our patio (-:

We are lucky enough to have a large patio off of our apartment. Out of the 30 units in this building, we are the only one. Coming from a home with over an acre of grassy lawn and trees and ample room for gardening, I think I would be rather sad had we not aquired this place. We have't done nearly enough with it, knowing that eventually we would be moving on,, but nonetheless, we have a few potted trees, flowers and succulents. They bring me such joy. My little friends. We also have many bird visitors to our patio, thanks to the diligent seed-supplying and birdbath-filling efforts of Jason. Stellar jays, titmice, sparrows, finches, mourning doves and chickadees come, bringing their sweet babies and creating lots of beautiful sounds for us to enjoy.

The simple pleasures are, for me, the most profound..birdsong, a flower, morning sunshine, a really good cup of tea, a beautiful song, a happy baby sitting on my head...

^__^

just

I have Isabella and Jude to myself these last few days of summer. Jason is at work already, participating in teacher planning meetings and preparing his room for the coming school year. Isabella will start on Monday and then Jude and I will have all the weekdays to ourselves. Yesterday Isabella and I were very creative, making the bed and accessories for her dolls. Today has been quite different. Up at 6am with Jude, and then basically wandering around for the past six hours with him attached to my chest, fussy but refusing to sleep. He is now finally resting, being rocked in his swing (I love the swing. Very very very helpful.) Isabella has been busy writing a letter to her penpal, looking through my box of stickers, cards and special papers, and reading one of her many novels from the library. Despite Jude's fussiness there has been a lovely calm to our day as we float from one thing to another, drinking tea after tea and watching the light in our apartment move and change with the passing moments and hours. I do love motherhood. Love the company of small humans. with their creativity and spontaneity and simpleness.

Soft Lily kitty has jumped up onto my lap for an afternoon snuggle.

The creativity in me is warmly burbling, ready to come out yet again. This time in paint perhaps, although I have been dying to sew again. The rug Jason and I are working on has taken a short vacation, my wrist sore and overworked from hours spent braiding fabric strips. I think it is just about ready to begin again.

These pictures I just took. Jude allowed me a five minute break from severe exhasution and the resulting fuss to smile and wriggle while I stood ready with my camera. Sweet sweet boy...

Dolly bed Dolly bed

Today Isabella and I thought we should create a dolly bed.

We started with a carboard box...

and I cut waves along the top.Next, we painted the box with Gesso.And then we started to paint! We used acrylics.Yay! Our bed was done! I had fun embellishing it with my usual doodles.This would be the mattress. Isabella sewed it herself on my sewing machine (-:
We stuffed it with two layers of polyester batting.

And then she sewed this sweet little pillow (-:

A lovely day spent (-:

Here we are...

Rag Rug Fever

So Jason and I have endeavoured to make a rag rug. It happens to be quite a project! A short bit ago I actually won a book from a blog - (Sew Liberated,, Thanks Meg!) givaway and I love it - "Handmade Home" by Amanda Blake Soule. Jason dove right into the project, cutting hundreds of fabric strips. Next, I sewed them together, creating three large spools of fabric. Isabella helped too - I taught her to use the sewing machine and she happens to be a complete natural but of course I'm not surprised (-: and here, as you can see, baby Jude too has been a part of the process (-: Jason is ironing the spools as I write this, pressing the outside edges in and creating what looks like really lovely, really wide bias tape. He should be finished the third spool by tomorrow. I'll braid the three spools of fabric and then lace them together.I love the thought of a home where almost everything inside has been handmade.

I can't wait to see our rug finished (-:

today

creativity. pancake morning. lovely breeze blowing. cloth diaper clothesline. life.

life

Here's what I did today:

made lunch: pesto pasta with heirloom tomatoes & feta
washed four loads of laundry
hung cloth diapers out to dry
baked two loaves of banana-strawberry bread
swept patio
vaccumed
swept
sewed fabric strips to make a rag rug
ironed fabric strips
changed lots of diapers
bathed the baby
made many cups of tea
played 'two sisters lost in the forest' with Isabella
breastfeeding
baby wearing

seven weeks on earth

well, out of the womb anyway (-;

Oma and Opa

These are my Oma and Opa, My Dutch grandparents. They passed on from this world many years ago.

Working from vintage photographs, Jason created these very amazing drawings and they are now posted

in his etsy shop (-:

the makings

after much-required time away from artistic productivity, new works have been born. the bottom two already existed as ink drawings and i have painted them. the first piece was created yesterday amidst the company of jason and isabella, bouts of breastfeeding, kettle-boiling and the drinking of peppermint tea. to me it is a true miracle that i have finished anything at all, let alone three paintings (and two other ink and brush drawings which aren't yet posted here). i had forgotten just how happy i feel when creativity comes upon me. my eyes become more blue and my cheeks turn pink. 'tis a good thing.

waking up happy

^__^