Me: What's in the bucket, Edie?
Edie Strawberry Shortcake: 'member we talked about this Mum? My name's Strawberry Shortcake Barbie Cinderella but my nickname's Strawberry Shortcake. These are strawberries and mint from the garden.
We made some ice tea with the mint, and jam with the strawberries. There's oodles and oodles more. And some flowers, too:
We just got back from visiting my mom last week and came back to summer like temperatures which have us swimming everyday since. Ever since (here we go) Craig knocked me up again, I haven't been able to ride my bike by the river lest I insanely fling myself into it. Being in water's been like a food craving. It's like when I was in labour with Edie - I kept asking my midwife "is it time to go in the kiddie pool yet?" "no" (two minutes later) "should we tell Craig to fill up the tub now?" "no" (knit, knit, knit).
So what does a girl do in one of the swelteringest days of the year? She sets up a table at the local farmer's market (the one that our super duper underground top secret famers coalition started) and tries to sell yarn. Yeah. Craig thought that was a greaaaaat idea. Let's just say it was a slow day.
There was a cool little healing festival held on top of mountain here in town. There is a little hike you can take to a bluff which I took off on and was able to catch this beautiful vista and incredibly cheesy kodak moment. It's suppose to, you know, capture my warrior woman embarking fearlessly on her continuing adventures belly first? From this spot I was able to see the Horniman here:
(If you squint your eyes you can see it) It was pretty emotional seeing in one direction the property we've owned for five years endowed with so much of our dream energy and Craig's muscle energy and then in the end, even after submitting our building permit and booking our builder, letting it go. But it was also really exhilarating to turn my head to the left and see our new house (well, the driveway at least) four kilometers away where all our happiness and dreams are being lived out in a different, unforseen way. Yeah, we sold the Horniman. The day after this photo op we went to the lawyer's office to sign off on the sale. But, that's okay, the Horniman has served us well and I thank it for all that magic it has brought to our lives.
I can spin! I can spin without it making me want to puke! I know, the above pun sucks. It's a pregnancy thing. Speaking of pregnancy things Soulemama, like me, is expecting in late fall. She revealed this a couple of weeks ago; unlike me, she's been pretty good at keeping this a secret - I can't contain myself from spilling these kinds of things immediatly. Mine promises to be the longest pregnancy in the blogosphere for sure seeing how I pretty much told you guys before I even told Craig (kidding). Especially because I keep bringing it up and blaming everything on it. Very exciting to be bunning the oven the same time as Bradgelina and a celebrity blogger; especially such a freakishly talented crafty one at that (last time I was stuck with Gwenyth Paltrow and Liv Tyler) - what a lucky lady! Note that there will be lots of kopy-kathing krafting going on over in these parts in the next couple of years. Can you imagine the cuteness she's going to crank out (Amanda and Angelina)?
So, I'm in that glorious, glorious what they call the honeymoon trimester. I feel pretty much like my old self except riding my bike up hills I have to now lean back on my cruiser with straight arms and double chin making myself look like Pee Wee Herman in pregnancy drag. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, when I was just going about my business not being pregnant (think I can mention pregnant a couple more times?), I joined a couple of exciting fibre clubs. First one is Loop's Spontaneous Spinning Club and for April we had to submit a photo of a flower we want our batt based on and the two above are what I sent Steph. And this is what I spun up from what she sent me in return:
Isn't she amazing? There's so many ingredients in this yarn I might get carpel tunnel if I try to list them all right now. Think everything shiny and soft. A long, long time ago I also joined Hello Yarn's Fibre Club; way before this auspicous night that changed our lives . I have only been able to spin it up recently due to the dizzies;
It's shetland wool and I think I'm going to lug these two skeins along with some other goodies kicking around to the new Farmer's market in town Sunday morning. It'll be nice to rake in the big bucks again and allow Craig the opportunity to take some time off this summer to get some projects on our blank canvas piece of land done (please note the heavy drippy sarcastic though wishful thinking). Poor man still has to build himself an office and Edie a play house before the fetus formerly know as Drippy Head makes his/her debut. Edie renamed him/her Butterfly. And Barney the cat Fluffy.
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
by
Oriah Mountain Dreamer
My best friend from high school had a baby. Her second. This fabric totally reminds me of her. She's super groovy and use to sport all kinds of flower power type prints (at least I think she did - high school's still a kind of all a blur). So, I made an Amy Butler Nappy bag all from vintage bedsheets and pillow cases.
Some of the interior pockets. Skipped out on the cell phone pocket because, well, we don't have cell phone coverage out here. And, the bottle pocket. Lots of reviews on the pattern states that these are a pain in the ass to install and I don't she's a bottler anyway. Did I mention she recently moved out to these parts? That's pretty cool (Peace Sisters 4 Evah! - yeah, we were pretty cool back in the day). So, with her first babe she lugged around this giant backpack for a diaper bag. Totally cool if she's still down with that but just in case she can use this to stuff with goose feathers and take a much needed Mummy of two siesta.
It's been a week of firsts for Edie. Above pic is clue number one.
First horsey ride at her buddy's fourth birthday party;
witnessed her first rainbow (gawd, seeing her little eyes light up when she saw this was one of those moments I've only experienced a handful of times and only as a mom where it feels like my heart grew an inch in a single spurt);
and, her first haircut. Again, this was one of those few (okay, many) moments I've experienced during my gig as mom when I had to step out of the room momentarily because my crying would confuse the child. This was actually her second haircut. I cut off 2 mm when she was a year old to promote hair growth but I don't think it counts as a haircut if your able to snort up all the hair trimmings. I cut a few inches off all over and then she really wanted me to cut her bangs so when she goes to her playschool the kids will say, I actually couldn't believe she said this for some reason (in her mock deep kid's voice) "Edie, did you do something to your hair?". So I did, asking her about twenty times, "now, are you sure?" and, oh my god, she aged, like, a year. So I had to step outside (luckily the bathroom door leads directly outside) and wipe the tears away. It was so weird. Craig thinks she looks like a Little Miss Beauty Contestant now. I want my little Ragamuffin back! Just kidding. I'll just cut back on the baths from 10 to 15 days now.
There's little Miss and Mr Sunshine. These two lounging around on Father's Day. Edie's sporting by the way the Tea Party Dress I spoke of over here. So cute, she picked out the fabric because Strawberry Shortcake is her alias. The pattern comes with bloomers I made but she's not into wearing. Not sure why. I would totally wear them myself. Hmmm....
It's tricky to catch full-self portraits in these parts. I need a full length mirror in my sewing room at least. Craig's office is just behind this window so after some time the man felt for me and quickly snapped a shot from his desk.
I'm from the camp of taking about fifty shots of the same thing to increase chances of a keeper or two - you know, like a million monkeys in a room there's bound to be one in there typing or something like that. Craig's a one shot kind of guy (not trying to be punny this time). He was super busy with a project at the time so it was; "you look like a lawnchair" >snap<. So, I was surprised I didn't look totally offended in the end product. I guess I have delayed facial expressions. Just looks like I'm sporting a wheel barrel bracelet (never mind. Can't see it in the actual post)!
This is a Built by You dress from Simplicity (3964) (again, check out Leya's frickin' cute one here) and I was actually all proud of the fact that alot of my projects these days have been utilizing vintage fabrics I scored at the local Yard and Yardage sale in the spring. Sure, I look mildly coked-out or l should be hanging from Scar Face's window sill but I just made a five dollar dress! Six when you count in the fact I bought the pattern on a $1.00 on all Simplicity pattern sale. Brace yourself and grab your sunglasses for there's more frugal fashions coming down the pipes in the next while. This pregancy's made me into a sewing maniac.
Measuring a summer's day, I only finds it slips away to grey,
The hours, they bring me pain.
Tangerine, Tangerine, Living reflection from a dream;
I was her love, she was my queen, And now a thousand years between.
Thinking how it used to be, Does she still remember times like these?
To think of us again? And I do.
Tangerine - Led Zepplin
In my youth, I'd come home from the bar drunk, throw this on my record player, hug Miss Kitty, sing and cry along with Robert. It was very attractive. I made some Tangerine Ice from the Art of Simple Food cookbook this week - awesome, awesome book by the way. Something about being pregnant and wanting to eat icy slushy items. Totally hit the hormonal spot.
