this moment

inspired by Soule Mama

a little garden update

So we had a cold spring and an erratic summer and the garden has really been left to itself this year. Amazingly enough, a few things have managed to thrive.

This is the one beet that lived out of many that were planted.

Daisies and lavender, just simple easy beauty.

Almost ready....

One cabbage the slugs haven't destroyed yet.

Boundless rasberries!

Chris doesn't love the calendula cause it goes everywhere but it's so bright and fun.

Three peas and someone had to eat them.

Unity prefers the berries.

A volunteer broccoli plant that showed up by our trash cans. Wow, that was some travel!

yarn along

Joining with Ginny and friends at Small Things for yarn along.

This week I finished my sock and I'm starting it's mate. I discovered Martha Beck and read three of her books in one week. This one, Leaving the Saints was a gripping read about her attempts to move back to her Mormon hometown only to be confronted with old demons from her past. It was compelling! and yes that's Brixton's little hand you see there in the photo.

Blueberry Cornbread muffins

We got a ton of fruit from the farmers market this week. While I was looking at the piles and trying to figure out what to make so it wouldn't go bad before we could eat it all, an idea floated into my mind, of blueberry cornbread muffins. You guys have heard of this right? I don't think I made it up cause I am such a paint-by-numbers cook but I didn't have a recipe for it. I combined a recipe for blueberry muffins with the cornbread one, both from the King Arthur Flour Baking book. They turned out great and we ate the last of them for breakfast this morning (meaning they didn't even last 24 hours.)

Curtains!

Ok, you have to understand that this is the third sewing project I've ever completed. I took a class where I learned how to make a tote bag. Chris and I made scarves for some family last year for Christmas. and now...curtains! These are for our basement bedroom which is a guestroom. The room has only existed for about two years, since we did the basement remodel when I was pregnant with Brixton, and I have not really gotten around to setting it up like a real room. But it's starting. These curtains were from Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. It took me two evenings to complete, mostly cause I'm still learning my way around the machine and it takes me about twenty minutes to thread it. But- I was so excited when I finished them and hung them, dancing around that basement room saying "I made that!"

where mama works

Chris: You know where I work.
Unity: Yes.
Chris: and where does Mama work?
Unity: Nowhere.
Chris: Are you kidding me?! Mama works hard taking care of you guys and this house every single day all day long.

Be still my beating heart.

Happy July!

This is what she wore to school today, in late July. We are clearly on another planet from the rest of you. Now, I'm ok with that mostly, since I don't think I could handle some of those heat indexes, but surely there's a middle ground?

adventures in transit

We do have a car which we use on the weekends but during the week we are largely car free. This is from a mixture of choice and circumstance (it's easier and cheaper for Chris to bus to work, also I don't have a drivers license so not much of a choice there.) My kids bus around the neighborhood almost every day. Some days it's hard- they're loud or they want to sit down in the middle of the aisle or they fight the whole time. But lots of times I'm really thankful for it. The bus has taught us about every kind of person there is. We've had great conversations about wheelchairs and headscarves and different languages and we've met lots of kindly grandmothers and other kids. My kids stand up on the seat to pull the bell for their stop, they know the names of different routes and where they go. Brixton can even recognize the number 8, which I'm convinced is a tribute to his most frequent ride. All the things the bus has taught us.

yarn along

Today I'm playing Yarn Along started by Ginny at Small Things. Folks share photos of what they are reading and knitting. Right now I'm finishing up a sock and reading Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, a great young adult steampunk book.

Berries and bread

So our garden is a little overgrown right now. Chris and I both have the habit of jumping all in when we start a new project. Why have one jar of kombucha going when you could have two? Why have just half your yard dug up and turned into garden when you could do the whole thing? And then the days go on and the project loses it's new luster and the work of it sets in. Anyways the berries coming out of our garden this year are great! Berries don't need a lot of help you see, they just do their thing and then there they are- ready for snacking, or Strawberry Pie. (From the wonderful Pie book) I've also been working on my bread, it's getting easier and we always snarf it down right away.

the latest craze

Perhaps inspired by a mixture of swim lessons and steampunk?

This moment

inspired by Soule Mama.
Brixton discovers that he can slide down our treacherous basement stairs all by himself. More again!

I scream

Kids These Days

Brixton made a friend at the park today, an older kid who really wanted to help Brixton down the slide. As they were playing the kid called out, "Hey, don't you have a camera? You should take a picture of us." So, I did. Kids these days. (Although I told this story to Chris and he said, "actually, it's adults these days."

Sophie's Housewarming

Our friend Sophie has a new house! We went to her housewarming party, and the house is lovely and a bunch of our friends were there, with tons of kids frolicing in the kiddie pool, but I have to admit I spent pretty much the entire time marveling over Hiram's new baby brother Baird. He was born June 25 and his doting family were nice enough to share him with us a little. Brixton, still my baby, looked so huge next to him! Brixton was enamoured with him too and pointed out the baby's toes, knees and other limbs. Unity and Sophie were much too busy with their elaborate game in Sophie's canopy bed to hold still for much of a picture.

Desmond's First Birthday

We got to attend our friend Desmond's birthday party (little Desmond, or baby Desmond is the younger of the two Desmonds we know.) Unity found a trio of Irish sisters to cavort with; Sorcha, Mia and Aisling. The kids were wildly entertained by a neighbor's dog, and drawing with chalk, as well as trying to "help" Desmond open his presents.

the payoff

If you are ever wondering why we've lived in Seattle so long, what with all the gray and cloudy and not seeing the sun for months at a time (and believe me I wonder this at least once a week in February and Junuary)here's one reason. This is the view off the back porch of the building where we have Meeting for Worship. Also the strawberries are from our garden.