And the winner is....

Whew! That was my first giveaway and I was so surprised by all the comments. I read them all and it was a little overwhelming, but very exciting. So.... the random number generator picked "107" from the 204 comments that were left for me. I counted and recounted to discover that the proud new owner of this sweet little bag is Bethany . She said... "Thanks for the great giveaway! I love the bag, and more importantly, I have a cute little girl who will love it too!"

Thanks for playing everyone! I might just have to do that again.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway!

Yep! I've joined in with those wonderful folks at Sew Mama Sew. I'm giving away a bag, and anyone with a United States postal address can win! Just leave on comment on this post. I'll close the comments at noon Eastern time on May 31. I'll use the random number generator to choose and winner and let you all know! Spread the word, cause it's just good karma...



This is my standard small children's bag, and the most popular size. It makes a sweet little lunch sack, girl's purse, or general carry all for rocks and other goodies. Many of my customers buy these bags as birthday gifts. They're washable and have triple reinforced handles. Check them out at my etsy shop. This summer I will be adding more of these, as well as cranking out some of my women's bags. Promise!

On this Memorial Day

With deepest respect to those that have served in the armed forces...

Blessings to the loved ones of those that have died.

From my garden

"Earth laughs in flowers..." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope that you all have a lovely holiday weekend

filled with beautiful moments and soul cleansing laughter.

Quilt Along, Anyone?

Alrighty, then! The seeds are in... for the most part. Sure, in two weeks I will need to plant more beans, carrots, and what ever else I can squeeze in. Has anyone else noticed that planting seeds goes a whole lot slower with little hands' help? Oh so worth it, though! I just have to remind myself. The memories I will have, the learning they get, the sharing. (The sharing is the most torturous part around here. Any advice on good books for sibling rivalry between a 2 yr. old and a 6 yr. old? You let me know... it's got to be a really good one for me to read a parenting book.)

So... onward and upward! How about a quilt along? Several of my friends, ahem... you know who you are... have said that they'd like to try a small quilt. Now is the time, girls! Dana over at Old Red Barn Co. is hosting. She's wonderful, and I go to her blog, leaving it there for the music alone. I make dinner almost every night to this awesome woman's playlist; she is inspiring, down to earth, and just a lovely soul. Anywho... this is the first week. Go see. You have to commit this week and pick out your fabrics. It will be fun. There's no obligation. So what if you don't finish? Just do it! It's the only way to quilt. So here's my fabric selection from my stash. Kaffe Fassett. I saw him give a little talk last year about color. He's quite a character. Hmmm... I'm way off track. I forgot to mention that participating in the quilt along could help you win a Janome sewing machine. Check it out... by next Monday it's cutting time.

Arrogantly Shabby

It always amused me when my good friend in college called something "arrogantly shabby." He had impeccable taste and in the late eighties was far ahead of his time in terms of valuing what is old, or shall we say, "a little rough around the edges." My husband chides me endlessly about junk that I view as salvageable. I've found that I have a home in craft blogs as folks are all about what can be renewed, reused, and made more beautiful. This wardrobe came from my sister- in- law, and has been hanging around waiting for me to give it some lovin'. It's hard to find the extra hours, but as I'm not teaching this semester it seems like time to get things in order around the house and in the garden. Let me tell you, I'm a fairly driven person so there have been some transformations taking place in this neck of the woods. And it all feels really, really good. Of course, it's just a matter of time till the weeds take over again, and the kids destroy the order that I've been trying to create. (No... the laundry is no closer to getting done. Who needs clean, unwrinkled clothes anyway?) But the gardens are breathtaking and the house in showing signs of less clutter.

I got my dad to cut some shelves for me when he was here. (Thanks, Dad!) He helped me with the figuring and the placement of the braces. Then I commenced to painting. Oh, how I love to paint! Seriously. I do. I find it as therapeutic as knitting, gardening, and sewing, though not the aerobic workout of a good run or mountain bike ride. I was able to work on it with the kids outside. My little guy only got paint on him twice which is pretty darn good, believe me.
Then I came across the picnic basket up top for $15! It's in mint condition and it's orange and yellow! The perfect spot for all my yarn and needles. So... we have a new, very orderly, arrogantly shabby addition to the corner of our living room. Now back to the garden.

Her self portrait

I know it probably isn't all that becoming to brag about your kids. Still, there is a time and place for everything, isn't there? My daughter is just about to complete Kindergarten. Her teacher is less than I had hoped for, and still my daughter continues to thrive. She has handled this school year with more grace and enthusiasm than I could ever imagine myself mustering up given her classroom situation.

When we got the note from her art teacher at school telling us that her work was chosen for display at the local mall, I'll admit I inwardly groaned. The mall is one of my least favorite places. I knew that because I'm a good mom I needed to take her there to view her work. It was important to her, and it should be. Honestly though, nearly every day since she could hold a crayon, this girl has been creating art. Of course, I encourage her artistic endeavors, and marvel at her creations (that is one of my favorite parts about being a mom.) I just didn't want to go to the mall to do it. But we went, and I nearly fell over when we finally found her work. Even her own mother could hardly believe how spectacular her work was. Really. The photograph of it just doesn't do it justice.

Her painting is a self portrait and so completely captures her capricious spirit. My sister once described her as "spicy" and that's so true! Now, though as she's just turned six, there is an element of seriousness to her that was only an undercurrent before. She will tell you, if you ask, that she would like to be an artist when she grows up. She says this with such determination that I am blown away. I truly believe that is exactly what she will do, or at least one of the things she will do if she's anything like her mother.

So, my sweet girl's Kindergarten masterpiece is now framed in her room, grinning at me every single time I pass by. Thanks for bearing with my bragging, friends. You are good to me.

Oooo La La!

Our first salad of the season! Spring lettuce, spinach, and arugula, sprinkled with dill. I was beaming when I picked this... BEAMING, I tell you. To me, there is nothing as gratifying as picking (and eating) the food that we have grown. The kids' excitement makes every minute of labor put into the garden worthwhile. They love eating the food we raise just as much as my husband and I do.

One of our sweet girls was checking out the garden's rewards. There. See her buzzing by the colander? Speaking of... it appears that one of our hives will have plenty of honey to share with us. We're busting with anticipation.

So... it's been kind of busy around here. I have plenty of things I want to tell you about, but it appears that blogging just doesn't fit into our Spring schedule. There's still plenty of planting to do... squashes, beans, cukes, tomatoes, basil, sunflowers, and pepppers, to be exact. I'll keep posting, but probably about as sporadically as I have been in the past month. Does anyone else feel like you could use some extra hours in a day?

Happy Mother's Day

These wild azaleas have been here since I arrived at this house almost 14 years ago. They knew me before I was a mother. They have been silent witnesses to my grief and my joys. They greeted me this mother's day, reminding me to embrace both tender souls I have been given to raise. Such miracles of life....

Birthday Booty

I had such a terrific birthday! It was filled with great friends and family. So.... I just wanted to share some of the goodies I received in addition to all the good love. This pincushion was made for me by my seriously talented friend over at Wonderland5. Isn't it fantastic? She has incredible style...Yummy apple pie made especially for me by my mom. Mmmm...

A beautiful hanging basket of blue petunias...

The most wonderful card from my sweet, young friend....

The book that I've been salivating over and eight stemless wine glasses that I've been hinting at for a very long time (plus some wine to go in them)...
And, last, but not least.... some chocolate cake from my sweet boy. Don't you want some?

The light and love of being...

May is one of my favorite months. Having grown up in the Southeast, I always look for the dogwoods' blooms. It is my own personal harbinger of spring. The year that my husband proposed to me in Yosemite, the woods of the valley were sprinkled with these trees' blooms. I'll never forget the magic of that time. They were like stars beckoning to me, "your dreams can come true." I believe that.