this morning in pictures

the eve before halloween eve...

officially halloween now that fritz has his long-johns on.

first halloween...

and he's totally in the halloween spirit.

spooky yarn wrapped wreath.

pumpkins unite!

the stage is set, ready for some trick or treaters.

buddhist teachings from my son

i often ask my children, "what in the world are you doing?" quite frankly the expression is never far from my lips. i ask it when ronan has broken a glowstick open and is painting on the wall. i ask it when i hear bangs and stomps from upstairs that are louder than any normal person is capable of making. i ask it when atticus is standing on the back patio with out a stitch of clothing on and it's 20 degrees outside.

imagine my surprise and subsequent musings when my 4 year old asked me, "what are you doing in the world?"

what am i doing? trying to make a home from a house. trying to make men from boys. trying to navigate the perils of friendships. trying to survive life, no that's not right either, i'm trying to do more than survive i'm trying to thrive. trying to enjoy life and those i meet on my path and today i feel like i am succeeding. oh, how i am thankful for my little red haired buddha

cloth diapers update...

a while back i mentioned i was giving cloth diapering a go and i must say i have been having so much fun. hard to believe i can associate the word fun with the words dirty diapers but it's true. i love the funky and cute patterns cloth diapers can come in, i love the different styles and types of diapers, i love putting them on my kids, and i love washing and folding them. that being said, i have realized there are a few details i don't like.

i don't like cloth diapers that have velcro. learned out the hard way after washing a brand new, never worn gdiaper cover that i need to make sure the velcro tabs are securely shut. needless to say after it's first washing that cover no longer looked new, insert sad face. i don't like diapers that aren't pocket diapers. there's just too much shifting in the "hybrid" diapers so you don't really get to re-use the cover like their advertising suggests. i also don't like cloth diapers that come in sizes, give me the one size adjustable diapers please!

now after weeks of figuring out what i do and don't like about style and fit i have also realized i don't particularly care for the prices on some of these diapers. i mean 20 bucks for a diaper! it's just a bunch of layers of cotton and hemp. BUT, after much research on the web i stumbled upon what appears to be the mecca for cloth diapers....gogreen pocket diapers.

not only are the gogreen pocket diapers pocket diapers but they have snaps and they are one size! they have tons of colors and prints but even better, a single diapers is 8.99 and you can buy a pack of 12 for a little over a hundred. that is outrageously cheap in the cloth diapering world. i just placed my order today and i wish it could be here tomorrow but i will report back when they arrive.

happy birthday!

happy birthday to my sweet husband. i love you keith!

fable 3!!

it's here! picked up my copy first thing this morning since i wasn't able to attend the midnight release, what with me currently being a single mom! 5 minutes until nap time commences and then i can get my nerd on. who will i become? the tyrant i rebelled against, or the greatest ruler to ever live?

facebook update

i am officially an expat from facebook. moved on to the blog world and left it in my dust. been craving a more personal sense of connection with those that i cherish as friends and i feel i have found that with out using facebook. using(gasp) the phone to contact people and i even revitalized the old email account. it feels oh so nice to have more one on one interaction with people. actually felt exhilarated and giddy when i pushed the deactivate button. congratulations to me, i have started a new chapter.

mouse prints

found a nifty little program that tracks your mouse path on screen and turns it into artwork! go to www.iographica.com and make some art while you surf the web.

28.9 min of computer usage

grey day

woke to a blanket of clouds and a shroud of rain. feels delightful. painting pumpkins white and washing sheets. slow day...time to rewind and relax. still no camera. have you seen it?

the stokke arrived!

been so busy the past few days not to mention the fact that i have some how managed to misplace my camera along with my mind. blogging with out photographs is like....well, it's really hard. tried to capture a couple pictures on my cell. does not do the process or final product justice, but here it goes anyways.

i expected the package to be much bigger

the stokke in all it's green glory

success! he loves it!

the stokke took hardly any time to put together and looks like a piece of art in the house instead of a plastic monstrosity. i am officially in love and i must say the 4 years of waiting have made it all the more sweet! besides the highchair arriving we also had an unexpected visitor. ronan made a little leaf robot at school... complete with penis.

leaf robot

atticus seems to have taken quite a shine to the leaf robot and it remained firmly in his grasp for the rest of the day.

pinkshirtsandcarwrecks: a year in 120 seconds

pinkshirtsandcarwrecks: a year in 120 seconds: "[via jen bradford]"

love it!

litany - billy collins

Litany

 

You are the bread and the knife,

the crystal goblet and the wine.

You are the dew on the morning grass

and the burning wheel of the sun.

 

You are the white apron of the baker,

and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,

the plums on the counter,

or the house of cards.

And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.

There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,

maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,

but you are not even close

to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show

that you are neither the boots in the corner

nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,

speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,

that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,

the evening paper blowing down an alley

and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees

and the blind woman's tea cup.

But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.

You are still the bread and the knife.

You will always be the bread and the knife,

not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

etsy order

checked my mail and what arrived today? my etsy order from the fabulous NannyBirds shop. since finn is teething and sucking on everything he can get his little hands on, i purchased a wooden beaded teething necklace for me to wear and him to chew on. 2 birds with 1 stone and all that jazz. the wooden beads are made with untreated wood making it safe for little ones to pop in their mouth. each bead is individually knotted on for extra safety. my beads are strung on a sumptuous brown satin ribbon. tres chic, no?

10.10.10

while perusing apartment therapy today i stumbled upon the link for this amazing project called the 1010project. check it out!

lovey dovey

“Nothing is truly yours until you give it away.”

— Joe Anna Arnett

haaaa haaaa! you're mine baby cause i have so given you away. see you soon my loooooooove!

switchy switchy

feeling like i'm inhabiting a brand new house. switched drawer pulls between 2 dressers, flip flopped curtains from one room to the next, and added the extra leaf to the dining room table. looks faboosh round here! i was also emailed earlier tonight and told finn's highchair has shipped. i'm thinking it should be here later this week. very excited; it's the highchair i have wanted since ronan, my oldest, was born. 4 long years of waiting and the stoke trip trap is finally mine!!! not working on the pennant banner tonight. i was a very bad little crafter and ended up staying awake till the wee hours of the morn cutting out all the triangles. can't be doing that again, so instead i am going to cuddle up with the pups and a book. doing a little thrifting tomorrow while ronan is in school.

felt pennant banner

new project underway! making a felt pennant banner for baby finn's room. i found an inspirational picture on apartment therapy and since i have loads of felt sheets laying around, i won't need to purchase much supplies.

instead of using letters in the middle of each pennant i am going to use scraps from baby clothes that all 3 boys have worn. feeling very emotionally attached to the boy's baby clothes but in the process of minimalizing my life, i need to either find a use for the clothes or get rid of them. my attachment is making getting rid of them almost impossible, so, finding a use for them as been at the top of my to-do list. i have spent the past 2 hours tracing and cutting out the pennant shapes from felt. tomorrow i'll be cutting out the center for each triangle from the boys baby clothes. think i'll save sewing them all on for another day.

first few pennants are cut

and more...

done!!

pumpkin patch