Beware the Teacup

I walked into Anthropologie today and instantly threw up. No, not really. But I felt ill looking at all the cute stuff that I couldn’t buy.

There is not one single thing that I wouldn’t want in that place. Even the dust bunnies under the clothes racks are cute. It should be outlawed.

I was thinking I could maybe buy one, tiny tea cup. But the thing with those tea cups…they need saucers. And then the creamer and sugar cup set. And then napkins, dishtowels, aprons, placemats, tablecloths, curtains, hardware, rugs, sofas, new wardrobe…you get the picture. And pretty soon, you’re walking out of there with the entire store in your red-handled shopping bag and nary a penny left to your name.

The good news is, with all that embroidery and patchwork staring me in the face, I walked out of there feeling inspired rather than poor. So I happily packed my mind full of inspiration and brought it all home (And cursed that cute little red-handled bag under my breath).

I also attended this event at Powell’s this evening, although see that big stack of books there on the shelf? Yeah, they were gone. But it was cool seeing the author and it just means I’ll have to plan another shopping trip downtown. Oh wellllllllllllll...

Tote Review

The farmer’s market totes were a hit with the kids (whew!) There was nary a fiddlehead to be found. But no worries, Holden opted for carrots instead. He wore them proudly in his tote…and I say “wore” because the carrot tops literally towered over his head making him look like a walking carrot himself. For her tote, our sweet-toothed Esme chose a Pearl Bakery chocolate panini (with a little help from her father). And as hoped, and with a bounty of Spring harvest before us, lots of food-related questions were asked. And most were answered, ahem. I would show you pictures, but we forgot the camera…and the single stroller…and the umbrellas on that rainy, soggy morning…oops.

So here’s some of our first farmer’s market finds of the season instead...



I’m a sucker for a pretty dinner. Can you hear the pinks, reds and oranges beckoning me to make a rainbow chard-inspired quilt? quilt me!!

Seeing Green: Junior Farmer's Market Totes!

I ran into some fortune to kick off my weekly "Seeing Green" posts as the first Farmer’s market of the season here in Portland opens tomorrow (yippee!). To commemorate this welcome event, and also to participate in the fun sparkle power sew-along, I made little drawstring backpacks for the kids to hold their finds (sorry about the crap mugshot-esque photo!)



Holden and I read through a fiddlehead recipe yesterday, so he’ll be on the hunt for those and the sky's the limit in what Esme will find to put in her pouch. In any case, we hope to spark conversations and questions about eating fresh, local, organic produce, and what kid doesn't love a good scavenger hunt?

These took all of 15 minutes to make (not including the time spent unraveling my little “helper” from my ribbon stash) using this great tutorial - tweaked a bit, because I’m incapable of following a recipe or pattern without tweaking it to my liking. They are small, only about 10 x 9 inches and can only hold an apple (or fiddlehead) or two, but fine for the principle that we hope to encourage. And I can think of a kabillion ways to fancy these up, but since I have a deadline (not goal), I kept them simple and functional.

Happy weekend everyone! Aside from farmer's marketing, mine will be spent absorbing this book written by one of my favorite bloggy mamas!

Quilt Lite

I’ve never made a doll quilt before, and since I’ve enlisted myself in a doll quilt swap, I figured I should practice before I leap.



So with the help of my trusty quilt elves, I made this:



Remember these fabrics? They’re from the “quilt throw-up” thrift store find in Redmond. For the piecing, I sewed 1 ½ by 2 ½ inch pieces 5 across then alternated them with white strips. It seemed fine and dandy in my head, but when I laid it all out it had a severe case of the blahs. That’s when my ever insightful two-year-old stepped in and saved the doll quilt day. I asked for her opinion as she listened patiently to my complaints and then came up with the genius suggestion of “put dat” (gestering to some leftover yarn from their scrap basket). Of course - embellishments! I swapped ric rac for yarn, but just the same…I credit her creative insight 100%.



For a brief moment in time, this quilt underwent an identity crisis as I thought about making 3 more and turning them into placemats (what was I thinking? ric rac on placemats to be used by 2- and 4-year-olds? Can you say, "permanently embedded food particles?"). Tip for sewing on tiny ric rac: watch the presser foot, NOT the needle. I got embarassingly dizzy doing the latter.

So it’s a go on doll quilts for me. Fun, fast, easy...I’m sold. Although I’m a little jealous of Miss Violet and her bebes, as they're the only ones small enough to reap the benefits of a 18 by 21 inch quilt.



Well, not quite the only ones…



BTW –check out this beautiful creation over on Rusted Buttons. Hand quilted and her very first quilt! Amazing!

For the Love of Fava II

There was a write-up in this week's Food Day on spring’s most welcome legume in our household. I’m always happy to see this local, weekly, free publication show up on our front lawn, and was excited to see our fuzzy green friend acknowledged this week, but I was a bit dismayed to find that contrary to the beautiful, half-page spread of a fresh fava in all its fuzzy glory, the article was actually toting frozen as a better alternative to eating fresh.

Now I totally agree that “faced with post-work fatigue and pre-dinner chores” it’s not the easiest thing to sit down to a bowl of yet-another-thing-to-do. But aside from the obvious nutritional and environmental impact that eating fresh, local produce has, I also think it's important on a personal level for our kids to see us buying local, to see us preparing and eating fresh food and most importantly, to see us connecting actions with our words.

So in honor of that sentiment, and to put my actions where my mouth is, I am going to try to dedicate one blog post a week to our attempts at becoming, and teaching, green. I hope I don’t come off sounding preachy, because that’s not my intent. This is my (and my husband's) personal commitment to finding ways to teach our children about sustainability, and I’ve found that making goals (not deadlines), especially in blog format for the world to see, really works for me. And I’m glad I came across the article because even though I disagree with it in many respects (implying that buying frozen produce could reduce your carbon footprint??? I didn't quite get the connection there), it’s inspired me to do something I’ve had in mind for awhile.

I’m not sure where this will take us, but hopefully down a greener, happier path that includes lots of shucky fun on the kitchen floor!

Crafty goodness tomorrow, I promise!

Hippy Granola Bar Haiku

They will make them
but they will not eat them
we keep trying

Me Again

Hey! Look at me! I’m a very small quilt swap participant! I’ve never done this before [ahem] but am so excited to swap stuffs with someone out there in the world that I’ve never met but who likes to quilt and I like to quilt so hey, why don’t we swap? Can you think of a greater use of the internet (well, aside from Cute Overload)?

If you're interested, there are still some open spots. It's open to international folks, too (hint hint)! Whaddayousay??!!

Earth Hour

Brian and I spent an hour in the dark last night in honor of Earth Hour via a tip-off from sew green. Truth be know, we didn’t quite make the 8pm start time, but our “hour” went all the way into this morning so we kinda made up for our tardiness. I don’t think the Earth minded. I mean, if you’re as old as the Earth, a scant fifteen minutes is no big deal, right? We were a little spastic in the beginning, tripping through the toy obstacle course that is our living room and asking eco-novice questions…do night lights count? Can we use the gas fireplace? Do we turn our cell phones off? In the end, we eventually settled into a nice, fire-side evening…and fell asleep. And those few hours free of all the energy sucking activities that we normally engage in were well spent. We decided that we will fit in a few evenings every month in honor of our big blue home…just need to add a reminder into our Outlook calendars!

Kitty's Revenge

Hi friends, I lied. I know, it’s so unbecoming. But I hand-sewed one piece, not even a block mind you – a piece of a block of a quilt, and gave up. I already had immense admiration for hand quilters but now my admiration is so much more immenser!!

And speaking of hand-sewing feats, we stopped by to see our friend Jeanene in The Dalles on our way home and my crafty instincts perked up as soon as we walked in her door. I smelled quilt. Big, beautiful, handsewn quilt. She’s been working on it for thirteen years, says she so modestly. Yes, I get it. Not the kind of thing you do on a 3-hour drive home with 2-year and 4-year old people needing entertaining in the backseat. Nope. I will revisit the hand-sewn quilt ambition as soon as said small people grow up and drive off in their VW vans to college. Until then, I will kiss my little sewing machine work horse on the head and thank her every chance I get. Hand-sewn quilt is still on my to-do list, but just got promoted to the bigger list. Like one of those things I’d like to do before I die, NOT before summer. Make goals, not deadlines…got it!!

So we’re back home to the non-deserty part of Oregon. Hum drum, greater than 20 degree, deer-poop-less city life is more our style, but we do miss the g-parents. Both of my kids asked to go to bed tonight, so that tells you what a whirlwind of a vacation it was! We arrived home to 2 small piles of kitty surprise in a 52 degree house. The battery in our thermostat died so the house was coooooold. We made it up to kitty by engaging in a half hour of the meow-and-sit-at-door-while-they-beg-me-to-go-out/come-in dance. Her favorite spectator sport.



Here’s my alternative-to-hand-sewn-quilt-in-3-hour-car-ride project. I will name it the "trying not to be nervous passenger seat driver but that looks like packed ice and you're going over 25 mph" embroidery. That swirly part happened during a particularly stressful portion of the trip and is sensing seam ripper in its near future.

Now off to reunite with my loyal little sewing machine!

More Scores

We received more gifts from the desert today of the non-poop variety (and yes mom, esme underwent the most thorough cleansing of her life after yesterday's episode): some pre-cut vintage fabric squares found at the local thrift store, perfect ingredients for a doll quilt recipe I've had stewing in my head. I'm itching to do some more hand-binding, too so might make a go of hand-sewing this puppy. That's a very big might.

My husband described this picture as "quilt throw-up"


And if that wasn't enough, we awoke to yet ANOTHER desert gift: snow in late March for peep's sake! Will this spoiling ever end?

Gifts of the Desert

Esme found some fun, small, perfectly circular-shaped pebbles to play with in Koka & Tutu's backyard today. As she played contently, happily passing them back and forth between her easter eggs, I wondered what our life would be like living in central Oregon where the locals all seem to share a quiet respect for nature and natural processes. As I pictured an idyllic setting with the kids playing alongside the sagebrush and little families of quailie birds running by, my intuitions suddenly perked back into reality...

Yes, you guessed it. Those pebbles turned out to be deer poop.

And so ended my brief romance with the idea of desert living. You can take the kids out of the city, but um...you really can't teach them the difference between rocks and deer poop.

A Cable Appeareth

My nice hubby flanaggled a computer cable, so download pics I did. Easter pics up first for grandma's grandbaby fix...


Isn't it nice when craft projects work out according to plan and your kids actually play with them as intended (or play with them at all)? They happily tossed the fabric eggs into their baskets for all of um, 4 minutes, which I guess is a play eternity to a 2-year-old. But I'll take what I can get and what a fun 4 minutes they were. Of course it ended when they started egging the cat.


And here's some of that vintage fabric I mentioned. Sweet Grandma B could not understand why in the world I'd want to take pictures of her era-spanning fabric stash. So much amazing stuff!






I finally decided on these pretty flowers with the softest, yummiest terry velour for a portable changing pad. I've been making these as baby shower gifts for awhile (and of course have a few of my own) and plan on selling them on etsy in gift sets with other baby-related paraphernalia once I get the time to set up a shop. But for now, this one went to baby #5 that just joined the family of some sweet friends of ours.




And I'm right on schedule as this project fulfills my weekly project quota. Woo!

Over the hills and through the high desert....

I've managed to sneak in some crafting time here in Redmond, OR to make a little something for a tiny, sweet-smelling, chubby-toed little one-month-old today. Grandma B was generous enough to let me raid her amazing vintage fabric stash and Tutu kindly lent me her trusty kenmore sewing machine. I learned to sew on a kenmore that's older than I am so know they can be a little persnickety. When I first sat down there was quite a bit of tension between us, but we managed to iron out our differences (sorry - couldn't help the puns. I blame my father-in-law's influence rubbing off on me).

Anyway, I will post pics once we're back home and reunited with our camera-to-computer-cable-thingy which we forgot to bring (along with about 27 other semi-necessary but forgotten things). And since this post is without pics, I'll leave you with the image of my sweet children frolicking in the clean, crisp air aside their little farm buddies...and wait...what's that?...4-year-old Max and Holden urinating side by side in the flowerbeds. Gotta love the farm!

Recipe for a Good Day

Start with a tree-lined drive to an egg-hunt on the farm



Take walks in the sun with good friends



And make new friends along the way



Then find your way back home to create



When you run out of eggs, look to nature for inspiration



become one with your work



And remember to give thanks for all the gifts of the day

Scrap Eggs

Hey thanks for the comment love on the quilt! How nice of you to read my posts. I never thought anyone besides my mom would read this blog, so I’m thrilled to make some connections out there in the innernets!



So after an uneventful library storytime experience this morning (whew), Esme and I (Holden’s in preschool on Tuesdays and Fridays) decided to combine these two wonderful ideas into one. I used the scraps from the quilt that I just made for Holden’s eggs and scraps from Esme’s quilt for hers. Aside from being super simple to make, they also reduce my ecoguilt (no more plastic eggs) and gave Esme a fun project this morning.


She was Lead Engineer at the Pellet Stuffing Station and was responsible for overseeing all activities involving pellet manipulation which included, but was not limited to, funneling, scooping, pouring, swirling, cupcake pan handling, dipping, digging, shoveling, and throwing (her position was terminated shortly after the throwing part).

AND we discovered a new word today:
Hatcorn (hatkorn) n. the uppermost hat-like cupule which sits atop the nut-part of an acorn (self defined).


Happy weekend everyone!

Lessons Learned

1. Make Goals, Not Deadlines
2. I’m a Patternaholic
3. Embrace Imperfection
4. Hand Binding is F-U-N!
5. Beeswax Rules (thank you Grandma B for the lifetime supply!)



Inspired by this, and my quilt wants to be this amazing quilt when it grows up. There’s some chocolate lollipop, a few michael millers, some fresh cuts and one yummy print called ginger blossom that I love. And the best part of all, the scraps will make for some lovely spring eggs for the kiddums!



Next week we’re off to Redmond for a grandparental visit. I plan on hitting up grandma b. for a tutorial on mitered corners, because I’m not quite convinced that I’m doing it right (should I sew the corners, or just leave it all foldedy looking?)

And this lovely little face was our perfect welcome to spring today, despite the grumpy clouds above. Happy spring everyone!

Yet More

Still binding away over here! I was hoping to have everything finished up to catch some of Portland's nice big light today for pics, but no no no. Hand sewing takes time and patience and I thankfully have a little of both today. And it's so, so pretty compared to my previous quilt bindings (they will be so jealous). It almost makes me want to quilt the whole thing by hand...almost.

And special treat for me! I get to shop and dine with some (but not all) of my favoritest people tonight. My gift certificate to Amalee will not stop screaming to be spent (it’s really sort of embarrassing when we’re out in public) and then I get to partake in some tasty nibblings here.

Speaking of embarrassing public displays, my sweet daughter thought it fitting today to proclaim to our entire library storytime group that ‘mama farted’ (indeed I did NOT) and, since potty humor is way big amongst that crowd (I daresay it trumps dinosaurs and spidermen), sent the whole lot of them into a giggle fest. Last week she announced, very loudly again, that I had boogers in my nose, so I’m not sure if this week was an improvement or if we’re on a downward slope to never, ever being able to show our (my) face in public again. I guess we’ll find out what she has up her sleeve at this weekend's easter egg hunt...stay tuned!

Bind Time

Can I just say, I am love love loving this binding tutorial. Have I mentioned yet that I'm making a quilt? Yes, insane me chose a quilt for my first week-long project. I've always been terrified of making my own bias tape and hand-binding my quilt. Why? I dunno!!! It's so easy and kinda fun actually. The only hiccup was losing the tape machine temporarily. And guess where it was? Yep, you got it -- I just followed the airplane noises to the 4-year-old and there it was!

And to keep me caffeinated, I gots me a little tamper at work:

Hey, What's that Sound

No worries. It’s just the sound of my weekly project deadline zooming by. Missed it. Oh well. Still going strong and realizing that although deadlines are useful, buffering them for, oh I don’t know, everyday life? may be wise. And I may adopt the measure twice, cut once advice that I’ve heard going around (But where is the fun in that, really?)

Here’s some of that everyday life stuff that I mentioned: Holden and Esme hard at work on their “quilts.”

Hello Two,

It’s been awhile, two years to be exact, since you’ve reared your sweetly mischievous and charming (if slightly neurotic) face. And although we’ve met before, we consistently underestimate you. Because even though you’re small, you are undeniably mighty in your power to render us, as a family, helpless in our defense.

You never cease to amaze us, Two, in your keen ability to transmutate completely at the sight of mis-cut grapes, an improperly sung song, the mere mention of unwanted pigtails. Your shrill protests render our ability to think, reason and articulate above the level of a kindergartener completely invalid.

Now please don’t take us wrong, Two. We welcome your resolute ambivalence with all the love, patience and humor that we possess (which can be challenging if you’re Four) and understand that we will soon miss these days of sweet, but sincere, irreverence.

So for now, Two, although you sometimes replace your sweet toddler smiles with sideways sneers, although we can never again show our faces at the Concordia New Seasons after yesterday’s fitful adventure, and although you leave us worn and bewildered after each day’s medley of quarrels, colloquies and coup d’etats, we still hold your sing-song voice close to our hearts (as we dodge your flailing limbs), we embrace your shrieks of joy (along with your screams of dismay), and we remember to always respect and admire your innate desire to rule your world (and ours), because Two, we love and adore all that is sweet, duplicitous, you.

Conversation with a 4-year-old Duck Farmer

Holden: we have a duck machine at school
Mama: a what?
H: A DUCK MACHINE
M: what does your duck machine do?
H: it cracks eggs
M: oh, ok.
H: and the baby chicks come out
M: oh, an incubator?
H: yeah, an INGLOOBLATOR!!
M: got it.

Sneak Peek

Project is going well, and is Holden-approved (because I was holding my breath on that one…you’ll see!). So far this deadline thing is working for me and I am glad to have something to think about other than Esme’s current icky sickness (pooped herself awake from her nap yesterday, poor little e!). Did I mention she’s teething too? Yeah, it's been one of those weeks!

Here's a little sneak peak of the project. As soon as naptime's over, I'm breaking my golden rule and dragging everyone to fabric depot. I know, I know...but I just need thread. And a bias tape maker since I discovered this tutorial. And maybe one quick dash through the vintage prints for a summer Esme dress. And then we'll invariably have to peruse the Cars fabric section...Yes, we're headed for disaster this afternoon!

Happy weekend!!

Ooo, Ooo, Oooooo

Can I tell you how sweet my husband is? Would you mind if I gush a little? I fear I left a bad impression after my last post…really, he’s a great dad and expert prune juice dispenser.

Said sweet husband is on his way now, at exactly 9:30pm, to buy a cd on which I’m craving a song (Norah Jones/Sunrise) along with a chocolate hazelnut milkshake (which we should NOT be consuming at 9:30pm!! Bad, Bad!). But can you believe this sweetness exists in the world? (and I’m not talking about the milkshake!)

Mind you, I never sent him on those pregnancy hormone-induced midnight runs for peanut butter and sprout sandwiches. Those cravings could wait until morning. But this song in my head is so sweet and simple and is the perfect background music for the project I’m working (diligently) on. Plus, Holden loves this song and I’m envisioning waking him to sweet sounds and homemade muffins…aww.

Oh dear. I hear raindrops. Thank you BriBri!

Smock Me

Another project that doesn't count, but wanted to get them up here before the kids paint them into oblivion...



Inspired by these and this! Main goal was to incorporate the infamous Cars print into something we could both love.

In other news, daddy narrowly escaped marital distress last night when he fed the baby (I know, she's 2, but she'll always be "the baby") 8+ ounces of prune juice and then sped off to his Mufon Meeting. Yeah. Needless to say, it was a productive evening but thankfully only resulted in 3 diaper changes.

The prune juice has mysteriously diappeared as well.

Spring Sprung

NatureTableWEB
Originally uploaded by melmelmel

This is our nature table, in transition: pine cones, Camellias and sweet smelling Daphne. Mama nature has thrown us a few teaser days to assure that spring is on its way and we can't help but to bring her optimistic outlook indoors.

Above the table (and sweet little helper hand) is a completed project! Although it doesn't really count toward the weekly quota since it was completed sometime last month and took all of 30 minutes to make. I got it from my favorite little hut because I knew a calendar would be the perfect motivational project to get me in the crafting mode. The kiddos picked the fabric backings so it doubled as a crafty kid project, too.

And the project of the week is coming along nicely, although I do have to commandeer the kid's craft table in the evenings for more space. The paint and craft glue splotches just add to the charm, right??

In Order

Did I really say a craft project a week? Yes. I did. And I can do that...just need to make me some lists, because I loooooooove me a good list!! And lists of lists? Those are even better. So far I have:

craft project list
kid's project list
craft + kid's project list(?)
blog update list
blogs i love list
housework (bottom of list!!!)

And I scrapped fabric list (pun intended) because there is nothing worse than walking into a place like fabric depot with a list. Believe me, I've learned that the hard way as those trips usually end in tears. And those would be my own tears, as I've also learned never to bring my kids on fabric shopping trips as it'll inevitably entail 1) many angry glares as the babes scream their way up and down the aisles and 2) me inevitably coming home with yet another Cars print that Holden falls in love with.

Anyway, I got my fill o' fabric at this weekend's FD sale AND I have gift certificates to Superbuzzy and Bolt just screaming to be spent, so into the wild crafting yonder I go...

(and thank you, lisa! you've deflowered my blog with it's very first comment!)

Hello World...

...It's me (mama) making an attempt to finally start the craft blog of my dreams. I hope to follow in the footsteps of some of my most favoritest and craftiest of crafty internet blogger peeps. A tall order (for a shorty like me) so I'll take it slow and hope to complete a project a week (gasp!) to blog aboot.

So here goes...wish me lucks!!!

Repurposing

Birthday2008
Originally uploaded by melmelmel

Oops, didn't realize it had been one year since I last blogged [ahem].

Amazing just how much, and how little, can happen in the span of a year's time: Mama burned through yet another career (she collects job titles as a hobby these days), Daddy finished and sold Pinky and bought a new pink house (again, the collecting thing) and Esme and I turned a year older. So in the spirit of turning over new leaves, I am turning my beloved blog over to mama in hopes that it will spark within her the creative fires that once be'd. Esme and I will likely make guest blog appearances and will absolutely insist on updates on our wellbeing and worldly words of wisdom. And yes, grandma, there will be plenty of pics!

Small Steps

Well, 12 (almost 13) months and a scant few blog posts later, my little sister Esme is now a toddler. Yes, she's walking. Can you believe it? Well, it's probably categorized more as something in between walking and toddling -- wobbling? Anyway, she's bipedal and has thus enlisted our family in a whole new ballgame. I just hope M&D are ready for the major leagues.

Speaking of sports...somehow, mommy got involved in March Madness. She has her very own bracket all filled out in pretty purple ink and is doing quite well. For those who don't know...neither M nor D were blessed with the sports enthusiast gene that it seems 98% of the rest of the world possesses. So, this March Madness thing gives some hope that I may have some exposure to the world of sports (does spectator sport betting count???)

Go Kansas!
HS

Toddler Soup

bath
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

A simple recipe..........

Ingredients:
3-4 Gallons Lukewarm Water
3 Squirts Bubble Bath
1 Toddler, slightly tarnished
Bath toys, to taste

1. Add water to large tub. Adjust temperature to be within 0.1 degree of Toddler's desired comfort level. This will be fairly obvious, as Toddler will be very vocal about his/her temperature preference.

2. Add Bubble Bath, stirring frequently until foamy.

3. Stir in Bath Toys, taking note not to add cell phone, car keys or any other water-sensitive devices.

4. Slowly and carefully, transfer toddler into tub and mix all ingredients. Return to step 1 instructions if protests arise.

5. Bathe toddler, taking care to wash hair with extreme caution. Excessive negotiations may be required.

6. Stir frequently and baste every 10 minutes. If toddler's lips turn blue, adjust temperature as needed.

7. Let simmer 10-40 minutes, depending on how much time is left before bedtime.

8. Remove Toddler from tub when extremities are appropriately shriveled. Wrap in cozy towel to prevent shivering and dry thoroughly.

9. Enjoy naked-nudey dance once complete.

Variations:
Toddler + Baby Soup
Follow steps 1-3 as noted above. Add baby to bathtub and let simmer 5-10 minutes before adding toddler.

Quick Bath
Exclude steps 6 and 7. Remove toddler when clean.

Very Quick Bath
Exclude steps 2 through 7. Remove toddler when clean enough and whisk to bed.

D:Lightful

Xmas06Picture
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Well here I am again... sitting upon the lap of Mr. Claws. I did much better this year, although the smile on my face is not a happy one. It is the begrudging smile of a toddler who's just been told that if he smiles pretty he can tell the big guy just exactly what he wants for Christmas (a guitar) and get the heck out of this merry hellhole. So although my smile is forced and my Christmas socks are dominating the picture, I am secure in the knowledge that I will see said guitar under the tree on Christmas morning. I know Santa understands my request since "a guitar, a guitar, a guitar" became my mantra during the life-long picture-taking session. And I do have to admire my little sister's cunningness for if you look closely at her hand gesture, she's subtly telling Santa and all his merry little elves just what she thinks of this picture taking business!

Props go out to daddy for fixing mommy's computer. It died, and she lost all her emails and addresses, BUT he was able to recover her missing D: drive. So, picture CDs may be a viable Christmas solution this year. yippee.

Speaking of drive, Miss Esme Claire has discovered the ever-delightful but exhausting feature of existance known as "mobility." She can crawl, cruise, pull-up, roll, shimmy, creep and clamber to any and all places her little 9-month-old heart desires. This is exciting and terrifying all at once to everyone involved and although M&D have experienced this before with the infant version of myself, they are still novices at the art of keeping the baby out of trouble. Their only solace lies in the fact that she's not walking...but they fear that day is right around the corner...

Over & Out,
HS

Cowboy Holden & Fairy Esme

CowboyHolden
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

Hello World!

Sorry we've been MIA for awhile, but we're still around and I've posted pics to prove it. This is me, all cowboy'd out. Yes, the picture is fuzzy and my lips are bluish -- both due to the fact that Portland decided to bestow upon us unsuspecting trick-or-treaters the coldest weather imaginable. We only managed to make it half a block before me and my pack of 8 or so toddler friends wimped out. And mommy only got to snap a few pics before I completely lost it. As you can see, Esme was perfectly happy fairying around at home while we braved the elements...

So, we survived Halloween...onto Thanksgiving!

Howdy-out,
HS

Big Boy Blues

Wow, can you believe it's already October? What the heck happened to the summer? It's like I blinked one day and suddenly mama is dressing me in sweaters and talking about Hollow Beans.

Speaking of which...this hollow bean business is creeping me out. Everywhere I look there are spider webs and eerie floating mummy heads and worst of all...COSTUMES! I am not a fan of this crazy dress up business. Mama tried dressing me in a yoda costume and I would have none of it. When people ask me what I want to be for Hollow Bean, I tell them "Holden." And that's that. Well, I might don the nifty cowboy rainboots that mama bought for me on ebay, only because she is trying so hard to ease my qualms.

In other news, Miss Esme Claire (who, incidently, doesn't mind her fairy pixie costume) is imminently close to crawling. Her favorite pastime is getting up on all fours and rocking rocking rocking, then crying crying crying when she realizes all that effort led her nowhere. Mama is enjoying her last few days of sanity before having two mobile monsters to contend with...

Oh and I almost forgot - I am officially a Big Boy, as I am now sleeping in my Big Boy bed and residing in my Big Boy room. The cute pastel giraffes and happy dancing hippos adorning my walls have been replaced with Robot paraphernalia and Joan Miro prints. I do still let Pear Bear sleep with me at night since I, errr HE, can feel a little lost in the vastness of a twin bed.

xo,
HS

Dastardly Deeds

It seems SOMEONE experimented with putting various objects into bean's cd player and got a penny stuck in there...

And SOMEONE turned the volume up to the max on our living room stereo and blew the speakers completely out...

And the same SOMEONE hasn't been taking his much needed afternoon nap for the past few days and is a bear to be around in the evenings...

Tico and Esme are usually the first to be blamed for this recent string of NoNos, but if they're not around I'm not above blaming any random tiger or monster that happens to be passing by. I think M&D are onto me though, as my imaginary prankster friends aren't as *cute* as they once were.

Off to find more trouble...
HS

Sick House

Poor us...we barely had a chance to enjoy our half-year unbirthdays before getting smacked with head colds. Especially poor baby Esme - only 6 months old and already has an ear infection. Sad face. At least we got to see the cute man doctor today and I got a toy for being good during the exam.

Tonight I helped with dinner, really and truley. I personally helped shuck the yummy little fava beans out of their little green pods. M&D were so impressed. Oh and another Holden milestone: I rode the horsie at Freddies and was brave enough to let daddy put money in him to make him run. I held on tight and figured this was the first step toward riding the neat rollercoaster I saw on TV today. Baby steps...

Good night [sniffle, sniffle]
HS

Our 1/2 Year Unbirthdays!

Can you believe I've existed for the past 2 1/2 years on this planet? And that my little sister has already been here 6 months??

So, Things I can do as an official 2 1/2 year old (AKA, things they don't mention in the "What to Expect" books):

Stand on one foot -- literally! When M&D ask me to stand on one foot, I place my left foot on top of my right and literally "stand on one foot."

Stand at the top of the slide at the playground and dictate who can go down (and up).

Make "pancakes" out of bark chips at the playground. "Feed" various passerbyers if I'm feeling generous.

Finish the last word of sentences in most of my books (um, we really need some new books around here???)

Open the refrigerator and take out/put away my sippie drinks (M&D not thrilled about this one).

Go through my very own mail at the end of the day (I get alot of credit card offers and donation requests - go figure).

Hold a 5+ minute conversation on the phone about various toddler topics with various grandparents.

And, Things Esme Claire can do as an official 6-month-old (AKA, fun baby tricks):

Sit up without toppling over.

Eat rice cereal, carrots, peas and pears (her favorite). Scream between bites because mama is not quite fast enough with the spoon.

Grab anything within a 1 foot radius of herself, be it a toy, someone's dinner or someone's hair.

Laugh hysterically at my crazy antics.

Smile real big at anyone and everyone that even halfway glances her way.

So, here's to another half year of baby milestones and crazy toddler antics!!
HS

Fava Revisited

I was just about to describe the yummy little fava treasures we found at farmer's market today when I was hit with deja vu... I realized I was blogging about the exact same thing a little over a year ago. So although I missed my blogiversary, I wanted to say thanks for keeping up with my toddler ramblings and insights over the past 16 months!

Anyway, back to our farmer's market adventure... I confirmed a very important culinary fact today: watermelon rinds are truly inedible. I attempted to sneak a bite to validate the theory which instantly set off mama's toddler alarm. She had her hand in my mouth scooping out halfway masticated rind before you could say "choking hazard."

Aside from the watermelon incident, we had a nice day today. After naps we took a lovely walnut levain to Laurelhurst park and had brie and pear sandwiches on our picnic blanket. Nothing like an impromptu picnic amongst the pines and shrieking toddlers.

Side note: Miss Esme Claire has a cough. Nothing sadder than a 6 month old hacking between her rice cereal feedings (Yes! She'll be 6 months old on Tuesday!!!)

HS

Holden Sheets, PhT

Ever-inquisitive toddler that I am, I'm beginning to question anything and everything that I encounter: Why is that man wearing a hat? Why can't I have my feet on the table at dinnertime? Why can't I put french toast on my head? And M&D are becoming quite creative answerers: ...because his ears are big. ...because they smell funny. ...because we SAID SO (not so creative).

I've also mastered the art of the long, drawn-out bedtime ritual: I ask for more [fill in the blank] water, hugs, kisses, songs, etc., pick out the longest books and ask tons of questions on each page (my "whys" come in handy here, too). And if I'm refused said water, books, answers to questions, etc., I pull out the all-time surefire way to buy more time: "Holden need to go poopoo on the potty." I think M&D are quickly losing their enthusiasm over that one ;-)

Hugs and slobbers from HS & ES!!

The Potty Train

Mommy and I (and Esme) went on an underpant excursion and to mommy's relief, I decided to forego the pretty pink sparkly panties for the ultra manly spiderman briefs (although mommy would've loved me just the same if I was wearing barbie underwear). No poopies on the potty today, but I did manage to impress some playgroup friends by peeping on their pot. It's fast becoming my new favorite party trick. I'm just wondering where to board this "potty train" that M&D keep talking about?

In Esme news, my little sister is getting more fun every day. She adores my somewhat whacked toddler sense of humor and lights up every time she spots sight of me. I dare say she loves me even more than M&D, as I'm the only one that can get her to giggle without the merciless tickeling strategy. And unlike myself, she loves food. In fact, if she doesn't get her allotted meal of rice cereal + veggie during dinner time, she SCREAMS until someone gets up and feeds her.

Pictures promised for next post!

xo,
HS

Potty Pooper

Guess who pooped on the potty tonight? Meeeeeeeee did!!

Yep, I am blowing M&D's plan to ignore potty training for awhile right out of the water (pun intended). During jammie time I told mama I needed to poop. I ignored her suggestion to go in my diaper, and instead insisted on sitting on my porta-potty. After the usual grunts and strains, we peered into the little bowl and voila -- two toddler-sized poops peered right back at us!

Mama was so excited she called daddy upstairs with the video recorder and we recorded the moment, and the two nuggets, in history. We then proceeded to flush the little guys down the toilet (M&D were quite relieved that I wasn't too attached to them and let them flush, flush away without protest).

So, tomorrow we venture to Target for an underpant quest. M&D are hoping my new My Little Pony infatuation doesn't extend to fashion accessories (but are willing to let me don MLP underpants if that's what it takes!)

Over & Out,
HS

Tico

This blog is dedicated to my new, not-so-imaginary-friend, Tico. Tico is a bear that lives under our living room couch and eats sandwiches. I haven't decided yet if he is a nice bear or a mean bear and sometimes he pops up in unusual places (in Esme's carseat, inside the inner-workings of my umbrella, etc). But, he's the newest member of our family and we're all growing to love and appreciate him.

In other news, my little sister is not so little anymore. She's actually quite the little chunk-chunk and getting more animated and fun to be around. She started sitting up a few weeks ago and is an old pro at it now. She can also skooch around on her belly to get to her newest most favoritest things in the world - TOYS!! Mama is not encouraging her efforts to crawl, as if having two small humans isn't terrifying enough...imagine when we are both mobile!! So, we're trying to keep Esme stationary for as long as possible.

Daddy is still toiling away on the NoPo house. It should be done in a couple weeks (ya, we've heard THAT one before!) and then he moves onto finishing pinky's landscaping. They tell me that someday soon I will have a small park of a backyard all to myself. Well, me and Tico, that is...

Sweet Dreams!
HS

Hi Friends! We're still here. Still starring in the Holden and Esme show...

Can you believe Esme is almost 3 1/2 months old? She's all smiles, but apparently we're not funny enough around here because she's not laughing yet. Seeing as how she spends about 17 hours a day in sleepyland, it's not too surprising.

And I am the ever-busy toddler as always. Mommy asked me what I want to be when I grow up and threw out a few suggestions (fireman? teacher? doctor?) NOPE! I told her I want to be a rocketman!! And I've been refusing to sleep until someone sings me the entire rocketman song before naps and nightnight.

bye for now,
HS (future rocketmaaaaaaaaaaaaaan)

Update!

For the inquiries regarding my sister's bowel habits (or lack therof)...Yes, she finally pooped after 7 days. And miraculously, it wasn't the huge blowout we expected. Just a delicate, mustardy little load inside her sweet little diaper. Unlike me, Esme is just not a pooper. (I, on the other hand, went 3 times today).

School is going well. The novelty has worn off a little and I've decided to resume napping. Little e and I are actually beginning to give mama a break and coordinate our napping schedule. Mama's much too frazzled to "nap when the babies nap" as everyone tells her to do, but she's working on it. Right now she's content to just sit on the couch and stare into space (she's careful to stare UP and not DOWN at the incredible mess that is our home).

And, big boy that I am, M&D bought me a little seat that fits on the back of daddy's bike. It's pretty nifty to be able to sit back, relax and wave to the passing neighbors while daddy bikes me around. I offerred to do the biking and let daddy sit back there, but he didn't think my feet would reach the pedals. Maybe next month...

xo,
HS

It's 7:47pm (hey I should be in bed!) and my weatherbug says it's 70 degrees outside! Once again, Portland is skipping spring and heading straight into summer. It's ok with me as it means park days and stroller rides galore.

So guess where I went on Tuesday...SCHOOL!! Yep, M&D decided that I needed some socialization in a somewhat structured environment (what's wrong with staying in our pajamas until 4pm???), so now I go to school 2 days a week. I guess "school" is an overstatement. It's more of a toddler utopia...jungle gym, sandbox, bunnies, playdough, paints, hairdressing station, 'tactile' station (huge bowl of flaxseed), playhouses...the list goes on and on. There's even a toddler-height sink in the pottyroom to encourage my current OCD-like handwashing obsession. What more could you want?? (OK, Mommy wishes I'd take a nap there, but could YOU nap in the middle of nirvana?) We're even growing baby chickens under heat lamps for peeps sake!!

Baby Esme is on her 4th poopless day today. We're finding an inverse relationship between the amount of smiles and the days she goes without pooping. So send some poop vibes her way!!!

L8R,
HS

Cutest Easter outfit EVER

Cutest Easter outfit EVER
Originally uploaded by melmelmel.

As promised, more pics!!

Unfortunately, I need to figure out how to become a flickr "pro" before I can organize these into a set. So for now, click on the pic and hopefully you can rummage around in flickr to find the other easter pics.

Over & Out,
HS

We're Alive!!

Hello world!

It's been an insane month but my goal was to post a message before my month ran out, so here I am. I'm learning how to be a good big brother. Some days it's hard and the overwhelming urge to poke Esme in the eye overtakes me... But most days I am a true sweetheart and have only smiles and hugs for baby sister.

Mama spends quite a bit of time nursing baby sister which leaves me to explore my newfound independence. Usually I am good and catch up on my TV watching (mama wouldn't let me watch TV the whole first year of my life!!). But sometimes I am beckoned helplessly into naughtiness.

Like yesterday, for instance. I tried to sit quietly and play with my legos, but somehow couldn't resist the urge to unroll a whole roll of toilet paper into the toilet and try to flush it (doesn't work). Mama figures that as long as I don't burn the house down, we're ahead of the game.

Little Esme is two months old today, can you believe it? She's getting her chubby baby face (as opposed to her chubby newborn face) and is starting to wake up to the world. She's full of smiles and can stand up (with M&D's assistance, of course). Other than that, she's still just a little eating, sleeping, pooping machine. She's not much of a playmate yet. I'm looking forward to the day that we can build forts together. Maybe next week??

Bye for now. I promise to post pics asap!!
HS