Spring fling in our backyard…

Not really yet… but soon. I can smell it. Oh, maybe that’s just the rain. We were so excited to see these bulbs flower in our backyard this week. Both the kids are itching to get outside for more than 5 minutes at a time. Matt does pretty good with his muddy muck boots… but Lauren just isn’t allowed to roll in the mud quite yet. I love these reddish wilty flowers – nope, don’t know the name. Just luv em. And these wildflowers are so happy & just outside our window… grown from seed by Mattie himself.

We are all about flowers this week: Made a lil summeryish halter top and am starting on a new project with these springy fabrics (Amy Butler and Tracy Porter and various dots) and I’m halfway done with this apron / smock thingy … just can’t decide on the pocket fabric. Hot pink or dots? Ugg. I always do that. I’m such a hard crafty worker until the next decision needs to be made… then I need to mull it over for a day or a night or a couple of days and nights! But this is alot of bias trim to sew on. So… I’m getting my own little clover bias tape maker for my next project (suggested by wee wonderfuls … check out the amazing racetrack quilt here).

It’s finished…. now I just need Lauren to model it

I love those little blue chocolate easter eggs.

Oceanside Flea Market

Not much to say about this flea market. Not flattering comments anyway… but while we were there for about 20 minutes I did manage to find these cute blue candlesticks for under $1.

Cute things in the mail… from Etsy crafters

Etsy is my latest midnight obsession. Everything there is handmade, and alot of the stuff is made by stay at home mommies, and the prices are great. Some really talented artists too. I’ve ordered 2 things lately from Etsy: A little hedgehog felt pincushion & pinbook Matt helped me pick out (click here to go to the crafty girls’ etsy store). Thank you Jenn, we love it!

And… we also opened a package from the Speckled Hen. I’ve taken pictures of the packaging because for the price we paid for these little felt hair clips ($5 for each card of clippies), I am so impressed with the time spent packaging these little treasures. So go check out Lauren’s stuff at speckledhen.etsy.com So so cute. Dan likes these alot better than the huge bow bands I found for Lalu last year. He won’t let me put them on her anymore at all, but I had to have something cute to hold her hair back, so, voila… pear & fruit felt hair clippes!

But the best package of all today was from my sweet sister-in-law from Wisconsin! Yipee! She sent the sweetest stuff, but I’ll have to post pictures tom., since it came later & I didn’t get pictures yet.

Okay Julie!!!… here are the pictures of Lauren in the little pinafore you sent her! Click here, and here.

Ebay and the search for the perfect easter dress

I am always looking for the cutest little outfits for Lauren and her cousins on ebay. Big weakness here. Usually I escape the draw of the seriously expensive custom sets and try for some resells or last seasons naartjie, but once in a while I sucumb. Happily. but… seeing as I’m spending all my money on fabric and patterns myself, and the outrageously large heating bill from January is killing me (yes, in California). But for those of you looking for the perfect easter dress/outfit:

One of my favs is a talented designer with a vintage flair, Fleur L’Enfant. I have a couple sets from her, all but one intended as gifts, but so lovely I couldn’t part with them! What does that tell you about my character! Aye yie yie… anyway, the clothes are really that beautiful, the fit is perfection, the customer service, impeccable. Highly recommend. And, (added bonus), Lauren is featured in the “customer cuties” section of her “about me” ebay page! Must see.

Clean Chalkboard

Well, our house looks pretty organized right now. I am NOT an organized person, however. We are merely trying to sell our overpriced tract home to move to a smaller home/bigger lot kind of situation. So I can have a garden, so we can build a playset, so I can read my blogs at night without my backyard neighbor being able to read all the titles from their upstairs window! So nearly all of our “clutter” is packed in boxes in the garage. But I SO miss the clutter: the dozens of preschool projects all over the kitchen walls around the spice cabinet… all the letters of the alphabet with animals to match at about the 2 foot level… notes & recipes posted everywhere. But I’m rebelling. I’ve started to add my clutter back. Starting with two pictures on the chalkboard. I’m so bad.

dolls with red hair

Okay, I’ve had my heart set on an American Girl doll for Lauren since way before her earth entry (gosh that sounds kind of new agey)… they have this auburn haired Felicity doll with all sorts of American revolutionary stories to weave around her cute outfits.  You see, grandpoppa is a serious early American history buff (mayflowerinstitute.com) AND this would fit right into all the homeschooling ideas I have for 1st and 2nd grade.  But seeing as Lauren is only 15 months old, and that doll is for 7+ – I think a soft sweet cuddly doll might be in order until she’s at least 4. So I found this adorable one made over at the colorful loobylu.com – must have, must make.

Crazy for Lentils

I’m constantly amazed by what I find posted on all the wonderful crafty mommy blogs. The soup recipes below are delicious! You’ve got to check out mommymoshpit.blogspot.com for the Lentil recipe… and there is a a wonderful Potato leek recipe out there but I forget the site & will have to post it later… I’m such a lazy blogger.

My darling sister-in-law Julie (of Green Lake, Wisconsin… our favorite spot in the world) promises me this is fantastic with italian sausage.

I never thought about homemade soup before I had babies. Such a wonderful cozy thing, and I never experienced it until after college , law school, and 3 years of marriage! Now it’s near the top of my favorite things list.

Anyway, enough about me and soup: you’ve got to try this. My little ones had it for lunch today & LOVED it. California rain and a bowl of lentil soup… happy happy, joy joy.

Old Fashioned girly things…

Maybe it’s because my husband, sweetie manly man that he is, just deleted 4 of my favorite cheesy BBC miniseries movies out of our netflix que… but I have been hankering for some really super feminine things around the house today. He and I have always been on opposite ends of the spectrum… and our house is just one big compromise really, mostly from my end. So I’m working on him to help me build a super girly studio in our downstairs den… complete with metallic stripes on the wall, a green chandelier ala Heather Bailey, and some open shelving to display all my favorite fabrics & buttons & Mattie Mo finger paintings.

I made a cute little set for Lauren with Amy Butler’s belle fabrics yesterday (originally intentioned for the new log cabin quilt pile) & I love the way it turned out kind of mod looking … but today I’ve been wondering if I should add these girly little laces & ric racs and buttons all over the place & perhaps this is one place where I should just restrain myself!  Lalu is all over the place these days… so she is really just a blur, but so cute I had to put her in too!