I hope everyone is having a happy day today and having tons of fun spending time with friends and family! The Little One wishes you all a merry Christmas day!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Feet!
Who needs toys... when you have feet?!
(Edited to add: watch to the end, I've been told it's worth it.)
I like the sweet smiles he gives his feet, and the silliness at the end. I am cherishing moments like this! He is growing so quickly. This was taken a while ago and he has more hair now and has also started squirming and rolling his way around on the floor, moving from one side of the room to the other.
(Edited to add: watch to the end, I've been told it's worth it.)
I like the sweet smiles he gives his feet, and the silliness at the end. I am cherishing moments like this! He is growing so quickly. This was taken a while ago and he has more hair now and has also started squirming and rolling his way around on the floor, moving from one side of the room to the other.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sparkle and Shine
Hi there! If you are visiting from The Inspired Room's Home Tour, or Nesting Place's Tour of Homes, WELCOME! :) Here's just a little tour of some things that have been sparkling and shining around our home.
Mercury glass
Tin stars with chunky glitter.
Glittery snow ("ice chips" vase filler) and sparkly stacked pinecone candles that were a gift from my grandparents add some sparkle to the hutch.
A closer look at the sheep with their little silver jingle bells.
A centerpiece from things gathered from here and there. A candle, a ratty berry wreath, ornaments, pinecones and two thrift store ceramic birds that are probably from the 70's. :)
These glittery snowflakes hang here year after year, but this year some glass droplets from Greenhouse are joining them.
Ornaments added to a bowl of seashells add some sparkle for the holidays.
The sun was beating in and making everything look extra sparkly.
In the evening the mood changes and it's fun to light the candles on the hutch.
There is a special story about the string of crochet doilies in this photo. My Grandma C made the doilies for me a long time ago to use for a collection of tiny porcelain cats I used to have. I just strung the doilies on some thread and taped them up. I think they look a little like snowflakes and I love the memories they bring to mind!
The mantle inspires me to grab a hot drink, a good book and have a cozy evening.
Thanks for visiting our sparkly home! Come back soon!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Adventures in Solids
The day after The Little One turned 6 months old, we tried brown rice cereal for the first time. At first he wasn't sure what to think......
But soon he decided he liked it pretty well.....
.....and then he decided he couldn't get enough of it! Look at those tiny arms and legs reaching out. These first three photos were taken over a month ago, and he has changed so much since then!
So far he has embraced almost every single food we've offered with outstretched hands and an open mouth... all except prunes! I caught this video of his reaction.
A messy mouth is now part of his daily routine.
He eats:
brown rice cereal
gluten-free oatmeal
white rice
apple sauce
bananas
pears
apricots
prunes
avocado
beans
peas
sweet potato
winter squash
His all-time favorite is.... avocado!
MMMM, chicken leg! Okay, okay... it's a maraca. We're not quite to the point where he can chow down on a drumstick. :)
But soon he decided he liked it pretty well.....
.....and then he decided he couldn't get enough of it! Look at those tiny arms and legs reaching out. These first three photos were taken over a month ago, and he has changed so much since then!
So far he has embraced almost every single food we've offered with outstretched hands and an open mouth... all except prunes! I caught this video of his reaction.
A messy mouth is now part of his daily routine.
He eats:
brown rice cereal
gluten-free oatmeal
white rice
apple sauce
bananas
pears
apricots
prunes
avocado
beans
peas
sweet potato
winter squash
His all-time favorite is.... avocado!
MMMM, chicken leg! Okay, okay... it's a maraca. We're not quite to the point where he can chow down on a drumstick. :)
Monday, December 5, 2011
To Market, To Market
Shawn and the girls came for a visit, and when they arrived on Friday night, they brought dinner with them! It was such a treat for The Mr. because Shawn made one of his all-time favorite (glutenous) dishes, deep dish pizza! Homemade pizza is a huge treat for him, let alone "Giordano's" deep dish Chicago style (A.K.A amazing) pizza. I am really glad when others make foods for my husband that are laden with gluten, because it is very rare for him to get those kinds of foods in our house. :)
Well, no fat pigs or plum buns were brought home, but we did go to the market on Saturday! One thing that I have to say about this market is that you will not starve if you are gluten-free. There are several options, but the most obvious are the gluten-free man pies, as well as several vendors selling gluten-free baking. I tried a thick slice of carrot bread/cake from The Baker's Cousin, and it was quite yummy and satisfying. I'd definitely go back again!
Parking is free in downtown on Saturdays, and when you are done shopping at the market, there are plenty of other fun places to visit within a short walking distance on both Railroad Ave. and E Holly St. Since our discovery of this new-to-us part of Bellingham, we've been back a number of times and it has become one of our favorite places to spend a Saturday. We can't even remember how we stumbled across it, but we're glad we did.
Local Hazelnuts
BelleWood Acres had several varieties of apples for sale.
I thought this was cute!
This is the booth that I bought The Little One's felted sheep from on our last visit. They have all sorts of beautiful fabric items like these aprons above, as well as cloth napkins, hair accessories, pillows, buntings/banners and much more.
Ralf's Bavarian Bakery always has lots of yummy looking breads, pretzels and twists, and when we visit the market with friends or family, they often buy something here. It just all looks really yummy! This time they had gluten-free apple tarts too, which was a neat surprise.
The fall wreaths and colorful stattice caught my eye.
Samish Bay Cheese always has the yummiest samples of cheeses made "just yesterday," as well as the same cheeses, aged, so that you can taste the difference age makes. It is an interesting taste experiment. I like the creamy texture of the freshest cheese the best.
Cascadia Mushrooms' grow your own mushroom kits look like a lot of fun!
Tephums and Stella tried some honey sticks.
After the market, we went to Woods Coffee to warm up. I never tire of looking at the bottom of my paper cup to see "John 3:16."
After that we made our way to one of my favorite stores in Bellingham. Actually it is probably my favorite. It is called Greenhouse and their beautiful products and styling never cease to awe. I picked up some beautiful decorations, and Shawn also picked out this gorgeous hand made wall vase for her early birthday present from us.
Twice now as we've visited this store, we've stayed so long that it was time to feed The Little One. I think we're starting to feel quite at home at the table in the candle section! Here The Little One is enjoying some homemade sweet potato puree.
Next we made our way to LuLu. LuLu sells jewelry, clothing, notebooks, soaps, lotions, scarves etc. I loved this necklace and just had to snap a photo.
From there we moved on to Digs. If you like modern decor, you'll love Digs. However, even if your style is not modern, you will find things you like in this store- I think there is something for everyone there.
It has a great babies and kids section in the back. Look at all that fun baby stuff!
This little rocking "moped" was so adorable. The Little One is teething right now, and his facial expression in this photo is the result of trying his hardest to reach over and chew on the wood. He was so intensely interested in it!
Upstairs there is a clearance center with lots of fun bargains, and to the right there is a gently used area of kitchenware, decor and furniture from the 60s and 70s that fit beautifully into the modern style of decor that they sell on the bottom half of the store.
Our last stop in this area was dinner at Bob's. The downtown location is my new favorite because they have gluten free hamburger buns! At the Birch Bay location I usually order the Fresh Mushroom Burger without the bun (and sauce- it contains gluten), so I had to try it with a gluten-free bun and it was SO good! It was such a treat to eat a hamburger in a bun and it had a great flavor.
So, what about you? Have you ever accidentally discovered a fun "new" area in your city?
Well, no fat pigs or plum buns were brought home, but we did go to the market on Saturday! One thing that I have to say about this market is that you will not starve if you are gluten-free. There are several options, but the most obvious are the gluten-free man pies, as well as several vendors selling gluten-free baking. I tried a thick slice of carrot bread/cake from The Baker's Cousin, and it was quite yummy and satisfying. I'd definitely go back again!
Parking is free in downtown on Saturdays, and when you are done shopping at the market, there are plenty of other fun places to visit within a short walking distance on both Railroad Ave. and E Holly St. Since our discovery of this new-to-us part of Bellingham, we've been back a number of times and it has become one of our favorite places to spend a Saturday. We can't even remember how we stumbled across it, but we're glad we did.
Local Hazelnuts
BelleWood Acres had several varieties of apples for sale.
I thought this was cute!
This is the booth that I bought The Little One's felted sheep from on our last visit. They have all sorts of beautiful fabric items like these aprons above, as well as cloth napkins, hair accessories, pillows, buntings/banners and much more.
Ralf's Bavarian Bakery always has lots of yummy looking breads, pretzels and twists, and when we visit the market with friends or family, they often buy something here. It just all looks really yummy! This time they had gluten-free apple tarts too, which was a neat surprise.
The fall wreaths and colorful stattice caught my eye.
Samish Bay Cheese always has the yummiest samples of cheeses made "just yesterday," as well as the same cheeses, aged, so that you can taste the difference age makes. It is an interesting taste experiment. I like the creamy texture of the freshest cheese the best.
Cascadia Mushrooms' grow your own mushroom kits look like a lot of fun!
Tephums and Stella tried some honey sticks.
After the market, we went to Woods Coffee to warm up. I never tire of looking at the bottom of my paper cup to see "John 3:16."
After that we made our way to one of my favorite stores in Bellingham. Actually it is probably my favorite. It is called Greenhouse and their beautiful products and styling never cease to awe. I picked up some beautiful decorations, and Shawn also picked out this gorgeous hand made wall vase for her early birthday present from us.
Twice now as we've visited this store, we've stayed so long that it was time to feed The Little One. I think we're starting to feel quite at home at the table in the candle section! Here The Little One is enjoying some homemade sweet potato puree.
Next we made our way to LuLu. LuLu sells jewelry, clothing, notebooks, soaps, lotions, scarves etc. I loved this necklace and just had to snap a photo.
From there we moved on to Digs. If you like modern decor, you'll love Digs. However, even if your style is not modern, you will find things you like in this store- I think there is something for everyone there.
It has a great babies and kids section in the back. Look at all that fun baby stuff!
This little rocking "moped" was so adorable. The Little One is teething right now, and his facial expression in this photo is the result of trying his hardest to reach over and chew on the wood. He was so intensely interested in it!
Upstairs there is a clearance center with lots of fun bargains, and to the right there is a gently used area of kitchenware, decor and furniture from the 60s and 70s that fit beautifully into the modern style of decor that they sell on the bottom half of the store.
Our last stop in this area was dinner at Bob's. The downtown location is my new favorite because they have gluten free hamburger buns! At the Birch Bay location I usually order the Fresh Mushroom Burger without the bun (and sauce- it contains gluten), so I had to try it with a gluten-free bun and it was SO good! It was such a treat to eat a hamburger in a bun and it had a great flavor.
So, what about you? Have you ever accidentally discovered a fun "new" area in your city?
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Nostalgia
When I was small, my sheep-raising Great Aunt Virginia once gave me a small, hand-made wool sheep to decorate with for the holidays. It was soft because it was made from pure lambs wool spun into the shape of a sheep's body. Black pipe cleaners formed the legs, ears and nose, and a thin red cord made a beautiful, loopy bow around its neck. Every year I loved the tradition of seeing it unpacked from the old cardboard box (with a picture of child's ice skates on the front), picking it up, possibly molding it back to shape after its long season of being stored, holding it and then carefully placing it out on display for all to see.
Eventually I grew up, and got engaged and it was time for me to (excitedly) pack my belongings in preparation for my marriage, after which I would be leaving my parent's farm and moving half way across the continent to my new home. After I had packed up what I wanted to take with me from my childhood bedroom, there were a few more things that needed to come with me when I left, and my little wool sheep made its way into one of the boxes bound for my new home.
Years later, this little sheep is still a beautiful reminder of how special this time of year was to me when I was a child and I've been placing it out amongst my pine cones and snowflakes and loving the memories that flood back each time I catch a glance of it.
As I was meandering through the Winter Farmers Market in Bellingham a couple of weeks ago, I came upon a booth selling, among other things, beautiful hand-made felted animals. There were the cutest owls and song birds, as well as a beautiful nativity scene complete with shepherds..... and sheep. As soon as I saw the sheep, I knew what to do. I brought one home with us for The Little One. It is soft felted lamb's wool, with a black face and black feet. It has a beautiful loopy bow around its neck complete with the sweetest little silver jingle bell.
I wanted The Little One to have the excitement that comes from traditions being played out year after year. To have his own little sheep to place on the mantle.
Eventually I grew up, and got engaged and it was time for me to (excitedly) pack my belongings in preparation for my marriage, after which I would be leaving my parent's farm and moving half way across the continent to my new home. After I had packed up what I wanted to take with me from my childhood bedroom, there were a few more things that needed to come with me when I left, and my little wool sheep made its way into one of the boxes bound for my new home.
Years later, this little sheep is still a beautiful reminder of how special this time of year was to me when I was a child and I've been placing it out amongst my pine cones and snowflakes and loving the memories that flood back each time I catch a glance of it.
As I was meandering through the Winter Farmers Market in Bellingham a couple of weeks ago, I came upon a booth selling, among other things, beautiful hand-made felted animals. There were the cutest owls and song birds, as well as a beautiful nativity scene complete with shepherds..... and sheep. As soon as I saw the sheep, I knew what to do. I brought one home with us for The Little One. It is soft felted lamb's wool, with a black face and black feet. It has a beautiful loopy bow around its neck complete with the sweetest little silver jingle bell.
I wanted The Little One to have the excitement that comes from traditions being played out year after year. To have his own little sheep to place on the mantle.
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