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.

Inspired by SouleMama

Petting Zoo

Spring is in the air and the sun is making an appearance. It was the perfect time to hit the petting zoo with friends. Baby animals are arriving weekly, which makes for a wonderful reminder to children that this is the season of rebirth. The earth is getting greener and flowers are coming up all around. Even the cherry trees have burst into pink to spite the cold temperatures. I am busy making plans for my garden and my hive but April still reminds me to take it slow and notice all the new things appearing around us. We are rejoicing in the opportunity to spend more time out of doors. When the wind dies down it's almost warm enough to open the windows and dry the clothes on the line.
The earth is breathing, taking in all the nourishing sun and rain. We are breathing too. Taking deep breathes and preparing for another growing season. What a relief after this wet winter to see the sun and some color outside my window. My child is relieved too, the smile on her face tells me she is glad for spring.

AppleSeed

If it seems that I have been away from this space for a while, well it's true. Jon and I have been busy launching our new business. We've decided to open an little toy shop. We will be doing most of our business online but we do plan to attend a few local markets as well.

We've been making toys for April for a long time now and nothing makes me happier than to see her holding and playing with handmade, natural toys. I make all the felt and fabric toys and Jon makes all the wooden toys. They are definitely Waldorf inspired toys but so much more than that. We make the toys with as much local product as possible (the wood, the wool), natural materials and we try make toys that provide a lot of open ended play. I want the things my daughter holds in her hands to look and feel beautiful, to reflect nature and to engage her imagination. There is a lot of heart in these toys.

Come check us out, our page is on Facebook at the moment. We are always adding to our stock but we also do custom orders. This is definitely where my heart is and I'm so pleased to be able to share these toys with other families. Here are a few samples of our products.

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.

Inspired by SouleMama

The Second

This week was April's second birthday. How surreal to think my baby is beginning her third year on this earth. While she had a lovely little dress-up party with friends on the weekend, her birthday was spent with family.
This year I finally got around to making April's birthday crown. I followed the pattern from the Creative Family and use the last of my favorite Heather Ross fabric for the elastic casing. I have some trouble with this crown but in the end it came out just as I hoped. I can't wait to bring it out year after year.
It's always so fun to spoil the birthday child in simple little ways. We had spaghetti for dinner which is April's favorite. She was dancing around the kitchen saying "yummy, yummy" while I was making it. We had gluten-free brownies instead of cake and April completely loved having us all sing "Happy Birthday" to her. It really was a magical day.
I'm so proud to be mother to this smart, helpful, kind and funny soul. She always finds a way to brighten my day and I am in awe of the person she is becoming. She loves animals, running, books, dancing, trains and music. Happy Birthday my little two-year-old!

Hats, so many Hats!

Knitting has been slow this year. I have dreams of completing sweaters and socks but so far all that seems to be coming off the needles are hats. With my toddler slowly giving up naps, I feel like I have less and less time to knit in peace. We've decided to get rid of cable so I'm hoping to use the time that I once devoted regular televisions shows to be creative. As I encourage April to be more creative in her life, I'm yearning to release my own creative energy. So many of my creative outlets have been neglected since becoming a mother. I need to remember to set an example for April and pursue the things that bring me inner peace and joy. So with that in mind I've been trying to work through my sad collection of neglected single skeins. So far I've made April a hat, Jon a hat, a friend a hat and I'm currently working on a hat for myself.

April's hat was knit from the beautiful Lollipop chunky yarn. The pattern is Wooly Wormhead's Quynn. Simple, quick and adorable. At this age any hat with ear flaps is welcome in the pile. I added braided ties to help keep it on her head.

Jon's hat is the Chunkeanie from Wooly Wormhead. The reverse stockinette stitch is perfect for this guys hat. I used the new Martha Stewart Alpaca yarn from Michaels for this one. It feels nice and looks great, I might just buy some of this yarn again (I don't usually shop at Michaels for yarn since I love wool but I was lucky to find this one).

The gift hat was a Stella Pixie hat. April's Stella is still a favorite. Thanks to the lovely ribbing it has lasted for years. This hat was again made with a yarn from Michaels. I can't even remember what it was called but I do remember it was a wool blend and it was the lovely subtle rainbow color that caught my eye. Thanks to a lack for size 3 double pointed needles this hat was also made with braided ties. I'm actually quite pleased with the result, it has a very bohemian fairy look to it.

The last hat in the picture is not technically a knit but it was made from a knit sweater. It was made from the pattern in Amanda Soule's Handmade Home. I then used some felt scraps and a little buttons to make a flower embellishment. If I made this hat again, I think I will use a heavier sweater, my choice is a bit thin for a winter hat.

Finally, the hat on the needles is the Knit Night hat. I'm using a ball of purple 100purewool yarn. I got it second-hand so I'm not sure of the colorway. It's slow going but I hope to finish it this week.
I think my next project will be more ambitious. Maybe a sweater for April, a lap blanket, a cowl. What's on your needles these days?

Puddles and Birds

Today was all about puddles and birds. We visited a local nature sanctuary and set out on a nature hike with the intention to have fun. Mommy and April were prepared with rain-boots (Daddy forgot). It had rained in the early morning hours so there were many puddles to be found. I have been trying to remind myself to be a playful parent, to enjoy simple moments with my child. I tried to enthrall myself in the hunt for puddles, enjoying the sounds of splashing and the squish of mud under my feet. The more excited I became the more fun April had being with me. Being in the moment just gets better and better.

We had the chance to view some special birds today. This particular area is always full of ducks. Visitors are allowed to feed the ducks here so they are very trusting of people. While April was having a chat with some ducks, Jon noticed one of the males looked a bit different. Sure enough his bill was a beautiful blue. I'm not sure I have ever seen a blue billed mallard. Perhaps I've been too busy to notice before.

A ruby throated hummingbird also caught our eye. Or rather, our ear! We were walking along when we heard his call. If the lighting isn't right you could miss him all together, but when the light hits his throat he is hard to miss. Ruby's are harder to find around here. The Anna's hummingbird is most common so it was quite a thrill to catch a good look at his guy.

What a gift it was to spend such an afternoon with such amazing people and stunning creatures. I certainly left the sanctuary with renewed energy, a clearer mind and a positive outlook. April too enjoyed her visit. Wet sock and a muddy face (but still a smile) was certainly the sign of time well spent!