little sunny things

End of winter is a tough time for me. Ok, all of winter is tough for me, and actually I just found out why. Apparently I have a severe vitamin D deficiency that explains a lot of things for me this time of year. So now I take my vitamins and try to see the beauty in the little sunny things rather than focus on that vast grey cold landscape...

... like the way Naia likes to try and catch the reflections of sunlight on the water that shimmer through our ports first thing in the morning...

.... like the way the blue winter sky makes the phragmites seem golden...

... like the snack delivery truck that helps throughout the day...

... like the way my boy leaves flowers in empty spice jars throughout the boat...

... like her fly away hair that hasn't changed since she was a wee babe...

... like the way the kids are so into looking at and talking about old photographs we have around the boat...

These are the things that power me through until spring. What about you?

Oh what a busy day

Oh my, 16 months! The time is sneaking up on me and I can hardly believe she is nearly a year and a half now. A friend of mine has a horoscope book that breaks down personality description by the date of your birth, day by day for every day of the year. She and I have some silly good times reading through that book while the children play. We looked up Naia's day for the first time (Oct 13) and the title was "Day of the Tough Cookie". Oh yes ma'am. That describes her to a tee.

Here's a little glimpse into a typical day for this tough cookie...

:: first thing in the morning, the very first words out of her mouth every morning... "Where's Zach?" And after a quick diaper change she goes charging to his room to pound on the door and get him out to see her::

:: in the spirit of copying everything her brother does, she now requests "read book" at breakfast time::

:: we are thrilled that she asks to use the potty almost every morning - the sooner she gets out of diapers the better for me::

:: then the quiet independent play... time for mama to "get stuff done"::

:: and a dance break with big brother ::

:: time to make lunch... zach is usually off reading or playing and my little sous chef sits on the counter in our sliver of a galley and munches and chatters ::

:: and of course the favorite time of day for all of us... a walk to the beach. she's starting to figure out that if you throw bread the birds go crazy ::

:: oh what a busy day ::

~ this moment ~ winter beach

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

back room progress

Slowly it's transforming. That pit of despair in the aft port section of the boat is becoming useful and lovely. I won't hurt your eyes with the before shots again. But after a fresh coat of paint and some boxes from Ikea things are coming along.

I know what you're thinking... doesn't look very seaworthy. Luckily it's February and I don't have to worry about that at the moment. But phase two is in the works to make this all (hopefully) battened down for life underway.

And phase two will involve the carpentry skills of a neighbor to create a desk/ table/ something back here for the sewing machine. The sewing machine I am buying myself for my birthday next week. The stacks of fabric await.

Progress is slow going because I am busy as a bee with work commitments. If you have a minute surf on over to the Kitchen Inventors facebook page and give us a like. The show isn't on the air yet. The crew is on the road shooting like mad and I am chained to the computer here writing like mad. But we would love your support and you can see some sneak peeks along the way.

And thank you for the well wishes for my husband who is back on his feet again after the surgery and a long recovery (another reason things have been slow going). The kids are SOsoSO thrilled to have a fully functioning dada back, and so am I!

cork craft (or an excuse to drink more wine)

I have been scouring Pinterest and the web looking for ways to creatively organize Zach's "office" space and our evolving craft/school room. I saw a simple project that we were able to knock off in less than an hour. First we collected wine corks. We do save our corks when we drink wine because the kids love to play wiith them, and while we do enjoy an occasional bottle of wine around here, we did not have THIS many corks laying around the boat. We actually - ahem-"harvested" them from the cork recycling box at Whole Foods. We're recycling, right? You could also probably ask at a local restaurant or wine store. Or just start drinking heavily and let your creativity flow.

Then we got a yard stick at Home Depot for $0.49 and went to work. Pick out the corks you like the best, decide which side you want facing out, and hot glue them in a row. I don't recommend drinking heavily while using the hot glue gun. Let's just say it's a bad idea.

We installed this first one in Zach's "office" (former bathroom/ head) and he's already loving pinning this and that up there. But I am dying to find another spot on the boat to cork up. So easy and convenient for keeping notes and lists and such. And, you know, an excuse for more wine.

So start drinking and get crafting and see where it leads you!

Or just start drinking. 

amore

Love is around us everyday...

... take the time to pause and savor it.

everyday scenes

~this moment~

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

the marina channel

Really, why would a 7 year old boy need a TV or computer games when he can wander around his own backyard and watch this.

Little boy bliss.

half way there

I get it. People needed to mark this point in time. The cold grey days start to get noticeably lighter and longer. There are wee hopeful signs of a life on the barren landscape. Why not celebrate, embrace, and lighten things up a bit. Call it Imbolc, or Candlemas, or Ground Hog's Day... the point is we're half way to spring. It's a reason to smile.

We did our candle making thing with friends...

And we went on Ground Hog watch (though we decided that Gobbler's Knob is too far away and if Phil had been here on the Chesapeake he would not have seen his shadow.)

(The groundhog set came from the amazing MamaRoots and the fox and beaver are from Jalu Toys.)

But more than anything we're just enjoying those extra minutes each day and those extra degrees each afternoon and keeping our faces towards the sun. My girl is finding her independence.

And after long afternoons of stepping up and helping me with less glamorous boat chores (daddy is still bed bound recovering from surgery), Z and I are enjoying short mom-and-boy only walks to the end of the dock to say good by to the day. Something we have not done alone (or anything alone) together for, oh, say 15 months.

For countless millenia people have needed these milestones, and despite the cultural and religious twists pasted on over time, it's still boils down to the same essence. We need a reason to come together and celebrate and find hope and savor the moment.