Loving

~That my boy will practice baseball for about 2 hours in the rain before coming in soaked to the bone and grinning from ear to ear.

~The way getting high fives and cheers for a big hit or a good play, makes him cheer louder than anyone else for his teammates.

~How his sisters, who get very tired of watching little league, light up, giggle and bounce anxiously in their seats until they can congratulate him when he does well.

~The fact that my 7 year old, who only a short time ago would fall to pieces if he lost or was wrong about almost anything, has learned that loosing is part of the game and deals with it amazingly well. (Sometimes with 2 hour practice sessions in the rain.)

Between the Loads of Laundry

I'm always impressed at what kids can get done in the shortest bits of time. A call of, "we're leaving in 5 minutes!" is plenty of time to start one last game of make believe. 15 minutes waiting for mom to find the car keys, someone's missing shoe and the bag of library books is plenty of time to create a masterpiece with markers (with or without paper). And, that half hour or so before bed? Well, the possibilities are endless.

I have decided to take this lesson from my littles and try to squeeze more out of those bits of time I find sprinkled throughout the day. As it turns out, the time it takes to boil the water and steep my morning tea, is the perfect amount of time to unload the dishwasher. And on laundry day, I discovered that, apparently, the 58 minutes it takes for one load of laundry to go through the washing machine is plenty of time to head to the nearby park for the first, cold, swim of the season, find cool bits of seaweed, play in the sand, enjoy a little reading, and then stroll through the park on our way back to the car.

I feel like I've discovered a secret well of time, the ladle is small and I only get a sip at a time but, with enough sips, who knows, maybe I'll be able to write a blog post every now and then, or finish that quilt I've been working on for 5 years now, or maybe, just maybe stock my etsy shop that has been so neglected for so very long. 

The possibilities are endless, but somehow I know that what will most likely come of this discovery is just a few more stories for my youngest who's growing way too fast, a few extra conversations dreaming and planning with my oldest, a few more cuddles on the couch with my chicken loving ballerina girl, and some extra games of catch with my sweet boy.

And of course, a few quick trips to the beach between the loads of laundry.

The Kiddie Kitchen

This past Christmas, I sorta gave my husband an ultimatum, Santa needs to build something cool, or I'm buying her this because my sweet baby girl has asked for nothing since we moved to this house (and got rid of the broken, 10 yr old, plastic one) except for her very own kitchen.

Well, Santa, could not have us spending money we don't really have and she was really, really good this year. He sure is amazing, that Santa, with all the other work he's gotta do, you know, besides the Santa-ing, he really must be magic to have pulled this off.

And, I know for a fact, that he worked on this late at night, in a cold garage. It's perfect. And, she absolutely loves it.

So, the details.

• The base was rescued from the discounted, damaged or returned cabinet pile at a local cabinet supplier. (Santa told me all about it, he knows how we like re-purposing things headed for the heap.)
• One door was turned and a handle added for the stove. A ledge of wood scraps installed around the inside supports a cookie cooling rack for the oven rack. 

• A piece of oak routered and stained to match was placed on top, we originally thought we wanted it painted, to look like a counter top, but all that wood is just too pretty.
• Real stove knobs that actually turn, magic I tell you, and foamy, sticky tape finish off the stove top.

• Custom, Santa built, shelving stained to match was attached to the back of the cabinet, extending above, to hold all the pretty little pots, pans and dishes. 
• The sink is a thrifted, stainless steel bowl that, my girl discovered Christmas morning, actually holds water so, I covered the entire thing with some of our leftover oil and beeswax mixture to save it from water stains. She doesn't seem to mind the missing faucet so, for now, it'll stay like this.

• The legs are store bought and add just the right amount of height for our growing 4 year old and her big brother and sisters.

Dandelion Fluff

Somehow,

Even though last year there were none,

This year we have dandelions,

And the kids, the chicks, and I have all been enjoying them.

New

Spring has been full of lots of new for us. New friends, new adventures and new responsibilities.

We've ventured further from home than usual, through thunderstorms and chilli Michigan spring weather, to explore towns and cities we've never been to. It is so very wonderful to have adventurous new friends who don't let a little
(or a lot) of rain ruin our plans for exploring.

And, we've been exploring our own back yard in ways we never have before, thanks to those same amazing, adventurous new friends. (Who knew jack-o-lanterns make great pond scoops?) After a year and a half homeschooling and living in this home I feel like we are finally finding our community.

And finally, we've welcomed these little cuties into our home. My middle girl was so thrilled that, even the strangers at the feed store were excited for us and, thanks to these little gals and my girls enthusiasm, our circle of friends keeps growing. Strangers no more, they have been a source of advice and reassurance, on more than just raising chicks.

Living Outside the Comfort Zone

The chicks are ordered, the temporary housing is set up in the basement, the coop plans are being finalized and space being cleared in the garage for its construction.

My girl is giddy with excitement and I, well, I am taking lots of deep, calming breaths and throwing in a few extra tea breaks on the back porch. Following my kids interest forces me to stretch a little every day.

Fancy Towels

One of my favorite people to make stuff for is my sister-in-law. I think it's because she really seems to like getting the home made stuff, and doesn't seem to mind the small imperfections that happen when I try something new.

I started these towels for her a few years ago. It was new to me, sewing thicker fabrics to thin and slippery ones then, attaching the small strip of finicky fabric to an already finished piece.

I hit a road block and quit in frustration.

I stumbled onto the project while cleaning out and organizing my fabric stash after the holidays this year, and remembered the frustration these towels had caused. I set them aside and thought maybe, if there's time, I'll try finishing them for her birthday. I knew I wouldn't though.

Well, it kind of gnawed at me after that.

I pulled them out a few times, I inspected my work and, it was actually pretty good. I knew my skills were better now and it really didn't look so daunting anymore.

So, just before we were ready to head out the door for the birthday dinner, I decided to try and finish the set. I love when I leave a project that feels so difficult when I start and then, I'm able to come back and finish it with ease, to actually see and feel that i have grown and learned in the time that it was put away. I never would have thought, when I threw down this project so long ago, that it would be one of those gifts I finish as we're rushing out the door.

And, I think she liked them too.