Curious Bird

so it begins

pulling the holiday decorations out of the basement today. the house is starting to shimmer and twinkle.

perhaps a tree this weekend? we'll see.

hope you're finding some shimmer out there today.

-l.

Grateful. Thankful. And...

Just plain FULL. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends this year. No flying on airplanes for us (sorry, family -- we missed you). Instead we gathered with several old and dear friends and ate a tremendous amount of food, gabbed, and chased our active boy around a large converted warehouse space.

Then we got up the very next day and had a second meal with other friends -- this time new friends -- who happen live on a farm with bees and chickens and tons of space to...guess what? RUN! That lovely day ended with a living room full of kiddos having a full-on dance party. And Felix nearly lost his marbles when the glow sticks were introduced. Going to have to stock up on some glow sticks now, it seems.

Some wonderful days with my favorite people.

Bring on the twinkle lights, the peppermint bark and the egg nog...the holiday season is here!

Cheers,
Leya

little helper

It took some commitment but Craigslist finally came through for me. I have been trying to find a Learning Tower since our move, and after a couple of misses, I finally found one and brought it home. We have loved using it for a couple of weeks now, so I thought I should say something here in case any of you were thinking about getting one.

We use it for playtime (playdough, bubble water play in the sink) and snacktime (often Felix likes to eat apple slices or whatever directly from the cutting board while standing on his "tower"). Don't worry, I always put away the knife that sliced those apples before any little fingers start grabbing.

More than anything,  Dustin and I have most appreciated it during meal preparation. With Felix at counter level where the action is -- instead of down by our feet asking to be picked up -- we can follow through with whatever we're doing without worrying we're going to trip over him or drop something on him. It is so nice to be able to get things done, keep our boy safe, and have him up where he can see how food transforms into a meal.

The only downside I can think of is that our kitchen could be bigger to accomodate the Learning Tower -- the thing is BIG --  but that isn't happening, so we'll manage just fine with the space we have.

Hope you're having a good day out there.

More soon,

L.

marcel makes me laugh

and with everything going on in our world these days we could all use a good laugh right about now, no?

presto chango

The time had come for my dining room chairs to get a much needed makeover. Definitely one of the simplest projects there is, and so very satisfying.

In case you're curious the old fabric is vintage and the new fabric is by Waverly.

Be well,

Leya

it grows

Our garden is starting to look like we are going to have some vegetables to harvest (and eat!) in the coming weeks and months. It has really taken off -- especially the greens and root vegetables. It's happy-making for sure. What makes me happiest though -- the thing that makes it all worth it -- is being able to go out there and show Felix some lettuce or a red radish top and see and hear his reaction. The look on his face is priceless. Sometimes he squeals in delight. He definitely acts like a vegetable lover, and that is something I am really pulling for.

More garden updates to come.

Be well,

Leya

p.s. we love these kids books about gardening. perhaps you know of some other goods ones?

In The Garden

Growing Vegetable Soup

 

 

pickled grapes are back at our house and they are as delicious as I remembered.

 

that sure was fun

One of the highlights of our weekend was seeing Elizabeth Mitchell in Carrboro. It was Felix's first concert and I think he nearly had his mind blown by hearing some of his favorite tunes performed live. There were moments when he had to lay back completely still processing the whole thing. There was also plenty of dancing and clapping and trying to rush the stage. It was awesome to see my kiddo (and many others) having such a blast. We parents appeared pretty pleased too.

Tons of fun. Go see her if she ever comes to your area.

-L.

11.11.11

we've been trying to spend as much time as possible on our front porch these days because we know it's going to get cold in the coming months and being out there won't be near as fun. front porch coloring parties in the middle of winter just don't sound that appealing, ya know?  but coloring parties during these beautiful days of fall are perfect. just me and the little guy. there was also lots of noticing reflections in the front door. it was grand, and I am so grateful.

happy 11.11.11.
make a wish!

l.

weekend love

Weekends are so nice. They are especially nice when the whole family gets to spend lots of time together doing exactly what we want to do. This weekend we mostly wanted to soak up the beautiful weather going to parks and taking walks around town. The leaves are outta sight right now. Color is everywhere.  And hearing Felix say "yellow" is music to our ears. Love that little jabberjaw. We didn't get too slammed when the time fell back an hour, either. I suppose we'll see how that goes in the next few days. Funny how differently I think about the time-change now that I have a child...it used to barely hit my radar. Now it has had me shaking in my boots for weeks.

On the flipside I have been really looking forward to...

a visit from the family later this week.

making a batch of these. going to add them to every holiday snack tray this year.

starting a new knitting project. thinking some more madelinetosh is in order.

kicking off a weekly soup swap with our neighbors. I will report on this more later.

decorating for the holidays. we are getting a tree this year -- a first for us as a family of three!

reading more Bossypants. Tina Fey is one smart and funny lady.

More soon, friends

L.