Our Favorite Fall Board Books

We love, love, love books around here.  On any given day we will read, I would guess, between 15 and 30 board books.  As a general rule, I steer clear of books that have commercial characters (i.e. "Dora," Disney characters etc.) and the book has to grab me with either a wonderful story, wonderful illustrations, or in a perfect world, both.  It is back to school week here in Vermont and so I thought I would share some of our fall favorite board books:

The Busy Little Squirrel: This book follows a squirrel getting ready for the winter.  He passes lots of different types of animals who ask him to do things with them, but he can't because he's "sooo busy!".  At the end, he is snug in his nest in a tree, all ready for winter.  I like the theme of this book as well as the illustrations, and it was one of my sons favorite books last fall.

Leaves:  A great book about the changing of the seasons told through the eyes of a bear in his first autumn.  I love this story and the illustrations are beautiful, my son however is not a fan....yet...

Owl Babies:  This isn't exactly a fall book, but seems to fit in with the others.  Three baby owls wake up to find their owl mother gone, they worry she won't return and then she does, because mama's always come back to their babies.  This is one of our favorite, favorite books, we read it all the time, but especially in the fall when I have to head back to work...

Mouse's First Fall: Mouse and Minka go out to play on a fall day and notice the colors, shapes, and sounds that leaves make.  A good, basic fall book with vibrant illustrations.

The Little Blue Truck:  This book is not a "fall" book but the illustrations are decidedly autumnal.  It's a wonderful, wonderful story and by far one of my sons favorite books of all that we own.  He loves the sound effects and when I bounce him on the "bump, bump, bump" page.  A must have in any board book library.  (We are anxiously awaiting Little Blue Truck's Christmas...it will be at the top of our list this holiday season!)

Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin:  Duck and Goose want a pumpkin and look everywhere for one...everywhere except the pumpkin patch.  Eventually they find one and are thrilled with what great pumpkin finders they are.  A silly, fun book with simple text and bright illustrations.

Autumn:  A wordless picture book with beautiful illustrations of all of the wonderful things you can do in the fall.  We like looking through it and pointing out the things we see in the pictures.  This whole series is wonderful!

This year we are hoping to add: Apples and Pumpkins, Apple Farmer Annie, Apples, Apples!, and Herbst to our collection (we don't have any apple board books, how can this be!?).

Stay tuned at the tail end of September for our favorite Halloween Board Books!

Beautiful Things for Boys: Triangle Quilt

I made this quilt for my son in the few months before he was born.  Honestly, the hardest part for me was making a final decision on which fabrics to use.  I ended up making it with solids, mostly in neutral colors--blues, grays, whites, browns, tans.  I cut each fat quarter into 5" squares and then cut them diagonally.  I randomly arranged them and rearranged them until I felt happy with the placement (I find it super helpful to take pictures of my quilts before I sew them together, for whatever reason the camera always reveals more than my bare eye does and I usually make changes that I like so much better!).

I sewed them together with a quarter inch seam, used cotton batting, and backed and bound it with Kona Cotton in Charcoal.  I chose to quilt it with straight lines a quarter inch away from each seam, making a grid pattern.  I also embroidered a little message to my sweet boy.  I love, love, love how this turned out.  As much as I love fun prints, there is something so soothing and beautiful about a quilt made in solids.  I hope my sweet boy will love it just as much as I do someday!

First Aid Washcloths

After I got pregnant it suddenly became incredibly important to me that I have a well rounded first aid kit...I don't know exactly why, it just seemed impossible to be motherly without one.  So, I obsessed for weeks looking for and writing down natural cures, finding the perfect box for bandaids etc., and somewhere along the way I saw a recommendation to have red washcloths in your kit for tending to younger children so the blood on the cloth doesn't scare them (or their mamas!;)).  Genius.  

So even though I had a million other things to do to prepare for a baby, I found myself knitting these.  They are just simple garter stitch cloths, nothing fancy.  I casted on 36 stitches and knit in straight garter stitch.  I slipped the first stitch of each row for a smoother end and they ended up 8" by 8".  They are incredibly simple and incredibly plain, but I love them.  

Currently...

-dreading the end of blueberry and wildflower seasons
-embracing the near constant mess
-thinking about trying to make my own deodorant...I've spent a ridiculous amount of money on a bunch of healthier deodorants and haven't found one I love, I figure I have nothing to lose...
-working on finishing up a few memory keeping projects that have been on the to-do list too long (right now, its the 2011 yearly photobook...2012 isn't even started, but 2013 is nearly done...)
-playing around with some ideas for fall decorating on the cheap
-pulling out and washing fall clothes for the babe, and then trying to fill in any holes
-trying to get back in the knitting groove (mama made sweaters for my sweet boy is one of those holes...)
-enjoying having my husband home for a few vacation days and loving the rhythm of our family of three
-soaking in the last few days of summer, before its back to work

Family Camp Photo Book

 This was a photo book I never intended to make.  This spring I finally got around to doing something with our wedding photos and decided on a photo book from Kolo, it just so happened that at the same time they were running a promotion for a free 5.5" x 8" photo book with another photo book purchase.  I ended up deciding to make one of our trips to my husband's family camp in Northern Maine and I'm so glad I did, it is one of my favorite memory keeping projects to date.

I used the same template with two pictures a page throughout the album, with the exception of the first page of each trip which acts as a title page of sorts, listing the month and year of the visit.  I also did a full page picture of our family photos on the steps of the camp, a picture we take every year.  I chose not to include every single picture we took on the trips, but chose the ones that I felt told the story of that years trip the best.

I plan to put a label from Paper Source on the inside of the front cover with the name and location of the camp as well as the year it was built.  The great thing about these albums is each year after we go I can just simply print more pages and insert them into my album.  I think this would be a great album for any family trip (or event....family reunions would be very cool...) that is repeated year after year...its so neat to see the growth and change your family goes through year after year.

(This post was in no way sponsored by Kolo and links are not affiliate, just wanted to share a project (and product) that I love.)

{this moment}

linking with Amanda Soule this week for:

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Getting Started with Copperplate Calligraphy

I have always wanted to learn calligraphy and this winter I decided to give it a go.  I bought the book Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy as my guide and then bought some copperplate nibs, a nib pen, ink, and a pad of layout paper (this paper is super useful because ink doesn't bleed on it and it's transparent enough that you can lay a guide page underneath it to help you with your letter formation).  Shortly after I started I bought some fun colored ink made by Speedball at a craft store and was super disappointed, the quality was far inferior to the Winsor and Newton ink and my penmanship looked significantly worse with it.  Perhaps if you are more advanced at Copperplate it wouldn't be such an issue, but for me it made a huge difference.  I also use the free printable Copperplate guide from here...there are a bunch of others out there, but this was the one I liked best.

It is a fairly inexpensive hobby to try, all in all, I spent about $25, but it does require some devoted practice time.  For the first month I typically tried to write a page a day.  I would always start with some lines of warm up strokes at the beginning and then transition to practicing letters and eventually words.  I can't speak highly enough of the book Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy.  It really breaks everything down step by step, gives you letter variations, and practice words and sentences.  If for some reason something was hard to understand at first (like for me, the letter "o"), I would turn to YouTube.

I still have so far to go with my calligraphy, but even within the first month I saw significant improvement. The hardest part for me has been carving out the time to sit down and write.

(Please note all Amazon links are affiliate).

Beautiful Things for Boys: Quynn Hat

When I found out I was pregnant I spent countless hours dreaming of all of the wonderful things I could make and collect for our new baby.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't want our baby to have everything, I just wanted to make what our baby did have count and to have the things I made or our purchases well thought out.  When I found out that we were expecting a little boy I was super excited, but I quickly realized that almost all of the ideas I had were for a little girl...there aren't nearly as many cute boy *things* (clothes, toys, crafts) out there.

So, I've decided to put together a little blog series: Beautiful Things for Boys...its going to be a mixture of things to make and buy for all of the little men in our lives.  With everything I bring into my home, I try to make sure that the items are things I love (generally things that are "classic" and won't go out of style), they are well made (they can stand the test of time and are safe), and perform their function, these items will be no different.

My first item is a hat I made for my son last fall.  The pattern is Quynn by Wooly Wormhead with some modifications: I knit only four garter ridges plus the cast on edge before switching to stockinette, and I rounded the top of the hat instead of having it come to a point (more details on my version here).  I loved this hat.  It stayed on well, kept my son warm, and looked so cute on him.  I am definitely planning on making him another (longer) one this year!

Radio Silence

It has been over two years since I've posted in this space and since then I've done lots of things, but most importantly, 14 months ago I birthed a beautiful baby boy.  He is the center of our universe and the reason we do, well, anything.  I have so much less "free" time than I used to and so much more to accomplish in it when I get it, but my mind keeps wandering back to this place lately...I'm feeling like it still has something to offer me and I flatter myself to hope that I still have something to offer through it...we shall see...

ETA: I have changed the name of this blog once again, hopefully for the last time.  The name is a reference to my initials, my love of water, and how the strength of my interests change...and I suppose, to some degree it is a reference to the place this blog has had in my life.  Onward and upward.

Summering

Summer is here.  Finally and wonderfully.  My days are being spent outside in the garden, with the chickens, in the pool, river, and lake.  My nights are being spent knitting and working on the house.  It's glorious.

Today I'm headed up to see my favorite person in the world, my Great Grandma, and then to the lake.  I hope you too are finding joy in your summer!

Chickens at 4 Weeks

Groundwork

My days lately have been spent playing in the dirt.  In the past few weeks I've planted my onions, carrots, dry beans, green beans, beets, rutabaga and potatoes in addition to the peas, radishes, garlic, horseradish and herbs that I had previously planted.  This weekend I'll be putting in the rest: tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, basil, spinach, lettuce, sunflowers, melons, and corn....

I've also been adding to my flower bed with kind gifts from family as they split their perennials.  Everything has been thrown in somewhat willy-nilly this year, not knowing beautiful plant I'll be gifted next, but next year I can rearrange as needed.

This afternoon an itty bitty package, about 3 ft x 8 in. arrived at my doorstep. Despite my extreme skepticism inside was:
- 12 Taylor Red Raspberry Bushes
-3 Allen Black Raspberry Bushes
-2 Concord Grapevines
-1 Ivanhoe Blueberry Bush
-2 Jersey Blueberry Bushes
-2 Bluecrop Blueberry Bushes
-1 Chandler Blueberry Bush
-1 Bluegold Blueberry Bush
-25 Earliglow Strawberry Plants

I also have a Peach Tree and Nectarine Tree that need to be planted, some Dahlia's and Glad's that need to get into the ground, and some annual flower seeds to sow (Bachelor Buttons and Sweet Pea).

It's going to be a busy weekend...a *wonderfully* busy weekend.

Chickens at (Just Over) 1 Week

 Josephine (Buff Orpington). Still the easiest to pick up, not quite as "peck-y" as she was the first few days...

 Olive (Americauna). By far the most difficult to pick up, seems to be trying for the top of the pecking order, starting to grow the typical Americauna "puffs" on her cheeks.  (And check out that leg color...so pretty)

 Luella (Barred Rock). Still the smallest and super sweet.

 Cora (Welsummer).  Still very sweet.

Ingrid (Silver Laced Wyandotte).  Still healthy and still sweet.

They're wing feathers are almost completely in and they've started sprouting tail feathers.  They have at least doubled in size.  Yesterday I brought them out on the grass for the first time as a complete flock and they were (pun intended) chickens.  They preferred being on me to pecking around on the grass, we'll give it another try soon, but I have to tell you, I was kind of flattered...:) 

See how they've grown since last week...

Bar Harbor Fog

I have been feeling like a knitting machine lately, but this is the only project I've managed to take any pictures of yet.  I need to fix that soon!  These were made out of scraps from another project before I started a shawl.  I've found that I like having a quick, little project that only takes a day or two between the bigger, longer projects, it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing more.

I love the simplicity of these booties, but the foot portion looks so wide and deep to me.  I will definitely be trying them again someday, but plan on making a few modifications so they're not quite as deep.  Ravelry details here.

Understanding Spring

 I never used to understand spring.  I certainly thought it was nice and relished in those first warm days after a long winter, but I never understood the people who proclaimed it their favorite season.  I don't know if it's come with age or the fact that I now have my own outside space to tend to and do all of the exciting "spring things" with, but this year I can say without a question, I get it.  Spring holds promise and energy and beauty. Spring holds life.  And what a wonderful life it is.

Greening Up

The first Saturday of May was Vermont's Green Up Day, a day to clean up trash from the roadsides and riverbanks before the tall grass of summer makes it more difficult.  This year I chose to green up our little stretch of river.  Hurricane Irene left so much destruction and debris in our little village, neighbors lost their homes and businesses down the river, farm land is covered thick with sand that was saturated with oil and sewage.  It was comforting to remove some of the reminders of that day and to see so many others out doing the same.  I was able to walk only about an eighth of a mile along our side of the river because of the water level, but I managed to pick up 5 trash bags full plus a big heap of things that wouldn't fit into bags.  It was a day well spent. 

As I was picking things up, I wondered, is Green Up Day just a Vermont thing or do other states have something similar?  I'd love to hear what your state does to keep it looking it's best!

p.s. That's one thing off the list.

Introducing...

 Josephine.  She is a Buff Orpington.  So far she is the most willing to be picked up and surprisingly seems to be on the top of the pecking order.

 Olive.  She is an Americauna.  She dislikes being held the most out of all the chicks.  She will lay blue or green tinted eggs.

 Luella.  She is a Barred Rock.  She is the smallest of all the chicks and super sweet.

 Cora.  She is a Welsummer and will lay chocolate colored eggs or brown eggs with chocolate colored speckles.  So far she is such a sweetie!

Ingrid.  She is a Silver Laced Wyandotte.  She was very sick the first night she was home and we were pretty sure she wasn't going to make it through the night, but she has perked up and now is acting like all of the other chicks, thank goodness.

I saw on another blog a few years ago where someone took week by week pictures of their chicks and documented how they've changed, I'm thinking I'll do the same thing.  It was amazing to see how quickly they matured.

Their coop is in the works, as are so many other things I'd like to share with you here.  We seem to be smack dab in the middle of spring busy-ness,  but I'm making it a priority to stop in here more often and say hello, even if its just a picture and a few words. 

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here or not, but I started this blog when I was going through a terrible time with someone who I thought was my very best friend.  Our friendship ended horribly and suddenly, but it was the only healthy decision for both of us, and in the end I was left feeling very alone.  I still had lots of close friends that I loved dearly, but through the loss of a friend I gained a new perspective on friendship and I needed to find some like minded people...people who's eyes didn't glaze over when I started talking tomato varieties or lovingly tease when I talked about knitting.  You know what I mean?  I'm sure you do...

Anyways, I'm not sure why I shared that today, other than the fact that I'm feeling that pull again.  The pull to connect with people who care about some of the same things I do, to feel a little less like an island.