Playing around town

Charlie started piano lessons last September and has been at it ever since. Magically pianos have been popping up all over the Upper Valley, including one at the bakery, so Charlie has been playing where ever we happen to come across one. Sadly this festival has ended and he will have to take piano practice back in doors. 

Follow this link to hear him play at a new furniture opening celebration at Shackleton Thomas.

Charlie playing at Shackleton Thomas

One day soon I will successfully embed a video and this will make me very happy.

Finishing, in progress and beginning........

 I always have a lot of half finished projects hanging around and summer is my big chance to get them finished or at least make some progress. Sometimes I have unfinished work because I am stuck, sometimes because needlework just takes time.

This sampler is getting a gold binding and I am calling it finished. Pencil, watercolor, quilting, beading.

 (detail)

detail of "Starburst"

 "starburst"

Stitching a drawing on fabric - I have been stuck on this one for a long time but started stitching it last night and have a plan.

On the quilting wall. My first experience sewing circles. It's a risky choice of fabric /fabrics but well I'll just keep at it.

We're back, I'm back

I haven't been able to touch this blog, wanting to leave my last post suspended. I was on my way back to Australia and I wanted to stay in that moment in time - the hope, the excitement, the unknown. 

I can step forward now and I missed this little blog so.

Maine 

Flying Home

One Week only - I'll be there Monday.

a quilt and a question

Gosh this picture is blurry but you get the idea - quilt top finished and ready for quilting. The geometry is a good exercise for me, it pulls me in and makes me practice precision, not an easy thing for me.

Marion turns eleven this week and has asked for a pair of Dr. Marten boots (purple no less) - I am umming and arrring - don't know why exactly. Are Dr.M too old for a tween?

Maybe because it's the new year

 maybe it is because all of this is over,

 Including the much anticipated jokes hidden inside the crackers,

Maybe it's because it's January and there's not bit of snow about.

Whatever the reason,  he came home yesterday with his first big chapter book and read.... and read...... and read and he was so happy because it was the first day he really knew he could read. Just like that, another mile stone crossed off.

Happy Birthday Charlie

He was born at 12:01am December 4, 2003 and now he is eight, which happens to be his favorite number.

Happy Birthday Charlie - to the best son ever! (in my eyes anyway)

Yep, it's December

 After Thanksgiving our family mood shifts towards Advent. Truck loads of Christmas trees are seen on the roads traveling in every different direction and stalls are set up filled with trees of every size and for the detailed 'a' type person, every shape.

It takes all of us to get the thing standing and they go to work on the lights - hundreds of lights.

The christmas decorations come down from the attic, our cheesy collection of christmas music resounds from the stereo (take it away Elvis) and so it begins.

 The holidays........

So sweet, so Days of our Lives without the drama.

Where'd she go?

So, I've been busy. Too busy to write, too busy to keep the house clean (which is a whole new level to not being able to keep it tidy - oh!) just moving swiftly as best I can and having plenty of fun along the way(if the truth be told, which is what blogging is all about - hmmm.)

A happy birthday to our dear Ella and halloween too!

 I have been sewing, a little. I had an old sweater back that I knitted years ago and found the pattern too intense to finish so I turned it into a cushion. Nice.

 And then I could'nt resist this print so...... another cushion. I do wonder about my taste level sometimes, I am always sticking lots of color and textures together but I can't seem to break the habit.

Marion and I have joined a Mother Daughter book club with the girls in her class. The first book is about a horse - do we love the book? no!  do we share an interest in horses? no! Do we love sitting together and reading aloud to each other? YES! So the book (it's okay really - if you loved horsies) is doing us fine.

Charlie and I have been working our way through the world of paper aircraft, we love, love, love it, except for all those paper aircraft needing a home.

Send them packing!

I had thrown it out to - well just out there to the big space where ones thoughts and wishes go, you probably have your own name for it -  that The Baker needed to get away. I was hoping it would be a family vacation - I was hoping that big space would get real generous and I would find four tickets to somewhere in the PO box but as usual the big space is much smarter than me..................

 

Four childhood friends hiked to some very high places in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. For 3 days there were no iphones, women, children or business.

It was just what he needed.

And then the visitors arrived......... yippee!!!

 

Golden Times

There is change in the air. It makes everyone a little scattered and rushed. Dates fill up while we can still move about freely. We stay outside long after it is time to go in knowing this light won't be with us much longer. It's hot, like the October when The Baker and I got married and I see this as a good sign - things are afoot, change is taking place. 

Tin roof ball catch

extra sweeping

from Marion's weekly gourd and pumpkin purchase

and another

ever so near - things are on the move.

never enough

So you would think that my children would care less about treats having a bakery at their disposal but chocolate frogs shipped from Australia put them into a frenzy and they will obsess everyday until the final frog is squared away.

the morning call

satisfaction - yes Marion is in her PJs - oh great, more guilt.

Saturday market's continue.... pumpkins and Mums take the place of tulips and greens.

The brooding baker

two little ones looking for another bite to eat.

Lunch Boxes and other informal gear

I was going to use the word paraphernalia in the title but when I looked it up in the thesaurus I found I liked informal gear better, don't you think?

Well, the alarm went off at 4:45am Tuesday morning and there were lunch boxes filled and ready to go by 6:30am - School is back!!!

We even managed to eat breakfast at the table instead of in the car. (another shameful secret revealed)

And then we left the warm cocoon of our long summer break.......

and headed out towards our year ahead.

And returned home with Edward the elephant - you gotta love Waldorf school.

Time in a rubbermaid container

Well, I do believe this is the best place to reveal embarrassing moments in ones life...... so ....... I had this bottle of breast milk in the freezer. Considering my youngest is now seven..... well you do the math.
Anyway with the storm coming through and taking out our electricity for a few days I was forced to throw out the contents on the freezer and the fridge. I had never realized, or acknowledged that I was holding on to it, we would joke about it sometimes as we were reaching for the gin or the ribs but that was it. Needless to say, I cried, I cried over defrosted, ancient breast milk.

Since that day I have been packing.

Goodbye Paddington Bear, Scruffy Bear and Charlies' first socks.

Goodbye Robot man with floppy legs, Mr Gnome and the bunny ear velvet jacket

Goodbye homemade spaceship

Goodbye Charlie Bag

Two plastic time capsules are now waiting for another time.

I wish she took my zinnias

So we are fine.

Our power is out, no cell, no road out but our house was untouched.

Yesterday was filled with long walks along Route 4 - Marion and Charles rode to Woodstock - no cars were allowed through so it was a surreal prominade. People walking, sharing their stories, news from the 'outside'.

We spent a second night with the scent of beeswax candles, light flickering, chatting softly in our living room and trying to keep, well I don't know, just trying to keep it going. Happy we are together, me, Charles, Charlie and Marion.

Thinking of everyone.

route 4 - bridgewater

flooded mill bridge

miranda's pottery at the bridgewater mill

you can take my sunday but not my zinnias

I can't seem to make a decent cup of coffee today. After my third attempt, I remembered the flowers. We are blessed so far to be only receiving a very thorough soaking from miss irene but I knew the last of my summer flowers would not make it through the day, so I salvaged what were not already sad and soaked.

 It's not the end of the world to be forced to stay in all day. There is plenty to do....

finger knitting

nice color

adding binding (not a job I enjoy)

more knitting

name tags for desks and cubbies