This Moment - April 30, 2010- Decisions

This week, sisters helped Kimmie choose a dress for prom....

(I know I fudged the "one photo" rule...I just couldn't decide!) 

Joining with SouleMama:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual

Capturing Joyful Anticipation

This past weekend I did my first maternity photo shoot for some friends from church. We had a wonderful time and it was the perfect, gorgeous spring day for outside shots at my favorite New England garden estate.  We ended up with about 160 final shots, but here are some highlights.


Such a beautiful family... And we can't wait to meet you, Baby Range!  You are already incredibly loved. 

  

Co-Workers, Crochet and Cookies

In the rhythm of the needles, 

there is music for the soul."

--- from an old sampler 

Last week, during our April vacation, some of my lady co-workers and I met together for a night of crochet and cookies (among many other wonderful treats). A lovely time was had by all, and now there are a few more "crochet-ers" in the world... there is something so precious about the togetherness of talking, laughing, sitting in a circle working with your hands.  

Spring Variety

Thank you for sharing your garden's precious spring blooms with me, Mom J!


They are filling Sea Kettle with color and cheer.

  

Thankful - April 26, 2010

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.  -Epictetus

As with each Monday, joining with the Gratitude Community:

411. coffee date with my husband and bright mugs full of chocolate

412. another crochet night with friends

413. garden time

414. pansies, iris, columbine, lupines, astilbe, daylily, ladybells, climbing hydrangea - the promise of flowers to come!

415. 1st spring thunderstorm

416. April vacation time.

417. Spring walks

418. tree blossom flurries

419. late night gelato and piggy back races with new friends

420. full window boxes

421. sister visits between classes

422. puttering around Sea Kettle in slippers

423. digging my hands in the dirt with Mom J and Rachel

424. having all the windows in the house open

425. frozen chocolate pie

426. my first maternity shoot (Just to clarify, I was the photographer, not the subject!)

427. journal lists

428. Brian working on the house

429. last week of treatment for Dad

430. healing promises
431. sweet Rhema hugs and songs

Blessed Are...

Matthew 5: 1-10

 ¹Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them saying:

 ³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ⁴Blessed are those who mourn,

      for they will be comforted.

 ⁵Blessed are the meek,

      for they will inherit the earth.

 ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

      for they will be filled.

 ⁷Blessed are the merciful,

      for they will be shown mercy.

 ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,

      for they will see God.

 ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,

      for they will be called sons of God.

 ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Pansies

I've been itching to garden, but it's still early to plant most annuals here in New England. I did the next best thing and bought a couple of flats of pansies to fill our window and porch boxes until it warms up a bit.  


Thank you pansies, for bravely withstanding these last chilly days of spring and satiating my gardening bug! 


(Update: yesterday my sister-in-law came over to offer her gardening expertise and we planted lots of exciting perennials - more on that later!)

Antique China Tiered Tray

I saw this idea a few months ago and tucked it away until I had time to make one myself.  I love what she did, but wanted to put my own spin on it.   Living in New England, we have so many wonderful antique/thrift shops around, so instead of buying new dishes, I decided to find some old treasures to work with. 


It didn't take me long to find the perfect mismatched set of dishes.  I bought three colorful plates (of different sizes), three white teacups (two are the same, one is smaller) and a small shallow bowl for the bottom pedestal.  All together they cost me $10.   Then, all I needed was to buy some Duco Cement at the hardware store. 


Each piece was washed, then simply glued together in a stack.  I like the teacups facing opposite ways and at least one placed upside down.  I wasn't going to put another teacup on top, but I found that tiny one for $1 and couldn't resist.  I thought it would make a nice dipping bowl, bud vase or perhaps a candleholder.   


So easy and so lovely. I can't wait to have a tea party!

I glued each piece one by one, then put a heavy book on top to give it pressure.

In use!  I put some pansies in the top tea cups this time...so many options!

This Moment - April 23, 2010

Joining with SouleMama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. 

Christmas in April?

I adopted this little Christmas Cactus from a friend who moved down south earlier this year. 

He didn't bloom at Christmas... but he's blooming now!  Perhaps he thinks he's a Patriot's Day Cactus? 

Whatever his identity issues, its blooms are cheering me this week. 

The News

My boys at school decided the other day that we needed a school newspaper.  

So they started one. 

It was so nice to see them work so well together (not always easy for kids with Asperger's Syndrome!)and decide who would be the writers, editors, reporters and cartoonists.  They made sure that everyone was included and had a job that they enjoyed. 


The boys are so happy and invigorated when they work on their paper. And of course, as their English teacher, I love seeing them want to write on their own!


Their first publication came out last week. It's called "The Daily Yoshi" (I just recently learned that Yoshi is a character from Mario...they all are big video game fans). :) 


Below are some highlights:


History Fair


"With the history fair coming up this Friday, the kids in all four classes are working hard to finish their reports and their portraits.  Some tension might be forming as the kids who haven't finished are rushing to complete their reports. The teachers do not think there is a lot of stress, but some may disagree."


Sports Page


On April 9th, the Red Sox lost to the Twins.  On a brighter note, the Paw Sox won against the Iron Pigs!  We have reason to believe that I-Party is sponsoring the Paw Sox.

Love it. 

The Rock Cozy Experiment

I've been inspired recently by Resurrection Fern and her beautiful covered rocks.  There is something about these little works of art that are incredibly lovely and delicate.    


So I bought some thin yarn (you know the stuff they make doilies out of?..) and a tiny crochet hook. I also gathered some smooth ocean-tumbled rocks in our yard and at a nearby beach. I experimented with different stitches and different sized hooks.  They were a bit difficult to handle at first, but you quickly get the hang of the tiny stitches. 


It's hard to give you an exact tutorial because I did something different each time.  Basically, I began with a chain-stitch ring and crocheted around the circle until the circle fit over the top of the rock.  After that, I began crocheting while the circle was on the rock so that I could pull it tight.  I just kept decreasing stitches until the circle closed on the other side (with the rock inside). 


I learned so much with each covered rock I created, so I'm looking forward to trying this again and working on different patterns and designs. 


I just love the idea of the soft string around the hard rock. They have this beachy, ocean feel to them.  Almost like fish or lobster trap netting.. I'm also thinking of attaching verses to them on a fabric tag. I'll post them if I end up doing it. Perhaps it would be fun to cover special rocks with specific memories or places tied to them? So many possibilities for these charming little stones!