oh happy day!

Clara's notebook

This notebook belonged to my great-grandmother, Clara Louise. I really love to flip through it's pages and imagine her, at 11 years old, at work on the essays, little stories and fanciful drawings that fill its pages. The last image of the house (which I believe must be the cottage she lived in, where she went flying through the basement window and landing in the coal shoot on her sled one winters day...she always used to tell that story!) was drawn exactly 94 years ago today!
I love these family treasures!

 
 
 
 
 

gaining an hour

This time change has everyone up so early! I'm sure I'm not the only parent going through this. At around 5:30 everyone starts to peep, and that's that. Rise and shine! Not even going to bed later at night will get them to sleep in.  So, what do you do with all of that extra time in the morning? (Well, after I grumble and feel sorry for myself), make pumpkin pancakes! This recipe is delicious. The past couple of years I've tried other recipes that were kind of lackluster, but this one comes out great. And if you're ridiculous like me, you'll put a big dollop of whipped cream on them and it's just like eating pumpkin pie for breakfast! (What was that I said about purging all sugar from my body after all of that Halloween candy? oh well)

 
The recipe is from Joy the Baker

cozy clothes for the itty bitty ones

With the holidays approaching, I've been thinking about snuggly winter clothes, and what the girls will wear as we gather for glittery festivities and also gather around the fireplace at home on cold, snowy days.
I really like these cozy baby clothes designed byStella McCartney for Gap. I love the muted colors and the cashmere factor. Nothing says "snuggle with me!" like a baby dressed in cashmere. I personally would like some cashmere leggings to lounge around in. Wouldn't that be great? Head to toe cashmere, pants and sweater, wrapped up in a cashmere blanket and a cashmere hat and scarf and socks too. yes! Until a baby slings sweet potato or peas at you. oh well, a girl can dream. BUT these clothes for the wee littles, are pretty reasonably priced, so it might be ok if a little pea gets flung on them.

 
Now, I couldn't get Clara to wear these clothes, since she likes bright, bright colors, and she would think these are "boring"  But little Lillian has no choice! I also love the Jcrew girls clothes, which I never paid the slightest bit of attention to until last week. And then I couldn't stop obsessing over them. Some really cute things...like mini versions of what I would want to wear. And at about the same price as adult clothes, so that probably won't be happening around here. Oh, and I also always love Olive Juice.  Again, Clara would say "boring!" but I love them.  So oldfashioned and slightly Frenchie.  Cute, cute.

Halloweening

Miss sassy-pants fairy and tigerlily Lil. Lil looked so cute in this picture, I figured that it overshadowed the fact that my eyes were closed and it looks like I have no legs!

A fun day was had by all. Candy consumption  reached an all time high. I'm feeling the need to make a nice, nourishing soup. I have to get this book from the library, but it's constantly checked out!  Must purge all sugar from my body!!

I'm sorry about my rant in that last post. It really made me feel better, though, to just make a sort of announcement, to put it out there, that I was feeling creatively challenged and overhwhelmed. Just writing it here suddenly made me feel more positive and I managed to crank out a cute kitty for a b'day present for a special little guy AND to make a Halloween costume for Lil in the same day.
So maybe I can work under pressure after all. Deadline pressure, just not pressure from wailing wee ones.  
 

balance

Today, I think I’ll attempt to head to the fabric store with the kids. This is never an easy feat. The place is cramped, and I am indecisive, Clara is impatient, and Lillian is heavy in her baby carrier. BUT I need to make a Halloween costume for Lil! I have procrastinated to a ridiculous point, and grandparents are going to be bummed if baby doesn’t show up at the door in a costume. Clara already has hers, purchased by her Nana- a sparkly pink fairy princess, of course! I was thinking Lil could be a Lily, how appropriate! Thisis simple and great because she can stay in her carrier, and she doesn’t really have to “wear” anything uncomfortable.   

At the mention of procrastinating, it brings me to the point of my Halloween animals. Here are a few of them, unfinished. And rather sad and forlorn looking, I might add. Look at that poor brown bear’s face! Boo hoo! I am finding it really, really hard to find a good balance between creating and mothering. I cannot seem to find the time in the day for both. I know I have talked (whined) about this here before, but I feel compelled to mention it again. It just baffles me why I can’t seem to find the energy or time to make a handful of cute critters. Months, it takes me, stealing moments here and there. I daydream mostly, making sketches and jotting down ideas, getting inspired. I have to plot out how I will use these stolen moments when they sneak up on me. Ready, set go! Make something as fast as I can; an arm, an ear, a dress for a bunny, before the kids wake up or someone cries out for assistance or juice, or whatever else. I have a very hard time creating under pressure. And I know I’m not the only mother/artist in this boat. We all are in it together. How do you find a balance? I feel like my JOB is to be a mom right now. I decided that it would be best to stay at home with my children, and I feel rather guilty when I am not devoting myself to that task. I know that if I really wanted to create, I would make the time for art. But when everyone is finally in their beds at night, I find all I want to do is crawl into bed myself. I used to be able to stay up late, finding that nighttime was my most creative time. Now it is my comfy jammies, good book, a bit of TV and then flat out asleep by 9:30 time.

I’ve been reading some inspiring entries on the Wish Studioblog. The series Wishmamasis very helpful and applicable, hearing other women with the same creative plight.

I am going to figure this all out. I need to take some time to recharge my creative batteries. I’m going to start working on different projects entirely when I get a few moments. I need to venture outside what I’ve been making for years to sell, and really try to do something else…something frivolous and personal and old-fashioned. Like quilts or rug hooking or crosstitch. I don’t know. I’m rambling on, but I feel a bit better, to get a little bit of that out in the open.  I hope you are all having a lovely, creative, productive day! Some cupcakes for you! (No problem finding time to bake!)

fall birthday weekend

This Sunday,we went for a gorgeous, aimless fall drive. It was my birthday and that was all that I wanted...just a day to get in the car, drive north, along the Hudson, without a goal and just have a relaxing few hours away from my mommy duties. It was the perfect day. I only took a few pictures... 

 
We ended up in Hyde Park, where you can tour the Vanderbilt mansion. I could spend days and days just touring historic homes. It may seem boring to some, but I am a big nerd at heart, and I love it to death. This house has all of the original furnishings and decorative items, and books and art and minutae. Amazing. It was all just left there.  In another life I would absolutely get into the curatorial/historic preservation field and work at one of these homes. That was sort of my career goal back in college, when I majored it Art History. Although a "career" never really panned out the way I envisioned. Not the easiest field to get into. And now my "career" is being a mama and making cute things from wool.  Anyway...I want to go back here next year, because they're supposed to be opening up a "behind the scenes" tour that is focused on the servants. You'll get to tour the kitchens and the basement and their quarters. I think I often find that dynamic of those monstrous old homes the most fascinating; what went on with the people who worked there. The whole upstairs-downstairs thing. 

 

This is Boscobel, although we didn't take the tour. There wasn't enough time in the day. We had to get home for the kiddies.

It was a lovely day...I wish we could manage to have more days where just Jay and I could get a bit of times to ourselves.
 
 

This weekend, some snow fell...(just a little)

This made for snug conditions indoors, which prompted the making of homemade ravioli...
 
It came out just ok. I think maybe investing in the pasta roller attachment for the Kitchenaid would be wise. But after we made it, Clara turned to me and said "that was sooo fun, Mommy!" 
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Pumpkins were carved! Spooky! 
That would be Clara's on the upper left! It came out pretty well, I think!
 
 
And pumpkin seeds were roasted!
 

It was a fun, family filled weekend! I hope you had a great one, too!
 
 
 
 
  

autumn blogging...the lazy way

This seems to be my new  blogging style. Keep tons of pictures on the camera, and then when you load them onto your computer, compose a post around whatever is in there! Although, this does have a thematic element, so it's not super random. But it is a bit lazy. aah, well. Here are some autumn pictures from around the house and out and about.

Pumpkin and apple picking day!

We opted to buy already picked apples from the orchard, as opposed to picking this year. There were some moody wee ones accompanying us, and I don't think that would have been prudent!
 
Then, on to pumpkins! (Note the moody hair)
 
 
 

attempt at a family shot!

And a few little pictures from around the house!

 
 

The quintessential autumn craft...leaves between wax paper...always a hit! Next year I'll cut the wax paper to fit the window panes...silly me! 
 
And because I can't have a post without the mention of food...these pancakes are the best for chilly mornings! Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes
 And a few other great, seasonally appropriate  recipes I've tried lately:
Apple-Braised Turkey Thighs from the October issue of Everyday Food. Sooo, yummy and cozy for a dreary cold day. 
Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding from Bon Appetit. we're still trying to eat all of the butternut squash we harvested! I'm really into savory bread puddings lately. yummy.  

As I type this, the first snow of the year is falling! A bit of a slushy, rain/snow mix, but still! I was going to venture out and run some errands today, but I think I might just stay right here. And maybe work on some Halloween animals?!? I'm HOPING to get them done this week. There are so many interruptions these days. Mostly pleasant interruptions!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  

some little things...

jumping in puddles

the last rose of the year

Holiday Crafts mag

This year's fantastic Holiday Crafts magazine, put out by BHG, is full of adorable and inspiring projects as usual! And of course, there are my wee "snowbabies" on page 68!  I made some of these last year as ornaments for my own Christmas tree, and they are so simple to make and so sweet.

 

The project on the page next to mine is a wreath made from powder puffs by Linda Solovic. So clever! I love Linda's whimsical work. There are tons of other fantastic artists in here, Magda Trzaski, Johanna Parker,  Betz White, Jenny Hernandez, Hillary Lang, just to name a few! Cute, cute, cute. Go buy a copy and get making some fun stuff for the holidays!