barn owl

I painted this barn owl today in my studio (using the bird book as reference). I cut it out and put it against different backgrounds to use in my glass tile pendants. This way I can not only have a variety of backgrounds for my pendants, but I can also collage it into one of my paintings in the future. And that, my friends, is how you stretch one little painting out. If I had photo shop I am sure I could play with it even more, but I am happy with the owl itself and all of it's incarnations.

I have seen many owls in my life, but I have yet to see the mysterious and beautiful barn owl. I really really hope I do someday.

in my moleskine

recipe box

Remember this post when I was lamenting not having a recipe box of my own? Well, I finally found one at our small thrift store the other day.for only .50 cents :)
It's nice in a vintage yet functional way. It's a big size too.
And why does it say TRIM on it? I have no idea.
Maybe it is trying to encourage me to lose all that baby weight like all the magazines seem to?
I don't know if I will get around to decorating it... or making nice cards to go inside; but it was incredibly satisfying rounding up my loose leaf recipes and putting them in the box. I also discovered that I have an obsession with chocolate chip-pumpkin muffins. I knew I liked them, but I didn't realize how much until going through my random hand written and some printed recipes. I found 8, yes 8! of my 23 recipes were for some variation of this muffin. I was glad to be alone at that moment because it made me look crazy.I narrowed it down to one and printed it on a blank card.
But first I made up a batch.

gosh, nothing clears the heart and mind like a vast horizon.

♥

something cuddly to watch

not too much going on here, but just general cuteness...

more new

new

4" x 4"

my love of glue.

I spent some time yesterday prepping and covering my 4" boxes. And here are some pictures of it in the hopes that you too will be inspired to pick up your own brush when you see the tantalizing drizzle of white glue.

new work

"soft quiet day"
4" x 4" x 1.5"

walking with our goats

Important things about this video to note:
#1. It is 85 degrees out and Lili has on two adult winter hats underneath the sweatshirt dangling from her head.
#2. She thinks the goats are trying to steal her elmo doll.
#3. That's goat poop streaming down the hill.

new in the shop

Quiet gray day...

Sauteed beets, squash, and carrots with sweet potato fries and salad for dinner. I have it all chopped up and ready to cook but I am waiting to turn on the stove until it is closer to six. Alex has been working 10 hour days lately. And so the days are more quiet (ahhh... not exactly with a two year old and a two month old... I should say devoid of adult noise instead). I miss him when he works so much, you know? But we are grateful for the work as he was out of work most of the winter.

I had the best mother's day yesterday. I even took a bath...

I have been spending the spare moments of my day adding some new pendants to the shop. Seo in the crook of my arm as I type one-handed. Click here to check them out!

Happy Mother's Day!
♥ ♥ ♥

today...

just enjoying my simple day of lots of laundry and such. seo is napping in the sling, and lili and i are dancing and cleaning the kitchen to this:

Seo

dear Seo.

What to say? I want to write a love letter to you, but I am too tired. Perhaps some random thoughts amid my fogginess?

• You are already you are so much older than you were. Older than last week. Older than yesterday. Each morning when we wake up together I look at you and I am still in awe, even though more than 2 1/2 months have passed since your birth. As I carry you slung in one arm as I fix something to eat in the kitchen, or change diaper after diaper, it is easy to forget this time is just flying by. But, when you wake up now you are so alert and engaged that it reminds me of how fast you are growing.
• You don't smile much~ (maybe a few times a day, for 5 min stints or so), but when you do it is amazing. Your toothless mouth opens in a grin as wide as it can go. It makes all those moments when you were fussy melt away.
• You weigh 11.25 lbs and are 22" long.
  
• You are a champion nurser.
  
• You are less fussy than you were two weeks ago.
  
• But you sure do fart a lot still. Boy can you fart.
• We all still call you "BabyBrother" a lot. We need to stop that.
  
• You are losing that cute grunty newborn thing and moving into cooing at us.
  
• You are starting to get pudgy feet and toes.
  

new studio!

and my first day in it!

This is my desk and the thick piece of glass on top of it that I love to work on. I had the door open all day and I was serenaded by the chickens baaak baaaaking and clucking away in the hen house next door. The desk looks out over our clothes line and our little water feature (aka our giant dog bowl or children's mud-making factory. It is a lovely setting to make art too~ I am SO pleased!
It is still disorganized and cluttered though. It is a challenge to fit my amount of art supplies, finished paintings, and two huge tubs of fabric into an eight by eight space. But I am determined to make it all fit just right. I worked at least 7 hours and Seo came to visit and nurse a few times throughout the day~ it was perfect.