*e*

a day in may

hal-an-tow! jolly rumble-o!                                                                                             we were up - long before theday-o!                                                                                 to welcome in the summer - to welcome in the may-o!                                                  for summer is a coming and the winters gone away-o!

maypole. spring flowers. sunshine. morris dancers. people gathering to celebrate spring. need i say more?

we have had some really nice days this may.

learning in my old age ;)

this year for my birthday, i planned a simple day at home by myself - my people all had places to go and things to do for most of the day...which normally would leave me feeling alone and dissapointed...birthdays can do that to me (mothers day is also a trigger)...waiting and wanting or expecting my family or friends to 'make' me happy - and while it is lovely and wonderful to get phone calls, lunchdates and cards...i decided that *i* had everything i needed to make myself happy and instead of filling up the day with distractions i had a party for myself. doing yummy luxurious things just for me.

i took myself to my favourite coffee shop for a treat

i sat in the sunshine doing absolutely nothing

i painted my toenails bright blue

i lay on the couch in the middle of the day watching call the midwife (an awesome show by the way) and eating chocolate

i sewed some clothes for myself!!

...and i felt gratitude for having 34 birthdays. it felt really good. good to pour some love out and onto myself. something i find very easy to do to everyone around me but not so much to myself...silly hey?

then my family came home and gave me sweet handmade gifts and a delicious chocolate cake from the bakery. i cooked my favourite dinner and got to watch a movie with my man after the kids went to bed. a dream day.

34 times the sun! not bad at all really...

sun + sand

 

the beach is so much more special and healing now that we live so far from it! last weekend we went on a little road trip to cape cod for some much needed sunshine and family togetherness. it seems like life just keeps getting busier and busier and family fun time gets neglected...and i wonder why everyone is so grumpy! thanks to the generosity of a friends aunt, we stayed in a sweet cottage walking distance to the beach and just hung out together all day for two whole days - amazing how happy it made everyone. feeling the sun on our faces and salty air was pretty amazing too :)

spring is here

it really feels like spring is official - my third spring here and i am still amazed at the transformation that happens to the land around us!

i have been working on self care lately - taking time to go for daily walks, creating a more harmonious living space and stretching and breathing. with the sunshine and flowers and noticing the quiet moments i am finding so much more joy in my day.

have you been self-caring it up lately?

little bits of creative

friday was gloomy and freezing, the house was a wreck and the little two were fighting. i could see the day and my mood going nowhere good, so i abandoned plans of cleaning/organizing and instead plopped in front of the fireplace with my hula hoop and a big pile of tshirts to start a project i'd seen on pinterest forever ago and always put off making. when ivy got home later with a friend they decided to make one too! lots of fun!

in other news i came back from australia with a giant itch to rearrange several rooms in the house to make it more functional, most importantly being creating a happy space for me to sew and make stuff in. prior to the switch-a-roo i'd been working in a dark and cold part of the house and had made no effort to funkify the room...resulting in grumpiness and limited productivity! i've kicked the girls out of their sunny bedroom, moved them into our old bedroom and moved ourselves into the cold dark room (perfect for sleeping!)...it's not quite pretty enough to photograph but i am loving having a bigger space, natural light and felt inspired enough to sew the girls some clothes last week!

(still handquilting ivy's quilt from 2 christmases ago...little by little...its so close to being finished...i think..!)

and then there are these three little nutburgers...who soak up most of my time and energy - while they are incredibly creative on their own i'm conciously making more effort to set them up with art projects (it was easier to do when i only had one child!) and keep my own love for creating things alive so i can model self care and the joy of handmade to them.

it doesn't happen everyday and it's not always pretty but the little bits of creative really do feed me during this crazy phase of life!

xo

squam-y dream

talking about the upcoming squam reminded me that i never shared anything from my squam experience last september. ha!

you can see from the photos that it is set in the most lovely place - it reminded me of the old 'parent trap' movie - summer camp in the woods. i loved the cabin, it felt so cosy and exciting to snuggle down at night in my single bed reading a book giggling with my roomies.

i was reminded how dear and important it is for me to connect with other women - since moving to new england 2 years ago i turned myself into a bit of a recluse, not making a lot of effort to get to know people or finding it very easy to make new friends (probably due to the little effort situation!)...this was a really nice time to meet new people and get to know others better. having said that - i did spend quite a lot of time alone on the dock...which i also really could feel myself needing! it was a good balance of alone time and women tribe.

looking back i felt very nourished from the trip. physically, emotionally and creatively. the pace allowed time and room for soaking everything in and looking inward as well as outward to appreciate what was happening.

it was a lovely little dreamy time, which i am so grateful to have experienced!

squam* a taproot gathering

i'm excited to tell you that i will be teaching at squam this september! oh this is truly such a nourishing gathering in such a magical place - i attended squam last autumn for the first time after vending at the art fair twice (and so wishing i could go as an attendee),  it was just SOOOO sooo amazing and just what my soul needed. (photo by elizabeth duvivier)

squam is a true retreat - gorgeous little wooden cabins in the woods on a lake, it felt so grounding and soothing...as well as delicious healthy meals ready and waiting for you! new friendships, creative happenings, workshops, inspiration everywhere. i spent a lot of my time alone on the dock just relishing being alone! but it was so lovely being able to connect with other people and attend workshops as well. a good mix of everything i needed. (may i note that we don't have a budget for 'mama retreats' - but that i saved up by selling my skirts and utilised their payment plan...and did the whole guilt thing over spending money on myself etc etc but it was incredibly worth it!! just saying!)

and so i feel honored to be invited to teach at such a special place and lucky to get to be there again this september when squam is teaming up with taproot magazine to bring all sorts of earthy goodness to the table!

my class 'alternative stitch' will be freestyle sewing at its funnest, and i'll be sharing ideas, patterns and tips on making your wardrobe juicy and delicious with layers and artful looking pieces! i'll be guiding my group through some crazy-fun snipping and stitching to turn rescued old clothing into funkilicious creations for our current wardrobes. i also love clothing with more than one use so there will be a lot of that happening too ;)

for a peek into what a squam retreat looks like, there is a sweet video here

REGISTRATION FOR SQUAM OPENS MONDAY!

if you have any questions for me regarding squam please feel free to leave them in the comments section below xo

*my*candy

its funny how you look at things your whole life, but then you see how truly amazing and beautiful those ordinary everyday things are after being away from them for so long. every nut, bushflower, every different leaf or tree that i am so familiar with was just so very delicious for my eyes to behold. these little western australian earth treasures.

back from our adventures

the kids and i arrived back in the states a few days ago, and there was one lonely white guy who was pretty happy to see us!

we were gone for 6 weeks instead of the original 4 planned due to a string of bizarre and painful health issues (including having all my wisdom teeth pulled!) that decided to make themselves known while i was in australia. i guess my body had been saving them up for government subsidised health care and having my mother on hand to take care of me!

sickness aside, we had a beautiful time with our family, friends and beloved landscape. every time i go back there it is harder to leave. i am really ready to make a plan to move back. it's time.

i know i keep saying this but over the past few years i have found myself wishing to blog less and less. i am going to give it one last shot - regular blogging for a month and see how i feel.

aussie pics coming up next! and an announcement...

xo

feeling it

sooooooo incredibly blessed to be here right now!