week(s) in review

A catch-up post. In no particular order - you will notice he got his hair cut somewhere in the middle of these...

Because we haven't had a picture together in a while.

Putting our toes in at the beach.

Helping with baby Sasha.

Eating rhubarb pie...still some rhubarb left but I am not sure what to do with it. I made a crisp that came out well but I am trying to think of something a little more unusual. Any suggestions?

Misty water at Crescent beach.


Trying to find Northern Fly Honeysuckle with no luck. It is supposed to be a good blueberry substitute.

With Grandpa G in MA.

First time fishing! He was so excited and serious about it. I can't wait to go again.

New toy.
New dance.

And a tired out beach kid.

Enjoying Spring

We have been enjoying the nice spring weather around here. The flowers are really going and everything is so nice and green. Eliot is learning how to ride a bike with training wheels and I am trying to figure out how to make good looking leaf prints. I tried using gauche but clearly that is not going to be the medium of choice.

I found a stash of balloons that I wanted to get rid of. So, instead of having them hanging around the house for days upon days filled with air, why not have a water balloon extravaganza?
They lasted just long enough and were thoroughly popped and tossed and out of my junk drawer in under an hour.

So Long Dear Friend

My old bunny Dexter passed away last week. I haven't really felt like posting much since then. The start of my blog (the original and then leading to this) started at just about the same time I found him - hence the name. So many of my posts have been written with him running around my feet. We are all very sad.

He has seen me through a lot of life changes over the last 8 years. I found him at a scrappy yard sale when he was about a year old and I was planning on giving him to a shelter when I fell in love and he fell in love with my roommates cat. He used to have free reign of my room in every apartment I had while he was with me.

Eliot learned how to stand using his cage for leverage. Eliot's first word was "Dexter".

He spent a lot of time running around under the tables and tickling feet. We had regular bunny hunts and bunny round ups. It would get pretty comical at times. Even in his last days he could out run us.


This was a pre-Eliot picture I found where he had just figured out he could climb into the box spring of my bed. That lead to all kinds of reconfiguring of my room. He was a determined little fellow.

Eliot was the the only other person Dexter would let put a hand in his cage to feed him. They have always been good buddies. Eliot has been asking for him quite a lot. Explaining death and dying has been a hard thing to do.

We will miss you old friend.

The Bottom of the Basket

I can see the bottom of the basket! This means my 2nd rug is almost done. The rounds are nearly completed and next will be the assembly. I was hoping to get it done last weekend but I am aiming for the end of the week. This one took a little longer but it is also a bit bigger. The prospect of finishing a project is uplifting.

I found a few more sweaters at the thrift store last week including this lovely cashmere sweater for 2$. They usually mark them up pretty significantly but I got lucky this time. Now I have to decide what to do with it...it is too soft and pretty for a rug.

Sewing a Blouse

This is the blouse I am working on. It is coming together pretty easily but I need some advice about the front placket. I am going to take it over to my Mothers house for some advice. The fabric is a tad light but I think with a camisole underneath it will be fine.

I like the gathers at the seams and the box pleats. It makes it so easy not to make any mistakes! It is nice to get back into a sewing groove again.

A Trip to the Sea

We are starting to take advantage of our state parks pass already. With our failed trip to the aquarium under our belt we took a trip to Two Lights state park to see some tide pools. We didn't find much this trip except tourists getting insanely close to the water (think extremely rocky and big waves) with flip flops, toddler and dog in tow. We were taking bets as to who was going to have to rescue them. Eliot got an earful about water safety.

On a more relaxing note it is beautiful to sit and watch the waves go in and out into the tide pools with the rhythm of the tide.

Ice cream is always the best way to end an afternoon exploring the seaside.

Beautiful Rugs

Eliot, my mother and I all went for a trip up to Boothbay Harbor this weekend that didn't exactly pan out as planned. We were headed for the Maine State Aquarium which turned out to be closed. It was a lengthy trip of about an hour and I felt so bad about it! I misread the website, but we made the best of it. Thankfully Eliot didn't really know what he was missing. Although, he is still talking about the shark touch tank even though he hasn't seen it yet.

We drove back through Wiscasset and found this interesting rug shop. The owner is extremely knowledgeable about antique rugs and had no problem with Eliot exploring the place and driving his cars along all of the 'roads'.

Exploring

It is a good night. Chicken on the grill, artichokes steaming and an occupied child. We have been exploring new out door spots and came across a large group of lady slippers. I haven't seen one in a long time. I also found a large group of wild blueberries that we can hopefully find again later this summer.

When I go out foraging I usually have two books in tow. I take the Audubon guide to do my initial look up and then try to find it using the flower name in the Peterson's Guide to Edible Wild Plants. So far that has been the best book for the job. It is very thorough and has many categories for looking up plants like habitat and season.

Catching Up

Well...so much for keeping up with my posts! Here are some catch up pictures.


A few new(ish) tank citizens.

Eliot looking out at the ocean, checking out the Lobstermen.

Eliot's new little cousin Sasha. He is enamored! He talks about her everyday and tells us about all of the things he is going to teach her like how to lift heavy things and how to talk. He is now daily asking me for a little sister.

Standing up for our friends.

Blogging Bus

We have been keeping busy being outdoors this past week. The weather has been cooperating pretty well. Eliot is almost done with preschool for the summer - I am curious to see if he will miss it or not. We have been getting creative around here, too. Kevin has started carving again and I have a new rug idea I am working out.

Here is a start of that. This is about the width of my hand. I am thinking about doing something a little more free form once I finish the other beaded wool rug.

I picked out my top 5 favorite patterns from my haul and decided on this shirt as my first attempt. The instructions are clear and it was already cut out. I'm winging it as far as size goes and just following the pattern exactly. I've cut out the fabric in a lightweight, dark blue gingham. I've never made a shirt before so we will see what happens...

Eliot, Kevin and I took a drive down to Camp Ellis last weekend and had a nice time roaming around on the beach and 'fishing' off of a small dock.

I took lots of blurry seagull pictures. They were following Eliot around because he was eating an apple - he thought it was about the greatest show ever.

I am trying to get a little more proactive about my postings again. Back on the blogging bus.

Our Week

Some rain some shine. Enjoying the water drops on all of the new green things coming up.

Enjoying the pink trees that make it look like it is snowing.

Drawing when it rains and emptying out all of the colors to choose just the right one.

Looking for wildlife. We heard a beaver slapping it's tail while this busy chickadee was carving out a home in a log. I had my camera at 640th of a second and it was still a little blurred! They fly fast.
Blue steel.

301!

I just noticed that the last post I did was my 300th - pretty cool. I didn't realize I had that much to say! Our weekend was really beautiful. Spring is really upon us with grass turning green and leaves unfurling. I try to be in tune with the seasons and appreciate them all but I am glad to see winter gone. Granted, we could still get a snow storm so I shouldn't speak too loudly.

We all spent the weekend outside as much as possible, the weather was perfect, and the black flies aren't out yet. Eliot had a fun Easter with an insect identification guide in his basket that we have been putting to good use. Namely, to the huge spider that fell out of my hair while doing dishes. I was much calmer than I expected myself to be.


Watching the river grass grow - I have another foraging book on the way that I can't wait to get my hands on. Time to find some good wild goodies!

Easter and Organizing

This is my modest little craft space. I will post a bigger view so that I can use it as a 'before' picture. I am trying to reorganize and make it a little more useful. My bins of fabric are stored under an alcove beneath the stairs and the remainder in Eliot's closet. I have big plans...

Rug two in the works. The next one I have in mind is quite different but using the same techniques. I can't wait to finish this one get started!

This is a little better image of the craft spot. It is tucked into the corner of the living room/playroom/everything room and I use the side of what used to be a fireplace mantel for my sharp things. Eliot is always eager when I turn on the sewing machine.