a visit to sand mountain

So apparently we live a hop, skip and a jump from America’s “most beautiful place,” according to Good Morning America. That’s right, the Sleeping Bear Dunes are just a short drive away, but it’s a funny thing when you live somewhere that people plan a trip across the country (or world) to experience and it’s right in your backyard. Daily life gets in the way of playing tourist and you don’t make time for these magical places. It’s not that we take it for granted, well maybe we do, but often we just don’t take the time to get in the car to explore when we can walk down to West Bay and play in the surf and sand. So we decided to take the little birdie to climb the “sand mountain,” or more officially known as The Dune Climb. She had a blast! Well, of course she did, because really now, who wouldn’t? It’s 150 feet of sand, sand, sand. Blue skies, crisp air, Mama and Papa all to herself, running and jumping. Bliss. First thing Wren said when she woke up the next morning was, “Mama, I want to go back to sand mountain again today.” Yeah, me too.

It made us thankful for where we are able to live and for this precious time just the three of us have left together before another little birdie joins our nest. Next fall we’ll have a baby crawling around with sand-filled thigh rolls. Oh my! Life sure is crazy.

Happy Fall! Click on.

This photo was taken at our wedding – it’s been seven years this weekend, yahoo!

Happy fall, lovelies! My favorite season is officially here. Welcome pumpkins & bittersweet, apple cider & cozy scarves, curried squash soup & jeans, wool socks & beautiful leaves. I’m fond of sharing with people that I think summer is really a bit boring with its predictable and hot palette of blue, green and brown. Fall is so dynamic in northern Michigan with its sweeping storms, ever-changing clouds and wild colors. Green turning to orange, yellow, red.  And pops of aubergine! It’s odd to be so full of vigor and yet death and dying at the same time, no?

As Zane wrote the other day, we’re also now entering my birthing season (!) so welcome to you too, little birdie #2. We look so forward to meeting you. And soon! Today marks 35 weeks. Where has the time gone?

Do you have plans this weekend to nest, harvest, pick a bushel or two of apples, watch a football game or plant some hope-filled bulbs? If you have a few minutes while you’re cuddling up inside with a mug of hot cocoa, click around here.

Enjoy your first fall weekend! XO

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday, dearest Wren Sabina!

It seems like you were just born, but at the same time, it’s hard to imagine our life without you. You are so very dear to us and we love you more than we can put into words. Thank you for being you: sweet, funny, spunky, feisty, smart and beautiful. Seeing your smile in the morning makes every day worthwhile.

You share a birthday with Bob Dylan, who is 70 years old today. Papa thinks what Bob has to say fits you like a glove: “He not busy being born is busy dying.” Keep on, keepin’ on, little birdie. We’ll be here, trying to keep up with you.

pina colada, anyone?

So I decided to stop feeling so sorry for myself that we weren’t lounging around at an all-inclusive resort this week. And I picked up a bottle of pina colada mix and some fun drink umbrellas. Voila! Instant Spring Break. Funny how just having a tiny taste of the tropics can be enough for some family fun at home. And my grumpy pants are gone. This is something for which everyone in our nest is very thankful…

Have any other ideas for a fun Spring Break at home?

happiness is


The needle hovers around 2.  Happiness in spite of the gripping chill is… squeaky snow underfoot… the sun bravely peaking out from behind the graphite clouds… a glittery new blanket over our nest… blooming paperwhites in the kitchen.

Happy Sunday, dear readers. How will you spend your day? Bundle up, lovelies.

garden of white

Even though I just recently harvested the last hardy remains of last year’s garden–a lovely handful of beets and carrots, one small daikon radish–I’m trying to beat the winter doldrums by thinking ahead to our 2011 garden. Is it too early? My heart screams, “no!” I just ordered several different seed catalogs (do you have a favorite?) and am anxiously awaiting their arrival in our mail box, even more now that we personalized with Letterbox Plates so our mail box looks even better. Nothing like curling up at the end of the day with a seed catalog to warm you up a tiny bit.

Staring out into the endless garden of white could be depressing because winter really just began less than a month ago, but we’re trying to enjoy the quiet, the dark, the time to dream and plan for greener days. Our blanket of snow makes me think of a clean, bright canvas, waiting for a brush dipped in cadmium green pale, raw umber, veridian. How ’bout you? How do you beat the winter doldrums? Fruity drinks with umbrellas, movies and blankets, a bottomless pot of soup, roasted root veggies, a snowshoe hike with a good friend? Learn How to grow and care for calathea white fusion and add it to your diet to make it healthier.

Here’s to finding a sense of balance in the here & now while not pining too much for what’s to come…

Gratitude in the face of mayhem

It’s even more important to focus on what I’m grateful for when living with a toddler. When’s the last time you spent time with a toddler? They can be CRA-ZY. At this point, I assume the little birdie’s behavior will verge on the insane whenever we leave the house and enter the public domain. So I’m pleasantly surprised when she’s happy to go along with what we’re doing without flailing, screaming and being incredibly contrary. For at least part of the excursion… I know some of you child development experts out there are thinking, “no no no, you’re supposed to expect compliance and polite behavior, not expect the worst.” Hey, lady, this is survival. For me and for the little birdie, OK?! Confession: looking back on it, having a baby is a piece of cake compared to having a toddler. BUT. With the insanity of toddlerhood comes a lot more fun too. Exhausting mayhem, but fun.

Everything is new and exciting through the eyes of the little birdie and her language development is fascinating. These days, Wren adds about a word every day or so. For example, I asked Wren the other day if she could say, “Cassiopeia” because Chris drew a big W (for Wren) on the paper and I immediately thought of the constellation. The little birdie thought for a moment, looked at me, then said, “no.” Honestly, I’m not sure if she meant she couldn’t say it, or she didn’t want to say it. She seems to be partial to multi-syllable words like apple, bubble, yellow. I joked that it would be funny if Wren continued down the path of acquiring more almost useless words (like Cassiopeia) and ignoring useful phrases like “yes, please.” And I honestly don’t care if she doesn’t really know what, “I love you” means because she said it and that’s all my heart needed to clear a day’s worth of toddler negotiations. Maybe even the whole week. For this moment I am incredibly grateful.

What are you grateful for this week, dear readers?