Curious Bird

Today we're prepping for a weekend visit from some dear Philly friends. One of which happens to be just five days older than Felix -- yeah, they go way back -- and we love her and her parents so much. Kinda feel like we've been on the same rollercoaster with this adorable family of three over the last 16 months. It has been so fun (and very comforting) to have them sitting in the car in front of us as we go up and down and dare to let go now and then.

Anyway, this weekend is going to be good. We're excited.

Hope you have a good one, too.

-L.  

blubbly

We have a new favorite activity at our house these days. It's called playing with BUBBLE WATER.
The little one likes it quite a lot. A few drops of bubble bath added to some warm water and we're set for a good half-hour (eons in kid-time).

More soon,

Leya

whiz. boom. bang

Well, whatdayaknow? We've gone and grown some lettuce in our fall/winter garden. I harvested this bunch and made a salad to go with a quiche last night for dinner.
Am I proud? Yes siree!

Happy Humpday,

Leya

snaps from the weekend

Guitars were played
Flowers were dried
Friends were visited
Quiet time was even found one afternoon

Hope you had a good one.

More soon,
L.

learning as we go

It usually takes us a little time to fall for a new place, but Durham is trying to win us over in a matter of months. Since moving here almost three months ago we have already discovered that the farmer's market here is amazing, great food trucks and restaurants are a dime a dozen, the parks are fantastic, the Eno River is nearby, and the people here are really nice -- well, except for that sour lady at the DMV, but perhaps she was having a bad day. Clearly, all of these things added together make for a nice place to live, but then some cool folks had to go and organize a chicken coop tour to sweeten the deal. Yep, you read that right. This weekend we went on Durham's First Annual Chicken Coop Tour. Awesome.

It was right up my alley because I got to see coops up close AND I was able to ask a million questions and get tons of information about what it takes to put together a coop, what chicken breeds are good with kids, and how to keep raccoons from snatching your hens without feeling like I was asking too many questions. The coop owners were more than happy to share what they've learned so far. Of course I didn't get to tour all of the 15 coops on this year's tour because a certain 16 month old wasn't in the mood, but I saw enough to figure out that keeping chickens in definitely still on my agenda sometime down the road. Definitely going to get a couple of these lovely ladies when the time comes.

More soon,

Leya

p.s. that green coop up there was created from a wooden swingset found for cheap on craigslist. people are so damn crafty. I love it.

soup's on!

Felix is one lucky little chef. Thanks to his godfather, Atticus, who we got to spend all last weekend with, Felix can now cook each of his special soup recipes on a beautiful handmade stovetop. Amazing, right? So sweet this mama can hardly stand it. Thanks, Uncle Atticus. You're the best. 

More soon,

Leya

15.

Our sweet snowcat, Mortimer, turns 15 this week. He's not the healthiest kitty nowadays (damn you, kidney disease!), but he's as sweet and easy-going as ever. It's kind of unbelieveable that it has been 15 years since I picked him up and brought him home wrapped in my sweater during the winter in 1996.
He squeaked and squirmed the entire way home, and his oversized ears were outrageous.
Motown needed a friend and Mortimer was just that and so much more.

What an important part of our family he has been and continues to be.
Happy 15 years, old man. We love you.

Have you ever eaten watermelon radishes? We just discovered them at the farmer's market last Saturday.  They are milder than other radishes (kind of reminds me of jicama), but so tasty and beautiful.
Note to self: grow these sometime.

Hope you're having a nice day,

L.

Sorry for the silence. We just spent a long weekend with some of our favorite people who flew down from Philly to cook and hike and laugh with us. Well, they mostly cooked for us. And one person in the duo went to culinary school, so we ate like kings. And get this, Felix likes fennel?!

So sad to see them go earlier today. Perhaps this trip will convince them to move here. Crazier things have happened.

Come back soon, A+C. We miss you.

:tinkering:

I like the word tinker.
I think it's fun to say. I don't say it a lot because I've found that if you say it too much it becomes less fun.
Anyway, I've been tinkering with fabric, beads, thread and a little glue lately. It has been enjoyable to experiment and see what develops -- so far a chunky necklace I like has come to be.

Hope you're having a nice day. I could use a little more of that lovely light I talked about the other day. These cloudy days are starting to make me sleepy.

Be well,

Leya