Books in the New Year!

I am no bibliophile yet, but a girl can aspire. My library may disagree though. We all three had to get cards (of a 50 book limit each) in our house just to keep up with the number of books we wanted to bring home each week. With very little access to a tv around here, we read A LOT!  We are wading our way through 3 chapter books right now with our daughter and my reading stack and list is ever growing. So much to do and learn! With that in mind, my mom was lamenting she never knows what books to get us, as we seem to go through so many books. I thought it was time to start our own "book lust" list of sorts. Books we would love to read again and again! While the library is great! (We love it and know our friendly librarian by name.) There are some books you just need to have around you all the time. So in the coming weeks, I will finally be updating my sidebar with our book list and making some crafty entries of months past as well. Here are just a few books we are loving right now:

Tobias and Pera are reading these pretty most often. They tend to get a new one each month they visit the Nordic Heritage Museum. I have to say I am excited about the introduction of chapter books in our home, it means I can sit with them and knit while Tobias reads. If you have ever heard him read a story or spin a tail you know this is a total treat. I might get through this February Sweater for me before say, June! For more on Moomin check out Tove Jansson's site.

We are slowly adding these books to our collection as well. In fact I would say this is Pera's favorite series right now. She was Jenny Linsky for Halloween (I had to add the tagline: The black cat from Greenwich Village, for most adults who stared at us blankly when they asked the question of every child at Halloween, "What will you be for Halloween?") Pictures to come.. Pera doesn't like photo sessions, and haven't quite got the photo I want to share with you yet...

Finally, Grandma came recently and brought this sweet little read. I think it is book #2 of a series? Any how much fun with all of Tobias' voices and reading fabulousness. More soon! What are you reading?

Living

It has been a busy summer thus far. Trips to the beach, the island, grandparents. After this weekend we are looking forward to being home and simply living.

Where have I been?

We have had some serious rain, you think that would make for some good posting.. But lately I have just been focused on other things outside myself and have not made much time for this space. But rest asured there is more to come. You will have to bear with me just a little longer while we do a weekend camp out. Stay tuned!

looking down

I am spending a lot of time looking around these days.. Can't seem to get much else done. This weekend I am looking down. But these moments are worth so much more then getting something done.

Happy Spring

Here is a little spring bunny gal who likes to hide eggs and welcome flowers. The little orange haired girl I live with doesn't want her yet.. So for now she is content being my little spring friend. Hope spring is happening for you, or just around the corner..

knittin and sewin and crochettin and...

And spring keeps coming. So much to do!! We are working away on crafts around here, in fact when a friend recently asked Pera what she had been up to lately she responded: I have been doing crafts. (!! at 3:), her mama loves it!)

I don't have much to show yet, if you look closely there are some spring skirts in the works, more soon on that.. But for now here is a few pictures of spring and some finds we got at UW surplus. What do your spring days energize you to do?

Knitting and more

So much to make and so little time! A couple weeks ago I began taking this class to knit two socks in the round on one circular needle. It boggles the mind, who comes up with this stuff? The magic loop as it is called is a really wonderful  chance to use math and knitting together. My first forray in creating my own sock pattern based on my own measurements. Oh this could make for many a warm stocking to come. Pictures to follow soon. For now here are some things that are inspiring me as of late:

These oatmeal pancakes are devine: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2010/01/very-definition.html

This sweet little on line knitting mag: http://petitepurls.com/Fall09/fall2009_patternIndex.html

This little February sweater, which may need to be my March, April, May sweater: http://www.flintknits.com/blog/?p=151

And there is something frolicking around in my head about making little crochetted eggs for easter for Pera's little animals to crack out of whenever they please.

Happy Spring!

"This Moment"

Flowers for Mom

It has been a bit. We headed out of town to Quinault Rain Forest in the Olympic National Park, which was truely blissful. I will get to that shortly but first seeing all these wonderful flowers about me I thought it was most important to spread some color about. I hope that those of you who have been seeing snowflakes lately will know that spring is on her way! Mom this is for you:

Sending you lots of cheer and love Mom!

cross stitch!

This would be my craft of childhood. Many a day was spent watching old black and white movies and cross stitching. I kept all of my supplies for years but haven't really touched it in at least 10. Then a couple weeks ago I had a knitterly and a couple of girls mentioned they would like to try cross stitching. I broke out the boxes of supplies; my skein holders, needles, hoops, fabrics, and my large box of little envelopes holding extra colors all neatly organized and got them started. Then on my library list up came this book and oh, I was hooked again. Who knows for how long, but I have fantasies of incorporating little stitches into P's clothes, other little projects around the house and who knows what else. I love the Seattle Public Library for having all these wonderful books, like this, or this, and so many more. The late fees get me. Oh but all the options in craft books are so enticing. I keep coming back, I consider it my donation to a wonderful non profit in our community.

This week we had a bit of sun and I thought, I have to take some blog photos!! To show you it is not always grey in Seattle (even when it feels like it).

There is something else on this page but I have to keep it under wraps until Valentine's Day!  T no peeking!!

A little story about these elven feet under the deer cloak. I admit I did not measure center to start this little piece. I began working from the top down and realized about half way through that this cut of fabric was not long enough to place the highly recommended legs. So I opted to change it to a costume deer with a little elf's feet tiptoeing across the page. Not sure it works. What do you think? Measuring is a good idea, but sometimes fun to throw caution to the wind and just see what happens. See the sun? Trust me its there!

The circus is coming

With this new space I am getting ready to do some bigger projects. But first I am going to get a few things out of my to do basket so I can make a fresh start this year. First up Circus flags/party flags/whatever you want them to be flags

Next up... Tobias found these crafting cabinets FOSOR (Free on side of road) and lugged them home and cleaned them up. They are going to be our new colorful crafty cupboards. The walls behind them might get a new coat of color too.

A room for crafting

We have been in this place a few years but while it seems I can unpack most rooms, my craft space has sat in boxes for a long time. I have ideas, but I wanted to create a space on the thrift and wanted it to be a space for the whole family. Well for the holidays my sweetest of sweets found just what I was dreaming about. They are recycled, cheap and getting/giving us such a great second use. I think this bit of thoughtfulness in the gift department tops the charts (that sigh of relief in the background is the guy who lugged them from UW Surplus to our house, cleaned them and placed them with a big red bow by the back door for me to find). Now if we can just get some color on these white walls... Looking at the yards of fabric in the top cubbies, what color do you think should don the walls?

Catch up on Creations

Well while I have not been very attentive to blogging. There has been a lot of living and creating going on around here. Here are some lovelies I have made for the holidays and beyond:

Happy New Year

"It's your Day of all Days! It's the Best of the Best! So don't waste a minute! Hop to it! Get dressed!" ~ Dr. Seuss

Last night as we played late into the night we tried out something new.. Learning a new craft on NYE.. This year it was crochett which I had been meaning to do. I do finishing work on various knitted projects but I am smitten with a crochett turtle from this book and have made it my goal to make for P for her birthday.. Shhh!! Its a mama turtle with eggs inside.. The little eggs can hatch into little turtles. It tickles me every time I think about it. Tobias balked at first but in short order was seated next to me on the couch and stealing my hook and yarn saying this would be his new craft! For more crochett goodness and inspiration check out Posie Gets Cozy.

Happy New Year All! Peace and Love to you and yours!

Merry Christmas

Happy Solstice

Tonight we honored the passing of a beautiful tree that grew strong and sheltered many a bird in our front yard. We lit candles. We lit the hearth. Peace and happy solstice.

Our December Activities

This is our first year staying home for the holidays in, ever. We are pretty excited to see what Seattle has to offer for folks with little ones this time of year. And are looking forward to creating some of our own traditions that resonate with this little family.

A couple of activities we would love to share with you. We enjoyed a hay ride around Seward Park this past weekend that was coordinated by the Seattle Audobon Center in Seward Park. The Park is only a few blocks from our house and truely a treasure, one of the many reasons we are so smitten with our little place in the world. I had dreams of a hay ride pulled by horses around the lower trail, alas it was a city parks dept vehicle towing a large trailer full of hay, but was so much fun! We arrived at the park to find that there was also a girls running event, Girls on the Run a totally cool girl power-full event. Everyone running around with the bib number "1." Very awesome! It meant the hay ride was a little delayed, so we checked out the Audobon Center, one of Pera and Tobias' favorite haunts. During the week they have a lovely reading hour about particular animals that live in the park and then they hike out and try and spy said wildlife. Right up Pera's alley. They also have a great library and a resident tortoise wandering around named Lumpy. This morning they had set up ornament making in the large room downstairs, hot cocoa and hand warmers for the trip around the park.

After making some of our first ornaments together, we loaded into the trailer with an Audobon naturalist or two and got a very sweet little tour around the park. Binoculars were handed out and we even got to cross the finish line of the race!!

When we returned to the Center we had a little play time in the library all Pera could say was, "I want to do that again!!!" No better review than that.

One other event we totally loved this year was going to the Nordic Heritage Museum and making our own gingerbread house. Loved it! Dad did the rock wall, Pera made the gummy fish walls and Pera and Mama did the gum drop roof, with plenty of tastes had by all of the architects throughout the process.

A couple of trolls followed us home!

We are so looking forward to seeing this year's display of Gingerbread houses downtown. We might even check out the chocolate buffet at the Four Seasons downtown.. Oh that may be just too much decadence.. Maybe we will see YOU there!

P.S. Trying out this new camera app on iphone, ShakeItPhoto by Nick Campbell and loving it. It takes polaroids. After the click of the camera  the little polaroid comes down all grey and smudgey you shake the polaroid until it develops into a sweet brightly colored picture, with out all the chemicals. Got to love it! And great with toddlers too who love to shake it til the photo shows up! Alas the closeups of photos are not as clear as they are on the ole point and shoot so may be back to documenting with a regular camera soon.

Greens of November

Thank you Scott! My gardener friend who is finally getting my garden to grow! In the mist of winter we have salad. So exciting! I am a winter gardener. And its so easy, all the liquid sunshine you could possibly want.

Rain is the word

Oddly this finely feels like a Seattle winter. We have flowers but the air has definetly gotten crisper and I am busily working on a sweater for P in an attempt to keep her just a little snugglier during this chilly and windy time. All the while she is busy creating the world around her..