little links

So this isn't the post I promised. The first day of school photos are coming, as are the childrens' book lists. I promise.

Tonight I wanted to post a few links to sites, posts and little things that I am loving right now. I have been doing more than my fair share of surfing the web at night and there are always so many wonderful little nuggets of gold floating in between all of the stuff on the internet.

This post from Are So Happy regarding her vision for what kindergarten will mean for their family this year. This really struck a chord with me because I have been getting several questions of late regarding homeschooling and children under the age of six. It seems that a lot of well-intentioned parents are fretting over which curriculum to choose for their four- and five-year-olds. I completely understand wrestling with this question but have really given into following my instincts on this topic. This post pretty much sums up my idea of what the early years at home should encompass and has really encouraged me in my decision to leave the kindergarten year void of academics.

These earrings. This is my dear friend's sister's etsy shop. I am in need of some new earrings. They are typically the only pieces of jewelry I wear on a daily basis and I never think to treat myself to a pair when I am out and about. These are just so beautiful and cheery and will certainly not break the bank. I'm thinking of getting two pairs... one regular pair and one dangle pair.

These pants. I am really hoping to carve out some time to sew up a bunch of these pants for our cloth-diapered baby. When your baby is wearing a cloth diaper and wool cover like ours is, it's really impractical to put any real baby clothing on the lower half of them. These days Luca is sporting his cloth diapers and these little things to keep his legs warm.

fighting nature

Today marks my fifth full day on bed rest. My midwife told me that if I start to feel tortured then I'm doing it right.

If that's the case, then I've perfected the act of bed rest, torturous feelings and all.

So you may wonder what I'm doing with all of the newly founded downtime?

What I essentially doing is fighting nature. I have been having strong nesting instincts for nearly a week now and it feels nearly torturous to try and take it easy while my insides are screaming go scrub something!

There has been a bit of washing and tidying and some light scrubbing. I will not lie. But there has been lots of virtual nesting as well. I have been been adding to my current nest to make room for a new baby while simultaneously maintaining the nest that I am already responsible for. I have to say that I am thankful for the internet and for this laptop for that matter.

In addition to browsing many beautiful things on the web, I've also purchases a few. I had started to lose count and then today realized that I will be receiving five packages at the start of this week... and that's not counting this amazing book that just got delivered last Wednesday.

The urge to sew has suddenly struck hard and so I have become a bit covetous of some of the amazing projects that are out there just waiting to be mail ordered and sewn.

Here are some of the books and patterns that I have been drooling over of late and some images to go along with them.


And although it feels oh-so right to start sewing up a batch of dresses made of French color cloth for mama and girls I know that it would be cheating.

So I must resist the urge to begin any major sewing projects and sit still and wait patiently for my next big project to begin... birth.

in the mail

It seems that nearly every time I look up it's Friday afternoon. This has happened four times already since Christmas ended and here I am in February with January already behind me.

It's not that busyness has gotten the better of me. It's just that I'm in the midst of a time of deep concentration and focus- to stay committed to schooling, to taking care of myself, my home and my family- that each day seems to go quicker than the next.

This week marks the beginning of the third trimester for this pregnancy. And with my arms spread open wide, I generously embrace the next three months ahead of me with one arm while preparing, nesting and planning furiously with the other arm.

I know that three months is not long. I know that there is much to do, to decide upon, to create, to plan, to wash, to organize and to enjoy.

Tonight I am thinking about sewing and spring.

I am thinking ahead to the items I'd like to make either before or after this little babe arrives. And although there are dozens of ideas and projects tumbling through my mind, I have chosen to focus on one theme- Sophia's Spring wardrobe.

And so I am happy that I have this on order to make something like this.
And this coming in the mail soon to add as an embellishment to these- like I made last Spring.

Little by little. Stitch by stitch I will make something for this child to wear during the warm and breezy months ahead of us (I know they are there just waiting... I just can't feel them yet!).

six little feet

So as the poem mentioned- six little feet entered the street... what a Halloween night that was.

This year we had a doctor, a Jedi and a knight. Only one costume was handmade, one bought and the other pieced together an hour beforehand.

When you're three, you tend to change your mind in the weeks, days and hours leading up to trick-or-treat and the costume is typically decided by which one you mentioned last right before heading out the door. After a little toy armor, a hoodie and some duct tape, Elias was good to go and was quite proud to be a knight in shining armor.


Nicolas had been asking me all summer to make him a Jedi cloak just like Anakin Skywalker. This is a child who rarely makes any requests let alone mentions them repeatedly. I had ignored the project all summer and I think it was nearly the end of August before I finally started sewing the cloak. It wasn't until mid-September before I actually found another sewing session to sit and finish it.

He was thouroughly pleased by the authenticity of the cloak and really loves how the hood and sleeves hang in just the right way. The authenticity was perfected by the poses and glowing lightsaber.



I will sat the the process itself was more than a challenge. But it was sewn with love and the image of that little dimpled face gently reminding me that he was pretty sure that we forgot about the Jedi cape- a super sweet way of saying Mom, why are you neglecting my request- was enough to get me off the sofa during my first few weeks of pregnancy and to the sewing machine for some stitching.

The doctor costume was purchased with a special payment plan- if you save half, we'll pay the other half. Sophia was pretty set on wearing scrubs and since they are no real-life child-sized scrubs, we had to purchase this costume.


So this was our Halloween night.

sewing: lazy days style

After spending several weeks scouring local thrift shops, consignment stores and one of my favorite online clothing shops for children without any success, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

What I was looking for specifically were a few summer dresses and skirts for Sophia.

So I did what any decent mother with a sewing machine and a set of some basic sewing skills would do and made her a few summer skirts.

I've had my eye on this sewing tutorial since last Fall and was able to make a little space in my weekend to sew up a few of these Lazy Days Skirts.

I used linen for the fabric and chose some contrasting ribbon for the hem. I am really loving these skirts and the way they fit Sophia- she looks like a little girl and I love that. So far she has worn them with a peasant-style blouse and a pretty tank and they look adorable both ways.