Sea + Prairie

busy, busy, busy

in the last 8 days we have...

finished 2 teacher quilts,

picked zinnias 9 from the garden,

visited the Contemporary Art Center's Boardwalk Art Show and Inflatable Art Exhibit with 2 good friends,

eaten 3 cantaloupes from the market, and eaten our weight in popsicles,

picked 7 tomatoes...there's always one that can't follow the rules of how to become a pretty tomato, eh?

visited with our 2 cousins (1 tia, 1 tio and an abuelita) at the beach,

played 6 games of kickball, 

run in from the rain 3 times,

said good bye to 4 great teachers,

and umpteen jillion friends (but just for the summer),

...and today is only the first day official day of summer.

 

Looks like its going to be a busy one!

The Colors of Coastal Maine

 
As we were driving North from Virginia toward Maine, each child had their own laminated map of the U.S.  As the boys followed along our route, Wyatt got a serious look on his face.  He had a question.  "Why was Deleware orange on the map, but was still green and brown outside the car window?"

But after arriving in Portland and upon visiting Mackworth Island we learned that in face, different areas of the country do in fact have different colors.

Even though our trip is just beginning, Maine will forever be brilliant colors of amethyst purple and brilliant cerulean yellow-green.

This has me thinking...I wonder if our house swap friends think our beach has "a color pallet"?  

What colors would a visitor notice in the natural areas of your hometown?

Interesting thoughts today.

Wonderful Weekending

 

Hello all!

Is it really Monday again?

I love that in the summers, weekends and weekdays just blur together.

One of the boys ask me this morning what day it was and I honestly had to stop and think for a minute.

It's Monday!

We had a most lovely weekend here at the beach.

We were visited by some already friends, but now I am so excited to know them "for reals" as Zane says.

Really though, Jennifer and her family could NOT have been more fun.  The kids got along swimmingly and the husbands did too.

Its nice to know that there really is something to this whole blogging community.  If you have ever wondered if you really get a good idea of what someone is like through their blog, Im here to say...yep.  Jennifer was as warm and charming as she comes across in her blog.

Of course we could have used another day or three.  We didn't get to talk much knitting.  I could really use a lesson or two, ya know.  And I didn't even get to thank her for the CD she sent last week.  And completely left out talk about the finish of the Virtual Quilting Bee...and my poor performance towards the end.  But she shared some of her jelly (YUM!) with us and we sent her away with a little reminder of our day at the beach.

Thanks Jennifer and family.

We had a ball!

Whose next?  Anyone want to come to the beach?

Still At The Beach

Been busy soaking up the summer the past few days here.  With some public schools starting this week, we are feeling very lucky to still be spending time at the beach.

Posts still might be a bit spiradic as my keyboard has been soaked in lemonade...ugh!  The a and s keys are not working, but thanks to the on screen keyboard, I can still peck out a post...any tips for cleaning up a keyboard would be appreciated.

Happy Tuesday!

To The OBX

I turned the calendar to August this morning and had a quick "summer is almost over and I haven't done everything I had wanted to" panic attack.  It happened to you too, eh?

Luckily we are off to the cottage in the OBX.  No, we don't have a cottage.  I wish we did.  But I love just saying those words and dreaming about having a cottage (said in the most English of accents).  I spent at least an hour last night looking up cottages on real estate websites.  Oh, it would be so nice to say things like "why don't you just meet us at the cottage this weekend" or "you look like you need a vacation, just use our cottage".  So nice.

But luckily I have a good friend who does have a cottage.  And she has been so kind as to invite us down for the day.

The travel pillow above was put together rather quickly the night before I left for Nicaragua after seeing this tutorial over on the mayamade blog.  I didnt end up following the tutorial.  I did my own quick and easy version with a longer handle for throwing over my shoulder.  It ended up working perfectly for the plane.  Zane has snagged the travel pillow since then and it is already packed in the back seat of the car for today's travels.  And I have orders for two more made from robot fabric and a camouflage print.

But that little project will have to wait until we get back.  We'll see you tomorrow.  Hopefully with sandy toes, sea treasures spilling out of our pockets and pink shoulders.

back to the beach

Beach season officially began this week.  It was still a bit chilly, but with so much running and jumping and digging, jackets were quickly peeled off and left in the sand.  We are lucky that we get special access to a beach that is quiet and void of people but for a runner here or there.  This particular day we were the only people in sight, from one end to the other. 

When I was a girl, my family used to visit St. George Island if Florida.  My grandfather used to take my mom and her brother and sister there before there were houses and restaurants.  At bedtime my mom told me stories about their time on St. George.  About my uncle being awoken one night by a wild hog scratching its back on his hammock.  About climbing up the big sand dunes on the island and finding a rum bottle originally belonging to a slave ship.  My mother says that one of the best things about their time at St. George was that my grandparents could just let them go.  They were free to follow their imaginations as long as they were back by lunch time.

I have my own beach memories that include my brother and I discovering a sea turtle nest at just the very moment the little ones were hatching.  It was like magic as my mom touched each little nose, barely visible under the sand.  Which sent them in a mad flurry of flippers flailing frantic to get to the water.

All of this makes me grateful that we live so close to the ocean.  To be able to give my boys the very same opportunity to discover and run wherever they are lead without a hovering mama.  Our beach day left me wondering about what of our beach adventures will stick in my boys' memories.  What stories will they tell their own children at bedtime?

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With Easter quickly approaching, I've been thinking a lot about hope.  By the way, have you see this project over at Shutter Sisters?  We are making special plans for Easter - we will be helping organize a Christian sadar with some of our very best friends - and I just can't wait to see it all come together.

Entries for the Beebee Mod giveaway are open until midnight tonight, so there is still time to make yourself eligible.

And I am hoping to get caught up on all of the entries to the summer unschooling project.  Wow, what a response!  I am thrilled over the moon with all of the interest.  We have mamas from all over the world who will be playing along this summer.

I had also hoped to be sharing a project today that I've been working on little by little.  I have been heavily inspired by all of the neutral tans and browns of the sand with that amazing punch of blue, navy blue, cornflower blue...mmmm...but I didn't get any time this week in the sewing room.  Maybe this weekend.

Happy Friday All!

 

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!