I have not been motivated to post lately. Perhaps because life is trudging along at a safe pace and is just normal. Not too busy, not too lazy. Simply summer. I have done a lot of sewing though. Venturing into the unknown world of making my own clothes. Here are my first two attempts and now I wonder why I have ever bought a skirt in my life. They are so easy and quick to make.

Hazel will be a year near the end of the summer however she still has yet to crawl! I'm in no rush! Her and Elizah "play" together all day long just fine with Hazel remaining in one spot and it makes my day more efficient not having to always wonder where she is or what she is getting into. Her hair has turning a beautiful strawberry blondish brown. Can we say Aunt Sarah?

I am often flooded with thoughts of Elizah's education. This is the year I will begin "preschool like" activities with her preparing her for kindergarten. At times I feel inadequate and unsure about what would be best to be doing with her, but I just have to put those thoughts behind me and go with my gut. She is so physical and I feel this is how she learns best right now as well as any 2 almost 3 year old. Motherhood is always challenging in new ways. One's which I have never experienced before and now I must undertake another level which is what I have been doing all along. Training. It will just begin to manifest itself in different ways. Here is Elizah slinging her rabbit.

The Golden Egg

Whenever I make dough or pie crust or anything I have to roll out Elizah has to make her own creation with what's left over. This is her contribution to the kitchen most times. Sometimes I sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar or drop some blueberries on it and bake it. So, I have made her an official dough squeezing apron. Her creativity inspires me and helps me to let go in the kitchen and be okay with flour being everywhere and dough globs on the floor. She is exploring and creating and that is far valuable than a clean kitchen. Just one of the few lessons she has taught me.
The apron isn't our only creation lately though. Yes, we have had our first egg! It is so tiny and cute and we are so proud of it. I was so thankful for that egg that I almost didn't care of the chickens pooped all over my patio. (By the way if anyone knows how to keep them off without putting a fence around it let me know. It's driving us crazy!!) At last I don't have to buy eggs anymore. In fact yesterday I wanted to make a pound cake but didn't have enough eggs. I waited and kept checking and waited and waited and finally there was one so into the kitchen I went and out of the oven came blueberry pound cake.

This is Elizah roasting her first marshmallow for her first smore. Camping always causes us to have many firsts. Like the first time Hazel has slept on my chest for two nights in a row or the first time my husband and I have bathed in the creek while our girls sat on the bank wondering why we were trembling as we splashed freezing snow water on ourselves. Trying to get clean while camping is absolutely in vein. Dirt is everywhere so we might as well embrace it and have fun in it. Also, the first time I woke up and couldn't walk because I was so sore from hiking almost ten miles throughout the weekend with Hazel on my back.

Before we had children, Josh and I were backpackers and now that aspect of our lives seems to be on hold until our kids get a little older. So we have replaced it with car camping. It's not what we prefer, but sometimes we just need to get away from society and out where we can see 1,000 stars and hear the babbling brook all night and be awakened by the singing birds and the sunshine. We felt like the girls were just happier too. It was so nice and my brother, sister-in-law and their son joined us for a night which was a joy to see our kids running around filthy and having the time of their lives!

We bought Elizah a little kitchen table so she could eat at and do art or paint or whatever. Little did I know that she would want to eat all her meals at the little table and not care to eat with us any longer. Hmmm....I'll have to think of something. I made these place mats so she could set her place herself and at the same time learn where the various items are placed on the table. This has been a huge help. She now has a bottom shelf of the pantry where all of "her" dishes are kept so she can get them and just set it herself. I got the idea after reading an article about Montessori (my sister-in-law is really into it). The idea that kids can do a lot more than we give them credit for and thus should be taught to be independent in what they can do. It's way more complex than that but I guess that's the idea behind the place mat creation. She also has a little pitcher filled with water so she no longer has to ask me twenty times a day for water. She can just get herself a cup from her shelf and open the fridge and pour herself a cup of water. She loves the independence and thrill of doing it herself. The fabric I used is from Moda Fabrics.
I love most of their prints.

What a crafty day! I also made this new cover for my KitchenAid mixer because of the continual dust that makes it's home in my bowl. I like the way it came out and it fits my kitchen well. This fabric is from Maywood Studio. We are off to go camping this weekend and it should be a wonderful adventure. Hiking, bathing in the creek, campfires, dirty babies and instant cook oatmeal. When we come back we will probably need a vacation. That's usually how camping is with children right? Have a great independence day celebration!

This year for my garden my sister-in-law convinced me to make a square foot garden. I have been able to plant so much in such a small area. I love it! Thank you Bekah. It looks beautiful and delicious! We have tons of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, okra, cucumber, yellow squash, pole beans, bush beans, beets, carrots, scallions, basil, coriander, marigolds, nasturtiums, bell pepper and so on...can you believe that all fits in two 4x4 square blocks? I don't even have to take a trip to the farmers market anymore.
It is so hot here that none of us feel like eating much. There's something about the heat that does that to you. It zaps your appetite. It's a good thing for me though because I can just pick what is ripe in the garden and eat that with homemade bread. Voila', a delicious garden meal! It's so cute to watch Elizah to go pick tomatoes for dinner too. I am thankful though that the climate does allow pretty much anything to grow almost year round here. I really can't complain.

We try to give each other alone time and this was my husband's last week. Yes this was his superman sheet when he was probably Elizah's age. Some things never change. I think when he uses it he feels sort of like a baby in his mothers arms; secure. I am so thankful for him. He is an amazing father of our two daughters. He is such a present and intentional father towards them. He plays, changes, disciplines, teaches, prays, cleans, clothes, cooks, reads to, makes them laugh so hard and so much more. I am indebted to this man for all he does for us and am thankful for all he is. Thank you Joshua you are an amazing father!


Summer is officially here!. It is so hot that even I have ran through the little blue elephant sprinkler yelping with joy for the little relief from the heat. We even broke down and bought a kiddie pool. I know, I know, nothing screams suburban track home like a little, blue, plastic kiddie pool. And ever since we bought it I have been struggling with that. Elizah is at the coast with my mother and grandparents for the whole week! This is the longest she has ever been away and I was quite reluctant, but when my mother suggested I would be able to sleep in past 5:15 am I latched on. What can I say? I am a selfish being. It's true though I slept until 8:30 this morning. I have not done that for almost three years. I also want her to be able to spend as much time with her great grandparents as possible. I want her to glean from them (as much as she can at 2 years old) and I want her to remember them. Most children do not have the opportunity to know their great grandparents as she does.

My Uncle was a very kind man who seemed to know something about every subject. He loved children, but especially babies. Some years we would toast to different things and he would toast to "more babies". He was a visionary and had new ideas. He was loved by so many. He was an extremely hard worker and instilled a strong work ethic in his children. He seemed to have so many dreams and aspirations of which remain only dreams now. He went to be with the Lord on May 20, 2008. I know there will be a great void in my families lives during the days and years to come. Saying goodbye to a child, spouse or father has to one of the steepest mountains one has to climb in life. Thank you Randy for your life and your interest in building a relationship with Jesus Christ.

My husband grew up in Vermont so we just got back from our annual vacation there. It was so beautiful! The apple trees and lilacs were just beginning to bloom. The trees were all different shades of green. It almost looked like fall except with a different color scheme,and it was cold. Elizah played, and played, and ran, and ran outside everyday with her cousins. (Yes, I'm sure that's something Elizah had to get used to as we live in suburbia with a small backyard.) We were able to spend a lot of time with Nicki (who is an awesome mom) and her three kids. We enjoyed being there so much and would love to live there.

We also took a side vacation to Maine with Josh's Sister Bekah and her Husband Toby's family. We stayed on Schoodic Point which is across from Bar Harbor. We were able to do some hiking, which was more like taking walks, because of the little ones. The scenery there was stunning and the cost line so jagged and rocky. We steamed the largest lobsters I have ever seen and then gorged ourselves! We had a great time.
This is on the top of Cadillac Mountain in Arcadia National Park overlooking Bar Harbor.



Hazel and Phare, who just turned 1, are three months apart and were so cute together grabbing and pulling at one another. They don't even know it yet but they are going to be great friends. Bekah is so nurturing and attentive to her needs. It was encouraging to watch her love and care for Phare.