Bird and Little Bird

Notes from the Road.

Well, I might as well just go ahead and admit that I've gone a little deeper into vacation mode than I might previously have planned.  It turns out that when one has access to squishy chairs next to sunny windows and places to go walking where there is limited mud, it gets a little tricky to find time for things like computers.  This, I'm thinking, should be considered a good thing.  I did, however, want to poke my head in to share a couple of things with you all. 

First, if you haven't yet had a chance to download a copy of the newest issue of Alphabet Glue, you might be interested to know that you can visit Amanda's blog for a discount code that is good all this week on any and all issues of the Glue that you might want to have for your very own.  Also, because I was feeling a bit lazy when I set up the code on the download service that I use, it will work on both the rabbit and fox sewing patterns as well.  You can also check out a sample project from Volume Six by visiting The Crafty Crow.  It's the Inspired by Literature project from the issue, which means that the tutorial is all nicely bundled up with a review of a favorite read.  Bonus!  So do check it out.

Also, my final post for the Being series on the Rhythm of the Home blog is up now.  If you would like to see a photo of a very tiny and entirely perfect jellyfish that my girl found on the beach in Oregon, I strongly suggest that you click here. 

Library Monday: This is San Francisco.

As many of you already know, we aren't really Vermonters, we are just pretending for a bit while the husband goes to medical school in the Green Mountain State.  I do love many, many things about Vermont, but as a longtime California girl, there are times when I feel more than a bit nostalgic for my old Bay Area haunts. 

Lucky for me, I'm actually writing this post while sitting next to the bedroom window in my mother-in-law's house in San Francisco.  I'm getting my California fix for the next few days, and from what I hear of the weather back east today, I'm doing it at just the right time.  So, what better book to share with you today than This is San Francisco by M. Sasek?  Part of a series of books written about cities around the world and originally published in the 1960's, This is San Francisco is a fun look at the places and historical tidbits that make San Francisco unique, and although we've had the book for years, it was particularly great to revisit it as a read-aloud as we were preparing for our visit out west. 

This is San Francisco is essentially an illustrated guide to San Francisco for the small set.  With quirky and colorful illustrations, Sasek takes the reader on a tour of the city and its most famous landmarks, stopping in everwhere from the Ferry Building to the Golden Gate.  The descriptions of places around the city are full of just the sort of detail that kids tend to really enjoy, and although I haven't read all of the books in the series and therefore can't say so with confidence, I'd guess that this same level of detail is offered in the other titles as well.  Sure, plenty has changed in and around the city since the book was first written and published, but much is the same as well, and the new editions of each of the "This is" books contain an addendum at the back that shares information about the changes that have taken place.  Mariam found the updated facts to be especially interesting because they allowed her to contrast the city that she knows with the city that her grandmother and father grew up in.  Reading through this book again turned into an impromptu history lesson about some of the historical landmarks in San Francisco, which is the best kind of history lesson if you ask me. 

I'm not sure about the availability of these books at the average town library, but I have seen them at bookstores with some regularity.  The series includes books on Paris, New York, Texas, London, Washington D.C. and more.  I happen to think that it is quite worth doing a bit of searching to see if you can find a title about a city or country that you have visited, lived in or just find interesting.  These unique children's classics have a lot to offer when it comes to considering all the reasons there are to fall in love with a city and everything that makes it special. 

Rhythm of the Home and Me.

 

S0, I have been keeping a little secret from you all, and I'm very happy to report that as of today, I am officially able to spill the proverbial beans.  I know that many of you are already fans of Rhythm of the Home, and of the amazing work that goes into publishing the magazine each season.  I am too, and that is exactly why it is so, so exciting to tell you that as of this week, I am joining the ROTH staff on a more permanent basis.  I'll be working on the Rhythm of the Home blog, as well as assisting with social media and a few other odd jobs. I'll also be contributing a project to the upcoming Rhythm of the Home book. 

Over the last week and a half I've had the the chance to spend a good amount of time getting to know Heather and Bernadette better through the magic of Skype, piles of emails and lots of online chatting.   Although I always suspected that they must be very dedicated to the magazine in order to be able to manage all of the hard work involved in publishing regularly while also parenting small children, I really had no idea.  Let me just tell you, not only have Heather and Bernadette worked hard to build the magazine and blog into the vibrant community that it is today, they have done so with incredible vision and have pursued that vision in a truly reflective and thoughtful way.  I'm honored to be taking on a role in this project that they hold so dear to their hearts. 

So, to sum up: yay!

Homeward Bound.

 

If I didn't have a sleeping baby in my lap at this exact moment, I would probably be doing things like throwing a couple of pairs of socks into the above suitcase.  Or, putting yet another patch on a new hole in my favorite cardigan.  Is there a limit to how many multi-colored fabric patches one can have on a sweater and still wear it in public?  Does it make a difference if the sweater is a particularly wonderful shade of blue?  Because I think that should count for something.

So why am I packing stripey orange socks and purple hooded sweatshirts and one thousand back up pacifiers and books about rabbit detectives?  Because we are headed west, folks.  The smalls and I are on our way to Oregon this afternoon for a much needed visit with family (and the ocean).  From there we will go on to California too see more family, friends and much to my delight, Molly and Patricia too! 

I'll be posting from the road, I expect, so look for pictures of my toes in the sand in the days to come.  And actually, I expect to be making a really exciting announcement here tomorrow, so check back for that.  In the meantime, you can think happy thoughts about travelling solo with two kiddos for me and take a peek at my newest post over at the Rhythm of the Home blog. 

Library Monday: Extra Yarn.

This is the thing about good children's literature: it is capable of enchanting you and taking up joyful residence in your imagination in a way that books written for adults just can't quite match.  Not that there aren't hundreds upon thousands of amazing books written for the fully grown, there most certainly are.  But, they are written with an audience at heart that is presumably mature, and that changes things.  Sometimes it is so very nice to just be taken in by a book that assumes an open heart and a capacity for humor and whimsy. 

In the event that you were looking for such a book, you need look no further than Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett with illustrations by Jon Klassen.  I was first introduced to this book by friend Sarah on a snowy afternoon a couple of months back.  I think I ordered our copy that evening.  Because Extra Yarn is exactly the sort of picture book that is worth reading again and again and you should absolutely have a copy on your shelf.  It is clever, it is positive, it is funny.  It is smart and has both a great message and awesome pictures.  It is my new favorite, to be sure. 

Extra Yarn is the story of a little girl who has what at first appears to be an ordinary box of yarn.  But as soon as she knits herself a sweater with the yarn, she realizes that her yarn is not so ordinary.  Not at all.  Indeed, it is seemingly endless in quantity, and this discovery leads to what essentially becomes a one girl yarn bombing mission that turns her drab little town into a kaleidescope of color (and functional warmth as well, I might add).  There's a dramatic twist, but of course, but all is well that ends well, and I think that the ending to this book will satisfy young audiences well. I especially love that buried not too deep in the story is the underlying message that beauty follows joy and good intentions and that it won't produce much for you if you are grumpy or unkind. 

I could probably keep going with this one, I've just become such an apologetic fan of this great little book.  But I'll stop here and encourage you to read it for yourselves.  This is a somewhat newer book, still in hardcover, so you may have to ask your library to order it if they don't have it on the shelves already.  Not to worry.  You'd be doing your neighbors a favor.

 

The Week That Was.

This week...

- I felt certain, about ninety percent of the time, that I was supposed to be doing something important but couldn't remember what it was.

- The groundhog, apparently announcing his readiness for spring gardening to begin in earnest, showed up at the front door on Monday morning.  I declined to invite him in.

- It is possible that April 12th, 2012 will go down in infamy as the day that my family ate approximately one billion snickerdoodles.  Vegan and gluten-free, yet somehow, they were still awesome.

- This is wildly self-indulgent and completely lame, and I know it, but I got sucked into reading a bunch of my old blog posts last night after the kiddos were asleep.  It was kind of like reading a forgotten diary that I'd stashed under the mattress or something.  This one made me giggle.  And, this seems like a lifetime ago, but is a total favorite.  That student is in middle school now, but we still exchange occasional (and hilarious) emails.

- Zak started showing serious interest in eating real people food.  So early! But his intentions are clear when he lunges at my plate during dinner and ends up with the edge of it shoved into his mouth. 

- The lovely folks at Sparkle Stories (who live just up the road from me, actually) started offering trial subscriptions for only $1.  If you aren't a Sparkle family already, you should totally become one.  We especially love the Junkyard Tales and Martin and Sylvia stories.  David and Lisabeth are incredibly talented and their stories are a great asset for the mindful parenting toolbox, let me tell you.  If you want to try out Sparkle Stories, you can go to this page and enter the code SPARKLEFRIENDS to get the $1 deal.

- I don't know how many of you have already seen Heather's post about food and healing, but if you haven't read it yet, take a few minutes to do so.  I guess it is no secret that I am spending a lot of time thinking about the family diet these days, so it was really interesting to read about a family that is farther along on the journey than we are right now.  And comforting too. 

 

This Guy.

 

The baby would like you to know that he is currently campaigning on the "Anti-Nap" platform.  Additionally, he hopes that you will appreciate his views on such important issues as never allowing your mother out of your direct line of sight and the clear reality that peek-a-boo is more stressful than fun. 

edit: I forgot! I wanted to let you all know that my latest post for the Rhythm of the Home blog is up.  Hop on over to get the how-to on making a birder's journal for smallish people.

Something Pretty Great.

 

I had planned to post on an entirely different topic today, but then I saw this video.  And I immediately knew that you needed to see it too.  So watch it. I promise that it will make your day.  Full stop.

A Purpose for Tiny Pinecones.

This time of year we are forever finding and gathering these perfect, tiny little pinecones from the woods around town.  When I come upon them while I'm out walking I am essentially rendered incapable of walking by without picking up at least one.  I can't quite explain this in words, but then again, I am raising a little girl whose propensity for filling her pockets with rocks has resulted in us having to keep baskets filled with said rocks scattered around the house for storage purposes.  So it's apparently hereditary. 

Anyway, the question is, once one has a collection of many tiny pinecones, what to do with them.  As an answer, I decided to make one into a necklace this afternoon.  An odd project, yes, but also strangely satisfying and kind of cute, I think.  I just used a sharp needle threaded with a double strand of thread to make a loop at the top of the pinecone and then pulled the knot on the loop inside the pinecone to hide it.  Then I used some of the same thread (again doubled), a couple of crimp beads and a clasp and made a little chain to hang the pinecone from.  I think next time around I'll use something stronger than the thread, but for a super quick experimental crafty interlude, this worked just fine.

In other news, I'm very pleased to report that I'll be guest blogging over at the Rhythm of the Home blog this month.  Stop on by and see me!

A Thought or Three.

 

What I really wanted to show you today was pictures of birds.  We have been seeing some truly amazing birds flying about in these days of early spring, especially since the weather has been unseasonably pleasant here in Vermont.  But, getting good photos of wary flying creatures proves to be quite challenging, especially when you add babe in arms to the equation.  So, no birds.  But, I will tell you that I've seen hawks, goldfinches, cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers and even a bald eagle in the last week.  For a bird nerd like myself, that is some good, good stuff.

These crocus have recently begun blooming in all sorts of forgotten corners of our yard.  They are lovely little spots of color, and when the sun shines on them, I feel all ridiculous and giddy about the prospects of true spring warmth and the coming season of gardening and beach walks.  Sigh.  I know that it will probably get cold again, but my current brand of weather denial is so good for the soul that I think I'm just going to go ahead and embrace it wholeheartedly.

A couple of other notes on this Wednesday morning:

- We continue to battle the baby eczema.  Ugh.  I took baby Z. for allergy testing this morning and as suspected, the egg allergy is both present and significant.  As in, we left with an emergency plan and a prescription for an epi-pen.  He tested negative for everything else, but considering the fact that I've been egg free for over a month already, one or more of those negatives is likely false.  So, I think I'll stay free of most common allergens while we see if we can get this situation under control. My personal top suspect in The Case of the Mysterious Baby Rash is dairy.

- I feel the need to thank you all, once again, for your tremendous support of Alphabet Glue.  I've been feeling kind of overly happy this week, most likely because babies are awesome, and the combination of my general good mood with all of the Glue love is almost more than my little heart can take.  You all are the best.  For real. 

Oh! And if you'd like a chance to win a copy of the new issue, head on over and visit Dawn's corner of the interwebs.  She has a giveaway open through the weekend.