Sea + Prairie

party, party, party!

birthday boy backpack, originally uploaded by thisvintagechica.

Or the other blog title I was considering was, "It's 8:15 and I'm exhausted".

This weekend we attended two birthday parties for sweet boys. Both birthday boys are good friends of our boys and their mothers are good friends of mine...which always makes it nice.

Saturday morning I scrambled to make something for each of them. For Nils, a backpack from the Lotta book out of some soft black denim, a remnant purchased back in the summer. I And for the other birthday boy, Jason a similar gift. Although his mother told me "NO GIFTS, PLEASE." So, the mail fairy will have to deliver his anonymously.

I love how they came out.  However, I had trouble attaching the straps to the bottom side seam.  I don't remember having that trouble the first time I made this pattern.  But as Tim Gunn would say, I "made it work".  And luckily little boys don't really care how it is finished as long as it looks cool and it works.  And it did, check, check.

Saturday we were all in bed by 7:30 p.m. Seriously.

Sunday was a relatively quiet day.  Church in the morning and then home for some down time.  I signed up for our 2008 CSA with the farm we visited last year.  And found a great local source for eggs while I was researching over at LocalHarvest.  Did four loads of laundry that actually found their way from the back of the couch to their respective drawers.  Worked on the MOPs newsletter over wine and a great movie.  Meg commented that she loved the music in the movie so much she purchased the soundtrack.  I think I will too.  Ended by staying up way, way too late looking at all of the great winter white photographs from Shari''s project. 

Today the boys were out of school for a teacher work day. We met friends for an impromptu play date and then ice skating. The boys did great. It is amazing how it all came back to them from living up North. However I did not get a single picture because I was slipping and sliding myself and being used as a handhold for Wyatt most of the time. And with my track record with digital cameras, the outlook was not good.

So, we partied like it was 1999 over the long weekend.  It was a good one.  I am exhausted and will probably be recovering well into Thursday.   


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comfy cozy slippers by Ana Ventura.

scout

Today, I Wyatt and I went to pick up the big boys from kindy.  Since getting Scout two years ago, it is our habit to put her in her crate before we leave.  Not that she would tear anything up at this point.  But it has just been our routine.

But today when we returned, and we went to let her out, we saw this.

She had torn apart her new bed that Santa brought her.  So, I cleaned up the mess and said a few curse words under my breath.  I did a few things downstairs and then I went to help the boys get settled for rest time upstairs.  When I came back down, this is where she was. 

Sitting quietly on my grandmother's club chair next to the fireplace.  Do you think she is trying to tell me something?

I have some sewing planned for the weekend and planning on watching Once, so hopefully I will have something for show and tell on Monday.  Happy Friday all!

mail love

My postman must think I am crazy.  He must think I have nothing better to do than wait for him to show up.  Because when he does finally arrive at 4:45 p.m, and he hands me something other than mega-store fliers or bills, I almost have to stop myself from planting a big smooch right on his cheek.  Now that would be a bit awkward!  I try to remain cool and calm, with a simple smile and a "thank you".  But knowing I am a very transparent person, I am sure I don't come off near as cool as I think.  That would explain the weird "lady, you just violated my personal space" look I got when the latest package from my mother arrived.

My mother knows me so well.  I have said this before, but it is a wonderful thing for someone to know your tastes so well.  Included in her package was this Marcrest serving bowl and lid, and this antique Mexican nicho.  I am guessing that the saint is St. Nicholas since he is the patron saint of children.  Thanks mom, I love you more and more and more.

Also included in the box from my mom was this bit of goodness from her friend Kay.  It is such a nice thing to be known as the girl who loves all that is vintage.  Because then even your mom's friends know that you would turn cartwheels for vintage curtains like these and a book on patchwork.  Perfect timing for some practice projects.  Thank you so much for thinking of me Kay.

And then sweet Zelia sent me an equally sweet vintage hankie all the way from Portugal.  It takes me weeks and weeks to get to the post office.  And the fact that you took the time to hand write a kind note and pop this in the post means so much.  Thank you friend.

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Have you been over to Sixoneway in the past few days?  If you haven't, let me tell you.  Stef (you don't ever want to call her Steffy, believe me!) and I wanted to share the mama love a little.  So we have started a sixoneway flickr group for anyone to post their own triptych. 

I love seeing all the ways women are connecting and finding real beauty in their surroundings.  Noticing similarities and differences.  But always feeling inspired.   And hopefully this will be just that kind of group.

Whatcha waitin' for?  You know you want to.  Join us!

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raindrops on roses

and whiskers on kittens, white copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages, la-de-da-da...you know how it goes.  When I was eight, I was in the Stagecoach Community Theater production of The Sound of Music and played the part of the smallest Von Trapp, Gretl.  My lines included a scream and "but my finger hurts" when Uncle Max (played by my friend Jill's father) asked me why I wasn't singing.  But that song has stuck with ever since.  I sang it as I struggled to finish my last semester of college.  I sang it from dinner time to bath time when Ian and Zane were babies.  And I sing it now when rough patches appear.

Thank you so much for the amazingly supportive comments from the last post.  I have gone back through and read them over and over (and over) again.  With all that is in me, thank you friends. 

Papa is at his destination and settling in as nicely from the emails I have received so far.  Although I think he is missing his boys terribly.  His only real comment about the environment has been that the desert is strangely colorless and feels very lifeless.  The boys and I have spent the better part of a week (or longer), dancing to music, drawing, taking photos, making paper airplanes (lots and lots of paper airplanes), and talking, talking, and talking some more.  No computer, no t.v. for the most part.  We did meet up with some friends to see the new Veggie Tales movie and laughed our behinds off.  We have done the deployment routine so many times now that I know how important it is to wipe the calendar clean for that first week after he leaves...just to be available for whatever might come my way.  And there have been things that have come...in the form of a note sent home from the teacher saying Zane had an altercation with (read that punched) another classmate, Wyatt's meltdown at church on Sunday and Ian's unusual quietness.  They are good kids, the best kids. Ever.  Period.  But as they are learning to handle the stresses of life I continue to learn how to help them through it all in their own ways, not my ways.  "...when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad..."

So here are of a few of my favorite things. :10 things: that are making me smile right now.

• Thinking about a new project.  And feeling very lucky, and a bit apprehensive, to be included in this talented group of women.
• Amanda's 30 days. 
• Camillias here in Virginia are in bloom a bit earlier than normal.
• I can't get enough of Ian's drawings. 
• And this book that arrived with the most perfect timing.  Every afternoon after school we dive right in and draw for several hours.

• Mail arrived including packages of saved seeds from the O'Melay family.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Karl.  Seeing all of these heirloom seeds prompted me get out my drawing paper and start to plan out our Spring garden and I can not wait!
• I am loving everything that Meg puts up on her blog these days.  Especially her little butterfly metamorphosis adaptation of the wee wonderfuls pattern.  So great!
• Good friends who put their kids to bed and show up on my doorstep with a bottle of wine.
• Loving Alicia's new collaborative project.

• new rain boots ... I've traded my winter snow boots from WI for winter rain boots more suitable for Virginia
• and an excuse for me, a very grey person to think in black + white for a week

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Ooopps!  I just realized that my list has eleven things.  A happy accident that just goes to show that in the midst of trials, there are plenty of beautiful things to be seen if you just open your eyes to them.

Have a great weekend all!

:deployment scarf :

I haven't been very good at visiting my fellow bloggers lately - I am sorry for that.  Hence I haven't been very good at commenting either. And I haven't been very vocal about the reason.

S is leaving next week on deployment and we've just been soaking in as much of him as we can. It is crunch time and he is at work packing his gear as I am typing this. I haven't said much about his leaving because honestly, I don't want anyone to feel sorry for us. We are used to him being gone a lot...it is what we do. 

We are so lucky to have such supportive families.  And here in Virginia we are surrounded by an amazing home-away-from-home family that really looks after us.  We are so lucky in that regard.  

There is always some transition time when papa leaves - especially for the boys. Ian seems to miss him the most.  And Wyatt is just now starting to understand the whole concept.  Zane has been curious about "the war" and has been asking a ton of questions.  I have been so proud of S, he quietly answers each and every question honestly and in terms a 5-year old can understand.  The boys are already trying to figure out how to booby-trap the care package we send so that something jumps out of it when he opens it.

I on the other hand, usually sit around wondering what to do for the first few days, then snap out of it and get into the groove. This time will be no different.  And then I will be enjoying having the whole be to myself, spa nights after the boys go to bed, having control over what movies are watched, etc.  Don't get me wrong - there ARE advantages.

He had requested an extra long scarf to take with him for warmth and to keep the sand out of his face and mouth. I only started the darned thing 4 times (seriously) only to pull it all out and begin again. First it was the wrong color (duh! brown this time, not green) and then it wasn't long enough to wrap around his neck and face twice like he had envisioned. I mean geez, it is only a scarf, but it took me two weeks to get it finished.  But it is finally done and he is happy with it.  He even said it smells like me.  We'll see how long that will last with all of the sweating and gunkifying he is going to subject it to.

I will be taking the next week off from blogging. But may still be in and out over at flickr and for sure will be posting at six one way. Hope you are all having a great weekend and see you in a few days.

new year's hike

On new year's day we took a hike around Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  It is a great area that S and I enjoyed before we were married and now are learning to enjoy all over again with the boys.  We didn't make it as far down the desolate beach as we did when it was just the two of us.  But with the boys in tow we had an excuse to explore a "pirate ship" wreck.  We spent a good 10 minutes viewing sand through a new microscope (a Christmas gift from Tia Claudia) and watched a red winged black bird for what seems to be an hour.  New cadances and new views for a new year!