new address...

hello faithful followers!  i am moving my little blog to a new address on the web: i moved here.  see you there!

i spy with my little eye

i made an i-spy quilt for calvin.  it took me awhile... it was originally going to be a christmas present... then a birthday present... finally last weekend, it became a just-because present.

due to a bad storm school (my work) has been closed due to no power all week and it has been rainy so this quilt has been a major source of entertainment around here.  so perfect timing in the end.

he loves it.  i love how he describes the square he is spying.  today he spied one square "with hundreds of tea pots" when the square actually has about 20 tea cups.  i like to try to use vocabulary that he does not necessarily know to see how he figures it out.  for example, i spied a square with a lady in a red kimono and he picked up on 'lady' and 'red' to find the square and then we talked kimonos.  he can't contain his giddiness when i get close to the square he spied.  

hello spring? you're early.

this is what i found in the garden this weekend... the 60 degree weather has awaked the earth and all that lies beneath its surface. i love the warmer weather and warm outdoor air and especially not having to bundle up two little ones before going anywhere. hello spring, you're early, but that's okay with me.

first day

yesterday was calvin's first day of preschool.  i was filled with sentimental emotions the night before (how did my little baby boy get so big?) so i decided i need to do something, more specifically make something.  calvin needed to bring a little pillow and blanket to preschool with him for nap time so i decided to make a case for the pillow to match his blanket (he decided to bring the quilt i finished for him the night before he was born).

when he woke up in the morning, excited (read: very early) to go to school, he saw his pillow and love it.  he loved the turquoise part the best, because anything turquoise is the best (so says calvin...).

when i picked him up, he has so much he wanted to show me... from moon sand to a doctors kit to bikes in the gym room.  his first day was full of new things and new friends and a comfortable familiar blanket and new matching pillowcase make especially for him by mom.

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goodbye february.   i enjoyed every minute.  see you next year.

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on a walk... following the sun.  i can smell spring today.

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more food for maeve... mango & peach.

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today i am 33 and i have so much to be thankful for.  this last year of my life was filled with so many ups (and just a few downs)... it was well lived and not soon to be forgotten.  i look forward to this next year with curiosity and a wish for time to slow down just a bit...

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looking for butterflies in the middle of winter

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i am so very thankful that my husband loves to cook delicious and fresh homemade food for our family and friends.    

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so kissable in her cousin's and then brother's handed-down pajamas.

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sadly, i was reminded this week that life certainly isn't fair. my heart is aching for a friend and i am wishing i could hug her.

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snow day!

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fresh pizza dough... recipe here.

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made for valentine's day from this pattern.

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for calvin's cooking themed birthday party i made aprons for the kids.  i used this free pattern.

aprons wrapped and ready for the party.

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planting paper whites.

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'bear' sauce for the little one (banana + pears)

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rest in peace grandpa. i am lucky to have been your granddaughter.

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this boy is three. he is concentrating on making a really good birthday wish. when he concentrates his tongue sticks out. i love that about him.

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one big cookie.

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watching my loves play in the snow from inside.

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hangin out.

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learning to use chopsticks

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turquoise hat i knit for calvin for christmas.

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(i usually post a picture a day with minimal words during the month of february (see here and here) because february is so crazy around here, but this year was crazier than most so i haven't even been able to post pictures... but i have been taking them. so i will post some here, i am not sure if i will get to posting 28, but i will try.)

2.1:: calvin found a 'c' in the snow

6 months and i'm getting better

maeve is 6 (!) months already. she amazes me everyday. she loves to smile, especially when she is watching calvin, who is by far her favorite person to watch. she is a snuggler and a talker, making sounds constantly. many of her teeth are coming in at the same time so she drools more that i have seen any baby drool. multiple layers of clothing get soaked through. i even made her some special drool bibs, backed with some thick organic french terry (my cousin calls them her 'droolry'). there is nothing i enjoy more that watching her sleep, peacefully next to me, gently sucking her thumb.

it is tradition in my family to celebrate half birthdays until we reach the age of 10 so we celebrated maeve's first half year with a little singing and a little rice cereal (which maeve spit out every last bit of) and a new birthday crown. do you see that fancy embroidery? i have been practicing. i got this book on sale at michael's a few months ago (just after i made this) and i have found this simple, colorful handwork fun and relaxing. i did a stem stitch for the M and a straight stitch with french knots for the little stars. i love how it turned out.

happy half-birthday maeve!

one sick boy

calvin has been sick for a week and a half now. first it was a stomach bug, then a runny nose, which led to a cough and today it is pink eye. of course this all has to happen my first week back at work.

christmas handknits

{bonnet for maeve}

{turquoise hat for calvin}

i finished two hand knits this christmas. a bonnet for maeve using the pattern in last minute knitted gifts and a turquoise hat for calvin (which he requested) using the pattern in baby knits for beginners.

i am a very slow knitter, especially if i am trying to knit from a pattern. i did get some help from omi, who is an expert knitter, who showed me how to knit and purl a little differently and i increase my speed significantly, but completely changed my gauge.

i will keep at it though, stitch by stitch, row by row.