His Room

The whole process of turning the office/craft room into a baby's room started weeks before Finn arrived but we really underestimated the volume of stuff we had accumulated in that room. By the time Finn was born we had only managed to clear half of the stuff from the room then fill it again with baby items. For weeks after his birth we worked slowly at transforming the little room into a space for our new baby boy. While it is still not completely finished (it needs a coat of paint and a few shelves removed) it is complete enough for Finn to spend time in it and for me to share it with you.

As we did with April's baby room, we took inspiration from the Montessori philosophy for design. We used the organic cotton crib mattress for a floor bed again. We also added the mirror so he can watch his own movements. The bed is covered with a beautiful first nations design wool blanket they got for April a while ago. We also hung a mobile for him. Today it is an upcycled mobile made from old bird study books.

Above the bed we hung those sweet orange lantern lights we found at Target and a little nature alphabet poster from this Etsy store. We tried to keep the art in his room rather simple. Beside his bed we mounted a wood spice rack from Ikea to hold a few board books and above that a simple watercolor postcard in a lovely wooden frame (from here). Again in Montessori style we kept both at child height.

Finn's change table was set up on top of a wooden stand made by my grandmother when my mom was young. I really love the color of the wood and the open design. I really prefer to store baby clothing and diapers in baskets. By the change pad we mounted some black and white woodland art cards from Wee Gallery. Finn loves them! He is always wide eyed and completely enamored with these cards art changing time.

The room has always had these wall to ceiling built in shelves. I had planned to remove them but that was a lot of extra work. Instead I use the top shelves to store hats, shoes and toys not in use. The lower shelves I used to display baby toys and Finn's board books. And right beside the shelves is his closet. I must admit the closet is more storage for all of us than just Finn. To save room I just mounted a vintage twin bed sheet as a curtain instead of the bifold doors that were originally on it. I love this sheet. It reminds me of the tall grass in forest fields in the summer.

Finally we used an old wooden crate from Michaels turned on it's side as a place to put Finn's CD player and store his CDs. He doesn't have many; right now we are mostly just listening to Puntamayo Dreamland and Raffi Quiet Time. He seems to love music though so I might have to expand his collection. You will notice that he has a wooden rocking horse in his room already. It's mostly there for April to use when we spend time in there but a little bit because it's a challenge to store.

I love Finn's sweet little woodland room. When we designed April's baby room we tried to be neutral in our design and we tried to do the same with Finn's room. We took inspiration from nature and did our best to keep the room simple. The room will evolve as he grows, just as April's has, and I will try to update as we change and grow.

Garden Glimpse

There are a few things coming up in the garden and still more to plant. I managed to protect the broccoli sprouts from the birds this year. The kale and radishes are looking wonderful. We have tiny carrot, beet, chard, quinoa and potato sprouts coming up. And the garlic we planted in the fall looks amazing already! I cannot wait for fresh garlic.

I am happy with my perennials too. The strawberries were off to a slow start this year but it looks like we will get a few. The raspberries were moved this year and I was a bit worried that we had damaged them in the process but all are leafing and look health. One of my rhubarb plants seems to have gone to seed this year which is a totally new sight in our garden. I'm not sure what to do. If I cut it back do you think it will produce again in the fall?

The blueberries, pears and cherries look very very happy this year. It will all be a matte of protecting our fruits from birds and bugs until harvest. We have already had to remove a large tent caterpillar nest from our apple tree and the pear leaves look worse for wear. The birds are always a challenge too. They ate our quinoa sprouts to the ground so we replanted and covered them this time. My mother got us a plastic owl to try to deter the little trouble makers but they aren't fooled.

Everybody else who calls our garden home is enjoying the flowers and warm weather. The bees have already swarmed (twice), the chicks are out with the other hens and Zooey is a big pile of lazy bones these days. I hope the garden continues to grow and produce as well as it's been so far. The sun helps, that is for sure!

This Moment

{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.

Photo by Ashley
Inspired by SouleMama

Let's Go Fly a Kite

One of my favorite childhood memories is flying kites with my brother by the beach in the summer. I knew it was something I wanted to share with my kids. Last years kite adventures were a total flop, literally. The kite I thought was such a score at the thrift store fell apart in the wind. So for April's birthday I went to the science store and got a proper kite. April loves rainbows so this tie dye one was screaming her name.

As she is only three the thrill didn't last forever but when she got that kite up in the air it was pure joy on the little girls face. She was jumping up and down beside herself that it was flying. There we stood, the 4 of us, watching April with her rainbow kite against the blue sky. It was the peace and joy I had been dreaming of when April was just a baby. Simple joys but profound.

Easter Weekend

We had a very laid back Easter weekend. My parents were preparing for an upcoming vacation and we were in the midst of preparing the garden. None-the-less we all found time to come together for an Easter egg hunt and a family dinner.

The weather was beautiful so we were able have our hunt in my parents garden. April was so thrilled. She had so much fun, she asked us to hide them again and again (and has been asking us to go hunting for eggs every day since). Grandma even indulged in some chocolate eggs. Mama uses wool felt eggs so chocolate was an exciting treat.

I also managed to find the time to make some Easter goodies for my kiddos. Finn got a little bedtime book and a knitted bunny. April got a Peter Rabbit book, playdough, silly putty, bath fizzes, an Easter ducky and some chocolate eggs. My Easter treat was not having to cook but still being able to enjoy a delicious home cooked feast. It was so wonderful sharing another meal with my family and including Finn in our family traditions.

Saturday Sunshine

 

The weather around here just keeps getting better and better. We've been lucky enough to have some very warm sunny days. The best way for me to cope with those postpartum blues is to get a good dose of all-natural vitamin D and spend some time in nature with my family. We spent this sunny Saturday walking around our favorite local lake.

It was so beautiful. The sun was out, the trees were blooming and everything was green. There were not many birds on the lake but while walking through the woods we noticed a large bird flying between the trees. We couldn't believe our luck when just in front of us landed an owl. April was thrilled and intrigued. We also listened to the frogs in the creek, watched the bumblebees fly from flower to flower and a heard a couple loons calling to each other.

It was nature at its finest; it was healing to the soul. April could barely bring herself to leave, she was lying in the daisies crying that we would never come back (three year olds can be so dramatic). The sunshine is supposed to stick around for a while. Hopefully we can get our garden work done in time to spend a bit more time going for nature walks together. Today was a perfect sunny Saturday.

Spring Chicks

It is finally that time of year when it is feasible for us to start raising chicks. This week when we went to the feed store for our current flock and noticed a pen full of Rhode Island Red chicks. It was a bit implusive since we weren't quite ready for them but we couldn't say no to our pleading daughter (especially after all the bird losses we suffered this year). The Rhode Island Red we currently have is a very friendly bird so they seemed like a good choice for my little 3 year old who desperately loves cuddling them.

As I said, we weren't quite prepared so we had to scramble to get their cage clean after a year of being left outside and we found we didn't have bedding so shredded newspaper will have to do until we can get them proper bedding. It was kind of cute to see those little fluffy bodies snoozing under brightly colored newspaper strips.

We aren't quite finished assembling our new flock. We are hoping to find another Americana and possible some Wheaten Marans and Jon has been asking me to let him bring some meat birds into the egg-laying flock. Meat birds will mean some more research before I completely commit but I figure he has every right to choose some of the birds so we will likely have meat birds this year.

There is nothing quite like listening to the gentle "peep peep peep" of tiny chicks while I eat my breakfast in the morning sunshine to remind me that spring is here and I am fully embracing the little joys and challenges this season brings.