still pregnant

Posted on by
Reply

A few people got to wondering if we had welcomed another little birdie into the world because I haven’t posted in a few days. Well, I’m here to tell you that the babe is still tucked safely inside at 38.5 weeks and counting! Feeling (almost) ready for this new adventure, or as ready as I think we can be…

Chris and I finally agreed on boy and girl names, which shall remain a secret for a little while longer. Hey, a girl’s got to have some secrets!

And I finally finished covering the rocking chair cushions that have been waiting for me for months in the basement. They used to be white in Wren’s room and not able to be removed, but they had gotten so stained and yucky after almost 2.5 years of continuous use that I couldn’t take it anymore and tore them off. Now that they’re back on and look great because of some fabric that my friend, Sandy, gifted me, I’m ready to rock away with a new babe in my arms. What do you think?

Oh! I also just realized I must really be craving iron and getting my body ready because yesterday I cooked beef for dinner, which I almost never do (Chris wondered if it was his birthday!), and today I’m making a big batch of molasses cookies, along with a slew of from-the-garden beet & chocolate muffins. IRON!

So there’s a brief update for you, lovelies. Yup, still here. How is your week going? What’s been happening in your nest?

Happily cool and rainy

Posted on by
Reply

Wet, cool fall has decided to officially arrive in northern Michigan after making a brief appearance then quickly running away for the blazing hills for about two weeks. It’s actually quite a relief because I don’t have the guilt of not playing in the backyard when I’ve got a mountain of indoor projects that I’d like to tackle. Funny how that works, isn’t it? After a trip to the grocery store and long enough at our local children’s museum, we’re settled back in our nest while the rain coats the windows outside. It feels good. Looks like this weekend will be chilly and rainy too and I’m looking forward to lots of indoor (nesting) projects like figuring out what I want to do with this surprise bounty of October tomatoes. I’m starting with about six pints of salsa and then moving on to tomato jam if I have some tomatoes left. Any other ideas, lovelies?

What fun things do you have planned for your weekend? Are you looking forward to a lazy weekend in your nest? I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Bundling up in northern Michigan…

scenes from the nest

Posted on by
Reply

How’s your week going, lovelies? It’s been another glorious week in northern Michigan. I realize it seems trite to use the word “glorious,” but it’s true. More blue skies, more sunshine, more gasp-worthy fall color, more 70s, more tomatoes! This might be it for our “Indian Summer,” but it will not be forgotten any time soon. And I’ve got the mosquito bites to prove it – strange in mid-October, no? And that too, after using the best sunscreen mosquito repellent I could find. I’m in the midst of a bunch of nesting projects and thought I would just share a glimpse of some of them with you, along with a few shots from around the nest that we’ve been loving. Enjoy!

1) Wasabi Powder.

We decided to paint our house a light chartreuse-y green that’s called “Wasabi Powder” and we love it. The little birdie calls it yellow, but it’s decidedly not yellow. The pictures also turned out a bit on the mint-y side, but I know you can use your imagination. Ahem. Nothing like a really big project right before the baby is born, right? Ha!

2) Harvest Time.

I was thinking about cleaning out the garden earlier last week when things were wet and chilly, but 70 and sunny arrived–and stayed–bringing with it a slew of ripened tomatoes. I can’t quite believe I’m admitting this, but I’m a bit sick of fresh tomatoes. Salsa, anyone?

3) Bulbs!

Our bulb order finally arrived. I am especially excited about the orange tulips that I plan to plunk in the front. Won’t they look great with the new green if they squirrels don’t get to them first?!

4) Leafy greens.

Remember when the little birdie and I planted some dark, leafy greens? Our kale has arrived so that means that little birdie #2 will arrive shortly too. Wow!

5) Taking time to enjoy the flowers.

We’ve had a crazy morning glory crop this year. In fact, I have to remind myself next year to provide them with some thread/twine so they can more freely climb the fence and not just each other. And the mums have been lovely too. So nice to have such bright spots of color here and there.

What’s been happening in your nest, lovelies? How are you enjoying this beautiful time of year in your neck of the woods? I hope you’ve been having a good week!

37 weeks and still at the beach

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been unseasonably warm and sunny here for the past week (!) in northern Michigan. We are trying to soak up as much bare toe time as we can before late fall kicks in and we pull out our scarves again. We spent Saturday evening on the shores of Lake Michigan in Empire. While the air was warm, the water reminded us that it was October after all. Brrrrr. Chris bravely jumped in, but the little birdie and I decided to just play near the water’s edge and cool off our toes. We ended the evening with a sunset, pizza picnic, bonfire and clear glimpses of the Big Dipper and Casseopeia‘s showy “W” for Wren. All that and a reasonable bedtime for all. That’s what you get when the sun sets by 7:30 on the western shores of a timezone… thank you, summer in October.

How was your weekend, lovelies? Did you get all sweaty and hot at the pumpkin patch?

Moonfrye!

Posted on by
Reply

I’m excited to share that I’m a guest blogger for Soleil Moon Frye’s site, Moonfrye. Punky Brewster, lovelies, Punky Brewster! Well not exactly, because she’s all grown up now and has moved on to having beautiful children of her own, writing Happy Chaos: From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures in Between, developing The Little Seed, an eco-friendly kids boutique, and more cool stuff.

Click on through to read my guest post about toddler mayhem on Moonfrye. Enjoy!

tomatillo crush

Posted on by
Reply

She first fell in love with gardening when our peas came on strong and I couldn’t keep her away from the trellis. Then there was the red hot flame of potato farming. And this week, lovelies? The seduction of the fruit-filled lanterns of the tomatillo has proven to be too much to keep this little birdie tied down to any root vegetable. I can’t really blame her. They’re like beautiful little Chinese lanterns dangling at just the right height for her cherubic hands to reach. A challenge to reach some, but most just need to be spotted and plucked.

So what will we do with our tomatillo bounty? Thanks for asking… We might make some roasted tomatillo salsa like last year, but I’ll reserve a bunch to make our favorite easy-peasy, delicious posole (tomatillo, hominy, chicken stew) that I found in Cooking Light several years ago. One of those go-to recipes that I don’t even have to glance at anymore. I just grab the ingredients and start throwing it together. What recipes are tried-and-true to you? Do you have a favorite way to use tomatillos? Please share in the comments area. I would love to know; we’ve got a few to spare.

a visit to sand mountain

Posted on by
Reply

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.