feels like) was just born a couple of months ago…and now she is headstrong, independent, beautiful, and so sweet.

sweet-sleep

now that she is a big girl, sleeping in a “real” bed, she has the freedom. and sometimes that freedom means getting into bed with brother for a little snuggle time…

Posted in baby, carving, happy things, kids, vermont | 1 Comment »

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