Archive for the ‘wood block’ Category

“dollhouse”

today, when we were rained out of our plans, the kids and i decided to visit the hardware store. more exciting to wyatt than “plain old” craft supplies, he thrives in aisle after aisle of drawers filled with nuts, bolts, nails, screws, hooks and eyes, wire, and so forth. while browsing the endless selection of supplies, we decided on three projects: a ladder, a dollhouse/tree-house and a train.

once home, we raided two great wood sources: cris’s leftovers from all of his man projects and the wood pile. we found pre-finished floor boards, hemlock, pine and maple in his stash and a few small logs in the wood-bin. wyatt got his tool box from the basement, and we were set to build! while we didn’t get to the train today, we did finish a small ladder for dolls, as well as this house. once completed, wyatt decided we should nail down the crane he just built from a thrift store kit. so much better than the dollhouse we bought, and there’s still room to add more to it!

now, back to cleaning and unpacking from our weekend away! more on that later this week…

an old fashioned barn raising (of sorts)

we went into the mountain to help some friends with their vacation camp. well, the kids and i went to watch cris help…

it’s a timber frame, so they literally put the framing together and them 8 men pushed it up and secured it into place. it is amazing and beautiful, just like the woods around it. you have to cross a mountain stream by foot to get there and then hike up a big hill. the kids had so much fun exploring and wyatt and his new little friend spent the whole day building. they both brought their own hammers, so with wood scraps and a pile of nails the built “boats” and sailed them in the river. so cute! isabelle and i just hung out by the water and visited. and of course, i got in some knitting and journaling. if you haven’t already, you should consider this book.

i love the feeling of community when a group of people come together just to help friends. the day was filled with so much joking, laughter, accomplishment, teamwork, happiness and appreciation. to show for it? a completely framed building at the end of the day!

p.s. – on a totally different note, if you’re in the middlebury area in the month of july, swing into carol’s hungry mind to check out my prints on display!

reclaiming

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!)