picture heavy

a picture heavy post since i have not shared anything all week. we are still adjusting to the new schedule but the feeling of fall coming makes it seem like we are on the right path. the smell of everything cooling down makes me feel like keeping on some sort of schedule. maybe that is an ingrained response to the old days of schooling.

eliot was dressing up like daddy on his way to school.

we took a trip to one of my old favorite childhood places, cousins island. it is accessible by a long bridge and it is never particularly crowded. it is a small beach that is fun at low tide because it has a large sandbar that extends quite far. it is also, as we found out, a haven for hermit crabs. they were everywhere. eliot was happy staying in one spot so i spent quite a bit of time observing hermit crab dramas. i was completely engrossed.




below are a few more pictures of our last Audubon adventure. we remembered to bring some friends and a frog catching net this time. it was a fun afternoon.



my sewing machine is out and i hope to get to a few projects this week. i am waiting, impatiently, for a new pattern from oliver and s for a winter jacket for eliot. i cant wait to get my hands on it! i think another pair of pants is on the way and i hope to finish some over due ideas i have had kicking around. the rug hooking is going slowly but surely as well.

have a nice weekend!

baxter and a bag

a failed, and silly, family portrait in baxter woods to start off with. we have been exploring a variety of new (to us) trails and woodsy places withing a 10 minute drive from where we live. it has been fun to scope out new places that dont automatically suck you into a play ground.

every time we turned anything over we found a multitude of worms. eliot kept saying 'look at the cute worms'. i started wondering how many worms must populate every square mile. i didnt find an exact answer but i did find this interesting article.
eliot is starting a new 'school' next week. im still adjusting to the idea, rather reluctantly at times, but it is the best of few options at the moment. so, to try and quell my separation anxiety, i made him a lunch bag and a few napkins to go inside.

it is pretty roomy and basically a rectangular box with a button at the top to keep it closed. i used a linen curtain panel i bought and never used for both the outer and the lining. i put fusible interfacing in between for extra sturdiness.

it needs to be trimmed up a bit, and could probably use a handle, but you get the idea...

i wonder if he would get teased for matching pants? i have a lot of this fabric still left...

wild things

we took a family hike/walk in robinson's woods last week. it was a very well maintained public land site that i will be exploring more. we found some fabulous mushrooms, teensy frogs and a salamander.



i notice in these pictures how the quality of the light is starting to change as fall is approaching. it is quite cool now in the mornings and a few stray red and yellow leaves are blowing down from the trees. i am trying to embrace this season with open arms and not feel too slighted by mother nature about our soggy summer. with the beautiful weather we have had this past week the complaints have been pretty minimal.


this week was an extremely busy week that i am glad is now over. kevin's first week was good if not a little stressful and eliot has been shuffling back and forth between babysitters and grandma's and home. i am thankful for a loooong weekend.

a new doll

eliot has been painting outside a lot lately. nice messy fun.

and this is a doll i made from a free pattern at www.thepurlbee.com i dont really love how she came out but i think it is a good workable pattern that could use some embellishments. i made a dress for her but i have no idea where it is!


we are very busy right now. kevin started school today and we are trying to ease eliot into his new schedule. there are going to be some bumps in the road but hopefully all will work out. at least my headaches have been put into some sembalance of submission with a new combo of meds, that helps a lot.

the pants in action

here are the pants i made for eliot in their debut. the pockets are nice and deep, good for collecting things from the woods. he can untie them himself which is good for potty training, bad for public nudity. i am happy with them and definitely will be making some for fall/winter as it seems to feel all to close right now.



here he is with 'the fleet' as it has been dubbed. i have to haul these all out into the backyard when we go to grandmas house. he has a great time entertaining our elderly neighbors and cats that wonder by.


i have some craft projects that i havent shared yet that i will try to post in the next few days. it sounds like we will be inundated with rain tomorow so i might as well wrap up old projects before kevin starts in at school.

smiling hill

the family took a little trip out to Smiling Hill Farm at the end of last week. we drive by on the way to pick up our CSA and it is hard to resist the ice cream and animals. of course, i have a weakness for the cheese, too. i do miss working there!

they have a lot of fun wooden play sculptures, cars, trains and planes.

mini pony's.


my favorite is the little brown spotted calf. i could have played with him all day.

Waves

we had HUGE waves over the weekend from Bill. it is hard to show the scope and size of these even with pictures. the top one is at higgins beach. we drove by a few hours before low tide (when this was taken) and then just before high tide on our way home from two lights. at high tide there was no beach left to see.

the following are from two lights state park. they didnt allow anyone on the rocks and were planing to close the park at high tide. it was amazing. the feeling in the crowd was like a big fireworks display. there were lots of oohs and ahhhs. the sound was so loud and the rumbling under foot gave me goosebumps. there were lots of people camped out with lawn chairs just enjoying the show. eliot thought it was all pretty unimpressive and asked to go on the playground every two seconds, but the parents surely enjoyed it.

weeks sneak by

i am not sure how the weeks seem to sneak by so fast in between postings. the end of summer has been keeping us on our toes getting ready for school and new experiences all around. kevin had a birthday come and go and it feels like time is speeding up again.

eliot is enjoying cutting things with his new kiddie scissors. he doesnt really get how to cut things out but he does like snipping away. it is a nice project to get him into while im making dinner. i tried glue at the same time and that was not nearly as successful.


some of the humongous sunflowers at the csa farm.

and this chicken was fascinated by my wedding ring. i was kneeling on the ground trying to take its picture and it kept pecking my finger. they are fast! i thought it was going for a reflection on my camera but it followed my hand like a cat after a mouse. eliot thought it was 'hilarious', his new favorite word.

foraging 'fruits'

although i havent found any actual fruits, yet, here are some pictures of my latest doings. well, i take that back, i have been stalking a couple of rose hip bushes and crab apple trees for this fall. i hear rose hips are perfect after the first frost. im thinking i will try a pie, or maybe just more tea. i think i need to make a foraging bag.

these are some mustard seeds. they come from a plant that seems to love the sandy seaside around here. eliot likes these a lot, they have quite a little kick to them. i havent sampled the dried ones i have on the screens yet - and i am not really sure what i am going to do with them either.


some of the yarrow and bee balm all dried out. i like how they look in the jars. now i am going to see if i can find some foraging tips in my vintage copy of Joy of Cooking - thanks for the tip Kirstin! when are you going to start a blog??

pin zone

a couple of the first edits from my pinhole/zoneplate experiments. i am happier with them now that i have edited them. although, i can really see how dirty my sensor is with these! forgive the dust. the top two are zoneplate images and the bottom is a pinhole.

getting outside

the weather is improving so we have been getting outside a lot more. we took a trip to the Audubon and saw this odd yellow slime/mushroom on the path. any thoughts pam? i haven't looked it up yet. i have been keeping up with my foraging and am delighted to report that yarrow, bee balm and clover all taste very good. i have some goldenrod drying at the moment. it is supposed to taste like anise.

here we are taking a swim a macworth island. it is a nice calm beach with small numbers of people and not a lot of wave activity, perfect for little guys learning to enjoy the ocean.

and back to Audubon to catch frogs and poly wogs in the pond. eliot can spot bullfrogs with amazing speed and accuracy. here's hoping his vision stays better than mine!


big news for kevin, he has been accepted to the nursing program early! it has meant major hustle on our part to get our lives squared away for him to start in 3 weeks. i am starting to interview nannies to look after eliot a few days a week during the overlap times. wish me luck!

some crafting activity

i dusted off the sewing machine and made eliot a pair of pants from the Oliver and S sandbox pants pattern. It was really easy to follow and i think they came out nicely. they have awesome girl patterns, i wish they had more for boys! i probably should have made him the 2t as i think he will have to grow into this 3t pair a bit. the stripped part is a jeans material and the pockets came from an old place mat. a tad girly but i'm not going to sweat it.

i still have to put the buttons on the back pockets.


i have also started to learn to hook rugs. so far so good although it has turned hot and humid around here so i haven't really wanted to pick it up and have burlap and wool stuck to my skin.
i am a little panicked about color choice but hopefully that will pass with a few attempts.