"It's called a lake. And it sparkles!"

Says the 6 year old birthday girl to the dog as we drive along the shore, looking for the perfect place to stop and enjoy an evening picnic.

I am feeling quiet. Do any of you have one of those children who get get a bit blue the day after a special day like a birthday? I was one of those children. I guess I still am...


This was our first lakeside picnic of the season, Chessa's choice to celebrate here, we brought a simple dinner, including fruit salad in a big watermelon bowl. (There was strawberry shortcake too, but we decided that was probably best, easiest, eaten at home.)

It was Isabella's (doll) birthday too, of course, she was well taken care of all day long. She was especially happy that her mama got a new little rocking chair for her birthday, so that there could be lots of cozy storytelling and cuddling.

So there was lots and lots of happy outdoor play. Some tree climbing.

Lots of running down to the edge of the lake.

And then back up again. Almost more like she was in flight, look at those arms!

(Mommy and Daddy wandered about with the girls for a while and then sat close by the fire, true happiness watching our girls delight in the evening.)

Happy and dirty at the end of her day.

And then once more back down to the lake. The girls appreciated the wonderfulness of being able to go for a walk by the lake after dinner.

A special day for our dear little Chessa Morgan!

WIP Wednesday ~ Sewing Challenge and Birthday Girl Plans

Does anyone else feel like they spent half of their sewing challenge time tracing patterns from crazy Japanese sewing books? Sometimes I even kept on tracing extra patterns just for the fun of it. Fun. Yeah. (Only being slightly sarcastic, I do kinda like it.) But why can't the patterns include seam allowances? Cause then I still have to go all around with a little ruler marking one centimeter away, well actually that was the part I was finding extra fun...

So here is the top that did get completed last week, from the too cute book Girly Style Wardrobe. Though actually it's a very altered pattern from that book. This is for Chloe, it is almost too big, but acceptable I think.

The back has much more red in it, I like the combination, good colors for Chloe.

I am working on a similar one for Chessa too, but altered it even more. I decided she needed a softer neckline so I'm doing it curved instead of square.

Chessa, she is the birthday girl, 6 years old next Monday! Oh my goodness! (Please excuse while I freak out for a moment.) So birthday sewing/crafting plans... the top, which at one point was going to be a dress, but now switched back to a top again. I don't know if I'm okay with this though, I always make the girls dresses for their birthdays, maybe I will add a skirt.

I am also making her a doll. Yes, I made her a doll for her birthday last year, (the blonde one), this year I am making her a teeny tiny doll. Cause she likes teeny tiny things. My sweet little teeny tiny child...

Hopefully a couple other things will find time to be made also. I have been wanting to make her a headband (I am making Chloe a bonnet for her birthday, Chessa already has hers), and would like to make her a small pillow also. Really I would love to make her a small lap quilt, but let's be realistic here... Either way I'm sure I'll be up sewing till 1AM on Sunday night...

I guess that's all for now. I may be back to share a special Chessa story later this week, or perhaps after the weekend.

Happy day to you all!

work in progress - sewing challenge

I find myself drawn to fabrics that remind me of when I was little... a favorite dress I had, a curtain, a bedspread. The fabrics I am sewing with now are some of those fabrics. Especially the red one. It is a fabric that I would save nearly forever waiting for just the right thing to use it on. But I didn't have to wait that long, because this fabric is just right for Chloe, and I am making her a new summer top from it.

Several things are motivating me to get this done... One, the fabric, of course. Two, the fun sewing challenge, and three... well, I was planning on making the same top for Chessa, and I won't know what size I want to make until I finish this first one. Even though now I think I will be making her a dress instead, still similar style though, and this dress will be her birthday dress, which is in less than two weeks now, so better go get back to sewing!

happy mommy, happy sewing

We spent our Sunday wandering through the forest. It was just where we needed to be.

(Can you believe the aspens are still bare?)

How happy these girls make me...

How grateful I am to be their mother. It is my favorite thing in the world!!!

Thanks to those who sent Mother's Day wishes. I hope you all had the most wonderful day!


So, is anyone else taking part in the Kids Clothes Week challenge? I wasn't sure if I should commit, but I'm glad I have. The goal is to spend one hour each day sewing clothing for our children every day for the next seven days. Today I cut out all the pieces to make a new top for Chloe, but the actual sewing will have to wait until tomorrow. I plan to make a similar one for Chessa too. There is much sewing that needs to be done here, I am happy for some extra inspiration!

~ this moment ~

~ inspired by amanda soule ~


Wishing you all a wonderful weekend full of many happy moments!

Snowy May

Freezing cold first days of May, icy snow falling, the hawthorn is certainly not blooming. The only flowers were the teeny tiny beeswax ones made at the table during a quiet crafting afternoon. We tried to make the best of the cozy days.

I wondered why our "not local Waldorf School" is not having their May Faire until the 23rd. Now I know. Brrrr!!! In this post from last year, my very first one actually, you can get a small peek at Chessa joining in with the May festivities.

Looking forward to seeing the beautiful May Day images everyone else is sharing.

Surely now warmer days will be coming!

one small change update!

I really think it is so great what Suzy has done by organizing this project, I sure am slacking on my posts though, the fact that it is the last day of the last month of the official project is motivating me to manage a little update here...

(random unrelated picture, just because, although actually, that is the corner of a bread bag I recently made, yay for no plastic!)

In a way I feel like I cheated, all of our vegan changes (non-vegan changes I should say) were happening anyway, but at least I was inspired to write about it too. (Rather than linking to my other posts I can just tell you, click on "vegan" in my side menu and you will find my small change posts there...) So many people have asked how it's going, how it tastes, how we feel... Well, it is all going well, though still moving a bit slowly sometimes, the girls love everything we eat, I feel super great about using these good simple foods as I prepare meals for my family each day, Jason has his heart completely into the changes, but is a little slower at adjusting to the taste of things. Because let me tell you, anyone who tries to say that Earth Balance is just the same as butter (we've heard it often) is absolutely totally wrong (in our opinion), at least if you haven't tasted butter in more than 15 years. It's not that he doesn't think things taste good, and it's not that he thinks the vegan substitutes taste better, it's just that it's such a strong, different taste, or it's a taste that give you weird childhood memory flashbacks, (happened when we tried real yogurt for the first time!), so we are adjusting, but enjoying it, feeling good about it. Eating a lot of good food in general, Jason brought home our first fresh greens of the season from the farm the other day! (Though as you may have heard, I won't be milking any goats this year, there was quite a bit of goat sadness this month, but the goats are now off to a new good home.)

I guess I did write about something other than our vegan choices, still food related, all about that awful packaging! We sure have been doing good on that! We have used our cloth bags and jars every single time we have been grocery shopping. There was only once or twice I got caught off guard, needing to buy bulk spices and not remembering to bring and empty jar or little bag to re-use. And we bought graham crackers. Cause Jason and I hadn't had them since we were younger, and the girls never had, and they were really yummy, but now we of course need to learn to make our own.

There was one other area of small change I hoped to work on, another popular one I think, laundry! I told myself I would get the laundry line hung by the first day of spring. Oh so bad, it was not, still is not, but in my defense it is hardly feeling like spring yet either! Soon, I promise, I'm trying!

I also have been wanting to make our own laundry soap for a long time now. I have explored some recipes but if any of you happen to have recommendations please do let me know.

I had other thoughts on laundry, mending, etc, but now must leave the computer and head towards the sewing machine... Goodnight!

(one more unrelated picture, I never showed you our April/Easter nature table, and since it is the last day of the month...)

p.s. I think there is one change that is biggest of all, that we have all contributed too, and that is raising our children to be more aware, considerate, caring, loving of the earth and it's inhabitants. We are making a difference today, and they will continue to make a difference in the future!

anticipating...

(May images from past years, we're not quite there yet!)







We really need to get out into the forest!!!

WIP Wednesday (but what is it??)

Some weekend sewing did happen, completed two little projects, and on the left here you can see a peek of another something special I have been working on, I even finished it yesterday after taking this picture. Well, after taking the picture and then sewing it together with one piece backwards, and then taking it apart and sewing it together again, backwards again! taking it apart again... this is my own pattern, something I have made twenty or thirty times, at least I won't make that same mistake again, hopefully...

So what else can I tell you about the project on the left? Nothing, it's a surprise!

All the fabrics I used on these pieces are vintage feedsacks combined with organic cotton. Oh vintage feedsacks, love love love, the prints, the colors, the history! I am so in love. Love love love. Get the picture?

The blues are not a usual color choice for me but I like to do that sometimes, challenge myself to use colors that are different (as in, not pink.) But what is it?? I was thinking of it as something like a tea trivet, a little place to set your teacup perhaps, or a small flower vase, but I do not think trivet is the appropriate word. Coaster? That word is not appealing to me, but maybe that's what it has to be. Not a potholder, cause it has just a thin layer of cotton batting, and a bit small, about 5 inches. Must have a name, cause I had so much fun making it, and want to make lots more...

You can expect me to be sharing more vintage sewing love here soon!

weekend discoveries

I taught the girls to play hopscotch this weekend. Is that bad that they have never played before? We rarely go to the park either. Always to the forest though! And plenty of hopping around anyhow.

It was nice and sunny when they asked if I would show them, a good use for the out of place square of concrete at the foot of our front steps, but by the time we even finished drawing the squares the dark clouds were moving in. Still a bit of time for play though, they loved it of course... The rain did come and wash it away, but they drew it again, and then it rained again, and then they drew it again, throughout the weekend.

I discovered this too, you may have to look closely to see, drawn on the board, hopscotch for fairy house people, of course.

Chloe discovered a deer's face on this big rock. Do you see it?

I discovered this pretty little broom waiting to sweep the front steps.

And I admired this wild rose growing with the Oregon grape in the flower bed.

The most exciting discovery of all...

the first blooming dandelions! This was a much celebrated moment!

Though Chloe looks pretty excited here too. I have no idea what she is looking at.
And now you know that I still have not pulled that super tall mullein stalk out of the garden bed.

We were all so happy to spend some time working on the garden when it wasn't raining. Our garlic is coming up, the chives are growing super fast, and we planted some first seeds, kale, mustard greens, and some lettuces. We have a little overwintered spinach experiment going on too, hopefully that will be growing well soon. Growing. Happiness...

And one last special picture... Chloe had the camera, the storm was coming, we were about to go in, she took this picture just as the first flash of lightening lit the sky. And then we hurried inside! And it rained and it rained and it rained. And it was so very nice!