Guess who had a great night of sleep? Not me!! But Burl did! And that's really all that matters to me. He slept great snuggled up with his grandpa all night long. He asked for me, but felt safe with my in-laws. I on the other hand tossed and turned all night, wondering how my little boy was doing. I missed having his solid body cuddled up to me. But all is well today, and I'm glad that first night apart is now over.

On a different note, can I tell you this picture captured a rare and never seen image - bones on my little one! He's so muscular and solid, bones and ribs are not something you ever see on him. He certainly is a healthy little guy.

Our First Night Apart

I just waved goodbye and signed "I love you" to my sweet boy as he drove away for his first night away from me. We've spent the last 2 years, 4 months, one week and two days (or 861 days) sleeping snuggled together, right next to daddy. But tonight, while Mama Papa E (what he calls my in-laws) were visiting, he wanted to leave with them. I had the spur of the moment idea that Burl go with them and sleep in their bed. That's how I prefer to make anxiety-ridden decisions; quickly, like a band aid, without all the anticipation and planning and buildup and stress.

Burl had no hesitation hugging me, kissing me, leaving me, smiling, waving, and signing "I love you". He was excited! We've had a difficult few weeks together lately. He's been wanting to test his boundaries, stray from me a bit, but still have me close for safety if he needed me. It's been frustrating for both of us trying to communicate and figure out this new stage of life he's entering - still needy, but wanting so badly to be more independent. I think he's also been particularly bored at home with our yard and his toys. He's wanted to go out and do different things and see new places.

I feel like this was (hopefully!) the perfect time for him to spend his first night away from me and Alex. Far enough away from him to establish some independence, yet still with adults that he trusts and feels safe and comfortable with. Plus he's only a few miles away so I can quickly be with him if he needs me. Really, I think it's perfect timing for both of us.

Another Great Find

My mom and I went to a true estate sale a few weeks back. Most estate sales I've been to are just regular garage sales. But this particular sale was the lifelong collections of an older couple who had passed, truly their entire estate being sold. The husband had been a sailor in the Navy, and had collected antiques from all over the world.

They had a beautiful home filled with beautiful belongings. There were so many things that I wanted, but only came home with this rug. It was shoved in a pile in the corner, and people just kept passing by it without even looking. It's 8 sheepskins sewed and zipped together. It's very clean, fluffy and soft. And guess what I paid for it? $10! That's all they wanted. A great find indeed!

Enjoy your weekend, my friends.

Shop Update

Hello my friends. How are your weeks treating you so far?

I'm popping in to let you know I've update my shop with some candles. They are wonderfully earthy, relaxing and grounding. I make them using only three ingredients; raw beeswax, soy wax and my essential oil blends. They're available in three sizes; tea lights, 3-oz glass jars, or 9-oz glass jars.


Browse through and see if anything interests you. If you're local, let's just meet for a walk on the beach, or a cup of tea so we can skip the shipping. How does that sound :)?

Enjoy the rest of your weeks!

Baskets

I recently acquired these baskets, yarn and wooden spoons at various tag sales. The two smaller baskets are Bolgatanga baskets, handmade in Ghana. I have a larger one and absolutely love it. These smaller ones are in need of a reshaping, but I still count myself fortunate for scoring such treasures.

Do you have any recommendations for reshaping baskets while still preserving the colors?

Cloth Linens

Hello! Happy Friday. I spent the morning making jam and am now getting ready to lay Burl down for his nap.

I thought I would share a recent picture of my and Burl's lunch from a few days ago. Aside from toilet paper, we're virtually paper-free in our home. We use cloth napkins, cloth diapers, and cloth towels in our kitchen. Most were purchased second-hand. It wasn't a conscious decision we made, it just evolved that way. And it feels good, like it's just the right thing to do. Know what I mean?

Have a good weekend, my friends!

Vintage Scissors

I hit the thrift store jackpot a few weeks ago. I found a box of vintage scissors that were sorely under priced. I didn't complain. In fact, I quickly and quietly bought the entire box. They fit perfectly in the crock with the rest of my collection next to my trusty Bernina 830.

There's something so heavy, solid, and healthy about vintage sewing equipment. Much more dependable than today's light, plastic equipment don't ya think?

Pesto

Basil grows well in our garden during the summer months. I trim it back, and it continues to grow all summer long. I make and freeze pesto sauce to use throughout the winter months. Served over cooked noodles and topped with fresh tomatoes, it's one of our favorite meals. I don't measure my ingredients, but if I were to write my recipe down, it would be something very close to this, except I omit the cheese.


Enjoy!

Sunday Evening Thoughts

Hello friends, how was your weekend?
For the most part, I had a great weekend. I'm up late tonight winding down, getting ready for the week to come.

I've been thinking a lot about parenting the past few days and had some thoughts I wanted to share. Burl and I spent most of the weekend over at my parents house on Whidbey Island. My mom and I took Burl to the Choochokam Arts festival on Saturday.

Burl's behavior this weekend was difficult, which made it hard to enjoy the festival. He has thoughts and ideas and opinions that are strong and very important to him. Sometimes his ideas clash with mine. And sometimes he wants things I don't think are good for him. Like climbing big trees with big kids, or eating candy, or running down the street, or being naked the entire weekend. And if I don't handle the situation correctly, the melt downs happen. But his perfect little mind is developing, and his behavior is very age-appropriate.

I've been thinking about how I feel when I have an idea that I pose to someone close to me. How do I feel when my ideas are belittled, or ignored, or patronized? It really frustrates me. And Burl most certainly feels the same way.

A while back I watched this video. I love this man. This weekend helped me more fully realize that the tantrums, the melt-downs, and the arguments between Burl and I are so easy to diffuse, if I handle the situations correctly. Burl loves when I listen to his ideas, and he's good at listening to mine, and I know he understands so much more than I'm aware of. I've learned that if I don't resort to the standard American parenting tactics - losing my patients, time-outs, letting him cry, spanking, locking him in a room alone to work things out, etc. - most situations can be turned around into a positive experience. I just have to get really creative sometimes to think of something to redirect his attention.

I'm also learning more and more that his negative behavior can be corrected with just a little bit of tender attention between the two of us. For example, if he's getting rough while playing with other children, and I take him aside, snuggle him and tell him a little story, explain why it's important to be gentle with others, he calms right down. I love what Dr. Neufeld has to say about giving attention - Why is it so wrong if a child needs attention?

So those are some of my rambling thoughts on being a mother. My experience has been that Much negative behavior in toddlers can be corrected with more positive, loving attention given to the child.

Have a good week my friends, I'll be back in the morning. xo.

i just harvested our first cauliflower of the season. it's delicious and so very sweet, we're just eating it raw :).
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on monday, i'll have a shop update. i'm adding several items for less than $5 and cheaper shipping prices, even on international orders. good for little gifts or treating yourself :).
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happy weekend, friends. it's a hot one here in seattle!

July 5th 2010

It's been a lovely day today. It's almost 6 pm, I'm working at my desk with the window open, feeling the cool breeze, burning a nice candle, and listening to a Theivery Corp station on Pandora. My nephew took Burl for the day. I miss that little guy when he's gone, but I sure do enjoy some time home by myself!

I'm working on a little something for my shop, which I'll update soon.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Tiny Treasures

Found while weeding the garden, tree moss and a hydrangea flower skeleton.