Bliss Beyond Naptime

Sweet Pea

Was Edie's first day of school last week. I finally have a brief moment to post some pictures. The program is called Sweetpeas and it's for one and half to three year olds. Just an introduction the Waldorf schooling style. Oh my, I love it because Edie does.

What is especially thrilling for me to be in this space is that it was designed by the same architect we hired to help us with our dream home. Equally thrilling to me too was how Edie stepped into the little classroom and just busted out of her pretty little shell. The classroom is painted up in all these pastel-y tones of pink and saffrons, the strawbale walls edging off any sharp corners and organic toys are all neatly place around the periphery. What turns me on is the philosophy of age-appropriate learning methods. Right now it's all about playtime ya know?

And speaking of play, though I have been pumping out soap the last couple of weeks and have made a feeble attempt of starting up a garden here, I have been crafting up a storm and have experienced some exciting material scores recently. Apparently in my sleep because everything seems like a dreamy blur.

So, soon I will have pictures of that business. The pictures I took at the Waldorf school were all in the foyer then when I went crazy in the classroom the batteries died. Next time. Next time too I promise I'll bring the focus back on some crafts cuz crafting's good!

Picnics and Mohair

It was a lovely day for a picnic. And a lovely spot, too. The survey tape stakes out our house's footprint and Edie and I are plunked right on top of the dining room table.

We had a quick meal together as a family then, this was too idyllic, I gaily tiptoed across the field to a momma-only blessingway and Edie and Craig held hands and serendipitously skipped down the driveway, across the road to our neighbour's birthday party.

It's exciting to be spending time on our property. Though it's only three kilometres from where we're residing right now, our original intent reemerges and those tingly Horniman feelings resurface. We're at the same time feeling overwhelmed and super stoked about the journey ahead.

Until then, trying to get in lots of picnics and tingles. This is crafting blog so I best share my latest craftiness. Yesterday, I freaked because of lack of childcare again. Luckily, someone amazing pulled through (as always seems to be the case, thank you Universe) just in the nick of time too because I really have to adhere to this soap production schedule and I also had a commitment to join in on another dye day at the Threads Guild. Got some mohair and only had time for a little piece to colour. Behold:

Totally not what I had in mind but still it's so much fun this learning curve. I was aiming more for an Mini Egg kind of feel. But who knows how this will spin then knit up? I'm thinking of a hat like this. Cute!

Lurking Lurkey

The pain has finally eased enough after Miss Kitty!'s passing that we have been able to move on to accept another furry/feathery friend into the family. Meat  Meet the newest member of our clan, Lurkey. He comes up our driveway everyday around noon looking for snacks. I missed a prime photo op went Lurkey started getting all cocky and jumped up onto the back deck railing, right in front of the window I look out of while doing dishes. I yelled and clapped him down but he took his sweet time doing so. He's a super domesticated, wild Turkey. He's so complex.

OK, I confess. I'm the snack giver. I can't help it. His sad little red turkey jowels hanging so droopy and pathetic. I give him leftover bread stubs. Craigy tells me not to because of his cockiness and he might pounce on Edie to pounce out a piece of stub out of her. Until then, they're the best of friends (see  them above playing tag/peck together?) and he's the superstar of all her bedtime stories.

Soap Shack

Do Be Clean is now back in production! This Sunday morning we moved my supplies and equipment into the community kitchen of this little strawbale city of sorts. Craig and I spent part of our honeymoon on this natural building complex after he took a strawbale building course here about five years ago. He brought me back to see the place and then we helped build a sauna structure and hung out for about a week.

I made my first batch here yesterday. It was nice. I haven't made soap since December which feels like a long time for me. The process and the smells trigger so many memories. That's always a novelty the first five or six times after a lull. Then the novelty wears out and I think about hiring a soapmaker again so I can focus on Marketing (or sewing, or spinning, or knitting).

It was just me and my soap and new ipod (thanks Craigy) listening to some podcasts I'm addicted to) feeling out the new space. All went smooth though I had to rush due to lack of babysitter (thanks again, Craigy). I'm certainly happy about the local businesses here being so supportive of my product. I just need to hunker down and pump these babies back out to share their Do Be Cleanliness to the world and keep up with demand. On that note. I made an executive decision: Free shipping to my blog readers! Just say "Tangerine Dreams of Do Be Clean" somewhere in the email and we'll hook you up.
 

Serge Ahead

This weekend, my new hairdo and I took a serging class. One nifty thing I discovered about living here is you can tell who you're going to be your buddy by how many workshops you see them at. Peggy, for instance, pictured above, is also in my NVC class, my knit club and taught a natural building class Craig and I took together last year. She's very cool and funny!

And my talented friend, Elly, who I've gone on and on about in the past, was the most amazing instructor. Small class, but good thing though due to my serger giving me grief, being slowest to learn again and my slightly ADHD self loving that one on one attention. Makes me feel important and special.

I can't remember if I shared this embarrassing story yet or not but around Christmas I broke my serger by trying coerce the sweater I made Craig into being a hat. Since getting the machine repaired I've been getting nothing but grief (I probably should name it for better cooperation). But I think I figured out what the problem was. Can't reveal. Too embarrassing. And that's saying something coming from me.

Now if the munchkin would just wake up, I have a fibre combing date at the Threads Guild with my spinning compadre, Jane, and then off to make soap at my new "studio" located just behind this gate:

It's Finally Shear!

As I've been whining forever, my hair's been getting unruly and for the life of me I couldn't follow through with a haircut appointment. I made myself and Edie some headbands from the free Hurry For Headbands! pattern over at Heather Bailey's photogenic blog. I used some fabric scraps from what Craig calls my lawnchair purse.

Finally, after two months of Edie looking at me with heart breaking concern and saying, "Mommy needs haircut",  I got a cut and and one decent head massage. Yay! I can see!

Non Violent Contentment

Had a family trip out to town last week for last minute conspiring with the architect. We are bracing ourselves for the massive endeavor ahead. Building a house? Oh my gawd! That's like being really, really pregnant (I'm not by the way). So many friends of ours living out here are going through the same trip; small kids, house building, family planning, property managing. The house building bit can be incredibly stressful I have been both observing and warned.

The outcome of the stress, obviously, is its toll on a marriage and home life. I guess one advantage we have in our favour is that we're fortunate enough to be living close to the site in a pretty comfy, albeit really teensy, house we "own" as oppose to house sitting from place to place or living in a trailer or auxilary building on our land. But still, we are going to need all the help and awareness we can muster to ensure that we go through this together as a family holding hands and come out of it hugging as a dynamic trio (or quatro perhaps? No, I'm not pregnant, but you never now what the journey will hold).

So it's good timing that Craig and I were able to get into this ten week workshop to learn Non Violent Communication. Oh my gawd. Even after the first session our relationship has vastly improved and our verbal encounters have been so much more efficient (Craigy doesn't say much so you have to be all ears when he utters - utter wise, you missed out) and pleasant. Yay! So, having this skill, at least awareness, in our tool box, we're sure to come out of this journey solid, skipping around the Horniman holding hands, singing la, la, la, making observers wanna puke from the sugary sweetness of it all and beholding our dream home. Oh yeah, and I'll have a haircut finally.

Un Petite Coat

Now that "Ace" is in my life (my new laptop), I am able to squeeze in some regular posting time. But, of course there are some tweaks to tweak. My email's still not working and I want my photo editor I'm use to back!

So, now that that's off my chest, here is a little something I tried making for Edie. A felted petitcoat that probably would have fit her a year ago. I'm so learning from my mistakes each time I try to wet felt something here (I attempted your slipper this weekend Sulu, and, yeah, I asked Craig to try them on, and they almost fit him!). So, what I might do is set up a second Etsy shop up with things like this and some cool finds from around this mystical place. I'll keep you posted.

Un Petit Coat. A little coat. I'm on this French kick these days. I watched Marie Antoinette when Craig was out of town last week. Mon Dieu, I loved the movie. Very girly girly (fille, fille?) I'm talking of course of the recent flick directed by Sofia Coppolla. The movie was filmed on location in and around Versaille and the eye candy, the eighties soundtrack, the history lesson. I liked it so much I actually spent some precious online time reading up on whatever happened to Miss Antoinette. Poor thing lost her pretty little head, let's just leave it at that.

Speaking of this mystical place that's one of my favorite hang out spots on the ranch across the forest you can see our building site if you squint your eyes like this. Speaking of mystical yet again; So I'm on this french kick and I'm driving down this rural road just off of the main drag and I see this white tent, like the kind you see at weddings, with a sign that read "Creperier" (excuse my French if I mispelled that). You know, I'm going to have to devote a whole post to this guy (pronounced gee) with pictures and all. The whole experience was just too trippy. Let's just say I walked into gay Paris for about half hour then zapped back into the Valley like nothing ever happened. The guy running it was from Paris and had the wicked attitude and kept saying he's going to be opened 24/7 starting in May (right now he's only open from seven am to nine pm but he's going to start sleeping in a pup tent behind the wedding tent). And the crepes were to DIE for! Apparently its a four hundred year old family recipe. I love this place. I'll get some pics today if I can, it's too funny. C'est tres ha ha!

Bunny Came, Then Went

And the hunt is on. The fun part for me was building up the hype. Telling her, guess what? I saw the Easter Bunny this morning! He was hopping all over the yard in the bushes over yonder (us bumpkins say yonder lots). Let's go take a looksy wooksy after waffles!

Edie was all over the Easter spirit and was super stoked about the waffle part but the concept of collecting felted and candle easter eggs and other non-edible collectables kinda went over her short little head.

There was a lot of finger wagging, crouching to munchkin height yelling like she's deaf "HERE EDIE WHAT'S THAT?" because her little friend was scooping up all the loot due to a couple of Easters' under her belt.

And finally... tada!

Hope you had a bountiful, beautiful and bunny-full weekend!

Egg-cellent!

Look what the Easter Tree brought me. A new laptop!!! Yay! Joy! I'm so very, very happy!!! After a couple of emotional breakdowns, it was decided there was a need for Mommy to have a new computer. I feel much much better. For anyone who has been emailing me I'm not mad, just hanging out in real life. So nice to be back! I have my coffee on hand and am ready to blog heedlessly without fear the monitor's going to go konk and my mind then going snap.

I've been on an Easter crafting kick  Having a little munchkin in my life has made me get into such things as celebrating holidays in as creative ways with the challenge of trying not to involve sugar as much as possible. I'll have more egg-y goodness to show you probably tomorrow. I use to now a guy named Egg come to thing of it. He kinda looks like the picture above.

The Easter tree idea came from a Waldorf inspired book I've been dipping into here and there, The Children's Year and the blossom fairies are from a link featured on Whip Up a couple of pages ago. The Easter eggs were batik dyed using food colouring and drips of beeswax candles. Edie is so enthralled with the Easter tree project as you can see. She learned to use Mommy's scissors (I've been upgraded from "Mama" to "Mommy" by the way after the fever broke), and got to act as creative director telling me where each egg and fairy will go. She loves to stroke the eggs and say "soft!" and twirl the fairies to make them dance and then she joins along with a little shakey shakey. Ack! I love her!