tied up with string

Aside from the ever-growing wishlist of books on Amazon, now there's a Joyeux Noël treasury, just for mama. Enjoy.

gifties for sugar + spice niece

image & instructions for roll-up changing mat

We are thrifting, sewing, wrapping & anticipating a new Clinch to arrive just in time to be embraced by the whole clan at Christmas! Thinking of crib bedding, changing pad cover, fitted pack n'play sheet, made out of a vintage sheet like this one, maybe accented by a simple striped ticking of complimentary colors... & the naptime project list lengthens.

silver spoon feeding

These treasured heirlooms don't just win style points in our house. I'm pretty fascinated by the history of food & the cultural traditions surrounding its preparation. Such a nerd, I took a night class on ancient food history (call it Gastronomy if you must) my senior year of university. During pregnancy & nursing, most of my wakeful thoughts involve food. So when my mum & grandmother handed over a silver cream ladle & a silver baby spoon-I use them daily with a thankful heart. (Ladle is identical to the above image from this Etsy  shop. Spoon matches this set, also on Etsy.)

Generations past would gift babies with silver (spoons, rattles, teething rings) to promote their health. Mouthing silver lets only trace amounts into your body but appear to disrupt bacteria cells permanently. The Greeks used silver vessels to help keep water and other liquids fresh. Silver flatware became popular in the middle ages to protect against the plague. The wealthy could afford silver & escaped the worst of it. In England, not more than 25% of the rich died during the plague of the 14th century while for peasants the death rate was 40-50%, according to Norman F. Cantor, in his book, In the Wake of the Plague. Settlers in the American West used silver dollars in jugs of milk to keep it fresh & silver coins in the wooden water casks to keep the water free from the growth of bacteria, algae, and other organisms. With the advent of prescription antibiotics & refrigeration, silver has seemed to be less necessary for health.  I have never personally a silver teething ring or silver rattle (just rubber pacifiers & wooden toys).

A debate several years ago surfaced about the use and benefits/health risks of colloidal silver (more here, my wanderings are not at all extensive). We've only tried it topically for 3-5 day stints (think diaper rash, etc) because it's rather expensive.  So we use those old heirlooms, especially with our babes. And if I ever inherit a set of silver flatware, you can bet your naturopathic buns I will insist on its use thrice daily. Hand wash notwithstanding.

before & after: backyard brunch picnic

This is about asking for help. Irene busted us up, just two weeks before hosting a baby shower. It's.so.bright.back.there. We definitely improvised, for shade especially... Thanks to borrowed umbrellas, crate/stools with cushions, picnic blankets, a quick re-cover job on our piano benches & many some delicious food contributions (envy the deep dish quiche), success! Miraculously, Os slept through the whole thing. Many thanks to all you lovely ladies who made the day so beautiful & full of energetic love!

[Once the other stump is removed & a fence is erected, we hope to plant a magnolia in that spot. For shade & for climbing!]

handed down: lacy crochet

lacy images via loovee & carellya

Inspired by some of these image, I'm excited to transform some doilies & draperies mum snagged on her last visit to my NH grandparents. They've lived on the same farm since mum was in high school, taken care of many aged ladies (who preferred not to move into nursing homes) until they peacefully passed, & thus inherited some beautiful pieces from rural locals up north! Tonight I have a date with my sewing machine...

the hills are alive

images via CaitlinKeegan, 1001vintage, & JessJamesJake

I suspect Nic is pining this week to be visiting the Black Hills with his fam. This post is in honor of their clan.

before & after: our dresser

Recently a friend  handed down a dresser to us, just before moving across country. It was perhaps butter cream yellow (front face in first photo). After scraping through three colors of paint & a dark stain (side shown in first photo) with various grains of sandpaper (60, 80, 120, 150), a coat of sunbleached stain & a coat of beeswax sealant make it as grainy grey as driftwood. Mission success! Now we're hunting down some marine rope to knot into drawer pulls.

because we have boys

image via LittleThingsStudio


Because we have boys
I want them to have toys,
To work with their hands,
To play music in bands.

So another treasury was born.

a tiny kiss

images via CaptainCat
& YellowBugBoutique

Happy Valentines Day, sweet one. I love your bearded face!

xoxo

images via Red Velvet, BlueberryCream, Mamatita, gildinglilies,

Very Valentines. Cozy.family.love.

silk scarf tying

image via jingjingdesign

It's cold. And wet. Making me want to wear scarves. Around my neck. On my head to cover the ears. And then I saw this great chart, of suggestions & general silliness. If only such accessories were safe from the clutches of a snuggle bug who likes to grace mama with his open mouth kisses.

image from here, via A Beautiful Mess

taupe & whitewash

images via FrenchByDesign, whimsyandspice, Tuuni, AlicesLookingGlass,

Vintage sleigh! Maple marshmallows! Linen & lace stockings! Burlap ornaments! Sugar plums galore!

in the details

images via Etsy, Anthro, Nordstrom

Friends, I have been in denial. For many a year I feigned indifference toward fashion trends, secretly reading my roommate's mags & watching Project Runway, gleaning hand-me-downs from friends who had "the eye." My annoyance with store shopping & the "help" of sales associates deceived me, but no more. Not only do I love catalogs & online browsing, Etsy & the like, I also covet the drama & risk of pieces that border on being a costume. Saturated tones, tailored pleats & collars, chunky rings, patterned tights & leggings, an array of handbags & purses. I want to adopt Nana's vocabulary of always calling them trousers, gowns, blouses & frocks.

wishful thinking

images via aftershowers, littletuna & shecountscrows

If I could wear whatever I wanted to a Halloween dance party, or an afternoon tea, & what sort of candy I prefer on either occassion.

toddler chair

He.is.so.big. This high chair is the same one his daddy sat in, brought to us last year from Grandma & Papa Clinch. Elijah is fascinated by wood grain & the sound it makes when he smacks his hands onto the tray. Later we'll just swing the tray to the back & scoot him to the table (only after he learns to stay seated on his own).

This weekend he went to his first birthday party, as Psalm Adelaide turned 1 & he tried to show gentle affection for her that was unrequited. Those little green slippers went to her; it was clear that I needed to felt a wider pair if I expected them to stay on his plump feet. We're working on it.

farm life wonderings

ceramic egg carton, Pendleton throw, sugar house for making maple syrup, my grandparents' hearth

Anyone else fascinated w/ Soule Mama's farmhouse renovation in Maine? I find delight in peeking into such a different home & life rhythm from our own. It's very different even from the farm where my mum's parents live in NH, both beautiful & plenty of hard work!

Don + Frankie

Next week we get to bring Elijah to the beach for the first time! We'll stay in the same space where my Nana & Papa brought us when we were little, in Nag's Head NC. In excitement, thankfulness & a bit of sadness (Pop passed when I was 7 & Nan can't venture that far anymore) I'd like to share some 120mm film slides my aunt scanned recently. My favs are above: the top two from before they were married (think WWII era) & the bottom two from their wedding. I was able to restore some of the color/contrast, & mum keeps pointing out facial expressions of mine that resemble Nana.