Weekend Festivities

It feels like it has been a long time since we were all home together on the weekend. Either Pera and I are running off to Grandma's or Tobias is off to rehearse for a show.. This weekend we were all home and got to do some really fun things together! We started Friday night with a picnic in the front yard. At least one meal a day right now is in the form of a picnic, either on the rug, in the back yard or under our sun tent in the front yard. We also took this opportunity to paint daddy's toes. He was a semi willing participant (Pera and I totally appreciated that!)

Saturday we made a trip by ferry to Bremerton and the Forest Theater to see a friend in Seussical the Musical. This was our first time at the Forest Theater. Really cool! We brought a picnic, a blanket, pillows, games etc down a trail through the woods and set up our little couch to enjoy the show (no I don't travel lightly but it was well worth it). This was Pera's first theater experience. Perfect! We ate and played, she was sitting far enough back that she could take in the show when she wanted while lounging on a pillow, sucking down hummos and crackers and playing with her Nana Jackie. Totally fun, and she made it the full (almost) four hours through the show. Highly recommend this theater to anyone who can't imagine sitting in a darkened indoor theater during the most beautiful time of year in Seattle.

You can't see the shirt with the sweet applique very well but you can see one of her summer skirts that I made last week at mom's from this free pattern (in the side bar of this blog).

All in all a fun weekend.

Pera's summer clothes

Well, despite all the rain, spring/summer must be here because I find myself wanting to knit less and sew more. So I am beginning to sew Pera some summer clothes. Who knows if she will wear them, she is very particular about this lately. But still fun to sew. Top photo is Pera in her new digs the "Baby Doggy House." The pink frock is taken from this sweet little pattern, Miss Madeline found on this blog. I figure we will get to the aproned version when Pera will actually wear a dress.. Or not.

Tulips!

This last week we also went to the tulip festival. Fun day! Great to do during the week when there is not much traffic nor a huge crowd to contend with. Lots of color. My absolute favorite were the ones that looked like scoops of icecream. Alas for some zany reason my dad and I decided to switch cameras thinking I would take pictures of he and mom and he would shoot photos of Pera, Toe and I. We made the switch and got separated. So his camera contains some of the photos I wish I had to share.

A Hooker's Retreat

Hello All! Again a while between posts and doing a lot around here. Just went away last week with mom for some girl and craft time. We stayed in Leavenworth, WA and went to a rug hooking retreat with Jane Olson. It was an amazing experience for me. We laughed a lot, created a lot and probably ate way too much! Jane is a real treasure: funny, smart and fiesty. She is truely an artist. I hope to be able to go next year.

I created my own little rug of Pera and Lolly or as Pera calls herself and Lolly "Baby kitty and little tiger." The rug was made using beautifully hand died woolens from Jane's studio.

I heard someone describe what Jane does as painting with wool. I am very much humbled by what she can do, but was very pleased with the results of my own attempts at painting. The rugs are created with wool strips and as you can see from the group photo above there was quite a variety of creating taking place in the room. What I loved most about it was being able to come and go as we please, set our own pace and accomplish each day what we wished. At 85 Jane kept up and was there in the morning when (after a coffee and a walk) I finally came into the studio and at night as I was tottling off to bed.

A lot left to do on my little rug, but very fun and inspiring!

Spring!

Yay! Its spring time in Seattle. We are busily planting a little garden out front. The parrots have returned. Watching them in the evening as they pluck cherry blossoms off the tree is a treat. Its light again when I head out the door for boot camp. And we actually put on sunblock and sun hats today. In Pera's case she was wearing nothing else so that means its getting warmer!

In the crafting department I have been doing a few projects and dreaming of many more. One of which is this little sweater in light green and navy I started for Pera before she was 1 and now it probably won't fit her! Toddler sweaters should take no time at all but I think I am a little tired of knit - knit - knit.. I need to do some cables, something a little more challenging. It doesn't help the process that I knitted not 2 sleeves but 3 little sleeves!

Many ideas floating around my head right now. Projects, projects, projects. But next weekend I will put those thoughts on hold and go to a Rug Hooking Retreat with my mom in Leavenworth, WA. My first time as a happy hooker. Should be fun! Will try and take some photos and share the craftiness.

strawberry fields

Wow time just flies by.. While I keep thinking I will get here to record some thoughts the days continue to pass too quickly. Today was glorious. A walk to play space we love (toddler time at Rainier Community Center) to meet with friends we love!! Then off to our local library for puzzles and books and a quick trip by our favorite bakery, Columbia City Bakery for a tiny chocolate chip masterpiece. The flowers are out in all colors and spring is definetly coming. Now if the temperature could just cooperate and warm up.

As you can see from above (can't seem to figure out how to get it to post a photo anywhere else other than the top of my entry) we are making a tea party. I have been making these little strawberries this last week for my strawberry berry girl. She loves strawberries! Really any berry except for these guys! For some reason when she walks past this little table she leaves everything as is and chucks the strawberries all over the floor. We have not gotten into why yet but that is how it is..

Moving slowly

Pera's dad and I have crafted this finely tuned schedule in which one of us is home with Pera each day; so we can parent, play and experience the world through our ever changing 2 1/2 year old. We try to live slowly. We don't rush here and there.. Being one who has rarely ventured into the mall or other such place its not hard to say, "Okay, any where we go today we will walk, skip or hop! No cars, errands can wait."

That said, it's not always easy to slow down. We have had to set some ground rules for ourselves, like no crackberries at the table and when the girl says "Let's Play!" we do it. At the same time because we work at home (this is how we have made the schedule work day to day), she says things like, "Email dada!" When you work from home its easy to just work from dawn to well past dusk, because you don't ever leave your office. It gets tricky. For us slowing down includes not being plugged in all the time, with blackberries and wireless internet its hard to unplug sometimes!

So slowing down for us means setting those artificial limits so that we can enjoy our time with Pera and nourish our family connection while attempting to balance work with life. I was reading this article in this month's Parent Map and found there is yet another lable for this type of parenting: Slow Parenting. Slowing down and really enjoying the moment. Bouncing on the bed, dancing in the kitchen to "Dancing Queen"and having pancakes for dinner (and sometimes lunch, and definetly breakfast) are ways in which we parent slowly around here.

I know I am a mama to one, and going through this for the first time its easy to get on a soap box. There is a lot of privelege in the "choices" we make. Not many have such versaltile work schedules to do what we do.

I so much want to thank Pera for all she is teaching me a long the way. I may get razzed for staying in my jamas until 11 am some days (heck I don't think I get out of them some days). But I wouldn't trade in this time for the world. Being slow is a conscious choice. Being in our jamas, walking to the park (after changing clothes most days), or reading books in bed until we hanker for some pancakes with blueberries are all ways we physically slow down.

This month we are looking at a preschool for Pera. Not preschools, just one preschool. There is one 2 blocks from our house that is a cooperative school, which means parents are way involved in the day to day of the school's operation. There is very limited space. Most of the moms in our hood that we have talked with are applying to 4 - 5 some have looked at 19 schools! We have looked at one. It fits us. And if we don't get in, we can try for the next year. We will continue to fill our days with play, walks, books, and exploring the world around us, slowly.