spring

The zoo, 2017 edition

May 20, 2017 Marie Leave a Comment

The Little Mr is REALLY into the zoo these days. We went last week, over Mother’s Day weekend, and it was SO crowded that we didn’t really get to see much. We have a season membership, so no worries – we would just come back another day. Well, today was that day. He begged us to go back to the zoo, so off we went. This time to pet the goats, see the kangaroos (on the other side of the zoo, where we didn’t go the week prior), and pause for a quick little photo op. That sass with the hand on his hip is ALL ME, haha.

Spring

April 16, 2017 Marie Leave a Comment

Easter is always pretty relaxed now as an adult. No church to rush off to, monster egg hunts, or driving out of town to see family. Easter, for me, is never religious. It is more about celebrating spring – the return of the birds and flowers. So this morning I sat on the patio in my PJs and knit while listening to the birds.

Later, we took a little walk around the neighborhood and looked at all the flowers and trees, just the two of us. The perfect little way to celebrate the day, if there ever was one.

Little bird

March 27, 2017 Marie Leave a Comment

Today was the first time I got to play with the larger lens on my new camera. I’ve taught Declan my “trick” to get the cardinals to come closer to our house, so now we sit on the back porch playing cardinal calls from the Audubon Birds app and then listen for the cardinals to reply and fly closer. I didn’t have my camera handy for when this little guy was on top of my garage, so my neighbors probably thought I was crazy shooting a photo of a tree across the street. But this little lens did a decent job considering the distance and how tiny my little model was in such a large lilac bush.

Now I need to work on getting those little goldfinches in the tree down the street to come nearer, which will most likely require a feeding spot.

I’ve given up fighting it

March 26, 2017 Marie Leave a Comment

This kid is so fascinated by my spinning wheel. No matter how many times you tell him to leave it alone, he’s always over there playing with it. You can watch his little brain work while he tries to figure out how it works to make all the pieces move and spin the yarn. It’s a battle I will never win, I’ve learned. So, instead, I’m trying to include him more in things I’m doing. Today he helped me wind yarn off the bobbin so I could free up room for the other half of the 2ply I’m working on and we talked about how he wants me to knit him a brown sweater like the old woman in his book (great book, btw – there’s not a brown sweater specifically, he’s just seen one at the end of it and decided he wants one, too), but first he wants a hat. Out of this exact handspun yarn. I don’t have plans for this yarn, but even if I did how can I possibly refuse him?! Especially when I’m certain at some point he will grow to not want me to make him things (though, of course, I hope that never turns out to be true and he always sees the things I make for him as extra special).

Decorating for spring

March 18, 2017 Marie Leave a Comment

Spring begins Monday, and I’m already in the mood for it and decorating away on the house. If you remember, I have all this Peter Rabbit stuff I collected for Declan’s 1st birthday, so now I get to break it out every spring. I’m kind of obsessed with Peter Rabbit if you didn’t know that already. Like, “nearly paid $79 for a Peter Rabbit cookie jar at Pottery Barn Kids” today obsessed. The spring decorations have to be bunnies, and they have to be brown. White and/or goofy cartoon-looking rabbits need not apply (I’m looking at you, ridiculous Easter Bunny at the mall).

I have no doubt my table will not look this clean or pretty for even a day, as a certain little gentleman loves to get up there and play with the coasters and tear everything apart he can. But, at least for now, I have a cute spring display up that makes the house seem a little bit brighter despite the rainy, cold days upon us. But, for now, I still have a good excuse to stay indoors and knit rather than start working the yard for this year’s garden (that, yes, I swore we weren’t doing this year and, yes, apparently we have changed our minds again and are doing it after all).