Settling In. Part 2.

One of these years I will finally paint the dresser we use as our "Landing Pad." I painted all the drawers before our last move (you know when I was pregnant and chasing after a 20-month-old). Obviously, I never got around to painting the rest of it.

One of these years.

My husband HATES this piece of furniture with a passion. But, it's very useful. First drawer is where we keep phone chargers, nail clippers and other random items. Second drawer has our address book, swimsuits and heat packs. Third drawer is full of the baby's cloth diapers and the bottom drawer has all of our gloves, hats and scarves. Where do you keep all that kind of stuff? I'm curious.

We have been putting our Key/Wallet/Junk Basket up high this time. Too high for our 14-month-old's curious hands (and mouth). One of her favorite things to do in our old house was to grab that basket and take everything out. ID's, pens, keys, sunglasses were scattered everywhere. Over and over again. It's new home is on the Driftwood Shelf I made with my Mama. So far, it is out of the reach of our Little Climber.

I am excited about our Wedding Certificate's new location. It's in a nice prominent spot in our Living Room. Perfect for whenever I need a reminder of the vows I made to Papa Bear and all the wonderful folks we have rooting for us.

I painted our giant Shoe Cabinet white. It was a big change from it's previous green incarnation. I hung the Collaborative Painting (Nye-Nye and I made right before she turned two) right above it. I think sometime soon, we'll be working on the painting again.

The nifty broom hook contraption finally got put up. The girls got it for Christmas, but there was not a good place in our last house. It's been a real hit with both girls! They both loving taking off the brooms and mop. My 14-month-old hasn't been able to figure out how to put them back up, but the three-year-old has become an expert.

The Garden.

How I LOVE my Garden.

It's itty-bitty. But, so thrilling to watch it grow.

My eight boxes of potatoes seem to do be doing well. It will be interesting to see how many potatoes will have grown (when I finally dump out all the soil).

The cucumbers have been going crazy climbing the fence. I just sprayed them with a mixture of milk and water to help fight some Powdery Mildew. I'm crossing my fingers that they will recover.

My beautiful cucumber plant in the front-yard appears to have wilt, so I will have to pull that out. I'm sad because it had grown so large and was looking so pretty. I'm not sure what I am suppose to do with the potting soil since I don't want to contaminate any other plants. Any ideas?

The zucchini plants have gotten massive. But, none of my 4 pepper plants have gotten very big, they should be getting enough light. 

It's time to tie up the tomato plants again.

And, okra! We have okra! I'm not sure when the pods need are ready to be eaten. But, we appear to have at least one pod that must be ready. 

The sweet potatoes in the front-yard are doing so much better than the back. I can't wait to dig them up this September.

And, lastly, my Amaranth. It's hard to believe I only planted the seeds 6 weeks ago. They are so tall already.

I swear watching my plants grow is as exciting as watching my girls develop. Every day is something new!

Settling In. Part I.

It's been almost two weeks since we moved into our new place.

Two very busy weeks.

Unpacking with a 1-year-old and 3-year-old has been challenging.

Many thanks to my incredible parents who watched BOTH girls for 4 days, while we moved. And, then watched the girls for TWO MORE days, while I had a migraine. Amazing Grandparents those two.

It is finally starting to feel like Home and I can tell that both girls are enjoying the new space. I adore all the light that streams in through the massive Kitchen windows. I get to look out constantly at our growing Garden and it makes me so happy.

Papa Bear was skeptical (at first) of my idea to make the Master Bedroom into the Girls' Playroom. But, I hated the idea of using the Basement as the Playroom. The light is wonderful in their new Playroom and the 3rd Bedroom makes a cozy Mommy and Daddy's Room.

I now have an entire closest devoted to all my Tinctures and Herbs. Such luxury!

We even have had people over for a low-key 4th of July Get-together. I grumbled all Morning while frantically unpacking and hanging things on the wall. But, I am so glad that Papa Bear pushed to have the party. It was so much fun.

Here are a few photos from the last two weeks...

Belly Cast? Do It.

Making a Belly Cast.

Have you heard of it?

I'm sure you have, if you even the slightest bit crunchy.

Two of my absolute favorite possessions are my Belly Casts. They are reminders of two very special times in my life.

My husband and I made the first one when I was 36 weeks pregnant. He put up a minor fuss during the beginning of the process (using plaster is very messy, if you didn't know) and kept saying "I'm not the artist, you're the artist. I don't want to do this." But, by the time we finished, he had gotten into it and was very glad that we did it.

The second time around was so much easier (except for the fact we were being cheap and using the remains from our first Belly Cast kit).

Some people paint their Belly Casts. I happen to love the stark white of the plaster, so I'm not going to paint either of mine.

Make sure you cover EVERYTHING while working plaster (with newspaper, an old plastic table-cloth, whatever you want to use as your drop-cloth). We accidentally got some plaster in the cracks of the wooden stool I was sitting on and they are still there. We used our Bathroom as our work-space, which was nice because I could then immediately jump into the shower.

It's a nice bonding experience with your partner and I definitely recommend celebrating your pregnancy by making one. It's a fun Date Night! Enjoy!!!

This is the Belly Cast Kit we used. (Disclosure: Affiliate Link).

Month of Love. Community Sponsored ART.

You've probably heard of Community Sponsored Agriculture. You may have already participated in one.

But, have you heard of Community Sponsored Art?

It's the same concept as Community Sponsored Agriculture. The shareholder puts up a certain amount of money in the beginning of the Season and at agreed upon intervals, receives a share. Of veggies or in this care...Art.

I am so excited to hear about Station North CSA. For $300, shareholders will receive 6 pieces of work from local Baltimore artists over a 5 month span.

"At each presentation even, 4 CSA artists will give short presentations on their work and shareholders will rank their preferred artists. Ranking is used to ensure that shareholders aren't getting a box of kale when they'd rather have beets. These events are also an opportunity to network, mingle, and meet CSA artists."

"Community Sponsored Art"....what a brilliant idea!

It's a win-win for everyone.

Sadly, all of the shares of this round are sold-out. But, be on the look-out for their next offering. Hopefully, this idea catches on elsewhere.



**** The photo is of a painting I collaborated with my daughter on last year.

Naked Weekend.

This Weekend, we are attempting to Potty Train Nye-Nye. She is going to spend the next few days at home being naked.

Well, at least without any diapers, pull-ups or underwear on.

She had shown interest at 15 months but completely lost it after a month or so. I didn't push. Especially when I got pregnant and knew a new baby would probably cause a regression.

Now at 34 months, she has declared she wants to use The Potty.

She read several Potty Books at Ra-Ra's house last week and that seemed to spark her interest. We also explained that if she wanted to go to school, she would have to use the toilet.

Last night, she went to the store and picked out some Chi-Chi Presents (chi-chi is what an Indian nickname for poop). We know peeing in the Potty won't be the issue, so Daddy bought some small presents (a journal, head-bands, those expanding sponges, etc...) to help encourage her.

We removed the large rug in our Living Room. Put out the Potties. And, have our wet Swiffer primed and ready to go.

Wish us Luck!

Onward.

****I was inspired by How I Potty Trained My Daughter in 3 Days.

Turning Your Front Yard Into A Garden.

I got Dreams.

Glorious Garden Dreams in the middle of the Winter.

Sigh.

I have been pouring over photos from the lovely book I received for Christmas. "Edible Landscaping With a Permaculture Twist: How To Have Your Yard and Eat It Too."

Michael Judd is a local boy (from Frederick County) who spent many years in Mexico and Nicaragua learning  about and experimenting with Permaculture. He is a genius at turning Yards into low-maintenance Gardens and Orchards. No weeding, no watering (except for in the beginning). Seriously, why Garden any other way?

He's transformed the Gardens at Volt.

You may have heard of that place.

I listened to him speak at the Holistic Family Health Conference in Frederick, last Spring. He's a dynamic speaker. When he mentioned an upcoming book, I was thrilled.

The book didn't disappoint.

Gorgeous photos. Clear directions. And, brilliant ideas.

I am all about digging up that grass and planting useful and beautiful plants.

Even though, I was familiar with a lot of what was in the book, it was great to see more examples of "Herbal Spirals," learn about growing Mushrooms and be given so much information of Uncommon Fruits that grow well in this region.

Judd's section on Rainwater Harvesting, Swales and Rain Gardens may completely change your relationship with your Yard.

I had never heard of a "Hugelkultur" (which is a shame because it's a terrific concept and would have been helpful to know about when my Sister had all these fallen down trees in her Yard).

If you are in Maryland or Northern Virginia, you are in luck. He does 1 1/2 hr-2hr consultations starting at $175 (depending on where you are located). His schedule fills up fast, but now is the perfect time to have him come out and brainstorm with you on how to transform your Yard into a beautiful, edible Landscape.

Early Mother's Day present? Or maybe forget that fancy bouquet and expensive dinner this Valentine's Day? Hmmmm....

We will be moving from one rental house to another this Summer, so planting much is out of the question. But, there are always Mushrooms...

I Feel Sorry for Her.

Poor Bears. She's got a Boss Lady for a Big Sissy. Last Week marked the beginning of my girls squabbling.

The Honeymoon Period is over.

The Baby's favorite thing to do now is spy one of her Sissy's toys on the floor and crawl as fast as she can over to the toy and gleefully grab it. Nye immediately snatches the toy from out of Bears' hand and says, "my toy." This happens even if it actually is the Baby's toy.

Nye has started giving the Baby lectures on "danger." Nye's forehead becomes furrowed, she shakes her finger and her tone of voice turns very fierce. Do I look that mean when I redirect? Yikes, I hope not.

Last Thursday, Bears crawled into the Kitchen and started opening one of the cabinet drawers. Boss Lady was there in a flash and proceeded to ream her out for 2 straight minutes. Bears just laughed.

Here is a little video clip taken when Nye was telling Bears about the danger of cords. "The cords are not for YOU." I wasn't able to get a video of the actual two minute reprimand but in this video you can see the finger shake and watch Bears laugh.

I guess I should be Grateful to have a second pair of eyes watching our Little Explorer!

One of My Biggest Challenges.

 

My absolutely least favorite thing about being a Stay-at-Home Mama is being in charge of everybody's stuff. I can barely keep myself organized and now I am responsible for staying on top of other tiny folk's things?

Holy Moly.

I never used to put things back where they belonged. My poor Mama tried drilling it in me. But, it didn't stick until I started having kids of my own.

Now, I totally get it.

Now, Karma is totally biting me in the ass.

I have a partner who is even more organizationally challenged than I am.

I get so mad at him because, if I can put my dirty clothes in the hamper, anyone can. (One of my Mama's favorite stories is when she threw all my dirty clothes out of my 2nd floor Bedroom, when I was a Teenager, because I hadn't cleaned up my room when she asked).

It's fine to be messy when you are single. Or when there are just two adults in a family. Or your kids have stopped putting random things in their mouths. But, when you have crawling babies, keeping crap off the floor is a Life or Death Matter.

It takes some serious effort EVERY SINGLE DAY to put stuff back and beat back the clutter. I have found that I feel much calmer and happier when things are organized.

I had a minor Break-down yesterday. Like with tons of tears and a poor Kiddo crying, "Stop crying Mommy, stop crying." I was flooded with some intense feelings of being completely over-whelmed.

Our Landlord is on the finicky side. He just notified us that he wants to come for a "walk through" to see how the house looks, a year after we moved in.

On one hand, I am Grateful. That means I have the kick-in-the-ass I need to go through the Basement, organize the Laundry Room, finish up the Playroom, clean up the Screened-in-Porch, get the Living Room under control and finally go through all those boxes in our closets left-over from our Move.

On the other-hand, I have THREE WEEK-ENDS before he comes.

Plus, I need to finish switching out our Summer Clothes for Winter Clothes. I still have not been able to located the box of my Non-Maternity Winter Clothes.

I'm trying to take each project and break it down into little pieces. Tiny bit by tiny bit. It's not the End-of-the-World, if I don't get everything done, but I know I'll feel a lot better.

I am thinking about doing Slow Your Home's 2014 in 2014 Declutter Challenge this January. I think that would help provide the structure I need to develop good habits and tame that damn Clutter Beast (at least until our next Move).

Anala's Montessori Corner

 

 

 

Poor kid. She only gets a corner of a Bedroom to claim as her own. But, she doesn't seem to mind. Look at that concentration. Look at those smiles.

 

I think this may be my newest favorite part of our house. Sometimes it pays to be part of a long line of Pack Rats.

I borrowed the sheepskin from my Mama's house.

The mirror I took from the Master Bedroom (which originally came from my Mama's house).

 I bought the child's furniture piece from an auction for $2. My Sissy did a lovely job of painting it. And, I just added the crystal pulls from my favorite vintage store Ginger and Spice in Walkersville, MD. They cost $6 each. I moved the bookcase from one part of the room to this corner.

Since our Family is a bit Bird-crazy right now, I cut out a photography from an Audubon Calendar and put it in a frame I already had.

The "Gobbi Mobile" I made.

I am so loving this "Montessori infant room." (Even if it's just a corner).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Mobile that Killed a Baby Bird

 

 

Give me a minute and it will make sense. I promise.

 

Some ideas just don't work. I spent a lot of time and energy trying to make a beautiful "Driftwood Mobile" for Bright Eyes before she was born.

 

We rent our two-Bedroom house. When we moved in this Winter, we knew the girls wouldn't be able to share a Bedroom right off the bat. So one room would be for Nye-Nye (a "Can You See a Little Bear?" Inspired Bedroom). The other would be for the new baby.

 

Nye-Nye was still waking up several times a night in February. That's when Papa Bear took over putting her to sleep and co-sleeping. For the last 2 1/2 glorious months of my pregnancy I slept like a champ. It was amazing.

 

Daddy and His Girl bonded more deeply by developing their own sweet Bedtime Rituals and I wasn't disturbed by the toddler waking up at night. 

 

The Master Bedroom was transformed into Mommy and the Baby's Room. I didn't have the energy to paint the room, so blue it stayed. I was inspired by tree branches and driftwood and agonized over fabric for weeks. (Nesting...you gotta love it).

 

I wanted to use the heirloom cradle that I used as a baby.

 

I came up with a design for a Driftwood Mobile that could hang low enough over a cradle. Hanging the pieces from the ceiling seemed too complicated for me, so I devised an inexpensive way to anchor the pieces of Driftwood in a metal bucket. My solution? Plaster.

 

I filled an inexpensive bucket with plaster and arranged the branches the way I wanted. I let it set over night. I covered the bucket with some of the agonized-over-fabric. And hung the butterflies with fishing line.

 

The only problem?

 

It took up A LOT of room.

 

Actually, there were three problems...it took up a lot of room, it was difficult to get the baby into the cradle without hitting her face with the butterflies and the baby HATED the cradle.

 

So, it was removed.

 

I put it outside under our screened-in porch, thinking I could use it for Bright Eyes when we were outside.

 

I walked out one day to find a drowned Baby Bird floating in the bucket. 

 

Do you know how awful I felt?

 

I still get teary-eyed thinking about it. Poor Baby Bird.

 

Talk about a doomed project.