Spring is creeping

Spring is creeping in around us these days. We've had a pretty mild winter and now things are starting to bloom. 

I decided after I don't even know how long that it was finally time to cut my hair. We took off about 7 inches! Crazy. But, I love it. It was time for a change.

Do you remember Chris's tiny computer called the raspberry pi?  He used it to make a tiny portable photo booth. He was nice enough to let the kids mess around with it. 

We are taking advantage of all this nice weather and planting some peas and spinach. 

I'm also fighting off a cold and loading up on vitamins and probiotics.   Hopefully it'll be over soon. 

draft stopper project

Chris did a little sewing project with the kids a few days ago. 

They filled some bags with rice. 

Chris used some fabric we had to make a long bag. 

They put the rice bags in the fabric bag and sewed it shut. 

                                         Ta-da, a draft stopper. I feel warmer already.

Weekending

  
                             It's finally nice here. We spent a lot of time this weekend just soaking up
the sun. Hanging on the back porch. Following the sun spots around the house.

                                                 Unity helped her dad fix an extention cord. They've got big
                                    plans for later in the week.

           

                                             It's Spring Break so I may not be posting much this week. We'll see.
We've got a million playdates and projects lined up. And tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 80s.
Rock on.

this weekend

Ok so I have a question. What do you do when you have a sink full of dishes and a pile of laundry that needs folding? You make a cherry pie of course! So I did, with a coconut almond topping. Yum.

We moved Brixton up to the bigger car seat. Sniffle.

and we hung out with Chris's good friend Erin and her kids Keira and Samara, aged five and three. They just moved back to Seattle and Keira and Unity hit it off immediately. I think it was the dress that did it. We are looking forward to more playdates with them.

Making Soap

Making soap was a fun project that I had been wanting to do for a long time and finally got around to a couple of days ago. We gathered herbs and flowers from our garden (rosemary, lavender, calendula, chamomille, lemon balm and bay). We made a kind of soap called melt and pour which is really easy and safe for kids- I got the supplies here. We had a blast with our project- it was just the kind of hands-on helpfullness that Unity loves right now.

Edit to add that those are totally not her shoes- she borrowed them from a friend. I'm actually not a big fan of high heels for 4 year olds. Shocking I know. We gave them back and I'm hoping that's the end of it for now.

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!"

mmmm Kombucha

So I have been making my own kombucha for a few months now. Kombucha is a fermented tea that is thought to originate from China. It can be an acquired taste - sometimes it's strange to drink something fermented that's not beer! But I have grown to enjoy it's many flavors and health properties. In the stores it can be expensive- $3 or more per bottle, so I started making my own. The process is fun since it involves a "mother"- a slimy squishy collection of bacteria and yeast. Chris is convinced that one day he will wake up with that mother pulsating over him. We'll see I guess. In the meantime, he's started drinking kombucha, and the kids request it too. Bucha? Bucha?

I made it

Ok, don't look too closely cause there are one hundred and twelve mistakes but...I made this! I did lots of it during our road trip in October and the rest while watching Mad Men with Chris- it took about six months. Now- off to the yarn store to decide on the next project!

made with love

Now that November and National Novel Writing Month is done (whew!) we can settle into crafting of another kind. I made my first successful from-scratch bread! We received a great package from Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Bill which included a fun "sewing" project that Unity loved doing and a special blanket that Grandma made for Unity. The kids had a tea party picnic on it, wearing their new Grandma-made hats. And we received many varieties of Avram's garlic and Unity helped Chris get it ready for planting. The garlic is from all over the world, even North Korea (!). It's a little late in the season to be planting but the ground is not frozen so we're hoping all's well.