my old timey boy

He is the boy who begs me to take him to antique shops. He stops to stare at Victorian homes and loves little old men who dress "old timey". He's the boy who said to me recently, "Can we only study history and nothing else?" He's the boy who drew a portrait of Horatio Nelson to hang on his wall. Which of course leads to the ships. He looks at books and books of old ships, he draws old ships, he sculpts them in clay, he dreams of them at night. So taking a trip to Jamestown Settlement was a treat that had him packing his bags days ahead of time. A case of the sickies almost killed the whole deal, but we managed to get there and let him soak it all in.

It was so sweet watching him absorb it all, so in his element. I could see his wheels turning, his imagination swirling, his eyes twinkling.

If only I could see what was in his head as he walked the ships, my sweet old timey boy.

jumping for Joy

You know how I keep saying that I really want to learn how to knit? Well, it hasn't happened yet :) The funny thing is Zach thinks I know how to knit. It's sweet and funny really. He'll see some yarn and say...

Mama will you make me a hat with this?
Uh, honey, I don't know how to knit.
Yes you do!
No, baby, I don't.
But we've knitted things before mama!
Um, honey I just cut things out of felted sweaters.
What about those mittens?
Sweater.
That bag?
Sweater.
My mushroom hat?
Sweater again my love.
Oh.
(silence)
Mama you need to learn how to knit.
I know. I know.

But I have very generous talented friends who are wicked good with the knitting needles... lucky me! Lucky us! My pal Joy over at An Art Family (who has a whole brood of littles she is busy knitting for) was sweet enough to squeeze a project on to her needles for Zach and surprised us with this hat.

It is SO him. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he opened the package. The color is bright and funky, just his taste. And he loves the pattern. "A mix of fisherman nets and spider webs", I am told. Once he had a good look at it he looked at me and said, "Now Finn's mama REALLY knows how to knit doesn't she?" Yes  my dear, she sure does.
(thank you Joy!)

fall sick day

It was the last lovely day of the season I fear and my boy spent it inside very close by the head (that's bathroom to you landlubbers). Poor thing got a stomach bug and moaned and groaned dramatically all day about missing out on such a beautiful day. We opened all of the hatches and tried to make the cockpit cozy, but he was still unhappy, like a caged up critter. One minute he's hugging the toilet and the next he was jumping up and down protesting, "Why oh WHY do I have to be sick?! Make it go away, please!"

So Naia and I ventured out to grab the mail and switch laundry loads and brought some fall beauty back for Zach.

First some leaves to dip in beeswax and hang up along the windows...

Then some acorn caps to felt some more colorful wool acorns for our collection...

Spirits brightened a little and the day mellowed to books, sleep, tea, and quiet.

Here's hoping for a healthier week ahead of us.

~this moment~

A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. - via soulemama.

news and random views

A few quick updates as we spend most of our time outside soaking up this beautiful autumn weather and getting ready for a little trip with the family...

You know the wonderful Erin Goodman at Exhale. Return to Center? Well she is launching an awesome new project TODAY called Behind The Blog! She is interviewing an array of bloggers you may know and some who may be new to you and putting out Podcasts of the interviews. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak listen to her first interview and it was such fun! Erin is a wonderful interviewer and asks some fabulous behind the scene, reality check questions that we all want to know about. Click here and have a listen... and drop Erin a line on her Facebook page and tell her what you think and who else you may want her to interview!

And another project from a dear friend is airing TONIGHT on The Food Network. The show is called Kitchen Inventors and it airs Thursday Nov 10 at 8:30pm EST. My amazing friend Steve Greenberg is hosting and I also got a sneak peak at this show and it's loads of fun and full of heart. If you get a chance Steve and I would LOVE it if you could zip over to the Food Network page and buzz about the show after it airs and also like the show page for Kitchen Inventors. The more buzz, the more chance the series will continue and then Steve and I get to stay gainfully employed :)

A thousand thank yous for supporting these projects!

a visitor

(Scurrying of feet on deck and down into the cockpit. Feet trying to be quiet but not quiet succeeding as they patter with excitement.)

"Mama, mama, come quick! He's here! Come! Come!"

Thankfully Naia is at that blissful stage where she can get into the cockpit on her own and feels a part of the action as she crawls after at my heels, but not big enough to get OUT of the cockpit into the danger zone. She pulls up and crains her neck around to see what's what.

Camera in hand I bound up to the edge of the cockpit and freeze next to the winch.

"Oooohhh. He's getting bolder is he? Let's be really quiet and see how close he lets us come."

Normally he's on the far portside piling, well out of reach. And lately he's taken to very low flying swoops that  literally move the boat accompanied by punctuated low squawks. But this afternoon, he's decided to visit on the starboard side mid-ship piling. Close enough to touch, not that we would. And peering into our salon window. Cheeky.

He turns his back to us as I raise my camera. Zach can not resist, despite my urging to stay put. He creeps, genuinely soft footed this time, ever closer, holding his breath but bursting with dimples.

He gets close. Too close? The Great Blue Heron is not startled. He doesn't seem threatened or worried. He seems, well, mildly annoyed. Really? Really kid? Are you really going to make me move off this perfectly lovely perch? Come on? I don't want to fly away but at the same time I can't have you coming this close. So... alright. Off we go then.

It's just another day of ordinary magical moments.

bag it up

Even though we live pretty small compared to most families I am always looking for ways to make things even simpler while still living a colorful, full life at home. Our latest method for organizing and down sizing is bagging celebrations up. Like so.

For example, the birthday bag. Birthdays have no trash around here. From the birthday banner that we use for every family member to the cloth bags and playsilks that we wrap with (which live in the playsilk bag with the toys under the salon table) to the birthday monster who holds a candle and has a chalkboard belly to write anyone's age or name (you can find him via the fabulous MamaRoots)... it all lives in the birthday bag. So when the special day comes we just whip out the bag, set up a colorful celebration, and then when it's all over stuff it easily back in to the bag again.

I have been making seasonal bags too for Nature Table items and little boat decorations.

The exception that I am working on is the winter/ winter holidays. Because we celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, and Solstice around there our celebratory odds and ends exceed my fat quarter of cloth bag limit. I have winter in a tupperware bin (decorations, mini tree, lights, cloth bags for gifts, candles, stockings, ribbon, it adds up!) but I am working on downsizing that too. Baby steps.

How about you? What do you do to organize/ simplify the holidays?

p.s. Speaking of holidays... the code "zachaboardnov2011" is still good for the entire month of November to get you 15% your entire order at Made By Alejandro.

~this moment~ a golden sea

A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. - via soulemama.

hello gourd-geous

I admit it. I have a gourd problem. I can not get enough of them, the gnarlier and bumpier the better.

We bought a bunch for our Halloween party but I have to ask myself, even without the party would I still have gone gourd loco? Perhaps.

The little white ones went to our party guests. And we sent some other home with people so as not to sink the boat. And this year we were a little late in carving our traditional pumpkins, but Zach didn't seem to mind as long as he still gets to play with use the knife.

One note on carving gourds, they don't have the lovely soft flesh like pumpkins do. You need to use serious power tools to get through those "zombie pumpkins" (as we call the white/grey ones). They are rock hard.

But really I just love having them around to look at, and decorate with, and of course eventually gobble up.

halloween fiesta

There is nothing more fun than Halloween. Period. The dress up. The sweets. The scary stories by candle light. The crisp autumn air. It's intoxicating in all kinds of ways. We LOVE to throw Halloween shindigs for the kiddos each year. Last year we didn't do anything because Naia had JUST been born. So this year Zach invited his buddies and we had a cold but festive time.

(banging wall to scare away the ghosts!)

(the spider's nest!)

 (make a mummy craft)

(inside the broomstick goody bags: a CD of spooky stories and Halloween music, a small white pumpkin, and  a jar of homemade slime.) 

There were pirates and ninjas, cowboys and Indians, and even a praying mantis. Zach decided to be a World War I aviator. No mama, not Charles Lindbergh. And I love Amelia Earhart but I am not her either. I am just a regular WWI aviator. Yes sir.

Naia was the most fun to dress up because she can't protest my ideas - yet. So we made her a gnome, of course.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

~this moment~ first tea party

A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. - via soulemama.

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